Methodist Youth Fellowship Alor Star

“and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy”

2011-08-10T13:29:00.003+08:00

You know in Malaysia, many times we hope for some cosmic event that will shut the mouths of people mocking Christians. We seem to be the butt of every joke, every accusation of wrong doing, we are trying to make everybody Christian etc.

Why are we easy targets? or are we?

One of the greatest and deepest mysteries of Divine Grace lie not in God’s national dealings but individual dealings, in sovereign mercy:”And i will be gracious to whom i will be gracious and will show mercy to whom i will show mercy (Ex.33:19)

The people of Israel could not take the presence of God -awesome and magnificant as it was. When Moses did not show, they could only replicate what they knew of God from the Egyptian experience – a golden calf. Funny that with the great and awesome presence of God could not stop them from breaking the second commandment of God.

So what makes us think that if God does do some significant thing in Malaysia that is visible to all everything would change ?

Yes we crave for not His likeness but His very Glory itself. We seem to not want to see Christians who are God’s personal representation on earth today but God himself. Why can’t He intervene directly.

For one – he has intervened directly through Jesus Christ and is constantly in our midst through the Holy Spirit in us.

But two – He will do it in his ways and in his timing. And the deepest mystery is that he will do it through personal dealings rather than national ones. The bible shows us this. The christian church and its history also does prove this. change and transformation came when christians behaved as christians individually, when they rested on personal grace and mercy that God showered on them.

So the quest for us now, especially as it is the national christian month of fasting and praying – to seek for God’s grace and mercy personally so that we can not only experience it but then be empowered to make the changes necessary for the transformation of our society and country that seem to be going awry in many points.

- Michael William -

I Choose to Serve God

2011-07-07T12:22:00.005+08:00

Serving God is a choice and I chose it!

I grew up in a church where the opportunity or means of serving God is plenty. Some chose to serve, some chose to sit back. I chose to serve God.

I started off with Public Address (PA) System because my dad was serving in that area. My first task was to round up the cables and keep the mics. Eventually, my dad taught me some basics of managing the sound system in the church. I learned and chose to continue serving till I left for further studies and occasionally when I come back.

During my days in church school, I chose to serve by learning up how to play a puppet and was part of puppet shows when there is one.

As I move on, I chose to serve in my church's youth fellowship or better known as Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF). I enjoyed my time there as a normal member and even the time when I was part of the committee. I learned and chose to continue serving/participating till I left for further studies. Recently, there was a combined effort of youths from different churches to organize a camp called Norther Youth Revival Camp. Again, I chose to help out in some minor planning and be a facilitator in the camp.

When I further my studies to the university, I chose to serve in the Christian fellowship of my university, Persaudaraan Kristian UKM (PERKEB). I was part of the committee of various projects and also the committee of the fellowship itself. It has been 3 good years serving in PERKEB and recently when I became an alumni, some of my friends and I started a ministry for the alumni as well.

I have been actively serving God through different means in different periods of my life. Now, why do I choose to do so? Answer is simple. Jesus paid the price of sin for us. We in return offer our service to Him by serving His people and bringing more people into his kingdom. Sounds familiar? Of course it does because this same scenario happens in our everyday life. I pay the wan tan mee hawker RM 2.50 and he in return gives me a bowl of wan tan mee. I pay Astro about RM 100 a month and in return I get to watch some shows on tv. So what I am saying here is, it is only reasonable for us to serve God because He paid the price for our sins.

We can't continue giving reasons that we can't or are not given the chance to serve God in church or elsewhere because the kingdom of God offers us plenty. It is a matter of whether you choose to serve or lay back and give ridiculous reasons.

I have chosen to serve my God. Will you join me?

the startling coalescence of contrarieties that you find in Jesus

2011-07-05T00:15:00.002+08:00

He was the meekest and lowliest of all the sons of men: yet He said that He would come on the clouds of heaven in the glory of God.
He was so austere that evil spirits and demons cried out in terror at His coming: yet He was so genial and winsome and approachable that the children loved to play with Him, and the little ones nestled in His arms; and His company in the innocent gaiety of a village wedding was like the sunshine.
No one was ever half so kind or compassionate to sinners: yet no one ever spoke such red-hot, scorching words about sin.
He would not break the bruised reed, and His whole life was love: yet on one occasion He demanded of the Pharisees how they expected to escape the damnation of hell.
He was a dreamer of dreams and a seer of visions: yet for sheer stark naked realism He has all our self-styled “realists” beaten.
He was the servant of all, washing the disciples’ feet : yet masterfully He strode into the Temple, and the hucksters and traders fell over one another in their mad rush to get away from the fire they saw blazing in His eyes.
He saved others: yet at the last, Himself He would not save.
There is nothing in history like the union of contrasts that confronts you in the Gospels. The mystery of Jesus is the mystery of a personality.

~James Stewart~

Revival of Love

2011-07-03T00:44:00.000+08:00

We set our hands to plowing, but looked back
and were not fit to work the Master's field.
But when we prayed and turned, the land was healed.
Now we shall work again and not be slack,
and God shall bless us till we cannot stack
the sheaves we bring rejoicing from the yield
God pours from heaven once we have appealed
His mercy in our brokenness and lack.
It is a burden light, an easy yoke,
to go forth weeping, bearing precious seed,
and sow it in the fallow ground we broke
and watch with prayer so neither thorn nor weed
can spring up in a bitter root to choke
revival of the love we sorely need.
~ by Michael Rew~

Lent - Day 47 (24/4/2011)

2011-04-24T13:53:00.002+08:00

"He is Risen!"

Matthew 28:1-10
Mark 16:1-8
Luke 24:1-2
John 20:1-18

"Is it true He will rise on the third day? Is it true? Didn't He say that? He did!"
But will it happen? Will it?" Perhaps these were some of the thoughts of the women and the disciples on Holy Saturday. The women could not believe it because on Easter morning, they brought their spices along to anoint Jesus' body.

But what happened?

It is Easter morning. All is quiet, silent. Suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, new life enters the cold, dead body of Jesus. Cell by cell, Jesus awakes. As He awakes, the silence of creation is pierced. The waiting is over. The birds begin to chirp. The darkness of the night gives way to the dawning light. The flowers open their petals. The rush of fresh air is felt everywhere.

There is a violent earthquake, and the stone over the tomb is rolled back by an angel from heaven. Indeed, it is a New Day. A New Day has dawned! The women meet the angel, who tell them, "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, Who was crucified. He has risen! You will see Him" (Mk 16:6-7) And then they meet Jesus. He tells them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers ... they will see Me." (Mt 28:10). And then Mary Magdalene has a personal encounter with the risen Lord. She rushes back to the disciples and tells them, "I have seen the Lord!" (John 20:18)

Prayer
Lord, let me "see" You today and everyday with the eyes of faith, hope, and love.

From Contemplation to Action
Go and tell someone of the Risen Christ today!

Lent - Day 46 (23/4/2011)

2011-04-21T00:56:00.002+08:00

Entombed

Matthew 27:57-61
Mark 15:42-47
Luke 23:50-56
John 19:38-42

Today, Jesus lays silent in His tomb. All of creation waits in silence.
The day before, Good Friday, had been a most traumatic day - full of sorrow, anguish, pain, tears. Two of the followers, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, had lovingly taken the body of Jesus from the Cross and wrapped it in strips of clean linen, with 34 kilograms of spices (myrrh and aloes). They had placed Jesus' body in a tomb cut out of rock.

How did Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus feel as they were engaged in this last act of love for the dead Jesus? They must have been very, very horrified with the numerous and deep wounds on His head, His body, His hands, His feet, His pierced side.

After this, when they went home, what did they do? Did they just sit for hours staring in space - reliving the horror of it all - the injustice, the sham trial, the brutality, the crucifixion, the lifeless body of their beloved rabbi? Did they let their tears flow or did they try to numb their anguish in some mindless activity?

What about the women? It was said, they "were sitting ... opposite the tomb" (Mt 27:61).
They "saw where ... and how ... His body was laid." (Mk 15:47; Lk 23:55) And then, after the Sabbath, they came with spices to anoint Jesus' body. (Mk 16:1) It was an act of love.

How about you? How do you want to spend today? How do you want to be with Jesus, today?

Prayer
Lord, teach me to be silent before You today. Teach me to love You, on the silence.

From Contemplation to Action
For the future - do some act of kindness / love for the deceased.

Lent - Day 45 (22/4/2011)

2011-04-21T00:44:00.002+08:00

The Road that Leads to Heaven

John 18-19

"Through the Cross both happiness
And life are given,
For there is no other road
That leads to Heaven.

On the Cross there hangs the Lord
Of Heaven and earth
And amid the stress of war
Peace comes to birth.
All the evils of our life
Far off are driven;
For there is no other road
That leads to Heaven.

A precious palm-tree is the Cross,
So says the Bride,
Which her Beloved One has scal'd,
His arms stretch'd wide;
And its fruit a savour sweet
To God has given;
And there is no other road
That leads to Heaven.

The Cross is like an olive-tree,
Fair to the sight,
Whereof the holy oil provides
Healing and light.
Wherefore, my soul, embrace
the Cross,
happy and shriven,
For there is no other road
That leads to Heaven.

'Tis a tree all wondrous green,
Tree of desire;
In its shade the Bride sits down
With love afire,
Rejoicing in her Lover dear,
The King of Heaven,
For there is no other road
That leads to Heaven.

When a soul unto its God
Submits indeed
And from every worldly thing
Is wholly freed,
To it as a tree of life
The Cross is given,
And a path delectable
That leads to Heaven.

Since the Lord embrac'd the
Cross,
And for us died,
Honour has surrounded it:
'Tis glorified.
Lide and happiness it brings
When we have striven:
'Tis the surest road to take
That leads to Heaven.

(A meditation on the Cross by St Teresa of Avila - 16th Century Spanish mystic)

Prayer
Lord, help me courageously take the surest road that leads to Heaven.

From Contemplation to Action
What is the Cross that is before me now, that I shrink from?
How can I take up this Cross?
What are my fears?
How can I overcome them?
What are the risks?
How can I embrace all the risks that are involved - when I take up this Cross?

Lent - Day 44 (21/4/2011)

2011-04-18T17:22:00.002+08:00

"He Knew"

John 13:1-15

"Jesus knew
that the Father had put all things under His power,
and that He had come from God and was returning to God."
(John 13:3)

Today is Maundy Thursday. Today, Jesus eats the Last Supper with His disciples.

What is He feeling? Is His heart with what is about to take place? Or is His heart heavier that one of His disciples is going to betray Him?

For Jesus however, the present was more important (more important than what is to come). For Jesus, He was more concerned with the "now". For "now", Jesus will be with His disciples. For "now", He will celebrate the Passover with them. For "now", He will humble Himself before them by washing their feet. For "now", Jesus will love them by serving them. For "now", He will make it known that one of them is not clean (v10). For "now", He will continue to teach them that they should do to one another as He has done for them (vs 14-15).

What is the confidence behind Jesus that He could be in the "now"? It is this, "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God." (v3) He "knew".

Prayer
Dear Father in heaven, help me to know who I am in You. Grant me the confidence to live every moment in the "now" - knowing who I am, knowing Who You are, and who I am in You.

From Contemplation to Action
In the confidence of knowing who you are in the Lord, go and serve others unreservedly - with joy, compassion, humility.

Lent - Day 43 (20/4/2011)

2011-04-18T17:15:00.002+08:00

"Let Us Examine Ourselves before the Lord"

Matthew 26:14-25

The story of Judas is so well known that we would describe someone who has betrayed us, who has stabbed us in the back, as "Judas". But in this telling of Jesus' prediction of Judas' betrayal, we are at His table, reclining with Jesus and eating with Him the Passover, just before Jesus instituted the Holy Communion. At this meeting point of a Feast that commemorates how death passed over Israel, protected by the blood from a slain lamb, and a new Feast that commemorates how God forgives us our sin because of the blood of Jesus, we have the disciples asking, "Surely not I, Lord" at Jesus' assertion that one of them will betray Him. Each one at the table had to examine himself before the Lord.

Prayer
Surely it is I, Lord, who has betrayed You again and again.
Help me to see and to know the weaknesses in me that make me betray You again and again.
Heal me, Lord, and help me resolve to stand by You at all times.

From Contemplation to Action
On this day, the day before Maundy Thursday where we will celebrate the Holy Communion, let us take time to examine ourselves before our Lord - How have we failed Him? How have we betrayed His love?
How have we sinned? But we do so not as Judas who ultimately took his won life. We do so in anticipation of the Holy Communion, knowing that the blood of our Lord cleanses and frees us from all sin.

We do so in gratitude. Let us confess our sins before the Lord as we prepare for Maundy Thursday.

Lent - Day 42 (19/4/2011)

2011-04-18T12:40:00.002+08:00

"BEFORE The Rooster Crows"

John 13:21-33, 36-38

Today's reading focuses our attention on Peter. When Jesus announced that someone would betray Him, Peter wanted to know who it was. And when Jesus hinted of the dangerous journey He was about to undertake Peter declared that he was not afraid, not even of death. "Lord, why can't I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You," (v37). Peter had supreme confidence - in himself.

Alas, it was Peter's confidence born out of ignorance. Ignorance of the spiritual forces that were at play that night; that night of betrayal ... denial ... trial. Ignorance of the limits of his own faith, even though he might ordinarily be a courageous man. And ignorance of what the Lord was really talking about.

We too are often caught in ignorance. Some of us may respond like Peter, boastful and confident. Some of us may rant and rail at God. Others of us may retreat in fear. Still others merely complain or criticize. What we need to do is to first understand that we do not know as much as we think we do. And we need to trust in the One who does. Or else, before the rooster crows, we will find out how wrong we have been.

Prayer
Lord, forgive my ignorance in the ways that You move in my life.
Grant me discernment and sensitivity to the workings of Your Holy Spirit in my life.
And Lord, help me respond with courage and love to all that You ask of me, today and everyday.

From Contemplation to Action
For most of us, life is what we see and experience - time, health, physical potentials and limits, money, beauty, ability, history, etc. What we see and experience informs the way we look at life. But we need to be mindful that we are but a grain of sand in the ocean of eternity, a small but significant part of the cosmic reality of God and God's purpose, called to respond courageously in the battle between the spiritual forces.
That God knows us by name should be a reason for us to rejoice continually. As we contemplate on all this, let us let go of our faith in ourselves and strengthen our faith in Jesus, even as we meet the challenges in our life, in our church, and in our nation.

Lent - Day 41 (18/4/2011)

2011-04-18T12:25:00.002+08:00

"True Worship"

John 12:1-11

Today's beautiful act of love took place after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.

