The United States of America

Question: How to keep warm during winter?

Answer:
1. A cup of hot chocolate.

   










2. Warm fellowship

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together... (Heb 10:25)

Looking forward to meeting the brothers and sisters of Forest hills Bible Chapel during my stay in Grand Rapids.

Mercy amongst the Blue

I saw a double rainbow the other day on my way to work, and it got me thinking...

 ⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ⁹ “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
 ¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Genesis 9: 8-16

A bow speaks terror, but this has neither string nor arrow; and a bow alone will do little hurt. It is a bow, but it is directed upward, not toward the earth; for the seals of the covenant were intended to comfort, not to terrify. As God looks upon the bow, that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we may be mindful of the covenant with faith and thankfulness.

(Matthew Henry's commentary)

 I saw two that day, the Lord was definitely making a point.

Those who matter don't mind

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind"

Recently I came across this quote and to be honest I don't really agree with it. Mainly because I don't think being yourself and saying what you feel regardless of the feelings of others is the right thing to do.

But when I read the second part of the quote, it got me thinking. It may not be absolutely correct, but I personally find the concept quite true in many circumstances. Many times when we fall and need support the most, those who stand by and point fingers hurt the most, yet we fail to realize that those people are often those who don't really care. Because those who really care, are those who are already by our side supporting us and just offering a shoulder to lean on even when we are at our most undesirable condition, weak and fragile.

And among all those who care, no one offers that support better than the Lord Jesus Christ, we may come before Him broken and in pieces, but he picks up the pieces and puts them together and reassures us that He loves us and will always be there for us. For with the Lord Jesus Christ you can truly be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and the ONE who matters don't mind. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 23:3

"He restores my soul: He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. "

Psalm 23 - one of the most referred to Psalm written by David has been a source of comfort and encouragement to many. These six verses give us hope by reminding us of who the Lord Jesus is; how He provides for our needs, how He leads us and comforts us, and how goodness and mercy is a constant blessing from the Lord.

Yet within all the seemingly "me-centric" verses, right at the middle of the verses we find these four words - for his name's sake. As if to tell us that all the goodness that we receive from the Lord demands a rightful response - that His name be exalted and glorified.

So often we receive so much from the Lord that we often forget that we are not the centre of our own universe, the Lord should be the centre of it and everything else. Oh may the Lord forgive us for our self-centered attitude and give us the grace to appreciate the truth - that everything should be and will be for His name's sake.

How could I stand here
And watch the sun rise
Follow the mountains
Where they touch the sky
Ponder the vastness
And the depths of the sea
And think for a moment
The point of it all was to make much of me
Cause I'm just a whisper
And You are the thunder and

I want to make much of You, Jesus
I want to make much of Your love
I want to live today to give You the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of Your mercy
I want to make much of Your cross
I give You my life
Take it and let it be used
To make much of You

And how can I kneel here
And think of the cross
The thorns and the whip and the nails and the spear
The infinite cost
To purchase my pardon
And bear all my shame
To think I have anything worth boasting in except for Your name
Cause I am a sinner
And You are the Savior

- Steven Curtis Chapman -

A morning reading...

“It is very evident that Enoch knew nothing whatever about the
mode of ‘making the best of both worlds’. To him there was but one
world. Thus it should be with us.” —W. Ross Rainey

O Master, let me walk with Thee, in lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret; help me bear, the strain of toil, the fret of care. —W. G.

Just as I am

    It's a fear that keeps me wide awake
    In the middle of the night
    When the expectations are too great
    And the bar gets raised too high
    So I do the best with what I've got
    And hope that no one knows
    That I strain to see how high I can
    Try to stand on these toes
    Until I'm measured, but You know better

    (Chorus)
    So, thank-You, Jesus
    Even when You see us just as we are
    Fragile and frail and so far
    From who we want to be
    So, thank-You, Jesus
    Even when the pieces are broken and small
    Dreams shatter and scatter like the wind
    Thank-You, even then

    So I put aside the masquerade
    And admit that I am not okay
    Which may not be the thing to say
    But I'm not ashamed to need You more each day

    (Chorus)

    We raise the standard and try to reach You
    But we'll never make it, and we don't need to

    - Nichole Nordeman -

"So I put aside the masquerade, And admit that I am not okay, Which may not be the thing to say..."

