O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
You know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in--behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths,
You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the dar side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say surelythe darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,
even the darkness will not be dark to You;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.

For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with You.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

~ Psalm 139

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Deadly

A man who deceives his friend and then says "I was only joking!" is like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows.

Proverbs 26:18,19 (paraphrased)

For weeks now, this verse has been bugging me day and night. I have been thinking so much about its truth and, yes, it's prevalence in my own life!! Oh, how often have I said something crass or stupid or meaningless, even sarcastic, followed by those very words "Oh, I'm just kidding!" Usually it is said with a half-laugh (if there is such a thing) and the wave of the hand gesturing like it's not a problem. Verdict? GUILTY!

It is so easy, isn't it, to just wave it off and insist that it was a joke. OK, sometimes it IS an obvious joke, and it may be very funny too. But seriously, how many times have we employed sarcasm to make a point, and then wave it off hoping to diffuse the offence by saying that we were only kidding?

That verse says that those who say it is like a madman shooting arrows that kill. Words like that can leave painful scars on a person, much like a firebrand on an animal. More and more, I am convinced that I have to be so careful with my words, and even more so with my jokes. Coz you know, one day, we'll all be accountable for what we have done on this earth and that includes the words that come out of our mouths. On that day, we will be asked if we spoke life into others, or if we used our tongues to tear and destroy. What will your answer be?

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A Righteous Man

I often wonder and ask God concerning what makes a man righteous. I do understand the teaching we have heard so many times, that God considers us righteous because of faith. I believe that with all my heart. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God," says the famous scripture in Hebrews 11:6. However, I still do have questions about righteousness. What does a righteous man look like? How does a righteous man of faith act? What does he do? How does he carry himself?

In my devotion this morning, I believe God revealed to me a small part of what righteousness looks like.

The Righteous Man:
- practices justice and righteousness (faith)
- does not eat the food offered at idolous shrines
- does not lift up his eyes to idols
- does not lust after or defile his neighbour's wife
- is sexually pure
- does not oppress anyone, but shows mercy
- does not commit robbery (selfish desires and attitudes), but is generous, unselfish, and compassionate to the needy
- does not lend money on interest or take increase
- keeps integrity at everything he does
- executes justice as a peacemaker
- walks in the statutes and ordinances of God in order to make wise decisions consistently

~ derived from Ezekiel 18:5-9
To anyone who keeps this list, "..'he is righteous and shall surely live,' declares the Lord GOD."

I'm sure that there are more descriptions of what a righteous man can look like, but for now, this is already quite a list to aspire to achieve. Nevertheless, I know it's not impossible because "all things are possible with God."

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!

Waiting on the LORD and His Word

Last weekend at Kansas City was one where we allowed our faith in God to grow. Personally, I felt that God was calling me into a deeper level of faith with Him, hence my previous post on living by revelation.

One of the passages of Scripture I was guided to was Psalm 19. It speaks of the works of God, and the power of His Word.

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure (and bright), enlightening the eyes.
The (reverent) fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments (or ordinances) of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed);
In keeping them there is great reward.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my (firm, impenetrable) Rock and my Redeemer.

~ Psalm 19:7-11, 14 (NASB,AMP), emphasis mine

It is so important to abide by the Word of God, which is Jesus Christ himself. John 15:5 says that Christ is "the vine and we are all the branches, he who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Nothing, as in everything we do will not count for anything at all except for eternal death, which basically is perpetual nothingness, devoid of God, the Source of life itself. By keeping God's law, testimony, precepts, commandment(s), a reverent fear of Him, and His ordinances, we find ourselves recipients of a great reward which is God himself! In Him our joy is complete, our blessing secure, satisfaction guaranteed! There is nothing about God that disappoints us; everything about God exhilarates the soul, revitalizes the spirit, and arouses in us selfless praise and adoration of our Creator, Saviour, and Friend!

This is why David is able to declare in his subsequent Psalm 20:7-8 the infamously quoted, "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright." He knows that when he cries out to God, his victory over the enemy is certain. He knows of the importance of waiting on the word of the LORD.

