Mega Lame Cell

Our cell member just accepted Christ~!

2009-09-03T12:37:00.003+08:00

Let's all put our hand together for Adeline Loh as she accepted Christ in YA Retreat on 31st August 2009 at about 10.30-ish! Yay~!

All the heavens are rejoicing and the angels blowing their trumpet~! Can you imagine that? What a beautiful sight that would be!

To be honest, I'm super duper duper duper happy~! hehehe.....I'll add some images here of the YA retreat once I get them yea? See ya all at cell. :)

Our cell member just got water baptized! ~Woo Hoo~!

2009-08-17T08:32:00.007+08:00

Our "kinda new" cell member just got baptized! Su Yin got baptize at Glad Tiding's Petaling Jaya on 16th Aug 2009. Here are some pictures of the baptism. I think the pictures speak louder than words can say. haha...

Prayer before the baptism...

Su Yin: "When is my turn? Can't wait!"

Su Yin: "Oo, warm water!"
PJK: "Careful, don't slip!"

1...2...3...GO~!

Yay~! All the heavens are rejoicing~!

Finally, all the roses join in to take a picture with the thorn. Haha...I mean the other way round. :P

Secret Barnabas

2009-07-31T12:00:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

We have officially 're-launched' the Secret Barnabas project with more people this time round. For the next two months, this post will be kept at the top on the blog so that any comments can be anonymously posted here.

Remember that the whole purpose of the exercise is to encourage one another anonymously, whether through a message here, an sms through an unknown phone, or a gift/card/message sent through someone else.

Please do not reveal who your 'Secret Barnabee' is so that it remains a complete secret until we reveal it two months later! Ready, set, go!

(Just click on the comments section below this post to write an anonymous comment)

O-Bento of Love

2009-05-19T09:06:00.002+08:00

As I woke up to the sound of clanging and banging, sounds of fork and spoon clashing together, I was curious who could it be making all that ruckus?! I thought it must a be thief! So I woke up slowly and open the door, light starting to flood in my room, I start creep, every step so slowly and gently, then Sasha rushed out suddenly I was like "Sasha!" then I peeked......I saw my mom in the kitchen preparing sushi roll with a twist of hot dog, eggs and a-cha and Sasha was jumping around hoping to get some as she always do. haha. I was relieved and walked to the bathroom to refresh myself and get myself ready for work.... (this was at 6.30am)

Then I found out that my mom actually woke up at 4.30am to prepare the sushi rice and was awake since to prepare all of us a SUPER breakfast of sushi roll. And I thought to myself, WOW! so much love was put into the breakfast, then I drove to work happily and during the whole time of driving to work, my mind was all set and focus on the bento tupperware of sushi. hahaha....

Do you know that God also prepare us a bento of love as well? Actually, He doesn't even sleep just to plan and craft our day for us! Imagine your bento would be packed with some blessing, some adversities, some people that He planned for you to meet, and so much more! Just to see us grow and mature. And He does so EVERYDAY! He does so withouth FAIL! And He does so for EVERYONE! Did I emphasize this enough? EVERYONE, yes EVERYONE OF US! How much of LOVE was put into that bento of ours? I would say it is A LOT~! INFINITE! That's how valuable He sees everyone of us. We are all a Child of GOD!

So embrace today with the assurance that it is filled with love from our God. Look forward to the day ahead! We are all Valuable, Secure and Significant in God's eyes. That's how He sees us. He has plan for all of us, a plan to prosper and not to harm us in any way.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow" (James 1:2-3)

Last Friday at Cell 15th May 2009

2009-05-19T08:46:00.008+08:00

Last Friday at cell it was a blast! We did an Ice Breaker called "You are Chosen to..." and everyone had so much fun! Here's a few clip of what we did!

We also celebrated Say Leng birthday as well. Here's some photo of the handsome fella. haha. Happy Birthday, Say Leng! Also not forgetting, Edwin our beloved cell member officially accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior! The angels in heavens are rejoicing!

Cake from Crystal

Verse of the day

2009-05-11T14:30:00.000+08:00

This verse spoke to me today as I sat in my Monday blues... =P The Message version of the bible comes up with some pretty interesting interpretatiions. It shouldn't be used as a primary reference point for the Word but it is powerful and not boring to read, nonetheless.

"One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. All sunshine and sovereign is God, generous in gifts and glory. He doesn't scrimp with his traveling companions. It's smooth sailing all the way with God-of-the-Angel-Armies."

~Psalm 84:10-12 (Taken from The Message version)~

Ministry: Shaped to Serve

2009-04-28T12:20:00.001+08:00

by Rick Warren

God formed every creature on this planet with a special area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, and some fly. Each has a particular role to play based on the way they were shaped by God. The same is true with humans. Each of us is uniquely designed, or "shaped," to do certain things.

Before architects design any new building they first ask, "What will be its purpose? How will it be used?" The intended function always determines the form of the building.

Before God created you, he decided what role he wanted you to play on earth. He planned exactly how he wanted you to serve him, and then he shaped you for those tasks. You are the way you are because you were made for a specific ministry.

The Bible says, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works" (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). Our English word "poem" comes from this Greek word translated "workmanship." You're God's handcrafted work of art. You're not an assembly-line product, mass-produced without thought. You're a custom designed, one-of-a-kind, original masterpiece.

God deliberately shaped and formed you to serve him in a way that makes your ministry unique. He carefully mixed the DNA recipe that created you. David praised God for this incredible personal attention to detail God gave in designing each of us: "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous" (Psalm 139:13-14 NLT).

Not only did God shape you before your birth, he planned every day of your life to support his shaping process. David continues, "Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed" (Psalm 139:16 NLT).

This means nothing that happens in your life is insignificant. God uses all of it to mold you for your ministry to others and shape you for your service to him.

God never wastes anything. He would not give you abilities, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences unless he intended to use them for his glory. By identifying and understanding these factors you can discover God's will for your life.

The Bible says you are "wonderfully complex." You're a combination of many different factors: "The people I have shaped for myself will broadcast my praises" (Isaiah 43:21 NJB).

(I was reading this devotional today and it really spoke into my heart. It is so powerful to read the word of God in a simple devotional. We are "God's workmanship", His 'handcrafted work of art', a 'custom designed, one-of-a-kind, original masterpiece'.

How awesome is that?

He shaped each of us for a wonderful and specific purpose - each of abilities, experiences, idiosyncrasies can be used for His glory when committed to Him.

The pain that we go through is not wasted. The joys of our victory in Him are not short-lived but are sustained because they are true victories in Jesus that we can testify of forever.

Hope you've been blessed - have a great week ahead! =)

Chik Chak!

2009-04-23T12:00:00.002+08:00

Does anyone have a secret ambition to be a photographer? Or maybe just have a passion for taking pictures as a hobby?

There is an exciting event coming up this Labour Day just for you!

Details are as follows:

Date: 1 May

Time : Morning to Lunch Time

Team: 7 to 10 pax per team

Cost : RM10 per person

Flag Off : GTPJ Section 13

Finishing Line : GTPJ Section 13

General rules:

1. Each team will be given a no of items to hunt and take a photo of that item within a set time at various locations. Each team is only allowed to submit One Memory Card (its not the camera that counts, its how creative your team takes the shot and whether u follow instructions properly. If you use more than one camera, please remember that u can only submit ONE Memory Card, so the team needs to think how they can put all the photos into that one stick).

2. There will be clues and criteria set to successfully complete each item.

3. A panel of judges will judge and rate the photos on a point system according to the set criteria.

4. Top 3 teams with the most point will WIN Prizes!

5. Its not about speed, its about team work, planning & creativity that will determine the winner!!

We're looking to register at least one team from our cell so please inform me if you want to join or if you have friends in your OIKOS you want to invite. I'll communicate more on it during cell tomorrow!

