MERRY CHRISTMAS DEAR JSERS!
*Lotsa virtual hugs*
Hahahahahaha :D
Have a meaningful, wonderful time!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Alfred's update!
Hey guys! Its been a really really long time since I last saw u guys. Currently im having my final year exams and its quite tough! Had been quite busy for these past few week and I really really hope that i will be able to go down to KL on the 21st Nov. God Bless!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
MIKE’S STORY
i went to the clinic today to pull out a toe nail. 3 injections of anaesthetic. now , have a bandage. haha. finals around the corner. anyways, END YEAR ROAD TRIP! not PANGKOR this time. actually, i dont mind going back there haha
Monday, October 19, 2009
PURPLE!!!!!
MSN article i crashed into when i signed out of hotmail. especially for the girls. And Jun Arn.
http://lifestyle.malaysia.msn.com/Fashion/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=3639916
Have a nice day!
-Tim
http://lifestyle.malaysia.msn.com/Fashion/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=3639916
Have a nice day!
-Tim
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Jun Arn's update..
I'm lazy to type so many things here.. But by chance if any of u ppl read this blog and want to see my updates, here it is:
http://junarn.blogspot.com/
God bless. :)
http://junarn.blogspot.com/
God bless. :)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
sarah's update :)
Hi all :) Hope you guys are well. Just thought I'd give you guys an update as to what I'm up to now. Got back my trials results a couple a days back. Let's just say I have a lot of bucking up to do. My finals are from 2-11 November, so I've only a solid month left to study my butt off. :S Anyway, guess you guys are prolly all busy busy towards the end of the year with exams and all, so ALL THE BEST! God bless you all.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
CPR?
Its useless stone.. the heart beat is already flat.. i'm so sorry, but its the best the doctors could do.. do u believe in miracles?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Dots....
Emergency!!! Somebody get the ambulance!!! Somebody do a CPR!!!
-------After 6 hours---------
Doctor :"It's condition is now stable......................."
The blog is alive!!!! Keep it alive!!!!
-------After 6 hours---------
Doctor :"It's condition is now stable......................."
The blog is alive!!!! Keep it alive!!!!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
An explanation
JS ended seven months ago.
Yes, but our relationships didn’t end there. Or, at least I hope so. While it is hard to have long-distance relationships (seeing as we’re scattered from Alor Setar all the way to Labuan) I do try to do all I can to meet up, see all of you guys again, so long as I am able to.
I guess I didn’t try hard enough the last time round.
Well, here’s a lowdown on what should have happened on that day.
Classes were supposed to end at 10.15, I’d get on a train (STAR LRT) from Sri Petaling to Bandar Tasik Selatan, then switch to KTM, alighting at the Midvalley station. And then I would have plenty of time to spend with whoever was at Midvalley, before catching a train back to campus for Finale Night.
At least, that was the plan.
Here’s what actually happened that day.
Classes ended at 10.15, just as the timetable said they would. We don’t have much choice, actually; Semester 2 students use the same room Semester 1 students use at 10.30, so the lectures have to end on time.
However, after lectures, my orientation group discovered that we had yet to finish our signature hunt. So we did the Malaysian thing and did it at the last minute, as the paperwork was due at 2 pm, and it was apparently worth a lot of marks.
After following my group around and doing my fair share of stupid things for the day, I was then faced with a choice as to whether I should go for CF or join you guys at Midvalley. There was, of course, the fact that I had said I was going, but then again, there was CF, it shouldn’t take too long, bla bla bla….
For reasons not completely known to man, but known (at least in part) to men, I went for CF. I did, in the end, give Jun Arn some notice as to me not going, but I guess I should have given more advance notice.
Well, if I could pull of binary fission, I would have. I did say I was going, and if I could have gone, I would have. But as I had activities going on in campus at the same time, and the fact that once everything was said and done, I didn’t have enough time to go down to Midvalley and hang out with you guys (plus the fact that KTM is super slow), I didn’t go.
So I’m saying sorry (a long overdue one, I know).
Don’t get me wrong; if another chance arises, I will try my best to go… I don’t FFK people, and this would be one of the exceptions to the rule. Just that this time, I overextended myself.
I’ll try to be at fewer places at the same time in the future.
Yes, but our relationships didn’t end there. Or, at least I hope so. While it is hard to have long-distance relationships (seeing as we’re scattered from Alor Setar all the way to Labuan) I do try to do all I can to meet up, see all of you guys again, so long as I am able to.
I guess I didn’t try hard enough the last time round.
Well, here’s a lowdown on what should have happened on that day.
Classes were supposed to end at 10.15, I’d get on a train (STAR LRT) from Sri Petaling to Bandar Tasik Selatan, then switch to KTM, alighting at the Midvalley station. And then I would have plenty of time to spend with whoever was at Midvalley, before catching a train back to campus for Finale Night.
At least, that was the plan.
Here’s what actually happened that day.
Classes ended at 10.15, just as the timetable said they would. We don’t have much choice, actually; Semester 2 students use the same room Semester 1 students use at 10.30, so the lectures have to end on time.
However, after lectures, my orientation group discovered that we had yet to finish our signature hunt. So we did the Malaysian thing and did it at the last minute, as the paperwork was due at 2 pm, and it was apparently worth a lot of marks.
After following my group around and doing my fair share of stupid things for the day, I was then faced with a choice as to whether I should go for CF or join you guys at Midvalley. There was, of course, the fact that I had said I was going, but then again, there was CF, it shouldn’t take too long, bla bla bla….
For reasons not completely known to man, but known (at least in part) to men, I went for CF. I did, in the end, give Jun Arn some notice as to me not going, but I guess I should have given more advance notice.
Well, if I could pull of binary fission, I would have. I did say I was going, and if I could have gone, I would have. But as I had activities going on in campus at the same time, and the fact that once everything was said and done, I didn’t have enough time to go down to Midvalley and hang out with you guys (plus the fact that KTM is super slow), I didn’t go.
So I’m saying sorry (a long overdue one, I know).
Don’t get me wrong; if another chance arises, I will try my best to go… I don’t FFK people, and this would be one of the exceptions to the rule. Just that this time, I overextended myself.
I’ll try to be at fewer places at the same time in the future.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Caught in the arms of grace
Been thinking alot about accepting people lately.
Wait, what does accepting people come about grace?
Simple. Will explain as i go, but let's start this properly. (this is a serious seriously long post. you were warned)
Everyone hates rejection. Let's face it, we are all made as social creatures. Introverts and Extroverts alike, are affected by (the lack of) human touch. Being lonely sucks, especially in the stormy patch we all will very soon graduate from - adolecence.
Conversely, being in a clique of friends is awesome. Having a friend (or two) to go thru thick and thin helps survival. Having a few crazy ones, is one of the best things in life. Like it or not, we cannot isolate ourselves from the world. That was one of the reason (among others) why JS (or YQ, YLDP or any other great programme) rocked.
However.
Rejection happens when something alien to the individual is made known and the person reacts in a negative manner to the situation presented. Uncomfortable reactions. A big stare. Ugly words. Isolation. There are many ways to express rejection.
And like it or not, we would have rejected somebody, knowingly or not, in our life. And here is where i'm getting at.
You see, we fellow Christians are supposed to be 'the light to the world'. But to reject someone who needed acceptance from you is no good testimony, even to fellow believers. Maybe the person seemed wierd or scary, but it is defitnately not what Christ commanded us to do. He said "Go and make disiples of ALL nations..." (Matt 28.19) and "you will be my witnesses in...to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1.8). And we all know, that the best way to share the gospel is to be a good witness/testimony. And like it or not, rejecting people because of various reason is no Christian value.
Sure, we all know that, but where is the actual problem?
How about how we respond to people of other 'inferior' races, religious background, political royalties, state of origin, or even... controversial people/people with controversial practices, for example, "people like us"??? (PLU, if u dunno, search definition up on Wiki)
The gospel is for everyone. We as comfy Christians are too comfy being in our 'self-righteous bubble'. I may speak harsh words, but face it - it's harsher for those who are the 'reject victims'. And what i feel is that we are losing many souls, even those backsliding, solely because of this reason. Why? For that, we need to ponder. Even if it is not you, don't you feel you should make sure the people you influence are not so, either?
Besides, even if we are facing something the Bible speak against, we can accept the individual but not his/her actions, right? If not, how on earth do we change the world?
This is, of course, easier said than done, though. And that is where we need grace more than anything else in this world. We need it so much that it has to overflow from our lives into these people whom God yearns to bring back into His fold. We sing Hosanna, but our heart needs to be BROKEN first. And that, needs divine intervention.
If not, something like this might repeat... Here's a snippet from the pages of History... (edit: mind you, i find this thoughts sobering also...)
-------
Wait, what does accepting people come about grace?
Simple. Will explain as i go, but let's start this properly. (this is a serious seriously long post. you were warned)
Everyone hates rejection. Let's face it, we are all made as social creatures. Introverts and Extroverts alike, are affected by (the lack of) human touch. Being lonely sucks, especially in the stormy patch we all will very soon graduate from - adolecence.
Conversely, being in a clique of friends is awesome. Having a friend (or two) to go thru thick and thin helps survival. Having a few crazy ones, is one of the best things in life. Like it or not, we cannot isolate ourselves from the world. That was one of the reason (among others) why JS (or YQ, YLDP or any other great programme) rocked.
However.
Rejection happens when something alien to the individual is made known and the person reacts in a negative manner to the situation presented. Uncomfortable reactions. A big stare. Ugly words. Isolation. There are many ways to express rejection.
And like it or not, we would have rejected somebody, knowingly or not, in our life. And here is where i'm getting at.
You see, we fellow Christians are supposed to be 'the light to the world'. But to reject someone who needed acceptance from you is no good testimony, even to fellow believers. Maybe the person seemed wierd or scary, but it is defitnately not what Christ commanded us to do. He said "Go and make disiples of ALL nations..." (Matt 28.19) and "you will be my witnesses in...to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1.8). And we all know, that the best way to share the gospel is to be a good witness/testimony. And like it or not, rejecting people because of various reason is no Christian value.
Sure, we all know that, but where is the actual problem?
How about how we respond to people of other 'inferior' races, religious background, political royalties, state of origin, or even... controversial people/people with controversial practices, for example, "people like us"??? (PLU, if u dunno, search definition up on Wiki)
The gospel is for everyone. We as comfy Christians are too comfy being in our 'self-righteous bubble'. I may speak harsh words, but face it - it's harsher for those who are the 'reject victims'. And what i feel is that we are losing many souls, even those backsliding, solely because of this reason. Why? For that, we need to ponder. Even if it is not you, don't you feel you should make sure the people you influence are not so, either?