In this expression o profound love - Mary enters, pours expensive perfume over Jesus' feet, and wipe his feet with her hair. The topic of intense debate was about the expensive perfume, but let us ponder for a moment the way we may understand how this expensive perfume connects with Jesus' feet, Mary's hair and what God may desire that we learn from this.

The expensive perfume:
We always say that God does not look at the cost of what we offer God. And that is right.

But is it a way of life for us to offer God that which costs us nothing? The issue is not the monetary value, but the personal value (cost) to us.
What is the most costly offering we have offered to God?
Which of our offering to God do we think God treasures the most?

The feet:
John the Baptist said that he was not worthy to untie the thongs of Jesus' sandals (John 1:27).
The expensive perfume is not fit for the feet of Jesus. Our most costly offering may not be fit for our Lord. Yet Jesus accepts our offering graciously. Dare we ever take pride in what we offer God?

The hair:
The hair is the glory of a woman, and yet Mary used it to wipe Jesus' feet. There was no trace of pride, no trace of shame. And there was no thought of using anything else to wipe Jesus' feet. Would I turn to a cheaper substitute, a lesser alternative, ask someone else, if the Lord has need of my service?

What was most poignant of Mary;s tender expression of love for Jesus?

It is this.

She was unashamedly teling everyone who she thinks Jesus was, and who she was in relation to Jesus. It was for Mary - an act of worship. And Jesus, not only accepted her act of worship, He defended her profession of love.

Prayer
Lord, help me worship and love You anew!

From Contemplation to Action
Do something unashamedly loving for God today.

Lent - Day 40 (17/4/2011)

2011-04-17T00:40:00.002+08:00

"O Dearly, Dearly, Has He Loved"

Matthew 26:14 - 27:66

Jesus has warned us, "You will indeed die in your sins," (John 8:24).
Now in today's scripture reading, Jesus desires for us to know that with His own life, "I will die for your sins."

Today is Passion Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week - the holiest week in the Christian calendar.

Passion Sunday leads us to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Today's scripture reading takes us through the key events of the Passion of our Lord, the sufferings of Jesus Christ. As you read through it, try to imagine Jesus' state of mind as He spent his last night with His disciples, as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane in the faceo f His impendin crucifixion, as He went through the sham trial, and finally, as He hung on the cross. Take time to get in touch with the deep live that Jesus has demonstrated, for the heavenly Father (in submitting to His will), and for you and me.

Prayer
(adapted from the Hymn: There Is a Green Hill Far Away)

Lord, there is a green hill far away, outside a city wall,
where You my dear Lord was crucified Who died to save us all.

I may not know, I cannot tell, what pains You had to bear,
but I believe it was for me You hung and suffered there.

You died that I might be forgiven, You died to make me good,
that I might go at last to heaven, saved by Your precious blood.

There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin,
You only could unlock the gate of heaven and let me in.

O dearly, dearly have You loved! And I must love You too,
and trust in Your redeeming blood, and try Your works to do.

So help me, God. Amen

From Contemplation to Action
Re-read Matthew 26:14 - 27:66
Note verses, phrases or words that tug at your heart and treasure them as God's personal words to you for this Holy Week.
Meditate on them to draw more fruit from them.
As you draw fruit from your meditations, ask God what God would have you do.

Lent - Day 39 (16/4/2011)

2011-04-15T13:27:00.002+08:00

"Spiritual Mathematics"

John 11:45-57

As you listen to the discussion among the members of the Sanhedrin, ask yourself, "What motivated them the most?"

Verse 48 gives us the answer:
"If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

It was the fear of losing what they had that informed their decision-making. Their mind was on the material, not the spiritual. That was why what Caiaphas proposed seemed most sensible to them.

In a material world the loss of one for the sake of many makes simple mathematical sense.

A cursory analysis might make you think that God subscribes to the same mathematics.

But spiritual mathematics is not the same. God, the Father, determined that it is better that Jesus, the Son of God, sacrifice Himself for the sake of many. In Jesus then, God the Father sacrificed everything when He sacrificed His one and only Son.

Prayer
Lord, on my own I can never do what You did in practicing spiritual mathematics.
Help me not rely on material mathematics for my decision-making.
Help me learn to love the way You love.
Help me in small but significant ways spread the practice of spiritual mathematics.

From Contemplation to Action
Think of one thing you can do that demonstrates spiritual mathematics. Then go and do that on thing as a homage to God, the great spiritual mathematician.

Lent - Day 38 (15/4/2011)

2011-04-15T11:12:00.002+08:00

"I Would Never Imagine God In Any Other Way"

John 10:31-42

The Jews knew very well what Jesus was teaching about Himself. Even though He regularly used the phrase "Son of Man" for Himself, the claims He makes about Himself leaves them in no doubt as to Who He claims to be, the "Son of God". For us all, we do not have the privilege the Jews had of observing His miracles. But we can make our minds up in the way Jesus is to be understood: How are we to understand it when Jesus said, "Do not believe Me unless I do what my Father does," (v37).

It is as if Jesus is saying to us, "In other words, as long as what I do and what I teach are consistent with what you know of God, both from Scripture and from the depths of your heart, you know you can trust Me. Otherwise I would be pure evil, scheming to usurp the place of God in your heart."

The most powerful thing that our Lord did was to die on the cross. Other religious leaders might have taught well. Still others might have fought well. Jesus gave up His life. Do others say in their hearts, "No, the Son of God will never do this". Or do we say in our hearts, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" We would never have thought of it but now that Jesus, the Son of God has it, we would never imagine God in any other way.

Prayer (Jesus of the Scars by Edward Shillito)
If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.

If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,
An not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

From Contemplation to Action
What can I, as a son of God, as a daughter of God, do in my everyday life, to manifest that "I do what my Father does." (v37)?

Lent - Day 37 (14/4/2011)

2011-04-15T10:58:00.002+08:00

"O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?"

John 8:51-59

The focus of this long discussion in John 8 is sin, and death as a result of it. John has cleverly told the story of how Jesus rescued a woman from "death" because of her sin.

Jesus life-giving words to her were, "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin," (8:11). Now Jesus says "Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps My Word will never see death." (v51)

Obviously we must understand death to mean "spiritual death" or death as a result of sin.

This is the "second death", the death after death. But I believe the choice of the word "death" here, with no qualification, is deliberate. As we have seen in Sunday's meditation on John 11, death is something that our faith finds hard to conquer. But Jesus wants us to know that we, through our being.

His disciples, are conquerors of the "second death", and therefore need not fear the first death.

So let us read and meditate with thanksgiving on what Jesus says to us today:
"Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps My Word will never see death," (v51)
Do you have a fear of death?
Does the shadow of death over a loved one, a close friend, a member of your church weigh you down?
Only the presence of God can help you and others who touch death or are in touch with death, can overcome the sting of death.

Prayer
Lord, free me from my fear of death.
I now bring before you my concerns about death ...
Lord, indeed You are my shepherd, and I lack nothing.
It is in grassy meadows that You let me lie.
It is by tranquil streams that You lead me to restore my spirit.

You are ever guiding me in paths of saving justice as befits Your Name.
I know that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for You are ever at my side.

Your staff and Your crook are there to sooth me.
And in the presence of my enemies You prepare a table for me;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely Your kindness and faithful love will pursue me every day of my life.
And I shall dwell in Your house my whole life long.
Thank You, Lord, Thank You!

From Contemplation to Action
Over the past few days we have been meditation on physical death (Lazarus), sin and death,
Resurrection and Life, holding fast to Jesus' teaching, truth, freedom, and physical death.
As we move closer to Good Friday, Jesus moves closer to His own physical death.
Take time to allow these truths to sink deeply into your heart.

Lent - Day 36 (13/4/2011)

2011-04-15T10:50:00.002+08:00

"The Path To Freedom"

John 8:31-42

The meditation today is based on the sequence of Jesus' words as found in the scripture text today.

"If you hold to My teaching, you are My disciples" (v31)
In its context, this was said to Jews who "put their faith in Him" (v30). Jesus urged them to "hold to" His teaching; not wavering, not a one-time response, but a consistent lifetime commitment. This is the criterion for being His disciples.

"THEN you will know the truth" (v32).
Before they accepted the truth because they put their faith in Jesus, now they will know the truth themselves, implying that as a result of holding on to Jesus' teaching, His disciples will come to know God personally.

"AND the truth will set you free" (v32)
In the context of the whole chapter, clearly Jesus meant freedom from sin and its enslaving power.

So while yesterday's meditation warns us that we will "indeed die in (our) sins" (John 8:24), today's meditation teaches us that "the truth will set (us) free".

Prayer
Lord, help me hold on to Your teaching, be Your disciple, know the truth, and be set free from the enslaving power of sin.

From Contemplation to Action
Evaluate your own Christian life and growth with the above sequence.
What can you do to hold on to Jesus' teaching?

Lent - Day 35 (12/4/2011)

2011-04-10T00:56:00.002+08:00

"You Will Indeed Die In Your Sins"

John 8:21-30

"You will die in your sin." (v21)
"I told you that you would die in your sins." (v24)
"You will indeed die in your sins." (v24)

There is no escaping or misunderstanding what Jesus wants to tell His listeners.

And He makes it clear that this message is not His own, but what the Father wants Him to communicate. "You will indeed die in your sins." (v24)

This serious message of Jesus may at times be side-stepped by us as we concentrate more on His other messages, e.g. His love, friendship, blessing, healing power, guidance, protection, etc. In that case, sin loses its sting; and freedom from sin and its penalty loses its value.

Our attention is focused on this temporal life rather than the eternal life in the hereafter.

Prayer
Lord, help me during this Lent to be courageous enough to look at the seriousness of my sins, and its consequences for my life.

From Contemplation to Action
Take some time to understand that Christ came not to make your life on earth better, but to secure your future in God for all eternity.

Lent - Day 34 (11/4/2011)

2011-04-10T00:46:00.002+08:00

Such People!

John 8:1-11

When we use the phrase "such women" (John 8:5), or more generically, "such people", we draw a line between ourselves and "such people" - not only implying that we are not "such people" but that we are better than "such people". What Jesus did was to remove that line and forced the Pharisees to see that they are no different, and certainly no better. But let us not romanticize about the woman either.

She was caught in adultery. There was not question as to her guilt. She was either the third party with an adulterous man, or has betrayed her husband sexually with another man.

Even so, Jesus does not allow us to view ourselves different, or better, than her.

Prayer
Lord, show me what needs to change in my relationship with those I would normally view as "fringe members" or even "outcasts" in my church and community.
Grant me to have a compassionate and understanding heart in situations where I am likely to be judgmental and self-righteous.

From Contemplation to Action
In life, its is easier for us to identify ourselves with good, righteous people, than to be lumped together with those who are considered worthless or sinful. As a useful exercise - why not try and identify with specific persons that we would easily label "such people" - someone in our community whose marriage has been wrecked by his or her infidelity perhaps? Or some young "party type" who has no interest in spiritual things? Or a rich and haughty so-and-so couple who frowns on our relationship with their son and daughter? Or the good-for-nothing chap who smokes and drinks outside church and talks too loudly in church?

What would be useful is to remember Jesus' words in John 3:16,
"For God so loved the world that God gave God's only Son ..."

Lent - Day 33 (10/4/2011)

2011-04-10T00:34:00.002+08:00

"I am the Rusurrection and the Life - Do You Believe This?"

John 11:1-45

As you read this story, note the intent of both the writer and Jesus. From the beginning Jesus made it clear that there is a higher purpose guiding Him and He demonstrated it by staying back two more days, until Lazarus had passed away. The writer made it clear that everyone involved believed wholeheartedly that Jesus had the power to heal. But when death came, it seemed that even Jesus could not do anything about it.

Although Martha went further than the rest to express her belief that Jesus is indeed "the Christ, the Son of God, Who has come into the world" (v27), we see that her faith went little beyond verbal, intellectual assent (John 11:38-40). Her faith could not go beyond what she had seen and experienced.

For her and everyone there, while there is still life, there is hope. When death came, hope died.

Jesus went to great lengths to bring Martha and Mary beyond the limits of their faith ("Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died," vs 21, 32), to know Him as He truly is: "I AM the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me will live, even though they die; and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (vs 25-26)

Prayer
Lord, show me the limits of my faith.
Show me where You want me to go today in my life of faith with You.
Lord, I offer you the fruit of my contemplation.
Speak to me.
Let me hear what You have to say to me, now.

From Contemplation to Action
The beauty of Martha is that she went out to meet Jesus despite her disappointment. Ask yourself, what is it about Jesus that disappoints you? Continue to meditate on Jesus' words, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (11:40) and ask Jesus for the strength to believe.

Lent - Day 32 (9/4/2011)

2011-04-05T00:26:00.002+08:00

Prophet, Messiah, Lord

John 7:40-53

There was a lot of speculation as to the identity of Jesus. There was a lot of intellectualizing about Jesus. There were a lot of arguments about the identity of Jesus. But whichever position a person took it made a difference only in the person's mind, not the heart. They did not do much more than talk, discuss and argue. But in the hearts of some lowly temple guards, sent to arrest Jesus, it made a huge impact, so much so that they disobeyed the orders of the chief priests and Pharisees.

"Why didn't you bring Him in?" (v45)
"No one ever spoke the way this Man does." (v46)

The guards did not know theology, nor were they learned in the Scriptures. But they know that their hearts were stirred. And they were prepared to go against their orders because they knew that those orders were against what their hearts were saying about Jesus.

Prayer
Lord, I know that You are God.
Help my confession make a difference in the way I live every day.
Help my confession make a difference in my attitude to what You continue to say to me.
Let my confession of You as God encourage me to do things for You and the Kingdom joyfully.

From Contemplation to Action
Today, let your confession that "Jesus is Lord" come forth in your words and actions.

Lent - Day 31 (8/4/2011)

2011-04-05T00:12:00.002+08:00

Teacher or God?

John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

It would be a good idea to read John 7:1-39. The passage is basically about the anticipated appearance of Jesus in Jerusalem during the Passover, both because the Pharisees are known to be plotting to arrest Him, and also because there is the expectation that this is the time for Jesus to enter the public arena, and Jerusalem during the Passover is the perfect stage for this.

Jesus did appear in Jerusalem and the general conclusion was that He was an amazing teacher (v15). Jesus however did not allow people the luxury of such a conclusion and went on to claim that He knows God; He comes from God, and is sent by God (v29).

It is easy to want to learn from Jesus; to accept Him as a wonderful teacher. But He does not allow us that option. As our teacher we think we can pick and choose what we want to learn from Him.

We think we can argue whether He is right, whether what He says is true, or whether His teaching is wisdom. But as One sent by God, all we can ever do, is to humbly and obediently listen to Him as we listen to God.

Prayer
Lord, show me what are the influences what have made me the person that I am bow. Let me grasp how the words of Jesus have shaped my life.

