We Wait For You (Shekinah Glory)

Neither male nor female

I know I haven't blogged for a long long time, so I guess it's about time I do so. :)

I'm quite surprised that the post on 'There is no gender in heaven' has received the highest views all this while and has by far outnumbered the number of views of my other posts. Looks like this is a hot topic for Christians and non-Christians all over the world. I have also received a lot of comments on this that I don't receive for any of my other posts.

I would like to clarify that I am not a Bible scholar, so this topic is totally up to debate. But there are a few basis of why I have written what I have written.

Let me give you an extreme example. (Please highlight extreme.) Say you are outreaching to people who are very different from you and the Lord opens up doors for you to reach out to transgendered people, and they received Jesus into their lives. Of course they have fully repented from all of this and we know that God has already forgiven them, they have been translated from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of the Most High God. However, they have already made physical changes to their bodies and there's no way to reverse it. So how now? If really during rapture we believe that our bodies will be perfected, what does that really mean? Or when we go to heaven our bodies will be perfected, what does it really mean?

Galatians 3:26-29 says: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jews nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

I may be wrong and you might even say that I take this Scripture out of context, but I believe this is talking about the Kingdom of God. By the way the Kingdom of God is not heaven; it is the manifestation and the expression of the power of God; yet obviously there is manifestation and expression of the power of God in heaven. So then, in the Kingdom of God, there is neither male nor female. We are all one in Christ Jesus.

Go figure. And I hope my babbles made sense to some of you.

2013

As you stand at the end of 2012 and ready your steps to enter 2013, what are you leaving behind and preparing for? May this time be a time of reminiscing the good and letting go of the bad, forgiving yourself and others, knowing that God, Who is LOVE, is a God of second chances, and He wants to walk this life alongside you.

So before you plunge into divine excitement of what 2013 can bring, always remember that when you fall, He's there to catch you; when you are tired, He's there to give you comfort and strength; when you are afraid, He's there to present boldness and courage; and when you feel lonely, He's always there for you.

Lastly, blessed end of 2012, and happy lively 2013! Let LOVE reign! ♥ :))

You have a book inside of you - Write it! You have a song inside of you - Sing it! You have a mountain to take - Climb it! Life is one shot - Take it!

-Lance Wallnau

Arms Wide Open

I'll anchor in Your arms of love. I shall love You. I shall love You.

The Renewal Journey

There are times when you know God has started working something in your life, and you're in a place of surrender, you're in a place of just allowing, and you thought it's all working out fine, until... you realised there's so much more to it and you've only taken the smallest step in a long journey.

Talk about the renewal of mind. Just when you thought you've grasped some truths and began to work it out, you realise you don't know anything at all...

I have been drawing some parallels between the Kingdom and working life. I am in a very interesting phase of life, and time is passing by so fast there isn't really time for me to understand and analyse everything, let alone making a summary of it. If you have ever been in an environment of grace and empowering in the world, you will be able to appreciate it; and not just appreciate, but hanging on to it unwaveringly, never letting go, never giving up, no matter what. And you'd perhaps make a pledge to say you will stick on no matter what happens, no matter how the future will turn out to be; you will defend it, protect it, perpetuate it.

But then it takes you by surprise that you aren't able to catch up. You aren't able to live out the Kingdom that you've supposed to have learned and grasped, and you start questioning yourself whether you have really understood what Kingdom mindset is all about, you start doubting if you are ever gracious to yourself, you start searching for that bit within yourself that supposedly has embedded the culture of honour... God always brings you to an end of yourself so that He can be at the starting line with you again. He messes up with what you thought you knew and tells you there's so much more. And He brings you to a place of realisation that "God, You are greater still. Ultimately, it is all about You. It's You I'll seek..."

Come fill this void in me with Your glory. I thirst and hunger for You, O Lord.

Welcoming 2012

And so, it's one and a half hours away from the countdown to 2012. Yes, it's been a good 7 months that I have forsaken blogging, and now I'm back. :p At least for one last post for 2011...

