I suddenly realised just how little I have blogged this month! Gosh, and it's already month end!
Oh yes, blame it on work...
Hope this will be a short one, because it's already very late as it is.
Well, despite the heavy workload I'm assigned this month and for the coming few months, I think it's a matter of need rather than of leisure that I went for some reading. Those who know me and know what I mean will understand this involves hours of slowing bankrupting a bookstore. Or maybe not. In any case, that's what I do when I'm feeling that I need to escape...
As a result, I actually finished another fantasy book in 3 sittings. That's quite fast considering the length and hours I took, although I remember I used to finish the book in a sitting of roughly 4 -5 hours. But yea, that's a bit crazy, I would admit.
I think anyone would agree that I've long past the age of reading children literature, especially fantasy genre, but I figured that I still do because I'm quite a slow learner. I only began to pick up English when I was 14, so I used up most of my teens to discover children's novels. Erm, still discovering... Of course, I have read some solid stuff like Agatha Christie, Christian books, etc, but I still find an attraction to children's fiction. It gives one room to imagine and be in the books, and it leaves me to wish that I could write as good.
Overtime, I learned not to overdo "being in the books". I know that's pretty serious for your mind to wander off like that. But I also always have that dream and ambition that I could write like the authors I love, only that the stories would bear the imprints of God -- and that's not easy. There's tonnes of books out there writing about absolute rubbish, but it's high time people should know what to chew and what to puke at.
So I shall consult the Holy Spirit and go to bed now. What a piece! :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Parting to a New Beginning
This one is for Pr. Kenneth & Pr. Sharon and their cute little daughter Sophia.
When I first got the news about their leave, I could tell that this was something different. I felt it in my heart, although the sadness and feelings of having to part was also present. Yet, there was an assurance that came along, a peace that says, "this is good".
In Ecclesiastes it says to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Of course, it could be something easier said than to accept. It's quite easy for one to use it as an excuse, but to really say it with the conviction of the Holy Spirit and knowing so deeply in the heart that this is the truth that is set upon them -- there is no denying the purpose of God that comes directly from Him, and with it comes assurance and peace.
This is a difficult piece to write, because there's just so much thoughts to it, so much to convey yet with so little words to describe...
Roman 8:28 is always quoted as a favourite verse when we acknowledge the Lord's goodness though we may not fully understand His plans. But at this moment, I think I shall quote Isaiah 54:2-3 instead:
It says, "do not spare". Do not spare what? Do not spare everything that you have. That includes yourself. Aren't we good at sparing ourselves from trouble or work? Oh, please spare me from the chores, I have exams coming. I'm a spare in the team; only if the guy injures I will play. Spare tyres are only used in emergencies. Spare parts only come in handy when the originals are spoiled. But NO! God says, DO NOT SPARE. That means, don't spare the ones that are the best, nor the ones that are not so good. Don't reserve anything.
Dear Pr. Kenneth & Pr. Sharon, this is my prayer for you:
Father God, they have not spared anything from You, because they know that You have not spared Your only begotten son for us. They have laid down, and they are ready to labour for Your Kingdom. So Lord I pray that every blessing and anointing and need that they have, it shall be poured out to them. Every journey that they walk, may they be upright in Your will and purpose, that Your glory will come as is promised.
Lord, we don't know and may not understand where You are leading us, even as a whole church, but God, we do know that we are not lost, but in Your divine purpose and destiny. Lord, I pray that as they will build Your church in Penang, let the souls pour in and the darkness be reduced to nothingness. God, You know the significance and every landmark of the state. We pray that Your sovereign hand will take charge and that it will turn this nation as You have willed.
God, as You have made us to be more than conquerors, please make Pr. Kenneth and Pr. Sharon victors to triumph over every challenge. Bless them Lord in all things. We are parting, but we know that in You we will always be united. This is not the end, but the beginning, for both World Harvest, and for this family. I pray that Your angels will be their guide and shield, take charge over them.
God, You are good. May all the goodness and greatness that You have intended for them and for us be so evident. We thank You for all that You've done and all that will come. In Jesus' mighty name, AMEN!
Bye, Pastors, but we shall surely meet again. I have never thought that great joy and sadness could be felt at the same time, but now I have experienced it and know that only God could place this unique emotion in me. I will always remember our first meeting and every word that you have imparted and spoken over my life.
You will always be in our hearts. Take care. We love you.
When I first got the news about their leave, I could tell that this was something different. I felt it in my heart, although the sadness and feelings of having to part was also present. Yet, there was an assurance that came along, a peace that says, "this is good".
In Ecclesiastes it says to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Of course, it could be something easier said than to accept. It's quite easy for one to use it as an excuse, but to really say it with the conviction of the Holy Spirit and knowing so deeply in the heart that this is the truth that is set upon them -- there is no denying the purpose of God that comes directly from Him, and with it comes assurance and peace.
This is a difficult piece to write, because there's just so much thoughts to it, so much to convey yet with so little words to describe...