From Contemplation to Action
Look over your meditations for the past week.
Or perhaps look ever what you have set your heart upon yesterday.
Whichever it may be, set your heart on the one thing and say
"This is what Jesus is saying to me."
Determine how you can change your lifestyle,
in your mindset, in your daily choices,
armed with what God has said to you.

Lent - Day 30 (7/4/2011)

2011-04-05T00:00:00.002+08:00

Mistakes

John 5:31-47

In the context, Jesus was speaking of and to the Pharisees. His analysis of their situation is penetrating: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life. I do not accept praise from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts,"
(vv39-42)

The lifestyle of the Pharisees would be one that we would admire, because they diligently apply the Law to their life. Jesus outlined 3 mistakes they made:

1. Their obsession with the Law became a substitute for a real relationship with God. It blinded them to the person of God that Jesus embodied.
2. They responded to the praise of human beings, and thus took care of what human beings could see and neglected what God could see.
3. They did not have the love of God (not love for God) in their hearts. It could well be that they loved God as they envisioned God (after all they diligently obeyed God's law). But their legalism robbed their heart of the love for God.

Prayer
Lord, are there traces of the mistakes of the Pharisees in me?
Please show me how these mistakes manifest themselves in me.
Lord, please help me remove them, so that they will not obstruct me from the life that You want to bring into my life, and rob my heart of the love for You.

From Contemplation to Action
Set you mind on one thing about you that you want to change.
Begin by praying about this matter regularly.
Pray that when God speaks you can hear what God says.

Lent - Day 29 (6/4/2011)

2011-04-04T23:49:00.002+08:00

Father & Son Are One

John 5:17-30

After the man by the pool of Siloam had identified Jesus as his healer, the Jews were all out to persecute Jesus. All that they saw was Jesus the law breaker! They saw nothing of the miraculous healing.

Jesus spoke of God as His father. This claim of an exclusive relationship with God really upset them because within it was a claim of intimate relationship with God.

In the discourse that followed, Jesus persistently pointed out to them how close His relationship with the Father was, e.g. "Whatever the Father does, the Son also does," (v19); "Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father Who sent Him," (v23).

There is so much to digest and understand from the statements made by Jesus today.

So what are their reminders for us today?

Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your promise that whoever hears Your Word and believes in You will have eternal life. Bring before me now one person in my life who needs to hear Your Word today.

From Contemplation to Action
Go and share God's Word with that person that God has brought to your awareness, so that he/she too will have eternal life.

Lent - Day 28 (5/4/2011)

2011-04-04T23:34:00.002+08:00

Healing On a Holy Day

John 5:1-16

"Do you want to get well?"

Confronted by such a question, our answer would surely be in the positive. But the man who had been lame for 38 years, hesitated. All he knew was that - he needed help to get into the pool of Siloam where he could be healed whenever the water was stirred.

Jesus knew of his condition and moved with compassion, told him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." The man did so and was healed.

All this happened on a Sabbath day. Result? The Jews immediately reprimanded the healed man for picking up his mat - an act construed as "work". In answer to their question he could not tell who had asked him to do so as Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.

Much later Jesus found him in the temple and encouragingly said to him, "Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." Very likely Jesus had in mind the Day of Judgment when we would all have to stand before and be answerable to God.

On being told Jesus was the healer and therefore the One deemed to have broken the Sabbath law, the Jews were all set to go after Him for being a Sabbath breaker.

Many of us are blessed with good physical health but what about healing for our inner being?

"Do you want to get well?"
This is still ... a relevant question for us today.

Prayer
Lord, I heal the parts of me that need healing.
Lord, I want to get well!

From Contemplation to Action
What are the "brokenness" in your life, in the life of your church, your community, our nation?
List them and ask God for healing for everyone of them.

Lent - Day 27 (4/4/2011)

2011-04-04T00:52:00.003+08:00

A Father's Faith

John 4:43-54

When Jesus visited Cana in Galilee a royal official asked a favour from Him. This royal official had come from Capernaum to Cana, to beg Jesus to heal his dying son.

At first Jesus remarked - sounding somewhat like a rebuke - that people would only believe when they saw signs and wonders. But on perceiving the official's desperate plea and sincerity.
He said to him, "You may go. Your son will live." This father took Jesus at His word, and returend to Capernaum.
The royal official had come merely on the hearsay of Jesus as a miracle worker. He went home with the assurance of Jesus' Word of healing to find his son healed.

Looking beyond the miracle of healing, the royal official had begun to see Jesus now with a fresh new look of faith. That faith brought him and his whole household into the Kingdom of God.
It must have taken much courage for him to make his stand and profess his faith.
He could have been the butt of jokes and laughter, or deemed our of his mind by his associated at Herod's court. This was his test of faith in the market place.

In what ways is your faith being tested in the market place and how is it developing and growing?

Prayer
Dear Lord, help me mature and grow in my journey of faith with You.

From Contemplation to Action
What faith journey is God calling you to embark on at this point in your life?
How accepting are you to enter into it?
What resistance are you encountering within yourself?
How can you let go and let God?

Lent - Day 26 (2/4/2011)

2011-04-04T00:38:00.002+08:00

Journey into Light & Discipleship

John 9:1-41

What must it be like to be really blind? Do patches of light hover before our eyes whenever we are in the sun?

I once say by a river on an early misty morning. The water were like a sheet of glass. Where it was exposed to the sun the mist lifting and the water clearly reflected the surrounding trees.

The light of God penetrated our lives to reveal God's truth to us. If we would lay our sins before God, confess and repent, our awareness of God's love and forgiveness heightens.

The man born blind can trace the stages of his journey into light.
His first encounter was of "a Man called Jesus who made mud and put on my eyes," (v11).

Then he saw Jesus to be a prophet (v17). He concluded Jesus must be from God to be able to make him see (v33). Testifying to the miracle he said, "I was blind, but now I see!" (v25)

Having received such grace and healing mercy he even turned to ask if the Pharisees wanted to be Jesus' disciples. Finally when Jesus found him in the temple, he believed in Jesus and worshipped Him.

The man who had been blind and now able to see was a result of his belief and acceptance.

On the other hand the self acclaimed righteous and sighted Pharisees could not see Jesus for Who He is - the Messiah. Therefore they continued in their "blindness".

Prayer
Lord, continue to grant me Your light that I may continue to see You and follow You wherever You lead me.

From Contemplation to Action
How am I proclaiming what Jesus has done and is doing in my life that will let the world see that Jesus is a prophet (v17), a healer (v32), godly (v31), from God (v33), and is God (v38)?

Lent - Day 25 (2/4/2011)

2011-04-04T00:27:00.002+08:00

Two Went Up To Pray

Luke 18:9-14

Two men went up to the temple to pray - one was a Pharisee, the other, a tax collector. Who are they? Pharisees were well-known for their seriousness in keeping the Law.

Tax collectors were hated by the Jews because of their dealings with the hated Roman government. They were even considered ceremonially unclean and could only be in the temple courtyard - meant for women and gentiles (non-Jews).

The Pharisee in Jesus' parable came into the holy place of the temple - usually the domain of leading Jews of standing - and proudly prayed "about himself". His prayer listed all his good and righteous deeds, including fasting twice a week and tithing all that he had.

The tax collector, not daring even to look up, with head bowed prayed simply said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner". The contrast in the prayer attitude of these two men is clearly evident.

One exalted himself, patting his own back, lauding his "achievements." The other humbled himself, deeply aware of his sins and his need for God's mercy.

So, who went home justified before God?

Prayer
Lord, help me recognize the "sinner" in me.
Help me confess to You, my sins of pride and self-righteousness.
Help me see the "Pharisee" in me.
Help me, Lord.

From Contemplation to Action
Find the time to list down our personal sins of pride and self-righteousness, and confess them to God

Lent - Day 24 (1/4/2011)

2011-04-04T00:18:00.002+08:00

More Important Than Burnt Offerings & Sacrifices

Mark 12:28-34

In our fast paced lifestyle today, many do not wish to be bothered by details. We get impatient in a conversation if we have to listen to blow by blow accounts of a happening. "Just as the essentials," we say, "better still, summarize the summary."

A teacher of the law who was listening to Jesus' discussion with the Sadducees posed a question. He seemed eager to have the commandments reduced to one when he asked, "Of all the commandments which is the most important?" (v28)

Jesus gave him the answer quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and Leviticus 19:18b, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength," and "love your neighbour as yourself." The questioner agreed and added that this is "more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." (v33)

What was Jesus' reply to him? Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God," (v34). It was Jesus' way of encouraging him to go on and lead a life of total devotion to God and to have love for his fellow human beings.

Did he do so? We will never know. But you and I must answer the question ourselves whenever we are confronted by an uncertain situation and have to decide what to do.

Prayer
Forgive me Lord, for going through the motions of spiritual disciplines without really loving You or my fellow human beings.

From Contemplation to Action
Go through the last seven days and evaluate how you have loved God and your neighbour. Then decide to consciously love God and your neighbour everyday.

Lent - Day 23 (31/3/2011)

2011-03-28T22:36:00.002+08:00

On Whose Side Are You?

Luke 11:14-23

Driving out demons was very much a part of Jesus' healing ministry. Once, a crowd of onlookers was amazed at His healing of a mute. But some from among the crowd started to say He was doing it by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

Driving out demons by the power of the prince of demons? How illogical! This is like turning your own gun on yourself. If it were so, Satan's world would crumble. Jesus said He drive out demons by the "finger of God" - meaning by the power of God.

There are many who simply cannot, or do not accept Jesus as the Son of God. It is difficult for men and women to bring themselves to follow Jesus Who promises no 'bed or roses', no material gains; but instead promised a life that would include suffering, persecution, and, even death.

Very often we witness ardent fans of sporting teams, openly and enthusiastically expressing their support thorugh - what they wear: the colours, the emblem; their singing; their chanting. There is not mistaking on whose side they are on.

So, in your life, on whose side are you?

Prayer
Lord, show we how I have or have not, through my words and actions, shown that I am for You and the extension of Your Kingdom on earth.

From Contemplation to Action
Resolve intentionally to do something today to witness to your Christian faith.

Lent - Day 22 (30/3/2011)

2011-03-28T22:25:00.002+08:00

Accomplish Not Abolish

Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus declared He had come not to destroy or abolish that which is in Holy Scriptures, rather, He had come to fulfill or accomplish it. For Jesus, God's Word is so scared that it was to be upheld. As it had been said, "Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's law will be alive and working." (Peterson, The Message)

Jesus pointed out that it was not the "letter" but the "spirit" of the law that mattered. Upholding the "spirit" of the law was to rise above all its trivialities and demands. Our deeds and actions should be guided by the principle of the law.

In our ongoing pilgrimage with God we will need to learn how to read, study, meditate, memorise and obey Holy Scriptures in word and deed. Then when we have "practiced" God's Word we will need to go on and teach it to others. Remember, to those of us who "practice" and "teach" God's Word, Jesus said, we will be called "great" in the Kingdom of Heaven; but to those who breaks God's Word and teach others to do the same, will be called "least" in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Prayer
Lord, grant me the strength to incarnate Your Word with love.

From Contemplation to Action
Find opportunities to teach God's Word to others in word and in our lifestyle.

Lent - Day 21 (29/3/2011)

2011-03-28T22:14:00.003+08:00

How Many Times?

Matthew 18:21-35

How many times should I forgive another person? Peter asked, then answered his own question with the suggestion "seven times?" Jesus' response was, "seven times seven" - meaning limitless!

In the parable we see a contrast between the attitudes of the two debtors, both servants to a king. The first one owed the king an enormous debt. He could not pay, and so he pleaded for mercy, and got it.

But when it came to his turn to exercise compassion, he harshly turned down his fellow debtor's plea for mercy - his fellow debtor who only owed him a paltry sum. At the end, the king pronounced his judgment on the merciless servant. He was severely punished.

Magnanimous and compassionate indeed was the king in the story. Similarly, God's forgiveness of us is limitless. God's love and mercy towards us is immeasurable. We are undeserving of God's forgiveness and yet God forgives us. There is a co-relation between divine and human forgiveness. When we have experienced God's forgiving love, let us "pass it on" - share it!

Prayer
Lord, I thank you for Your merciful, and forgiving love. Bring before me in my prayer one person I need to be merciful and to forgive.

From Contemplation to Action
Go and imitate God's merciful, forgiving love today. Go to another today, and extend mercy, forgiveness and love to this person, today or at the earliest opportunity.

Lent - Day 20 (28/3/2011)

2011-03-28T22:05:00.002+08:00

Unrecognized

Luke 4:24-30

We have come across headlines that read: "Hero's welcome for hometown boy," or "Thousands turn up to greet native son."
The sentiments are obvious - a warm welcome is accorded to a returning celebrity.

The people of Nazareth where Jesus had grown up were initially impressed by His opening words to them in the synagogue. But they soon reacted angrily when Jesus went to speak of how the prophets Elijah and Elisha respectively went to the aid of a non-Jewish widow, and to Naaman a Syrian, stricken with leprosy.

The leading Jews at the synagogue prided themselves as the chosen people of God. They were so sure of themselves and their perceived special position that they looked down scornfully upon others. They began to scoff at this seemingly young upstart of a preacher whom they knew to be the son of a local carpenter. And now He had the gall to speak of God's apparent favour upon the Gentiles!

Jesus' words enraged them. They dragged Him out to the edge of the hill to throw Him down but Jesus gave them the slip.
Could Jesus be in our midst and yet be unwelcomed and unrecognized?

Prayer
God of all nations and people, let me embrace in my circle of friends, people of different races, financial and social status, and educational levels.

From Contemplation to Action
Be consciously aware of Jesus in the people that I came in contact with today and every day.

Lent - Day 19 (27/3/2011)

2011-03-28T21:59:00.002+08:00

Conversation By A Well

John 4:5-42

Whenever Jesus spoke it often was to a wide audience. But He also had one to one dialogue as He did with Nicodemus. How by Jacob's well He had a conversation with a Samaritan woman who had come to draw water.

It was a historical fact that Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Here was Jesus, thirsty for a drink breaking the rule, speaking to a Samaritan, and a woman!

With water and a well close by, Jesus took the opportunity of telling her about eternal life, using the imagery of living water. Like Nicodemus the woman misunderstood.

The conversation turned to where and how one worships.

For Jesus it was the attitude and spirit of worship and not the location that was important.

For us today, we can enter into true and meaningful worship when we do so in spirit and in truth.

We can know God through God's Son. True worship is made possible when we offer our worship to God in and through Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Lord, create within me a worshipful heart.

From Contemplation to Action
Whenever we worship, consciously worship God with our whole being - body, mind, spirit.