To say that it has been a totally 100% perfect year, it hasn't. To say that it's been totally messy and all wrong would be inaccurate too. It's been ... unexpected, incomprehensible, outstanding, incredible, awesome, great, somewhat dreamlike yet very real, sometimes surreal yet very down to earth and up to heaven, somehow strange and inexplicable yet experiential...

Too many things have happened that has changed everything, so much so that it's quite impossible to be recounted in detail here. But let's make a quick recall so that I'll read this by 31 Dec 2012 and see how much we've progressed in the span of a year :)

Jan - Feb 2011 was the time when we kept emphasizing on the grace and love of God, and to be hungry for Him and His presence. It was a time to shema shema (listen intently) to the voice of God, to His word, His instructions, His directions; allow Him to lead us. Mar 2011, some went to Singapore for Randy Clark's conference and got lots of insight to the things that God wanted to do in 2011 and in this region. End Mar early Apr 2011, some went to Singapore again for Patricia King's Glory School and came back with fire and much zeal. And on April 7, glory came.

WHC will forever mark our calendars on April 7, the unforgettable date when we were given a glimpse of the glory of God, the fire of the Holy Spirit, third heaven visitations, and soaking has taken on a new meaning for all of us. April 7, 2011, was the night when I truly truly experienced and knew how much the Lord loves me, and it was the night that I knew beyond a doubt that my dad is happily dwelling in the presence of God in heaven for eternity. It was the night that changed my life forever, and our church, and each of our lives, and I believe, our community and metrons. It was the night that marked a new beginning, a higher stage for the Lord to work in our lives and our church and in our metrons. It was a glorious night.

And then April 8. There's just no way to describe the beautiful "mess" that the Holy Spirit wanted to do in our midst. There's just no way to fathom it all, only to say, "God, you're so awesome, we can only bow and worship your greatness!" Holy laughter, speaking in new tongues, drunk in the spirit, slain in the spirit, prophesying in tongues and interpretation of tongues, visiting third heaven and swimming in the river glory (literally); you name it! I have never experienced anything so thick before 7 & 8 April...

April, May and June were months of learning and relearning many things and just yielding to the Spirit, letting Him work in our lives, letting the Fire of the Holy Ghost burn everything and anything undesirable in our lives, allowing Him to speak to us personally, learning to operate with Him. Well, not that we've never learned all of these in the Discipleship Program (thanks Ps. David for the Discipleship Program, for writing down everything that you've learned and relearned, for allowing us to grow), but we've sort of entered into the practical part of it, so to speak. :)

And soaking, yes, soaking has taken on a new meaning and new level. God's just been so personal to each of us.

July was more outpouring, more downloads of revelations, more experiences with God. August was Asia Ablaze where we met with Dr. Newberry and Dr. Rodney Howard Browne, both very anointed and very humble servants of the Lord. We all received tonnes of fire from the Holy Spirit and experienced so much in the span of 3 days in the Bukit Jalil Stadium. It was unbelievable, just the thought of having so much of fire, and we just went all out to preach the gospel, seeing souls saved, seeing people walk out from the hospital completely healed, seeing broken lives changed... (and what I'm writing here is just the tip of the iceberg.)

September was WHC Wind and Fire Camp, and... shall I say more outpouring? :D We were all ambushed by the Holy Spirit: slain, holy laughter, members prophesying and blessing pastors and leaders, imparting to pastors and leaders, speaking words of wisdom and words of knowledge, third heaven visitations, glory encounters, shaking uncontrollably, open visions of heaven, seeing angels, new tongues and interpretations of tongues, etc etc. Fire of the Holy Ghost!!

