Something Beautiful, Something Good

I woke up this morning with an idea: that for every post beginning in 2008, I will endeavour to write a word in praise of someone, something, or someplace. Not such a bad idea, eh?

I also think that this is gonna be my personal theme for the year. 2006 was the Year of Opportunity for me. I remember telling my wife (my then fiancee) that I believed God had given me that theme. This year in 2007, it was the Year of Refreshing. Indeed, all my experiences this year have truly been refreshing...among them, my marriage to my beautiful and lovely wife; and my graduation with a university degree.

As for 2008, I shall call it the Year of Goodness. Together with the idea, I woke up with this morning with an old chorus that I learned as a kid. And as I rushed to the toilet and threw up my dinner from last night, it was playing over and over in my head.

Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion, He understood
All I had to offer Him was bitterness and strife
But He made something beautiful of my life
~ words and music by Gloria Gaither and William J Gaither

What an ironic way to start on Christmas day. I guess it's a good reminder for me of how the Saviour of the world came to earth, the Prince of Heaven, King of Glory, descending to earth as Emmanuel, God With Us, in the form of a human baby born in an obscure stable and placed in a lowly manger. Pure irony, yet it had to happen for our sake.

Goodness and Beauty it is for all of us in the coming year.
Have a Blessed Christmas, everyone.

Think of Me

Following up on my previous post...it's a challenge for me to think outside of myself sometimes. To be honest, after 5 years in America, I have selfishly thought more about myself than when before I came.

America has showed me how selfish I am. In recent years, I have thought of myself as:

- more distinguished than others (so worship me)
- more experienced than others (so respect me)
- smarter, wiser, and more intelligent (so listen to me)
- more needful than others (so give to me)
- more humble than others (so follow my example)
- more important than others (so prefer me)

And then sometimes, and sad to say, less often than it should be, I am reminded that I'm...

- not any more distinguished than a convict
- not any more experienced than an infant
- not any smarter, wiser, or more intelligent than a fool or a failure
- not any more needful than those who seem to have everything
- not any more humble than Mother Theresa
- not any more important than the homeless

Sometimes, I look at myself and see the sorry state I am in. I am more consumed with acquiring worldly things than being consumed with Christ! I have forgotten what it means to have compassion for others, and have placed myself above all things!

I am sorry. I apologize. I have not been a good example of one who follows hard after God. I have forgotten what true religion means: to look after orphans and widows. To extend help to the poor. To reach out in love to those who do not know Him. I must remember to think of others above myself: this is what I am called to do.

Think outside of yourself!

I just gotta put this excerpt from John Maxwell's book "Winning With People". And of course, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their people skills. I'm into the sixth chapter and the lessons here are absolutely insightful. Read it. It's really good.

What does it take to change people's perspective and help them see the big picture for the first time in their lives? Sometimes it's getting married. Other times it's getting divorced. Or having a child. The bottom line is that people need to understand that everything is not about them.

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

I recently read an article about actress Angelina Jolie. The catalyst for her change in perspective was a script. Jolie, who won an Oscar in 1999 for her role in Girl, Interrupted, could have been the poster girl for a life adrift. The child of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, she had grown up in Hollywood and indulged in many of it's excesses. She was called a "wild child". And she was well known for drug usage, outrageous behaviour, and sometimes self-destructive actions. She was convinced she would die young.

"There was a time where I never had a sense of purpose, never felt useful as a person," says Jolie. "I think a lot of people have that feeling---wanting to kill yourself or take drugs or numb yourself out because you can't shut it off or you just feel bad and you don't know what it's from."

Success in movies did little to help her. "I felt so off balance all the time," admits Jolie. "I remember one of the most upsetting times in my life was after I had attained success, financial stability and I was in love, and I thought, 'I have everything that they say you should have to be happy and I'm not happy.'"

But then she read the script for Beyond Borders, the story of a woman living a life of privilege who discovers the plight of refugees and orphans around the world. Jolie recalls, "Something in me really wanted to understand what the film was all about, these people in the world, all these displaced people and war and famine and refugees." For a year she traveled around the world with UN workers. "I got my greatest life education and changed drastically," she observes. She visited camps in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cote d'Ivoire, Cambodia, Pakistan, Namibia, and Thailand. Her entire perspective changed. She realized that the entire world was made up of other people, many of whom were in dire circumstances, many of whom she could help.

