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Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Agape 9 Revealing ...
Agape 9 destined at Malacca will be falling into next year Youth Annual Camp 4 Days 3 Nites*. Taking you experience the toast of joy in this camp... Registration will be open "real" soon!
Stay tune for more updates....
Submitted by Js
*Subject to change or increase...
Monday, September 29, 2008
Reckless Abandon
As we stumble toward the end of the year, it seems the world has become more dangerous. Over the last couple of years the U.S. State Department has issued serious “Avoid Travel” warnings to a growing list of 27 countries. Traveling abroad, especially for Christians, is fraught with risk. It’s no secret that anger toward the “Christian West” is on the rise in certain parts of the world today. So, why do Christians continue traveling to places like Iraq, Sudan, Nigeria and Afghanistan?
Most theologians would agree that followers of Christ are scripturally mandated to “go and proclaim” the love of God. But for Christians, the risk-vs.-reward equation is changing fast, and not just in North America. The issue is being debated openly in South Korea right now, a country that sends out more Christian missionaries than any other country in the world, save the United States.
One of their most recent missions went horribly wrong. A Korean pastor, Bae Hyung-kyu, who led a team of young volunteers on a humanitarian aid mission to Afghanistan, was shot and killed by the Taliban after his mission team was taken hostage in July. On the day of his 42nd birthday, he was shot 10 times in the head, execution style. Another hostage was killed. After weeks of negotiation, the rest of the team was released.
In the aftermath, criticism for the Korean church, and others like it, is rising. The wisdom of dispatching short-term aid workers into dangerous areas is being challenged on many levels by people of all faiths. After all, these volunteers from Korea were warned by their own government not to travel to Afghanistan. The church sent them anyway.
So why would a perfectly normal church in a perfectly safe neighborhood send a group of very nice nurses, engineers and benevolent youth workers into Afghanistan—or, for that matter, any part of the world that kidnaps and kills Christians?
Bloggers are typing up a windstorm response to that question, many claiming that the church was irresponsible, that they shouldn’t allow their members to venture into such hostile territory. Sitting safely behind his Northern California-based computer monitor, one blogger typed, “It was a fool’s errand, to be sure. All the young missionaries accomplished was to be abducted off their bus by the Taliban and used as bargaining chips by the barbarians.”
The comments in Korea are even less flattering. A self-described secular Buddhist woman said, “The missionaries are getting what they deserve, maybe now some of them will stop trying to ram Jesus down our throats.”
Criticism didn’t stay hidden in web-land either. Lee Chan-min, an official with International Youth Fellowship in South Korea, told the International Herald Tribune, “We should not cross the line from medical and volunteer aid work into the kind of missionary work that could put our people in danger.”
You might wonder how that kind of logic sits with Christ followers like the original Apostles, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or Jim Elliot. Each of them, and many more, allowed their faith in God to lead them directly into harm’s way, and nearly all of them paid for it with their lives. So it seems that something fundamental to our message, and its delivery, has changed. Has our over-developed world of liability insurance and denominational actuaries and class-action lawsuits watered down ancient Scripture’s warning that this was all supposed to be dangerous in the first place? When Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble,” He wasn’t talking about losing the right to pray in school or losing our 501(c)(3) IRS tax advantages.
Matthew 24:9 says, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (TNIV).
Our nation (and others like it) was founded on the convergence of mission risk, financial and material reward—and faith in God. Following the Homestead Act of 1863, a legion of well-meaning North Americans flocked west to grab land and build a nation (indefensibly destroying Native American peoples and cultures along the way). Those who walked the dirt before us established social and economic increase by building schools, businesses and churches in the presence of toothless swindlers, really bad weather and grizzlies. Once churches became more established, colleges and seminaries were built to feed the ministry with trained workers.
So, in parallel to the building of railroads and highways, a religious infrastructure was set up to handle demand and the fruits of domestic evangelism. Simply put, people were getting saved. These new believers also wanted to do something with their new faith. They took seriously the Great Commission. After things solidified on the home front, believers began to look overseas, and the evangelical missionary movement kicked off in the early 1800s. A man named Adoniram Judson was possibly the first by dispatching himself to Burma in 1813. During his tenure as a missionary, he translated the Bible into the Burmese language, planted 100 churches and led over 8,000 people to Jesus.
Nearly 70 years later, the first Protestant missionaries entered the Korean peninsula and began a long and difficult outreach to a population entrenched with animism, Shamanism and Buddhism. But the Good News could not be subdued there either, as Christianity began to expand to 13 percent of the Korean population. By 1945, some were calling the capital of Korea the “Jerusalem of the East.” Currently, 30 percent of South Korea is Christian. To this day, South Korea hosts the world’s largest church, with nearly 750,000 members—the Yeoido Full Gospel church in Seoul.
The risk for these pioneers of the faith was immense. For one, Judson himself lost two wives and a daughter on the mission field and even contemplated suicide during a yearlong battle with severe depression in the jungles of Burma. In North Korea, after the Communist surge, thousands of Christians and missionaries were forced to move south of the demilitarized zone or take their faith underground and risk intense persecution. To this day, Korean Christians in the North are imprisoned, tortured and even killed for such crimes as owning a Bible or simply talking about Jesus with a family member.
But, alas, we are not Judson, this is not the 1800s and we are not living in North Korea. So, for the average Christian in this everyday life, how much risk is too much?
In the end, only God can judge how much risk is too much. Heck, even driving to work is risky. So we need Him with us in everything we do. If we are endlessly working a day job to pay off the subprime mortgage, as a Christian, we should still bring Christ with us. “Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way“ (Colossians 3:17, The Message).
When we agree to follow the person and teachings of Jesus, we agree to surrender our plan for His, and by definition, that means we agree to a massive amount of personal risk. In our journey of faith and life, He can take us anywhere and allow anything to happen. He can take life and give life, no matter its duration. He extracts meaning from the briefest physical existence that we know. Like when a pre-born child dies in the womb of a mother—it’s our magnificent Father who painfully mines out the meaning in even that experience. He mysteriously brings it purpose. So how much more the life of those who choose to follow His voice, and perish, or become gravely injured in the process?
The main problem here is not Christ followers taking too much risk. The problem is that we are not taking enough risk. We’re getting theologically fat and spiritually bored with our safer versions of sunshine-pumping Christianity. Heck, even well-meaning Christian books that encourage us to take more risk are written by well-paid people who seemingly take very little life-threatening risk themselves.
Hear this: It was always supposed to be dangerous. The stakes are high, and many people around the world are in great jeopardy, severely marginalized and in extreme poverty. To state the obvious, people are dying. They need help, and it’s the Good News delivered by the crazy risk-takers who bring it. It’s people like the Korean Christians and countless others who carry it through at great cost.
Author: Anonymous...
Adapted from website!
Most theologians would agree that followers of Christ are scripturally mandated to “go and proclaim” the love of God. But for Christians, the risk-vs.-reward equation is changing fast, and not just in North America. The issue is being debated openly in South Korea right now, a country that sends out more Christian missionaries than any other country in the world, save the United States.
One of their most recent missions went horribly wrong. A Korean pastor, Bae Hyung-kyu, who led a team of young volunteers on a humanitarian aid mission to Afghanistan, was shot and killed by the Taliban after his mission team was taken hostage in July. On the day of his 42nd birthday, he was shot 10 times in the head, execution style. Another hostage was killed. After weeks of negotiation, the rest of the team was released.
In the aftermath, criticism for the Korean church, and others like it, is rising. The wisdom of dispatching short-term aid workers into dangerous areas is being challenged on many levels by people of all faiths. After all, these volunteers from Korea were warned by their own government not to travel to Afghanistan. The church sent them anyway.
So why would a perfectly normal church in a perfectly safe neighborhood send a group of very nice nurses, engineers and benevolent youth workers into Afghanistan—or, for that matter, any part of the world that kidnaps and kills Christians?
Bloggers are typing up a windstorm response to that question, many claiming that the church was irresponsible, that they shouldn’t allow their members to venture into such hostile territory. Sitting safely behind his Northern California-based computer monitor, one blogger typed, “It was a fool’s errand, to be sure. All the young missionaries accomplished was to be abducted off their bus by the Taliban and used as bargaining chips by the barbarians.”
The comments in Korea are even less flattering. A self-described secular Buddhist woman said, “The missionaries are getting what they deserve, maybe now some of them will stop trying to ram Jesus down our throats.”
Criticism didn’t stay hidden in web-land either. Lee Chan-min, an official with International Youth Fellowship in South Korea, told the International Herald Tribune, “We should not cross the line from medical and volunteer aid work into the kind of missionary work that could put our people in danger.”
You might wonder how that kind of logic sits with Christ followers like the original Apostles, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or Jim Elliot. Each of them, and many more, allowed their faith in God to lead them directly into harm’s way, and nearly all of them paid for it with their lives. So it seems that something fundamental to our message, and its delivery, has changed. Has our over-developed world of liability insurance and denominational actuaries and class-action lawsuits watered down ancient Scripture’s warning that this was all supposed to be dangerous in the first place? When Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble,” He wasn’t talking about losing the right to pray in school or losing our 501(c)(3) IRS tax advantages.
Matthew 24:9 says, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (TNIV).
Our nation (and others like it) was founded on the convergence of mission risk, financial and material reward—and faith in God. Following the Homestead Act of 1863, a legion of well-meaning North Americans flocked west to grab land and build a nation (indefensibly destroying Native American peoples and cultures along the way). Those who walked the dirt before us established social and economic increase by building schools, businesses and churches in the presence of toothless swindlers, really bad weather and grizzlies. Once churches became more established, colleges and seminaries were built to feed the ministry with trained workers.
So, in parallel to the building of railroads and highways, a religious infrastructure was set up to handle demand and the fruits of domestic evangelism. Simply put, people were getting saved. These new believers also wanted to do something with their new faith. They took seriously the Great Commission. After things solidified on the home front, believers began to look overseas, and the evangelical missionary movement kicked off in the early 1800s. A man named Adoniram Judson was possibly the first by dispatching himself to Burma in 1813. During his tenure as a missionary, he translated the Bible into the Burmese language, planted 100 churches and led over 8,000 people to Jesus.
Nearly 70 years later, the first Protestant missionaries entered the Korean peninsula and began a long and difficult outreach to a population entrenched with animism, Shamanism and Buddhism. But the Good News could not be subdued there either, as Christianity began to expand to 13 percent of the Korean population. By 1945, some were calling the capital of Korea the “Jerusalem of the East.” Currently, 30 percent of South Korea is Christian. To this day, South Korea hosts the world’s largest church, with nearly 750,000 members—the Yeoido Full Gospel church in Seoul.
The risk for these pioneers of the faith was immense. For one, Judson himself lost two wives and a daughter on the mission field and even contemplated suicide during a yearlong battle with severe depression in the jungles of Burma. In North Korea, after the Communist surge, thousands of Christians and missionaries were forced to move south of the demilitarized zone or take their faith underground and risk intense persecution. To this day, Korean Christians in the North are imprisoned, tortured and even killed for such crimes as owning a Bible or simply talking about Jesus with a family member.
But, alas, we are not Judson, this is not the 1800s and we are not living in North Korea. So, for the average Christian in this everyday life, how much risk is too much?
In the end, only God can judge how much risk is too much. Heck, even driving to work is risky. So we need Him with us in everything we do. If we are endlessly working a day job to pay off the subprime mortgage, as a Christian, we should still bring Christ with us. “Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way“ (Colossians 3:17, The Message).
When we agree to follow the person and teachings of Jesus, we agree to surrender our plan for His, and by definition, that means we agree to a massive amount of personal risk. In our journey of faith and life, He can take us anywhere and allow anything to happen. He can take life and give life, no matter its duration. He extracts meaning from the briefest physical existence that we know. Like when a pre-born child dies in the womb of a mother—it’s our magnificent Father who painfully mines out the meaning in even that experience. He mysteriously brings it purpose. So how much more the life of those who choose to follow His voice, and perish, or become gravely injured in the process?
The main problem here is not Christ followers taking too much risk. The problem is that we are not taking enough risk. We’re getting theologically fat and spiritually bored with our safer versions of sunshine-pumping Christianity. Heck, even well-meaning Christian books that encourage us to take more risk are written by well-paid people who seemingly take very little life-threatening risk themselves.
Hear this: It was always supposed to be dangerous. The stakes are high, and many people around the world are in great jeopardy, severely marginalized and in extreme poverty. To state the obvious, people are dying. They need help, and it’s the Good News delivered by the crazy risk-takers who bring it. It’s people like the Korean Christians and countless others who carry it through at great cost.
Author: Anonymous...
Adapted from website!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Right, Left or Center?!
One day last spring, on the sleepy drive to school, my 8-year-old son declared he was voting for Barack Obama. Never mind that it was still the primaries and no one knew whether Senator Obama would be the Democratic candidate. Never mind that the Republican candidate was still to be decided. And never mind that he was only 8 and wouldn’t vote for another 10 years. I asked him why he was voting for Senator Obama. His answer was crisp: “Because President Bush got us into a war.” Clearly he cared about the future of our country. My son is a one-issue voter.