(The deadline for registration is this Saturday.)

Something very exciting...

2009-04-22T16:20:00.002+08:00

is coming up!

Influence Conference 2009 is happening on 24-25 July with a very relevant theme of Challenging times.

"With this global economic meltdown, this is the best time for Christian young adults to show and prove to an unbelieving world that the Word of God is true.

The principles of the Word of God not only remain relevant but prove that it can bring prosperity.

There is no better time than to influence the market place and let them know that God means what He said in His Word 'He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage' – Pro 11:28"

Rev Clement Wong
Director Youth Alive Malaysia

Block it off on your calenders and come for a time of learning and discussion of how to apply biblical principles to face this time of uncertainty, turbulence and fear.

See you there!

Nathanael WALKED!

2009-04-15T12:02:00.004+08:00

Received an email from Daren saying that Nathanael walked~! I was so blessed by the message. You know, I was thinking about it and I'm ashamed of myself. All I think about everyday is "Oh man, what should I do? My boss is resigning, my designer is resigning and my copywriter just disappear like that! What should I do?". What lack of FAITH!

We all have someOne that is able to do the IMPOSSIBLE. He has promised that He will not leave us even if we lost in our own ways. He has promised to grant the desires of your heart. He is the One who send His own Son to die on the cross for our sins. That is our God, our Father.

As long as you believed in Him, He will guide you through the storm. He will never put you in a position where you not able to handle the situation. So think about it, if you are thinking about questions like "what should I do in this time of uncertainty?" "What am I suppose to do?" "Will I lose my job" and etc etc. I urge you to be still and know that He is God. :) Nothing is impossible for God.

Let's all continue to pray for Nathanael's quick recovery. :) Anyway, here's the email from Daren:

Nathanael achieved a new milestone on Good Friday, he was standing up (unassisted) and decided to take few steps (unassisted) on His own in church! We are really so Blest ... and we wanna Praise God for touching Nathanael! TQ so much for all your prayers, we’ve been “wanting” and waiting for Nathanael to walk for the longest time, and amazingly ... on Good Friday he did. So so so so Awesome!! U can watch a video of him today @ school Walking –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjmI_WZ58hg
http://www.darentiff.com/2009/04/14/photos-video-of-nathanael-standing/

God is Amazing! I’ve shared this with the worship team, and would like to encourage you all with what happened a week ago . .. . . . .. Just the Saturday before the Easter Weekend on 4^th April, PGC & I were worship leading, when Ps Julie came up and took over the service whilst we sang “At The Cross”. After PJK challenged the congregation, we continued singing the song.

When we hit the Bridge of the song ...

You Tore The Veil

You Made The Way

When You Said That It Is Done

.. .. it was just at that point ... when the Holy Spirit spoke into my Heart. “Daren, Nathanael’s Healing It Is Done!” Wah... it was an extremely powerful Word that came to me and tears were just running down and i was like YES LORD!!. It was the Rhema Word of God speaking so distinctly and so clearly ... It Is Done!! So after sharing that with the worship team back stage on what i experienced, i went out and share with Tiff what God spoke about Nathanael..... and guess what?

Tiff was worshipping in front and just at that same moment... when we sang the bridge of At The Cross, the Holy Spirit also spoke to her that’s Nathanael’s condition... IT IS DONE! Amazing! God is Amazing! He works on a Stereo Sound effect, ... u know what i mean, God chose to speak to both the father and the mother and not just one of us. That strengthens our faith even more! And we were just giving Thanks everyday, and proclaiming the Finish Work of God over Nathanael .... and in less than one week .... Nathanael Walks!

See ..... sorry for being so cheong hei ... but the above Praise Report cant be kept in, i hope u are blest! That whatever your need is... God has a plan for you and your life, and He is not slow to His promise! Just wait on him and claim His promise daily!!! Woo Hoo!! God is GREAT!!!

See you this friday!

Take Care of Your Body!

2009-03-27T12:00:00.000+08:00

I read this and found it very relevant to me! I hardly have enough sleep most days and I eat so much unhealthy food during mamak. Just something interesting to read and think about. Enjoy!

Your Love Prescription: Take Care of Your Body!
by Rick Warren

In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage:

"You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands" (Psalm 119:73 NLT).

Many of us are just too tired to love. We want to build deep relationships with those we care about, like family and friends. We want to love people in our community who are hurting. But we're just too tired. You can't love when you're tired.

What happens to your relationships when you're out of energy? Little issues become big problems and love withers. It takes physical energy to listen to people and put their needs first. I'm convinced that many married couples could avoid spending time with a divorce lawyer if they spent a little more time with a mattress salesman or a personal trainer.

The Bible mentions three habits that will refresh you physically and give you the strength to love others.

1. Get regular rest. "It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest" (Psalm 127:2 LB). Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. Too tired to love your spouse and kids? Your problem isn't spiritual, it's physical. Get some sleep!

2. Eat a balanced diet. "You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws" (Psalm 119:73 LB). God made your body to use a certain combination of foods as its energy source. Eating right will help give you the energy you need to love more faithfully.

3. Exercise regularly. "...Honor the Lord with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20 NIV). Our bodies were made for activity. In biblical times they didn't have to exercise. People walked everywhere. They did physical work. But we have a sedentary life and drive everywhere we go. We need to exercise regularly.

Beyond Tears

2009-03-25T15:20:00.001+08:00

Guess what?

We have our very own GT Easter Drama production coming up on 10th and 11th April!!! It's called Beyond Tears and we have people from our cell and our 'extended' cell involved in it so let's show all the support that we can. =)

"When 21 year old Kevin’s life comes to an abrupt halt, his parents are faced with many unexpected decisions. As their only child’s life unfolds before them, they realize that the decisions they make now will not only affect them. Will they be able to find strength amidst their pain and grief? What will they find when they look beyond their tears?"

These are graphic files of the brochures if you want to e-mail out to any of your friends or family! I have higher quality pictures if you need them - just tell me and I'll send them across.

Venue: Glad Tidings PJ, No 6 Jalan 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya
Friday 10 April 09, 8.30pm
Saturday 11 April 09, 5.00pm

Additional links for information:

Beyond Tears on GTPJ.com
Beyond Tears on Facebook
Beyond Tears Video Teaser on Youtube

TTDI cell reunited!

2009-03-23T15:20:00.001+08:00

I was just remembering the roots of our cell group today. From Section 19, to SS2, to Seapark, to Ara Jaya and now to Taman Tun. Over 10 years, three multiplications and two restructurings later, we have progressed to the place that we are today.

God's grace and faithfulness have continued to be so evident in and through all the lives of the cell members, and it's so encouraging for me to look back and see His mighty right hand at work the whole time.

After so many years of being involved, I don't feel burnt out or tired in cell (although there are seasons that I have before); I'm as excited or even more excited of what the future holds than when I started out.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a great year with God!

(This is our 'manual' superman pose =P)

The Fallacy of Full-Time Christian Work

2009-03-19T16:50:00.001+08:00

by Os Hillman

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." - Colossians 3:23-24

"I didn't know you were in full-time Christian work," said my close friend as we were driving. "I didn't realize that," she went on. I responded, "Every person who has followed the will of God in their life is in full-time Christian work." God calls some to the mission field, others to be accountants, and others to be advertising executives, and still others to be construction workers. God never made a distinction between sacred and secular. In fact, the Hebrew word avodah is the root word having the same meaning of "work" and "worship." God sees our work as worship.

We have incorrectly elevated the role of the Christian worker to be more holy and committed than the person who is serving in a more secular environment. Yet the call to the secular workplace is as important as any other calling. God has to have His people in every sphere of life. Otherwise, many would never come to know Him because they would be separated from society.