It is indeed not easy to admit our imperfections and failures, especially in a modern society where self-empowerment and portraying the "right image"is the "key" to success, and admitting to your flaws is just a sign of weakness.

I am thankful and glad that this is not the case when we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Lord Jesus may be the only person who will always love us. For He does not love us "because of," but that He love us "in spite of." And because of that, hurtful souls can enter a place of abundant peace and comfort when they turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.

So Thank you Lord Jesus, for loving me just as I am.

I was thinking...

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Whenever I read this verse, it never occurs to me that for Christ to become poor, the sacrifice was more than my mind could ever comprehend. As a brother once put it: "Even if you try to minus 1 billion from infinity, you will still get infinity." God is infinitely rich, yet He become poor for our sake. Mathematically speaking, it is impossible. But I guess that is precisely it, he made the impossible possible, for you and for me.

What I thought...

In reality...


How wonderful is the love of God the Father shown to us through Christ Jesus, his beloved Son.

Notice the similarities...

1) My Father's Heart
2) My Song is Love Unknown

I found it very interesting since I only realized the similarity between the two melodies when we were learning a few new hymns after fellowship dinner. When Cheryl started teaching the tune to the hymn "My Song is Love Unknown", I was like: "Wait a minute, this sounds very familiar..." And I was right, I did hear the tune before. It was the same tune from the song "My Father's Heart" sang by Rachel Lampa. The funny thing is I always thought that Rachel Lampa's version was the original, without knowing that the melody was actually borrowed from an old English hymn, which incidentally is one of Kok Keong's favorite hymn. I have always loved "My Father's Heart", but now that I have been introduced to this new beautiful hymn, I think it might just become one of my favorite hymns as well. ;)

who... made Himself of no reputation

Have you lost your reputation?
Are you trusting in the Lord?

Have you found a full salvation
from what people think and say?

Do you mean to live for Jesus,
let the World say what it may?

(excerpt from I Come quietly to met you -Amy
Carmichael)

The promise of the Lord Jesus in the gospel of John tells us that He came so that those who believe in Him might have life and have it abundantly... yet in the gospel of Luke we find the Lord Jesus presenting a more sobering fact that if anyone will come after Him, should deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Him.

There is a cost to following the one who gives us life in its fullness, and pride and self glory has no part in it. If our Lord had people despising and rejecting him, I wonder how can we as his followers, strive on the praise and approval of the people in this world.

He allows me to hunger

I was reading some of Amy Carmichael's writings and I came upon this passage with the title "He allows me to hunger". It was a devotional on Psalms 63:1,5. It was one of those passages that carry such fundamental truths about God's dealings with us that we just need to be reminded of time after time.

It was a dialog between a father and a son. The son found himself in a barren place and wondered why he should at times feel so helpless and needy... thirsty. The Father in his great gentleness reveals to the son the reason for these unpleasant circumstances and assures his son that the Father will always be there to comfort, provide and protect.

If I may just quote two things the Father said:
- "I am the one who allowed you to come into this humbling circumstances and who allowed you to hunger. I did this so that I might feed you with manna -- My bread from heaven!"
- "Can someone who has never seen burning sands in the wilderness turn into a refreshing pool -- can he speak in praise of My marvels, or My power?"

Circumstances can change and pull us down; but the never changing Father who loves us remains faithful and builds us up. Times of hunger and thirst were never meant to make us suffer, it was meant to magnify God's greatness and remind us of the height of his goodness towards us. I am thankful... for he allows me to hunger.

Time Machine

I wish I had a time machine. I wish I could go back in time to those moments that mattered, go back to relive those memorable moments that was certain to make me smile. Or maybe just to be able to have a second change and change the mistakes of the past. But I guess life is like that, we all wish to have something magical that could do things that we can only dream of. Chris Rice would have wanted his magic wand; I would like to have my own time machine. However far fetched the idea may be, it all comes down to the human need for hope, for something better, something that allows us to cover up our flaws and make things better.