As people of faith, political life is simpler when we are one-issue voters. The more problems that concern us, the blurrier our choices become. No matter what ticket we choose, this will be a historic presidential election. We have the opportunity to change America’s story by electing an African-American president or a female vice president—a significant milestone in a country that once counted blacks as three-fifths of a person and did not let women vote until 1920. It is also an opportunity to change the story of the role of evangelicals in politics.
Traditionally, evangelicalism has been associated with the religious right, the Republican party and three flagship issues: life (abortion, euthanasia and stem-cell research), sexuality (homosexuality and same-sex marriage) and culture (a worry over the increasing secularism of America demonstrated in the removal of prayer from public schools, the teaching of evolution and the removal of the 10 Commandments from courtrooms). The predominant worry of the evangelical right has been the steady drift of America away from its “Christian cultural heritage.”
A smaller, but equally important, voice emanates from the evangelical left (yes, there is an evangelical left, and it is growing). The left argues that Jesus’ concern extends beyond personal moral issues to a broad political agenda that includes social justice across a range of issues often ignored by the right. Birthed out of the radical Jesus movements in the 1960s and early ’70s, the evangelical left has united around the issues of war (with predominantly pacifist impulses) and poverty (deploying social programs to help the poor). Because of its association with social justice issues, the evangelical left feels most comfortable within the Democratic Party .
Recently, a centrist position in evangelical politics has wrestled its way into the conversation. Tired of partisan rhetoric, the center wants to attach itself to what is good on both the right and the left while distancing itself from particular party affiliations. They try to avoid the nostalgic references to America’s Christian heritage and the insistence of some on the right for a special voice at the table of public policy. They also shun the left’s seeming avoidance or marginalization of the life and sexuality issues. The center wants to be independent, offering a critical voice to both parties.
Taken together, the various stripes of evangelical politics are must-research topics for any political strategist. In the last nine months alone several books have been published representing the right, left and center. David Gushee’s The Future of Faith in American Politics and Ron Sider’s The Scandal of Evangelical Politics attempt to articulate a centrist position. On the left, Jim Wallis has recently published The Great Awakening. This follows on the heels of his 2004 best-selling God’s Politics. Tony Perkins’ and Harry Jackson’s Personal Faith: Public Policy is an attempt to broaden the political agenda of the right.
If the statistics are accurate, nearly 25 percent of all voters consider themselves “evangelical.” This is an enormous voting bloc. Our presidential candidates in both parties are quick to mention the importance of their personal faith and the central role it plays in their lives. Following their successful conventions, they will set out over the next 60 days of their campaign to court people of faith (not just evangelicals). As followers of Jesus, we have an important opportunity to contribute to the shaping of the American story in the 21st century.
But where do we start?
First, we must begin by locating ourselves on the evangelical map (or off the map). Whether we are right, left or center, we need to know our starting point. If you have ever looked at a map of a mall without a red star that says “You are here,” you know how frustrating it is to try to find a store. The red star makes all the difference.
Second, we need to determine where we are going—our destination. The words of Jesus in the early chapters of the Book of Matthew are profoundly political: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17, TNIV). Jesus reminds us that there is a spiritual reality that overlays our political life. This spiritual reality does not negate the political, but informs and transforms our involvement in it. We are citizens of God’s Kingdom first, America second. But we are citizens of God’s Kingdom so we can be better for the world. The words of Jeremiah to the exiled Israelites in Babylon should echo in our political involvement: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).
The beauty and frustration of Jesus’ moral life was that it complicated the status quo. Which is better, to keep the strict laws of the Sabbath or to heal a man disabled for life, to stone a woman caught in adultery or redeem her from the wake of her lifestyle? Jesus was crucified as king and criminal precisely because He placed people over policies and popular theologies. He entered into the narrative of people’s lives, and people are always messy. Nothing has changed in 2,000 years. We are still messy.
Seeking the welfare of the city means entering into that mess. But it means getting dirty in a different kind of way—in the way of Jesus. We get dirty through our service to the city, not through our path to power. Instead of reacting to the social decay around us, we get dirty by trying to pioneer new solutions to social problems. We get dirty by living out our faith in public life by doing good deeds—the kind of deeds that the world recognizes as good (Matthew 5:13–16). As a community of faith, we are called to set our hope on the sovereignty of God, not on the promise of politicians. Resting in God’s care allows us to be free to make mistakes with our best political decisions. And it allows us to enter into the hopes, dreams, fears, problems and frustrations of people’s stories.
My hope for my son is that over the next 10 years he will mature beyond being a one-issue voter. I hope that he will be able to see the complex problems that our country faces and have the courage to take action—even if it means getting his hands dirty. I, on the other hand, have to vote this year. It’s going to be messy, but historic.
Author: Ron Sanders
Adapted from website!
As people of faith, political life is simpler when we are one-issue voters. The more problems that concern us, the blurrier our choices become. No matter what ticket we choose, this will be a historic presidential election. We have the opportunity to change America’s story by electing an African-American president or a female vice president—a significant milestone in a country that once counted blacks as three-fifths of a person and did not let women vote until 1920. It is also an opportunity to change the story of the role of evangelicals in politics.
Traditionally, evangelicalism has been associated with the religious right, the Republican party and three flagship issues: life (abortion, euthanasia and stem-cell research), sexuality (homosexuality and same-sex marriage) and culture (a worry over the increasing secularism of America demonstrated in the removal of prayer from public schools, the teaching of evolution and the removal of the 10 Commandments from courtrooms). The predominant worry of the evangelical right has been the steady drift of America away from its “Christian cultural heritage.”
A smaller, but equally important, voice emanates from the evangelical left (yes, there is an evangelical left, and it is growing). The left argues that Jesus’ concern extends beyond personal moral issues to a broad political agenda that includes social justice across a range of issues often ignored by the right. Birthed out of the radical Jesus movements in the 1960s and early ’70s, the evangelical left has united around the issues of war (with predominantly pacifist impulses) and poverty (deploying social programs to help the poor). Because of its association with social justice issues, the evangelical left feels most comfortable within the Democratic Party .
Recently, a centrist position in evangelical politics has wrestled its way into the conversation. Tired of partisan rhetoric, the center wants to attach itself to what is good on both the right and the left while distancing itself from particular party affiliations. They try to avoid the nostalgic references to America’s Christian heritage and the insistence of some on the right for a special voice at the table of public policy. They also shun the left’s seeming avoidance or marginalization of the life and sexuality issues. The center wants to be independent, offering a critical voice to both parties.
Taken together, the various stripes of evangelical politics are must-research topics for any political strategist. In the last nine months alone several books have been published representing the right, left and center. David Gushee’s The Future of Faith in American Politics and Ron Sider’s The Scandal of Evangelical Politics attempt to articulate a centrist position. On the left, Jim Wallis has recently published The Great Awakening. This follows on the heels of his 2004 best-selling God’s Politics. Tony Perkins’ and Harry Jackson’s Personal Faith: Public Policy is an attempt to broaden the political agenda of the right.
If the statistics are accurate, nearly 25 percent of all voters consider themselves “evangelical.” This is an enormous voting bloc. Our presidential candidates in both parties are quick to mention the importance of their personal faith and the central role it plays in their lives. Following their successful conventions, they will set out over the next 60 days of their campaign to court people of faith (not just evangelicals). As followers of Jesus, we have an important opportunity to contribute to the shaping of the American story in the 21st century.
But where do we start?
First, we must begin by locating ourselves on the evangelical map (or off the map). Whether we are right, left or center, we need to know our starting point. If you have ever looked at a map of a mall without a red star that says “You are here,” you know how frustrating it is to try to find a store. The red star makes all the difference.
Second, we need to determine where we are going—our destination. The words of Jesus in the early chapters of the Book of Matthew are profoundly political: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17, TNIV). Jesus reminds us that there is a spiritual reality that overlays our political life. This spiritual reality does not negate the political, but informs and transforms our involvement in it. We are citizens of God’s Kingdom first, America second. But we are citizens of God’s Kingdom so we can be better for the world. The words of Jeremiah to the exiled Israelites in Babylon should echo in our political involvement: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).
The beauty and frustration of Jesus’ moral life was that it complicated the status quo. Which is better, to keep the strict laws of the Sabbath or to heal a man disabled for life, to stone a woman caught in adultery or redeem her from the wake of her lifestyle? Jesus was crucified as king and criminal precisely because He placed people over policies and popular theologies. He entered into the narrative of people’s lives, and people are always messy. Nothing has changed in 2,000 years. We are still messy.
Seeking the welfare of the city means entering into that mess. But it means getting dirty in a different kind of way—in the way of Jesus. We get dirty through our service to the city, not through our path to power. Instead of reacting to the social decay around us, we get dirty by trying to pioneer new solutions to social problems. We get dirty by living out our faith in public life by doing good deeds—the kind of deeds that the world recognizes as good (Matthew 5:13–16). As a community of faith, we are called to set our hope on the sovereignty of God, not on the promise of politicians. Resting in God’s care allows us to be free to make mistakes with our best political decisions. And it allows us to enter into the hopes, dreams, fears, problems and frustrations of people’s stories.
My hope for my son is that over the next 10 years he will mature beyond being a one-issue voter. I hope that he will be able to see the complex problems that our country faces and have the courage to take action—even if it means getting his hands dirty. I, on the other hand, have to vote this year. It’s going to be messy, but historic.
Author: Ron Sanders
Adapted from website!
Relativism
Some people take the word “relativism” to refer to something bad. Others are obviously more comfortable with it. So I had better clarify what I mean by it. There are good ways of thinking relatively and there are bad.
When Truth Is Relative
If I say Abraham Lincoln was tall, that statement will be true or false in relation to (that is, relative to) the standard of measurement. “Abraham Lincoln was tall” is true in relation to me—and men in general. But the statement “Abraham Lincoln was tall” would be false in relation to the Sears Tower or, say, the average adult giraffe. So we say that the statement is true or false relative to the standard of measurement.
This is an indispensable way of thinking. Many examples from our daily lives could be given. My father was old when he passed away. True, relative to men. False, relative to civilizations or Redwoods. That car was speeding. True, relative to the 35 mph speed limit. False, relative to NASCAR. That baby’s cry is loud. True, relative to ordinary human conversation. False, relative to thunder. And so on.
The reason we do not call this way of thinking relativism is that we assume he who says Abraham Lincoln was tall and he who says Lincoln was short both believe there is an objective, external standard for validating the statement. For one, the standard is human beings, and for the other, it’s giraffes. So as soon as the two people know what standard the other is using, they can agree with each other, or they can argue on the basis of the same standard. This is not relativism.
Relativism is when a person would prefer to say something like: “There is no objective, external standard for measuring the truth or falsehood of the statement ‘Abraham Lincoln was tall.’ And even if there were, it would be unknowable and I wouldn’t want to base my convictions on it.”
This sounds silly as long as we are talking about Abraham Lincoln’s height. So let’s shift over to something relevant. Consider the statement “Sexual relations between two males is wrong.” Two people may disagree on this, but that doesn’t necessarily mean either of them is a relativist. They may both say, for instance, “There is an objective standard for assessing this statement—namely, God’s will revealed in the Bible.” Then one may say the Bible teaches that this is wrong, and the other may respond, “No, it doesn’t.” That’s not relativism
It would be relativism if someone said, “There is no standard for right and wrong that is valid for everyone. You may believe that sexual relations between two males is wrong, but you can’t claim that others should submit to that standard.”
What does this imply about truth? Relativists may infer from this that there is no such thing as truth. It is simply an unhelpful and confusing category since no standard is universal. Or they may continue to use the word “truth” but simply mean what conforms to one’s own subjective preferences. You may prefer the Bible or the Quran or the Book of Mormon or Mao’s Little Red Book or the sayings of Confucius or the philosophy of Ayn Rand or any of a hundred other standards. These relativists will use the language of “true for you, but not true for me.” In either case, we are dealing with relativism.
The essence of relativism is the conviction that statements—like “Sexual relations between two males is wrong”—are not based on truth that is valid for everyone. There’s no such thing. Concepts like true and false, right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful and ugly are useful for expressing personal preferences or agreed-upon community values, but they aren’t universally valid standards.
Assessing Relativism
The claim that there is no one standard for truth and falsehood that is valid for everyone is deeply rooted in the desire of the fallen human mind to be free from all authority and to enjoy the exaltation of self. This is where relativism comes from. Relativism is not a coherent philosophical system. It is riddled with contradictions—both logical and experiential.
Sophomores in college know something is fishy when someone claims all truths are relative. And every businessman knows that philosophical relativists park their relativism at the door when they go into the bank and read the language of the contract they are about to sign. People don’t embrace relativism because it is philosophically satisfying. They embrace it because it is physically and emotionally gratifying. It provides the cover they need to do what they want.
So this is something we should avoid and grieve over and labor to overcome. And it seems to me that one of the ways we might make some headway in preventing ourselves from embracing relativism and rescuing others from it is by simply pointing out how evil and destructive some of its effects are.