Besides, even if we are facing something the Bible speak against, we can accept the individual but not his/her actions, right? If not, how on earth do we change the world?
This is, of course, easier said than done, though. And that is where we need grace more than anything else in this world. We need it so much that it has to overflow from our lives into these people whom God yearns to bring back into His fold. We sing Hosanna, but our heart needs to be BROKEN first. And that, needs divine intervention.
If not, something like this might repeat... Here's a snippet from the pages of History... (edit: mind you, i find this thoughts sobering also...)
-------
Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most respected leaders of modern history. A Hindu, Ghandi nevertheless admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?" Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ." Apparently Ghandi's rejection of Christianity grew out of an incident that happened when he was a young man practising law in South Africa. He had become attracted to the Christian faith, had studied the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, and was seriously exploring becoming a Christian. And so he decided to attend a church service. As he came up the steps of the large church where he intended to go, a white South African elder of the church barred his way at the door. "Where do you think you're going, kaffir?" the man asked Ghandi in a belligerent tone of voice. Ghandi replied, "I'd like to attend worship here." The church elder snarled at him, "There's no room for kaffirs in this church. Get out of here or I'll have my assistants throw you down the steps." From that moment, Ghandi said, he decided to adopt what good he found in Christianity, but would never again consider becoming a Christian if it meant being part of the church. How we treat those others tells people MORE about what we believe, and what following Jesus means to us, than all the fine sermons we deliver.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
2ND TIME POSTING!!! REPLY!!!
Hey everyone, how are u guys doing lately? How's your walk with the Lord? As for me, I'm quite busy now because of projects, assignments, and homework everyday. And I'm not doing so well in my studies cause i slacked too much in the 1st term. Lol. So please pray for my studies, my walk with the lord, and other things that you guys want to pray for me. =) I'm really looking forward to the holidays which starts on the 31st of August. Merdeka! And my holidays will last for 7 weeks. Woohoo! Cool right? So long. I'll let you people know when I'll be coming back as soon as I've planned it. Swt. More planning to do. So PLEASE tell me when your holidays are as soon as possible, or give me a copy of your timetable, so that I can plan when to go to KL (since quite a few of you all are there). I guess you guys know how much planning this takes based on the last time I went to KL to meet you all. So, much cooperation is appriciated. Anyway, lets keep this blog updated and active. I know all of us are busy with college, work, and other stuff. But lets continue to keep in touch through this blog. =) Lets continue to keep each other in prayer too. If there anyone has any prayer request, feel free to share here so that we can pray for you! Miss you people so much. God bless you all! See you soon!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Something from My Mind - Kids
At church, there are lots of kids.
Kids are playful.
This morning before church school started I saw 3 kids bullying a kid.
Three against one.
They kept hitting him and running away.
The kid remained quite calm, but I can see he's aggravated too.
If I am not a good boy I would knock their heads together.
When church school started i can see that his arms are all red.
And there's this kid who can't stay still.
My mom have to always drag him around.
And there's another kid.
He's intelligent, and he's eager for attention.
Now he's graduated and he attends MYF.
He's somehow weird, opposite of me.
And his peers of the same age despise him.
They will jeer at him.
Bully him.
And during church school time they won't play with him.
At MYF he's very eager to show that he knows things. He wants attention.
Well, he's a nice kid. But he's kind of alone.
I'll move on to another kid.
A small kid this time.
A small kid who will just come to me and "play" with me whenever she sees me.
And I'm not a very "kid" person.
It's amazing how kids are innocent and they don't care who you are.
Now that I'm not a kid anymore, I sometimes missed my younger days.( not that I'm old, but I have my younger days )
Right now I can't relax in peace.
There are always unwanted things on my mind.
But if I ignore them something bad will happen.
Such as not studying etc etc.
As a kid I never cared about these things.
Last time I could read books as much as I wanted.
Now, if I were to read a long book, I might forget everything.
I might even lack sleep.
It's been a long time since I really read a book.
And there's the future to think about.
When I was a kid I seldom think about the future.
Or should I say never.
If it were to be put into an equation, where x = thoughts about the future, I would say x = o.1^infinity.
In case you don't know the value it's very small.
I think I deviated from half the topic.
So, back to topic, I think kids are nice, good, and whatever words in the dictionary which have similar meaning to good and nice.
So, be nice to kids, don't knock their heads together.
Matthew 18:3 And He said:"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Kids are innocent, pure and simple minded. When they believe in something they believe will all their heart. But as we grow older, our minds develops and we think more. We will start to doubt God.
This is something somebody at sometime told me:
"Faith is believing without any doubts. We have faith in a chair. We have faith that the chair would support our weight when we sit on it. We don't think twice when sitting on a chair." ( I rephrased the sentence, I was quite a long time ago )
In my opinion, that's the kind of faith a child has. God wants us to have that kind of faith. Do we have faith like a kid? Do we believe in God like we have faith in a chair?
Kids are playful.
This morning before church school started I saw 3 kids bullying a kid.
Three against one.
They kept hitting him and running away.
The kid remained quite calm, but I can see he's aggravated too.
If I am not a good boy I would knock their heads together.
When church school started i can see that his arms are all red.
And there's this kid who can't stay still.
My mom have to always drag him around.
And there's another kid.
He's intelligent, and he's eager for attention.
Now he's graduated and he attends MYF.
He's somehow weird, opposite of me.
And his peers of the same age despise him.
They will jeer at him.
Bully him.
And during church school time they won't play with him.
At MYF he's very eager to show that he knows things. He wants attention.
Well, he's a nice kid. But he's kind of alone.
I'll move on to another kid.
A small kid this time.
A small kid who will just come to me and "play" with me whenever she sees me.
And I'm not a very "kid" person.
It's amazing how kids are innocent and they don't care who you are.
Now that I'm not a kid anymore, I sometimes missed my younger days.( not that I'm old, but I have my younger days )
Right now I can't relax in peace.
There are always unwanted things on my mind.
But if I ignore them something bad will happen.
Such as not studying etc etc.
As a kid I never cared about these things.
Last time I could read books as much as I wanted.
Now, if I were to read a long book, I might forget everything.
I might even lack sleep.
It's been a long time since I really read a book.
And there's the future to think about.
When I was a kid I seldom think about the future.
Or should I say never.
If it were to be put into an equation, where x = thoughts about the future, I would say x = o.1^infinity.
In case you don't know the value it's very small.
I think I deviated from half the topic.
So, back to topic, I think kids are nice, good, and whatever words in the dictionary which have similar meaning to good and nice.
So, be nice to kids, don't knock their heads together.
Matthew 18:3 And He said:"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Kids are innocent, pure and simple minded. When they believe in something they believe will all their heart. But as we grow older, our minds develops and we think more. We will start to doubt God.
This is something somebody at sometime told me:
"Faith is believing without any doubts. We have faith in a chair. We have faith that the chair would support our weight when we sit on it. We don't think twice when sitting on a chair." ( I rephrased the sentence, I was quite a long time ago )
In my opinion, that's the kind of faith a child has. God wants us to have that kind of faith. Do we have faith like a kid? Do we believe in God like we have faith in a chair?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU!
haha, well the other day in college there was some photo thingy. take a photo with some printer. so today in applics class, mei yee was going on facebook with ipod. then suddenly she says im there. haha. true enough. its this competition la. so anyways, if i win i get a laptop, top 3 gets some handheld printer. haha. so…
CLICK TO GO THE WEBSITE
Friday, July 24, 2009
TUCSG - July
The TRAC Uni-College Students Gathering for the month of July will be on the 31st at TRAC HQ, at half past seven. For those of you who will be in Klang Valley and are free on Friday nights, you can go and have a time of fellowship with some of the other tertiary education students from TRAC churches.
Tell ACQ via e-mail if you're going.
Tell ACQ via e-mail if you're going.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Hey people!! Please read this!!
Hey everyone, how are u guys doing lately? How's your walk with the Lord? As for me, I'm quite busy now because of projects, assignments, and homework everyday. And I'm not doing so well in my studies cause i slacked too much in the 1st term. Lol. So please pray for my studies, my walk with the lord, and other things that you guys want to pray for me. =) I'm really looking forward to the holidays which starts on the 31st of August. Merdeka! And my holidays will last for 7 weeks. Woohoo! Cool right? So long. I'll let you people know when I'll be coming back as soon as I've planned it. Swt. More planning to do. So PLEASE tell me when your holidays are as soon as possible, or give me a copy of your timetable, so that I can plan when to go to KL (since quite a few of you all are there). I guess you guys know how much planning this takes based on the last time I went to KL to meet you all. So, much cooperation is appriciated. Anyway, lets keep this blog updated and active. I know all of us are busy with college, work, and other stuff. But lets continue to keep in touch through this blog. =) Lets continue to keep each other in prayer too. If there anyone has any prayer request, feel free to share here so that we can pray for you! Miss you people so much. God bless you all! See you soon!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
BUSY
Since no one is updating, i'll spam.
Just came back from a prayer meeting. Made a fool of myself cause i cried while we were praying for each other. Not the first but not where i wanted it to happen. I guess this is the way God works.
Not knowing about you guys, I noticed that i drifted away quite a bit since JS n MYPC soon after. Despite the repeated times God used people and situations to warn me about who's Boss, i sort of totally forgot about him. Even though i prayed, i served, i led, i talked about Him, i was just being too damn busy to even remember my time with him (i.e.: QT and devotion). I started feeling wierd on why i'm just so damn worn out particularly after serving... Not to say i wasn't working in the Spirit, it was just that i wasn't relying completely on big F.
My pastor (Rev. Yew to you guys) mentioned the phrase Being Under Satan's Yoke (BUSY). I pondered and pondered and more and more i realized that being too busy is precisely Satan's stronghold, even in church as we do not have time for sprititually charging disipline essentials, namely both the abovementioned QT and devotion/scriptural meditation. Example (hopefully Austin doesn't see this... :-p), the assignment to us guys to complete the whole NT (anyone not done yet, like me...?).
Another thing i've noticed is how the relationship between small f influenes the big F. My spiritual life (when active) is on different planes differing when the earthly relationship (which as you all should know by now, is 'good') differs. Not only different levels, but different approaches and even different impacts are observed. And in fact, the way i act (in terms of mood, especially) to others and in work also differs. As such, it's a daily struggle for me to maintain consistency or to sustain improvement in any form, either physical, mental or spiritual.