I learned this lesson personally when I sought to go into "full-time" service as a pastor in my late twenties, only to have God thrust me back into the business world unwillingly. This turned out to be the best thing He could have done for me, because it was never His will for me to be a pastor. He knew I was more suited for the workplace.

We are all in missions. Some are called to foreign lands. Some are called to the jungles of the workplace. Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience Him through you today and see your vocation as worship to His glory.

(I found this article simple and yet very relevant to each of us. Hope you enjoyed the read! =)

The Wongs

2009-03-18T10:15:00.001+08:00

Su Wong marries Lee Wong. The next year, the Wongs have a new baby.

The nurse brings out a lovely, healthy, bouncy, but definitely a Caucasian, WHITE baby boy.

"Congratulations!" says the nurse to the new parents.

"Well Mr. Wong, what will you and Mrs. Wong name the baby?"

The puzzled father looks at his new baby boy and says,

"Well, two Wong's don't make a white, so I think we will name him..."

Sum Ting Wong

Fruit gender

2009-03-10T11:20:00.002+08:00

What do you call a female papaya?

Mamaya.

A new beginning

2009-03-06T13:40:00.005+08:00

(Some more nostalgic cell pics...we really have to take more new pictures!)

This thought came to mind this afternoon: Today is the first day for the rest of your life. I just felt that something new is happening in our cell, in the members' lives, and that this year is going to be quite an amazing one with God. Challenging, yes. But filled with purpose and progress. =)

I've been checking the blog stats and noticed that for the last two days, hardly anyone came to visit. That's probably the result of me blogging on the cell blog so irregularly nowadays. I'm committing to changing that and I will provide updates, thoughts, testimonies and anything else appropriate at least once a week. Anyone who wants to write here, please do inform me and I will put you on the author's list (but you will need a google or blogger account set up I think, if you don't have one already).

How has your prayer and fasting gone this week? I have a confession to make. I've never kept to my fasting commitments for an extended period of time until this week. Since Sunday, I had fasted lunch and after almost a week, I am seeing changes happen in my spiritual walk...things that I did not anticipate and even things that I did not really want to happen.

I just want to share a bit. Every night, when I try to sleep, I've been feeling such a burden to pray and I've been praying for all of you by name and for your situations, many times crying (So manly, right?). But I'm sensing a change in the spiritul atmosphere and in my faith level, and I strongly feel that there will be a breakthrough in many of our lives as a result of this month's focus. Please join me even as we fast and pray for God's hand, breakthrough and presence to pour out on our lives and those around us in March.

Tonight, we're officially moving our cell venue to Sarah's house. I keep saying this but we're really so blessed to have her mom open up the house to us. It is such a great place to have cell and to achieve our cell's purpose. I'm believing God for spiritual growth and maturity this year. I'm believing God that our cell will grow and reach out to more people. And I'm believing God for multiplication this year for our cell. Time to rise up and take our position in the kingdom of God.

Finally, the emphasis this month is on being positioned for service. The verse given is from Ephesians 4:11-12: "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be build up." To each person, God has provided giftings, and I challenge each of us to try to find those giftings and begin activating them to bless and honour Him.

See you all tonight! I'm excited about cell because we're having some of the transitioning college cell members joining us from today. I hope Aunty cooks...Hahaha! So very hungry already...

Double portion

2009-02-23T17:41:00.004+08:00

Hi all,

The last two weeks we discussed on Elijah and Elisha in our cell meetings. When I read this devotion today, I realised that it is very relevant to what we have been sharing in cell.

Do we have the hunger to have a greater anointing than our leaders, not to be better than them, but to accomplish more for God?

The devotion is shown below. Hope that it blesses you!

A Man Who Has God's Favor
by Os Hillman

"...Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you." - Zechariah 8:23

Few men of God have become extraordinary people of faith without the influence of mentors. A mentor is one who takes responsibility for the spiritual and, sometimes, physical care of another. It requires a commitment from the teacher and the student.

Elijah mentored Elisha. Elisha became one of the greatest prophets in the entire Bible. One of the primary reasons for this was Elisha's hunger. Elisha wanted a double portion of Elijah's spirit. It was this hunger that drove Elisha to be sold out to God's purposes for his life.

I have been privileged to have had many mentors throughout my spiritual life. In each stage of my maturity, God brought new mentors who had unique gifts that the previous mentor did not have. God has given me the hunger to desire a double portion of those positive attributes of my mentors. This desire is sorely missing among many today. I fail to see the hunger among many who could be used greatly in the Kingdom. Instead, the cares of this world distract them. It is an attitude of a la carte versus an attitude of pressing in to the full measure of what God might have for them.

Who are the people of God He has placed in your life? Are you learning from them? Are you seeking a double portion of their anointing? What prevents you from gaining from their wisdom and experience? God may have brought them into your life to prepare you to be a man or woman of God with great anointing. However, there is a time of training and waiting to prove out your own faith. Ask God today if there is someone He would have you mentor or be mentored by.

I am sad...

2009-02-20T17:40:00.001+08:00

that I can't make it for cell today.

I was so excited over this week's cell especially because we have so many new faces joining us.

Haha, I wonder if I can ponteng the seminar at church to go for cell...maybe I'll sneak out early. =P

Well, tonight's going to be an important time of learning about the TCC cell model while you all have fun at cell! I'll make sure to keep you all updated on how we will be transitioning to the new model (not Cindy Crawford).

Have an awesome time at cell everyone!

(By the way, that's our assistant cell leader in the picture...=)

Cell life

2009-02-05T17:50:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Cell starts up again tomorrow. I really miss you all and I'm expecting awesome things for this year.

Don't know why I was feeling so nostalgic today looking through old cell pictures and I decided to post up one. Wah...really miss the other side as well. We should really get together for a combined dinner sometime.

Will share more soon about this year and what I envision. By the way, this month focuses on being positioned for success (Nehemiah 2:20). Haha! Who wants prayer for a promotion? =P

Hope to see you all tomorrow then. Take care, yea?

Our New Cell Members!

2009-01-19T09:30:00.010+08:00

Our cell leader has always said this "Our cell is truly blessed!" and I agree to that. Not only has the cell multiplied, even our cell members have multiplied! Introducing our new cell members! (Aren't they cute!)

Marcus Jay Wong (Bergson & Mei's Son)
*Look like Bergson (personal opinnion..hehe)*

Naomi (Crystal Bee & Husband's Daughter)
Naomi was so busy that she fell asleep while talking on the phone. hahaha.

The proud mother and father
Marcus: Yawn~* Why all these people looking at me?

Crystal and Naomi (Naomi Full Moon Party)

Crystal, Naomi & Felicia
Naomi still on the phone. Wonder how Crystal's gonna pay for the phone bill. hahahaha....

The mothers are discussing the marriage plans already. hahaha. (Just kidding)

Verses to start the year

2009-01-09T16:30:00.001+08:00

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19a

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

Even as each of us enters into the new year, realise that God is doing something new. Something new in Church, in cell and in each of our lives.

Where there used to be only desert land and wasteland, there will be streams and pathways. He will form an oasis in the middle of a parched desert and life will spring forth from it.

There are three questions that are essential to build on:

1. What new thing is God doing? (In Church, cell and your life)
2. Do you want to be involved in what God is doing?
3. If you want to be involved, to what extent (how much) do you want to get involved?

Answering these three questions will provide a starting indication of God's will for you in this season (if you're curious about what it is =). As you evaluate them, do so knowing with complete assurance that God's master plan works for the good of those who love Him.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".

Jeremiah 29:11

Year of Positioning

2009-01-08T15:50:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Tomorrow is our first cell of 2009 and I thought I’d write a post to communicate the vision for this year in Church as shared by Pastor Vincent last weekend.

Last year was the Year of Empowerment and this year is the Year of Positioning!