Lent - Day 18 (26/3/2011)

2011-03-28T21:42:00.002+08:00

Forgiving And Giving

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

"My son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours."
(Luke 15:31)

If you were directing the Parable of the Prodigal Son as a play, would your opening act be that of the son leaving home, and of the father's feelings after the son's departure? Would subsequent acts include the son's return, the celebration and the older son's resentment and anger?

Over the years, I have made little collection of pictures depicting this parable. There is an unusual one with curious neighbours peeping out of the windows. Yet another shows villagers coming out and crowding round the embracing father and returning son.

A Mexican painting has the father waving in the distance and the son shamefully hiding in the shadows of a wall. In this picture, father and son have not come together. There is still some distance between them. A few more steps and the son would be in the arms of the forgiving father. These are steps we too would need to take. Have we not so often, deliberately or unknowingly, sinned against our heavenly Father? We have distanced ourselves from God and have been disobedient to God. Yet in God's love and compassion, God waits patiently for us to come to our senses, to repent and to return to God.

The Parable does not end with the son's return and the celebration that follows. The older son, on being told of the celebrative feasting, music and dancing resentfully refused to be a part of it. But his father came our and begged him to join in. And what did the father say, "My son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours." To rejoice and to feel the gratitude of having all that belongs to the father - is an attitude we can learn to adapt.

Prayer
Gracious God, I bring before You the sins I have committed.
I name them before You now ...
Forgive me, O Lord.
Thank You for Your forgiving love.
Thank You for Your gifts of ... (name them).

From Contemplation to Action
Find ways to respond to God for all that we have received from God.

Lent - Day 17 (25/3/2011)

2011-03-28T21:31:00.002+08:00

Rejection and Replacement

Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

The Parable of the Tenants was one which Jesus' listeners had no difficulty identifying. God was the "landowner". They "vineyard" referred to the Jewish nation. The "tenants" were the religious rulers of Israel. The "son" was Jesus, Himself, and the "other tenants" were the Gentiles and others who welcomed Jesus as the Messiah.

To lease out a vineyard to tenant farmers in those times was little like the way our durian and rambutan orchard owners get paid a goodly sum of money for letting people harvest the fruit in due season. Th tenants in the story however, paid in kind.

The absentee owner kept sending his servants to collect fruit but the tenants beat and stoned and kill them all. Finally he sent his son - he was also killed.

At the end of the story Jesus asked His listeners what they thought they vineyard owner would do to the wicked tenants. They said, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at the harvest time," (v41). By answering thus, the Jews, for whom Jesus told this story, unwittingly pronounced the sentence of guilt upon themselves.

"Yes," said Jesus, "the vineyard, likened to the Kingdom of God would be taken away from them and given to others," (v43). Jesus then quoted from Psalm 118:22-23, reminding them of the stone rejected by the builders which became the capstone or cornerstone - a stone that bound the corners of a building together (v42). This emphasis on rejection was a stern rebuke to the Jewish leaders then.

Prayer
Lord, show me the areas in my life in which I have rejected You and replaced You with other gods.

From Contemplation to Action
Ponder on the spiritual gift/s God has endowed you with.
Ask God how you may use this/these spiritual gift/s to further the Kingdom of God.

Lent - Day 16 (24/3/2011)

2011-03-23T17:36:00.002+08:00

Rich man, Poor Man

Luke 16:19-31

Do you know of professing Christians whose bibles merely occupy space on their book shelves?

At our church family camp, the children presented a skit on the theme of a resurrected Jesus coming to visit. In the skit, the visit of Jesus triggered a frenzied preparation: bibles that had collected dust were taken out, unread Christian literature was laid out replacing junky magazines. The skit seemed like a description of the rich man's reply regarding his brother's spiritual condition.

We know of countries where the import of Bibles are prohibited or restricted. As a result, Christians in those countries are deprived of reading the Word of God in their own language. I remember how delighted a student from that particular country, in one of our colleges, when presented with a bi-lingual New Testament.

You and I have free access to such an array of bibles. How have we pursued the Word of God an made it the centre of our lives?

Prayer
Thank You, Lord, that bibles and Christian literature are so readily available to us.
Help me read, meditate, and study Your word, regularly and consistently. I lift up in prayer before You, O Lord, missionaries and other in the work of recording and translating Your Word so that many more will come to know You and come into Your saving grace.
Bless their ministry and grant them Your joy as they serve You around the world.

From Contemplation to Action
Consider joining a Bible Study Class so as to be "rooted in the Word of God" and to let God's Word govern your daily life.

Lent - Day 15 (23/3/2011)

2011-03-23T17:23:00.002+08:00

Downward Mobility?

Matthew 20:17-28

Are you serious Lord?
"Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you
must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first
must be your slave
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give His life as a ransom for many."
(Matthew 20:26-28)

In the Garden of Eden, when the serpent was tempting Adam and Eve, he dangled the ultimate carrot in front of them, "when you eat of [the tree of good and evil], your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5).

Throughout human history, human beings have always strived to move upwards. In the workplace, and even in churches, the battle for upwards mobility is fairly common.

Henri Nouwen, the well known Dutch spiritual mentor, gave up a successful teaching career at several renowned institutions - Menninger Foundation Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, University of Notre Dame, Yale University and Harvard University, to share his life with mentally handicapped people at the L'Arche community of Daybreak in Toronto, Canada.

In writing about downward mobility, which he himself practised, he said, "The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which the world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross. . . . It is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest."

The concept of servant-leadership is finding pockets of acceptance in the corporate world but in a world where power, prestige and money rank first, it is difficult to find someone willing to move down so as to move up, to serve rather than be served.

In the course of our work, we will always have our challenges and desires of moving up. Let us incarnate what Jesus said that to become great, we must be a "servant"; and to want to be first, is first of all to be a "slave".

Prayer
Lord, teach me to thank You for the opportunity to serve humbly at work and in the church. Help me not lord it over others.

From Contemplation to Action
Daily remind yourself not to follow the "drumbeat" of the world or seek the "applause" of human beings.

Lent - Day 14 (22/3/2011)

2011-03-23T17:12:00.002+08:00

Daring To Confess

Matthew 16:13-19

Simon Peter answered,
"You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God."
(Matthew 16:16)

Acknowledging someone in public is not always a done thing. When we work for a tough boss, for example, and we happen to meet him in a public place, we will try out best to avoid him. And if our friends ask who the person is, we may not even want to give the correct information .

In the rough and tumble world of politics, when situations change, friends become enemies and enemies become friends. When a particular leader is cast aside, many of his ardent followers will abandon him and only the true friends will remain by his side.

Peter, in this chapter of Scripture, boldly proclaims Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Yet, in a subsequent chapter (Matthew 26:31-35) Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times, a situation which came to pass in Matthew 26:69-75. However, despite his human failings, Peter's destiny in the faith had been ordained by Jesus and he went on to become the Rock of Christianity.

When we live in a country where our faith is in the minority, will there be a situation when you are challenged on your faith and are asked to publicly declare who Jesus is? Will you, under extenuating circumstances, water down your confession of Jesus as the Son of God, and refer to Him only as a good prophet or a wise man?

The early Christians had to go about in secretive ways to connect with one another.

In some countries, freedom to worship as a congregation is not an accorded right to every person. History is replete with many examples of those who lost their lives because they confessed that Jesus us the Christ, the Son of God.

What then is your stand? will you, at all times, even if there is a gun pointing to your head, stand firm and declare, like Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God?"

Prayer
Lord, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You are sovereign whatever the circumstances. Teach me to embrace this fully.
Let me not falter in my faith when my time comes to confess You as Lord.

From Contemplation to Action
Let us be prepared for all eventualities of being challenged on our faith by constantly abiding in God's love and staying connected through God's Word.

Lent - Day 13 (21/3/2011)

2011-03-20T15:24:00.002+08:00

Giving and Receiving

Luke 6:36-38

"Give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,
will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you."
(Luke 6:38)

At a construction site near my church, I watched a steady stream of lorries going in empty and coming out with a full load of sand.

I didn't find out where the sand was heading to but it sure was a lot of sand as the excavators worked relentlessly to fill up each lorry. And here's the interesting part. Every now and then, the lorry driver would signal to the excavator driver to flatten the pile of sand so that more could be placed into the lorry. The mission was to pack as much as possible.

I was reminded about my growing-up years when we had to buy provisions from the sundry shop across the street. In those days, things did not come prepacked. You could buy 20 sen of biscuits, 10 sen of salt, 1 gantang of rice, and just enough cooking oil for your needs.

When you buy rice and sugar, the shopkeeper will watch you with eagle's eyes. A gantang of rice means you pick up the tin container marked 1 gantang and out the rice in. And here's the trick. When the shopkeeper is not watching, you can shake the rice around and press it down to make sure you get your gantang's worth. You could do the same for sugar.

But to shopkeeper, his measure of a gantang is one that is filled with air in between. He would not shake the container or press the rice down. I guess that is business.

But when we study the words of Jesus in Luke 6:38, you get the idea on how much God gives to us - PRESSED DOWN, SHAKEN TOGETHER and RUNNING OVER. In the same way, giving should be part of our natural Christian self. Think of how pleased God is when we give in the spirit of godliness.

And when we do it in the generosity of godly spirit, we can almost hear God up in Heaven declaring, "Well done, good and faithful servants, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap."

Prayer
Lord, I pray that I will truly know the spirit of giving, and also of receiving, that others will then be able to experience the joy of giving.

From Contemplation to Action
Identify the many around us that could do with a regular contribution from us, not only in terms of money or resources, but also our time and talent.

Lent - Day 12 (20/3/2011)

2011-03-19T23:23:00.003+08:00

Listen!

Matthew 17:1-9

While Peter was still speaking,
a bright cloud enveloped them, and a Voice from the cloud said,
"This is My Son, Whom I love;
with Him I am well pleased.
Listen to Him!"
When the disciples heard this,
they fell face down to the ground, terrified.
(Matthew 17:5-6)

How do we see Jesus today? More as a friend than as our Lord and King?

So familiar with Him, so familiar with the rules and practices of our religion that we have lost our reverence of Jesus? Have we also lost our place, as a people who are called to listen? "LISTEN

We live in a country that has a constitutional monarchy and for some of us, there will be occasions when we have to come before the different monarchs who reign over the nation and states.

We know that at such moments we have to be mindful of the customs and traditions, for an event where royalty is present. How we dress and how we approach the throne is also worked out to the finest detail. Not forgetting to be especially early for the event.

Compare that to how we approach coming to church on a Sunday. We claim Jesus to be our Lord and King, but how do we accord Him the due reverence? the disciple fell prostate at His Glory, terrified. Why? They understood who they were and Who Jesus was - the Son of God.

During the Transfiguration, the Voice from Heaven declared, "This is My Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!"

As the disciples worshipped Jesus in awe, God's command to them was to "listen to Him!" How is our listening? Half-hearted? Do we choose to listen only to those commands that are convenient to us and ignore those that challenge our comfort zone?

Our Christian life is premised on us following Jesus. Listening to Him is not an option. It is our Christian way of life.

Prayer
Lord, remind me to bow down and worship You, in awe and with full reverence, with the ears of my heart listening to You, my Sovereign King.

From Contemplation to Action
In your daily quiet time with God, come before God with a waiting heart - open and listening.

Lent - Day 11 (19/3/2011)

2011-03-18T14:17:00.002+08:00

Loving The "Unlovable"

Matthew 5:43-48

"If you love those who love you,
what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,
what are you doing more than others?
Do not even pagans do that?"
(Matthew 5:47-48)

Today, let us look at a fundamental aspect of our Christian faith - Love. A little story about a woman and a man named Krishnan might help.

The woman passed him by each time she dropped her husband off at the Scripture Union office. He was dirty, smelly, and drunk. One day the Lord spoke to her, "You are not being very kind to him are you?" "Oh Lord!" she cried, "surely You don't want me to do anything about him, do You? I don't like him! He's dirty, smelly, and he drinks - I can smell it!"

God had spoken to her. Try as she would, she could not get the old man's face out of her mind.

In fact for the next few days she was unable to pray for anyone else until she had prayed for him.

After months of allowing her to ignore Krishnan, God challenged this woman to embark on a most amazing friendship. It began with her offering him a bun to eat. It went on for two weeks and then he disappeared. She searched for him and found him. He was sick. So she brought him to the doctor. And then she took him into their home.

For six months, the family cared for this man, and nursed him back to good health. They gave him a Tamil Bible. They learnt about his family in India and how he had been separated from them for 35 years. One thing led to another and through a miracle, they found his family, who wanted him back.

After 35 years the miracle had happened! Gifts of money began to pour in from sympathetic friends who'd heard his story. They paid for his passage home, and more than that, gave him new clothes and presents to take home for his family.

She said: "I learnt so much about God's love and care for one lonely, poor old man; and my own need for repentance before I myself could be blessed." Who's the woman? The late Betty Young. The full account of this event can be found in Chapter 30 of her autobiography, Before I Fall Asleep.

Prayer
Lord, constantly remind me that I love because You first loved me.

From Contemplation to Action
Challenge yourself to serve in a ministry that will take you to the people you are most likely to avoid under normal circumstances.

Lent - Day 10 (18/3/2011)

2011-03-18T12:45:00.002+08:00

Whom Have You Yet To Be Reconciled With?

Matthew 5:20-26

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar
and there remember that your brother or sister
has something against you,
leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to your brother or sister;
then come and offer your gift."
(Matthew 5:23-24)

As a cancer survivor, I have learnt that one of the recurring themes in the lives of people struggling to cope with this terminal disease is not only about the physical healing that they pine for, but the healing of the heart that we all need to truly set ourselves free.

Medical doctors will say there is no such thing as "heart cancer", but in the spiritual dimension, there is. When we let unforgiveness linger in our hearts, it is akin to allowing cancer cells to fester and grow and make us into bitter, broken people.

I once met a man at a medical centre as he was dying. He told me how he would pursue wealth and success at any cost. If a family member or close friend went against him, he would not spare them any mercy.

"But look at me now. I do not have long to live. But if I recover, I will surely be a different person. I will seek the forgiveness of those I have hurt. I will forgive others. I will give back to society. I will try not to be so nasty to people," he said.

I was there to bring him a message from a work associate who was somehow not able to bring himself to see him personally. He told me to tell him that he did not hold anything against him and to wish him well. Tears came to his eyes. "I wish he could come and tell me this personally. I have done so much harm to him and his business. But he still thinks of me and is concerned for me." I told him, "I hope and pray that you will both meet up and forgive each other." They never did. He died one week later.

God knows that you and I will never really be healed; we will never move toward wholeness; we will never get on with our lives ... until we are able to let go ... and be reconciled with the other.

Prayer
Lord, bring to my mind and my heart, the brother , the sister, who has something against me.