The reason I'm capitalizing LORD is because it is translated in biblical Hebrew as YHWH, the name which is too great and awesome to be spoken. God gave himself this name as He revealed himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 as "I AM WHO I AM." This is the God who is, where nothing about Him is false and everything true, where the absolute and unparalled Source of all life and power is revealed in our feeble weakness. This is why we cry out to Him. This is why we wait on Him.

And this is why I know, that as I wait on Him, He will answer. And He has.

I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear, and will trust in the LORD.
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.

~Psalm 40:1-5 (NASB)

Are you going to Heaven?

For every American who believes he's going to Hell, there are 120 who believe they're going to heaven. This optimism in stark contrast to Christ's words in Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only few find it."

What would keep us out of Heaven is universal: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin separates us from a relationship with God (Isaiah 59:2). God is so holy that he cannot allow sin into his presence: "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13). Because we are sinners, we are not entitled to enter God's presence. We cannot enter Heaven as we are.

So Heaven is not our default destination. No one goes there automatically. Unless our sin problem is resolved, the only place we will go is our true default destination . . . Hell.

I am addressing this issue now because throughout this book I will talk about being with Jesus in Heaven, being reunited with family and friends, and enjoying the great adventures in Heaven. The great danger is that readers will assume they are headed for Heaven. Judging by what's said at most funerals, you'd think nearly everyone's going to Heaven, wouldn't you? But Jesus made it clear that most people are not going to Heaven: "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

We dare not "wait and see" when it comes to what's on the other side of death. We shouldn't just cross our fingers and hope that our names are written in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). We can know, we should know, before we die. And because we may die at any time, we need to know now---not next month or next year. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow . What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14).

It's of paramount importance to make sure you are going to Heaven, not Hell. The voice that whispers, "There's no hurry; put this book down; you can always think about it later," is not God's voice. He says, "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2) and "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15).

- excerpt from Heaven by Randy Alcorn

Think of Me

Following up on my previous post...it's a challenge for me to think outside of myself sometimes. To be honest, after 5 years in America, I have selfishly thought more about myself than when before I came.

America has showed me how selfish I am. In recent years, I have thought of myself as:

- more distinguished than others (so worship me)
- more experienced than others (so respect me)
- smarter, wiser, and more intelligent (so listen to me)
- more needful than others (so give to me)
- more humble than others (so follow my example)
- more important than others (so prefer me)

And then sometimes, and sad to say, less often than it should be, I am reminded that I'm...

- not any more distinguished than a convict
- not any more experienced than an infant
- not any smarter, wiser, or more intelligent than a fool or a failure
- not any more needful than those who seem to have everything
- not any more humble than Mother Theresa
- not any more important than the homeless

Sometimes, I look at myself and see the sorry state I am in. I am more consumed with acquiring worldly things than being consumed with Christ! I have forgotten what it means to have compassion for others, and have placed myself above all things!

I am sorry. I apologize. I have not been a good example of one who follows hard after God. I have forgotten what true religion means: to look after orphans and widows. To extend help to the poor. To reach out in love to those who do not know Him. I must remember to think of others above myself: this is what I am called to do.

Hard word

Today at Trinityouth, I think I preached the hardest message in my life. Hard as in heavy, pounding, serious, straight-to-the-core, jokes and funnies aside. I dont think I remember seeing so many serious (and zoned-out) faces in any group I've preached to ever. Nevertheless, I believe I brought the right word at the right time, because it does seem like so many of them have forgotten what it is to truly follow Christ.

The Rich Young Ruler

One day one of the local officials asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?”

- Eternal life is something far more important, precious than this present life. This guy understood it.

Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good—only God. You know the commandments, don’t you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honor your father and mother.”

- You know what right things to do. In fact, you have kept them all. But keeping these commandments have not answered your question. You feel like there is something else missing in your life.

He said, “I’ve kept them all for as long as I can remember.”

When Jesus heard that, he said, “Then there’s only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

- In other words, give up everything you have ever placed value on. Give up your pride. Give up your rights. Give up your honor. Give up everything you have. And then follow Jesus.

