YA 2006 Christmas Dinner & Gift Exchange

The YA's were over for dinner and christmas gift exchange. We had a great time of singing carols, sharing our thoughts on the year past, and just sitting and chatting with one another time.

I want to thank all those who brought food, and those who helped clean up. It was SOOO nice of you! thanks a million!

Here are some pictures...

YA Christmas 2006 Dinner

Israel legalises same-sex marriages!

I never thought it would happen, but I should have known better.

Israel, God's covenant-people, to whom were 'entrusted the oracles of God (Rom3:2)' have now legalised same-sex marriages.
Have they forgotten God's view of those who 'change the natural use into that which is against nature (Rom1:26)'?
Don't they know that '...knowing the ordinance of God, they that which practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them'?

I know I have quoted verses which are from the New Testament, which the Jews reject, and not from 'the law of Moses'.
But doesn't God say this "And a man who lieth with a male as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed and abomination: they shall certainly be put to death; their blood is upon them" in Lev 20:13?

Of ALL the countries in the world - Israel! I'm just sad to hear it.

Sources:
http://english.people.com.cn/200611/22/eng20061122_323962.html
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06112107.html

Why aren't you a christian?

What makes you think twice (or more) about putting your trust in Jesus for salvation?

gospel meeting

I wonder if God is telling me something when no non-believers turn up for gospel meeting, especially on the day the I'm sharing the gospel?

does God think the message i prepared was useless for the Holy Spirit to use?

I know I'm not to be disheartened. But the thought is a real 'bee in my bonet'.

New website

Hi y'all, i've got myself a new website. Contains some material and links that i find useful.
http://guna.enzoe.googlepages.com

Rumour: Mass baptism of converted muslims in Ipoh

You'd probably have heard the rumours, maybe even received the SMS.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/bm/news.php?id=227919
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/6/nation/15932994&sec=nation
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/7/nation/15940662&sec=nation

Questions that cross my mind as I pondered the whole thing:
1. If someone really decide to becomes a Christian, how would a mob-gathering in front of the church help?

2. What would they do? Beat him? Curse him? And would that make him change his mind?

3. Can force and fear achieve (or maintain) heartfelt conversions (or convictions) to another's faith? In fact, its almost an oxymoron. Faith draws one near, fear drives one away. So how does instilling fear (using terror) increase one's faith?

In a way i'm glad that was not how the Lord Jesus won my heart.
His mission : 1Tim 1:15 "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..."

His motivation : John 3:16 "For God so loved the world..."

His invitation : Mat 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

His promise : John 14:1-2 "Let not your heart be troubled...I go to prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, ye may be also"

Jesus wooed me to believe in Him because of His gentleness and humbleness.

Have you listened to Him enough to hear what He really has to say to you?

Old Pals

Last weekend i managed to catch up with some good ol' friends at one of my best friend's wedding. It was fun.



Introducing...




Big Z (aka Zulkefli)

Isa and his lovely wife, Wahiyu


These are guys i practically spent my childhood with and we're still as close as ever! Love ya'll dudes.

Here are a couple of more pictures.

This bloke's name is Preemadesa and i've known him since Standard One!

Here is Isa, Ilias (Isa's young brother), and another good ol' classmate, Sow Ping, looking a lot more funkier than when he was in school haha...

Arvind, if you read this, send me some of your pics of us so i can put it up here!

My trip(s) to singapore

Boy, what a tiring two weeks.
Registration ceremony and dinner.On the 14 & 15th October chin ai n me drove down to singapore for my brother's wedding. We left on Friday night to Muar and spent the night at the always hospitable and kind Lingams. It was nice to break the journey halfway to rest.Next day, we drove down to singapore and made to the Raffles Town Club for the registration. I had a surprise waiting for me. I was told to be the emcee, like 30 minutes before the event! Wow. Talk about short notice. But it was a simple proceeding so it wasn't so difficult. We had a nice lunch, as you can see, and everything else went smoothly.