When the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees asked her to become a goodwill ambassador in 2001, she was happy to do it. She also began donating money to help refugees and orphans, including $3 million to the UN's refugee program. (She says she makes a "stupid amount of money" to act in movies.) And she adopted a Cambodian orphan, Maddox. Recently Worth magazine listed her as one of the twenty-five most influential philanthropists in the world. She estimates that she gives almost a third of her income to charity.

Jolie puts it all into perspective: "You could die tomorrow and you've done a few movies, won some awards---that doesn't mean anything. But if you've built schools or raised a child or done something to make things better for other people, then it just feels better. Life is better." Why does she feel that way? Because she finally gets the big picture. She stopped focusing on herself and began putting other people ahead of herself.
~ John Maxwell, Winning With People (emphasis mine)

A Christmas Carol

Last night Lynn and I were invited to watch a play by the First Baptist Academy Senior High Theatre group. It was the funnesssstt and one of the best plays I've seen by young people. They played "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, and one of young men at church, Mr David Robson (yeah, Meagan's brother) played the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge.


Two thumbs up for the splendid performance! As I watched, I was smiling and laughing and crying as I am reminded of the characters in this classic story I read as a child. Brings back memories.

One tear-jerking scene was when Scrooge is taken back by the Ghost of Christmas Past, and he sees himself as a young man engaged to be married, but his fiancee sings a heart-wrenching song and leaves him because he was more in love with his business and making money. The song just broke my heart as the present Scrooge shouts at himself in the past. Excellent portrayal. Bravo!

Another scene that brought tears to my eyes was when the Cratchit family celebrates Christmas present.

At last the dinner was all done, the cloth was cleared, the hearth swept, and the fire made up. The compound in the jug being tasted, and considered perfect, apples and oranges were put upon the table, and a shovel-full of chestnuts on the fire. Then all the Cratchit family drew round the hearth, in what Bob Cratchit called a circle, meaning half a one; and at Bob Cratchit's elbow stood the family display of glass. Two tumblers, and a custard-cup without a handle.

These held the hot stuff from the jug, however, as well as golden goblets would have done; and Bob served it out with beaming looks, while the chestnuts on the fire sputtered and cracked noisily. Then Bob proposed:

"A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us."

Which all the family re-echoed.

"God bless us every one!" said Tiny Tim, the last of all.
~ Charles Dickens

Yes, Tiny Tim.
God bless us, EVERYONE.

Disciple

One of the girls in my youth group wrote this essay. It is such a refreshing thing to me when I see young people write with such an understanding and insight of what being a true Christ-follower truly is. Her parents are awesome folks, and she's blessed to have them. And I know they are very proud of their children. I know because they told me.

"What It Means to be a Disciple of Christ"
by Meagan Robson

Many things make up my life. Sports, friends, family, relationships, talents, school, you get the picture. But the one thing that sets these things apart from the many of the other 7th grade girls in this world is that God is involved in each one of these.

Take school for an example. While many other people think of school as a time to sleep, hang out with friends, or just chill, I think of it as a time to worship God. I mean, come on. He gave us each gifts to use to prepare for the future, so that we can fulfill his purpose. If you wanted to be a missionary, for example. You would have to be able to read and write, so that you can study the Bible and lead people to Christ. Or if you wanted to be a teacher, or help people that are illiterate. You can't teach people something if you need to be taught it as well. Things like that kind of make you look at school in a different way.

Another thing is friends. God puts certain people in your life for a reason. Maybe you have a friend that is not saved. You have a good chance of pushing them in the rigth direction, or even leading them to the Lord. It's a little bit harder to do that if you barely know hat person, or not know them at all. If you start out small, such as with your best friends, then acquaintances, and eventually you will find yourself evangelizing to people you've never met in your life. Just remember that one life could change many.

And talents. They can be so important in your life. Say you have a big mission team in Mexico. One person may have the smoothest words and strongest voice that impact and reach thousands, while another could excel in listening and understanding which could reach many hearts. Or if you love to write. Think of if you wrote a book or magazine, which is then published and read by thousands. Think of how many people you could affect because of the gift God gave you. Or if you have talents in music, such as singing. You could make records that who knows how many people will listen to. Small things like that could change the world.

There are more than 6.6. billion people in the world. Imagine what it would be like if even half of us used the gifts and opportunities God puts in our lives. Just imagine.

Thanks, Meagan.