Why then did God not make time machines and magic wands a reality in this world? He could if he wanted to, but He didn’t. It sure would have made things better. Or would it? Maybe we are just missing the point. Instead of looking towards “something” to help us change our lives, we fail to see that “someone” is already waiting for us to turn towards him and depend on him. If only we would be willing to listen to His words and allow the spirit to guide us to making the right choices. Maybe then we would no longer have a need for a time machine or a magic wand, because we would finally be able to say that God has made all things well and that no time machine or any magic wand could have made it any better. So goodbye time machine, I have my Lord by my side and that will be just fine, thank you!

Chapter two

It has been almost two months since I returned home from the UK. Having finished my studies, its good to be home. Ever since then I had been caught up with job hunting, family camp, catching up with friends and family, cleaning my "4 years abandoned" room and lots of resting at home.

Looking back, I have been studying in different places at every stage of my education life: from kajang to KL to Mantin to UK. Now that I have finally returned home for good, it feels like a whole new start all over again. As for now, I am going to start working soon, and somehow it makes me realise how time has passed and how faithful the Lord has been to me all these years. I am thankful... really.

Before stepping into this new phase of my life, my only hope is that the Lord will guide my path in each step I take, so that although the future is unknown, at least I will have the assurance that the path taken is one without regrets and that the one who carried me so far will deliver me through the years to come.

The Hammer Holds

A shapeless piece of steel, that's all I claim to be
This hammer pounds to give me form, this flame, it melts my dreams
I glow with fire and fury, as I'm twisted like a vine
My final shape, my final form I'm sure I'm bound to find

So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain
And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the flames
And hurt a little, hurt for me my future is untold
But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds

And the water, it cools me gray, and the hurt's subdued somehow
I have my shape, this sharpened point, what is my purpose now?
And the question still remains, what am I to be?
Perhaps some perfect piece of art displayed for all to see

So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain
And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the flames
And hurt a little, hurt for me my future is untold
But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds

The hammer pounds again, but flames I do not feel
This force that drives me, helplessly, through flesh, and wood reveals
A burn that burns much deeper, it's more than I can stand
The reason for my life was to take the life of a guiltless man

So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain
And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the pain
And hurt a little, hurt for me, my future is so bold
But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds

This task before me may seem unclear
But it, my maker holds

-Bebo Norman

Choice Gleanings: Monday - May 21st

John 12:24 Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

“One grain of wheat!” That is what my life may amount to–completely insignificant in this world of millions of hungry people. But it could be different! Hand that life over to the Lord Jesus Christ. Abandon my own ambitions and make it my life’s work to live only for Him and His plan for me, and He will cause my life to produce “much grain” to spiritually feed those dying without a Saviour. —David Croudace

There’s surely somewhere a lowly place in earth’s harvest fields so wide, Where I may labour through life’s short day for Jesus the crucified. So trusting my all unto Thy care, I know Thou lovest me! I’ll do Thy will with a heart sincere, I’ll be what You want me to be! —C. H. G.

Bells of testimony

The golden bells that adorn the robe of the high priest suggests testimony... Christ bore testimony upon the earth to the things of the Father..

My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me

(John 4:34)

"Believers bear testimony of one kind or the other. We cannot bear good testimony to the things of God in our own strength. Testimony to the salvation and truth into which we have been brought is only possible by the power of the indwelling Spirit. His desire is to work upon our lives, individually and corporately, producing harmonious melody to the Lord and blessing to those around us." - Cyril Cann

Is my testimony hidden? Is it veiled in by troubles and sin? Has it been kept from the sight of others out of selfishness? Can people hear the heartbeat of this testimony that should be beating for those in need? Have I surrendered to the one who I know is the Lord of my life? What testimony am I bearing? ... so the believer asks.

I can't even tie His shoes

I was reading an online issue of CCM magazine talking about how christian music artists deal with the fact that being in the limelight becomes a struggle when they realise what is the point of all of it when being popular shadows the purpose of the glorifying God.