Here is a picture of the bride (Her name is Joanne Yeo, so close to our Joanne Yew!) and groom


And here is a pic of (from left) my cousin, mother and Joanne's parents. They're very nice people! Welcome to the family!


A few hours later, we had a dinner reception at the British Club. It was a buffet dinner and the food was GOOOD! We had stuff like lamb, chicken, mixed vegetables, prawns, and a whole lot of other dishes i can't even remember their names! No pics for this one, sorry.
There was also a Jazz band playing and they were fabulous! They seemed to enjoy themselves as they played music throughout the night. I managed to get a pic of them.


On Sunday we remembered the Lord at Joo Chiat Gospel Hall. We were a few minutes late bcoz i wasn't very sure of the way. Thanks to Joe (Unc Lingam's son), have GPS-like directions to the hall and weren't too late.
Dr. Wee took us out for lunch and if you look at this pic, should give you an idea of how much fun we had!

We returned to KL after dinner. Working on Monday & Tuesday :(
Tuesday night, we sent my parent's in law to the LCCT, i never knew how far it was and we almost missed the flight. We arrived at 8:45pm and the flight was at 9:05pm!!! Thank God the AirAsia staff was kind enough to let them on board.
We left the airport and drove straight down to S'pore for part two of my bro's wedding, the temple wedding.
The ceremony was only at night so we managed to do a little bit of shopping with Chin Ai, my mum and aunts. I found a dvd of the old musical 'Singing in the rain' for RM10! Original! Woo hoo!
Here is a pic of chin ai browsing babywear shop. Just realised she could pass off as one of the staff! LOL.


Here is a picture of my brother's beautiful, lazy Russion cat, Sabre, and his hyper dog, Jesse.



On thursday we had a family lunch and it was a feast. Check this out.
I put on 2kilos that week.

Hendrick

A brother in Christ from Holland came over to Malaysia for a short visit at the beginning of october. . I Pei Ling mentioned him in her blog some time ago. His name is Hendrick.
He's a very nice and friendly fellow, and he made me realise how short i was. He's taller than Jaya man! imagine that! haha...

anyway these pics were taken at Unc. Raymond's house were a Hendrick and a few others had dinner. Chin Ai and me joined them later. Wish i had taken more pics though.
This was Hendrick, Jaya, Joanne and Jordan playing a game of U

:: Blogged ::

YA Retreat

I had a great time on Tues and Wed. when our Young Adults when to Sg Congkak for our retreat. I want to thank Irene, connie, jia mun, chee hao and those who helped them for helping us with the food. Isn't it wonderful that even though we had more people than expected, none went hungry.

It was a rather wet retreat, and though i would have preferred it to be drier, i almost forgot that i did pray to God that He take away the haze during the trip. And He did, by bringing the rain! So thank you Lord, and sorry for complaining.

Our sessions were good, we discussed not turning back in our spiritual life. Its so wonderful that the Lord Jesus has set us on a road filled with 'heavenly blessings' and His presence to keep us and help us through the difficult times.

We also talked about 'practical Christianity'. I learnt some good tips from the YAs, like cultivating good habits, having the right attitude towards our responsibilities, being a good and faithful witness to the Lord JEsus among friends and colleagues. Its true, practical Christianity is not 'verbal', but 'visible'. I'm glad to know that the YAs have a clear and responsible view of the need to be good testimonies before others as a form of effective evangelism.

When i came home, for a moment i felt like 'well, there goes my long awaited deeparaya holidays'. was it wasted? I think not. Especially when time and money is invested in the people you love and care for. I need to labour now, so that i can really enjoy my eternal rest in heaven!

In the meantime, enjoy these...

Ruth's gone! *Sob* *Sob*

I'm so sad. I had to give my dog away. My beautiful 5mth old Golder Retriever which i named Ruth.Can't believe how attached i became to her in those short months. She greets me in the morning with her wagging tail and smiley eyes and mouth. She greets me when i get back from work and sits patiently while i close the gate and then rushes at me and hugs my leg.