The verse that we’ll be referring to as a basis is from Ephesians 4:16:

“From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

The main message is that every person in the body of Christ has an important purpose and part to play. Each of us are very different as individuals but have a perfect fit in the body, that has been set aside for us by God. When one part of the body hurts, the rest of the body suffers along.

In 1 Corinthians 12:18, the verse states that, “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be”.

I’m excited for this year. We’ve shared so many experiences together as a cell; within cell meetings playing ice breakers, worshipping together and discussing the relevance of the Word in our daily lives, as well as outside cell meetings with boardgames, sports, countless mamak sessions and dinners.

We went through multiplication into two cells and several harvest events, including the recent LIITA event which was the largest harvest event we’ve ever tried to handle (Yen’s side had 41 people and our side had 39 people attending). Two cell members had their first baby son, Marcus. We supported each other through job changes, migration plans, family and financial situations, mean bosses and tyre punctures.

2008 was an awesome year. It wasn’t easy by any means with many challenges and rough times but I’ve seen many individuals grow and develop even as they learn to trust God through their trials. It was a year of transition and the power of God was demonstrated in our lives many times even as He remained faithful.

I’m believing God for a greater 2009, where each cell member is going to find their place in the body of Christ, understand the purpose for which God has prepared for them, and be positioned there effectively. It will be a year of growth and and a year of release.

I’m constantly grateful for all of you and the way you have been involved in cell. Thank you for your support and love. It was an honour to serve with and alongside many of you.

Happy New Year.

LIITA - Random pictures

2009-01-05T13:00:00.001+08:00

(Last LIITA picture post)

Wah, thanks Bergson for taking all the pictures! I didn't realise how many pictures you took even though you were running around, organising food and talking to people. =) Really appreciate it!

LIITA - The programme

2009-01-05T12:00:00.001+08:00

Now for the main Christmas programme!

This guy...put people to sleep. =P

All the 'interested' listeners.

It got a bit more exciting when each group of five needed to complete a challenge to proceed with the programme. Here are some pictures of the intense discussions on how to fulfil the challenges!

OK, discussion and preparation over. The first group steps up to do their best "Ho ho ho!" for 20 seconds.

I have to say that Colin did a pretty good Santa impersonation.

The second group sang a whole carol only using the words "Baa Ram Ewe" over and over again.

The third group had a fun sleigh ride with 4 reindeer and one big Santa behind with a whip. Haha!

The fourth group had to act out a scene where Santa has to make his way down a really skinny chimney!

The fifth group had to do the turkey walk.

But actually, all I see is Edwin showing everyone how to do a really...unique turkey walk. =P

The sixth and final group had to act like snowflakes falling in the wind, responding to every change of wind direction as a team.

Applause from everyone for the great job they did!

LIITA - Caroling

2009-01-05T10:30:00.000+08:00

It can't be a Christmas event without singing Christmas carols!

We decided to try the trumpet version of Feliz Navidad.

Introducing the guitarist and song sheet holder for the night...

LIITA - Chow time

2009-01-05T09:00:00.004+08:00

For many people, this was the highlight of the evening...Haha! =P

LIITA - The ice breaker

2009-01-04T10:00:00.007+08:00

After appetisers, mingling and waiting for any latecomers, we proceeded with our first game: Human Bingo! We found out many interesting things about people in this game because we used pretty unusual characteristics this time...like who has farted in public, peed in their bed...

Wei Yeen, the game master explaining the rules.

The eventual winner of the game, Siew Wen!
(Must be Singaporean since she finished so quickly. Haha!)

LIITA - The preparation

2009-01-02T12:00:00.008+08:00

On the day itself, five people took the day off to anchor the preparation for the event. I just want to say a big thank you for the support and involvement of everyone all the way from planning, to coming early to help set up, to bringing friends, and even in how you took the effort to connect.

We started out the event with a big empty hall, with completely white walls and ceilings, and only 2 tables and less than 20 chairs provided. There was a lot of work to do to get things ready.

Here was the result.

We set up and decorated not one, but two Christmas trees, along with another small white one on the table. (I don't think I'll ever experience putting up and taking down two trees in one day ever again!)

Kah Fai's teddy bears...
(KF: it's actually not mine...it's Adeline's lar)

These were really fun to do! We had cut out cardboard and sprayed some snow spray to get these decorations.

It turned out really well in the evening when it was dark outside against the tinted windows. =)

Adeline added some nice finishing touches to the table where guests would sign in and fill in the contact details card. (Guys just aren't good with these details!)

Cute cut-outs of hearts, gingerbread men and Christmas trees to add some colour to the walls.

Balloons provided by the Church. We were wondering what was the best way to put them up and found an effective way to display the Love Is In The Air theme using double sided tape!

The hall was so big that we could use one side for food and one side for games. We brought three Ikea standing lights so we could switch off the glaring fluorescent lights and add a more romantic atmosphere. =P

On top of cooking the food, Bergson managed to find time to make many straw bundles out of green and red straw that we lined the ceiling beams with. It helped to add Christmas colours to the event - really liked how it turned out!

Now for the food! Bergson and Sian Jeen really outdid themselves, with a big thank you also to those who helped to bring some of the dishes, particularly to Kah Fai's mom who helped to cook, Colin who brought fresh Australian cherries and delicious garlic bread and Crystal who baked cute cupcakes.

I won't go into too much detail because I wouldn't do the food justice but it was like a three-course meal. Appetisers with dips while waiting for latecomers, food galore for the main courses such as pasta with 2 different sauces, fried chicken drummets and a sausage onion dish, and desserts of cup cakes, jelly and cherries! I'm salivating just remembering it...

Here are the thank you cards that we gave to our guests as part of the door gift (which included a limited edition LIITA mug and a gift-wrapped bundle of sweets).

Kah Fai designed the front and Colin did the back of the card.

Next post, the event!

(I can hear some of you saying, finally! Haha.)

LIITA - The team

2009-01-01T10:00:00.006+08:00

First of all, Happy New Year to everyone!

It's been an awesome year and I treasure each of our cell meetings, mamak sessions, Citadels games, badminton games and Wii sessions. In cell, I've put you all through events, multiplication, dancing to Father Abraham and Yesus Pokok, and maybe most traumatising of all, my jokes. Thank you for all your support and patience in tolerating me.

Now to the long overdue posts on LIITA!

We started planning, meeting up, praying for the event and inviting people from six weeks before the event. Here are the people that made it happen.

Ghin Chu, along with Mei were in charge of accounts and the budget.

The lamest guy in cell helped with games and icebreakers.

Colin helped to design the thank you cards we gave out as part of the door gift.

Alex, the biker dude, helped with games.

Kah Fai's better half was in charge of decorating the hall and buying extra gifts.

'You yea?' helped with the Christmas programme.

Wei Yeen helped with games and ice breakers (her mom came to LIITA too!).

Geena helped with food and drinks.

The 'Boy Brigadier' helped with carols.

Ah Beng helped with just about everything!

This guy just bossed people around and didn't do anything.

Mei was in Muar taking care of Marcus and Bergson was the photographer so I had to put a non-LIITA picture here. Mei helped with the accounts and budget, while Bergson cooked up a storm for the event!

Stay tuned for more pictures soon!

Thank you!

2008-12-22T08:20:00.001+08:00

Hi all, I know I rarely post anything here. Actually I've never posted anything here before! Haha. I want to especially thank you everyone that are involved in the LIITA event. It was good, don't you agree? I'm so encouraged by everyone of you. Everyone! :)

As I went to work today, turn on my laptop and checked all my emails, there's one particular email which caught my attention and made me smile. So I just want to share it with you too. It's called "Don't Give Up". (Shared to me by a friend)

As we're coming to year-end, reflect on this year, what major decisions that you've made and have you followed through that decision? Are there circumstances in life that you felt is impossible to overcome? Or you just felt like quitting? Before you answered those questions, read the story below:

Don't give up.....