The Evil and Destructive Effects of Relativism
I. Relativism is treasonous.
Relativism is a revolt against God. God’s very existence creates the possibility of truth. He is the ultimate and final standard for all truth claims. When relativism says that there is no standard of truth and falsehood that is valid for everyone, it speaks like an atheist. In rebelling against the very concept of divine law, relativism commits a treason that is worse than outright revolt because it is devious. Instead of saying to God’s face, “Your Word is false,” it says to man, “There is no such thing as a universally binding divine word.”
II. Relativism is dishonest.
Everyone knows in his heart that believing relativism to be true is self-contradictory. Everyone also knows intuitively that no one even tries to put it into practice consistently. Therefore, both philosophically and practically, it cultivates duplicity. People say they believe in it, but they don’t think or act consistently with what they say. They are hypocrites. You can’t be an authentic relativist.
This becomes more obvious as relativists live their lives. They simply do not live as though relativism is true. Professors play the academic game of relativism in their classes and then go home and get upset with their wives for misunderstanding them. Why do they get upset? Because they know that there is an objective meaning that can be transmitted between two human beings, and we have moral obligations to grasp what is meant. No husband will ever say, “Since all truth is relative, it doesn’t matter how you interpret my request for sex.” Whether we write love letters or rental agreements or instructions to our children or directions for a friend or contracts, we believe objective meaning exists in what we write, and we expect people to try to understand it. Then we hold them accountable if they don’t.
The very process of thinking about relativism commits you to truths that you do not treat as relative. Relativists employ the law of non-contradiction and the law of cause and effect whenever they talk about their belief in relativism, and these laws are not relative. If they were, relativists could not even formulate the premises and conclusions that lead them to relativism. This is a deep duplicity. And when one does it knowingly, it is immoral.
III. Relativism hides that we are straying from the truth.
One of the most tragic effects of relativism is the effect it has on language. In a culture where objective truth is esteemed and employed for the good of the people, language holds the honorable place of carrying that precious cargo of truth. In fact, a person’s use of language is assessed on the basis of whether it corresponds to the truth and beauty of the reality he expresses. But when objective truth vanishes in the fog of relativism, the role of language changes. When language no longer exists to relay truth, all that’s left is for it to be a tool to fulfill the wishes of the one using it.
This gives rise to every manner of spin. The goal of language is no longer the communication of reality, but the manipulation of reality. When language becomes relativistic, it no longer functions to affirm the truth, but to conceal when we stray from it. Relativism corrupts the high calling of language and makes it a disguise for those who don’t have the courage to publicly renounce the faith they say they have.
This is the exact opposite of the commitment Paul had in the way he used language. He writes, “We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2, NRSV).
IV. Relativism cloaks greed with flattery.
Apparently, the apostle Paul was accused in Thessalonica of simply wanting money from his converts. When he responds to this, he shows the link between flattery and greed. “Our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness” (1 Thessalonians 2:3–5).
Flattery is the use of language to make someone feel good about himself with a view to getting what you want. Paul calls it a pretext for greed. When relativism removes truth from language, language goes on sale. If we can get more money by telling people what they want to hear, we will.
Relativism is the perfect atmosphere for turning language into a pretext for greed by flattering people with what they want to hear. This is no surprise to Paul. “The time is coming,” he says, “when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
V. Relativism cloaks pride with the guise of humility.
On Sept. 9, 1999, Minneapolis’ Star Tribune carried a lead editorial that said, “Christians must abandon the idea that the Jews must be converted. That idea ... is one of the greatest scandals in history.” So I wrote a letter to the editor and argued that since only “he who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12), it is not scandalous, but rather loving, to urge Jewish people to receive Jesus as their Messiah. This brought a blistering letter from the pastors of the four largest churches downtown. They wrote, “Unfortunately ‘arrogant’ is the right word to describe any attempts at proselytizing—in this case the effort of Christians to ‘win over’ their Jewish brothers and sisters. Thoughtful Christians will disassociate themselves from any such effort.”
The point of that story is if you believe in one truth that all people must embrace in order to be saved, you will be called arrogant. On the other hand, relativism is seen as humility. I certainly won’t say all lovers of truth are humble, but I do want to suggest that relativism is not humble; it’s a cloak for pride.
It works like this. Truth with a capital T—Truth rooted in God’s Word—is a massive, unchanging reality—outside of us—that we little humans must submit to. True humility is to acknowledge this and put ourselves submissively under this reality’s authority.
But what about relativism, which denies this reality exists? It poses as humble by saying, “We are not smart enough to know what the truth is—or if there is any universal truth.” It sounds humble. But look carefully at what is happening. It’s like an employee saying, “I am not smart enough to know who my boss is—or if I even have a boss—so I must not have a boss. I guess I’ll be my own.” In claiming to be too lowly to know the truth, relativists exalt themselves and make themselves the supreme arbiter of what they can think and do. This is not humility; it’s the essence of pride. And the only way pride can be conquered in us is for us to believe in Truth and be conquered by it, so that it rules us and we don’t rule it.
Embrace the Truth Whose Name Is Jesus Christ
Relativism is treasonous against God and dishonest to our fellow believers. It tempts us to put ourselves first and make our own desires more important than anything else. What a bondage! But it is not a bondage from which there is no freedom. Remember Jesus’ words: “The truth will set you free.” If you trust Christ to protect you from harm, and bring you safely to His eternal Kingdom, and be for you the supreme Treasure of the universe, then you will be free to see the truth and embrace the truth and love the truth and be passionate about the truth whose name is Jesus Christ.
Adapted from the Website...
When Truth Is Relative
If I say Abraham Lincoln was tall, that statement will be true or false in relation to (that is, relative to) the standard of measurement. “Abraham Lincoln was tall” is true in relation to me—and men in general. But the statement “Abraham Lincoln was tall” would be false in relation to the Sears Tower or, say, the average adult giraffe. So we say that the statement is true or false relative to the standard of measurement.
This is an indispensable way of thinking. Many examples from our daily lives could be given. My father was old when he passed away. True, relative to men. False, relative to civilizations or Redwoods. That car was speeding. True, relative to the 35 mph speed limit. False, relative to NASCAR. That baby’s cry is loud. True, relative to ordinary human conversation. False, relative to thunder. And so on.
The reason we do not call this way of thinking relativism is that we assume he who says Abraham Lincoln was tall and he who says Lincoln was short both believe there is an objective, external standard for validating the statement. For one, the standard is human beings, and for the other, it’s giraffes. So as soon as the two people know what standard the other is using, they can agree with each other, or they can argue on the basis of the same standard. This is not relativism.
Relativism is when a person would prefer to say something like: “There is no objective, external standard for measuring the truth or falsehood of the statement ‘Abraham Lincoln was tall.’ And even if there were, it would be unknowable and I wouldn’t want to base my convictions on it.”
This sounds silly as long as we are talking about Abraham Lincoln’s height. So let’s shift over to something relevant. Consider the statement “Sexual relations between two males is wrong.” Two people may disagree on this, but that doesn’t necessarily mean either of them is a relativist. They may both say, for instance, “There is an objective standard for assessing this statement—namely, God’s will revealed in the Bible.” Then one may say the Bible teaches that this is wrong, and the other may respond, “No, it doesn’t.” That’s not relativism
It would be relativism if someone said, “There is no standard for right and wrong that is valid for everyone. You may believe that sexual relations between two males is wrong, but you can’t claim that others should submit to that standard.”
What does this imply about truth? Relativists may infer from this that there is no such thing as truth. It is simply an unhelpful and confusing category since no standard is universal. Or they may continue to use the word “truth” but simply mean what conforms to one’s own subjective preferences. You may prefer the Bible or the Quran or the Book of Mormon or Mao’s Little Red Book or the sayings of Confucius or the philosophy of Ayn Rand or any of a hundred other standards. These relativists will use the language of “true for you, but not true for me.” In either case, we are dealing with relativism.
The essence of relativism is the conviction that statements—like “Sexual relations between two males is wrong”—are not based on truth that is valid for everyone. There’s no such thing. Concepts like true and false, right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful and ugly are useful for expressing personal preferences or agreed-upon community values, but they aren’t universally valid standards.
Assessing Relativism
The claim that there is no one standard for truth and falsehood that is valid for everyone is deeply rooted in the desire of the fallen human mind to be free from all authority and to enjoy the exaltation of self. This is where relativism comes from. Relativism is not a coherent philosophical system. It is riddled with contradictions—both logical and experiential.
Sophomores in college know something is fishy when someone claims all truths are relative. And every businessman knows that philosophical relativists park their relativism at the door when they go into the bank and read the language of the contract they are about to sign. People don’t embrace relativism because it is philosophically satisfying. They embrace it because it is physically and emotionally gratifying. It provides the cover they need to do what they want.
So this is something we should avoid and grieve over and labor to overcome. And it seems to me that one of the ways we might make some headway in preventing ourselves from embracing relativism and rescuing others from it is by simply pointing out how evil and destructive some of its effects are.
The Evil and Destructive Effects of Relativism
I. Relativism is treasonous.
Relativism is a revolt against God. God’s very existence creates the possibility of truth. He is the ultimate and final standard for all truth claims. When relativism says that there is no standard of truth and falsehood that is valid for everyone, it speaks like an atheist. In rebelling against the very concept of divine law, relativism commits a treason that is worse than outright revolt because it is devious. Instead of saying to God’s face, “Your Word is false,” it says to man, “There is no such thing as a universally binding divine word.”
II. Relativism is dishonest.
Everyone knows in his heart that believing relativism to be true is self-contradictory. Everyone also knows intuitively that no one even tries to put it into practice consistently. Therefore, both philosophically and practically, it cultivates duplicity. People say they believe in it, but they don’t think or act consistently with what they say. They are hypocrites. You can’t be an authentic relativist.
This becomes more obvious as relativists live their lives. They simply do not live as though relativism is true. Professors play the academic game of relativism in their classes and then go home and get upset with their wives for misunderstanding them. Why do they get upset? Because they know that there is an objective meaning that can be transmitted between two human beings, and we have moral obligations to grasp what is meant. No husband will ever say, “Since all truth is relative, it doesn’t matter how you interpret my request for sex.” Whether we write love letters or rental agreements or instructions to our children or directions for a friend or contracts, we believe objective meaning exists in what we write, and we expect people to try to understand it. Then we hold them accountable if they don’t.
The very process of thinking about relativism commits you to truths that you do not treat as relative. Relativists employ the law of non-contradiction and the law of cause and effect whenever they talk about their belief in relativism, and these laws are not relative. If they were, relativists could not even formulate the premises and conclusions that lead them to relativism. This is a deep duplicity. And when one does it knowingly, it is immoral.
III. Relativism hides that we are straying from the truth.
One of the most tragic effects of relativism is the effect it has on language. In a culture where objective truth is esteemed and employed for the good of the people, language holds the honorable place of carrying that precious cargo of truth. In fact, a person’s use of language is assessed on the basis of whether it corresponds to the truth and beauty of the reality he expresses. But when objective truth vanishes in the fog of relativism, the role of language changes. When language no longer exists to relay truth, all that’s left is for it to be a tool to fulfill the wishes of the one using it.
This gives rise to every manner of spin. The goal of language is no longer the communication of reality, but the manipulation of reality. When language becomes relativistic, it no longer functions to affirm the truth, but to conceal when we stray from it. Relativism corrupts the high calling of language and makes it a disguise for those who don’t have the courage to publicly renounce the faith they say they have.
This is the exact opposite of the commitment Paul had in the way he used language. He writes, “We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2, NRSV).
IV. Relativism cloaks greed with flattery.
Apparently, the apostle Paul was accused in Thessalonica of simply wanting money from his converts. When he responds to this, he shows the link between flattery and greed. “Our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness” (1 Thessalonians 2:3–5).
Flattery is the use of language to make someone feel good about himself with a view to getting what you want. Paul calls it a pretext for greed. When relativism removes truth from language, language goes on sale. If we can get more money by telling people what they want to hear, we will.
Relativism is the perfect atmosphere for turning language into a pretext for greed by flattering people with what they want to hear. This is no surprise to Paul. “The time is coming,” he says, “when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
V. Relativism cloaks pride with the guise of humility.
On Sept. 9, 1999, Minneapolis’ Star Tribune carried a lead editorial that said, “Christians must abandon the idea that the Jews must be converted. That idea ... is one of the greatest scandals in history.” So I wrote a letter to the editor and argued that since only “he who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12), it is not scandalous, but rather loving, to urge Jewish people to receive Jesus as their Messiah. This brought a blistering letter from the pastors of the four largest churches downtown. They wrote, “Unfortunately ‘arrogant’ is the right word to describe any attempts at proselytizing—in this case the effort of Christians to ‘win over’ their Jewish brothers and sisters. Thoughtful Christians will disassociate themselves from any such effort.”
The point of that story is if you believe in one truth that all people must embrace in order to be saved, you will be called arrogant. On the other hand, relativism is seen as humility. I certainly won’t say all lovers of truth are humble, but I do want to suggest that relativism is not humble; it’s a cloak for pride.
