like derk said,

 

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, 

or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 

We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe 

that God will bring with Jesus 

those who have fallen asleep in Him.

According to the Lord's own word, 

we tell you that we who are still alive, 

who are left till the coming of the Lord, 

will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, 

with a loud command, 

with the voice of the archangel 

and with the trumpet call of God, 

and the dead in Christ will rise first.  

After that, we who are still alive and are left 

will be caught up together with them in the clouds 

to meet the Lord in the air. 

And so 

we will be with the Lord forever. 

Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

I read this today.

"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

Matthew 22:34

At the end of the day, God calls us into life.
Heaven or hell,
Lake of fire or mansions of glory,
in His own time,
but into life.


A thought I felt I should share.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I want to be a grace guerilla
no longer a chameleon of karma
the time has come to stand out from the crowd.
I want to give forgiveness a fighting chance of freeing me
I want to live in love
and live it out loud.

I want to drink deep of the foolishness of wisdom
instead of swallowing the wisdom of fools

I want to find a source in the deeper mines of meaning
to search out the unsearchable
to invoke the invisible
to choose the truth the TV hypnotists aren't screening.

No camouflage
no entourage
no smoothly fitting-in
I want a faith that goes further than face value
and a beauty that goes deeper than my skin.

I want to be untouched by my possessions
instead of being possessed by what I touch
to test the taste of having nothing to call mine
to hold consumption's cravings back

to be content with luck or lack
to live on water as well as on wine.

I want to spend myself on those I think might need me
not spend all I think I need on myself

I want my heart to be willing to make house calls.
Let those whose rope is at an end find in me a faithful friend
Let me be known as one who rebuilds broken walls.

No camouflage
no entourage
no smoothly fitting-in
I want a faith that goes further than face value
and a beauty that goes deeper than my skin.

I want to be centered outside the circle
to be chiseled by a different seam
I want to be seduced by another story
and drawn into a deeper dream
I want to be anchored in an undiscovered ocean
to revolve around an unfamiliar sun
a boom box tuned to an alternate station
a bullet fired from a different gun.

No camouflage
no entourage
no smoothly fitting-in
I want a faith that goes further than face value
and a beauty that goes deeper than my skin.

-Gerard Kelly, Humanifesto

partners in the harvest - youth challenge, mission conference

i only have photos of the after-conference part of the day, cuz i was paying so much attention during the conference. ahem.

i just wanted to see who was taller. *cough*

went to murni's for dinner after the conference. lunch too, for me. since i went right after my LAST PAPER.

super bulging muscles.

not just brawn, but brain as well.
this dude memorized the entire menu.
he should get a law degree.

i don't know about the rest, but i felt challenged by andrew cowell's sharing on his burden for mission. it all boils down to two things - whether you're living

a WASTED life for YOURSELF
(meaning being in the way of mission work)

or

a WORTHWHILE life for CHRIST

i have personally never felt a strong calling to go for mission work. i don't even know what it's like to feel like going on mission trips. all i know is, i'm more affected than the average person when it comes to racial issues, religious issues, injustice, poverty, and the underprivileged.

it was very encouraging when andrew said that not everyone is called to be on the mission field. you don't even need to leave where you are, to serve, and not be in the way of mission work.

he told a story about how an old woman had been praying for him and his family ever since they left for mission work (12 years),

...another story about a man who owns his own business and forwards the profits towards mission work all over the world,

...and yet another story about the same man who bought a house and doesn't live in it, but opens it to our missionary brethren when they return from the field.

i chose to do law because i felt God calling me to be a good lawyer for those who have none.

ever since school started, i have noticed that i am more comfortable around indians and malays than i am with my own race sometimes.

i have been speaking the malay language more often than i did in the past 20 years. am doing my best to learn cantonese and hokkien.

i don't know what His masterplan is for me, but i'm now doing what i can, where i am, while i wait for His next instructions.

what are you doing with your life?

it's not always about you.

it shouldn't be.

on that note.

maybe going for the dmsj camp and learning to kick yourself out of your snuggly comfort zone of non-fellowship with 'strangers' would be a good start.

dmsj is not just about the quiz, it's about fellowship, in every sense of the word.

you may not feel it now, but ten years later, when you're all grown up, or maybe just a few years for those who are yet to enter university - you'll find that you need your brethren. and sometimes just sticking to malaccan brethren doesn't cut it.

some point in your life, you'll start to feel like there's this whole other world out there, outside malacca.

and then you'll find that you don't know it at all.

so.

hurry up and give sharma your names. =)

oh ya. say hello to raymond's girlfriend - cassandra. =D

Bible Vs Cell Phone

Bible vs. Cell phone

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat

our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several time a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing.
Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being
disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!