This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go. Seeing his reaction, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter into God’s kingdom? I’d say it’s easier to thread a camel through a needle’s eye than get a rich person into God’s kingdom.”

“Then who has any chance at all?” the others asked.

“No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust in God to do it.”

- With God, all things are possible. What is there that is impossible to God? The only thing that He will not do is to violate your choice by taking it from you. You must choose to follow him. Then only can He do it. If not, then it is technically impossible for Him because He will not violate your freedom of choice.

Some of you gotta put your pride away. There’s so much pride in you, it’s killing you. It’s like you don’t care even if you know I’m talking about you. I’m responsible for my own self, and you’re right. You just don’t realize that that pride is blinding you. Dragging you down. Keeping you chained and all locked up inside. Or maybe you realize, but you’re not choosing to let go. In fact you like being like that, locked up, prideful and conceited. You feel like you’re in control. You feel like at least you are comfortable with the walls around you.

Some of you gotta put your dreams away. They’re taking you away from God. You think that maybe those dreams will give you the kind of life that you have always wanted to live. Dreams of being famous. Dreams of being wanted. Dreams of making lots of money. That dream girl, or that dream boy. If only you could get your hands on them you would be successful. And oh, by the way, my dreams will be OK if I just Christianize them and say that I’m doing them all for God.

My question is, is it really from God? Did God give you that dream? Or did you cook it up yourself? Because if God gave you that dream, you would know that God is important enough to help you achieve that dream. But right now, chasing that dream takes up so much more time, energy, and effort, than chasing after God. You’ve become so focused on your dream that you have forgotten about God, except for the occasional “yeah I’m doing this for God,” like it even means anything. You know you’re just saying it to tell yourself that you’re OK with God, when actually you’re not. You’re not alright with God. You’re not following him.

Some of you gotta put yourself away. You think this whole world is about you. You think that everything revolves around you. In fact, you’re thinking maybe this guy up here, he’s lost his mind speaking like this in youth group! How dare he accuse anybody, how dare he accuse me? Yeah, then I’m speaking to you. Because it’s not all about you. It’s not all about how you feel. It’s not how you think it’s wrong, or even right. It’s all about God and his relationship with you. If your self is in the way of God getting to you, then why are you even here? You should be at home playing your videogames. You should be out with your worldly friends becoming more and more like the world instead of becoming more and more like God.

But you’re here. The fact is, you’re here.

And if you are here, then I urge you to make this time count. And not just when you’re in youth group, or when you’re in church or among your Christian friends…but even when you’re alone. Will you get with God? In your quiet moments will you choose to be someone who follows Jesus?

What you do in your public life reflects what you do in private. The kind of person you are here, or in school, or in front of people, shows what kind of person you are when you are alone. And standing here looking at all of you, I can somewhat tell what kind of person you are even if you hide from me. I can tell if some of you are true Christians. I can also tell if some of you are doing this Christian thing just coz.

Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I can’t tell…but does that matter if you’re such a good actor/actress? What matters is that you cannot hide from the fact that God knows every single thing about your life, public or private. You may get to choose. But God gets to watch. And in the end, everything you have ever done in your entire life is going to count.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone of you desires to come after me, you must forget yourself, and take up his cross and follow me. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.

Have you been a faithful follower?

The Christian Paradox

excerpt from an online article

Love your neighbour as yourself: although its rhetorical power has been dimmed by repetition, it is a radical notion. Jesus made it very clear who the neighbour you were supposed to love was: the poor person, the sick person, the naked person, the hungry person. The last shall be made first; turn the other cheek; a rich person aiming for heaven is like a camel trying to walk through the eye of a needle.

Such a good article. Read it in its entirety here

Finger troubles

News Flash:

I sliced off part of my finger on Monday 10/22 with a box-cutter/exacto. The blade ran off the ruler and onto my finger and took a whole chunk off. That night I had NO sleep because of the pain. On Tuesday it hadn't stop bleeding, so the doctor had the wound carterized (cooked with a pointed flame, like a welding tool). It's OK now, no pain, just numbness around the tip of the finger. (Click here to see a pic)

Isn't this amazing how the finger is such a small part of your body that when it is injured or dysfunctional, the entire body hurts!