It works like this. Truth with a capital T—Truth rooted in God’s Word—is a massive, unchanging reality—outside of us—that we little humans must submit to. True humility is to acknowledge this and put ourselves submissively under this reality’s authority.
But what about relativism, which denies this reality exists? It poses as humble by saying, “We are not smart enough to know what the truth is—or if there is any universal truth.” It sounds humble. But look carefully at what is happening. It’s like an employee saying, “I am not smart enough to know who my boss is—or if I even have a boss—so I must not have a boss. I guess I’ll be my own.” In claiming to be too lowly to know the truth, relativists exalt themselves and make themselves the supreme arbiter of what they can think and do. This is not humility; it’s the essence of pride. And the only way pride can be conquered in us is for us to believe in Truth and be conquered by it, so that it rules us and we don’t rule it.
Embrace the Truth Whose Name Is Jesus Christ
Relativism is treasonous against God and dishonest to our fellow believers. It tempts us to put ourselves first and make our own desires more important than anything else. What a bondage! But it is not a bondage from which there is no freedom. Remember Jesus’ words: “The truth will set you free.” If you trust Christ to protect you from harm, and bring you safely to His eternal Kingdom, and be for you the supreme Treasure of the universe, then you will be free to see the truth and embrace the truth and love the truth and be passionate about the truth whose name is Jesus Christ.
Adapted from the Website...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Families Camp 2008
Its our BGC annual Family Camp again... here's some update of the pictures!
It just happen in the last weekend, with a talented speaker- Uncle Dexter from Shah Alam Gospel Centre on a talk regarding the church and its people. With 4 talks in Genting View Resort for Three days Two Nites... Click the Picture to browse more pictures on BGC's Friendster!
Stay tune for more updates...
Submitted by Js
Meant for Private Circulation only!
It just happen in the last weekend, with a talented speaker- Uncle Dexter from Shah Alam Gospel Centre on a talk regarding the church and its people. With 4 talks in Genting View Resort for Three days Two Nites... Click the Picture to browse more pictures on BGC's Friendster!
Stay tune for more updates...
Submitted by Js
Meant for Private Circulation only!
Hope in the Midst of Darkness
September 11 marks a date now embedded into our national identity. Seven years ago the attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center forever changed the landscape of America, and today the scars and memories are still searingly fresh.
That infamous morning in 2001, while the news outlets bombarded us with live footage and eyewitness accounts, I remember thinking, “This isn’t happening.” My feelings of helplessness were merely a microcosm of what the country felt. . It seemed like in that brief moment, the traditional objectivity that news anchors adhere to was cast aside and their hearts were exposed. While flipping through the channels, phrases such as “God bless you” or “Our prayers go out to you” flowed. There were no adequate words for this catastrophic event, but these anchors were clearly reaching.
After the smoke cleared, I found myself going back to the statements made by the news anchors. It occurred to me that while many people say the existence of evil is the most convincing evidence against the existence of God, when evil acts actually occur, many individuals revert to using religious language. Why is this? What causes this contradiction?
We are wired to think that even though evil is prevalent in this world, it’s not supposed to be this way. We have an ingrained feeling that something is off and that what we see around us today isn’t what was intended. Deep inside, we suspect we are not meant to live in a hopeless world. Philosophically speaking, this way of thinking would be considered by some to be some sort of existential cowardice. Philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzche and Jean-Paul Sartre would tell us to suck it up, that this life is all you get, so deal with it. To these philosophers, Christianity is the ultimate psychological crutch.
However, when evil occurs, it seems that Christians and non-Christians alike find it difficult to deal with—we naturally hope, like St. Teresa of Avila, that “pain is never permanent.” So when instances of evil are out of our control, such as 9/11, we instinctively turn to spirituality to alleviate this feeling of helplessness because good has to triumph over evil. There is no other alternative for us.
In the end, God will return to eradicate evil and set up a new earth under His rule. This is what made the cross bearable. Christ “endured the cross, scorning its shame” with the view that this would be the act that would make the new earth possible (Hebrews 12:2, TNIV). What drove Christ to suffer evil? Among other things, hope. Hebrews 2:14 says that Jesus humbled Himself and shared humanity with us, “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Clearly, Jesus held the confident hope that His perfect humility would result in the greater good.
It is this same kind of hope that drives the human soul. Being created in the image of God, we’ve inherited it. We bear up under pain in hope of deliverance in little ways throughout our lives.
For example, people flock to the gym in droves and endure the suffering of working out with the hope that they will fit into that size-4 dress or look good at the beach.
College students continually sacrifice relationships and precious sleep with the hope that they will attain the grades they need to get their diplomas, achieve their dream jobs and get their parents off their backs.
Parents sacrifice money, time and sanity to provide and care for their children with the hope that they will have successful lives, leave a legacy and not repeat the mistakes of the previous generation.
Undoubtedly, hope drives us.
So when evil occurs that men can’t fix, we naturally think that there’s a power out there that’s greater than us who is able to right this wrong. This evil drives us to recognize our helplessness and forces us to see that we all are a part of something infinitely bigger than ourselves.
And, in the end, the greatest hope will always be that “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Adapted from Website!
That infamous morning in 2001, while the news outlets bombarded us with live footage and eyewitness accounts, I remember thinking, “This isn’t happening.” My feelings of helplessness were merely a microcosm of what the country felt. . It seemed like in that brief moment, the traditional objectivity that news anchors adhere to was cast aside and their hearts were exposed. While flipping through the channels, phrases such as “God bless you” or “Our prayers go out to you” flowed. There were no adequate words for this catastrophic event, but these anchors were clearly reaching.
After the smoke cleared, I found myself going back to the statements made by the news anchors. It occurred to me that while many people say the existence of evil is the most convincing evidence against the existence of God, when evil acts actually occur, many individuals revert to using religious language. Why is this? What causes this contradiction?
We are wired to think that even though evil is prevalent in this world, it’s not supposed to be this way. We have an ingrained feeling that something is off and that what we see around us today isn’t what was intended. Deep inside, we suspect we are not meant to live in a hopeless world. Philosophically speaking, this way of thinking would be considered by some to be some sort of existential cowardice. Philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzche and Jean-Paul Sartre would tell us to suck it up, that this life is all you get, so deal with it. To these philosophers, Christianity is the ultimate psychological crutch.
However, when evil occurs, it seems that Christians and non-Christians alike find it difficult to deal with—we naturally hope, like St. Teresa of Avila, that “pain is never permanent.” So when instances of evil are out of our control, such as 9/11, we instinctively turn to spirituality to alleviate this feeling of helplessness because good has to triumph over evil. There is no other alternative for us.
In the end, God will return to eradicate evil and set up a new earth under His rule. This is what made the cross bearable. Christ “endured the cross, scorning its shame” with the view that this would be the act that would make the new earth possible (Hebrews 12:2, TNIV). What drove Christ to suffer evil? Among other things, hope. Hebrews 2:14 says that Jesus humbled Himself and shared humanity with us, “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Clearly, Jesus held the confident hope that His perfect humility would result in the greater good.
It is this same kind of hope that drives the human soul. Being created in the image of God, we’ve inherited it. We bear up under pain in hope of deliverance in little ways throughout our lives.
For example, people flock to the gym in droves and endure the suffering of working out with the hope that they will fit into that size-4 dress or look good at the beach.
College students continually sacrifice relationships and precious sleep with the hope that they will attain the grades they need to get their diplomas, achieve their dream jobs and get their parents off their backs.
Parents sacrifice money, time and sanity to provide and care for their children with the hope that they will have successful lives, leave a legacy and not repeat the mistakes of the previous generation.
Undoubtedly, hope drives us.
So when evil occurs that men can’t fix, we naturally think that there’s a power out there that’s greater than us who is able to right this wrong. This evil drives us to recognize our helplessness and forces us to see that we all are a part of something infinitely bigger than ourselves.
And, in the end, the greatest hope will always be that “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Adapted from Website!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Joy of Gatherings
Here's some updates of BGC's unofficially and some official events...
Last Week, a day before Malaysia Birthday... a group of small gathering happening in Mr. Chow house, BBQ~ing with a little gathering with some basketball players from Sulaiman School(SMS), Js showing a little part of "Life" video and Stephen sharing some good news while Tf was setting up some fire outside... here's the pictures...
Watching Life Video
BBQ~ing
Group Photos
After these days, heaven rejoice over few who are curios to know more bout the good news! And here's come Sunday, was a small family gathering in one of the Sister's house! Many families was there to fellowship in these gathering, having fun together, playing together, cooking together, and lots more... here's goes the picture would tell u more ... ^^
Dr. Stephen Loke Teaching the Children on "How to score A's in School"
Adam smashing the flour to make "Tong Yuen"
Tasty Machi ... from the tong yuen ... :P
Children loves the sweet!
Durian Ice Cream made by one of our sister from BGC ... made out of 30 biji durian!
Its taste so nice... Malaysia Truly Asia...
The powerpuff girls playing Congkak with Adam...
While the F4 + Stephen playing PC Games...
Taken yesterday by Js, and this verse Psalm 119:105 came into my mind ... And sharing with you all...
Notice: 5- 7 Sept 2008, there will be a Family Camp at Genting View Resort (GVR), so there's is NO Sunday School, Youth Fellowship and Sunday Worship services.
Sunday Worship will be on at the campsite!
Submitted by Js
Meant for Private Circulation Only!
Last Week, a day before Malaysia Birthday... a group of small gathering happening in Mr. Chow house, BBQ~ing with a little gathering with some basketball players from Sulaiman School(SMS), Js showing a little part of "Life" video and Stephen sharing some good news while Tf was setting up some fire outside... here's the pictures...
Watching Life Video
BBQ~ing
Group Photos
After these days, heaven rejoice over few who are curios to know more bout the good news! And here's come Sunday, was a small family gathering in one of the Sister's house! Many families was there to fellowship in these gathering, having fun together, playing together, cooking together, and lots more... here's goes the picture would tell u more ... ^^
Dr. Stephen Loke Teaching the Children on "How to score A's in School"
Adam smashing the flour to make "Tong Yuen"
Tasty Machi ... from the tong yuen ... :P
Children loves the sweet!
Durian Ice Cream made by one of our sister from BGC ... made out of 30 biji durian!
Its taste so nice... Malaysia Truly Asia...
The powerpuff girls playing Congkak with Adam...
While the F4 + Stephen playing PC Games...
Taken yesterday by Js, and this verse Psalm 119:105 came into my mind ... And sharing with you all...Notice: 5- 7 Sept 2008, there will be a Family Camp at Genting View Resort (GVR), so there's is NO Sunday School, Youth Fellowship and Sunday Worship services.
Sunday Worship will be on at the campsite!
Submitted by Js
Meant for Private Circulation Only!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
God's Protection:: Destroy By Gustav
The Hands & Feet Project, a children’s village in Jacmel, Haiti that was started in 2004, has suffered severe damage from the latest hurricane to hit the area. Following the destruction from hurricane Fay, hurricane Gustav buried the village in several feet of rock that came tumbling down the mountain during the storm. Although the overwhelming process of restoration has begun, tropical storm Hanna that hit this week again devastated the village and relegated the children and staff, 48 people in all, to live in one second-story room.
“We are in need of much prayer and financial support right now,” says Drex Stuart, a lifetime missionary who has previously served in Haiti and heads up the Hands & Feet Project with his wife, Jo. “Thank God all of our children and staff are safe. However, we have had major damage to our property, even worse than when [tropical storm] Noel hit last November.
“With our property completely buried in approximately four to five feet of mountain rock, we are doing the best we can to begin the clean-up process,” Stuart says. “Much of our supplies, food, clothes, diapers, formula, etc., have been destroyed and two of the houses where the kids lived were flooded with four feet of water and are currently unlivable. All 36 kids are living in the main house with the nannies.”
After Gustav hit Haiti, Stuart and his son, Audio Adrenaline frontman Mark Stuart, flew into Haiti with a civil engineer to assess the damage and come up with a plan to protect the village. Following the assessment, the cleanup process began, but after four days of clearing rock and piling them up to make an earthen dam that would eventually be a 12-15 foot high concrete retaining wall with re-enforced steel for protection, tropical storm Hanna came through this week and washed all the progress away.
“Our property is about 50 feet wide, but we are also going to help our neighbors finish their walls, because otherwise ours will be ineffective,” says Joel Griffith, Hands & Feet project managing director based in Franklin, TN. “In total, we will build a 200-foot retaining wall covering a Christian school that has 850 kids, the homes and property of five neighboring families representing 50 people and our property housing 36 orphans and 12 staff.”
“We had major damage to two of our children's houses and we lost most of our property walls, the foundation for our new cafeteria/kitchen," Griffith says. "With the retaining wall and purchasing a backhoe to keep it up, we are looking at an estimated immediate need of $100,000-$150,000. Although at this time we cannot handle supplies because of shipping costs, we are asking for monetary donations through our website, handsandfeetproject.org.”