At the end of the article, I read a short passage that Chris Tomlin shared when he had his first photo shoot:

On the flight to his first photo shoot, Chris remembers opening a letter from Passion founder Louie Giglio and, to this day meditating on the words he read. WHile Louie acknowledged the star treatment Chris was about to experience for the first time, he encouraged him to "think about John the Baptist all day,"

"Everyone was coming to John the Baptist in John and saying, 'You're it. You're the deal...You're getting quite popular here.' And he responded, 'I am not... there's One that's coming, I can't even tie His shoes. That's the One you need to go to. And when you see Him, you're going to know that He must increase and I must decrease,'" Louie's letter continued," And as they're taking your pictures today, I just want you to hold that in your heart...' you don't even tie this guy's shoes,' I've never forgotten it," Chris says.

Not all of us have or ever will have star treatment in our lifetime. However, the fact that pride is just at our doorstep knocking is a good enough reason for us to always keep guard and remind ourselves that we are but a creation of someone much greater than ourselves. The Lord Jesus alone deserves glory... for whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose (John 1:27 - KJV).

I am not sure which "guy" Louie was refering to when he reminded Chris of the passage in John. The way I see it, I may not be able to even tie the shoes of John the Baptist, let alone the One whose feet like unto fine brass as if they were burned in a furnace (Rev 1:15 - KJV). Maybe instead of standing tall and keeping our heads so high up all the time, it might do us good if we learn to fall before the the feet of Christ more often, reminding us that maintaining a facade of self-sufficiency is useless when we come before the one whose shoes we are not even worthy to untie.

Only the redeemed

1 Peter 1:12 : Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

I have been considering the amazing privilege that we believers have on angels. They may have been with the Lord throughout the creation of mankind, but one thing we have is the experience of salvation, which even angels long to know about.

As a song puts it:

"...And I have watched the blinding of grace
Come breaking through with a sweetness
Only tasted by the forgiven and redeemed

And someday I'll sit down with my angel friends up in Heaven
They'll tell me about creation
And I'll tell them a story of grace..."

I can only imagine how that conversation will be like with the angels when we discuss God's marvelous work. It will be one long conversation with lots of stories to tell... stories that will take eternity to tell.

Music to my ears

I was listening to a cd entitled GLORY REVEALED - The word of God in worship. Beautiful songs combining the words of the scriptures with rootsy American music. As I was listening, I started to think why do I like christian songs so much? I mean I like other songs as well, I listen to other Chinese and English songs, but none of them are christian music. It is like whenever I am feeling sad, happy or any other occassion, the songs of my preference will always be christian songs.

Apart from the obvious - that I am a christian and therefore it seems normal for me to have preference on christian songs. I think what I am getting at is that the reason christian songs will always be my favourite is because there is one major theme within those songs, that is they all focus on the Lord Himself, and that is what makes them so different and special.

Everyone has a songwriter somewhere hidden in themselves. In one way or another, all of us are able to come up with a song of two of our own. However, no matter how beautiful our songs may be, none can be compared with the songs written out of love and reverence to the Lord God Almighty. I believe when God created us, He made us all songwriters. Songwriters that write songs of worship in our hearts. It is when we realise we are made to worship our creator, that is when the world's most beautiful songs are written.

What I really want to say

It has been ages since I have blogged. I just don't know what to write about. Everytime I think of something that i want to write it is always on the spur of that moment that I have something in my mind (which is usually when I am outside doing something else far away from my notebook). By the time I reach home, I just can't get myself to write anything on the blog anymore. Sometimes I ask myself: Is this what I really want to say? Or am I doing it for all the wrong reasons. Often times I find myself silenced by the realization that I don't really have anything to say(which is in many ways worrying). Maybe when I have something worth sharing, I will blog again. As for now, may there be learning and growing in silence.

For Him

Matthew 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Matthew 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

If according to the scriptures, I should have found myself without hands or feet, I should have been blind, deaf, dumb... but the grace of God held back His wrath and blessed me with faculties that are to be for His glory and for Him alone...

If I can sing Let my songs be full of His Glory
If I can speak Let my words be full of His Grace
If I should live or die
Let me be found pursuing this prize
The One that alone satisfies
The Treasure of Jesus

-SCC