October was more soaking and the Lord dealt with each of us so personally and so deeply that everyone knew and could understand that each was going through the same season corporately. As we allowed the Lord to burn away every impurity, weaknesses, sins, undesirables, bitterness, root problems in our lives and allow His wind to blow zoe life into us, I could feel Him empowering us again and again, lifting us up from dirt and filth and exposing us to His glorious light, so that we ourselves would also shine once again, just as He has purposed us to be. God was just going to deep into our hearts, being so personal to us, because He loves us so much!

In November, Oliver Tham, the organiser of Asia Ablaze came and preached a message of God's love and our identity as God-man / God-woman in Christ. This was a very powerful message that set us on to the path of being who we are meant to be -- men and women of God, joined together with God, a being so powerful that in the name of Jesus Christ every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, every demon be fearful, every darkness will dissolve, and everything would obey at the command in the name of Jesus. Again, the Lord was empowering us for greater heights.

As we stepped into December, it's as if we are already in 2012. Preparations of hearts, preparations for Christmas, but more like preparations for all of our prophecies to come to pass, for all of the revelations to  become our personal experiences, for all of God's promises to come true. Even though there were many things that I hoped would happen in 2011 and it didn't, I believe nothing is wasted. Nothing is lost. Nothing is irredeemable. For the Lord, nothing is impossible.

Looking forward to a greater year ahead. There are things birthing forth in the spiritual realm and I can feel it. These are no eyes have seen, nor ears have heard, the things that the Lord has in stored for us and will work among us. We will reign together with Christ, govern and rule together as He gives us power and authority.

Thank you Lord, for your great love for us. I love you, Lord. <3

Hello, 2012! =)

Too Long

Yes, I know I haven't blogged for a looooong time. Too many things happened at the same time. Too many GOOOD things, to be precise. I'm sorry I can't share it here because they are too precious to be squandered. Let's just say the Lord is ALWAYS GOOD and He is sovereign, ruling over every disaster, every calamity, every situation, even the smallest matters that bothers your heart. Just let Him do that work He wants in your life -- setting you free from the old, renewing your mind and heart to reflect the Father's, and empowered to do His will so that His kingdom will come on earth.

I certainly hope to share more, perhaps next time I won't be lost for words when I encounter His awesomeness. But then again, when will that ever happen? XD

Love You so much, Jesus! <3

Open Up Your Heart

When I just accepted Christ, I always heard people saying the phrase 'open up your heart', or people telling me to 'open up your heart'. At first, I didn't really understand; I could understand that it means being open and receptive to what was being taught in church and what our spiritual leaders are preaching according to the word of God, but how do you 'open up your heart'? Exactly how? How are you able to make your heart open? How sure are you that your heart is open and receptive? And how much are you taking in and agreeing? How much can you agree and receive?

Then it came to a point that I was the one telling others to open up their hearts. And I realised that people can't open up their hearts unless they allow God to open up their hearts.

And how do you allow God? It's just by surrendering, every part of you, yielding to Him bit by bit and acknowledging that He is God.

Previously, I didn't understand why there is this phrase 'sweet surrendering'. How is surrendering sweet? How can denying yourself be something sweet and desirable when you know it is a sacrifice that you're making? How can it turn out to be beautiful? Well, now I do understand, that it's because of the beauty of the Lord and His grace that makes surrendering sweet and beautiful. It's because when you surrender to the Lord and start yielding to Him, that His delight and pleasure comes upon you, and you're instantly filled with assurance and joy.

Friends, no matter what you are facing or going through in life, know that when you open up your heart and allow God, His grace is able to save you. There are many decisions we can make with our lives, and in fact every single thing that you do and who you are today are the results of the very decisions you have made. But what are the choices that will make a difference and impact the lives of others positively? What are the choices that will yield an everlasting result? What are you pursuing that will last beyond our time on earth? What are you doing that will bring change the way God intended? --  these are the questions worth asking ourselves.

Psalm 139:23-24 ~ Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Bebek Experience

Ubud Bali is famous for its culture, friendly local community, beautiful countryside views, and of course the local specialty that has grown to be world renowned -- Bebek Bengil. It literally means Dirty Duck Diner. No, it's not dirty at all. On the contrary, it's actually a very beautiful restaurant overlooking paddy fields, you get to sit under wooden and straw huts or long tables.