As hurricanes Ike and Josephina threaten Haiti yet again, Mark Stuart also urges people to help. “Pray for Haiti, it’s a country that is often overlooked by the news channels when hurricanes happen because there are really no tourist areas. No reason to really pay attention, but it’s a place that really could use our help.”
God's Protection!
Adapted from Website...
“We are in need of much prayer and financial support right now,” says Drex Stuart, a lifetime missionary who has previously served in Haiti and heads up the Hands & Feet Project with his wife, Jo. “Thank God all of our children and staff are safe. However, we have had major damage to our property, even worse than when [tropical storm] Noel hit last November.
“With our property completely buried in approximately four to five feet of mountain rock, we are doing the best we can to begin the clean-up process,” Stuart says. “Much of our supplies, food, clothes, diapers, formula, etc., have been destroyed and two of the houses where the kids lived were flooded with four feet of water and are currently unlivable. All 36 kids are living in the main house with the nannies.”
After Gustav hit Haiti, Stuart and his son, Audio Adrenaline frontman Mark Stuart, flew into Haiti with a civil engineer to assess the damage and come up with a plan to protect the village. Following the assessment, the cleanup process began, but after four days of clearing rock and piling them up to make an earthen dam that would eventually be a 12-15 foot high concrete retaining wall with re-enforced steel for protection, tropical storm Hanna came through this week and washed all the progress away.
“Our property is about 50 feet wide, but we are also going to help our neighbors finish their walls, because otherwise ours will be ineffective,” says Joel Griffith, Hands & Feet project managing director based in Franklin, TN. “In total, we will build a 200-foot retaining wall covering a Christian school that has 850 kids, the homes and property of five neighboring families representing 50 people and our property housing 36 orphans and 12 staff.”
“We had major damage to two of our children's houses and we lost most of our property walls, the foundation for our new cafeteria/kitchen," Griffith says. "With the retaining wall and purchasing a backhoe to keep it up, we are looking at an estimated immediate need of $100,000-$150,000. Although at this time we cannot handle supplies because of shipping costs, we are asking for monetary donations through our website, handsandfeetproject.org.”
As hurricanes Ike and Josephina threaten Haiti yet again, Mark Stuart also urges people to help. “Pray for Haiti, it’s a country that is often overlooked by the news channels when hurricanes happen because there are really no tourist areas. No reason to really pay attention, but it’s a place that really could use our help.”
God's Protection!
Adapted from Website...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Victorious Singspiration
Victorious Singspiration
Venue
Rawang Christian Church
Date
31 August 2008
Time
7.30 pm
FREE ADMISSION!
Venue
Rawang Christian Church
Date
31 August 2008
Time
7.30 pm
FREE ADMISSION!
Presented by Rawang Christian Church Choir...
Bentong people or interested visitors to know more about this event, please do contact Js...
Submitted by Js
Meant for Private Circulation Only!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Seed of Life!
When I was a little boy, just about 10 or 11, we visited my great-aunt and great-uncle. In the yard beside their home stood a towering pecan tree. Every summer pecans would fall off the tree and sprout, producing a mini-forest of several dozen small saplings. On the last day of our visit that summer, we carefully dug up one of the tiny trees, placed it gently in the trunk of our car, and took it home. We planted it in the corner of our yard. And we waited.
I remember counting up the number of years that would pass before the tree produced any pecans, and realizing that if all went well, it just might make the first crop the summer before I left for college. It seemed like an eternity.
The years passed, and the tree quickly outgrew me. Seasons came and went, and the tree kept growing. I left for college, and the tree was just beginning to produce. Today, it stands tall, shading much of the yard. It will continue to grow and provide shade and beauty for decades, probably long after I am gone.
We planted many different things in the hard, unforgiving West Texas soil. The flowers we planted bloomed quickly, but fall brought their beauty to an end. The tomatoes and peppers we planted were good to eat, but the garden spot is long since covered by a storage shed. We planted those things for ourselves, but in a sense, we planted the tree for someone else. Because even though we get to enjoy its shade now, it is still just a baby, and will be growing and reaching skyward for years and years to come.
The temptation is to plant tomatoes, because we soon can eat the fruit of our labor. The temptation is to plant flowers, because we soon can smell their sweet aroma. But the true challenge in life is to plant trees, and not just any trees, but big, slow-growing, long-living trees, because it is those trees which benefit countless multitudes.
Each day, you choose how you will invest yourself. Your hours are spent on many pressing things which must be done today, immediately, RIGHT NOW, without delay. Your days feel full to overflowing. But look....carefully.... cautiously.....at the frayed edges of each unraveling day are a few moments which you can choose how to use. They are easily spent, so very easily squandered on a fruitless desires or painless pastimes. These moments must be gathered up, treasured for the treasure they are, and carefully applied to the pursuits which will make a lasting difference a year from now....or a decade...or a century.
Pursuits like creating a future which most dare not even imagine for fear it will intrude on their comfortable present.
Many will plant flowers. Some tomatoes. The rewards are present and plentiful and personal.
Plant trees instead. The results can be far-reaching and eternal.
Adapted from website!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
It's The End...
It’s the end of my summer. The ending of things always sends me into a place of contemplation and reflection, and on this day, the 15th of August, it’s not any different.
For the last time (at least as an intern), I’m sitting here in the RELEVANT office typing up my thoughts, surrounded by fantastic works of art, literature and music. It’s quite easy to be thoughtful in a place like this. It’s been quite easy to be thoughtful all summer long, partly because of the creativity I’ve been surrounded by and partly because of the amazing things God has revealed to me.
I was sitting on the beach on Wednesday with Meredith (it was our last roadie hurrah), and I was reading over my journal from the summer. I journal all the time – writing down my prayers, thoughts and life experiences. I was floored by the constant state of revelation God put me in this summer. He totally blessed my time down here in the realm of learning new things about Him and myself.
I tried to narrow down the intense load of disclosures into the most potent things I’ve learned, but it was honestly hard. I wanted to memorize every word of my journal from the last two months, but that’s probably humanly impossible (I go on and on and on). As I’m sitting here now, though, I think I could at least try it for you guys out there in blog-land.
It all narrows down to trust and risk for me. First, there’s the trust. I read the story of Abraham and Isaac this summer and realized something for the first time. Abraham wasn’t excited about this test, but he really wasn’t worried. He trusted in God’s ability to fulfill His promises. God had promised Abraham a son, and He would provide that son, no matter what Abraham did. So, Abraham was willing to kill his only son because he knew that even death couldn’t void God’s promise. God could easily bring Isaac back from the dead. Ha! What a twist! What if we lived like that in our day-to-day life, trusting God that much? What would it be like?
Another story that floored me even more was about Jesus (as many of them are). Jesus is an almost-thirty-year-old carpenter. That wasn’t an anomaly in the Jewish culture, but Jesus knows He’s the Son of God. He knew He had the power to rise up and take control over all of the kingdoms of the world, and He wasn’t getting any younger. Satan tried to hand Jesus the world on a silver platter, but, instead of taking His life into His own hands, Jesus trusts God enough to be a poor carpenter for thirty YEARS. God then blessed His preparation time by having Him do ministry for two years – two years that would change history forever.
I’m graduating in December. I’m not going to be a college student anymore. And, I’m not going to lie; I want to change the world. I want to heal the brokenhearted and hold the suffering in my arms. I don’t know what’s coming after school, but I’m not scared anymore. Jesus trusted in God and lived a quiet life for thirty years. He waited thirty years to hear God say, “This is My Son.” I’ve learned over the summer that I can wait, too, if that’s what God wants. I don’t have to jump on a plane the second I graduate (although I totally would). All I have to do is live in His love. It’s easy. It will be fine. Actually, it will be world-changing, no matter what the activity I’m doing is.
So, I learned that God is worthy to trust. If He’s worthy to trust, then He’s also worthy to take risks for, right? How risky have I been this summer? Not as much as I would have liked to have been, but coming to a brand new city much bigger than anywhere I’ve ever lived, moving in with a family I’ve never met before and knowing absolutely no one until my first day at RELEVANT is pretty risky in my book. But, guess what.
This summer has been wonderful. It’s been hard at times, but it’s been wonderful. In the times when I didn’t know anyone super well yet, God was my absolute best friend. In the times when I was taking road trips with great friends to watch Disney fireworks and singing 90s Buzz Ballads with the interns on the way to the beach, God was who I thanked for these wonderful blessings.
Risk is hard, but we we’re not truly living without it. Belief can be tough, but unbelief cheats us. It cheats us of the Will of God – His beautiful, perfect, scary- as-all-get-out Will. Between living in a plastic bubble of safety and complacency and jumping off of a cliff into the realm of God’s Will, after this summer, I’ll take the cliff every time. He is worth it.
I never want to be cheated by unbelief again. I want to be risky. What about you?
Adapted from Website ... Intern Blog!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
First Real Mission
It’s almost the end of the week, and we’ve run out of projects, supplies and motivation.
For the past few years Todd and I have sponsored our church’s youth mission trips to Queretaro, Mexico. In general, we know what to expect. A little paint here, a little polish there, some late-night tacos, an evangelistic drama—all in the name of the Lord.
The truth is, no one really cares. As I unpack the paints, I think, “Haven’t we painted this wall before?” We are frustrated, the students are uninspired and, worst of all, the nationals we have come to serve are unaffected.
One of the men from our group comes up to us and says, “About two more hours, and we can clean up here and head for dinner.”
“Two hours, huh?” I sigh.
I close my eyes and try to think how to fill that time, until Todd interrupts my thoughts: “Remember the orphanage we visited in Albania?” he asks, his back to me, bent over, cleaning some paintbrushes.
“Sure. Why?”
“You think there are any in this town?”
Even before he can stand up and turn around, I’m gone. I dash over to where our teens are talking to some of their Mexican counterparts.
“Orphanage-o? Orphanatorio? Orphanagorio?” I try every combination with my best Mexican accent to get a reaction. “Aquí?” (“Here?”)
“Sí. Sí.” They look at me, laughing, either because the answer is obvious or because of my funny words. I don’t know which.
I wish I could say that Todd and I sat down right then and made a plan, but we didn’t. The truth is, within 10 minutes of his question, we leave the students with the other adult sponsors, and we’re in a taxi trying to find an orphanage.
Looking back now, it seems foolish. We didn’t speak much Spanish, didn’t have much money if we got into trouble, and were in a city where we could have easily gotten lost. An hour later, we’re standing in front of a children’s home on a dusty road, knocking at the door as we wave goodbye to our taxi driver.
We hear a series of locks, bolts and chains being unlatched, and the door swings open. Have you ever heard the expression “his face is an open book”? Well, the title of the book on the face of the man who answers the door is Who the Heck Are You? Even though he’s sitting in a wheelchair, he seems eight feet tall. Seeing him makes us wonder if all those locks are to keep people out or keep children in. While he waits for us to explain ourselves, I catch a glimpse of a child over his shoulder.
We struggle with our bad Spanish for more than an hour but don’t get far. Finally, frustrated, Todd gives up and starts playing basketball with some of the boys, leaving me to continue the conversation. For a while we watch Todd in silence, our host with a blank expression on his face and me hoping we really are on a holy errand.
The thought crosses my mind, Has this man already asked us to leave in Spanish and we just didn’t understand? Or is this something that You planned, Lord?
Finally, the man turns to me and says, “I can understand you. I’m an American.”
I can’t believe it. Why did he pretend? I know I should be mad—but my first thought is gratitude that we can now communicate.
He continues, “I’m a Vietnam War vet. I came to work with abandoned children because I know what it means to be tossed aside. Like them, I’m trying to forget the people who failed me. I don’t always trust outsiders.”
I say nothing.
Todd, who has overheard everything, walks over from the court, with the ball under his arm, and says, “We have $200, 25 eager students and a whole day left in our trip. Is there anything we can do for you if we come back tomorrow?”
The man shifts his eyes and says softly, “The children haven’t had meat in a year, and that window up there is broken.”
Sometimes just talking can cost you. His admission costs him something, and our request costs us as well. We all overcome our fears and say things that are uncomfortable. But we do it. As we sit there on that bench, sipping our lemonade, I know what’s happened: Our first real mission has begun.
The next day, with a much clearer sense of purpose, we set out for the children’s home. On the way, we stop at a market to buy food and toys. When we get to the front door, the children are waiting, laughing and asking if “Michael Jordan” has come back.
We have 200 hamburgers, a new window, and our crew of teenagers.
The orphanage is built like a bullfighting arena, with a large open area in the middle. Steep stairs go up to the dorms on the top layer, which encircle the courtyard below. We set up the grill in the courtyard and begin serving the meal.
After all 40 of the kids receive their hamburgers and second helpings, we find ourselves still flipping burgers. From behind the grill, Todd whispers, “What’s going on? These kids can’t still be hungry; go see if you can figure out where all the food’s wandering off to.”
So I mingle with the kids, who are holding napkins full of hamburgers. Some are carrying them up to their rooms; I follow one little preschool girl up the stairs to the dormitory, and with each step, it’s almost as if I can feel her leading me, wanting me to see something. When we reach the top, she hesitates only slightly as she enters and leaves me standing in the doorway.
She’s hiding the hamburger patties under her mattress.