And this brings me to the biggest problem of them all to me. The torment of temptation and the feeling of worthlessness plus the haunts of the past many times weigh me down and hinders me. It's not that i like the sins i usually commit, i loathe it as it is uncontrollable and very impulsive in nature, other than the fact that it's wrong and it displeases God. As work start bearing down my back, it gets worse and worse and i confess, i'm addicted to some old habits. Plus, the temptation to enter 'life in the fast lane" lurks now everywhere around me. And this is what i want to close in request.
Guys, (if you read this even) please continue to uphold each other in prayer, in love and encouragment. Keep in touch as hard as you can, and keep tabs on each other. Most importantly, make sure you keep yourself in getting too busy as being too busy will mean B.U.S.Y. As we keep our eyes focussed on Him, we can be rest assurred that He has plans to prosper and not to harm, and also He makes life easier so long as we trust completely on Him. Also, if you have a problem, particularly an achillies' heel like mine, which causes you to keep falling into sin or to dabble in wrong things, get help, or it'll become like my case, a consuming thing that mutates you, quite literally, into a monster. Do pray for me, even more so as i'm serving more and more in youth and church. Especially for spiritual protection. Thank you all for reading this.
Just came back from a prayer meeting. Made a fool of myself cause i cried while we were praying for each other. Not the first but not where i wanted it to happen. I guess this is the way God works.
Not knowing about you guys, I noticed that i drifted away quite a bit since JS n MYPC soon after. Despite the repeated times God used people and situations to warn me about who's Boss, i sort of totally forgot about him. Even though i prayed, i served, i led, i talked about Him, i was just being too damn busy to even remember my time with him (i.e.: QT and devotion). I started feeling wierd on why i'm just so damn worn out particularly after serving... Not to say i wasn't working in the Spirit, it was just that i wasn't relying completely on big F.
My pastor (Rev. Yew to you guys) mentioned the phrase Being Under Satan's Yoke (BUSY). I pondered and pondered and more and more i realized that being too busy is precisely Satan's stronghold, even in church as we do not have time for sprititually charging disipline essentials, namely both the abovementioned QT and devotion/scriptural meditation. Example (hopefully Austin doesn't see this... :-p), the assignment to us guys to complete the whole NT (anyone not done yet, like me...?).
Another thing i've noticed is how the relationship between small f influenes the big F. My spiritual life (when active) is on different planes differing when the earthly relationship (which as you all should know by now, is 'good') differs. Not only different levels, but different approaches and even different impacts are observed. And in fact, the way i act (in terms of mood, especially) to others and in work also differs. As such, it's a daily struggle for me to maintain consistency or to sustain improvement in any form, either physical, mental or spiritual.
And this brings me to the biggest problem of them all to me. The torment of temptation and the feeling of worthlessness plus the haunts of the past many times weigh me down and hinders me. It's not that i like the sins i usually commit, i loathe it as it is uncontrollable and very impulsive in nature, other than the fact that it's wrong and it displeases God. As work start bearing down my back, it gets worse and worse and i confess, i'm addicted to some old habits. Plus, the temptation to enter 'life in the fast lane" lurks now everywhere around me. And this is what i want to close in request.
Guys, (if you read this even) please continue to uphold each other in prayer, in love and encouragment. Keep in touch as hard as you can, and keep tabs on each other. Most importantly, make sure you keep yourself in getting too busy as being too busy will mean B.U.S.Y. As we keep our eyes focussed on Him, we can be rest assurred that He has plans to prosper and not to harm, and also He makes life easier so long as we trust completely on Him. Also, if you have a problem, particularly an achillies' heel like mine, which causes you to keep falling into sin or to dabble in wrong things, get help, or it'll become like my case, a consuming thing that mutates you, quite literally, into a monster. Do pray for me, even more so as i'm serving more and more in youth and church. Especially for spiritual protection. Thank you all for reading this.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!
JS Reu 2 photo's from yours truly. Limited number. For more, ask Ming Han... ;-)
Not edited whatsoeva... After following the link, click on the thumbs to see and download the fullsize (in 2MP!!!) some included were bored pictures while waiting for the stupid KTM. Enjoy!!!
Edited: Noticed that the photo's are not of superior quality... Well, from a camera phone without photoshop, this is what you expect... Sorry for the limited number of photos as i didn't took much (this is all that i have)
Not edited whatsoeva... After following the link, click on the thumbs to see and download the fullsize (in 2MP!!!) some included were bored pictures while waiting for the stupid KTM. Enjoy!!!
Edited: Noticed that the photo's are not of superior quality... Well, from a camera phone without photoshop, this is what you expect... Sorry for the limited number of photos as i didn't took much (this is all that i have)
Friday, June 19, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Prayer Request
2 prayer items.
1. Do pray for me and Rosh in regards to our families as we are trying our best to improve our relationship with our other family members, in particular, our parents (i know many would be nodding your head to this). Also, pray for our MYFs as we are pushing forward some reforms and refreshing to revive and improve our respective youth groups in the limited time we have in the limited capacity we have. Do keep us in prayer as being a leader can be tough.
2. Sibu's now in Labuan studying Matriculation. Do keep him in your prayers as he tries to adjust to the new enviroment (particularly living in a hostel). Let it be that the little lamp that Sibu brings into the new enviroment will be a great testimony to the non-believers that are there. Also pray for his spritual protection.
That's all from me for now. Now, WHEN IS THE REUNION FINALLY GOING TO OCCUR??????
1. Do pray for me and Rosh in regards to our families as we are trying our best to improve our relationship with our other family members, in particular, our parents (i know many would be nodding your head to this). Also, pray for our MYFs as we are pushing forward some reforms and refreshing to revive and improve our respective youth groups in the limited time we have in the limited capacity we have. Do keep us in prayer as being a leader can be tough.
2. Sibu's now in Labuan studying Matriculation. Do keep him in your prayers as he tries to adjust to the new enviroment (particularly living in a hostel). Let it be that the little lamp that Sibu brings into the new enviroment will be a great testimony to the non-believers that are there. Also pray for his spritual protection.
That's all from me for now. Now, WHEN IS THE REUNION FINALLY GOING TO OCCUR??????
Monday, May 25, 2009
Lessons Forgotten
Yesterday during church service I remembered something we learned during JS.
At home, I find it difficult to focus on God, even remembering that God exist is also difficult for me. But at church it is totally different. I can think of a few reasons for this.
Firstly is the surroundings. At church, everything is about God, from the start of the service to the end. I call this the "Influence Reason". I know it's a lame name.
Secondly is what we learned at JS, is that the powers of Satan differs geographically(is that the right term?). Right beside my residential area(or taman, which is only a street with 20 houses) and not more than 100 m or so from my house is a Buddhist temple. Yeah. And behind my area is a river, and across it not far about 1 or 2 km is a Hindu temple. And in a 10 km radius there are (as far as I know) two Mosques and another Hindu temple. Cool right? Strongholds... Well, the church is dedicated to God, so the power of Satan in the church will a significantly less. That's what I learned.
Well, Form 6 is not bad, for now. Visit my blog for more crap talk.
Time is of the essence. I'm going to waste my time on useless things again. Bye for now.
At home, I find it difficult to focus on God, even remembering that God exist is also difficult for me. But at church it is totally different. I can think of a few reasons for this.
Firstly is the surroundings. At church, everything is about God, from the start of the service to the end. I call this the "Influence Reason". I know it's a lame name.
Secondly is what we learned at JS, is that the powers of Satan differs geographically(is that the right term?). Right beside my residential area(or taman, which is only a street with 20 houses) and not more than 100 m or so from my house is a Buddhist temple. Yeah. And behind my area is a river, and across it not far about 1 or 2 km is a Hindu temple. And in a 10 km radius there are (as far as I know) two Mosques and another Hindu temple. Cool right? Strongholds... Well, the church is dedicated to God, so the power of Satan in the church will a significantly less. That's what I learned.
Well, Form 6 is not bad, for now. Visit my blog for more crap talk.
Time is of the essence. I'm going to waste my time on useless things again. Bye for now.
Memmories.. =D
Some pictures I was looking at.. Brings back sweet memories.. =)
Haha.. Austin enjoying urself huh? Omg.. Lol.. Tim.. U ok? xD
Uncle Herbie!! Feeling young again? Haha.. Or r u alwiz young?
Haha.. F4? So cool..
The guys..
The girls..
The group..
Wonderful memories. I'll cherish these memories forever. Thanks to all of you people. Hope to keep in touch with you guys. See ya all soon. Best wishes!! =D
Haha.. Austin enjoying urself huh? Omg.. Lol.. Tim.. U ok? xD
Uncle Herbie!! Feeling young again? Haha.. Or r u alwiz young?
Haha.. F4? So cool..
The guys..
The girls..
The group..
Wonderful memories. I'll cherish these memories forever. Thanks to all of you people. Hope to keep in touch with you guys. See ya all soon. Best wishes!! =D
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
A Testimony
FYI, this is posted NOT because nobody is posting, ok, it's caused by MYF Sunday @ my church today.
Preparing for my MYF Sunday is a very nervous event for me for many reasons, first, it's because i am a committee member. Second, the commitment of MYF taking over an entire worship service (including preaching which was by our MYF president Andrew Wong), particularly roles which you have not taken before/not used to taking, is simply nerve-wrecking. With addition to that, the amount of guest we expected from SOOOOO many churches - there were 70+ guest -, and most importantly, number 3, my worry of committment as our members are few and committment little.
That aside, we have marked the MYF sunday to be an important event because from the second we are officially installed as committee (me being one of them), we have to put up official restructuring and reviving of our once vibrant youth. This is because due to various reasons and situations, our youth has shrunk considerbaly in size, physically - about 50 odd to 10 plus in 5 years -, and perhaps even spritually. Basically, i have a huge job up my hands. And that is a heavy burden.
However, God is a gracious God, and He makes sure our burden is never too much to bear. Besides, He did say 'cast our burdens', right???
So that was what He did.
I never saw a form of committment so sincere and desperate FOR GOD in MYF before in the run-up to this Sunday. Plus, He even sent encouragement to many of us, particularly me as a worship leader, even last minute (and most meaningful ones) in the form of Micheal Sam - thanks bro!-. And that is not all.