One day I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
"God", I asked, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
His answer surprised me...
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I

took very good care of them.
I gave them light.
I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would
not quit." He said.
"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."
He asked me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots".
"I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you."
"Don't compare yourself to others."
He said.
"The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will come", God said to me.
"You will rise high"
"How high should I rise?"
I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned.
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never Give up.
For the Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

In the midst of all your problems lift it up to the Lord who is above all else, He will calm raging seas within your heart. There are 9 more days before end of the year. It's still not too late... :)

What's the worst that could happen?

2008-12-18T12:50:00.001+08:00

Over the last six weeks of planning, I want to share honestly that there have been moments when I’ve felt quite stressed and frustrated. I have never cared so much about a cell harvest event as this one and I’m constantly wondering whether I’ve done enough or prayed enough.

I’ve had two committee members come up to me and ask me, "You’re quite stressed about this, aren’t you?". I didn’t really think about it until someone else brought it up yesterday saying, "Don’t stress, what’s the worst that could happen?".

Without thinking, I replied that the worst that could happen is that people show up, eat and play games without experiencing the love of God...that the message of what Christmas is about fails to drop a seed into their hearts. I said that after seeing how much effort, time, energy and finances the cell members have put into the event, there would be no point if there was no lasting impact...if God didn’t show up.

As I drove back home from work, I reflected on the conversation and realised the significance of what I said. My main worries are not that there won’t be enough food or that there won’t be enough door gifts or that the games don’t get everyone involved.

My concern is whether God will move in the hearts of every person that comes. I don’t know whether my faith level is enough to believe for salvations at the event or even to open up the avenues for people to respond.

I understand now that the only thing we can do is surrender everything to God and pray. At the end of the day, He has to take center stage because Christmas is about God’s demonstration of love to humble himself and come down to earth as a human. He took our sins upon Himself, dying on the cross and rising again to take His place in heaven.

Christmas is about Jesus Christ.

With fear and trembling, we can only bring our few loaves of bread and fishes, believing that He will work a miracle.

Please pray along.

Baby pictures!

2008-12-15T13:30:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Here are pictures of Bergson and Mei's baby, Marcus Jay Wong!

Hello world! My name is Marcus. Nice to meet you!

Ahhh, safe in mommy's arms.

Hello again! =P

YYyyaaawwwnnn...I'm sleepy now. It's been a long day.

The happy and excited parents!

Victory! (I can so imagine Mei doing this...)

A day to remember!!!

2008-12-14T18:00:00.001+08:00

As of about 4:30pm today, our cell members have become parents!

Congratulations to Bergson and Mei for the birth of their beautiful son named Marcus Jay Wong.

Our cell just keeps multiplying! =P

Praise God for His blessing on Mei's smooth delivery of Marcus, who weighs 2.99kg.

Please pray along as they travel back to Muar this week for her confinement period for journey mercies and for His hand to continue to be strongly on this wonderful family.

(I still can't believe that Bergson and Mei are now in the 'Uncle/Aunty' demographic now that they have children! Haha!)

I hope to post up pictures soon once Bergson sends me some. Please congratulate them when you get the chance.

LIITA planning - 10 more days to go!

2008-12-09T11:00:00.008+08:00

Hi all,

There are only 10 more days to go before Love Is In The Air this Christmas kicks off! We had another 'pow wow' session of planning and prayer, and I'm very happy with the progress that has been made with all the different aspects of the event.

For cell last Friday, we visited the event venue so that we could visualise the space there for games, decorations and the programme, and we prayed over it. We realise that the effectiveness of the event will be not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit! It would be a waste of resources, finances and energy if we were to go ahead with our own strength and agenda.

Here are some pictures!

Adeline kindly drew up a floor plan so that we could work
out where to place chairs, tables, and decorations.

Roger adding his ugly drawing of a Christmas tree.

Hmmm...what decorations should we do?

After the planning discussion, we went downstairs to the hall.

The hall is much bigger than we expected! Lots of work for the décor team.
(If you look carefully, can see how Adeline dances when no one is looking!)

We prayed over the hall venue.

During prayer, this guy manifested and needed deliverance. =P

And, this guy has had too much to drink...

Love was in the air that night as romance flew between two members.

Leading to this.

After the prayer, the kids went to play while the adults talked.

Please pray along even as we believe that God has a great plan and purpose for this event!

See you all soon!

For this Christmas...

2008-12-05T15:00:00.001+08:00

our cell is coming out with our very own Iron Man movie in anticipation for the Avengers movie that is scheduled to come out.

Check out our main character below! =P

Points to Ponder

2008-12-05T11:10:00.003+08:00

When is a car not a car?

When it turns into a driveway.

Survey Question - Does any guy in our cell look like Brad Pitt?

2008-12-02T14:30:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

There are some people that are sceptical that anyone in our cell looks like Brad Pitt. I would like to do a quick survey to see what you all think because I do think that there is at least one person that looks like him. Do provide your feedback!

Please click on comment to submit your response.

Can planning for LIITA be fun?

2008-12-01T00:00:00.002+08:00

'Nuff said.

Cell life

2008-11-28T17:40:00.004+08:00

I just wanted to share something on this blog before I went to cell tonight.

I managed to wrap up outstanding work in the office around 5pm and I was sitting here thinking how to gear up for tonight. To be honest, I'm completely and utterly exhausted.

It's just been an incredibly tiring, busy and draining month for me at work, in my family, planning for the wedding and even in ministry. And as I typed out a summary of what I want to do at cell tonight, I can truthfully say that I thought to myself whether anything I did really mattered and whether it was worth it.

To take my mind off things, I decided to look at some old cell pictures. So sad, right? I cheer up by looking at cell pictures... =( And I found the picture below.

I don't know why but suddenly, it made me realise that it is all worth it.

I do what I do because there are people that I care for and it doesn't matter that my main purpose in life is to show love to those that are in my life. After all, the commandment from God is first and foremost to love Him, and then to love others.

This is why I'll fight to stay at cell leader level. I shared before that in my workplace I want to get as high as possible in management and for church I want to be as close to the grassroots as possible. I hope that I am able to remain a cell leader for the rest of my life.

I love my cell members and you make it all worthwhile. =)

(OK, sappy moment over. Don't expect it to happen often!)

Love is in the air this Christmas!

2008-11-17T17:00:00.003+08:00

I can’t believe that it’s already almost the end of the year! It feels like only yesterday when I was doing my beginning of the year resolutions and we’re already less than 1 and a half months away from next year already.

This Christmas we’re going to be doing something very exciting in cell. It will be held on Friday, 19 December at 7:30pm in the multi purpose hall of Kah Fai’s apartment complex. So we’ll be renting a whole multipurpose hall, decorating it and making sure that there will be a lot of delicious food.

There’ll be space for a lot of people so even if we invite 50 people we’ll be able to fit them into the hall! Just give a heads up on how many people are coming so that we can plan out the games and food for the right amount of people.

We’ll be doing something quite different from how previous cell Christmas parties have been and there’s a very special programme planned! Please pray and support along, and start inviting friends and asking them to block off the date on their calendar.

Are you curious yet?

Hehe! I’ll update soon with more information. Please contact me if you want to be involved in the planning and the preparation – I already have around 10 people on the committee that are praying and doing the preparatory work but more hands make the work light! =)

See you guys at cell this Friday!

Walking assistance

2008-11-10T13:20:00.001+08:00

AAaaaaannndd this wins the prize for the lamest gadget of the year!

OK, this may be something that helps a lot of people if it works but right now...it just doesn't appeal to me. I don't think I'd dare walk around with it strapped on and I'm not too sure it's comfortable.