When I walk into the room, some of the other girls are startled and one of them starts to cry. Why? Do they think I’ll be mad? Yell at them? Hit them? Take the hamburgers back? I don’t know, but none of those things even occur to me. I simply help the little girl I followed lift her heavy mattress.
After we carefully hide the girl’s hamburger, I take her hand, and we head back out the door. Then I stop and send her down to get Todd. After he bounds up the stairs, we stand together in that doorway, and something happens to us, right there, that we don’t even realize at the time. But when I chart the events of my life that followed, they trace back to that moment in the doorway.
We walk slowly down the stairs, trying to think of how we might be able to buy more hamburgers. At the bottom, the director is watching us skeptically, waiting for our reaction, and he explains that the kids often save food for later. Even though we know the hamburgers won’t keep long, none of us has the heart to stop them.
That day Todd and I had a defining moment—an experience that impacted our thinking, touched our hearts and compelled us into a new course of action. It changed our lives. I used to be afraid of that word, change, as if it implied, somehow, that I need to be corrected. But now I have a different view of change. It is a shift in perspective, and not the Extreme Home Makeover kind of change we see on television. It is a shift in what we think we are capable of. In where we want to see our life heading. In how we are willing to spend our time, talents and resources.
When people tell me about how God “moved” them, it is that kind of shift, I believe, they are talking about. It’s a step in a new direction that we couldn’t have taken on our own. Sometimes defining moments result in immediate and complete life transformations, like it did for the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus; but more often, such moments are more subtle, things we can only see in hindsight.
For me, the hamburger incident was not a defining moment that lit up in neon lights. Not at all. I flew home the next day, went back to work, headed to the grocery store, called my friends—but there was a difference. I have since described it as being like a burr under my saddle. I knew I would never feel quite comfortable again. Something inside me had shifted, and after the supernatural pleasure of that “defining moment,” like an addict, I knew I wanted another hit.
Before that trip to Mexico, I was not a bad person. I wasn’t doing anything wrong that required major discipline in my life. But that trip was more like a big wooden marker in the shape of an arrow pointing to someplace I couldn’t see—a place I was nervous about, but excited to explore. Just a week before the trip, the path I was on in my life had seemed fine, but now, in light of that experience, I didn’t want fine anymore. For a year afterward, I moved around on that saddle trying to get comfortable again, but there was that silly burr, always reminding me that I had changed that afternoon in Mexico. That is what reckless faith does—it propels me faster and harder toward God’s true plan for my life.
Todd and I talked hundreds of hours in the following year about those hamburgers and about all the people we knew who could buy food for orphans if they only knew there was a need and how important they could be in meeting that need. It became clear that the arrow was pointing us back to Mexico, and so, without much guidance other than a vague sense of the rightness of the decision, we moved to Monterrey.
Today, when people look at our organization and ask about strategy, vision casting, projection and planning, we just smile. It would be tempting to spin it all so it seems more polished.
But the truth is, it started with a little girl hiding a hamburger under her mattress.
Taken from Reckless Faith © 2008 by Beth Guckenberger. Used by permission of Zondervan.
For the past few years Todd and I have sponsored our church’s youth mission trips to Queretaro, Mexico. In general, we know what to expect. A little paint here, a little polish there, some late-night tacos, an evangelistic drama—all in the name of the Lord.
The truth is, no one really cares. As I unpack the paints, I think, “Haven’t we painted this wall before?” We are frustrated, the students are uninspired and, worst of all, the nationals we have come to serve are unaffected.
One of the men from our group comes up to us and says, “About two more hours, and we can clean up here and head for dinner.”
“Two hours, huh?” I sigh.
I close my eyes and try to think how to fill that time, until Todd interrupts my thoughts: “Remember the orphanage we visited in Albania?” he asks, his back to me, bent over, cleaning some paintbrushes.
“Sure. Why?”
“You think there are any in this town?”
Even before he can stand up and turn around, I’m gone. I dash over to where our teens are talking to some of their Mexican counterparts.
“Orphanage-o? Orphanatorio? Orphanagorio?” I try every combination with my best Mexican accent to get a reaction. “Aquí?” (“Here?”)
“Sí. Sí.” They look at me, laughing, either because the answer is obvious or because of my funny words. I don’t know which.
I wish I could say that Todd and I sat down right then and made a plan, but we didn’t. The truth is, within 10 minutes of his question, we leave the students with the other adult sponsors, and we’re in a taxi trying to find an orphanage.
Looking back now, it seems foolish. We didn’t speak much Spanish, didn’t have much money if we got into trouble, and were in a city where we could have easily gotten lost. An hour later, we’re standing in front of a children’s home on a dusty road, knocking at the door as we wave goodbye to our taxi driver.
We hear a series of locks, bolts and chains being unlatched, and the door swings open. Have you ever heard the expression “his face is an open book”? Well, the title of the book on the face of the man who answers the door is Who the Heck Are You? Even though he’s sitting in a wheelchair, he seems eight feet tall. Seeing him makes us wonder if all those locks are to keep people out or keep children in. While he waits for us to explain ourselves, I catch a glimpse of a child over his shoulder.
We struggle with our bad Spanish for more than an hour but don’t get far. Finally, frustrated, Todd gives up and starts playing basketball with some of the boys, leaving me to continue the conversation. For a while we watch Todd in silence, our host with a blank expression on his face and me hoping we really are on a holy errand.
The thought crosses my mind, Has this man already asked us to leave in Spanish and we just didn’t understand? Or is this something that You planned, Lord?
Finally, the man turns to me and says, “I can understand you. I’m an American.”
I can’t believe it. Why did he pretend? I know I should be mad—but my first thought is gratitude that we can now communicate.
He continues, “I’m a Vietnam War vet. I came to work with abandoned children because I know what it means to be tossed aside. Like them, I’m trying to forget the people who failed me. I don’t always trust outsiders.”
I say nothing.
Todd, who has overheard everything, walks over from the court, with the ball under his arm, and says, “We have $200, 25 eager students and a whole day left in our trip. Is there anything we can do for you if we come back tomorrow?”
The man shifts his eyes and says softly, “The children haven’t had meat in a year, and that window up there is broken.”
Sometimes just talking can cost you. His admission costs him something, and our request costs us as well. We all overcome our fears and say things that are uncomfortable. But we do it. As we sit there on that bench, sipping our lemonade, I know what’s happened: Our first real mission has begun.
The next day, with a much clearer sense of purpose, we set out for the children’s home. On the way, we stop at a market to buy food and toys. When we get to the front door, the children are waiting, laughing and asking if “Michael Jordan” has come back.
We have 200 hamburgers, a new window, and our crew of teenagers.
The orphanage is built like a bullfighting arena, with a large open area in the middle. Steep stairs go up to the dorms on the top layer, which encircle the courtyard below. We set up the grill in the courtyard and begin serving the meal.
After all 40 of the kids receive their hamburgers and second helpings, we find ourselves still flipping burgers. From behind the grill, Todd whispers, “What’s going on? These kids can’t still be hungry; go see if you can figure out where all the food’s wandering off to.”
So I mingle with the kids, who are holding napkins full of hamburgers. Some are carrying them up to their rooms; I follow one little preschool girl up the stairs to the dormitory, and with each step, it’s almost as if I can feel her leading me, wanting me to see something. When we reach the top, she hesitates only slightly as she enters and leaves me standing in the doorway.
She’s hiding the hamburger patties under her mattress.
When I walk into the room, some of the other girls are startled and one of them starts to cry. Why? Do they think I’ll be mad? Yell at them? Hit them? Take the hamburgers back? I don’t know, but none of those things even occur to me. I simply help the little girl I followed lift her heavy mattress.
After we carefully hide the girl’s hamburger, I take her hand, and we head back out the door. Then I stop and send her down to get Todd. After he bounds up the stairs, we stand together in that doorway, and something happens to us, right there, that we don’t even realize at the time. But when I chart the events of my life that followed, they trace back to that moment in the doorway.
We walk slowly down the stairs, trying to think of how we might be able to buy more hamburgers. At the bottom, the director is watching us skeptically, waiting for our reaction, and he explains that the kids often save food for later. Even though we know the hamburgers won’t keep long, none of us has the heart to stop them.
That day Todd and I had a defining moment—an experience that impacted our thinking, touched our hearts and compelled us into a new course of action. It changed our lives. I used to be afraid of that word, change, as if it implied, somehow, that I need to be corrected. But now I have a different view of change. It is a shift in perspective, and not the Extreme Home Makeover kind of change we see on television. It is a shift in what we think we are capable of. In where we want to see our life heading. In how we are willing to spend our time, talents and resources.
When people tell me about how God “moved” them, it is that kind of shift, I believe, they are talking about. It’s a step in a new direction that we couldn’t have taken on our own. Sometimes defining moments result in immediate and complete life transformations, like it did for the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus; but more often, such moments are more subtle, things we can only see in hindsight.
For me, the hamburger incident was not a defining moment that lit up in neon lights. Not at all. I flew home the next day, went back to work, headed to the grocery store, called my friends—but there was a difference. I have since described it as being like a burr under my saddle. I knew I would never feel quite comfortable again. Something inside me had shifted, and after the supernatural pleasure of that “defining moment,” like an addict, I knew I wanted another hit.
Before that trip to Mexico, I was not a bad person. I wasn’t doing anything wrong that required major discipline in my life. But that trip was more like a big wooden marker in the shape of an arrow pointing to someplace I couldn’t see—a place I was nervous about, but excited to explore. Just a week before the trip, the path I was on in my life had seemed fine, but now, in light of that experience, I didn’t want fine anymore. For a year afterward, I moved around on that saddle trying to get comfortable again, but there was that silly burr, always reminding me that I had changed that afternoon in Mexico. That is what reckless faith does—it propels me faster and harder toward God’s true plan for my life.
Todd and I talked hundreds of hours in the following year about those hamburgers and about all the people we knew who could buy food for orphans if they only knew there was a need and how important they could be in meeting that need. It became clear that the arrow was pointing us back to Mexico, and so, without much guidance other than a vague sense of the rightness of the decision, we moved to Monterrey.
Today, when people look at our organization and ask about strategy, vision casting, projection and planning, we just smile. It would be tempting to spin it all so it seems more polished.
But the truth is, it started with a little girl hiding a hamburger under her mattress.
Taken from Reckless Faith © 2008 by Beth Guckenberger. Used by permission of Zondervan.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Auto Pilot!
Some shots of Olympic in Beijing 2008!
Heard of auto pilot? Here's d deal, the blog will launched an auto pilot system to test its effectiveness on updating the blog from time to time!
And for all interested writers outside, please do yourself a favor! Write us something and we share it with others as a blessing to everyone! Auto Pilot initiating ...
And be remember beside auto pilot, there will also be manual pilot but this manual may update from the liberty to its freedom in time and space! ^^ So, again! Hope you enjoy the stay in these blog!
Friday, August 8, 2008
08.08.08 = 888 Olympic Beijing 2008
There are 2 or more ways to watch free... Either u link up with the pages or you can just install a TVPlayer in your pc, choose from 100 channels to watch it LIVE Tonite!
Watch LIVE over the internet ... want this? Just Click ME!!!
Only available after the Olympic start!
Watch LIVE over your PC and streaming online (prefer 256kbps internet speed and above)
You can watch many channel ... Select Chinese Tab and Select any few Chinese Channel! Enjoy looking for one ... Beside watching Olympic u still can browse through many great TV as it never appear in various country for screening like GOD Tv, TVB, Cartoon Network and so on!
DOWNLOAD THIS PLAYER CLICK ME NOW!!!
(Download & Install and View it! Simple!)
Showing on this player Chinese Channel at CCTV, Phoenix, any China TV!
Wanna watch over your PDA? Phone? or any mobile devices? No worries! Here's the link...
CLICK ME! (required 3G and required installation before viewing)
That's all ... Enjoy ya!
Submitted by Js
Meant for Private Circulation only
We will not responsible for any cause of problems that might cause from all this software to your mobile devices. If you does not agree with this statement, please don't use it! Use it at your own risk! Thank you!
Gifted & Help!
Bringing you back in some of the great photos that may shocked you ...
All these pictures were taken from some other places... Whether in wars, hunger, feminine, plague, disaster, or anything... Help are indeed needed for all these people who survive throughout the chaotic period.
You may never become president. Or a famous movie star. But as one of believers or followers or Christ, You yes YOU! And You definitely a Very Important Person (VIP)! The church is like a body and each member is like a body part (1 Corinthians 12).
All these pictures were taken from some other places... Whether in wars, hunger, feminine, plague, disaster, or anything... Help are indeed needed for all these people who survive throughout the chaotic period.
You may never become president. Or a famous movie star. But as one of believers or followers or Christ, You yes YOU! And You definitely a Very Important Person (VIP)! The church is like a body and each member is like a body part (1 Corinthians 12).
Remember all gifts are intented to help others
(1 Corinthians 12:7)
(1 Corinthians 12:7)
Look for ways to help...