I gave her away coz Chin Ai and me were both concerned about how we were going to cope after our baby is born. Worried about the baby's reaction to the dogs fur (G.Retrievers have thick, full coats of fur), and since my dad had asthma, i didn't want to risk the baby getting affected by the fur. Also, it would be quite difficult for me to take care of Chin Ai, baby and dog later. The dog will probably be the one neglected, and i can't stand that to happen.

Well, at least she's in a good home now. She in Cameron Highlands with Sharon's uncle (who was so kind as to give us the flowers for our wedding free!), where she's got a big compound to play in, and where the weather's better for her.

Chin Ai and me really miss her. I still come to the door and expect her to be waiting expectantly for a walk, play or a doggie treat. Sigh. I do hope she'll grow to be a big happy and loving doggie. I must visit her when i go to cameron.

Keeping track of blogs

If you use the Firefox browser, did you know you can easily keep track of people's blogs? You can create what is called a 'Live bookmark' and it'll update itself with latest posts on the blog. One built-in example is the 'Latest Headlines' bookmark you see on the browser.

How do I set it up?
1. Go to the blog you want to keep track of
2. In the address bar, if you see an 'orange' icon at the right hand side, the blog has an rss feed which you can subscribe to.
3. Click on the icon and enter a name.
4. Click ok and you'll see the link in your bookmark toolbar.

There you go! Happy blogging!

Do you know what RSS is?

Maybe another post...

What's more powerful than nuclear power?

More countries are capable of producing weapons grade nuclear power these days. We have to come to terms with that. There was a time when only a few countries had long range missiles and they were viewed as dangerous, now most countries have it. The same will happen with nuclear-powered countries. It is a sad reminder to all of us, that as human beings, we are just incapable of handling 'power'. The more powerful one is the greater the fear of its abuse. Why? Because after we're done trying to justify our actions, after we're done trying blame others, after we've exhausted our excuses, after we're done trying to 'appear' to do more good than evil, we just know that we are all inclined to sin, without effort. That's who we are, sinners. That's what we are, sinners.

Power is at its peak, not in its exercise, but in its control. He who can control his strength and power, is most powerful.

So today, he who has nuclear power, has the most powerful threats.

Did you know that atomic laws (from which nuclear power is built on) governs much of our lives? The sun's light and heat is caused by millions of 'nuclear explosions' per minute, the same heat that warms us, and light that becomes the primary energy source of the food chain.

The computers we use run on electrical energy which in itself is based on quantum (atomic) physics.

An easy definition of quantum is 'sudden and significant' (dictionary.com).

Atomic physics didn't and couldn't create itself. A nuclear bomb couldn't create life, much less create a habitable environment. A nuclear bomb could not create you and me.

God did. He created the world using 'quantum' like power. He 'let there be light, and there was light', and in like manner 'God created the heaven and earth'.

The threat of nuclear power is its destructive capabilities. The heat so intense flesh can be turned to ash in the blink of an eye. It melts concrete, its coverage wide, it pushes air away from itself and creates a vacuum that sucks air in so fast a typhoon is but a breeze (that's how you get the mushroom cloud), Destruction is 'sudden and significant'. Whatever the initial explosion didn't destory, its radiation kills slowly and painfully.

If you think that's bad, think again.

God is more powerful than a nuclear bomb. We see glimpses of the power He has in the bible.

Gen 19:24-28 : Sodom and Gomorrah - Because of their great wickedness, God 'rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire'. To get an idea of the destruction, read verse 28 :'... and lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of the furnace'.
But we also see God's power in control. He ONLY destroyed sodom and gomorrah, not the whole world.

Act 5:5 : Annias and Sapphira - 'And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost...'. They lied to the Holy Spirit and died instantaneously. God doesnt need enriched nuclear or a bullet of lead to end one's life. Every breath we take, is a token of His control and grace.

2Th 2:8 : The coming of the Lord Jesus and the destruction of Satan - '...whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nothing by the manifestation of His coming...'. Satan will destroyed, not with bombs, or weapons made with men's hands. His mere words and presence is enough to bring the devil to nothing.