We had a mini-run through of the service yesterday, plus a second worship practice, given that we were all new in our various jobs. So we practiced and had a kick out of it, because we were almost literally falling onto each other. Then something bad struck - i started having a funny feeling up in my throat. Suddenly talking seemed so strainful - i started sounding like Jun Arn (i meant the 'what?!!!' kind of ter-pitched) on the way back after practice. It hurt on the climb up the stairs. And when i lay down on the bed to sleep, i tried to call my mom who was outside, but the voice was totally, GONE.
The night was agony because i was sick with worry. Nevertheless, i committed it to God, and went to sleep nervous. I had lots of sinus at night, almost had an asthma attack, woke up, went to church with just barely enough voice, struggled to the final run-through (i masked it though), but somehow as i was running through just the verse of Running After You, the voice started coming back, and during the pre-service prayer, total restoration. I went through leading the worship without a single problem with my voice, whatsoever. To make things better, as i started worship leading, i was filled with a kind of wierd burning feeling. I can only conclude it is the filling of the Holy Spirit as i have never felt it before.
And to make things better, Sheng Yong gave me a testmimony regarding his father. The people were moved in those few minutes, the installation was funny and meaningful, and Andrew's sermon - wow. Relying on God is sooooo good.
So what can i say? Glory to God!
Preparing for my MYF Sunday is a very nervous event for me for many reasons, first, it's because i am a committee member. Second, the commitment of MYF taking over an entire worship service (including preaching which was by our MYF president Andrew Wong), particularly roles which you have not taken before/not used to taking, is simply nerve-wrecking. With addition to that, the amount of guest we expected from SOOOOO many churches - there were 70+ guest -, and most importantly, number 3, my worry of committment as our members are few and committment little.
That aside, we have marked the MYF sunday to be an important event because from the second we are officially installed as committee (me being one of them), we have to put up official restructuring and reviving of our once vibrant youth. This is because due to various reasons and situations, our youth has shrunk considerbaly in size, physically - about 50 odd to 10 plus in 5 years -, and perhaps even spritually. Basically, i have a huge job up my hands. And that is a heavy burden.
However, God is a gracious God, and He makes sure our burden is never too much to bear. Besides, He did say 'cast our burdens', right???
So that was what He did.
I never saw a form of committment so sincere and desperate FOR GOD in MYF before in the run-up to this Sunday. Plus, He even sent encouragement to many of us, particularly me as a worship leader, even last minute (and most meaningful ones) in the form of Micheal Sam - thanks bro!-. And that is not all.
We had a mini-run through of the service yesterday, plus a second worship practice, given that we were all new in our various jobs. So we practiced and had a kick out of it, because we were almost literally falling onto each other. Then something bad struck - i started having a funny feeling up in my throat. Suddenly talking seemed so strainful - i started sounding like Jun Arn (i meant the 'what?!!!' kind of ter-pitched) on the way back after practice. It hurt on the climb up the stairs. And when i lay down on the bed to sleep, i tried to call my mom who was outside, but the voice was totally, GONE.
The night was agony because i was sick with worry. Nevertheless, i committed it to God, and went to sleep nervous. I had lots of sinus at night, almost had an asthma attack, woke up, went to church with just barely enough voice, struggled to the final run-through (i masked it though), but somehow as i was running through just the verse of Running After You, the voice started coming back, and during the pre-service prayer, total restoration. I went through leading the worship without a single problem with my voice, whatsoever. To make things better, as i started worship leading, i was filled with a kind of wierd burning feeling. I can only conclude it is the filling of the Holy Spirit as i have never felt it before.
And to make things better, Sheng Yong gave me a testmimony regarding his father. The people were moved in those few minutes, the installation was funny and meaningful, and Andrew's sermon - wow. Relying on God is sooooo good.
So what can i say? Glory to God!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Michael Sam Jun Ming
Tomorrow is Michael's Birthday (I think).
Happy Birthday Michael!!! God bless you as you reach the legal age of 18!!
Don't do anything bad ya!
Happy Birthday Michael!!! God bless you as you reach the legal age of 18!!
Don't do anything bad ya!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Reminder
Guys next time before any of you talk nonsense please remember that Kedah have weekends on Friday and Saturday, do kindly remember at all times thank you very much.
Grace Methodist Church, Sentul - MYF Sunday
This notice is for all KL/PJ-ians and for those who happen to drop by/so free can specially come/currently residing in KL or PJ... (so is d one below, i presume)
My church MYF is having a special MYF sunday this May 17. (it's a rearranged sunday worship service). It's 9am at Grace MC, Sentul (beside Sentul LRT station). Food, songs (many), testimonies, a hot sermon (s'baners n KLians, i take u kno tat who am i implicating???), an a installation of the new MYF committee. My church's MYF will be taking charge of the WHOLE service. All are cordially invited. Do be warned that the church's gonna be packed and we need to confirm food so those who are coming plz confirm via sms/email to me or andrew wong. Thanks. Do spread tis 2 ur church MYF if u r from KL/Selangor district.
Tim
My church MYF is having a special MYF sunday this May 17. (it's a rearranged sunday worship service). It's 9am at Grace MC, Sentul (beside Sentul LRT station). Food, songs (many), testimonies, a hot sermon (s'baners n KLians, i take u kno tat who am i implicating???), an a installation of the new MYF committee. My church's MYF will be taking charge of the WHOLE service. All are cordially invited. Do be warned that the church's gonna be packed and we need to confirm food so those who are coming plz confirm via sms/email to me or andrew wong. Thanks. Do spread tis 2 ur church MYF if u r from KL/Selangor district.
Tim
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Dear Friends!!
Hello everyone!! Keeping well? Some I heard having exams and some on semester break! I pray that all of you are well in the Lord!! =)
Our TUCSG is coming soon again!! A time to catch up with one another!! A time to pray for one another too!! A time to take a break from all the hectic schedule of studies!! A time to connect with 'old' and 'new' friends! A time of sharing laughter! A time of sharing tears? A time to be warmed by God's love and providence.....
Venue : TRAC HQ
Time : 7.30 pm
Date : 29th May 2009
Happening : "An Evening with Uncle Herbie"
Sunday, May 3, 2009
NECF Prayer Week
NECF Prayer Week - Concern for Recent Development in the Nation
March 1 to 8, 2009
NECF MALAYSIA has called on all member churches to hold round the clock prayer and prayer services for the nation come 1 to 8 March 2008. This call is made in view of recent developments since the beginning of the year that brought attention and caused great concern for the Christian church and community. Some matters of concern are:-
* On 30/12/08, the Utusan Malaysia reported a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister' Department, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the Bible cannot be translated into Bahasa Malaysia. The Daily quoted the Minister as saying, "the government will hinder any effort whatsoever to spread Christianity including the translation of the Bible into Bahasa Malaysia that is intended to confuse the Muslims in this country".
* Also, on the same day, the Home Ministry approved the publication’s annual printing permit with several conditions, one of which is to cease publication of the Herald in Bahasa Malaysia until the court decides on its move to seek a declaratory relief that it is entitled to use the word "Allah". Subsequently, it has been reported that the Home Ministry had never prohibited the use of Bahasa Malaysia in the The Herald but only against the use of the word 'Allah' to refer to God
* The statement by Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to the Mingguan Malaysia (reported by The Straits Times, 2 February 2009) that a small group of non-Muslim leaders was trying to question the position of Islam in Malaysia has brought about concerns to Christians.
* The warning issued by the Minister saying "Don't play with fire and challenge the Muslims. We are willing to do anything to protect our religion" is also unwarranted and uncalled for (see link above).
* The economic downturn and unemployment rate projected to hit 6% with more than 660,000 expected to lose their jobs through the year (NST, 30 Jan, 2009).
* The political situation in the state of Perak and subsequent events that transpired.
NECF Malaysia deemed it urgent and necessary to mobilize all churches and Christians to turn to our God and seek his intervention for the welfare and well being of the nation and urged all member churches to hold the following:-
* Organised round the clock prayer moments in which your congregation may participate in prayer
* Organised special prayer service so that the collective congregation may collective come together to pray for the nation
* Avail yourselves to be present and participate in specially organized prayer service around designated churches praying for the nation on the 8th of March. Details will be posted in the website.
We believe our struggle is not merely against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms and that the Lord of heaven will hear the prayers of the righteous. We want to pray for the Lord’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Eph.6:12; Matt.6:10)
March 1 to 8, 2009
NECF MALAYSIA has called on all member churches to hold round the clock prayer and prayer services for the nation come 1 to 8 March 2008. This call is made in view of recent developments since the beginning of the year that brought attention and caused great concern for the Christian church and community. Some matters of concern are:-
* On 30/12/08, the Utusan Malaysia reported a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister' Department, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the Bible cannot be translated into Bahasa Malaysia. The Daily quoted the Minister as saying, "the government will hinder any effort whatsoever to spread Christianity including the translation of the Bible into Bahasa Malaysia that is intended to confuse the Muslims in this country".
* Also, on the same day, the Home Ministry approved the publication’s annual printing permit with several conditions, one of which is to cease publication of the Herald in Bahasa Malaysia until the court decides on its move to seek a declaratory relief that it is entitled to use the word "Allah". Subsequently, it has been reported that the Home Ministry had never prohibited the use of Bahasa Malaysia in the The Herald but only against the use of the word 'Allah' to refer to God
* The statement by Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to the Mingguan Malaysia (reported by The Straits Times, 2 February 2009) that a small group of non-Muslim leaders was trying to question the position of Islam in Malaysia has brought about concerns to Christians.
* The warning issued by the Minister saying "Don't play with fire and challenge the Muslims. We are willing to do anything to protect our religion" is also unwarranted and uncalled for (see link above).
* The economic downturn and unemployment rate projected to hit 6% with more than 660,000 expected to lose their jobs through the year (NST, 30 Jan, 2009).
* The political situation in the state of Perak and subsequent events that transpired.
NECF Malaysia deemed it urgent and necessary to mobilize all churches and Christians to turn to our God and seek his intervention for the welfare and well being of the nation and urged all member churches to hold the following:-
* Organised round the clock prayer moments in which your congregation may participate in prayer
* Organised special prayer service so that the collective congregation may collective come together to pray for the nation
* Avail yourselves to be present and participate in specially organized prayer service around designated churches praying for the nation on the 8th of March. Details will be posted in the website.
We believe our struggle is not merely against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms and that the Lord of heaven will hear the prayers of the righteous. We want to pray for the Lord’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Eph.6:12; Matt.6:10)
Friday, May 1, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Response
Hey. Tim here.