So it is the same way in the body of Christ. We all have a place to be, a role to play and a reason for existence. All these senseless bickering in the body is pointless.

Lesson from Matthew

Matthew 6:25-7:28

Do not worry.
God will take care of you.

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
Everything else will be taken care of.

The way you measure others
will be how you will be measured.

A sk. It shall be given.
S eek. You shall find.
K nock. It shall be open.

Dont ask, won't get.
Don't seek, won't find.
Don't knock, won't open.

Do unto others what you will have them do unto you.

People are known by their fruit.
Who you truly are will be revealed by your fruit.
So bear good fruit.

Build your life on God the Rock, not on man.
Listen and do what He has to say.
He knows more than you anyway.

Political lies

I am liking my American Government class by Prof. Jack Goodyear. I think his is one of the beneficial classes in DBU...and there are not many I have come across in this place called United States...

Anyways, one reason why I am enjoying this class is the quality of discussion on the online discussion board. Here's this week's question which I totally enjoyed answering. Have fun!

Question: Political philosophers such as Plato and Edmund Burke believe that political leaders are often forced to lie to protect the public. Do you agree with this? Does a Christian politician have a right to lie if revealing the truth might cause harm? Why or why not?

> If a politician has come to a place where he has to lie to protect the public, then I say that he has been lying all the while to protect himself. I think it is important to lead well, and lead with honesty and integrity. If I, as a politician, am truthful, honest and integrous from the beginning, then I should have no problem being honest with the public about the latest tragedy or impending disaster. Of course, this is a matter of tact and how the issue is presented.

I have to agree with some of the posts already about how there is a difference between outright lying and revealing only certain portions of the truth so as not to arouse unrest from the public. In the end, the whole truth must be presented, and the public will be thankful that they were not misled. Nevertheless, in order to come to this relationship between the politician and the public, there must already be a bond of trust and sincerity between them. In this, the timing in the revealing of details is definitely crucial. A good politician/leader is one who understands any given situation, accurately gauges the right timing, and with tact and wisdom, presents it in a way that unifies the public to respond favourably. This is what I call leadership.

As for Christian politicians, the answer is all the more clear: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” In other words, no lying. No disputes necessary. Period.

In the style of King Solomon’s proverbs and wise sayings, I’d like to say it this way: Better is impending harm from telling the truth than artificial peace from a telling a lie.

Stepping Stones

In my previous post, I mentioned that in the world, particularly in the business world, people tend to step on each other to rise to the top. In fact, I still remember the idea that someone I have respected all my life posed to me, "If you dont step on them, they will step on you. Why let them step on you when you're better than them?"

I ended with a very big question: "Where's the love?"

See, we all say we have love. We live in a world where everybody and anybody can say "I love you" and yet don't really mean what they say. We say it to our dogs, cats, our TVs, magazines, the internet, to sex, celebrities, our cars, motorbikes, our food, (the list goes on)... And then we say it to our spouses, our children, our families and loved ones. Have we really lost the essence of what those three words really mean?

With what the world thinks about stepping on others, here's a counter-idea presented to us by a very well known scholar and philosopher:

"Let love be without hypocrisy...be devoted to one another in love; giving preference to one another in honor."

"Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others."

Instead of stepping on others to rise to the top, the greater glory is revealed when we allow ourselves to be the stepping stones so others can rise to the top. This is who we are called to be as Christians.

2 Timothy 4:5

But YOU,
be watchful, alert, and sober in all things,
endure hardship and afflictions,
preach the Good News,
fulfill your ministry.

I just cant hold it in anymore: gotta let it out! But before you continue reading this post, please read my post [click] on the dream I had a few days ago.

I love reading. I'm the kind of person that reads multiple books at a time. I read the book, bookmark it and then leave it for days, sometimes weeks for another book before I continue reading it again. Well, the very same evening I had my dream, I picked up this book by Randy Alcorn called "The Treasure Principle" that I had placed a marker on, and continued reading from there. Here is the excerpt of what I read that day that rocked my world.

