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| Started my week with the sad news of the demise of my grandfather on the 8th September 2008. I'll be going back to Sandakan tomorrow (12th Sept). Grandpa's funeral will be on the day after.
Well, oh well, that's just the beginning of my week. This week is really a 2 in 1 week for me. And the most important event is...hehe...my 19th Birthday! Well, I know I should not really be in a mood for celebration but eveyrthing came in so sudden. Anyway, let me just blog about the whole events leading up to my birthday! 
1. Before...
I went to Cell Group as usual on the 10th which was yesterday. Cell was fun and we all discussed about LEADERSHIP! Yup, that has been the main teaching both in DC and Main Service recently and I have been richly blessed by this series about leadership; COURAGE! STRENGTH! WISDOM!  And then after the sharing, Aunty Mag announced that it was my birthday the next day.  The whole cell group prayed for me and Mel released a powerful word for me, and it's exactly the word of the season for me. I am so so blessed. =)
After that we had refreshment and went back home exceptionally early. Reached home before 10pm.
After that, a friend called and as we were talking on the phone, all of a sudden, my roommate brought in a package from tthe person and I was like...WOW! What wowed me even more was the contain of the package.(I shall divulge no further from here onwards..hehe..) 
There goes the tick on the clock and tada~ it's 12am...Happy Burfday, Yau Yau! 
2. The Day...
Went to school as usual for class...(Yeah, STPM classes)...Had quite an ordinary day....but the another surprise came right after class ended. The remaming friends that are still here in KK came into the class together with a cake and present for me...and I was totally caught offguard...=)We went back to my house and we had our cake-cutting ceremony there. =) Even though it was small gathering, but it's the thought that matters. Hehe! Thanks for making this happen, friends.
Most importantly, for me, is the amount of wishes and greetings that came in throughout the day. Thanks everyone! You guys made my day! THANK YOU! I even got messages from my best friend in Gold Coast, Melbourne, Brisbane and also Singapore! =) This is definitely my most memorable birthday so far and it wouldn't be so if not because of Daddy God who has given so much to me. Thank You, Daddy! I think in total, for today, I got more than 30 greetings. I'm just a blessed kid! You guys are the best!
And not forgetting, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAM!
A leader who was born at the same date and place as me, but just of different years. Glad that we're on this part of our life journey together.! Once again, Blessed Birthday, HAM!
Hm, I know my blog hasbeen lacking in pictures, but I promise, as soon as I have obtained the pictures, I will upload them. Til then, that's all for this entry! Thanks for reading!
Before I leave, here's just something for all, and this has been a prayer for me, and I hope it will be a blessing for you.
Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield. - Psalms 5 : 1-8, 11-12
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| The past weekend was one of the highlight of this year of my life. A team of about 50 members of City Harvest Church (CHC)'s School of Theology (SOT) students came to organise a Mini-EMERGE conference in our church. For your information, the real EMERGE is a HUGE conference which is held over the duration of one month with lots of activities including Beauty Pageant, Quizzes, Arm-Wrestling and with loads of invited artist all around the world to perform in concerts aimed at bringing youths to know Christ through culture.
As for this Mini-EMERGE, we had a small telematch in the afternoon at Luyang Community Centre (LCC) and then we had an EMERGE Night. To start things off, I'll just elaborate on what happened in the Telematch.
Mini-EMERGE Telematch:
Well, this telematch started at 3pm and i arrived there just on time before things start. I was placed in Group White 4, and eventually be selected as the Group Leader. The telematch was divided into 4 games and the competition was between groups of 4 different colours.
The 1st game was Water Bomb. The objective of the game is to collect as many 'water bombs' on the floor as possible and bring it to a big pail on the opposite side of the opponent. For the whole Telematch, we were pitted against Red 4. For this game, my team managed to collect 300 points compared to 220 by the opposite team.
The 2nd Game was Captain Ball. There was not much difference with the ordinary 'Captain Ball'. The only difference was BANANAs and BITTER GOURDs were used as 'ball' instead. In this game, we managed to win 7-0 thanks to 3 tall guys in the team.