Just thought it was a good forward mail

Attempts to fit into PJGH

Care Group (CG)

Joined the Jeremiah group in former Contracts tutor's house on Friday with Geng Yi and Grace. Ju couldn't go because she had to study for an exam the following day (after which she cabut-ed back to mlc dengan penuh kebahagiaan *sob*).

It was exactly like Bible study back home, except we didn't watch TV while waiting for the rest to arrive, didn't study the Bible (at all. discussion theme was ironically the Bible though. ah hahah.), there was no fish-head noodle soup or jasmine tea for makan, and we didn't watch American Idol or a badminton match or an old Indiana Jones movie on TV after makan.

Yeah, all that basically sums up the Ayer Keroh area Bible study. Dunno about the other Bible study group. Haha.

The CG is based on the discussion questions at the bottom of the previous Sunday's sermon handout in the bulletin. So no reference to any core verses in the Bible. Kinda like what we're trying to start in youth, eh? And also prolly why they don't call it "Bible study group" the way we do in mlc.

I felt quite at home at the CG, maybe cuz it's supposed to be a group that cares for you. Ah ha. Or maybe it's just too early to tell. I'll continue going anyhow (after Raya hols. *yahoo*).


Sunday

One of the issues concerning worship in MGC is that it quite often seems to be a singing session instead of a worship session. After being in PJGH, I think I can see why.

Here, the first part of worship (before sermon) is either equally balanced between song requests and sharing from the Bible, or Bible sharing > songs.

One thing that's quite noticeable, though, is that the PJGH youth don't stand for much of anything except to play the musical instruments. In that sense, I suppose MGC is a guli-roll ahead.

Met Sam, a former GLO-mate in church today. He's back from his uber-long hols. I can see that I'm setting off on the mix-more-with-young-adults-(or-maybe-non-peers)-than-youth route here. I don't know if it's the right route to go along, but right now, the non-peers are seriously more welcoming than the youth. Plus Lin pointed out that I'm not a youth anymore. -_-


Youth

Sam plans to join the youth this time round. So perhaps I'll go to youth with him once in awhile and see how. Don't feel like serving in the youth ministry though. I mean, c'mon la. The churches here in PJ and KL bukannya kurang manpower or what. In fact, I daresay they've excess manpower. I'm going by intuition a lot these days, so please pray that my woman's intuition is accurate.


Music Ministry

Sam very nicely 'let it slip' that I can play the piano, and Geng Yi did the same thing (oh so careless) during CG, so I suppose I might be roped in. Might, because they have a lot of pianists here actually. I also do not feel like being in the music ministry for some reason. Maybe I just want to try something new instead of being stuck in the same ministry my entire life. Not that it's a bad thing. But. Hmm.


Miscellaneous

Was thinking that I should be like the MMU-ians - help out in major events and stuff. PJGH is full of major events, like today's Christianity Explored Conference. Maybe I could volunteer to help in something next time round.

Also, there was a UM visitor today. Was able to kamcheng with her cuz we're both from UM. So I guess maybe I could work with Ms Choong to help welcome UM students.

I think helping people to pour coffee might help too.

Yoh, so desperate for a ministry.

I kept in mind what Uncle Lee Min Choon said last Sunday though:

We always think, "Must come to church and get involved only can do something for God." "Oh! New church! Must faster find ministry to serve in!"

I put this smiley face beside that statement --> =(

True, I'd been fostering that concept ever since I got into PJGH. I shared during CG that after all ties with the Christian world and "church things" have been cut, due to my sudden decrease in church activities, and when my prayer life is in tatters, the Bible has become the only link between me and God. The only reminder to myself that I am a Christian.