Hard word

Today at Trinityouth, I think I preached the hardest message in my life. Hard as in heavy, pounding, serious, straight-to-the-core, jokes and funnies aside. I dont think I remember seeing so many serious (and zoned-out) faces in any group I've preached to ever. Nevertheless, I believe I brought the right word at the right time, because it does seem like so many of them have forgotten what it is to truly follow Christ.

The Rich Young Ruler

One day one of the local officials asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?”

- Eternal life is something far more important, precious than this present life. This guy understood it.

Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good—only God. You know the commandments, don’t you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honor your father and mother.”

- You know what right things to do. In fact, you have kept them all. But keeping these commandments have not answered your question. You feel like there is something else missing in your life.

He said, “I’ve kept them all for as long as I can remember.”

When Jesus heard that, he said, “Then there’s only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

- In other words, give up everything you have ever placed value on. Give up your pride. Give up your rights. Give up your honor. Give up everything you have. And then follow Jesus.

This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go. Seeing his reaction, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter into God’s kingdom? I’d say it’s easier to thread a camel through a needle’s eye than get a rich person into God’s kingdom.”

“Then who has any chance at all?” the others asked.

“No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust in God to do it.”

- With God, all things are possible. What is there that is impossible to God? The only thing that He will not do is to violate your choice by taking it from you. You must choose to follow him. Then only can He do it. If not, then it is technically impossible for Him because He will not violate your freedom of choice.

Some of you gotta put your pride away. There’s so much pride in you, it’s killing you. It’s like you don’t care even if you know I’m talking about you. I’m responsible for my own self, and you’re right. You just don’t realize that that pride is blinding you. Dragging you down. Keeping you chained and all locked up inside. Or maybe you realize, but you’re not choosing to let go. In fact you like being like that, locked up, prideful and conceited. You feel like you’re in control. You feel like at least you are comfortable with the walls around you.

Some of you gotta put your dreams away. They’re taking you away from God. You think that maybe those dreams will give you the kind of life that you have always wanted to live. Dreams of being famous. Dreams of being wanted. Dreams of making lots of money. That dream girl, or that dream boy. If only you could get your hands on them you would be successful. And oh, by the way, my dreams will be OK if I just Christianize them and say that I’m doing them all for God.

My question is, is it really from God? Did God give you that dream? Or did you cook it up yourself? Because if God gave you that dream, you would know that God is important enough to help you achieve that dream. But right now, chasing that dream takes up so much more time, energy, and effort, than chasing after God. You’ve become so focused on your dream that you have forgotten about God, except for the occasional “yeah I’m doing this for God,” like it even means anything. You know you’re just saying it to tell yourself that you’re OK with God, when actually you’re not. You’re not alright with God. You’re not following him.

Some of you gotta put yourself away. You think this whole world is about you. You think that everything revolves around you. In fact, you’re thinking maybe this guy up here, he’s lost his mind speaking like this in youth group! How dare he accuse anybody, how dare he accuse me? Yeah, then I’m speaking to you. Because it’s not all about you. It’s not all about how you feel. It’s not how you think it’s wrong, or even right. It’s all about God and his relationship with you. If your self is in the way of God getting to you, then why are you even here? You should be at home playing your videogames. You should be out with your worldly friends becoming more and more like the world instead of becoming more and more like God.

But you’re here. The fact is, you’re here.

And if you are here, then I urge you to make this time count. And not just when you’re in youth group, or when you’re in church or among your Christian friends…but even when you’re alone. Will you get with God? In your quiet moments will you choose to be someone who follows Jesus?

What you do in your public life reflects what you do in private. The kind of person you are here, or in school, or in front of people, shows what kind of person you are when you are alone. And standing here looking at all of you, I can somewhat tell what kind of person you are even if you hide from me. I can tell if some of you are true Christians. I can also tell if some of you are doing this Christian thing just coz.

Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I can’t tell…but does that matter if you’re such a good actor/actress? What matters is that you cannot hide from the fact that God knows every single thing about your life, public or private. You may get to choose. But God gets to watch. And in the end, everything you have ever done in your entire life is going to count.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone of you desires to come after me, you must forget yourself, and take up his cross and follow me. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.

Have you been a faithful follower?

Paul Potts

My hair stood, my tears fell, and my heart leaped at this man's story and voice.

I wonder what kind of history he went through in his past.

but this is a lesson for all of us, for me at least, that we should pursue our God-given dreams with the talents He has given us. Giving up is not an option. We must be bold and courageous to take that step of faith, and who knows where that road might lead us?