The 3rd Game was 'Twisting Peanut' or whatever they called it. It's a game where you have to run to grab a stick, turn 7 times around the stick (that will make you go real dizzy), hold your hands in an elephant trunk posture and then ran to grab a peanut about 2 metres in front of you and drop it towards the end of the hall. For this game, we lost out by one peanut to the opposing team.
The 4th and last game for us was 'Eating Food With Your Facial Muscles'. The game was very easy. Each team member was given 5 pieces of Mr Potato's Cracker. The members were then required to place one piece of the cracker on the forehead and then move it down from the forhead to the mouth without the help of the hands and only with the facial muscles! It sounds easy but trust me, it WASN'T. It took me about 1 minute to figure out the technique. But in the end, I managed to eat 4/5 crackers! Woohoo~
Well, that was the end of the whole telematch after each individual team had showed the team cheer that they had created. And on it went to.....EMERGE NIGHT!
EMERGE! Night
The highlight of the night was the EMERGE Concert Night. The team from CHC took over the night and we had a combined Youth Service together with the Chinese Youth. The night started off with great worship lead by the Worship Team. We had songs like 'The Time Has Come, Look To You, Great Is Our God, Hosanna and God of my forever.'
After that, came the moment all had been waiting for. The Prize-Giving Ceremony for the Telematch. Hehe. I somehow had the hunch that I was going to win something (not to be arrogant, but I really think we did a good job as a team). And so it was, White 4 was announced as the Runner-Up and I was so excited because this was the first time I lead a team to win any competition. And the prize was RM300 KFC Voucher. And that was also the first time I hold 30 pieces of RM10 KFC vouchers. Hehe.
The night went on with even better programmes with testimonies, drama and especially the message by Christian, a ministry worker in CHC who originally came from Poland. Believe me, when I heard his voice, he didn't sound like a Caucasian at all. He sounded more like a...Chinese...Hehe.. But the message was great about emerging from our destiny and out of conviction.
3rd August 2008
Well, I missed another great Sunday service as I was on duty in Glory Kids. What I heard was the message by the Dean of SOT, Mr Tan Kim Hock was really good and I can't wait to get a copy of the sermon. In the afternoon, I teamed up with Ham to bring 2 team members for a walk in town before sending them off to the airport later in the evening.
We managed to get the lead guitarist and acoustic guitarist of the EMERGE Night to be with us and guess what, we had a great time fellowshipping with one another, talking mainly about...GUITARS! We dropped both of them (Jermain and Goh Dong) to walk around in Warisan Square whereas Ham and I had our own good time walking around, getting some stuff here and there and finally ended up sitting in San Francisco Coffee to have a drink and it was another great time fellowshipping together.
At about 5pm, we met them up again and this time we went to Tanjung Aru Beach to observe the sunset before seeing them off at the airport for their scheduled flight at 8.10pm. We had a another great time there chatting, getting to know one another better, taking pictures and especially enjoying the beautiful sunset. However, just before we left, we got the news that their flight was delayed until 10.05pm, so we had our dinner at the hawker's stall.
All of them were sent to the airport at 8pm for check in and that was the time when I really felt 'bu se de'. Even though we knew one another for less than a day but the spiritual impartation was there and I personally believe this is just the beginning of a beautiful and wonderful journey together with members of God's family from other part of the world. I learnt a lot from people like Ki Liang who is a Cell Group Leader at a young age at just 23 years old. Wow! We managed to share experiences together and I am just so blessed to be able to know men of great conviction. Thank You, God!
Well, I guess that's all for my entry this time. I know I have not been blogging for a long long time til I can see mold and dust on my Xanga. Hehe. Anyway, I hope you will be blessed by this entry. Here are some pictures (this is rare as i seldom put in pictures for my Xanga...but Yeah...)
- Me, Goh Dong(lead guitarist), Jermain, Ham together with the beautiful sunset at the beach.