No more depending on being crazily involved in every single activity in church to feel like a Christian. No more serving diligently and directly in church to remind me that I am the Lord's servant. No more being involved with church stuff 4 days a week to feel like I'm really attending church. It's ironic to think that I might've even used helping with the dishes to feel like I was doing something in church.

Being in PJGH without a ministry has helped me remember what it is to be a Christian. It's not about serving without end or organizing events or leading Bible studies or nurturing youths. It's about me and God, and me and my Christian family.

Uncle Min Choon helped enforce that in my mind.

All of you back home, I hope that in the midst of all the activities MGC is running, you won't forget why you are a Christian.

You are a Christian because Jesus Christ washed your crimson stains white as snow.

I hope that in the midst of being busy in church on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, you won't forget why you had to be there.

You are there because Jesus Christ set us apart as a family. A family of royal priesthood.


That's all for updates.

Will be coming (like i'm already there hoho) back to Malacca with sis on Friday afternoon.

See you guys!

Worthy is the Lamb

I felt what Kah Wei and dad shared on Sunday really good. The theme on that day was Jesus being the worthy lamb to be sacrificed. Kah Wei shared on a part of Job where God asked him to consider the great creature God created. He read Job 41 and then verse 27; He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. I might not get it entirely right, but Kah Wei said something like this,

"This creature that God created was so great that iron was like straw to him and bronze like rotten wood. But Jesus came down and was crucified to a cross made of wood and nails made of iron."

I thought what he said was really good. Jesus came down as a person so low, that he became lower than the creatures he had created. Then my dad preached on John 21:1-25. When he came to verse 19, he said that the 'Follow Me' meant following Jesus until his death. He said this as well.

"Brothers and sisters in Christ, when you look back at all the things you have sacrificed for Jesus to follow Him, always remember that Jesus sacrificed much more than you; He left His glory above, came down to be rejected, and died on the cross for you and me."

To be honest, I never really looked at it that way before, where Jesus actually DID sacrificed much more than us, even His life. Yes, He did know that He would be raised up to life again, but it's just like doing something wrong and having the fear to own up to it. He felt afraid too. So thank you, Lord, for your amazing sacrifice and love to us all. Worthy is the Lamb. Amen.

Finishing the Race

Today in church, Uncle Rodney gave us the Sunday sermon. It was about Olympian. Weird topic for a sermon right? But it's related to "finishing the race" as a Christian. So I've learned that finishing the race is more important than being number one. It's more important than being the gold medalist. It's "to will one thing" and go forward to achieve the goal. We sang a new hymn this morning. There was a verse in the lyric that goes, Will Jesus said "Well down" or "Go away"? I pondered upon this verse when I did my Quiet Time just now. I feel guilty for sliding away so far you know. I used to read the Bible every single day and I will write down the verses that struck me most and tried to understand what it means and also write down my thoughts in my spiritual diary. But after I came to college, I stopped doing so. I even stopped reading the Bible. I read it when I feel like I want to. It's gotten pretty bad because I feel so spiritually stagnant. I used to make sure that I have my faith at the right place but even that didn't stay. Sad isn't it? I used to think I might end up doing Orang Asli ministry one of these days but where did the will go? I don't know. I also used to think I can be of some help in Children Ministry, and that didn't go as well too. I've been travelling back and forth from Malacca to KL. I don't even stay in KL church long enough to know people around me well. I told a friend from BSGC I feel lonely. He said, "Yeah... So anti-social". I guess I am not a social bug even though I can pretty hyped up in event but only with people I really know. Ask me to talk to a stranger. And I can tell you I can hold a melting candle longer than I can hold the conversation. I really cannot bring myself to talk to visitors that come to our church. I suspect Ah Hwei can do better than me. This is one area I have to work on and also to finish the race.YES! WE MUST FINISH THE RACE!

Anyway, back to the sermon. Well... I've always liked Uncle Rodney's messages because it inspired me. And as mentioned, I tend to stay awake in MGC rather than BSGC. It's such a big church and I always take the back seat. And today Uncle Rodney said something that triggered me to think. He said, "You can never feel the sense of belonging in a church if you come every Sunday, warm the seat and leave after that." Something along this line. I guess I am like that when I go BSGC. I feel very very overwhelmingly lonely that I just want to leave asap. It's not that the youths are not friendly. It's just that we don't really have a common topic to talk about that can keep us in a long conversation. If I go for Bible Study, then I tend to speak a lot more because we have a common topic.