Seriously, thanks a lot for your b'day wishes. It made my otherwise plain day very, very happening. I'll keep it in my heart for the times, years, and perhaps my lifetime to come. Honestly, i've never had such a happening b'day. And that's inclusive of last minute butt-numbing work. It was truely amazing.
Just a note, a personal email will be sent from me to most JS 2009-ers very, very soon. It'll contain alot of PnC information that is to be shared exclusively with only you. It also contains information that is gonna be potentially destructive to many parties if handled the wrong way. So, when you recieve it (my best guess, given my suddenly hectic schedule, by the end of this week), PLEASE do not, at all, spill the beans to anyone outside the JS '09 circle (including the counsellors). And please do be weary of your surroundings if you do talk about this to other JS '09 mates, as i do not want this precious information to be overheard by accident to others in anyway as it (i know i'm repeating this) might outright destroy the life of many individual and parties. Relax as it regards something i have wanted to share with all of you people to encourage and edify as that is my best interest. Thank you once again for your birthday wishes and prayer. I was truely blessed.
Sincerely,
Timothy (middle name Ignatius) Lewis
a.k.a TOMATO!!!!
Seriously, thanks a lot for your b'day wishes. It made my otherwise plain day very, very happening. I'll keep it in my heart for the times, years, and perhaps my lifetime to come. Honestly, i've never had such a happening b'day. And that's inclusive of last minute butt-numbing work. It was truely amazing.
Just a note, a personal email will be sent from me to most JS 2009-ers very, very soon. It'll contain alot of PnC information that is to be shared exclusively with only you. It also contains information that is gonna be potentially destructive to many parties if handled the wrong way. So, when you recieve it (my best guess, given my suddenly hectic schedule, by the end of this week), PLEASE do not, at all, spill the beans to anyone outside the JS '09 circle (including the counsellors). And please do be weary of your surroundings if you do talk about this to other JS '09 mates, as i do not want this precious information to be overheard by accident to others in anyway as it (i know i'm repeating this) might outright destroy the life of many individual and parties. Relax as it regards something i have wanted to share with all of you people to encourage and edify as that is my best interest. Thank you once again for your birthday wishes and prayer. I was truely blessed.
Sincerely,
Timothy (middle name Ignatius) Lewis
a.k.a TOMATO!!!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A Story
|
SHOCKING!!!!
Something damn interesting i witnessed juz now... Please do have the patience to read this.
In the course of doing a sound and music business, resource n redundancy is important. You'll need to have access to all the brands n type of equipment (or at least their contacts lar) and have, at best 2-3 suppliers to a certain type of equipment to prevent embarrassing moments, since d market in Malaysia is abit, erm, monopolized by some unscrupulous people who can 'main-main' with you when you desperately need stock. A substansial sound company can have up to 8-10 different suppliers (by suppliers i mean with an open account)
So juz now, my dad sent me n my mom to get some stuff from a big-time veteran (one of those not so unethical ones) supplier in Klang. We used the car, since we were only getting connectors n a small smoke machine. since d stock had 2 be taken from the store upstairs, we waited abit. And checked out some new products that just arrived at the showroom. Like good old Hokkien buisnesspeople, they were staunch Buddist people. Proof of it lies in a HUGE shrine at the back of the showroom with incense smoking 24/7.
That shop was as packed as usual with customers coming to sent their spoilt goods (mostly caused by idiotic handling) for repair or for a warantee claim, customers collecting their repaired goods, interested customers coming to grab some stuffs, n juz some plain window shoppers looking for the best bargain. One of them is from a surau, coming to pick up an amplifier tat had some warantee problems (he bought cheap stuff, in all honesty, which isn't realible). So the salesman on duty plugged in a CD player to test the guy's amp in front of the guy to show him that the amp is repaired. I saw him plugging it in, since, i was about 4 feet away from those two guys, just bored and nothing to do. He loaded a CD-R, which was lying on top of a stack of similiar looking CD-Rs, which in my millions of times going there in the course of my life, knew what they were - Test CDs containing a compilation of nice-sounding songs, seperated by genre per CD, so that they can test the sound quality of whatever PA system that is plugged in.
I turned around and walked away, knowing that these salesman would play whatever that CD contains REALLY LOUD. I wanted to protect my ears from bleeding. And that salesguy punched play. I turned around in shock at the song that was being played back.
The song was Break Free. Played in public by a non-christian supplier, in front of many Malay and Chinese customers, through an amplifier meant for a SURAU. At rock concert levels. For 2 full minutes.
Cool, eh? This shows that God's word is being broadcasted even further and wider than we can ever imagine due to the popularity and universal appeal of music. The best part is, even if those guys (by those guys i mean overly-sensitive Malays) didn't like it, they cannot do anything about it. Why?
Because the song didn't contain the ever-so-sensitive words Jesus, Christ or Allah. And that's the thing, you can't prosecute a person for playing back something religiously sensitive even IN THEIR FACE, if, it doesn't contain any words that are deemed religiously specific. Have a Christian song without those three words broadcasted all you want, and as long if you have a public music broadcast license, they can't put a hand on you - especially songs like God is Good, Break Free, etc, etc, etc...
So, having any ideas, people???
In the course of doing a sound and music business, resource n redundancy is important. You'll need to have access to all the brands n type of equipment (or at least their contacts lar) and have, at best 2-3 suppliers to a certain type of equipment to prevent embarrassing moments, since d market in Malaysia is abit, erm, monopolized by some unscrupulous people who can 'main-main' with you when you desperately need stock. A substansial sound company can have up to 8-10 different suppliers (by suppliers i mean with an open account)
So juz now, my dad sent me n my mom to get some stuff from a big-time veteran (one of those not so unethical ones) supplier in Klang. We used the car, since we were only getting connectors n a small smoke machine. since d stock had 2 be taken from the store upstairs, we waited abit. And checked out some new products that just arrived at the showroom. Like good old Hokkien buisnesspeople, they were staunch Buddist people. Proof of it lies in a HUGE shrine at the back of the showroom with incense smoking 24/7.
That shop was as packed as usual with customers coming to sent their spoilt goods (mostly caused by idiotic handling) for repair or for a warantee claim, customers collecting their repaired goods, interested customers coming to grab some stuffs, n juz some plain window shoppers looking for the best bargain. One of them is from a surau, coming to pick up an amplifier tat had some warantee problems (he bought cheap stuff, in all honesty, which isn't realible). So the salesman on duty plugged in a CD player to test the guy's amp in front of the guy to show him that the amp is repaired. I saw him plugging it in, since, i was about 4 feet away from those two guys, just bored and nothing to do. He loaded a CD-R, which was lying on top of a stack of similiar looking CD-Rs, which in my millions of times going there in the course of my life, knew what they were - Test CDs containing a compilation of nice-sounding songs, seperated by genre per CD, so that they can test the sound quality of whatever PA system that is plugged in.
I turned around and walked away, knowing that these salesman would play whatever that CD contains REALLY LOUD. I wanted to protect my ears from bleeding. And that salesguy punched play. I turned around in shock at the song that was being played back.
The song was Break Free. Played in public by a non-christian supplier, in front of many Malay and Chinese customers, through an amplifier meant for a SURAU. At rock concert levels. For 2 full minutes.
Cool, eh? This shows that God's word is being broadcasted even further and wider than we can ever imagine due to the popularity and universal appeal of music. The best part is, even if those guys (by those guys i mean overly-sensitive Malays) didn't like it, they cannot do anything about it. Why?
Because the song didn't contain the ever-so-sensitive words Jesus, Christ or Allah. And that's the thing, you can't prosecute a person for playing back something religiously sensitive even IN THEIR FACE, if, it doesn't contain any words that are deemed religiously specific. Have a Christian song without those three words broadcasted all you want, and as long if you have a public music broadcast license, they can't put a hand on you - especially songs like God is Good, Break Free, etc, etc, etc...
So, having any ideas, people???
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Hieeeeeeeee to everybody!!!!!!!!!!!
Well each of us have a season of the bad and good times.
Never give up on yourself!!!
Same as how God never gives up on you!!!
I know it's hard standing strong at times when the strong wind blows at different directions, but hold fast to your faith in God and in what you believe in!!
Let's hold hands and help each other when one person falls, at least we have the other person to pick us up.
Keep trusting in God!
We can run this marathon and win the prize for God!
Well each of us have a season of the bad and good times.
Never give up on yourself!!!
Same as how God never gives up on you!!!
I know it's hard standing strong at times when the strong wind blows at different directions, but hold fast to your faith in God and in what you believe in!!
Let's hold hands and help each other when one person falls, at least we have the other person to pick us up.
Keep trusting in God!
We can run this marathon and win the prize for God!
People..
hey guys, guys. we'll alwiz keep in touch no matter wat okay. i noe its hard, n i miss all of u too. it's not like i'm not coming back. i promise i'll come back, den can hav reu again. if u all r wondering whn my holidays r here's d link to my academic calender: http://www.np.edu.sg/aa/Pages/calendar.aspx so continue to keep in touch n keep each other in ur prayers. and to sy, mike n alfredo: alwiz rmb (u noe wat i mean).. =) so, yah. i will treasure everyones frenship for life. so, till we meet again.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Everything by Lifehouse
Find me here
And speak to me
I want to feel You
I need to hear You
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength
That keeps me walking
You are the hope
That keeps me trusting
You are the life
To my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this
(Ahh Yeahhh)
You calm the storms
And You give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You steal my heart
And You take my breath away
Would You take me in
Would You take me deeper, now
And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this
And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this
Cause you're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
Everything, everything...
When how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this
Oh And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better any better than this
And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this....
Friday, April 17, 2009
It's here~ ^^
aaaaaand of course i saved the best for the official JS blog (giving face 2 stone 4 his hard work)
hmm i guess u guys have already seen the black & white version on facebook (aah, tim spoilt d surprise, LOL)
but oh well, here it is.. *teng teng teng teng*
another piece of work, dis time inspired by mike.. Mike: i didnt 4get!! lol..
hmm i guess u guys have already seen the black & white version on facebook (aah, tim spoilt d surprise, LOL)
but oh well, here it is.. *teng teng teng teng*
another piece of work, dis time inspired by mike.. Mike: i didnt 4get!! lol..
i kinda messed up a few parts along the way..
and if u guys r wondering whr sibu n rosh is..
sibu's d island (duh) n rosheen is.. well.. the darkest part of the picture. xD
other than dat i guess it's quite obvious who's who..
sooo...
hope you guys like it, have fun & remember to think back about those times in JS once in a while..
and if u guys r wondering whr sibu n rosh is..
sibu's d island (duh) n rosheen is.. well.. the darkest part of the picture. xD
other than dat i guess it's quite obvious who's who..
sooo...
hope you guys like it, have fun & remember to think back about those times in JS once in a while..
the long sessions.. the late afternoon eager-ness to play captainball.. the one who wakes you up every morning.. that rainy evening where we had to walk to the canteen with that plastic sheet & the river was flooded.. and that awesome journey that we shared TOGETHER..