From Contemplation to Action
Let us be courageous and go to the brother, the sister, who has something against us and be reconciled to him ... to her.

Lent - Day 9 (17/3/2011)

2011-03-15T12:08:00.002+08:00

Ask!

Matthew 7:7-12

"If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven
give good gifts to those who ask Him!"
(Matthew 7:11)

Imagine if we are able to get all we ask for, simply by asking. If you bring your children to Toys R' Us and you are committed to respond to their every need, there won't be enough shopping baskets to fill up all their desires.

If, at the workplace, you are disgruntled with your boss or your colleagues, and you can wish them away, don't be surprised if you are the one who disappears from the office because others may have similar wishes against you.

Christians believe in the power of prayer. Some, however, treat God like a vending machine, able to grant anything at the push of a button. In my prayer life, I am glad on hindsight that many of my prayers go unanswered. There is power in unanswered prayer because it is God's will and wisdom, not ours, that prevail.

Look at verse 11 again. The Key Word here is "good". God does not simply give us anything we ask for because what we ask for may not be good, even if we may not see it as "not good" at the point in time.

I remember an occasion when I had been called to encourage another cancer patient. It had been a rough day at the office and I was all drained out when my oncologist called.

As I drove to the hospital, I sought the Lord. Then I found that instead of getting more tired, I started to feel refreshed, as the words of Isaiah 40:29-31* come to mind.

At the hospital, I spoke to the patient and his girlfriend, and they were much encouraged. So was I. I thought I had gone to bless them, but I ended up being blessed.

Prayer
Lord, let me always pray to You. Help me not be discouraged when my prayers go unanswered for I know that You always know what is good for me.

From Contemplation to Action
When we are asked to pray for others, let us follow through with offering practical help as well.

*Isaiah 40:29-31:
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Lent - Day 8 (16/3/2011)

2011-03-15T11:51:00.002+08:00

What Signs Are You Looking For?

Luke 11:29-32

As the crowds increased,
Jesus said,
"This is a wicked generation.
It asks for a miraculous sign,
but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites,
so also will the Son of Man be to this generation."
(Luke 11:29-30)

In our very modern, tech-savvy generation, we are constantly looking out for the latest sensation.

We get easily impressed by people who are able to dazzle and mesmerise us. Form is often preferred over substance.

We often hear od people who move from church to another in search of "signs" of special anointing.

Are you confused by the signs on our roads and highways? I have a poor sense of navigation and the signs often make matters worse. Travelling to Kajang for its famous satay has led me to Port Dickson instead. And heading to Port Dickson for a family holiday once landed us in Malacca! Sign are meant to guide us on every journey but when they are vague or poorly designed, we end up heading in the opposite direction.

When we go through a crisis, be it health, family or financial, we also want signs from God. Questions keep popping up - "What is God trying to tell us? Why does God not send us a sign to lead us out of this mess?"

At times like these, there will also be those who come by with their "signs and wonders" professing to offer relief. However, we need to ask God for wisdom to discern God's purpose and direction.

The Son of Man is THE sign for our times. Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. God has given us also - the Holy Spirit and God's inspired Word.

Prayer
Lord, thank You for being my most reliable and dependable sing.
Help me trust the signposts You place in my life to guide me.

From Contemplation to Action
The world is full of the sensational and the spectacular.
May we be discerning enough to separate form from substance and cling on to what is real and eternal.

Lent - Day 7 (15/3/2011)

2011-03-14T17:32:00.002+08:00

Did I Pray Today?

Matthew 6:7-15

"And when you pray,
do not keep on babbling like pagans,
for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them,
for your Father knows
what you need before you ask Him."
(Matthew 6:7-8)

At the Thursday Care Group that I attend, we all have our favourite songs. These is one song that I like - "When I pray". As I sing this song, also for other people because we are all in need God's love and care.

When I take my morning walks, I pray by talking to God. In my neighbourhood, my walk will take me by a primary school field. Although most of the birds here are sparrows and crows, I get the occasional surprise when a pair of kingfishers, green pigeons, and a plover or two, greet me along the way.

I walk rather early so there is no danger of meeting someone who thinks I may be crazy talking to myself. I talk to God quietly as I walk and sometimes I pause for a reply.

What I find comforting is the knowledge that God not only already knows what I want to pray for, but God is ever so gentle in not granting my prayers when God knows that is not what I need. When we say, "Not my will, but Yours", we surrender ourselves to a God who knows us a deeper than we can ever imagine, and Who views everything from a perspective that goes beyond what we will ever fully comprehend.

It is comforting to know what we pray to such a God.

Prayer
Lord, teach me to be in constant conversation with You through regular prayer for I know that You delight in my hearing the voice of my heart and soul.

From Contemplation to Action
This Lent re-immerse into a life of prayer. Pray to God for a regular prayer partner, so as to mutually support and encourage one another in the Prayer Life.

Lent - Day 6 (14/3/2011)

2011-03-14T17:19:00.002+08:00

Are You A Sheep or A Goat?

Matthew 25:31-46

"For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat.
I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited Me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed Me,
I was sick and you looked after Me,
I was in prison and you came to visit Me."
(Matthew 25:35-36)

One of the most dramatic sermons I heard was when the guest speaker spoke on this topic of 'The Sheep and the Goats'. Throughout his sermon, he kept on asking the congregation, "Are you sheep, or are you goats?"

I could feel the discomfort in the congregation as he challenged us to reflect on what we did, or did not do, and how we will be held to account one day when we face the Son of Man Who sits on His throne in heavenly glory. In fact, there was a fair bit of discussion via the email loop following the sermon.

I think it is important that we feel shaken. After all, these are the words of Jesus Himself. To me, it is a challenge to abandon the dualistic approach to life that many of us Christians take, where all we want is salvation and a guaranteed place in Heaven. We are reminded that faith without works is dead. There is absolutely no excuse for us to sit idly by and not feed the hungry, offer a drink to the thirsty, welcome a stranger, clothes the naked, care for the sick and visit the prisoners.

Conversely, in my pre-Christian life, I also did good deeds but they are all done in the hope that by doing good to others, I would be richly blessed in return.

Now as a Christian, and having experienced God's amazing love, I know that our good deeds follow from our faith and that we cannot be blind to the needs and sufferings of the people we come across in our daily lives. It is clear enough that while we are saved by grace, we will still be judged based on what we do or do not do to the least among us. An old chorus goes: "Have I done my best? Have I stood the test?"

Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for reminding me what is is to be a "sheep" and what it is to be a "goat". Let my deeds proceed from my faith in You.

From Contemplation to Action
At all times be alert to the opportunities in our lives to meet the hunger, the thirst, the loneliness, the sickness, the abandonment, the rejection of another in our midst.

Lent - Day 5 (13/3/2011)

2011-03-13T00:29:00.002+08:00

Free From Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan!
For it is written:
'Worship the Lord your God, and serve God only.' "
(Matthew 4:10)

I have heard many interesting comments from the pulpit on the subject of temptation over the years, but the two that stand out remind me how real temptation is, and how vulnerable we can be.

During a sermon on the Ten Commandments, the speaker jolted us with his opening statement: "I am capable of committing murder. I am also capable of committing adultery."

On another Sunday, the speaker declared: "I am polygamous by nature but monogamous by God's grace." When spiritually strong Christians openly declare themselves vulnerable, it reminds the rest of us that the risk and ease of falling into temptation is an inherent part of our fallen nature in a broken world.

Or, as LT Jeyachandran puts it, "Even after walking with the Lord for many years, it is frightening to realise how the values of the fallen world system can find a lodging place in one's subconscious in the most horrific and insidious manner."

While we may not actually act upon these temptations, there is no denying that many times it is a real struggle to stop such thoughts from lingering in our minds and wounding our souls.

All of us go through many struggles in our journey to remain a person of integrity for the Lord. Let us remember to honour God in all that we do. One way is through spending daily time with the Lord. This will help provide safeguards for us in our constant battle with diverse temptations.

A pastor once said, "All of us have to deal with temptations. We must draw the line, and then step back as far as possible from that line." Good advice indeed!

Prayer
Dear Lord, I pray that when tempting thoughts fly by,
You will help me... not let them roost in my mind ... not act upon them.

From Contemplation to Action
Learn to identify where the temptations are in the home, in the workplace, in the community, in society, in the world.
Flee as early and as far away as possible from them.

Lent - Day 4 (12/3/2011)

2011-03-12T00:26:00.002+08:00

It is Not the Healthy Who Need a Doctor

Luke 5:27-32

Jesus answered them,
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor,
but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance."
(Luke 5:31-32)

For many people, vising the sick and the dying in a hospital is not the most natural thing to do, even if it involves close friends and relatives. Hospitals are for the sick, and the doctors are there to try to make the sick better. Whenever a patient is able to check out after he or she is cured, there is always a sense of relief and great joy for all.

I remember my last session of chemotherapy during my second journey with cancer on April 6, 2007. We celebrated with a party - muffins, nuts and raisins - and souvenir pictures taken with a home-made "Last Chemo" banner. Fellow patients rejoiced with me, as did the doctor and nurses. The chemo journey may have ended but my life journey continues. For whatever is ahead, I know with absolute certainty that through faith in Jesus, I will be in God's presence once I go past death's doorway.

At the hospitals, I can see the huge difference it makes for someone going through an intense medical journey to have faith in a living God Who never leave them nor forsake them.

To those of us who are not physically sick, but are still "sick" because of our sins, Jesus like the doctors in the hospitals who heal the physically sick, can heal our spiritual sickness.

Prayer
Lord, thank you that You have come to call sinners to repentance. I reach out in faith to You. Heal me, O Lord.

From Contemplation to Action
Let us reach our to the spiritually "sick" and "dying" that they will be healed in Jesus' Name.

Lent - Day 3 (11/3/2011)

2011-03-10T23:42:00.002+08:00

Slowing Down Through Fasting

Matthew 9:14-15

Then John's disciples came and asked Jesus,
"How is it that we and the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?"
(Matthew 9:14)

This is the season of Lent, a time when Christians prepare for Easter through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting and the study of Scripture.

The purpose of fasting can be seen in the context of abstaining from an activity for a specific amount of time to focus on spiritual matters. Or, to put it another way, we are to take our eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to say to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with God.

As Richard Foster wrote in Celebration of Discipline, "More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other "good" things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately."

Lent is a time when we let the busyness of the world fade into the background. Fast to slow down. Slow down enough to focus on what the Lord has done for us.

Prayer
Oh Lord, as I fast, please cleanse me from within, and reveal to me the things of the world that I cling to.
Help me surrender all of them to you.

From Contemplation to Action
During these days of Lent we can try (for the different days), fasting from food, from idle-lustful thoughts, from showy-prideful actions, and whatever else God brings to our awareness to fast from.

Lent - Day 2 (10/3/2011)

2011-03-09T21:43:00.002+08:00

Gaining All, Having Nothing

Luke 9:22-25

"What good is it for us
to gain the whole world, and yet
lose or forfeit our very soul?"
(Luke 9:25)

Many years back, a prominent businessman declared, at a conference in Pulau Langkawi, "There is no one that cannot be bought. It's just the price." As a fairly young journalist and an even younger Christian then, the remark sent shivers down my spine. Surely this person cannot be serious. Surely there must be many good and honourable people who will not sell their soul, no matter how high the price.

Having now been part of the real world for many years, I have seen how people of high ideals eventually compromise their principles to become practical idealists or realists. Politicians who join a party for its struggle defect to "the other side" because they can be "persuaded" to embrace a totally different ideology.

Harold Myra, the CEO of Christianity Today once said: "People of honour, people of their word, people who try to live in purity of mind and heart - such individuals stand out, if only because of their relative scarcity." Christians, and even non-Christians, are familiar with Luke 9:25. We are all aware that we come into the world with nothing, and we will leave with nothing (Job 1:21a).

Power, prestige and material are temporal but they have an immense hold in all of us. We may declare that all we want is to have an honest day's wage for an honest day's work but our flesh cab be weak in the face of all the temptations that surround us.

At what point do we decide that even our soul is saleable? That we are prepared to compromise on our Christian principles - on all that God has commanded us to do, and not to do - because we want to gain the whole world? Tragic would be the day when we achieve all that we set out to do - only to lose our soul.

Prayer
Lord, help me to remember what it cost You to save me from my sins.
Help me not sell my soul at any price!

From Contemplation to Action
Wherever you are placed, set godly standards to determine your own conduct, standards that are higher than even your company's/institution's code of ethics.

Lent - Day 1 (9/3/2011)

2011-03-09T21:20:00.004+08:00

Give, Pray, Fast

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

"... your Father ... sees what is done in secret..."
(Matthew 6:4, 6, 18)

TODAY is the beginning of Lent, the holiest season in the Christian calendar.

It is a season to learn how to die to self once again... and return to God. The more we die to self, the more we will be able to return to God - the centre of our being. The more we return to the centre of your being, the more we will live from this centre. The more we live from this centre, the more we will be able to live lives that are true, loving, and compassionate.

So, how do we die to ourselves? How do we return to God? How do we return to centre of our being? How do we live from this centre of our being? How do we live lives that are true, loving, and compassionate?

Jesus' words today offer us some wisdom on "How To...".
Primary to the "How To..." is the basic need to be freed from the shackles of our ego. That is why Jesus asks us today,
"Why are you giving to the needy? Why are you praying? Why are you fasting?"
Yes, why do we give, why do we pray, why do we fast?

Today, Jesus asks us, "Are you giving to the needy to be honoured by human beings?" (v 2)
"Are you praying to be seen praying by human beings?" (v 5)
"Are you fasting to show human beings that you are fasting?" (v 16)

If we are giving to the needy to be honoured by human beings
... if we are praying to be seen praying by human beings,
and if we are fasting to show human beings that we are fasting ... what happens?
"No reward from you Father in heaven." (v 1)

The "unseen" God (v 6, 18) "sees" (v 4, 6, 18) all that is done "in secret" (v 4, 6, 18).
And what happens when the "unseen" God "sees" all that is done "in secrect"?
Jesus says, "your Father (in heaven - v 1) will reward you" (v 4, 6, 18).
What "reward" will that be? "Out of the world" kind of reward obviously!

Today, on Ash Wednesday, as we return to God, aware of our fragility as human beings that we can be reduced to "ashes"; we are also aware that God has called us to eternity with God. Today, God calls us to return to God with our "acts of righteousness" (v 1) of giving to the needy, of praying, and of fasting. These acts of righteousness, in as much as they are good in themselves, are in fact good in helping us get out of ourselves, and die to our ego, especially when done "in secret". May we find the strength and the courage to practice these acts of righteousness for the glory of God and for the moulding of our inner self in our ongoing pilgrimage towards God.