Too lazy to blog anything serious today. Hehe!

Found here.

Not giving up

2008-11-07T15:30:00.001+08:00

There are times when I'm at my lowest points in my life and spiritual walk when I ask myself, "What more will it take? How much more do I have to give? What is the secret to not giving up and finishing the race?"

I've heard many proposed answers and theories on how to last through and finish strong at the end of the day. I've heard that if you never lose your passion for evangelism, you will never lose your passion in your personal walk. I've heard that if you continue to worship God, it will sustain you. I've heard that you need to be in a place where brothers and sisters in Christ can support you and have an intact covering over you.

But when I think about it, all these are important elements but are they the core of what is important to keep going when everything crashes down around you? If you're like Job and everything is completely stripped away from your life, how would you face it? If you have reached a place of complete disillusionment with life and God, without the ability to evangelise, to sing praises or even give a damn about being in church, what is the answer?

Looking back at the examples in the bible such as Job, Jeremiah and Moses, each reached points of complete disillusionment. But what kept them from giving up? The one thing I noticed was that even when everything stopped making sense, they each had an intimate understanding of the character of God.

They understood that God is the one unchanging and constant entity from the beginning of time; past, present and future. They understood His characteristics and that they could trust Him. The understood these things even in the midst of some of the greatest difficulties anyone in the bible has ever had to go through.

And that was enough.

It wasn't their passion and heart for the people and ministry. It wasn't their lives of worship. It wasn't the people around them that managed to lift them out of their disillusionment. It wasn't the sense of urgency of wanting God to move. It wasn't even their relationships with God (in Job's case, God completely hid himself). And I'm not saying these things are not important, but...

It was from a surrender and complete acknowledgement of who God is that was ultimately and fundamentally critical to them not giving up in their disillusioned states.

The Great I Am.

The Alpha and the Omega.

The King of Kings.

The Lord of Lords.

Maker of heaven and Creator of the earth.

Jehovah.

Yahweh.

Points to Ponder

2008-11-06T11:30:00.002+08:00

What do you call a sleeping cow?

A bull-dozer.

Desires

2008-11-05T12:15:00.001+08:00

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world...Probably earthly pleasures were never made to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage.

~C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity~

Yes, there are temptations in the world and they are hard to resist. Yes, the social pressures, culture and influences are very real and challenging to face, let alone stand against. Yes, there will be times every human in the world will stumble and fall, only to be faced with the decision to pick oneself up again for the millionth time or to throw in the towel.

But along with all these practical realities and difficulties, we have to realise the truth that only a genuine relationship with God will fulfil the core desires of our hearts. Nothing more and nothing less.

As Blaise Pascal describes, "the infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words, by God himself".

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.'" (John 6:35)

"Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

"The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." (Psalm 145:15-16)

Peer pressure

2008-11-04T14:45:00.002+08:00

I heard something yesterday which I found quite interesting about peer pressure. It's probably something that most people realise but it made me think.

Peer pressure in the past for older generations took a more verbal form, where verbal statements are made to persuade someone to engage in behaviour that is most often understood to be wrong.

Peer pressure in more recent times has taken on a far more potent and influential form. It now often takes on a nonverbal and implied influence that pressures someone to engage in behaviour that a large number or majority of people in the world think is all right.

The world has been moving in a direction of individualism and and relativism, where an individual's perception and experience negates the need for clear standards and truths.

Truth has become relative without any absolutes and I have regularly debated with people who claim that truth can't be absolute because everyone has their own perception and no one can say for sure whether anyone's perception is right or wrong.

The one question they have been unable to answer is why their claim that all truth is relative is an absolute truth. And suddenly their surety in their statement is challenged by the very thing they want to argue for.

There has to be standards and truths that go beyond the bubble of human comprehension and perception. Truth and moral standard cannot be limited to a fallible and imperfect humanity. If it is, then there is no hope for us.

OK, I've gone on a tangent from what I intended to write. I'll end the post with this.

In a world where moral signposts keep moving, what the world propagates does not make it right, even if the majority of people support its stance. There is an unchanging and unmoving standard of morality that can be referred to: the person of Jesus and His word.

Self-regulation according to one's own perception and sense of morality is just not going to cut it. Demonstrated even in the global financial markets, maybe leaving people to their own devices and individualism without clear boundaries is not the best solution.

The law of the bible ultimately liberates rather than restricts humanity. It liberates us to be the people that, at heart, we want to be. It liberates us to achieve the purposes that God has planned for our lives. It liberates us to receive the blessings that come from obedience and living under the covering of the Holy Spirit.

Are we ready to make a stand?

Submission

2008-11-02T18:20:00.001+08:00

Many times we pray for power and anointing to overcome the world and in our minds, we're seeing obstacles like our bosses, our parents, people who speak against us, etc, that God will give us the breakthrough to overcome.

As I was praying this week, I kept coming back to the impression that the way we define power is the opposite of the definition found in the world. And I wonder if we fully understood, whether we would still be praying for it.

What if praying for power and breakthrough meant a life of brokenness and submission to God in a manner unlike what we perceive?

Power to fully submit to God's will. Prayer to live a life of brokenness and humility, stepped on and humiliated by the world. Power to be a servant...power for a life that pours out like a drink for the sake of the Lord. Power to comprehend the sorrow of God's heartbeat for the people. Power to weep and stand in the gap.

The power to completely surrender to the purpose and calling that God has predestined for your life...to live a life that may be the tougher than anything you ever envisioned, but yet the most fulfilling that could be accomplished. To be at the center of God's will and fully tapped into His power.

Is that really what we want? Are we willing to pay the cost?

The irony is that the power to submit to God and His will brings the breakthrough and overcoming power over our tangible obstacles. The more we are able to submit to Him, the more we will be able to overcome.

Submission brings the breakthrough because we stop relying on our own strength and wisdom, and begin trusting in the One that has already won the victory.

Christian lameness

2008-10-27T09:00:00.003+08:00

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah - He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little 'prophet'.

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.

Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.

Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in in Eden ?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.

Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.

Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan . The banks were always overflowing.

Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua, son of Nun.

Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark ?
A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.

Q. Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
A. Yup, it's in the Bible. It says...'He-brews'.

Remove the ashes

2008-10-24T13:40:00.005+08:00

I mentioned in a recent post that I wanted to share about burnt offerings and it's been on my heart for awhile now but my schedule has just been too overwhelming recently. Before I completely forget what I wanted to say, I'm going to share it in this post although I haven't really thought it out enough yet.

The bible passage is from Leviticus 6:8-13 when God was instructing Moses on the burnt offering that is to be offered.

I won't copy and paste the whole passage but the lines that jumped out at me were:

"The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar."

"The priest ... shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar ..."

"The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out."

"The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out."

There have been many times when I've left camp, a conference or an event completely on fire for God only to start losing steam weeks or months later. I wasn't able to keep the fire burning. And in this short passage, three times it is written that the fire must be kept burning and must not go out.

Relating it to our lives, how do we stay on fire? How do we step on the altar as living sacrifices, put fresh wood as an offering to God and not crawl off the altar when it gets too hot or uncomfortable?

There were two things that spoke to my heart when I read this bible passage.

Firstly, fresh wood has to be added daily. Burnt offerings don't continue to burn forever on old fuel because the fire consumes what is on the altar. That means that there are things in our lives that we need to bring to the altar regularly; It doesn't mean that something sacrificed in the past will continue to be 'sacrificed' in our lives if we don't continue to lay it down.

Secondly, the ashes have to be removed from the altar or it will get in the way of the fire continuing to burn. Once offerings have become ashes, there's no point trying to burn it again. Many times we like to look back at the things we have done, the sacrifices we have made, and the times that God has used us powerfully for his purposes.