After exposing the Laodiceans' spiritual poverty hiddel beneath their wealth, Jesus offered them real treasures: "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich" (Revelation 3:18).

When Christ returns, the world "will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in ti will be laid bare" (2 Peter 3:10). Does that sound depressing? It would be depressing if this world were our home. But it isn't! It would be depressing if we couldn't use our lives and resources to make a difference for eternity. But we can!

C.S. Lewis put it this way: "We are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased (The Weight of Glory).

Even many Christians have settled for a life of unsatisfying material acquisitions, like making mud pies in a slum. There's something so much better than anything the world can offer--eternal treasures and exhilarating joy.

Eternal things are so much more worth than material wealth. YET there's something so much better than anything the world can offer--

ETERNAL TREASURES & EXHILARATING JOY!

YFN 2007

Just a quick update about what we did last week...we went for a youth summer camp with our church youth to Youth For the Nations at CFNI...it was incredible.

We had about 15 youth at the camp, we stayed at the church at night, so it was almost like a daycamp for us, and i guess the youth really loved the games and sessions. But to me the most rewarding experience is to see them experience the Lord in such a real way, and i have so much joy in my heart to know that i was there to witness it all!!

one guy in our group gave his heart to Jesus for the first time; about 4 of them got baptised in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues; one of our youth leaders got miraculously healed from scoliosis; several of them were set free from anger, bitterness, addictions, hate, and unforgiveness; one of them discovered his gift and purpose for living; a couple of them received deliverance from demonic influences; several of them got touched by God and cried for the first time in a service; and ALL of them rededicated their lives to God!!

we know that we're treading on the devil's tail here...we know because there have been attacks on some of the youths' families and on them themselves. I know Lynn and I have been praying hard against the work of the enemy; BUT WE KNOW that victory is on our side! The war has been won and the battle is the Lord's!! He has given us EVERY AUTHORITY ( come ouuunnn, somebody shouttttt in this placceee!!)

so we give God all the glory and honour and praise!! To Him to sits on the throne over all the universe, He is able to set you free from all and any bondage. Trust in Him.

And for those who pray with us, please join us in prayer as we seek the Lord for a fresh direction for the youth ministry here. We want to start fresh, passionate, and on fire for God...and right now is the time!!

Holy Spirit unless you show up, then all we do is in vain! SHOW UP! SPEAK! CHANGE LIVES! CONVICT OUR HEARTS! FOR YOUR GLORY!!!!!

The time has come...

Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? Time sure does fly by!

Anyways, many things have been going on the last 2 months, and God has been really real our lives, for both Pheng and I. For those of you still in the dark, we are getting married in June in Malaysia. Yesss, the date is finally set, and we will be walking down that aisle very soon!

It's a long story of how God made this all possible, but basically just the fact that He knew the desires of our hearts, He provided the means necessary for the wedding and the dinner, and He gave us the opportune time for this to happen. And in all these, He showed us again and again through a series of confirmation and reminding us that He is working all things out for us. Our plans to get married was not until early 2008 (maybe even later) but God's plan is always best. How could we refuse this?! It would be foolishness and plain stupidity! And so, it is to God's plan that we submit out lives and this decision to get married!

People, all who are reading this: I want you all to know that God is real and He is interested in our lives. When I say "our" I mean YOU and EVERYBODY plus ME! His plans do not confuse us, or bring destruction or aimlessness, but the Bible says that from the beginning of time, even before you or I were even conceived in our mother's wombs, He has thought of us and destined great things for our future to prosper and not to harm us. The only thing we need to do is to trust and believe Him.

Friends, do you believe? I mean, truly believe?

water issues

One of my favouritest verses in the Bible is Philippians 4:8

Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things.

Every once in a while, actually, more often than not, I realise that the reason I get so troubled about things is because I dwell so much on the negative side. It's probably only human to mull over negative things and allow them to overwhelm me, but being human is not good enough an excuse for bad attitudes and negative thinking. As Christians, followers of Christ, believers in the One and true God, we are charged to think positively. Just like that famous analogy of the half cup of water. Do we look at it as half empty, or half full? If half empty, then we will never be satisfied because nothing will be enough. If half full, then we will always be thankful to God for whatever we get, even if it is just a half cup of water. This is one of the ways we live out our higher calling; this is how we become a testimony to those who do not yet know Christ or understand His teachings--when we live a life that says "We face difficult circumstances, but we are not overwhelmed because everything and anything is, can be and will be solved."