Long live JS 2009~!
Smile
Guess who is who...
Brings a smile to my face.
Edit: Credits to Han Yun for drawing this (it's quite obvious, isn't it?). Apparently, there's a coloured version coming up. I, honestly, have lost touch with everything happening in this Christmunity. Please do me a favour by keeping me updated, please, as i'm not on facebook. I don't have the time to managed another account. I've got a company to run. 2 email inboxes and 2 blogs is the limit i can handle.
-------
Jun Arn leaving tomorrow. Have a safe trip man. Good luck and God bless. REMEMBER US!!!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Blessed Easter :)
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
And need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Written by Maya Angelou.
God's love is the ultimate and final love.
Blessed Easter my dearest brothers and sisters. :)
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
And need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Written by Maya Angelou.
God's love is the ultimate and final love.
Blessed Easter my dearest brothers and sisters. :)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
If some of you even read my blog, you will know that i strained my back.
Anyway please do pray for me
It will take a while for it to fully get heal.
And i need to take a good care of my back.
Need to strengthen it by maybe exercise or drinking milk!
Ah ha!!
Please pray that i will be fully heal and that it won't cause me any problem in the future.
Thanks people!
Anyway please do pray for me
It will take a while for it to fully get heal.
And i need to take a good care of my back.
Need to strengthen it by maybe exercise or drinking milk!
Ah ha!!
Please pray that i will be fully heal and that it won't cause me any problem in the future.
Thanks people!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Nehemiah
Wanted this to be in time for the Holy week but anyways... It's extremely long, so if no time, don't read this (yet)! Ming Han has an important notice below. Read that first.
My (rather inconsistent) morning devotion has a program of the same old one chapter a day thingy, alternating with a NT book (remember that incompleted assignment anyone?) with a random book from the old testament, preferably a prophet/historical book to challenge meself. So after finishing Ecclesiastes and 2 Thessalonians, I landed in Nehemiah, which i thought rhymes with Zechariah, as such should be a great continuation of the challenge and 'torture' i had back in JS - just one step harder.
And did Nehemiah speak to me indeed. Hope this sharing blesses you guys. (The reading was done in somewhere around MYPC, FYI)
I'm no bible scholar, as you all would have known by now, and such, you can read up the story yourself. Instead, i will give out the thing that hit me and what i can challenge us with.
Chapter 1
Many of us is in trouble and some even shame caused by people, our own faults and many other factors when we arrived in JS. Me, for example, was near suicide and had doubts about God. One of my problems in mixing with you all was a case that happened in August which unfortunately can't be shared over a public website. Our reaction was to pray and give God one last chance (for me, at least). We were willing to sit down and weep. And this was exactly what Nehemiah did. The result? God spoke. In individual ways to us as individuals. Like how He used you guys to speak to me.
Chapter 2
verses 10: Since we are now restored, healed, and equipped to start serving in God's Kingdom once more, Satan will get disturbed. So do keep caution on what the father of all lies has in store. He will hit us hard, as some of us are already hit by him. Do remember that God's on our side.
Inspecting the walls: Our temple, or what i would like to describe as heart, might be healed. We are filled with overflowing joy and peace, but sometimes the rest of our city, or life, is still in disarray as what v.12-15 tells us. Some of us it might be our line of defense - any intruder can enter and wreck havoc. So we must inspect it and rebuild the parts that are broken - despite mockery (v.19). Some of us it might be self-esteem. Some of us might be the ability to resist certain tempations, for example pornography or BGR. Some of us it might be anger or pride. This must be fixed, or Satan has a foothold in our lives - and can make it 7 times as bad (remember Jesus words).
Sometimes this appiles to us in our local Christmunity or TRAC youth. Something that hit me as i was typing this.
Chapter 3
As each person rebuilt the wall placed in front of their own house, we should remember to strengthen the community around us, in unity, so that Satan is kept outside. Unity, obedience to God-ordained leaders is important, or we cannot be intergrated and complete the wall of defense against the troubles and corruption of the world. Likewise, we must remember is our lives must be in intergrity (remember our course on Spritual Warfare) so that no holds is available for Satan to invade our lives. All holes must be plugged.
Chapter 4 and 6:1-14
Remember to constantly be on guard against Satan's schemes! Do pray for strength (6:9) from God to handle whatever Satan throws at us. Make sure we do not fail in anyway as stipulated by '7 steps to freedom'.
Chapter 5
We must never lose the fear of the Lord in our lives. If not, corruption and lust will set in. A lot of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, many of them leaders are now living in a lifestyle that is in a mockery to God's name. We must not follow so, or we will be judged someday - severely. A serious issue to take note of.
Chapter 6:15ono and Chapter 7
Perserverence and Patience pays. If we sow in pain, we will reap in joy. Remember that - always.
Also, do remember that the leaders who are here and that came before us did put up the rules and regulations for a purpose. Which reminds me of a book all of us Methodist people HATE... :-p
On a serious note, orderly work is important.
Chapter 8
Remember to give thanks to God no matter the circumstances. It is important as even us being alive is a miracle.
Chapter 9
Remember to confess and repent sincerely whenever we fall. We are human - let's face it.
Chapter 10
UNITY~!!!!
Chapter 11
verse 2, in context of verse 1. Read it for yourself. Note the words.
Chapter 12
Remember to base whatever we do in Christ. It's not only about us giving our all. Even in rebuilding our lives when it falls apart.
Chapter 13
STAY PURE!!!! Do not conform to the patterns of the world, and let it corrupt us. And in all things, do not find for the praise and regconition - let God do the rewarding.
-------
This is what i feel personally (hey, it really applies to me, ok!). Hope it blesses you guys. Amen. Sorry for being 'preachy'. That's how i 'torture' myself.
Tim
My (rather inconsistent) morning devotion has a program of the same old one chapter a day thingy, alternating with a NT book (remember that incompleted assignment anyone?) with a random book from the old testament, preferably a prophet/historical book to challenge meself. So after finishing Ecclesiastes and 2 Thessalonians, I landed in Nehemiah, which i thought rhymes with Zechariah, as such should be a great continuation of the challenge and 'torture' i had back in JS - just one step harder.
And did Nehemiah speak to me indeed. Hope this sharing blesses you guys. (The reading was done in somewhere around MYPC, FYI)
I'm no bible scholar, as you all would have known by now, and such, you can read up the story yourself. Instead, i will give out the thing that hit me and what i can challenge us with.
Chapter 1
Many of us is in trouble and some even shame caused by people, our own faults and many other factors when we arrived in JS. Me, for example, was near suicide and had doubts about God. One of my problems in mixing with you all was a case that happened in August which unfortunately can't be shared over a public website. Our reaction was to pray and give God one last chance (for me, at least). We were willing to sit down and weep. And this was exactly what Nehemiah did. The result? God spoke. In individual ways to us as individuals. Like how He used you guys to speak to me.
Chapter 2
verses 10: Since we are now restored, healed, and equipped to start serving in God's Kingdom once more, Satan will get disturbed. So do keep caution on what the father of all lies has in store. He will hit us hard, as some of us are already hit by him. Do remember that God's on our side.
Inspecting the walls: Our temple, or what i would like to describe as heart, might be healed. We are filled with overflowing joy and peace, but sometimes the rest of our city, or life, is still in disarray as what v.12-15 tells us. Some of us it might be our line of defense - any intruder can enter and wreck havoc. So we must inspect it and rebuild the parts that are broken - despite mockery (v.19). Some of us it might be self-esteem. Some of us might be the ability to resist certain tempations, for example pornography or BGR. Some of us it might be anger or pride. This must be fixed, or Satan has a foothold in our lives - and can make it 7 times as bad (remember Jesus words).
Sometimes this appiles to us in our local Christmunity or TRAC youth. Something that hit me as i was typing this.
Chapter 3
As each person rebuilt the wall placed in front of their own house, we should remember to strengthen the community around us, in unity, so that Satan is kept outside. Unity, obedience to God-ordained leaders is important, or we cannot be intergrated and complete the wall of defense against the troubles and corruption of the world. Likewise, we must remember is our lives must be in intergrity (remember our course on Spritual Warfare) so that no holds is available for Satan to invade our lives. All holes must be plugged.
Chapter 4 and 6:1-14
Remember to constantly be on guard against Satan's schemes! Do pray for strength (6:9) from God to handle whatever Satan throws at us. Make sure we do not fail in anyway as stipulated by '7 steps to freedom'.
Chapter 5
We must never lose the fear of the Lord in our lives. If not, corruption and lust will set in. A lot of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, many of them leaders are now living in a lifestyle that is in a mockery to God's name. We must not follow so, or we will be judged someday - severely. A serious issue to take note of.
Chapter 6:15ono and Chapter 7
Perserverence and Patience pays. If we sow in pain, we will reap in joy. Remember that - always.
Also, do remember that the leaders who are here and that came before us did put up the rules and regulations for a purpose. Which reminds me of a book all of us Methodist people HATE... :-p
On a serious note, orderly work is important.
Chapter 8
Remember to give thanks to God no matter the circumstances. It is important as even us being alive is a miracle.
Chapter 9
Remember to confess and repent sincerely whenever we fall. We are human - let's face it.
Chapter 10
UNITY~!!!!
Chapter 11
verse 2, in context of verse 1. Read it for yourself. Note the words.
Chapter 12
Remember to base whatever we do in Christ. It's not only about us giving our all. Even in rebuilding our lives when it falls apart.
Chapter 13
STAY PURE!!!! Do not conform to the patterns of the world, and let it corrupt us. And in all things, do not find for the praise and regconition - let God do the rewarding.
-------
This is what i feel personally (hey, it really applies to me, ok!). Hope it blesses you guys. Amen. Sorry for being 'preachy'. That's how i 'torture' myself.