Prayer
Lord, help me to give, to pray, and to fast - "in secret".

From Contemplation to Action
On this first day of Lent, decide to whom you want to give, when you will pray, and how you will fast.

Thus Begins the Season of Lent

2011-03-09T21:07:00.004+08:00

Lent in the Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus, where he endured temptation by Satan. spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry

Here is a brief explanation of Lent's about. I took it from Wiki and hope you guys can understand. I'll be posting up some devotions throughout the Lent season. You can go through this devotion on top of your usual one.

Blessed Lent season everyone.

Northern Youth Revival Camp (NYRC) 2011 Malaysia is here!

2011-01-21T15:00:00.006+08:00

Hey guys and girls who rock for Jesus! :) First of all, a blessed new year to every one of you and let's anticipate great stuff from God this 2011!

Here are some camp details you guys should know. Do keep these dates free and we'll see you at NYRC2011 this June!

Dates: 3-7 June 2011

Theme: Draw Hope

Venue: Swiss Inn Hotel, Sungai Petani, Kedah

Camp fees: RM280 (includes accommodation, food and the camp t-shirt)

For any inquiries, we're only an e-mail or phone call away! :)

E-mails can be directed to nyc2011.malaysia@gmail.com or you can simply call one of our committee members:

Phoebe > 017-4779910

Timothy > 017-5021880

James > 017-5908506

Come get onboard with the Lord! :)

I do realize that some of you might be wondering what this camp is all about, so do visit www.nyrc2011.blogspot.com for updates!

Let's hear your Christmas story =)

2010-11-29T23:57:00.002+08:00

Yup, just as what the title says. Tell everyone your joyous experiences of Christmas or it may even be the not so good ones you had.

I'll begin with something, something short.

I don't get the chance to spend the weeks before and after Christmas at home because of my internship. But at least I'm going back for a few days to celebrate this joyous occasion of my family and friends. Christmas is something I or if I may say an occasion that MYF looks forward to every year. So if you really want to know why we celebrate Christmas? Come to the MYF Christmas Party. I believe you can check with the committee members for further details.

Well, what are you waiting for? Start writing in your story =)

Have We Given Up Hope on Malaysia?

2010-10-12T15:53:00.004+08:00

Have I? No, I haven't.

Have you?

God Can Move Your Mountain

2010-09-13T22:24:00.000+08:00

When things seem so impossible

And life’s so hard to bear,

God can move your mountain

Before you reach despair

He’ll never leave you or forsake you-

Trust in Him always.

Be anxious then, for nothing

And never cease to pray.

So keep on climbing higher,

Be patient while you wait.

For God is never early

And also never late.

~Author Unknown~

Love to all of you.

How to do Bible Study... =D

2010-07-09T19:30:00.002+08:00

WHAT you NEED. A bible, a pencil or pen, a notebook or a journal, a bible reading plan, a bible study guide, and a QUIET place.

TYPES of Bibles. There are many types of bibles around these days. Pick a version that is most suited to you. Generally, most people use the NIV Bible (New International Version).

TOOLS to AID Bible Study. These days, Scripture Union and other Christian book publishers are publishing good Bible study guides, Bible commentaries, Bible dictionaries... etc, everything that can help one understand the Bible better. Even the Internet can be a way to understand the Bible better. You can practically Google anything you do not understand about the Bible. But, select wisely, some things posted on the Internet about the Bible are UNTRUE. Here are a few sites that you can read to understand the Bible better; www.BibleGateway.com, www.Bible.com, www.SearchGodsWord.org.

HOW to STUDY the Bible. Begin with prayer. You can begin with a simple prayer, like "Dear Lord, speak to me as I read Your Word. Help me to understand what You are saying to me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen." Then, read the passage or book through once. Read again more carefully, notice the details. Ask yourself questions about the text, for example, you can ask yourself "What is the passage about? Who is involved in the passage? Why did it happen?" and so on..., and if you are using a study guide, answer the questions from the guide. Finally, ask yourself what you have learnt from the passage, and how you can apply it in your daily life.

I hope this helps. =)

New Event!

2010-07-03T15:30:00.000+08:00

Interested? It's free.

Wanna go? It's held in Star City this coming Thursday at 8 p.m.

WAKE UP!!

2010-04-19T13:38:00.002+08:00

Siri Pencarian Imam Muda. A programme organized by Astro and Jawi, traveling to Alor star, Terengganu, Johor, and other places in search for young Imams. Participants were tested on reading the surah and memorizing verses, general knowledge, problem solving, and in languages. Incentive in the form of a scholarship, cash prize and an apple laptop is to be given to winners of this programme.

I read this 2 page article with tears in my eye, and half a day of sorrow prayer. 99 ppl from Terengganu attended, and 197 from Alor Star. Every religion is drawing and carrying forth their battle plans. Plans to save souls as they believe. And no doubt, we Christians are too. But are we at a coherent speed with them? are we catching up? or are we miserably way behind? Being in a majority Muslim country is already an advantage to them. Politics are thwarted to expand religion.

Things are fast changing. Time is catching up. I cry because i feel that the church is not where it is suppose to be. The church is not caring as much as it is suppose to. And the worst part is, the church is still in worldly mentality. I refer to the church here as the ppl. All who call themselves Christians. It disturbs me to know of individuals who say things like," focus on your future first. THEN, u can serve God". "Who will respect and want to listen to you if u r nowhere in society?" at a very shallow first glance, some may say its true. But come to think of it, its bullshit. Excuses made up my ppl who are just comfortable being lukewarm Christians. My question is this. Do we rely on our own achievements and status in society or the Holy Spirit to spread the gospel?

Is the church ready to fight this war? Is the church ready to encourage the younger ones to bring a change to this country? Or is the church going to continue talking about all the negative things, but yet not strive to change. Are we ready to allow God to use our children to be fully used by God? to be pastors, missionaries, youth workers. Or are we still in the thinking of doctors, lawyers, engineers; if cant get in then send to seminary.

Its time, high time that we hold hands and intercede for this nation. Hold hand in one accord to draw out our battle plan. And in one mind, change our mindset to one ultimate goal. Jesus, the Lamb of God is one full of grace, mercy and love. But we also have to remember that Jesus is also the Lion of Judah. The same God that brought destruction to nations throughout history for disobedience and sin. Brothers and sisters around the globe are praying for us. Some even took the liberty to come here and challenge us. What are we going to do for our own country?

Christian unity

2010-04-03T21:08:00.002+08:00

We thank God that by his grace and mercy, He has opened doors and gave us this wonderful opportunity to join forces with Full Gospel Church (AOG) youth to organize an Easter celebration party. They call themselves Impactors. (i'll b using that from now on)

On the 2nd of April, we had a youth gathering to tell others about Jesus and to remember what he did for us on the cross years ago. 2 souls joined the kingdom of God, and i know that angels are rejoicing in heaven. Glory to God.

The thing i would like to highlight here is the collaboration with 2 churches from different denominations. The joy in serving with each other, new Christian brothers and sisters whom we can b inspired by and feeling what it is like to have unity in God's kingdom is one feeling i urge all Christians to try. We formed a worship team, we had a skit together, we planed the whole thing together. But it looked like a team working together. Not our side and your side.

If i'm not mistaken, there are only 3 English congregations in Alor Star. And so, working together among churches is a stepping stone to doing bigger and greater things for God. Local Youth Prayer Gathering (LYPG) has been shaken and called to pray for unity among churches throughout Malaysia. Join us in praying for unity. Territorial mindset is of the world. We are one body in Christ. No one is more important than the other. Lets raise a new generation of believers who dont have the "my church" mindset!

Easter party!

2010-04-01T12:46:00.002+08:00

2nd of April, 7 to 9.30..our first combined Easter celebration with the Impactors! come join us. Find out what Easter is about, listen to great testimonies on how Christ has changed lives, and foooodddd... hope to c u there:) peace out.. god bless

God vs Science

2010-03-27T22:00:00.000+08:00

This IS just a STORY.

'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of
his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a
moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here
and you can cure him.. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you
try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you
could. Most of us would if we could.. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't,
does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he
prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you
answer that one?'

The student remains silent...

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water
from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

'Er..yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil
in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything correct??

'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created
everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to
the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality?
Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this
world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his
question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the
lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is
mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student.

'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use
to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen
Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him..'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your
Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or
God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist.. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science
has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of
His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

' Yes.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested.

The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.

'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't
have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero,
which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no
such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the
lowest -458 degrees.'

'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit
energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see,
sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We
cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat
is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of
it..'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom,
sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it
isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence
of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,
flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing
and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to
define the word.'

'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This
will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to
start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can
you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains..
'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a
bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite,
something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less
fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is
to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive
thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved
from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,
yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes
where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you
not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a
preacher?'

The class is in uproar... The student remains silent until the commotion
has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student,
let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who
has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into
laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt
the professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No
one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of
empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have
no brain, with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures,
sir?'

Now the room is silent.. The professor just stares at the student, his
face unreadable..

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess
you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as
evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see
it everyday It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It
is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.
These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it
does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God.. It is
just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe
the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of
what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart.
It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness
that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

The student was Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein did write a book
titled God vs... Science in 1921...

If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when
you finished, mail to your friends and family with the title 'God vs
Science'.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

About LYPG

2010-03-25T22:01:00.001+08:00

Go see this post about LYPG... See the difference from our MYF... See!

http://celinaconnects.blogspot.com/2010/03/2nd-lypg-update-10.html

Kedah SU Camp 2010! =)

2010-02-28T11:00:00.000+08:00

Hey peoples! This blog has been quiet for WAAAYYY too long!

Anyway, there is this camp coming up on the15th - 18th of March (Monday to Thursday) in Cameron Highlands (a time to get away from the HOT Alor Setar!) This camp will be located in Barre I.J. Centre, Lot 110, Jalan Besar, Tanah Rata 39000 Cameron Highlands, Pahang!

It's an evangelistic camp, so Christians invite your non-Christian friends along too! I guarantee you, that you will be a changed person after attending this camp! =)

The camp fees will be RM 200, if you have problems paying the full amount, ask your friend about it or comment here, and we'll try to solve it for you! =)

Suggestions

2010-01-14T23:01:00.002+08:00

1)Somebody volunteer to play the saxophone. It's something new, so preferably somebody young and good at piano (people like Grace and Susanna and Aaron maybe Eunice or Elyna) or violin also can but must be nice (please).

2)This is from an old auntie from church: memory verse competition! Like church school... Give memory verse, then have a competition every 3 months or so.

3)Prayer meeting, a serious one, suggested by Aaron, therefore, he take charge and do whatever he likes as long as it's acceptable.

4)Maybe get another drum cymbal for the drum, but it's neither urgent nor important.

5)Divide the MYFer's into several permanent groups and get some people to make a backup group just in case not enough people in a group, for the purpose of group study.

6)Have sessions on prayer, spiritual warfare, overcoming temptations, renouncing past sins, self reflection and stuff.

7)Get everybody to contribute to MYF board weekly or monthly.

Leave a comment if you have any other suggestions or comments.

Follow Him!

2009-12-11T14:51:00.003+08:00

This blog is quiet~~~~ Hehehehe~

Maybe we should start a schedule for a person to post up something weekly, if nothing to post, post sth he/she learned from that weeks MYF talk...XD Hmm~ hehehehe~ Anyway, have something to share which I think confirms the many times we have heard ppl telling us: "Listen to Him, He is talking to you"

Well, since SPM is over of course my friends and I planned to go somewhere and spend time slash make more memories...So, the plan we had since months ago, was to go KL..and now since SPM is over, we were looking forward to it, and this trip is organised by my class so aka school trip also.

But one thing was, my dad did not like the idea, he told me since I am 17 already, I should learn to decide for myself, but he told me clearly that he did not like the idea at all....

Well, of course since he still gave me a partial yes to the trip, I just said "I still wanna go" afterall, I've been looking forward to it for a long time already.

A day or two later, there was news bout Jeremiah School and I have planned to take part in this camp a year already.

But my dad was already not that happy with my plans to go KL and besides that, this year wasn't a really good year for my dad and I...So, I actually wanted to give up on the thought of attending Jeremiah School (JS), and I thought: "I should be glad that I am able to go KL already and I shouldnt want too many things"

It was then when God spoke to me: "So where does your priority lie? In your KL trip with friends whom you have known since primary school? OR To JS where you will learn more about God? Who do you need most?"

And I thought, maybe that was just another set of fancy sentences I normally use to advise ppl which normally pops up in my head time and again..I doubted that it was Him~ So I just kept cool, and did not want to do anything when soon I became afraid...Because we all know that God speaks to us and we will hear it as if it was our own voice..And though I have consciously gone against His words millions of times already, I know that I wanna go JS just as much as KL and well, priority......goes to that...And the one way I can convince my dad to allow me to go is by sacrificing the KL trip~

Therefore, I plucked up all my courage and went to my dad...We had a big words-shooting time but at last he allowed me to go...And the thing is he did not mention anything about the KL trip! But he was giving his: "Im not very happy" face..And I thought it would be best for me to tell him that "It's okay for me not to go KL since Im gonna go JS for a month plus"

So, YAY! From impossible to possible, and it was then when I concluded that It was indeed God that was advising me, and I have done something right.

GOD IS GREAT!

That wasn't the best part, a few days later....We got news from the class monitor that the KL trip was cancelled because they couldn't find transport~ That was when I knew that God is real, and if we were to just be a little bit more hardwork into following what He tells us to do, great things will happen, and we'll not miss out anything. He will give us what we thought we will miss, for God Provides!

(IM COMING BACK PPL!!!!)

God bless~

JTJL

~copied from Sapphire's blog~

Deliverance...

2009-10-23T23:45:00.003+08:00

Hey guys, here is a summary about what we learnt on 2/10/09’s MYF meeting.

Uncle Yeang Boon talked about deliverance. First, he popped a question…. ‘what does deliverance mean?’ hmm…sure had us wondering. It means to save, to rescue, and to deliver:) From Mark 1:21-28, we read that Jesus drives out an evil spirit. By doing so, Jesus set the boy free, therefore , you should be able to get an idea about what deliverance mean.

In Luke 9:37-43, Jesus delivered a boy from an evil spirit. This passage showed Jesus’ authority. Also in Mark 5, Jesus healed a man with evil spirits. These are some of the examples about how Jesus delivered people from evil spirits. All those incidents showed Jesus’ authority over demons.

Uncle Yeang Boon later talked about Christianity. Well, it was kind of an eye opener for me, at least..Well, according to him, Christianity is a simple religion which consists of only 2 concepts. (Light and dark ; Good and evil ; God and Satan ;Angel and demon ; Holy Spirit and unclean spirit)

Heres a question that shook me, who do you, think deliverance is for? Believers? Non-believers? Many Christians believe that believers cannot be demonized. Well then, who are the real believers? The answer…is that anyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ are the real believers :) So, it’s time to give ourselves a personality check. The bible talks about the believers in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 1 John 4:4.