Rev : 8:7 - The coming judgements - first trumpet - 'there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth, and a third part of the earth was burnt up...' - 1/3 of the earth burnt up by God's judgement on wicked and sinful men. Where does a nuclear bomb compare to this?

2Pet 3:10- The complete destruction of the earth as we know it -
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief (sudden), in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up" - 2Pet3:10

God is much more powerful than a nuclear bomb. And if we are afraid of a nuclear bomb, we should be more afraid of God. This is why:

ALL of us die. And when we die, we meet God. And He has power to judge all of use, and He WILL judge all of us for our sins, and the judgement has already been passed, since God sees the future even as the past, and the verdict is this, "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God"-Rom 3:23.

But God doesn't want us to die, He has sent the Lord Jesus to save us. The Lord Jesus "died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and He was raised on the 3rd day according to the scriptures" (1Cor15:3-4).

If you acknowledge your sinfulness to God, and "confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved".

Its that simple, and that 'sudden and significant'. God salvation is atomic. The moment we believe we are :
1. Col 1:13 - translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love
2. Joh 3:3 - we are born anew (again)
3. Heb 10:10 - sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all
4. Rom7:6 - discharged from the law
5. 2Cor 5:20 - made ambassadors
6. Rom 6 - we are made part of the body of Christ

Friend, believe in Jesus as your Saviour and be saved.

Singapore food

Hey who said singapore food tastes bad?
I had dinner in a restaurant (how many of still pronounce this rest-or-runt instead of rest-ront?) in singapore and ordered 'shanghai style claypot chicken', 'seaweed soup' and 'mixed vegetables'. I didn't have much high hopes for the quality but it turned out to be delicious! in fact, more delicious that many restaurant i've had in KL!

So singapore food isn't so bad after all. :)

p/s: The teh-si-peng was bad, though. No credit for that. ;)

Building His temple

Haggai 1:4
"Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your cieled* houses, while this house lieth waste?"
*Cieled: Panelled

As the verse was read in its clarity a few weeks ago by Jupe, a shiver ran down my spine. The same shiver I get when the Holy Spirit wants me to "wake up and smell the coffee".

Having just moved to my own house about a year ago, i remember how much effort i had to put in : drilling holes, washing the floor, fixing the lights, painting the house, packing/unpacking, making sure everything was working, it was indeed a lot of work.

I tried to remember, how much of the bible did i read during those times, how much time did i spend in prayer with chin ai, how much time spent in intercession for other. I remember. It was not much at all.

So today i ask my self the question, how much effort am i putting to building His house? More scripture reading, more praying (with and without chin ai), more conversations on the Lord and His things. These are my resolutions, not for the new year, but for the Chin Ai, me and the new life that God is fearfully and wonderfully making in chin ai's womb, we are His building, His workmanship, and I've been given a solemn responsibility for their spiritual growth in the home.

Pray for me.

Prerequisites of understanding the Fear of the Lord Prov 2:1-4

1. (2:1) Receive His words - requires humility and a teachable heart. It also means having to confess that we are not as wise as we think we are
2. (2:1) Lay them up in us (remember them) - requires belief and faith in His truths
3. (2:2) Incline thine ear - willingness / be attentive to listen to wisdom
4. (2:2) Apply thine heart - take time to meditate and understand wise words
5. (2:3) Cry after discernment, lift up thy voice - come before God in prayer and tell Him your desire
6. (2:4) Seek as silver, search as for hidden treasure - put effort to search for it

It only takes four

I just noticed that the same people who very politely line up to enter the Putra LRT are the same people who push and shove when trying to enter the KTM Komuter? This is a phenomenon! Why does it happen? I don't know.

But i did notice, that we can change this. It only takes four people to start it. There was once (a very rare occasion indeed) that people did line up to enter the Komuter, and it was when four people (strangers) who lined up on either side of the door when the train came. Somehow, the others, seeing the four lining up, joined the line as well, and all went in really hunky dory. Nice.