Alright, gonna leave with a bit of difference here...Here's a beautiful song that I just found out to be nice. Enjoy the lyrics and be blessed. Love you guys. =)
The Stand - Hillsong United
You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand
You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand
So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You
So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand
So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You
So I’ll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
So I’ll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours
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| Well, as i am preparing for this entry, the time is already 12:47am..i don't know whether i'll continue blogging for now...maybe not...anyway, i promise that the next entry will be loaded with lots of stuff and things from what has transpired in my life for the past few months that i have not been blogging, together with heaps of pictures (or perhaps, links?) =)
Anyway, that's all for now. Take care people...i have been very tired physically and in almost every aspect recently..things happened...but i need to find my way back to YOU...would YOU please help me...
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| Happy Easter everyone..once again it's the time of the year to celebrate and commemorate the resurrection of the risen King, Jesus, the Son of the Living God...It's just the best time to ponder upon our lives and what God has done for us in order to fulfill His salvation plan for all human so that we can enter heaven and share the inheritance of God's Kingdom eternally..'In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according the counsel of HIS WILL'- Eph 1:13
Anyway, what i am about to enter now is what totally means to me today...today is Friendship Sunday in church when we bring friends to come together to church and to reach out to friends who have not heard of the message of the gospel yet...Coincidentally, this function coincides with Easter Sunday, so it was really the best time to reach out to friends to share with them the abundant and extravagant love of our Almighty Saviour...
Well, by the grace and provision of God, i managed to bring 14 friends to church today...out of that, 4 accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.... the moment that i accompanied them to the altar to be prayed for, my heart is so filled with inexplicable joy which comes from the very fact that my friends have finally entered the share of God's Kingdom together and to belong together in the family of Christ, that i was almost in tears...thank God for all this beautiful soul...
I really pray that God will continue to keep them in His ways and will and release the blessing that He already has in store for them, be it in the physical realm nor the spiritual realm...These thoughts just came to me recently that 'there are certain parts of our lives where we are assigned by God to sow seeds, while others reap the harvest; or we sow the seeds and we reap the harvest', but in the end of the day it is God's will that reigns...as Christians, i can only be thankful to God for the lavish grace that He has poured out to me that i can be the vessel of blessing for the people around me...all glory goes to the Almighty God, the Author of Life and Love..
'One sows, another reaps'- John 4:37
A person who is very close to my heart tells me something that is profound yet i found it very meaningful...'what God has given to us, God can take it away from us'. This brings me to my thoughts of how should i live my life even more meaningfully and on fire for God ALWAYS...I just want to invite you to think with me for a moment...
Have we be too complacent in our daily walk with God that we have forgotten the main reason why God puts us in this earth and called us to Him by His grace? It is God who gives the green light for us to have the opportunity to know Him...What a blessing!
'And He (Jesus) said, "Therefore, I have said to you that no one can come Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father"' - John 6:65
This different thought came upon me one fine day when i was talking to another brother in Christ. Do we realise that we are actually very blessed because God has chosen us to know Him personally out of so many people in this world yet have we been living too complacently without knowing that if God did not show His favour and grace upon our lives, we would never have the chance to know Him and to receive the salvation of our souls? Just take a moment and think, how many people in the world (maybe not in the world, but just take China as example), where the spreading of the gospel is so limited and people have to struggle just to get to worship God properly. Furthermore, think of those people who live in the deep jungle area of Amazon, or perhaps, our very own Borneo Island...they have never been got the chance to know Christ because the message just don't reach them (yet)...how would they end up, i think we all know, but in the end they all rest in the hands and mercy of God....
Here's an excerpt from one of my favourite books,' The Heavenly Man'. In it, it says,
'We are absolutely nothing. We have nothing to be proud about. We have no abilities and nothing to offer God. The fact that He chooses to use us is only due to His grace. It has nothing to do with us. If God should choose to raise up others for His purpose and never to use us again, we would have nothing to complain about'
As i have invited you to join me in my thoughts, why don't we just take this time to thank God for His amazing grace and boundless mercy that we are chosen to be with Him....Oh! What a privilege to serve the God of all generations!
'I will praise You, O Lord among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens and Your truth reaches to the clouds'- Psalms 108:3-4
This is yet another long entry but i really pray from my heart that wherever you are, you will be blessed as i believe these words are put inside me from God to bless you...