Tim
Prayer request
By the time you read this, I'll most probably be on Hong Kong soil. Nevertheless, please pray that God will grant me and my dad journey mercies on our way to Hong Kong and whilst we're there. Please pray too that God will give me the right words to speak, as part of the interview is in Cantonese. How much, I have no idea. Pray too that God will grant us protection and journey mercies on our way back.
Will be back on Maundy Thursday (if you haven't noticed, it's Holy Week, people) and will start posting when I've pried myself off Caesar 4 :).
Will be back on Maundy Thursday (if you haven't noticed, it's Holy Week, people) and will start posting when I've pried myself off Caesar 4 :).
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
News (about me lar...)
i'm seriously dead tired now...
let me give all of you an update to what i've been up to.
i'm now officially working full time in my dad's company. pay cheque's coming end of the month, if my dad's financial situation allow. my studies are put on hold due to financial and staffing problems. Since my dad's health is rapidly failing (as in he can't work as hard as last time, and always sick), i'll be taking over the reins of the company, Major Seven Music, very soon - probably end of next year or so, depending on the situation. As it is, i'm already starting to take charge of some of the workload my dad used to handle. it's not a easy task, as my experience is limited and it's quite a big responsibility (thankfully my brother, micheal lewis, is joining me in July) to be a breadwinner for the extended family of 5 which has a lorry, a van, 2 cars and 3 (one for the store of equipment and one for grandmom) houses plus a study loan to maintain rental/installment. i'm trying my best to get a driving license in by the end of May/June to make it a little easier. And also so that i can be more free to serve in the youth and also visitation of friends (school and you guys lar)
Business is unstable but thankfully income is coming in to pay up the bills and the debt caused by the 11k+ investment we made recently. One of my top goals is to reduce the overheads of the company from the staggering 7k+ a month (it's normal for a sound company this size) to a more managable 4-5k or so. An impossible task, but by God's grace, i can suceed. Studies wise, i'm honestly not sure what course i take come this december, but sound engineering and some bible course is one option. However, if funds do not allow, then i'll not further my studies - not good.
Grace Sentul's MYF is getting on to be pretty vibrant. The young dudes there (most of the older guys have gone overseas to study, or just have moved on from the church) are astounding me with their unity and desire to see the group grow. I really get fired up everytime i see them - so much so i start shaking inside. The only thing is their pretty inexperienced - so it's up to me, sheng yong (who, honestly, looks like he's buried in college duties to me) and my MYF president (some of you know him), Andrew Wong. We are now very small (take Faith, Cheras to be identical in size for those who went there), but revival can break out, with God's will. I can only pray hard, and serve whatever i can as a Missions Coordinator (Sheng Yong's Fellowship Coordinator).
Personally, i see God at work in my life. Like just just now in the service, i see that God has been talking to me since i entered Grace Sentul about 5 years back. He's also challenging me to things i have never dreamt of doing even 2 months back - like being a intercessor in the youth. Also, i'm finding it hard to keep a regular disipline due of the busyness i'm being buried in. Also, i'm really finding the temptation to return to what i was before JS like a ton of bricks. Past addictions (yes, i'm naming it past) is haunting me. I'm trying to meet up with Austin to continue my counselling sessions so that i can really BREAK FREE from what has happened last August (some of you already know what happened, others in JS, i don't mind telling). It's not that i can't break free or anything, but i need additional help to be free, earlier. In fact, i can tell you that God used August 2008 to get my attention, and, that was just one of the reasons why He did that.
So, for those who have been having difficulty in their walk on the real world, you are not alone and do not despair. If He managed to touch you in anyway in JS, it's clear that He has a plan for you and all you have to do is do your best and leave the results to God. I'm not sure on what bible to give you guys, except to echo Jesus' words on 'come to Me and I will give you rest'. May you find rest in God and stay strong. Also, do uphold each other in prayer and stay in touch. Lets make sure we continue to be a community of believers who will be a blessing to each other, so that we, as individuals and as a group, can bless our neighbours and society. God is moving, only that we don't realize it. And we need to realize it.
A fast, impromtu but sincere note from,
Timothy
Edit: I really miss you guys!!! for those that are now in KL, can we all meet up someday???
let me give all of you an update to what i've been up to.
i'm now officially working full time in my dad's company. pay cheque's coming end of the month, if my dad's financial situation allow. my studies are put on hold due to financial and staffing problems. Since my dad's health is rapidly failing (as in he can't work as hard as last time, and always sick), i'll be taking over the reins of the company, Major Seven Music, very soon - probably end of next year or so, depending on the situation. As it is, i'm already starting to take charge of some of the workload my dad used to handle. it's not a easy task, as my experience is limited and it's quite a big responsibility (thankfully my brother, micheal lewis, is joining me in July) to be a breadwinner for the extended family of 5 which has a lorry, a van, 2 cars and 3 (one for the store of equipment and one for grandmom) houses plus a study loan to maintain rental/installment. i'm trying my best to get a driving license in by the end of May/June to make it a little easier. And also so that i can be more free to serve in the youth and also visitation of friends (school and you guys lar)
Business is unstable but thankfully income is coming in to pay up the bills and the debt caused by the 11k+ investment we made recently. One of my top goals is to reduce the overheads of the company from the staggering 7k+ a month (it's normal for a sound company this size) to a more managable 4-5k or so. An impossible task, but by God's grace, i can suceed. Studies wise, i'm honestly not sure what course i take come this december, but sound engineering and some bible course is one option. However, if funds do not allow, then i'll not further my studies - not good.
Grace Sentul's MYF is getting on to be pretty vibrant. The young dudes there (most of the older guys have gone overseas to study, or just have moved on from the church) are astounding me with their unity and desire to see the group grow. I really get fired up everytime i see them - so much so i start shaking inside. The only thing is their pretty inexperienced - so it's up to me, sheng yong (who, honestly, looks like he's buried in college duties to me) and my MYF president (some of you know him), Andrew Wong. We are now very small (take Faith, Cheras to be identical in size for those who went there), but revival can break out, with God's will. I can only pray hard, and serve whatever i can as a Missions Coordinator (Sheng Yong's Fellowship Coordinator).
Personally, i see God at work in my life. Like just just now in the service, i see that God has been talking to me since i entered Grace Sentul about 5 years back. He's also challenging me to things i have never dreamt of doing even 2 months back - like being a intercessor in the youth. Also, i'm finding it hard to keep a regular disipline due of the busyness i'm being buried in. Also, i'm really finding the temptation to return to what i was before JS like a ton of bricks. Past addictions (yes, i'm naming it past) is haunting me. I'm trying to meet up with Austin to continue my counselling sessions so that i can really BREAK FREE from what has happened last August (some of you already know what happened, others in JS, i don't mind telling). It's not that i can't break free or anything, but i need additional help to be free, earlier. In fact, i can tell you that God used August 2008 to get my attention, and, that was just one of the reasons why He did that.
So, for those who have been having difficulty in their walk on the real world, you are not alone and do not despair. If He managed to touch you in anyway in JS, it's clear that He has a plan for you and all you have to do is do your best and leave the results to God. I'm not sure on what bible to give you guys, except to echo Jesus' words on 'come to Me and I will give you rest'. May you find rest in God and stay strong. Also, do uphold each other in prayer and stay in touch. Lets make sure we continue to be a community of believers who will be a blessing to each other, so that we, as individuals and as a group, can bless our neighbours and society. God is moving, only that we don't realize it. And we need to realize it.
A fast, impromtu but sincere note from,
Timothy
Edit: I really miss you guys!!! for those that are now in KL, can we all meet up someday???
Saturday, April 4, 2009
i had youth earlier, and we were watching this paul washer video by paul washer. i feel like i’ve like, seriously gone astray since JS. but not only after JS but even during. the questions like AM I A REAL CHRISTIAN? its more than doing good deeds, its about lifestyle and all. and, i know that i’ve fallen so short. but, i duno. mixture of guilt and confusing at the moment.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Little Things
Hey all! :)
Just wanna share a funny snapshot with you guys. Something I saw during class today. It made me smile to myself, thinking of all the wonderful and comical moments we had together.
It's amazing how the little things you see everyday remind you of our JS memories, and what those little things mean to us.
(Not only the funny jokes of course :D)
Have a fun weekend and I love you guys! :)
Just wanna share a funny snapshot with you guys. Something I saw during class today. It made me smile to myself, thinking of all the wonderful and comical moments we had together.
It's amazing how the little things you see everyday remind you of our JS memories, and what those little things mean to us.
(Not only the funny jokes of course :D)
Have a fun weekend and I love you guys! :)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Running on empty
***NOTE: If you don't have enough time or inclination to read whatever I've written here, please don't. Jun Arn has an important notice in the post immediately preceding (chronologically) / after (positionally) this one. Read that one first if you have no time. Thanks.***
Every action we do on Earth requires energy, regardless of whether it is a monkey climbing up a tree, a plant synthesizing a glucose molecule, a human thinking of a joke to crack or a car moving up a slope. And everything which does work has a reservoir of energy. The monkey and human derives its energy from glucose in the blood, then from glycogen in its liver, and then from its fat deposits. The plant gets its energy from the sun while a car has its gas tank.
Throughout JS, I found that this kept thought kept on coming back to me: Running on empty. The first time I encountered this thought was when a group of eight of us crammed into an Unser Uncle Herbert had borrowed and made our way to EMC, PJ.
The Unser didn’t have a full tank; it was probably only one-quarter full. So after travelling for a while, the gauge started going down real fast. This was hardly surprising: Unsers are known for being gas guzzlers. Then, of course, it hit “E” and then after that, the low petrol light came on.
I didn’t know exactly when or where it was when the tank light lit up, but I thought that Uncle Herbert would have realized it. Later, however, he asked me when or where did it light up, and asked me how much farther could the car travel with the light on. To be honest, I had no idea. I come from a family which tops up its petrol tank when the needle reaches the quarter mark, and thus I have only seen the low petrol light on once or twice in my life. This was probably the first time I was in a car with the light on for such a long period of time.
Nevertheless, we were in an unenviable position. We had no idea as to where the next petrol station was, we were low on gas, and we had a deadline to meet. Uncle Herbert joked that maybe for us, we would have to multiply petrol to graduate from JS.
But I digress.
Somehow, the Unser made it to Rawang with the low petrol light on from, if I remember correctly, at the nearest, Slim River. Throughout the trip with the light on, we were hoping that we would have enough petrol, not only so that we would arrive on time, but also so that we could avoid the embarrassment of calling on the Peronda PLUS for some petrol.