Whence come the name? Here's the story from the owners...

When we were building the restaurant, we thought long and hard about a name. Many good suggestions came from our friends, but none seemed just right. We knew we wanted a Balinese name that translated well into English. However, for a long time the metaphor eluded us.

One tropical monsoon morning, when the restaurant was very close to being finished (we had the concrete floor down, and the tables in), a flock of ducks from the rice field across the road (yes, there were rice fields all around us then) ran quacking and squawking into the restaurant and across the floor and tables. They left muddy webbed footprints all over the place. They were our first guests - those dirty ducks!

 And so the name stuck. Bebek is duck in Bahasa Indonesia. Their signature dishes include Bebek Bengil (half a duck marinated in spices and deep-fried to crispy perfection) and Balinese Smoked Duck, which takes many hours to marinate and prepare so that you have to pre-book and pre-order this dish. According to our driver Nyoman (who happens to live nearby and knows the guy who handles the marinating spices for the restaurant), apart from the many spices used to marinate the duck, it's actually the special cooking technique that makes it so good. After marinating the duck, it is buried into a heap of rice husk, which will then be lighted. As rice husk does not catch on fire easy or can't be burnt easily, it ends up smoking instead, and the heat from the rice husk smokes the duck slowly, taking at least 4-5 hours to fully cook the duck.

The meat is so tender and juicy, with a slight tinge but not too strong of the taste duck meat. The herbs and spices are so well executed that it doesn't take away the original taste of duck meat, but complements it perfectly.

 The set comes with rice,

Vegetables, which is long beans with beans sprout,

Balinese Sate, which is totally different from what we have in Malaysia and worth trying. The sauce is Mmm~Mmm Yummy!

Keropok

2 glasses of pure fruit punch

 

 True satisfaction! Totally worth its price of IDR 185,000 / RM 67.50. The Smoked Duck set feeds three to the brim.

21 years of business, with branches in Jakarta and Hong Kong (I think). Here's the address:

Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner)

Hanoman Street,

Padang Tegal, Ubud,

80571 Bali, Indonesia

Telephone Number/Fax No : +(62-361) 975 489

Thank you Lord, for the delicious dinning time together. :)

Bali

My family and I were in Bali for a week. Been to many places (will try to remember the names), saw many interesting sites, and tasted great many good food. Although the aftereffects of having too much spicy food for a week is what I'll have to bear with now.

Bali is beautiful. But one piece of advise: if you're like me and like culture and nature more than commercialism, clubbing and congestion, then you might want to stay in Ubud for 3-4 days and only 1-2 days at Kuta.

Here goes the pix...

Babi Guling -- famous and must have at Ubud.

Mum and I sitting under a bamboo bush.

The Ubud Pasar. Lots of arts, crafts and souvenirs.

Guitar Miniatures

Padi -- you'll see fields all over the countryside of Bali.

And even at where we stayed -- Nick's Pension. Ducks in the field going home after the evening feed.

Ever seen spiders like this before?

You ain't seen nothing yet. This one's bigger!

Sunset at Nick's Pension

Rice Terrace

Nyoman, our driver, talking with Mum

Kintamani Volcano

And Batur Lake beside the volcano.

Tampak Siring -- holy spring temple

Visitors and locals taking a dip in the temple's holy water.

Balinese worshiping in the temple.

More paddy fields. See this almost everywhere.

And they are mostly planted on terraces.

Goa Gajah. No elephants, though. This is an ancient temple.

 The next day...

 We went to the palace temple.

 Then we went to Bedugul.

 It was a rainy day, but it was still beautiful all the same.

 Ulun Danu Temple -- Beratan Bedugul Lake

 Beratan Lake

 Gitgit Waterfalls

 The water is ice cold.

Thank you Lord, for your wonderful creation. :)

More in the next posts...