1957. The first day of Dorothy Counts at the Harry Harding High School in the United States . Counts was one of the first black students admitted in the school, and she was no longer able to stand the harassment after 4 days.
1962. A soldier shot by a sniper hangs onto a priest in his last moments.
1965. A mom and her children try to cross the river in South Vietnam in an attempt to run away from the American bombs.
1972. After South Vietnam planes accidentally drop a bomb on a town.
1975. A woman and a girl falling down after the fire escape collapses.
1980. A kid in Uganda about to die of hunger, and a missionary.
1987. A mother in South Korea apologizes and asks for forgiveness for his son who was arrested after attending a protest. He was protesting the alleged manipulations in the general elections.
1989. A young man in China stands before the tanks during protests for democratic reforms.
2001. An Afghani refugee kid's body is being prepared for the funeral in Pakistan.
2002. Soldiers and villagers in Iran are digging graves for the victims of the earthquake. A kid holds his father's pants before he is buried.
2003. An Iraqi prisoner of war tries to calm down his child.
The Holy Word say you're not saved by doing good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9). But it also says that people who are saved should "devote themselves to doing what is good" (Titus 3:14). The Greek word used here for good means "right and beneficial". Good deeds are actions you take to benefit others!
You dont have to look far to find good deeds to do! You can help out at home, help a friend with studies. Volunteer as an aide at a hospital, retirement home or even mission works. Give the clothes to the outgrow to a thrifts store. Share the good news with your neighbor and friends. So many great opportunity all are around you!
You also can donate to World Vision to help out the poor ... Just Click Me to Find Out How?!
Be devoted to doing good, and the greatest blessing of all will be yours! (Titus 3:8)
1957. The first day of Dorothy Counts at the Harry Harding High School in the United States . Counts was one of the first black students admitted in the school, and she was no longer able to stand the harassment after 4 days.
1962. A soldier shot by a sniper hangs onto a priest in his last moments.
1965. A mom and her children try to cross the river in South Vietnam in an attempt to run away from the American bombs.
1972. After South Vietnam planes accidentally drop a bomb on a town.
1975. A woman and a girl falling down after the fire escape collapses.
1980. A kid in Uganda about to die of hunger, and a missionary.
1987. A mother in South Korea apologizes and asks for forgiveness for his son who was arrested after attending a protest. He was protesting the alleged manipulations in the general elections.
1989. A young man in China stands before the tanks during protests for democratic reforms.
2001. An Afghani refugee kid's body is being prepared for the funeral in Pakistan.
2002. Soldiers and villagers in Iran are digging graves for the victims of the earthquake. A kid holds his father's pants before he is buried.
2003. An Iraqi prisoner of war tries to calm down his child.
The Holy Word say you're not saved by doing good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9). But it also says that people who are saved should "devote themselves to doing what is good" (Titus 3:14). The Greek word used here for good means "right and beneficial". Good deeds are actions you take to benefit others!
You dont have to look far to find good deeds to do! You can help out at home, help a friend with studies. Volunteer as an aide at a hospital, retirement home or even mission works. Give the clothes to the outgrow to a thrifts store. Share the good news with your neighbor and friends. So many great opportunity all are around you!
You also can donate to World Vision to help out the poor ... Just Click Me to Find Out How?!
Be devoted to doing good, and the greatest blessing of all will be yours! (Titus 3:8)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
E~Gadgets!
Here are some software and plug in may enhance you for surfing the web...
We recommend Internet Browser:
Firefox Internet Browser
Opera Internet Browser
Other Internet Browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Safari still can be use, you may be experience performance difficulties...
Other software you might need:
Adobe Flash Player 9.0
Adobe Reader 9.0
Adobe Media Player
Firefox Browser Add~On:
Online Video Downloader
All Software are free and it's Latest Versions!
Updated 7 August 2008
Please ignore any alphabetical error that appear in this blog!
:>
Use all this software at your own risk, for we bear no responsibility to any cause from all this software!
If you had experiencing difficulties surfing this page, please contact our Web Administrator!
Notice: Site Bar will be reduce in words, pictures, links, and so on to enhance the speed of loading of the page! All content will be posted in specific or different blog entry! Site Panel will be consisting only link to the page that desire in fast and smooth streaming!
Thank you!
We recommend Internet Browser:
Firefox Internet Browser
Opera Internet Browser
Other Internet Browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Safari still can be use, you may be experience performance difficulties...
Other software you might need:
Adobe Flash Player 9.0
Adobe Reader 9.0
Adobe Media Player
Firefox Browser Add~On:
Online Video Downloader
All Software are free and it's Latest Versions!
Updated 7 August 2008
Please ignore any alphabetical error that appear in this blog!
:>
Use all this software at your own risk, for we bear no responsibility to any cause from all this software!
If you had experiencing difficulties surfing this page, please contact our Web Administrator!
Notice: Site Bar will be reduce in words, pictures, links, and so on to enhance the speed of loading of the page! All content will be posted in specific or different blog entry! Site Panel will be consisting only link to the page that desire in fast and smooth streaming!
Thank you!
Announcement!
This blog so far consists of visitors from around the globe which is Malaysia, Singapore, Poland, Germany, China, United States, Philippines, Hong Kong, Canada, India, United Kingdom, Australia and also Indonesia. Thanks for viewing!
Announcement!
The page had been reduce to 3 posts per page to enhance the speed of the page loading! If you wish to visit the previous post, either choose the topic from the right panel or scroll down to previous entry!
*Tested with minimum 256kbps Broadband/Cable/DSL and above will be smooth in loading pages and videos!
*For 256kbps internet line and below, For loading faster... please select one topic by one topic to view! Load of videos and pictures to share, so be patient while loading the page! Sharing is caring!
Video streaming is based on your connectivity with the hosting server, if you fail to loads; please try it later, the server might be busy!
You can try and TEST YOUR SPEED HERE CLICK ME
Thank you!
Notices
For those who willing to contribute some stories about anything whether it publish now or in the future, do let Web Admin know! After mid~August, we will invite more writers to write these blog! The condition for a writer must be a Christian, and recognize one or more from the members of BGC. For non-recognize writer, we still encourage you to contribute but all content will be review before publishing!
-Post us a message through Friendster
-Blog Chatterbox!
-EMAIL US!
Wanna find our location? CLICK ME
Earth Location of us at:
3°33'28.90 North
101°53'33.10 South
Notice: Site Bar will be reduce in words, pictures, links, and so on to enhance the speed of loading of the page! All content will be posted in specific or different blog entry! Site Panel will be consisting only link to the page that desire in fast and smooth streaming!
Thank you!
Announcement!
The page had been reduce to 3 posts per page to enhance the speed of the page loading! If you wish to visit the previous post, either choose the topic from the right panel or scroll down to previous entry!
*Tested with minimum 256kbps Broadband/Cable/DSL and above will be smooth in loading pages and videos!
*For 256kbps internet line and below, For loading faster... please select one topic by one topic to view! Load of videos and pictures to share, so be patient while loading the page! Sharing is caring!
Video streaming is based on your connectivity with the hosting server, if you fail to loads; please try it later, the server might be busy!
You can try and TEST YOUR SPEED HERE CLICK ME
Thank you!
Notices
For those who willing to contribute some stories about anything whether it publish now or in the future, do let Web Admin know! After mid~August, we will invite more writers to write these blog! The condition for a writer must be a Christian, and recognize one or more from the members of BGC. For non-recognize writer, we still encourage you to contribute but all content will be review before publishing!
Contact Us
There are many ways...-Post us a message through Friendster
-Blog Chatterbox!
-EMAIL US!
Wanna find our location? CLICK ME
Earth Location of us at:
3°33'28.90 North
101°53'33.10 South
Notice: Site Bar will be reduce in words, pictures, links, and so on to enhance the speed of loading of the page! All content will be posted in specific or different blog entry! Site Panel will be consisting only link to the page that desire in fast and smooth streaming!
Thank you!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Dedication
Have you dedicate to serve the Lord? Is not necessary to be full time worker or any full time ministry or anything... Dedicating to someone you believe and trust in is like another stock investment and you wish to have a wealthy return! Well, dedication to the Lord is more than just wealth; but in return, it more than what you would expect and every single fall and hike, it will show you what it really meant to shape u from! Dedicating from what He gifted to you, is another way to strengthen ya gifts and spiritual contentment in Him...
Dedicated ya strength so that He may bless you more from a day till d end of time!
Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? Tell us and we'll pray for u...
(To view full size, right click an select View Image to see full sized picture!)
God bless...
All d best for those who having their exam and test! May d wisdom of God be with you all...
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Picture & Sniper!
Yesterday youth was another hidden "program" that had been foretold secretly by many people in the hidden jungle of Bentong lies down under the Rest House of Bentong!
There is English Methodist Church, Scripture Union came all d ways from Perak just to share some thoughts and sharing with us... Where is our position now? The great hits that impact our life? Do we have the will to overcome it?! Hardly if we dont have any strong foundation for it!
Sunset or Sunrise? (Too BIG... Resize... Right Click > View Full Image to see wholly!^^)
The day before the hidden plan of God, which is the eclipse day that flashes by Malaysia at West Coast around 6.45pm... Although is just few second vision, some people had claim they see an eyes of shape towards the sunset in Malacca! Anywhere, here's is few shots in the Friday Morning, Thursday Evening, Friday Evening and the real shots of Starry Starry Skies (Js + Tf) and the real eclipse!
Thursday Evening
Thursday Evening
Friday Evening ~ Eclipse Day!
Eclipse Pass by Beijing ... (By som1 else)
11pm at Saturday Nite Church Area ... Snipering some shooting stars ... Js+TF!
God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars... Genesis 1:16
Wedding ... Desmond + Dorothy at Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall 9.30am ~ August 2th, 2008!
Animated Picture! Motion JPEG! ~~~ gif! :P
Submitted by Js
Meant 4 PriVate CirCulation OnLy!
There is English Methodist Church, Scripture Union came all d ways from Perak just to share some thoughts and sharing with us... Where is our position now? The great hits that impact our life? Do we have the will to overcome it?! Hardly if we dont have any strong foundation for it!
Sunset or Sunrise? (Too BIG... Resize... Right Click > View Full Image to see wholly!^^)
The day before the hidden plan of God, which is the eclipse day that flashes by Malaysia at West Coast around 6.45pm... Although is just few second vision, some people had claim they see an eyes of shape towards the sunset in Malacca! Anywhere, here's is few shots in the Friday Morning, Thursday Evening, Friday Evening and the real shots of Starry Starry Skies (Js + Tf) and the real eclipse!
Thursday Evening
Thursday Evening
Friday Evening ~ Eclipse Day!
Eclipse Pass by Beijing ... (By som1 else)
11pm at Saturday Nite Church Area ... Snipering some shooting stars ... Js+TF!
God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars... Genesis 1:16
Wedding ... Desmond + Dorothy at Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall 9.30am ~ August 2th, 2008!
Animated Picture! Motion JPEG! ~~~ gif! :P
Submitted by Js
Meant 4 PriVate CirCulation OnLy!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wedding! Who? UTub~MtV
Congratz, Ms Dorothy and his beloved! There will be a wedding ceremony held in Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall at 9.30am This Saturday 2th August 2008! Ms Dorothy is a RBS Helper during year 2007 as well as other year which I'm not mention! For those who knew Dorothy, you are encourage to join their wedding ceremony at PJGH this Saturday!
The Highlighted/ Arrow Pointing Person - Ms. Dorothy!
Looks! Who I found?! Some Brethren members singer and artist!
Adam Sang ~ Bentong Gospel Centre
Des... ~ Termerloh Gospel Hall
More MTV & Video to come!!!
This Saturday... Another Special YF Meeting, do contact us for more information bout this meeting. Camp fire had been carry down to another week!!!
So Stay Cheerful and Stay with us Always!
"Photographer can come from anyone of us!"
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
The Highlighted/ Arrow Pointing Person - Ms. Dorothy!
Looks! Who I found?! Some Brethren members singer and artist!
Adam Sang ~ Bentong Gospel Centre
Des... ~ Termerloh Gospel Hall
More MTV & Video to come!!!
This Saturday... Another Special YF Meeting, do contact us for more information bout this meeting. Camp fire had been carry down to another week!!!
So Stay Cheerful and Stay with us Always!
"Photographer can come from anyone of us!"
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Monday, July 28, 2008
Flashes of Eclipse!
Don't miss it !!! Eclipse! Although you may not see from Malaysia, but doesnt mean you cant take a sight of it... Well, our teams will bring you to the LIVE of Broadcast of the Eclipse on August 1, 2008 which is Friday this week! The mostly you can view it at around 5pm ~ 7pm++
Here's is a stimulation from National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) as predict how the eclipse would pass by Asia this year! You look carefully in the picture, although no official said that eclipse may visible for Malaysian but there's will be a flashes of eclipse around that time which is visible to Malaysia!
This was a projected eclipse on August 1, 2008!
This was the stimulation of the eclipse on August 1, 2008!
(D time stated is not Malaysia Time standard!)
Source More ~ info on Eclipse August 1st, 2008!