Roman 8:28 is always quoted as a favourite verse when we acknowledge the Lord's goodness though we may not fully understand His plans. But at this moment, I think I shall quote Isaiah 54:2-3 instead:
2 Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.I believe God is really expanding us and speeding up the process of expansion so quickly that we've just got to avail ourselves for Him to fulfil His purpose. There's no delaying, no doubting, only total trust, total surrender.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.
It says, "do not spare". Do not spare what? Do not spare everything that you have. That includes yourself. Aren't we good at sparing ourselves from trouble or work? Oh, please spare me from the chores, I have exams coming. I'm a spare in the team; only if the guy injures I will play. Spare tyres are only used in emergencies. Spare parts only come in handy when the originals are spoiled. But NO! God says, DO NOT SPARE. That means, don't spare the ones that are the best, nor the ones that are not so good. Don't reserve anything.
Dear Pr. Kenneth & Pr. Sharon, this is my prayer for you:
Father God, they have not spared anything from You, because they know that You have not spared Your only begotten son for us. They have laid down, and they are ready to labour for Your Kingdom. So Lord I pray that every blessing and anointing and need that they have, it shall be poured out to them. Every journey that they walk, may they be upright in Your will and purpose, that Your glory will come as is promised.
Lord, we don't know and may not understand where You are leading us, even as a whole church, but God, we do know that we are not lost, but in Your divine purpose and destiny. Lord, I pray that as they will build Your church in Penang, let the souls pour in and the darkness be reduced to nothingness. God, You know the significance and every landmark of the state. We pray that Your sovereign hand will take charge and that it will turn this nation as You have willed.
God, as You have made us to be more than conquerors, please make Pr. Kenneth and Pr. Sharon victors to triumph over every challenge. Bless them Lord in all things. We are parting, but we know that in You we will always be united. This is not the end, but the beginning, for both World Harvest, and for this family. I pray that Your angels will be their guide and shield, take charge over them.
God, You are good. May all the goodness and greatness that You have intended for them and for us be so evident. We thank You for all that You've done and all that will come. In Jesus' mighty name, AMEN!
Bye, Pastors, but we shall surely meet again. I have never thought that great joy and sadness could be felt at the same time, but now I have experienced it and know that only God could place this unique emotion in me. I will always remember our first meeting and every word that you have imparted and spoken over my life.
You will always be in our hearts. Take care. We love you.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Apostolic Program Intake 11
It's been almost 1.5 weeks since the Apostolic Program Intake 11 ended. Sitting here typing this, I actually don't know what to write, because it's just too huge and awesome to actually have any words that are fitting to describe the Lord's greatness...
Y08's AP is somewhat different from the previous 10 intakes; it just felt different. And though I believe everyone, both participants and church members, had experienced God and received many great things from Him, I felt that the manifestation of the presence of God was just different. It felt like 2 weeks was just too short for Him to have fully shown Himself to us, like there were so many things yet to be released, like there was something else that He wanted to do. I wished it could go on for another 2 weeks, or just go on and on and that none of us would have to worry about time, our career, ministry back in our nations, family, etc. Yet at the same time it felt that the parting with our beloved participants, now alumni and friends of MTI, was the beginning of something even greater ahead, and the 2 weeks of soaking together in the presence of God was just a glimpse of the great work of the Lord yet to come.
I was truly delighted to see many alumni coming this year and to hear them share how it has been for the past year. Some I barely remember, some I have anticipated their coming and so glad to see them arrive safely, but all in all it was a joyous time fellowshiping with all of the participants.
I realised that I have come to a level of commitment that I undertsood there were just so much that we could give. I realised that sometimes we can feel so tired in our bodies and even our soul, and we tell God, O Lord, I have given so much already... Whether it's in our service to Him, in giving to the Lord, in any sense, from the amount that we have given, we could actually give yet more to the Lord. There are still so much that we hold on to, and the Lord always wants us to give Him our all.
Yea, I know it sounds very unreasonable, like God is so unfair, why He always want to strip us and rid us of everything of our own, until we have nothing left. Well, seeing that He owns us and our lives, doesn't He also own everything of us? Then why does He still wants us to lay down our lives for Him? That's because He owns us, but He doesn't own our freewill. And He wants us to love Him with all of us, because that's how He loves us -- He gave us Himself, all of it.
I think this realisation and understanding came when I had to constantly told myself that it wasn't because of my talents or skills or anything of myself that I'm qualified to serve Him. It was purely because of His great grace. It was because of Him and for Him. I had to constantly pray that "God, when I'm playing the keyboards, let them not see me, but that they would see You and only You." This was because by His grace, the Holy Spirit had touched many people through the worship team.
There were times I remembered that my fingers were trembling as they moved across the keyboard. Those were the times when I felt that I didn't know where my fingers should go next; my mind was blank, but there was that faithful input of a tune from the Holy Spirit, and it was more than enough.