Finally, Uncle Yeang Boon ended with Ephesians 4:27. Do not give the devil opportunity in your life! God Bless!

Written by,

Samantha Foo

Jeremiah School

2009-10-05T22:30:00.000+08:00

I 'll say what I should say.
Go for JS.
It's nice.
Better than staying at home doing nothing except breathing eating sleeping online watch television bla bla bla.
No NS, or not first batch, go JS.
For form 5 and 6 school leavers.
Organised by TRAC. So I think should be for TRAC churches only. I don't know about that.
Go JS go JS.
I know of a somebody who didn't get NS.
Go ya go ya.
Must go.
You'll meet your YLDP friends there. Really. Of course it's true.
Good night everyone!
Wishing you all a early Christmas!!!

Special Announcement

2009-09-21T00:02:00.003+08:00

To all MYFers, there will b a special combined youth meeting with Trinity Baptist Church and Full Gospel Church this fri, 25th Sept.. Please try to make come..

The theme is Stop, Look, Go! we often just whiz through life day after day, month after month, year after year.. before its too late, we should Stop awhile, take a good Look to reflect and c where we are..after getting ourselves right, then we GO!!!

So, come come come..!!! Come and join us.. Don't miss out!. see you all this fri..God Bless

Sabbath

2009-09-20T23:45:00.002+08:00

a short report on what we learned from U. Ti Pheng.. the topic was on sabbath..

First question he asked was what is sabbath?
⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.Exodus 20:9-11

He also highlighted why is the sabbath important.. and gave something which i have not realised before.. in the 10 commandments, most of the commandments starts with YOU SHALL.. but concerning sabbath, it says, REMEMBER.. this highlighted that the sabbath is as a gift to mankind, and not a rule..

Another thing that was covered was how is the Sabbath relevant in today's context.. he gave us this interesting saying.. We have all the watches in the world, ppl in Africa got no watch but all the time in the world.. He also brought to our mind on how we rush from one tuition to another..on weekends, triple dose! and it is true..

How to apply it? well, he gave us some suggestions like going for a swim, hiking or jogging to enjoy god's presence and creation.. he also said that we can spend more time with God by waiting upon Him and listening to him.. Besides that, we also can have a longer QT, and mayb read a few more chapters..

Announcements...

2009-09-20T13:45:00.000+08:00

Baptism Classes. Those interested can contact Pastor.
Restoring Your Passion For Ministry Retreat, by Dr. Steve Seamands is held on Wednesday to Friday (25th - 27th November) at Grand Olympic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. For more details, please refer to the church notice board. The closing date for registration is on 28th September 2009.
1st Interchurch Charity Treasure Hunt is on Friday 30th October 2009 from Alor Setar to Changlun. For more details, please refer to the Church Notice Board. The closing date for registration is on Thursday 8th October 2009.

A Story Worth Sharing...

2009-09-20T11:00:00.004+08:00

Father John Powell, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago, writes about a student in his Theology of Faith class named Tommy:

Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith.That was the day I first saw Tommy.

My eyes and my mind both blinked. He was combing his long flaxen hair, which hung six inches
below his shoulders. It was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long. I guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it isn't what's on your head but what's in it that counts; but on that day I was unprepared and my emotions flipped. I immediately filed Tommy under "S" for strange... Very strange.

Tommy turned out to be the "atheist in residence" in my Theology of Faith course. He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at
times a serious pain in the back pew.

When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he asked in a cynical tone, "Do you think I'll ever find God?" I decided instantly on a little shock therapy.

"No!" I said very emphatically.

"Why not," he responded,

"I thought that was the product you were pushing." I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then called out, "Tommy! I don't think you'll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain that He will find you!" He shrugged a little and left my class.

I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my clever line -- He will find you!

At least I thought it was clever.

Later, I heard that Tommy had graduated, and I was duly grateful. Then a sad report came.

I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out , he came to see me. When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all
fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm,

for the first time, I believe.

"Tommy, I've thought about you so often; I hear you are sick," I blurted out.

"Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It's a matter of weeks." Tommy replied.

"Can you talk about it, Tom?" I asked.

"Sure, what would you like to know?" he replied.

"What's it like to be only twenty-four and dying?"

"Well, it could be worse."

"Like what?"

"Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies in life.."

I began to look through my metal file cabinet under "S" where I had filed Tommy as strange.

(It seems as though everybody I try to reject by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.)

"But what I really came to see you about," Tom said, "is something you said to me on the last day of class." (He remembered!)

He continued, "I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, 'No!' which surprised me.

Then you said, 'But He will find you.' I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time. (My clever line. He thought about that a lot!) .

"But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that's when I got serious about locating God..

And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging bloody fists
against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out.

In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically glutted, fed up with trying. And then you quit.....

Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall to a

God who may be or may not be there, I just quit.

I decided that I didn't really care about God, about an after life, or anything like that. I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more profitable.

I thought about you and your class and I remembered something else you had said: " The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.'"

So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad. He was reading the newspaper when I approached him.

"Dad."

"Yes, what?" he asked without lowering the newspaper.

"Dad, I would like to talk with you."

"Well, talk."

"I mean . It's really important."

The newspaper came down three slow inches. " What is it?"

"Dad, I love you, I just wanted you to know that." Tom smiled at me and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret joy flowing inside of him.

"The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say that he loved me."

" It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me, too, and we hugged each

other, and started saying real nice things to each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many years."

I was only sorry about one thing --- that I had waited so long. Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to. "Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn't come to me when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding out a hoop, 'C'mon, jump through C'mon, I'll give you three days, three weeks.'"

"Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour....But the important thing is that He was there. He found me...! You were right.....He found me even after I stopped looking for Him."

"Tommy," I practically gasped,

"I think you are saying something very important and much more universal than you realize.

To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make Him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love.

You know, the Apostle John said that... He said: "God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.''

"Tom, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class you were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can make it all up to me now. Would you come into my present Theology of Faith course and tell them what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn't be half as effective as if you were to tell it."

"Oooh.. I was ready for you, but I don't know if I'm ready for your class."

"Tom, think about it. If and when you are ready, give me a call."

In a few days Tom called, said he was ready for the class, that he wanted to do that for God and for me. So we scheduled a date. However, he never made it. He had another appointment, far more important than the one with me and my class. Of course, his life was not really ended by his death, only changed. He made the great step from faith into vision. He found a life far more beautiful than the eye of man has ever seen or the ear of man has ever heard or the mind of man has ever imagined.

Before he died, we talked one last time.

"I'm not going to make it to your class," he said.

"I know, Tom."

"Will you tell them for me? Will you ...tell the whole world for me?"

"I will, Tom. I'll tell them. I'll do my best."

So, to all of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story about God's love, thank you for listening. And to you, Tommy, somewhere in the sunlit, verdant hills of heaven --- I told them, Tommy, as best I could.

With thanks,
Rev. John Powell, Professor, Loyola University ,
Chicago

Group Activity - Making a Merdeka Card...

2009-09-11T17:30:00.001+08:00

Last Friday, we had this project called, "Making a Merdeka Card", with limited materials given. The materials were newspaper, a few pieces of colored paper, some glitter, glue, and scissors. We were divided into 6 groups, and had to complete the project in a short time of 30 minutes. Here are the end-results:

Group 1:

Their card:

Group 2:
Sorry. Group 2's card picture only has been misplaced. Hope you guys can see it through their group photo.

Group 3:
Their card:

Group 4:
Their card:

Group 5:
Their card:

Group 6:
Their card:
The polls are out! Everyone and anyone are welcomed to vote the best card among them all! The poll is open for only a month! So, better vote fast! =)

An Awesome Conversation

2009-09-04T23:15:00.001+08:00

I got this e-mail from Joanne and I think I should post it up here.

INtEREStING CONVERStAtION

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to his Class on the Problem Science has
with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asked one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . ..

Professor : You are a Christian, aren't you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, you Believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD Good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.
But GOD didn't. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent )

Professor : You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, Young Fella.
Is GOD Good?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . GOD . . .
Professor : That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor : So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer)

Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, who Created them ?

(Student had no answer)

Professor : Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you.
Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor : Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD?
Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol,
Science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor : Yes,Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor : Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor : Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn't.

(The Lecture Theatre became very quiet with this turn of events )

Student : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat,
a Little Heat or No Heat.
But we don't have anything called Cold.
We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that.
There is no such thing as Cold.
Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat.
We cannot Measure Cold.
Heat is Energy.
Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.

(There was Pin-Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )

Student : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?
Student : You're wrong again, sir.
Darkness is the Absence of Something
You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .
But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it?
In reality, Darkness isn't.
If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?
Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality.
You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD.
You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure.
Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought.
It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that
Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing.
Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it
Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor : If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument was going )

Student : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and
Cannot even prove that this Process is an On-Going Endeavor,
Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir?
Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?

(The Class was in Uproar )

Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain?

(The Class broke out into Laughter )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . ..
No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol,
Science says that You have No Brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir?

(The Room was Silent. The Professor stared at the Student, his face unfathomable)

Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student : That is it sir . . . Exactly !
The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH.
That is all that Keeps Things Alive and Moving.

NB:

I believe you have enjoyed the Conversation . . . and if so .. .
You'll probably want your Friends / Colleagues to enjoy the same . . . won't you?
Forward them to Increase their Knowledge . . . or FAITH.
That student was Albert Einstein.

sending love home :)

2009-09-01T17:03:00.003+08:00

Hey guys and girls :)

All the best to those in the midst of examinations (especially SPM Trials) and those who are going to sit for exams soon, whether it's just the end-of-the-year exams or major ones (well, all are important). Persevere and I'm sure God will pull you through :)

PSALM 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not flunk;
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying.
He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break;
He restoreth my faith in study guides.
He leads me to better study habits
For my grade's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of borderline grades,
I will not have a nervous breakdown;
For thou art with me.
My prayers and my friends, they comfort me.
Thou givest me answers in moments of blankness;
Thou anointest my head with understanding.
My test paper runneth over with questions I recognise.
Surely passing grades and flying colours shall follow me
All the days of my examinations,
And I shall not have to dwell in this misery forever,
Amen!

Anonymous

Revised Student Version :)

Sending lotsa hugs and love home! :)

An Idea

2009-08-24T22:30:00.000+08:00

Just now while waiting for tuition to start, I read some passages from the digital bible on my phone.
This Saturday I just went for recess revolution gathering.
Then I thought, what if my friends saw me reading the bible through the phone?
They might be curious.
And now technology is advanced you can send most things through blue tooth.
Well, some friends might want me to send them the program.
So why not let us all try that?
Instead of putting bibles on the table in school, why not we also try this method?
Sounds nice?
We can download the whole .jar file into our phone. I mean download the whole thing, not install it into our phone, because we need the .jar file to send to other people's phone.
Well, it's just something that popped into my mind.
You might think they might just install it and forget about it.
Well, sometimes when I'm bored I go through everything in my phone.
What if our friends does that too?
If you dare not bring bible to school or anything else, this is one of the ways to "evangelize".

how long??

2009-08-24T00:51:00.003+08:00

how long more are we going to keep quiet? People of every religion knows "don't push Christians, or you are going to feel their god's wrath"besides, history has proven this statement.. even as a teen, i've heard this over and over again.. the thing here is, how long more are we just gonna be happy and proud of this "title"??

it occurs to me that we are getting too comfortable.. we are no more looking forward to suffer for Christ and know that its an honour.. are we ready to go to jail like Paul and rejoice as he did in Acts? through building of events, this has been rubbed into me.. and the sermon today has drove me to write this out..

Little little things in life get us so worked up and doubt God.. we often forget that He is of the impossible.. we sing praises, we read the bible.. but do we stick and believe in this truth?? Pr. Joshua who spoke today proved to us that Jesus lives!! must it take someone who has a background like him to remind us?? SHAME ON US.. we pray for so many things.. but do we act on it, or are we still so selfish to go an extra mile for others?? as it is, Jesus asks us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves..

No air-cond in church, complain.. Music bad, complain.. when there are work to do, we push it to others.. we are an ENEMY in our own church! wake up! lets check ourself and see where we are with God.. are we just pretending to be good?? coming to church with a mask? there are so many people out there who are lost..

As pastor said.. Robbers are not affraid to rob, why are we so afraid of sharing the thruth?? we complain that our country is distorted... lets wake up youth! no point complaining.. do something about it.. If everybody wants to leave this country, then when will change come??

LUKE 21:34 says, becareful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you like a trap..

Lets not wait till its too late.. the world is in need of salvation and the thruth..

We Wanna Thank You/Mamma Mia

2009-08-22T09:55:00.003+08:00

Here's the lyrics to the song the Strawberry Jam Suckers.. umm.. Remix on Brother's Day.

We wanna thank you...
We wanna thank you...
We wanna thank you, thank you for this great, great day...
We wanna thank you, thank you for this awesome day...
We wanna, we wanna, we wanna..........

(Drum fill!)

Mamma mia, here we go, my, my
How can I resist it,
MYFers, it is Brother's Day, uh-huh
We've had so much fun,
Mamma mia, here we go, my, my
Sister's Day's coming again!!!

Thank you SISTERS!!! For an awesome time!!!

Powerless to pray in the house of God...

2009-08-18T22:00:00.001+08:00

Thursday August 13 2009 Malaysian Insider

By Debra Chong

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 12 — Hope continues to flicker for a small community of Orang Asli Christians in Pahang who have struggled for the past six years for the basic right to worship God.

The Court of Appeal here today granted the Jahut Christians from Kampung Pasu the right to challenge the Temerloh land and district office's refusal to supply water and electricity to their tiny village church, located some 200km from Kuala Lumpur.

The three-man Bench led by Datuk Zainun Ali unanimously overturned the Temerloh High Court's decision last year, clearing the path for the aboriginal Christians to get water and power supplied to their humble dirt-floor church, which also doubles up as a community hall for the villagers.

Zainun also ordered the land and district office to pay RM5,000 in costs to village elder Wet Ket, 59, and his son Yaman Wet, 33, who filed the suit against the local authorities for blocking them from getting the most basic amenities supplied to the church built in their own backyard.

The land and district office, in a letter dated Oct 8, 2007, explained that the church should not be given water and electricity because it is an illegal structure built on ungazetted land and the church had not been given formal approval from the state government to be built, as is required under state law for non-Muslim places of worship.

Senior federal counsel Kamal Azira, who represented the Temerloh land and district office, maintained the same position in court today.