We forget to rely on new mercies everyday and instead try to rely on our past experiences and sometimes even our 'past anointing' to carry us through new periods of our lives. Just because God moved in our lives in a mighty way in the past does not mean that He will continue to do so in exactly the same way today, especially if we neglect to bring fresh offerings to the altar.

Don't hold on to the past. The past reminds us of God's faithfulness but it doesn't give us the power and anointing for the present. The only thing we can continue to hold on to are the promises that God has placed over us that are yet to come to pass in the physical.

Seek fresh manna, fresh anointing, fresh purpose for today. Forgetting what lies behind and just pressing on towards the goal, fully focused on our Lord, Jesus. Don't try to fall back on past accomplishments and achievements, past anointing or past experiences with God.

Although He is unchanging forever, He has something new for us every single day as He carries us through new seasons, from glory to glory. Don't restrict Him by looking backwards but realise that He has a wonderful plan and purpose for our life that will come to pass, and that is coming to pass.

I apologise if my points above haven't been as concise as I originally planned and hope that it captures the essence of what I wanted to share.

Keep the fire burning.

Put fresh wood...fresh offerings.

Clear away the ashes.

Don't let the fire go out.

Guard your heart

2008-10-17T15:45:00.002+08:00

Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.

(Proverbs 4:23-27 - Taken from The Message)

What goes on at Kioku...

2008-10-08T15:35:00.004+08:00

Updates

2008-10-08T13:45:00.001+08:00

Hi all!

It's been awhile since I posted here because of the period of time I was in preparing for and involved in the Bangladesh missions trip. Now I'm frantically catching up with work and other matters because of the two weeks I missed!

Will definitely be posting more soon and I've been meaning to write about a couple of topics that's been on my heart but I just haven't found the time. If time permits, look out for a post in the near future on burnt offerings. =)

Just to update you all, I would like to draw attention to the following things coming up in October that are immensely exciting! They will be posted on the sidebar too for your reference but I want to highlight it in a post also.

Firstly, Worship Night is this Friday 8pm (Oct 10) where the theme is Proclaim His Power! It's going to be awesome as the team has been preparing very hard for this event. Let's go as a cell to support and enjoy a full night of just worshipping Jesus.

On the next day (Oct 11), the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka missions trip personnel will be leading worship! Please pray with us as we prepare for this - Yen, Mich Foo and myself will be involved among others.

And then on Oct 12, it will be Hari Kioku! Please click here to see how our cell has been involved most of the years they had it (if not all!). Loadsa fun so please contact Kah Fai at 012 342 7548 if you want to be involved and help out with this event for disabled people.

On Oct 18 and 19, there will be Spiritual Parenting classes held. Saturday will be 1pm to 4:30pm and Sunday will be 1:30pm to 7:35pm. It will be a great learning experience if you want to receive tools and materials on how to guide and mentor newer Christians, and to be spiritual parents in the Kingdom of God. Please contact myself or Kah Fai if you want to take part.

That's all for now, folks!

Will update again soon - it's great to be back.

God bless!

Verse for the day

2008-09-09T14:40:00.000+08:00

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

~Deuteronomy 31:6~

(Oh man, Mei's gonna kill me!)

Against all odds

2008-09-08T14:50:00.002+08:00

I was reading last night about the story behind Lance Armstrong's success and I am amazed by the perseverence he showed. In 1996, he was considered one of the top-rated cyclists, if not the top, in the world. He was winning tournaments, making good income and at the top of his game. Everything looked bright for his future.

Then, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He tried to maintain a positive outlook throughout his treatments but then the cancer metastasized to his lungs...then to his brain. He almost lost hope then because he knew that when the cancer spreads to the brain, it usually means death.

But he didn't give up and he fought through testicular and brain surgery, and extensive chemotherapy to recover. A doctor told Lance that he had been given a 3% chance to live when the cancer spread.

Not only did he live, he went back to cycling. And he won the Tour de France a consecutive 7 times from 1999 to 2005. The Tour de France is a grueling 23-day, 21-stage road race usually covering more than 3,500 kilometres.

I just wanted to share this story and encourage you not to give up, no matter what you are facing. The blessing that we have is that we don't have to walk alone through the storms of life; Jesus walks beside us and the body of Christ stands alongside supporting as well.

Cheers!

This is our God

2008-08-28T16:00:00.000+08:00

I was reading Isaiah 53 yesterday and the verses below (3-9) started speaking to me. Jesus fulfilled every characteristic of the prophecies given in the Old Testament about the Messiah.

It's so amazing reading some of the verses about the Messiah written hundreds of years before Jesus was born and realising...

This is Jesus.

He fulfilled every prophecy.

He understood what He was born on earth for and He willingly walked to the most excruciating and gruesome death that a person can experience.

Why would He do that?

Does He love us that much?

This is our God.

This is our God.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Hand Delivered Bouquets

2008-08-21T14:30:00.000+08:00

by Max Lucado

Through Christ, God has accepted you. Think about what this means. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you.

Rejections are like speed bumps on the road. They come with the journey. You’re going to get cut, dished, dropped, and kicked around. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you. How? By letting his acceptance compensate for their rejection.

Think of it this way. Suppose you dwell in a high-rise apartment. On the window sill of your room is a solitary daisy. This morning you picked the daisy and pinned it on your lapel. Since you have only one plant, this is a big event and a special daisy.

But as soon as you’re out the door, people start picking petals off your daisy. Someone snags your subway seat. Petal picked. You’re blamed for the bad report of a coworker. Three petals. The promotion is given to someone with less experience but USC water polo looks. More petals. By the end of the day, you’re down to one. Woe be to the soul who dares to draw near it. You’re only one petal-snatching away from a blowup.

What if the scenario was altered slightly? Let’s add one character. The kind man in the apartment next door runs a flower shop on the corner. Every night on the way home he stops at your place with a fresh, undeserved, yet irresistible bouquet. These are not leftover flowers. They are top-of-the-line arrangements. You don’t know why he thinks so highly of you, but you aren’t complaining. Because of him, your apartment has a sweet fragrance, and your step has a happy bounce. Let someone mess with your flower, and you’ve got a basketful to replace it!

The difference is huge. And the interpretation is obvious.

God will load your world with flowers. He hand-delivers a bouquet to your door every day. Open it! Take them! Then, when rejections come, you won’t be left short-petaled.

God can help you get rid of your anger. He made galaxies no one has ever seen and dug canyons we have yet to find. “The LORD … heals all your diseases” (Ps. 103:2–3 NIV). Do you think among those diseases might be the affliction of anger?

Do you think God could heal your angry heart?

Do you want him to? This is not a trick question. He asks the same question of you that he asked of the invalid: “Do you want to be well?” (John 5:6). Not everyone does. You may be addicted to anger. You may be a rage junkie. Anger may be part of your identity. But if you want him to, he can change your identity. Do you want him to do so?

Do you have a better option? Like moving to a rejection-free zone? If so, enjoy your life on your desert island.

Take the flowers. Receive from him so you can love or at least put up with others.

Hand Raising Worship - The 10 Styles

2008-08-18T17:15:00.001+08:00

During one of my more productive days at work, I found this post.

I found it hard to keep a straight face while imagining all the different styles of worship people do...and that I myself have been guilty of. =)

Enjoy!

"1. The Ninja
You are tricky sir, truly, you are tricky. This guy is testing the waters. He sees ladies near him that throw their arms in the air at the first hint of a Chris Tomlin song but he’s not so sure. I mean, what if his friends see him? He used to make fun of people that did that. So instead of going all out, he does a fancy little move. He puts his hands by his pants pockets and just flips them over with his palms facing the heavens. From behind, you can't see that he is doing anything out of the ordinary and from the front it just looks like he is cupping his hands slightly as if to show you what was in his pockets.