You past does not matter. All of us have been given talents. In the end, we are accountable not to others, but to God, for what we have done with them.

Go Paul Potts. You inspire me.

Free Rice

I'm feeling rather philantrophic after donating about 2000 grains of rice with my brains.
All you guys should check this out if you're concerned about poverty and hunger throughout the world.

email thread at work

>>> Wayne Russell 11/21/2007 3:36 PM >>>
Mom is in the kitchen,
And when I take a look,
Im glad Im not a turkey
Thats she's about to cook!
By Karl Fuchs

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wayne


>>> Worrell Service 11/21/2007 3:55 PM >>>
I was in the kitchen,
And when I take a look
One fat turkey for me to cook!
By Worrell Service

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

>>> Thomas Leong 11/21/2007 4:10 PM >>>

I stepped into the kitchen

Such a sight to see

A turkey crisp and golden

Roasted just for me

I took a bite of heaven

And ran to tell my boss

He's wondering what happened

Why was I at such a loss

I told him 'bout the turkey

And all the good stuff there

He got in such a hurry

Without his panda bear

A shout of exclamation

He gave when he went down

A voice of desperation

Coz turkey was all gone

-thomas

EU outgoing ambassador is right

Excerpt from an article of an AP interview with the EU outgoing ambassador, published in International Herald Tribune Nov 14, 2007. (Read the whole article here.)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The European Union's outgoing ambassador has soundly criticized Malaysia, describing it as a virtual one-party state that discriminates against minorities and foreign investors by openly favoring the majority Malay Muslims.

Law Minister Nazri Aziz dismissed the accusations by Ambassador Thierry Rommel, who left his post Tuesday after 4 1/2 years, saying he is an outsider who does not understand the country. "I treat his opinion as uninformed and ignorant," said Nazri.

I do agree with the ambassador about the state of Malaysia's politics. I think for Nazri to accuse him of being uninformed and ignorant is preposterous. I've been in the States for 5 years now, and I know quite a bit about the way politics work here. As a foreign student, I consider myself rather familiar with the atmosphere and how this country is being run, even as an outsider. So if i were the ambassador to another country, deployed there for 4.5 years, calling me ignorant and uninformed about the way that country is being run when I've been stationed there these many years is absurd.

The truth is the truth. While the NEP has proven to be effective in the past, it shouldnt be applicable now if they M'sian govt wants to create a better society.

"Without the NEP, it will go back to square one. It will come back to a situation where Malays will be left behind again. This is a social contract for Malaysians to decide, not for foreigners to interfere," he told the AP on Tuesday.
- Nazri

Then I ask you, why do you think the Malays will be left behind? If they want to advance, what can stop them? As for the social contract for Malaysians to decide...are you kidding? I say if the govt wants Malaysians to decide, then start treating everyone like Malaysians. Instead, we have created a class system based on race and ethnicity.

If Malaysia wants to maintain racial harmony and achieve world recognition, it is not in the building of super infrastructure or the lording of one race over another. To become great, then show the world by providing a just system and equality of opportunity for all its citizens, whatever race they belong to.

It's time Malaysians stop seeing themselves through eyes of color...especially the govt.

The Christian Paradox

excerpt from an online article

Love your neighbour as yourself: although its rhetorical power has been dimmed by repetition, it is a radical notion. Jesus made it very clear who the neighbour you were supposed to love was: the poor person, the sick person, the naked person, the hungry person. The last shall be made first; turn the other cheek; a rich person aiming for heaven is like a camel trying to walk through the eye of a needle.

Such a good article. Read it in its entirety here

Canine Star Wars

This is too cute to not post up! Enjoy!

Finger troubles

News Flash:

I sliced off part of my finger on Monday 10/22 with a box-cutter/exacto. The blade ran off the ruler and onto my finger and took a whole chunk off. That night I had NO sleep because of the pain. On Tuesday it hadn't stop bleeding, so the doctor had the wound carterized (cooked with a pointed flame, like a welding tool). It's OK now, no pain, just numbness around the tip of the finger. (Click here to see a pic)

Isn't this amazing how the finger is such a small part of your body that when it is injured or dysfunctional, the entire body hurts!

So it is the same way in the body of Christ. We all have a place to be, a role to play and a reason for existence. All these senseless bickering in the body is pointless.

Lesson from Matthew

Matthew 6:25-7:28

Do not worry.
God will take care of you.

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
Everything else will be taken care of.