If you had count or see the time, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore would be GMT +8 so do some a little calculation and you may get the time where when the eclipse would flash by Malaysia!
Again... this was another awesome creation by Him... and all glory belong to Him alone!
Amen
SATURDAY... a day after Eclipse!!! PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP @ Bentong Gospel Centre, 4pm 2th August 2008! Camp fire had been carry down to another week!!!
So Stay Cheerful and Stay with us Always!
"From D.Cam is just another instrument for Professional Photographer!"
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Here's is a stimulation from National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) as predict how the eclipse would pass by Asia this year! You look carefully in the picture, although no official said that eclipse may visible for Malaysian but there's will be a flashes of eclipse around that time which is visible to Malaysia!
This was a projected eclipse on August 1, 2008!
This was the stimulation of the eclipse on August 1, 2008!
(D time stated is not Malaysia Time standard!)
Source More ~ info on Eclipse August 1st, 2008!
If you had count or see the time, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore would be GMT +8 so do some a little calculation and you may get the time where when the eclipse would flash by Malaysia!
Again... this was another awesome creation by Him... and all glory belong to Him alone!
Amen
SATURDAY... a day after Eclipse!!! PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP @ Bentong Gospel Centre, 4pm 2th August 2008! Camp fire had been carry down to another week!!!
So Stay Cheerful and Stay with us Always!
"From D.Cam is just another instrument for Professional Photographer!"
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Awesome!
Awesome! God is Awesome! Do you agree with me? The answer gotta be yes, let's begin with Saturday! The YF having a improper meeting, hanging out in Deli Choice for Coffee Treatment! Because of the rains and the skies... the whole environment turn out a very beautiful scenery! Although is dark, but the skies is cheerful! In the cafeteria, we was having a great conversation with Vivian L, Stephen, Tiam Fei and Js. It was a great enjoyment of having chit chatting bout life and living stories. After that, Js and Tiam Fei head back to church, doing a minor set up and start photo shooting in every corner of the church!
Sunday Shooting after Sunday School
Rain down on us enjoying the photographing session with our camera, its definitely another crazy yet extreme activities by us! Furthermore 50% of the camera is just newly bought n being wet by tropical raindrops! Here's are some shots...
Can you take some shot like this without blur?
Reflections of Light and Water !
Follow by Sunday, after Sunday school; and this time few couple of camera frenzy was hike out the old church premises and begin to shoot some pearl pure morning dew... Shining and sparkling as diamonds to us, catches our eyes fix on that camera shot! Setting Macro Mode, Adjusting ISO Sensitivity to a appropriate to enhance the photographing! It was another amazing scenery by God that create fo us! Thank you, Lord... for all this very wonderful scenic memorable pictures!
Join us next Saturday(2.8.08) for Photography Workshop and enhance your skill with us!
Sharpness! See ants also wanna take photograph with those flower! ^^
After Photodiscovering... it was another lunch time with some kids and the 4 of us which stated above! Taking few shots with Optical IS, baby mode with V~Smile face on it! It was fun an chubby picture was taken during the lunch! After that, Stephen was bringing ms V to shopping, teaches her how to shop like a mature woman? Well, the whole scenario was humorous atmosphere! It was superb jammed in Bentong today, 100PLUS drink 3 Liters ~ 6bottle for RM10! Don't you u think is superb CHEAP... and it only for today and 1 part of road is block for this MEGA SALES in Bentong, Thong Fatt Hypermarket!
Shopping "Tour" Guide ~ Stephen!
Again and again!
NEXT WEEK SATURDAY... PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP but this time, it comes with Practical Session, for the Speaker would like to share and show u directly how to shot a great picture without using a professional camera! This will only happen in Bentong Gospel Centre, 4pm 2th August 2008! Camp fire had been carry down to another week!!! So Stay Cheerful and Stay with us Always!
From Digital Camera to a Powerful Shooter! Definitely every single steps start with a mini camera that can set and shoot! haha^^
Js's Quote:"a Pro-Photographer is the one who knows how to play with light with all different kind and standard cameras; with feels and emotions to illustrate the real identity of how great Thou art"
Sunday Shooting after Sunday School
Rain down on us enjoying the photographing session with our camera, its definitely another crazy yet extreme activities by us! Furthermore 50% of the camera is just newly bought n being wet by tropical raindrops! Here's are some shots...
Can you take some shot like this without blur?
Reflections of Light and Water !
Follow by Sunday, after Sunday school; and this time few couple of camera frenzy was hike out the old church premises and begin to shoot some pearl pure morning dew... Shining and sparkling as diamonds to us, catches our eyes fix on that camera shot! Setting Macro Mode, Adjusting ISO Sensitivity to a appropriate to enhance the photographing! It was another amazing scenery by God that create fo us! Thank you, Lord... for all this very wonderful scenic memorable pictures!
Join us next Saturday(2.8.08) for Photography Workshop and enhance your skill with us!
Sharpness! See ants also wanna take photograph with those flower! ^^
After Photodiscovering... it was another lunch time with some kids and the 4 of us which stated above! Taking few shots with Optical IS, baby mode with V~Smile face on it! It was fun an chubby picture was taken during the lunch! After that, Stephen was bringing ms V to shopping, teaches her how to shop like a mature woman? Well, the whole scenario was humorous atmosphere! It was superb jammed in Bentong today, 100PLUS drink 3 Liters ~ 6bottle for RM10! Don't you u think is superb CHEAP... and it only for today and 1 part of road is block for this MEGA SALES in Bentong, Thong Fatt Hypermarket!
Shopping "Tour" Guide ~ Stephen!
Again and again!
NEXT WEEK SATURDAY... PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP but this time, it comes with Practical Session, for the Speaker would like to share and show u directly how to shot a great picture without using a professional camera! This will only happen in Bentong Gospel Centre, 4pm 2th August 2008! Camp fire had been carry down to another week!!! So Stay Cheerful and Stay with us Always!
From Digital Camera to a Powerful Shooter! Definitely every single steps start with a mini camera that can set and shoot! haha^^
Js's Quote:"a Pro-Photographer is the one who knows how to play with light with all different kind and standard cameras; with feels and emotions to illustrate the real identity of how great Thou art"
Friday, July 25, 2008
MTv! PnS See Snap Shoot!
Missed Mentakab IU Day? Oh well, don't worry! Here's a little short "MTV" made by the Agape 8 Mentakab Campers! Is a purpleline dance performance on the IU day!
Mentakab Agape 8 Camper Dance Performances!
Are you attending the Camera or Photography Workshop tomorrow? Remember to bring your digital camera, or any camera you wish to learn... A basic introductory on photography will be given by Js to share his enjoyment and skills with you! So don't missed it! Once begin, it will never be rewind!
Catch up this Workshop for FREE ADMISSION! At Bentong Gospel Centre, 4pm, Saturday! July 26, 2008 ~~~Only by Youth Fellowship @ Bentong Gospel Centre!~~~
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Mentakab Agape 8 Camper Dance Performances!
Are you attending the Camera or Photography Workshop tomorrow? Remember to bring your digital camera, or any camera you wish to learn... A basic introductory on photography will be given by Js to share his enjoyment and skills with you! So don't missed it! Once begin, it will never be rewind!
Catch up this Workshop for FREE ADMISSION! At Bentong Gospel Centre, 4pm, Saturday! July 26, 2008 ~~~Only by Youth Fellowship @ Bentong Gospel Centre!~~~
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
E~Video Frenzy!!!
It's been a great joy that song and many nice songs circling around the corner of the world...
Have you got your latest update newsletter? If not, you better hurry!
This is important to stay update so that you know what' happening around us! Don't left far behind for we all are marching on to His way of Life!
Here's the HK Movie that stated in 2 of the pages in the Newsletter! Here's the preview, mtv and the rest... This was another great evangelical show featuring many artist to pull out the string to share this "LOVE" with you!
Movie Name: 《真的戀愛了？》
Behind The Scenes/Trailer
Main Theme Song ~ 關心妍 - 愛若微風
The Song Video Listed below does not relate with the Movie above ... It just a thought of sharing with those who are left behind, hiding from many, heart broken, unsolve problems in the hearts, may i take this opportunity and dedicated all this video to you!
Still waiting for your lifetime partner?
He hear your prayers!
My favorite! Sun Above Clouds...
Nice to listen? Wanted to download? Is easy, but we only have software that only meant for Firefox Browser... Click Me to Download Now
Follow the guideline to start your operation!
IF NOT! There's another small link "Download Video" just click it, the video is soon under your control!
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Any software download from this site are meant to Use at your own Risk!
We bear no responsible to any cause of any of this software.
Have you got your latest update newsletter? If not, you better hurry!
This is important to stay update so that you know what' happening around us! Don't left far behind for we all are marching on to His way of Life!
Here's the HK Movie that stated in 2 of the pages in the Newsletter! Here's the preview, mtv and the rest... This was another great evangelical show featuring many artist to pull out the string to share this "LOVE" with you!
Movie Name: 《真的戀愛了？》
Behind The Scenes/Trailer
Main Theme Song ~ 關心妍 - 愛若微風
The Song Video Listed below does not relate with the Movie above ... It just a thought of sharing with those who are left behind, hiding from many, heart broken, unsolve problems in the hearts, may i take this opportunity and dedicated all this video to you!
Still waiting for your lifetime partner?
He hear your prayers!
My favorite! Sun Above Clouds...
Nice to listen? Wanted to download? Is easy, but we only have software that only meant for Firefox Browser... Click Me to Download Now
Follow the guideline to start your operation!
IF NOT! There's another small link "Download Video" just click it, the video is soon under your control!
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Any software download from this site are meant to Use at your own Risk!
We bear no responsible to any cause of any of this software.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Picnic & Water Dining @ Lentang! Childhood Flashback
Early 9am was shot suddenly to 11am while waited for some youth to free from their tuition early in the morning... Running back to church, packing up and head straight passes hills, trees, mountains and mother natures!
Overpass the bridge, our allies was almost finish their picnic! The Methodist Church was heading there at 7.30am in the early morning, tasting the freshness of what the Lord had given them in the morning! Well, as for us, Grace of God haven't ended yet; providing us an area to set up BBQ pit, and most of all... what really happen was it as dark cloud ... and we were ... Oh No ! Not again, but He was there for us and protected us from drowning in the rain! Flashes over the skies with a rainbow smile, it was sunlight again flashing at us... and we continue our games an activities on the river beach enjoying water dining, sand building, human sand folding and many more!
Splashing water with great excitement and really this is another day that god had made us glad, and we rejoice in Him always!
Now here;'the picture to tell u more bout it :P!
Water Dining... Setting Up!
Building a Bridge?
Flash Back our Childhood ... playing with Sand ... Sand Design!
Hmmm... Childish ... LOLed!
Looks like someone melted into the fun with sand!
Have you got yourself the latest update from us?
It might be end up in your spam mailbox, kindly tick "not spam" to receive newsletter from us without any problems!
Wanna subscribe newsletter and more freebies? Kindly Email us with the "Title: Subscribe"!
Get Latest Update Newsletter!
Grabs the Free E-Book! (details of the book is in the "Latest Update Newsletter")
Sunday School 3 Days 1 Nite Camp?
Youth Camp Agape 9, Where is it? Comment on it or give us suggestions!!! Vote it!!!
Christmas Evangelistic Show in Vega mall Shopping Complex 20 or 21 Dec 2008! Wanna join?
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Yeah! Another Xtreme Activities...
More pictures on d wayz!!!
Overpass the bridge, our allies was almost finish their picnic! The Methodist Church was heading there at 7.30am in the early morning, tasting the freshness of what the Lord had given them in the morning! Well, as for us, Grace of God haven't ended yet; providing us an area to set up BBQ pit, and most of all... what really happen was it as dark cloud ... and we were ... Oh No ! Not again, but He was there for us and protected us from drowning in the rain! Flashes over the skies with a rainbow smile, it was sunlight again flashing at us... and we continue our games an activities on the river beach enjoying water dining, sand building, human sand folding and many more!
Splashing water with great excitement and really this is another day that god had made us glad, and we rejoice in Him always!
Now here;'the picture to tell u more bout it :P!
Water Dining... Setting Up!
Building a Bridge?
Flash Back our Childhood ... playing with Sand ... Sand Design!
Hmmm... Childish ... LOLed!
Looks like someone melted into the fun with sand!
Have you got yourself the latest update from us?
It might be end up in your spam mailbox, kindly tick "not spam" to receive newsletter from us without any problems!
Wanna subscribe newsletter and more freebies? Kindly Email us with the "Title: Subscribe"!
Get Latest Update Newsletter!
Grabs the Free E-Book! (details of the book is in the "Latest Update Newsletter")
Sunday School 3 Days 1 Nite Camp?
Youth Camp Agape 9, Where is it? Comment on it or give us suggestions!!! Vote it!!!
Christmas Evangelistic Show in Vega mall Shopping Complex 20 or 21 Dec 2008! Wanna join?
Submitted by Js
MeAnt 4 PrIvaTe CirCuLaT1oN OnlY
Yeah! Another Xtreme Activities...
More pictures on d wayz!!!
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