2. The Half & Half
This person often wants to sing with both hands raised, but they go to a conservative church and don’t want to be known as “that guy.” So instead of singing with both hands up, they hold one in the air and put one in their pocket or on the chair in front of them. It’s like half their body is saying, “YAY JESUS!!!!” and the other half is saying, “Nothing to see here folks, move it along please, move it along.”

3. The Single Hand Salute
This is the cousin of the half & half but is different in it's level of intensity. Instead of just kind of floating in the air, the hand you have up goes out straight at an angle, as if you are saluting some visiting military dignitary. It's possible this move was first instilled in people when they were young with the song, "God's Army."

4. The Elevator
This one technically marks our transition into multi-hand motions. In this move, you act like there is a rule against having both hands raised at the same exact time. So you start rotating your arms. As soon as one arm comes down, the other arm goes up. It's kind of an awkward dance move, but works pretty well when set to "Blessed be the Name."

5. The Pound Cake
This is what we in the industry, of hand raising in case you were wondering, refer to as an "underhand move." Instead of sticking your arms out, you hold them with your palms facing the sky as if you are ready to receive something from someone in front of you. In the pound cake, your elbows should be at stomach level, with your hands tilted at a 47 degree angle as if someone visiting your house warming party is about to hand you a delicious pound cake. It's not a heavy cake, so you don't have to brace yourself, but can instead just relax and think, "hey cool, pound cake. Let me take that for you."

6. The Tickler
It's getting serious now. The tickler is the person that sticks their arms out horizontally as if they were trying to make a big T with their body. This is a fine move except that because we're all sitting so close, they inevitably bump into you with their hands. So while you try to sing along with the chorus, you can't help but giggle as they, lost in a moment of blissful worship, accidentally tickle you.

7. The Double High Five
I am very stingy with my high fives. I think the last time I gave one was in the delivery room of my second daughter. The next time I give one will be if I get a book deal. Other than those two situations, I find the high five to be the physical version of using a lot of exclamation marks!!! That's why I rarely do this move. The double high five looks exactly like it sounds. You act like you've just scored a goal in soccer/football and are about to double high five the person in front of you. (Some people call this move the "Secret passageway" because it kind of looks like you are feeling along a wall for a hidden button that will open a secret door. But I'm a purist and don't use that term.)

8. The Huge Watermelon
This is like the pound cake on steroids. In this move, your arms are held higher and with a considerable about of dedication and determination. It's still an underhand move, but now, instead of a light and fluffy cake, someone on a truck is handing down a huge watermelon to you. Better get ready, that thing looks heavy.

9. The Helicopter Rail
At this point, both arms are raised high in the air. This is professional hand raiser territory we're in. Please don't try to do this at home. With this one, you reach your arms out, way over your head but out in front of your body. Imagine if you were stuck on a piece of driftwood and a shark with a laser on its head was about to get you and you had to desperately reach out for the rail of a helicopter that was attempting to rescue you. Stretch, stretch, you gotta want it.

10. The YMCA
This is my favorite and probably most common hand raising technique. It's not complicated. Much like the famous song, you simply raise your hands above your body and form a big Y. That's all, but it leaves little doubt to the folks around you what is going on. You're worshipping. It's big, it's beautiful, it's messy and it's great."

(Taken from Stuff Christians Like.)

The Narrow Gate

2008-08-15T18:30:00.004+08:00

"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 a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Many people tend to avoid the 'hard' verses in the bible. There is an increasing emphasis on prosperity, grace and the belief that truth is subjective and personal to each individual.

We can't forget that the bible is the Word of God, that there are absolute truths of God that do not depend on what a human mind can conceive or imagine, and that there are conditions for a person to receive the gift of salvation.

There needs to be solidity in our faith and relationship with God that allows us to take a stand for Christ and for truth uncompromisingly, while combining it with the compassion and grace of God.

It takes an unshakeable focus on Jesus, without looking to the left or the right, and a willingness to make the sacrifice to take the narrow road.

The call to have a relationship with God is not just as a believer, but as a disciple who has counted the cost, and chosen to walk in His will.

Worship

2008-08-13T17:30:00.004+08:00

“Worship - whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively - is a magnifying of God. That is, it is an act that shows how magnificent He is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious He is. Worship is all about consciously reflecting the worth or value of God.”

~John Piper~

Worship can happen every moment in our daily lives. It is not just about singing the songs during church services. It is about our lives constantly and "consciously reflecting the worth or value of God".

The way we carry worship in our daily lives demonstrates how much He is worth to us...how much we love Him and value His relationship with us.

Just some thoughts to ponder on.

Take Every Thought Captive

2008-08-11T10:00:00.002+08:00

by Max Lucado

Today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions.

Today’s jealousy is tomorrow’s temper tantrum.

Today’s bigotry is tomorrow’s hate crime.

Today’s anger is tomorrow’s abuse.

Today’s lust is tomorrow’s adultery.

Today’s greed is tomorrow’s embezzlement.

Today’s guilt is tomorrow’s fear.

Could that be why Paul writes, “Love … keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5 NIV)?

Some folks don’t know we have an option.

Paul says we do: “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

Do you hear some battlefield jargon in that passage—“capture every thought,” “make it give up” and “obey Christ”? You get the impression that we are the soldiers and the thoughts are the enemies.

It was for Jesus. Remember the thoughts that came his way courtesy of the mouth of Peter? Jesus had just prophesied his death, burial, and resurrection, but Peter couldn’t bear the thought of it. “Peter took Jesus aside and told him not to talk like that.… Jesus said to Peter, ‘Go away from me, Satan! You are not helping me! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about the things people think are important’” (Matt. 16:22–23).
See the decisiveness of Jesus?

What if you did that? What if you took every thought captive? What if you took the counsel of Solomon: “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life” (Prov. 4:23).

You are not a victim of your thoughts. You have a vote. You have a voice. You can exercise thought prevention. You can also exercise thought permission.

Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God’s love? Will standing beneath the downpour of his grace change the way we feel about others?

Paul says absolutely! It’s not enough to keep the bad stuff out. We’ve got to let the good stuff in. It’s not enough to keep no list of wrongs. We have to cultivate a list of blessings. The same verb Paul uses for keeps in the phrase “keeps no list of wrongs” is used for think in Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (RSV). Thinking conveys the idea of pondering—studying and focusing, allowing what is viewed to have an impact on us.

Rather than store up the sour, store up the sweet.

About us

2008-08-08T20:00:00.000+08:00

Three years ago, Seapark Cell was launched. Although there was a Taman Mayang mamak just down the road with awesome nasi lemak, ayam goreng and milo ais, we still insisted on dutifully going to Taman Tun Nasi Kandar every Friday after cell. Taman Nasi Kandar is known for it's diluted milo ais and soggy indomie goreng although the one redeeming factor has been its lamb chop - the arteries and cholesterol levels of Yuya, Kah Fai and myself have this scrumptious dish to thank for their current states.

A couple of years later, we moved to D'Aman Crimson and although there were eateries right opposite at Niu Ze Xui (NZX) and closer options for supper after cell, yes that's right, we continued to dutifully go to Taman Tun Nasi Kandar. Now we're a bit smarter and no longer order the lamb chop in order to prolong our lives a little bit more, although we still enjoy the milo ais and indomie goreng. Once in awhile, Sian Jeen secretly swings by the stall opposite 7-11 to buy himself a Ramli burger before coming to the mamak and we get to watch him eat the burger, wishing we had thought to buy one as well. Oh yea, at that time we rebranded ourselves as Super Lame Cell for various reasons that I will not and probably should not disclose.

OK, the last two paragraphs were a bit pointless and if you're still here, what I'm trying to say is...

We've just multiplied. Tonight is our first cell and we're starting a bit earlier: to be exact, 8 seconds after 8pm.

Be there or be square.