The one thing that I remembered most clearly was during the final day of the program on Friday oct 31. The participants all gathered together and a representative from each nation came forward to pray and bless Pr. David, Pr. Gloria and the whole team in their own national language. The presence of God was immediately so evidently strong as soon as we started to pray in the Spirit, and stronger still as each took the mic to pray in their national language. Of course, we understood very little of what they were all praying, but it was really awesome to hear people pray in Aramic, Tamil, African dialects, Filipino dialect, English and etc.
But it was when our fellow Malaysian participant started to pray that I had tears in my eyes and my heart so touched by the presence of God. When she started praying in Bahasa Malaysia, I could feel such a heat over my head, a heat that comes from above and only on my head and not my body. I knew immediately that was the kabod presence of God, though I have never experienced it this way before.
Seldom do we actually pray in BM because we are so used to conducting everything in English or Mandarin or a Chinese dialect. And I understood that whenever we sing or pray in BM, it brings us to a higher level of experiencing Him, especially in the area of praying for revival for our nation. I realised that when we lift up His name in BM, there's always an uncontested reverence, an unfathomable awesomeness in the air that meant that He is THE LORD of Malaysia and nothing would stand against it.
I believe He still has great things in stored for us, for our church, for this nation and the nations that had come by His call. And though this might be just the beginning of a huge outpouring, I think it's not a slow movement or a process that would take long to complete, but we all know in deep in our hearts that nothing will hinder it from being accomplished, for the Word of the Lord shall not return to Him void. Amen.
Y08's AP is somewhat different from the previous 10 intakes; it just felt different. And though I believe everyone, both participants and church members, had experienced God and received many great things from Him, I felt that the manifestation of the presence of God was just different. It felt like 2 weeks was just too short for Him to have fully shown Himself to us, like there were so many things yet to be released, like there was something else that He wanted to do. I wished it could go on for another 2 weeks, or just go on and on and that none of us would have to worry about time, our career, ministry back in our nations, family, etc. Yet at the same time it felt that the parting with our beloved participants, now alumni and friends of MTI, was the beginning of something even greater ahead, and the 2 weeks of soaking together in the presence of God was just a glimpse of the great work of the Lord yet to come.
I was truly delighted to see many alumni coming this year and to hear them share how it has been for the past year. Some I barely remember, some I have anticipated their coming and so glad to see them arrive safely, but all in all it was a joyous time fellowshiping with all of the participants.
I realised that I have come to a level of commitment that I undertsood there were just so much that we could give. I realised that sometimes we can feel so tired in our bodies and even our soul, and we tell God, O Lord, I have given so much already... Whether it's in our service to Him, in giving to the Lord, in any sense, from the amount that we have given, we could actually give yet more to the Lord. There are still so much that we hold on to, and the Lord always wants us to give Him our all.
Yea, I know it sounds very unreasonable, like God is so unfair, why He always want to strip us and rid us of everything of our own, until we have nothing left. Well, seeing that He owns us and our lives, doesn't He also own everything of us? Then why does He still wants us to lay down our lives for Him? That's because He owns us, but He doesn't own our freewill. And He wants us to love Him with all of us, because that's how He loves us -- He gave us Himself, all of it.
I think this realisation and understanding came when I had to constantly told myself that it wasn't because of my talents or skills or anything of myself that I'm qualified to serve Him. It was purely because of His great grace. It was because of Him and for Him. I had to constantly pray that "God, when I'm playing the keyboards, let them not see me, but that they would see You and only You." This was because by His grace, the Holy Spirit had touched many people through the worship team.
There were times I remembered that my fingers were trembling as they moved across the keyboard. Those were the times when I felt that I didn't know where my fingers should go next; my mind was blank, but there was that faithful input of a tune from the Holy Spirit, and it was more than enough.
The one thing that I remembered most clearly was during the final day of the program on Friday oct 31. The participants all gathered together and a representative from each nation came forward to pray and bless Pr. David, Pr. Gloria and the whole team in their own national language. The presence of God was immediately so evidently strong as soon as we started to pray in the Spirit, and stronger still as each took the mic to pray in their national language. Of course, we understood very little of what they were all praying, but it was really awesome to hear people pray in Aramic, Tamil, African dialects, Filipino dialect, English and etc.
But it was when our fellow Malaysian participant started to pray that I had tears in my eyes and my heart so touched by the presence of God. When she started praying in Bahasa Malaysia, I could feel such a heat over my head, a heat that comes from above and only on my head and not my body. I knew immediately that was the kabod presence of God, though I have never experienced it this way before.
Seldom do we actually pray in BM because we are so used to conducting everything in English or Mandarin or a Chinese dialect. And I understood that whenever we sing or pray in BM, it brings us to a higher level of experiencing Him, especially in the area of praying for revival for our nation. I realised that when we lift up His name in BM, there's always an uncontested reverence, an unfathomable awesomeness in the air that meant that He is THE LORD of Malaysia and nothing would stand against it.
I believe He still has great things in stored for us, for our church, for this nation and the nations that had come by His call. And though this might be just the beginning of a huge outpouring, I think it's not a slow movement or a process that would take long to complete, but we all know in deep in our hearts that nothing will hinder it from being accomplished, for the Word of the Lord shall not return to Him void. Amen.
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