Okay, back to the sermon. So Uncle Rodney told us a story before he closed in prayer. I will really love to share them with you.

There is this boy who asked his dad, "Dad, let's join the marathon." The dad, already aging and having heart condition agreed with him because he couldn't bring himself to say no. So they practiced together. And they went for the marathon. They finished second to last. Then after the first marathon, the son asked for more and his dad never said no despite his age and heart condition. Then one day, he said to his dad, "Dad, let's join the Iron Man Triathlon." For those who don't know, Iron Man Triathlon is a very gruelling race consisting of ocean swim, cycling and running. It takes a lot of energy and stamina to finish the race. But his father said yes. Below is the videoclip of the actual triathlon that they took part in. I will let it end my story. And the message I want to share here will be at the end of the video.

-chen-
[12.36AM]

Wakaka. My first MGC post

Since this is my first MGC blog post, I reckon everyone should read it with much consideration and seriousness of mind and heart. Heh. No lar. Kidding.

Hwei told me how she felt the youth has changed. I felt the same way. Good thing!

Reminds me of when I was a younger youth. All the youths during my secondary school day has left. The last 'older youth' was Geng Yi.

All's left of my batch is Sharma and me.

There will come a time where everyone you ever knew in youth will leave. If you stay. ^_^

Jesus gave a new commandment. Love one another as I have loved you.

Appreciate one another while you still can. Do kind things for one another. Make the most of every opportunity in youth. Serve! Teach the kids! Wash dishes! Go football! Songlead! So that when it's your turn to leave, you can leave with no regrets.

A fragile lamb.

this is taken from the daily bread.dated march 19 2008.
read: 1 Cor. 11:23-26
He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities.-Isiah 53:5

After the Easter eggs were located and the Easter baskets had been opened, Uncle Jay felt compelled to find out whether the white chocolate a lamb was hollow or solid. Without thinking of the potential consequences, he squeezed the lamb. Suddenly Jay's whole body stiffened as if he'd ingested some paralyzing poison. Finally his eyes moved to see if anyone had witnessed the deed. His thumb however, remained stuck in the side of the lamb.

We waited for the reaction. A wail. A howl. A cry of anguish over the crushed chocolate candy.As the adults in the room scrambled for words that would soothe the sorrow of 3-year-old Kenna, he calmly spoke words that soothed us." That's okay, Uncle Jay. The lamb would have been broken when i ate him anyway."

While we adults tried to make sacred memories out of Easter traditions, a 3 year old made a sacred moment for us. She reminded us that Easter is about the perfect lamb of God , broken so that we can be whole, Her youthful wisdom reminds me of the words we recall at communion: "This is My body which is broken for you." May we taste and see that the live He offers is sweeter than anything we concoct for oursleves.-Julie Ackerman Link.

see, from His head, His hands and His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did ever suich love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?- watts

nothing speaks more clearly of God's love than the cross.

A Moment of Thinking

My CF friend, Esmeralda, only some of the youths would know, shared something that got me and the other cf people thinking, and I hope it would have the same effect on those reading this blog.

She was talking bout how she and her family went to Korea for this evangelism thingy. They were walking along the beach and everything seemed normal at first, the people playing, having fun and stuff, but it all went wrong after that. There were 4 people quite far off the beach, and they looked like they were struggling in the waters. Not knowing their language, Esmie and the others didn't had a clue what was happening and suddenly, one of them cried, "Help, help! We're drowning!"


Geez, it was much more serious than this picture.



They didn't know how to swim, but fortunately an American who was in the evangelism programme swam all the way to where the four were and managed to rescue two of them before the rescue workers came and saved another life but the good news were then shadowed by the fact that one did not survive....he drowned.

If you're probably wondering what has it got to do with you, continue reading. She then said,

"Four of the people were drowning, but only one called out for help. It's like in real life, many people are dying but they actually are not aware of it! We see our friends dying in front of us, what are we gonna do about it?"

We have God and the Bible to help us save our friends. What are we gonna do about it? We see our friends "drowning", are we making an effort to try and save them? To conclude, it's not about how many lives we are gonna save at the end of the day that's important, but did we make an effort to save lives.