But the problem with us is, like I said, we dont dwell enough on the good things but we see the negative side of things and allow our attitude and our thinking to be distorted. Everything then becomes about ME, how I deserve better than this, how this is not working out for ME, how life is so unfair to me, how dare other people treat ME this way, I'm not getting what I want, etc., etc., etc.

The world becomes a sad and sorry place when this happens. We lose respect for others when this happens. Although we can rationalise that we should expect the worse, honestly, even that rational thinking is warped because everything is centered on the self. So while the world and the people in the world turn into a nasty bunch, we forget that we are turning ourselves into one of them. Selfish, Nasty, Unreasonable, Unforgiving.

Oh God, help me not to be anything like that. I want to learn to love like you do, Jesus. Help me to live with and show Your compassion, Your love. Help me to live with honour and respect for others. Help me to prefer others above myself, and to love them with all my heart. Help me, Oh God, to be just like you. Make me a testimony to the world of Your love and grace. Make me reflect you, Jesus.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should also love one another. By this all shall know that you are My disciples, if you have love toward one another. (John 13:34-35)

The solution? Dwell on the good things! Even in the midst of trouble, there is good in it! Look at the silver lining in every cloud and remember that the light and clear skies will follow. What good is it when we mull over things and let our attitudes reflect our troubles, when we can let our troubles reflect the greatness and sovereignty our God? He is able, and we must believe it, and LIVE it!

How do YOU look at YOUR half cup of water?

Finally, my brothers, whatever things are TRUE, whatever things are HONEST, whatever things are RIGHT, whatever things are PURE, whatever things are LOVELY, whatever things are OF GOOD REPORT; if there is any VIRTUE and if there is any PRAISE, think on these things.

So here we are, at a new year, with new plans, new ideas, new challenges, and new opportunities!

I want to start this year off--albeit 3 weeks into it now--afresh, renewed, REFRESHED! Hence my banner...nice, isn't it? And what about the oranges? Let's just say this particular species of citrus fruits is one of my favourites.

In the last few weeks I have am learning to live this verse out in my life:

"Let your speech be always with grace, having been seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. - Colossians 4:6 MKJV

Isn't it so much easier to lash out at someone? Yes, but it is hurtful and destructive. Isn't it more convenient to complain? Yes, but it reveals lack rather than a wealth of character. In the Psalms we see that God is slow to anger and rich in mercy (Ps 103 and 145), and in Proverbs 16:32 we know that "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city."

To all my friends out there, back home in good 'ole Penang, here in Dallas, all over the world...
I love all of you. May God bless you and keep you. May He shine His face upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift up His face to you and give you peace.



Hugs, people. =)

no trouble at all...

Dear family and friends...

Some verses for us today from John 14. Please keep praying for Michel...and believing that God is in control and working all things for the good of those who love Him.

"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me." (1)

Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." (6)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." (12-14)

"I will not leave you as orphans." (18)

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (27)

We can do great things. Only believe.

Mimi...we're praying with you.

No such thing as coincidences...

and the following is no superstition either!!

it's been 6 hrs.

John 11 tells the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus. John 11 is the scripture for Lynn and I today. Michel's dad's body is right now in the morgue, but death was not part of the promise Michel heard from God and shared with us many months back.

As I shared with a colleague to keep praying, he shared with me how his mom had died about 5 years ago. She was clinically dead for 18 hrs, but came back to life. She is alive to this day. Coincidence that I would hear a story like that? No. It's a faith-stirrer!

Let's stir up our faith!! Death cannot prevail. Life is in God's hands, and His promises for this man are yet to be fulfilled...LETS HAVE FAITH, for without faith it is impossible to please God...and with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible to him who believes!

Life is gonna happen. Soon. Believe it.