Former live-in pastor, Jamin Singa was forced to move to Mentakab after authorities refused to supply water and electricity. He returns every weekend to lead the villagers in prayer, putting up with kerosene lamps, bathing in an open air outhouse, stifling heat and mosquito attacks at night.

But lawyers for the Jahut Christians, Lee Swee Seng and Annou Xavier, convinced the judges that the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 did not require the Orang Asli to first get permission from the state or local government for any building on their native land.

“The purpose of the 1954 Act was to 'protect and uplift’ the First People of this country. It is therefore fundamentally a human right statute. It acquires a quasi-constititional status giving it a pre-eminence over ordinary legislation. It must therefore receive a broad and liberal interpretation,” Xavier said, citing a judgment from an earlier case upholding Orang Asli rights, in reply to a question `from the judges who wanted to know if the law clearly outlines the “rights” of the Orang Asli.

The ethnic Jahut have faced much government red tape in carrying out their religious worship since embracing Christianity in 2000.

Despite the many trials and tribulations, the Jahut Christians in Kampung Pasu keep a cheery outlook for the future of their sunny-coloured church. To the right is village elder Wet Ket's ancestral home.

Their first church, costing RM25,000, was torn down by the local land and district office in 2003, just a few weeks before the villagers, mostly farmers and labourers, planned to celebrate their first Sunday service in the building.

It was only after repeated petitions to the prime minister that the federal government awarded RM35,000 to the villagers to rebuild their church, leading them to believe that they had finally gained the green light to worship in peace and comfort.

But when The Malaysian Insider visited the Evangelical Church of Borneo outpost — better known by its Malay initials SIB (Sidang Injil Borneo) — in Kampung Pasu last year, Wet related how they were barred from pulling power from his house to the church less than five metres away, for evening services.

He had been warned by officers from the land and district office that his own electricity would be cut off if he did not immediately remove the extension cords, Wet added.

To date, the villagers carry out their worship by candlelight. Water flows from an outdoor public tap nearby but not from the ones inside the church, built to house their live-in pastor.

While the Court of Appeal's decision today cleared the first stage, it did not grant their request for their church to be supplied with water and electricity while waiting for the Temerloh High Court's final decision.

The Jahut Christians from Kampung Pasu are still powerless to pray in the house of God which they built.

Miracles by Jesus based on the book of Mark..

2009-08-16T17:45:00.001+08:00

Last Friday, our youth did a bible study on the book of Mark based on miracles done by Jesus by Aunt Chiam.

Mark 6:30 - 44 states:
³⁰The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. ³¹Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." ³²So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. ³⁵By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. ³⁶Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." ³⁷But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" ³⁸"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish." ³⁹Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴²They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

This miracle is about Jesus feeding five thousand people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.

Aunt Chiam gave us some questions to stimulate our brains. Did you think Jesus was expecting the crowd of people? To me, I think Jesus knew. He knows everything before hand, like at the time He sweat blood because He knew he was going to be crucified at the cross.

I think there are a few important lessons to be learnt from this short yet meaningful passage. From this passage, I think we should expect the unexpected with Him. He can make the impossible, possible! We have faith in Him, no matter how bad the situation may be. Have faith that He will help you, in your problems, in your needs, in anything. Give thanks for what we have. Look at the passage, Jesus gave thanks for the little food they had. And in the end, there were 12 baskets of broken bread and fish!

Look at the obedience of the disciples. That's something to learn from too. The disciples at that time would be thinking, "5 loaves and 2 fish? Feed all these people? Are you crazy?". But yet, they did not question Jesus and they had faith in Jesus the amount of food they had would feed all those people.

My Savior Lives - New Life Worship...

2009-08-16T17:30:00.001+08:00

Verse1:
Our God will reign forever
And all the world will know His name
Everyone together sing the song of the redeemed

Chorus:
I know that my redeemer lives
And now I stand on what He did
My Saviour, my Saviour lives
Every day a brand new chance to say
"Jesus, You are the only way"
My Saviour, my Saviour lives

Verse2:
The King has come from Heaven
And darkness trembles at His name
Victory forever is the song of the redeemed

Chorus:
I know that my redeemer lives
And now I stand on what He did
My Saviour, my Saviour lives
Every day a brand new chance to say
"Jesus, You are the only way"
My Saviour, my Saviour lives

Bridge:
My Saviour lives, My Saviour lives, My Saviour lives
My Saviour lives, My Saviour lives, My Saviour lives

Thought of the Month...

2009-08-14T15:00:00.003+08:00

What we have today, doesn't necessarily mean that we'll have what we have now tomorrow. In the bible, in Luke 12:16-21, it's a parable of a rich man, losing everything.

Luke 12:16-21 states:
16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?" 18 Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." 20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.

He was so rich, but did he even get the chance to use the money? No! He was rich, but ended in his life in regret.

Are you seeking these riches? Have you seek God today? Are you making enough time for Him? Or are you seeking earthly treasures only? Where is our main focus? Is it upon this world and the earthly things of this world? Or God?

Those who seek the Lord our God will have treasures of Christ, far better and greater than any earthly treasures! To those who have not accepted Christ, the invitation to seek the Lord is still open. Are you willing to take it? Or you still can't let go of these earthly treasures? And to those believers, what are you investing your time in? Is it something that God wants you to do? Or is it something you want?

Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day

Here In Your Presence - New Life Worship...

2009-08-13T14:30:00.001+08:00

Found in Your hands, fullness of joy
Every fear suddenly wiped away here in Your presence
All of my gains now fade away
Every crown no longer on display, here in Your presence
Heaven in trembling in awe of Your wonders
the kings and their kingdom are standing amazed

Chorus:
Here in Your presence, we are undone
Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one
Here in Your presence, all things are new
Here in Your presence, everything bows before You

Bridge:
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way

Chorus:
Here in Your presence, we are undone
Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one
Here in Your presence, all things are new
Here in Your presence, everything bows before You

Here in Your presence, we are undone
Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one
Here in Your presence, all things are new
Here in Your presence, everything bows before You

What are we without You, Lord? All You gave for the sake of us. We seek You, Lord! You are wonderful beyond words! Beautiful beyond the beautifulness of the most beautiful object in the universe! You are glorious! You are unmatchable!

Seek the Lord! And you will experience a joy you never did experience before! All your fears will fade away, with the help of our Lord!

Annoucement for the Week...

2009-08-09T22:00:00.000+08:00

Attention! Attention! To all those aged 13 to 18 of age. There will be a Christian Scripture Investigators' Camp from the 26.08.09 to 29.08.09 at Tapah Campsite. Those interested can contact Aunt. Peh Lan, or through this blog through the comments section. Highly recommended!

Wesley Methodist Church Alor Setar 47th Anniversery Dinner...

2009-08-01T13:00:00.002+08:00

Our church is going to celebrate it's 47th Anniversary! It'll be held on the 15th of August 2009! Anyone wanna come? The speaker is Rev. David Loo. I heard he's quite an interesting speaker.

Hosanna-Paul Baloche

2009-07-26T17:26:00.003+08:00

video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIg2QOzPpg

Praise is rising, eyes are turning to You, we turn to You
Hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You, we long for You
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Pres- ence all our fears are washed away, washed away

CHORUS
Ho- san- na, ho- sanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Ho- san- na, ho- sanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus

Hear the sound of hearts returning to You, we turn to You
In Your Kingdom broken lives are made new, You make us new
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Pres- ence all our fears are washed away, washed away

*Chorus

'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Pres- ence all our fears are washed away
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Pres- ence all our fears are washed away, washed away

*Chorus
(Repeat)
Ho- san- na, ho- san- na
Ho- san- na, ho- san- na

From the Sisters:

2009-07-24T23:07:00.003+08:00

THE SISTERS ARE ALL THANKFUL FOR THE BROTHERS FOR ALL THEIR EFFORT AND LOVE!

SISTERS DAY 2009 WAS AMAZING~

AND WE COULDN'T ASK FOR MORE~

I'll just keep it short and simple noh???

The extras the girls can come add ourselves nahh??? Kalau ada~~

Making Presents for Sister's Day...

2009-07-24T22:30:00.001+08:00

As usual, every Sister's Day, the brothers have to prepare something for the sisters, and when it's Brother's Day, the sisters have to prepare something for the brothers.

Check out what the brothers did for Sister's Day!
CARDS!!! Some of them are pretty ugly though, boys ma. Don't have as much of creative juice as the girls.
6 of us, guys met up last Sunday (College had no school, and Keat Hwa 2 had Hari Anugerah Cemerlang, we didn't ponteng!). While the others are busy doing cards, look what Yi Hong's doing... He eating also didn't belanja us! Haha... Jokes aside, we all used the whole morning working tirelessly to complete the presents for the sisters! So, sisters, be lucky that you have just good brothers! Haha...

End result: All the cards ready for Sister's Day!

Sister's Day

2009-07-18T23:00:00.003+08:00

Sister's Day is next week..!!!! to all those who has joined MYF before, you are most welcomed..:)
sorry to say, closed party only..

To all the girls, COME!!! come experience guys serving food, and guys "hand made gifts"..haha..c ya

Some Annoucements...

2009-07-05T22:00:00.003+08:00

There'll be a RBC Ministries Teaching Session by Mr. Bill Crowder (RBC) on from 16th July 2009, 8 - 10 p.m. at WMC. It's about "Message 1: Encouragement" and "Message 2: Barnabas". He'll also be preaching in FGC on Friday 17th July 2009.
To all committee members, there'll be a committee meeting this Friday, 10th July 2009, at 5 p.m., please be there on time. Thank you.

For All You Are - Hillsong

2009-07-03T11:30:00.001+08:00

VERSE I
Standing here, in Your presence
Thinking of the good things You have done
Waiting here, patiently
Just to hear Your still small voice again
Holy, righteous, faithful to the end
Saviour, healer, redeemer and friend

CHORUS
I will worship You for who You are
I will worship You for who You are
I will worship You for who You are Jesus

BRIDGE
My soul secure, Your promise sure
Your love endures always
My soul secure, Your promise sure
Your love endures always
My soul secure, Your promise sure
Your love endures always

Korean Praise '09

2009-06-14T22:00:00.002+08:00

There'll be a Korean Praise 2009 on the 22nd of June, Monday, at 8 pm at Wesley Methodist Church. Admission is free. Do invite your friends, so that you can come and experience worship with a group of talented singers and musicians all the way from Korea! It's an experience you don't want to miss!

MYF Fun Night!

2009-06-09T13:30:00.003+08:00

Sorry this post is two weeks late, but it's out now... Two weeks ago, before our Penang Outing, we had MYF Fun Night! The pictures are out now!

We were divided into two groups, apple and orange. The first game for the night was "count how many beans are there in the plastic bag". There were 3 different type of beans in the plastic bag, and the objective of the game was to count the actual number of the beans of different colors in the bag...

Whitish beans (Left), Penat after counting so MANY beans... (Right)

We then played a "guess what's that" game. In this game, you are blindfolded, and you will be given something, and you are supposed to guess what it is. Butter, sugar, CRICKETS, paper were among the things that the participants had to guess...

The things that we were supposed to guess...

The lucky guessers...
Guessing time...

And lastly, we would like to thank the game masters for organizing the wonderful games!
Oh ya, and team "Orange" won... (Not my group, so I won't cheer for them)... haha...

And DON'T FORGET, this week NO MYF, because got Family Camp at S.P...

By Yi Hong

2009-06-07T17:40:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone! Sometimes after MYF, we will go out for supper for extended fellowship and to fill our stomachs! You are invited to join, but there are terms and conditions.
First, get your parents' permission first.
Second, transport will be provided if the driver wants to provide you with transport, and they may charge you, that is.
Third, the committee will not be responsible for any accidents or thing that happen to you. I'll show you an example.
This is what may happen to you! You photo will be shown to every nation, every tribe, and every tongue! By the way, this is Joanne...

Thank You. Have a nice day.

Going Down Penang Hill [Part 3]...

2009-06-02T22:30:00.000+08:00

After lunch and all the activities done there, it was time to head down the hill via the vernacular train. We had to each buy our own tickets. Net result, there was a long line, as there was 40 + of us...

Don't miss the train o... Later need to climb down again...

Sardined-packed train...

As all of us wanted to go down at the same time, we had to squeeze in the train. It was so HOT in there! It's wonder that so many people can squeeze inside that small train...

Bye bye Penang Hill!

We then headed down to Queensbay Mall and had our dinner there, and also SHOPPING and FUN!

I must say this trip was a successful one! There weren't any flaws in it. We should give each other a pat on the back... I hope another trip such as this will be organized soon.

Activities Done Up Penang Hill [Part 2]...

2009-06-01T20:30:00.001+08:00

Once we reached the peak, we all changed into fresh clothings. We makaned and had fellowship together...

Makan and fellowshiping together..

Some of us, after makan, went shopping and cycling. There were grasshoppers made up of leaves, caps, and all a variety of junk food for sale. There was also a snake show being held on the hill.

Fellowshiping...
Some more pics...

MYF & Committee Tuition Penang Hill Trip [Part 1]...

2009-06-01T20:00:00.005+08:00

As most of you all know, MYF and the Church Committee Tuition had organized a combined trip to Penang Hill.

I think most of us had fun! Who didn't have fun please tell me!

More photos will be out soon!

A few photos... (Going up the hill)
A small group photo...
Aunty Doreen, our counselor, made it!

A Few Announcements....

2009-06-01T19:30:00.002+08:00

Here are a few announcements that you might wanna take note of:

MYPG will be held on the 4th of June (Thursday), anyone still interested to join, can contact me.
MYF will be canceled on the 12th of June, because the church is having the annual family camp in Cinta Sayang Golf & Country Resort, Sungai Petani, Kedah.
This upcoming Friday, we're having a movie night! Please do come and invite your friends along too!
There will be a talk on "Understanding the Book of Revelation" by Pastor Reggie Lee on the 1st and 2nd of June in Full Gospel Church (FGC) at 8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. nightly. Admission is free.
There'll be a Community Medical Outreach on "Prevention of Heart Attack & Stroke" on the 20th of June (Saturday) from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Those MYF'ers who want volunteer may contact me. Ushers are needed.

Thats all for the announcements...

to everybody

2009-05-28T23:55:00.003+08:00

ok... tomorrow, we gonna LEPAS STIM.!!!! to anybody in Alor Star.. come to MYF tomorrow.. we're gonna have loads of fun.. play play play..yeah..

tomorrow, its only about competition and winning prizessss......:P

c ya'll..

Penang Hill Combined MYF & Community Tuition Trip

2009-05-23T11:30:00.001+08:00

Places are limited! Only 34 places are available for MYF'ers. Please hand in your forms to Tim by latest this Sunday. There may be no more places after Sunday. If you are interested to go, register now! Places are reducing by the hour!