Somehow we did. Or maybe we didn’t, but Someone else decided that we did. So somehow, we had enough fuel for the journey…enough to reach Rawang, and go pretty deep into Rawang before refueling at a petrol station.
After that, we stopped by for tea at Uncle Herbert’s house, and there I had my first contact with his family…at least in my living memory. For some, they had met and remembered Uncle Herbert’s family; I believe it’s obvious who. For others, it was their first time as well. So after tea, and a bit of rest, plus time to stretch our legs, we went down to Kelana Jaya and I got the closest I have been to my house in days.
One can say I was pretty pampered during JS; I got to go home during the first weekend, and during the second one, I was closer to home than most people. Sure, Mike probably was even closer, but then again, he didn’t actually get to set foot in his house.
I wasn’t left with another running on empty situation until we went to Penang. After the good lunch we had at the food court, the Penang Trinity group rushed to, where else, Penang Trinity. After going for their MYF meeting, and then having a barbeque, I was left pretty run down. I wasn’t starving, even though I didn’t eat much during the barbeque, but I was just plain tired. Somehow, I found the strength to walk and eat around Gurney Drive, even though, very frankly speaking, I was dead tired.
However, walking and eating was not the end of it. There was also the strength to stay awake until much later at night then I had originally planned, and as such, I only got 5 hours of sleep rather than the 6 I should have.
The next day, Michael wanted to wake me up at the usual time, meaning half past six in the morning. However, I could hear Sheng Yong telling him to let me sleep. I didn’t manage to get any sleep after that, no matter how hard I tried, but the “damage” had already been done; I had had less than enough sleep, probably somewhere around four to four and a half hours sleep.
Immediately after breakfast, and whatever time I had for cleaning up, we all went for service. Surprisingly, even after so little sleep, I managed to stay up during both sermons. Running on empty again? I would have to say yes.
Normally, if I’m dead tired, six hours of sleep won’t cut it; I need seven or eight. I normally prefer to get six hours of sleep; during school term, I used to get by on five, but I had naps in the afternoon. If I don’t sleep in the afternoon, I would be tired by eleven. But if I’m dead tired, and I don’t get enough sleep, I normally find myself sleeping during the pastoral prayer and struggling to stay awake during the sermons.
So when I managed to stay awake all the time, I found it absolutely amazing.
But that wasn’t the last of it. During mission week, on Thursday, I decided to hang my clothes instead of eating lunch first. By the time I had finished doing that, I didn’t have enough time to eat lunch, so I went to St. George’s on an empty stomach. However, I didn’t feel hungry, which was surprising, because whenever I fast, I would nonetheless feel hungry at some point.
I had one more experience, but that was not during JS per se, so it wouldn’t really fit here. On top of that, it was in…errmm…err...Pangkor, so the files (and my lips, figuratively and literally) are sealed. Maybe some other time…
Running on empty…hmm….were we really drawing on the last of our resources, or were we drawing on someone else’s resources? Were we scraping the bottom of the barrel, or was our barrel being refilled by someone else? Were we squeezing the last drop of wine from the cup, or was someone shoving an overflowing one into our hands when we wanted it most?
My brother came back from driving school one day, saying that the “E” sign on the petrol meter did not mean “empty”. He said that his driving instructor told him that it meant enough. Most cars, when the petrol gauge hits “E”, have enough fuel to take them another forty kilometers or so. So maybe we weren’t running on empty.
We had enough.
But then again, why do we think we’re running on empty, when we have enough? It’s because the gauge is pointing at the bottom of the range. It’s because our bodies tell us enough is enough, and it is time to take a rest. We see it as the end of the line. However, it is not, because while our senses tell us it is, there is still a little bit more in us which we don’t know was there.
We tap into it when we need it most, and we get it whenever we need it, especially when it is to do His work.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (KJV)
His grace is sufficient; not excessive, not abundant, but sufficient. Moreover, His strength is made perfect in weakness. We know Him most when we are down, we feel Him most when we truly reach out to Him, when all our hope is truly in Him. And, sadly, we are only in that kind of mood when we are dead tired or down for the count, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially or spiritually.
So the next time you’re dead tired, feeling like you want to crash, that you’re running on empty or don’t have enough rest, whether you’re expanding His kingdom or doing whatever activity He has called you to in the secular world, remember:
The One who can give strength in measures more than we can ask or imagine is with us.
Amen.
Happy April Fool’s Day.
Every action we do on Earth requires energy, regardless of whether it is a monkey climbing up a tree, a plant synthesizing a glucose molecule, a human thinking of a joke to crack or a car moving up a slope. And everything which does work has a reservoir of energy. The monkey and human derives its energy from glucose in the blood, then from glycogen in its liver, and then from its fat deposits. The plant gets its energy from the sun while a car has its gas tank.
Throughout JS, I found that this kept thought kept on coming back to me: Running on empty. The first time I encountered this thought was when a group of eight of us crammed into an Unser Uncle Herbert had borrowed and made our way to EMC, PJ.
The Unser didn’t have a full tank; it was probably only one-quarter full. So after travelling for a while, the gauge started going down real fast. This was hardly surprising: Unsers are known for being gas guzzlers. Then, of course, it hit “E” and then after that, the low petrol light came on.
I didn’t know exactly when or where it was when the tank light lit up, but I thought that Uncle Herbert would have realized it. Later, however, he asked me when or where did it light up, and asked me how much farther could the car travel with the light on. To be honest, I had no idea. I come from a family which tops up its petrol tank when the needle reaches the quarter mark, and thus I have only seen the low petrol light on once or twice in my life. This was probably the first time I was in a car with the light on for such a long period of time.
Nevertheless, we were in an unenviable position. We had no idea as to where the next petrol station was, we were low on gas, and we had a deadline to meet. Uncle Herbert joked that maybe for us, we would have to multiply petrol to graduate from JS.
But I digress.
Somehow, the Unser made it to Rawang with the low petrol light on from, if I remember correctly, at the nearest, Slim River. Throughout the trip with the light on, we were hoping that we would have enough petrol, not only so that we would arrive on time, but also so that we could avoid the embarrassment of calling on the Peronda PLUS for some petrol.
Somehow we did. Or maybe we didn’t, but Someone else decided that we did. So somehow, we had enough fuel for the journey…enough to reach Rawang, and go pretty deep into Rawang before refueling at a petrol station.
After that, we stopped by for tea at Uncle Herbert’s house, and there I had my first contact with his family…at least in my living memory. For some, they had met and remembered Uncle Herbert’s family; I believe it’s obvious who. For others, it was their first time as well. So after tea, and a bit of rest, plus time to stretch our legs, we went down to Kelana Jaya and I got the closest I have been to my house in days.
One can say I was pretty pampered during JS; I got to go home during the first weekend, and during the second one, I was closer to home than most people. Sure, Mike probably was even closer, but then again, he didn’t actually get to set foot in his house.
I wasn’t left with another running on empty situation until we went to Penang. After the good lunch we had at the food court, the Penang Trinity group rushed to, where else, Penang Trinity. After going for their MYF meeting, and then having a barbeque, I was left pretty run down. I wasn’t starving, even though I didn’t eat much during the barbeque, but I was just plain tired. Somehow, I found the strength to walk and eat around Gurney Drive, even though, very frankly speaking, I was dead tired.
However, walking and eating was not the end of it. There was also the strength to stay awake until much later at night then I had originally planned, and as such, I only got 5 hours of sleep rather than the 6 I should have.
The next day, Michael wanted to wake me up at the usual time, meaning half past six in the morning. However, I could hear Sheng Yong telling him to let me sleep. I didn’t manage to get any sleep after that, no matter how hard I tried, but the “damage” had already been done; I had had less than enough sleep, probably somewhere around four to four and a half hours sleep.
Immediately after breakfast, and whatever time I had for cleaning up, we all went for service. Surprisingly, even after so little sleep, I managed to stay up during both sermons. Running on empty again? I would have to say yes.
Normally, if I’m dead tired, six hours of sleep won’t cut it; I need seven or eight. I normally prefer to get six hours of sleep; during school term, I used to get by on five, but I had naps in the afternoon. If I don’t sleep in the afternoon, I would be tired by eleven. But if I’m dead tired, and I don’t get enough sleep, I normally find myself sleeping during the pastoral prayer and struggling to stay awake during the sermons.
So when I managed to stay awake all the time, I found it absolutely amazing.
But that wasn’t the last of it. During mission week, on Thursday, I decided to hang my clothes instead of eating lunch first. By the time I had finished doing that, I didn’t have enough time to eat lunch, so I went to St. George’s on an empty stomach. However, I didn’t feel hungry, which was surprising, because whenever I fast, I would nonetheless feel hungry at some point.
I had one more experience, but that was not during JS per se, so it wouldn’t really fit here. On top of that, it was in…errmm…err...Pangkor, so the files (and my lips, figuratively and literally) are sealed. Maybe some other time…
Running on empty…hmm….were we really drawing on the last of our resources, or were we drawing on someone else’s resources? Were we scraping the bottom of the barrel, or was our barrel being refilled by someone else? Were we squeezing the last drop of wine from the cup, or was someone shoving an overflowing one into our hands when we wanted it most?
My brother came back from driving school one day, saying that the “E” sign on the petrol meter did not mean “empty”. He said that his driving instructor told him that it meant enough. Most cars, when the petrol gauge hits “E”, have enough fuel to take them another forty kilometers or so. So maybe we weren’t running on empty.
We had enough.
But then again, why do we think we’re running on empty, when we have enough? It’s because the gauge is pointing at the bottom of the range. It’s because our bodies tell us enough is enough, and it is time to take a rest. We see it as the end of the line. However, it is not, because while our senses tell us it is, there is still a little bit more in us which we don’t know was there.
We tap into it when we need it most, and we get it whenever we need it, especially when it is to do His work.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (KJV)
His grace is sufficient; not excessive, not abundant, but sufficient. Moreover, His strength is made perfect in weakness. We know Him most when we are down, we feel Him most when we truly reach out to Him, when all our hope is truly in Him. And, sadly, we are only in that kind of mood when we are dead tired or down for the count, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially or spiritually.
So the next time you’re dead tired, feeling like you want to crash, that you’re running on empty or don’t have enough rest, whether you’re expanding His kingdom or doing whatever activity He has called you to in the secular world, remember:
The One who can give strength in measures more than we can ask or imagine is with us.
Amen.
Happy April Fool’s Day.
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