The way you measure others
will be how you will be measured.

A sk. It shall be given.
S eek. You shall find.
K nock. It shall be open.

Dont ask, won't get.
Don't seek, won't find.
Don't knock, won't open.

Do unto others what you will have them do unto you.

People are known by their fruit.
Who you truly are will be revealed by your fruit.
So bear good fruit.

Build your life on God the Rock, not on man.
Listen and do what He has to say.
He knows more than you anyway.

Change the world

Inscribed on the tomb of an 11th century Anglican bishop inside Westminster Abbey:

When I was young and free my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable. As I grew in my twilight years, in one desperate last attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it. And now as I lay on my deathbed, I suddenly realized: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.

Our Hellhouse experience

Last night we decided to preview Hellhouse before we took our youth group on Wednesday, which happens to be halloween night here in the US. We thought that we might have a better picture of what to expect if we attended it first.

We left our apartment at 7.10pm, and arrived at the location 7:30pm. The temperature at that time was about 60F (16C). There was already a line at the ticket counter, so we waited. The information on the website indicated that we should be there one hour before our planned entry into the house. So we expected an hour's wait before we actually got to enter. We waited in line for 20 minutes to buy the tickets for $10 each.

After that, we were directed to wait in another line. So we went, and patiently waited. We were sandwiched between 2 youth groups. The group behind us talked loud the whole time, and their attitude and language was rather obnoxious and questionable. By the time we reached the end of the line, we had waited for 3 hours standing in line in temperature that had dropped to about 55F (14C). Although we had our jackets on, we were cold, and my back was already hurting from standing for so long. When it was time for us to be grouped, I asked an official if we could be with the group ahead of us, since it was just the two of us. He then moved us to the group twice ahead of us. Yes, we GLADLY moved ahead!

Finally, we're standing in another line and ready to go through security check before we got on a hay-ride to the house located in a remote location. When the van with the trailer finally arrived 15 minutes later for our group's turn, we got in and enjoyed a short ride through an off-road trail behind a hill. That short ride saved my back. By the time we got off the trailer, the pain was gone.

So we arrived at the remote location...lo and behold, another line awaited us. I confess, I rolled my eyes. It was 11:20pm. We were still in the open cold as we snaked through that line. What an ordeal. I was beginning to think, what have I done to deserve all this trouble? Waiting in line felt so hellish already. Talk about going to a hellhouse...!

We finally stepped into the Hellhouse at 12:05am. We were led through various scenes of murder and death. There were scenes depicting a school shooting, drug usage, cutting/self-injury, witchcraft, abortion, murder, heaven, and hell. We were escorted by "demons"-actors dressed up like grim reapers wearing halloween masks. In each scene there were more of these demons influencing the actors into making terrible decisions.

Personally, I felt that the demon characters were annoying, and frankly, quite cheesy. There was a couple of them that actually had their faces painted; those were the best and more convincing ones. Some of the scenes were well enacted, namely witchcraft and cutting scene, the abortion scene, the molestation scene, and the hell scene. These scenes had the best effects and were most convincing. The rest were just so-so, in my opinion.

We were led to the final room where a short challenge was presented to the group. I thought the preacher did a good job wrapping things up in the short time that he had. Lynn thought he could have done better, but considering the time restraint he had before another group arrived, he did OK. He gave an option to go to another room if anyone wanted to get right with God. Then he dismissed the rest of us.

The whole journey inside the Hellhouse took us about 45 minutes. We got out at around 1am, tired, cold, and not really that impressed. Our concluding impression was that the 45 min show was worth the $10, but definitely not worth the 4.5 hours of waiting in the cold. This was undisputedly the longest line we have ever been in our lives.

So, if you're wanting to go, be prepared to WAIT....LONG.

Political lies

I am liking my American Government class by Prof. Jack Goodyear. I think his is one of the beneficial classes in DBU...and there are not many I have come across in this place called United States...

Anyways, one reason why I am enjoying this class is the quality of discussion on the online discussion board. Here's this week's question which I totally enjoyed answering. Have fun!

Question: Political philosophers such as Plato and Edmund Burke believe that political leaders are often forced to lie to protect the public. Do you agree with this? Does a Christian politician have a right to lie if revealing the truth might cause harm? Why or why not?