See, it only takes four to make a difference. Line up! Please! :-)

Simplicity - the beauty of the new testament church

I was so delighted in my meditation today as I spent a few minutes considering the simplicity of how the Lord Jesus has instituted His church. A few things that crossed my mind, i'm sure its not exhaustive:
1. the simplicity of the meetings
When the church is gathered, the Holy Spirit is in charge. He decides who prays, who shares the gospel, who offers a hymn, who starts the meeting. So there is no additional burden on anyone to be anxious about having a specific role in the meeting. All who come with a spiritual heart can be used by the Spirit. We need not have complicated duty rosters, long meetings to plan meetings, etc... Simple.

2. The simplicity of the place of gathering
A gathering of the Lord's people can only be called such when the Lord Himself is present. And His presence has been promised "when two or three are gathered in His name". We don't need elaborate, multimillion dollar buildings, and earthly 'holy grounds' to meet at. All we need is a place to be together, and He is present with us. Our rooms, our homes, or some place where like-minded Christian can meet, is good enough for a church meeting. Simple.

3. The simplicity of providence.
We believe that the 'earth is the Lord's, and its fullness thereof". The Lord is fully able to provide for His church and to provide for its needs not just spiritually, but materially.

4. The simplicity of His government
The Lord has given us His Spirit to be within us. Since we are of One Spirit, and have One Lord, have one faith, been through the one baptism, and are of one God and Father of all, He is then able to lead us and use according to His good will.
Yes, the Lord has allowed that some be called elders, but that is not a magnification of an office, it is merely a magnification of a godly and spiritual work that all believer should aspire to do, but God has chosen some to be in a position to 'take care of His church'.
Our role, our duty, is to submit to His governance. Submitting to His infallible Word, for in them we have instructions for godly living within and without the church. No need for complex heirarchies, and global networks of administration. No need for 'confirmation' of believers and ordination of clergy and laity. Every church in every locality is self-sufficient because when the acknowledge the Lord Jesus as Head and their Great Shepherd, then they "shall not be in want." Simple.

Busy bees

Ah, it has been a long time time and so thank you for actually coming back to this blog to read it.

I was musing on how the church of Christ in our present day has turned into a very 'busy' house. Which is good, because we are to be busy for the Lord. But with being busy, we must be wary of certain things.

Too many young believers are 'pressured' into becoming busy like the rest, and are not given sufficient time to 'enjoy' their new birth in Christ, and to take time patiently to sit as His feet to learn from Him through His Word. The assembly should give sufficient time for the person to grow and have the foundation placed on solid rock. Then, when ready, the young believer will on his /her own accord, come forward with a desire to serve Him. Indeed, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, but you know, sometimes i wonder if we are guilty of 'adding weight' to it? I don't know, i do hope i'm wrong, but, i don't know...

Are we also busy looking out for others in the church, that we neglect our own households? Dear believers from non-Christian homes, are you more concerned for a brother or sister in church than that of your own unsaved parents or siblings? Return home and look at them, not with bitterness though they give you a hard time, but behold them through the eyes of Christ.

More dangerously, are we so busy at service, we're neglecting time spent with the Word of God? Are the only times we read the bible the times when we take a glance of a verse recommended by some daily devotional and then we meditate upon the thoughts of the writer? What happened to patient, prayerful time spent meditating on God's Word, without care of time spent?

Do you feel that you're very busy? Do you feel like you're know the Lord's work better than the Lord Himself? What new verses of scripture have brought new meaning and revelation for daily guidance in life recently? Or is your spiritual life feeding on verses you remember appreciating years ago?

Remember, even the Lord Jesus, God's Perfect Servant, took time to pray. Took time to isolate Himself from the world, and to be with His Father.

Stop. Relax. Stop rushing. Stop glancing at the clock so much. Come to the One who said "take no though for tomorrow...", and also "...be anxious for nothing...". Sit at His feet and learn from Him. Let Him give you rest.