May God continue to bless you in your daily walk and journey with Him and be encouraged!
'that is that, I might be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me' - Romans 1:12b
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It has been centuries since i last updated my blog...Yes,
roL, i noe i have not been updating for a long time but it's because i have
been either very busy or just have no time to update...furthermore, it's quite
inconvenient for me to upload nowadays because my laptop just cannot go on9 in
the place that i am staying now...so, yea...i just can update whenever i can...
Well, just came back from rounding up the beach for tomorrow's GCC Big Family
Picnic in Tanjung Aru...Went there with Mel, Aunty Mag and most of the Zeta1
Cell Group Members...We had lots of fun and fellowship time together on the
beach...I am just so excited for the picnic tomorrow...can't wait to have fun
together with the youth, the KIDS!!! and of course the church members...
Another thing that is keeping me excited and pumped up for this week is the
'Friendship Sunday' which is on this Easter's Sunday...it's really a great time
to get to know my friends better and bringing them to church...i pray that they
will enjoy their visit to church this Sunday and that they will be blessed
abundantly by God...All of them are as dear to me as every beautiful soul that i have met in my life...
My utmost wish for all my friends is that they will be able to have the
opportunity to know the God of Love who created the universe and especially
creating each and everyone of us. Everytime i think of the possibility and
chances that I am born out of so many sperms and ovum combination really
strikes me in awe (trying to be scientific)
'For You formed my inward parts, You covered me in my
mother's womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.' Psalms
139:13-14
Wow, just by reading that really
reminds me of how great God is and how we as small and powerless human are
living everyday under the boundless mercy of an all powerful God. I really
thank God for all the friends in my life as they are always a blessing from God…I
can only hope and pray that I can be the vessel of blessing from God for them
so that they can know God personally and to feel His touch of love.
God has always been
good to me. There will always be ups and down in my life but God’s grace has
always been with me through it all. God has always put people into my life to
encourage me when I am down, to correct me when I am wrong and to cheer me up
when I am upset. I have really learnt a
lot recently and I can feel that God wants to teach me to grow in 2 different
areas:
- The world has been so distorted that
people just look at superficial things but God has been constantly
reminding me that what He looks at is the condition of the heart. What’s
the point of looking ‘all-so-okay’ outside but actually everything is so
messed-up inside. In the end of the day, ‘ the heart of the matter, is the
matter of the heart’ – For the
Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance but
the Lord looks at the heart’- 1 Samuel 16:7b
- To wait upon Him in every decisions of
my life, be it relationship, studies or even my future. I am so convicted
when I read an issue of one of the daily devotions recently that
mentioned; ‘Waiting is not an
attitude or activity, rather, waiting on the Lord means totally putting
our trust in Him that He holds firm our future in His hands as He created
us and He knows our destiny and where we are going to end up according to
His glorious will. Waiting is never easy but why not, when we have the
omnipotent God in our side?’ ‘Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and
He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say on the Lord’ – Psalms
27:14. Wow, what a great
encouragement for me.
Just the very fact
that Jesus, the Son of God was willing to come down from His throne of glory to
be born in lowly manger and then to be crucified for my sins just blew me off
in amazement. No one would ever think of such thing but that’s the simplicity
and the essence of the message of Christ. The reason Jesus came down to earth
is that He can dwell among us and live as how we live so that He can provide a
way out for us. There are so many times that I feel hopeless but the vision of
me bowing down under the feet of the cross where Christ has died for my sins
really bring me to tears every time. Who am I, that God Himself would die for
me, one would think…but that’s the simplicity of the story of God’s salvation,
that we would just believe in Christ and we’ll be saved…
Well, I really thank
God for all that He has done for me. I realize that this whole blog could be
very draggy for some of you to read, but this is exactly what my heart wants to
say. In the end of the day, I hope this will be a blessing for all of you
reading and that this entry would be used as a vessel to bless all who are
weary and would be a source of encouragement for all…
God bless ya and i shall update as soon as i can... 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes'- Romans 1:16.
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