> If a politician has come to a place where he has to lie to protect the public, then I say that he has been lying all the while to protect himself. I think it is important to lead well, and lead with honesty and integrity. If I, as a politician, am truthful, honest and integrous from the beginning, then I should have no problem being honest with the public about the latest tragedy or impending disaster. Of course, this is a matter of tact and how the issue is presented.

I have to agree with some of the posts already about how there is a difference between outright lying and revealing only certain portions of the truth so as not to arouse unrest from the public. In the end, the whole truth must be presented, and the public will be thankful that they were not misled. Nevertheless, in order to come to this relationship between the politician and the public, there must already be a bond of trust and sincerity between them. In this, the timing in the revealing of details is definitely crucial. A good politician/leader is one who understands any given situation, accurately gauges the right timing, and with tact and wisdom, presents it in a way that unifies the public to respond favourably. This is what I call leadership.

As for Christian politicians, the answer is all the more clear: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” In other words, no lying. No disputes necessary. Period.

In the style of King Solomon’s proverbs and wise sayings, I’d like to say it this way: Better is impending harm from telling the truth than artificial peace from a telling a lie.

excerpt from my personal journal today

I want to be able to say that I did things right. I will do whatever it
takes to stay alive, to survive, just like Jesus. Sure, there will be impossible
things through our human eyes; we do have our box of sometimes impossible laws
and stupid rules. But until I know for sure that God wants me to specifically
break them, I have to remember that whatever it takes is just this: to put my
trust in God for the impossible.

Jesus did what he had to do to survive when it was not time for him to die.
But when it was time, he did what he had to do to die.

We should be grateful followers.

You're All I Want

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

~by Bebo Norman

Thanks again, Bebo, for putting things in perspective for me.

Stepping Stones

In my previous post, I mentioned that in the world, particularly in the business world, people tend to step on each other to rise to the top. In fact, I still remember the idea that someone I have respected all my life posed to me, "If you dont step on them, they will step on you. Why let them step on you when you're better than them?"

I ended with a very big question: "Where's the love?"

See, we all say we have love. We live in a world where everybody and anybody can say "I love you" and yet don't really mean what they say. We say it to our dogs, cats, our TVs, magazines, the internet, to sex, celebrities, our cars, motorbikes, our food, (the list goes on)... And then we say it to our spouses, our children, our families and loved ones. Have we really lost the essence of what those three words really mean?

With what the world thinks about stepping on others, here's a counter-idea presented to us by a very well known scholar and philosopher:

"Let love be without hypocrisy...be devoted to one another in love; giving preference to one another in honor."

"Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others."

Instead of stepping on others to rise to the top, the greater glory is revealed when we allow ourselves to be the stepping stones so others can rise to the top. This is who we are called to be as Christians.

Wisdom...?

Two men were hiking when they spotted a mountain lion staring at them. One froze in his tracks, but the other sat down on a log, tore off his hiking boots, pulled a pair of running shoes from his backpack and hurriedly began to put them on. "For crying out loud, you can't outrun a mountain lion!" his companion said. "I don't have to," the other shrugged. "I just have to outrun you."

That's a quick story on wisdom I came across today. Many of us will find it easy to say "Hey that's the right thing to do!" In fact, it's human nature to be self-serving, to watch out for your own back and forget about the rest. In fact, that is the usual byword that goes about in the business world. "Step on others to rise to the top, before they step on you." The business people will say that's not true, but hey lets be honest, it's reality, isn't it?

So where's the Love?

talk about being random, here's some random!

Now that we're cooking almost everyday of the week, ideas really do run out on what to cook for dinner or tomorrow's lunch. Now this is what I really miss home about: FOOD! cheap, good, tasty and healthy (well, not all) and freshly prepared food!

ahhhh..
i'm dreaming of char koay teow, hokkien mee, nasi kandar, economy rice at "sa-kak-eng", chicken rice, koay teow thng, charsio-puign, roti canai, koay chap, laksa...the list goes on laaaa!

I'd better stop dreaming before my mouth turns into the Niagara and these already incessant rumbles from deep within turn into quakes.

"Hold on, Thomas! You can do it! Just one exam today, and lunch will follow!"
..
..
..
....
which reminds me of the Israelites when they were roaming in the wilderness, all they could think of was the good food and life they had as slaves in Egypt. Come on, although pizza just doesnt cut it, it's time to be grateful for what we got here. Gotta look forward, keep our focus not on what's past, but on Him and what He's bringing ahead.

So pizza today will just have to do. I'll look out for rojak when the time comes!

Daughters

I wanna dedicate this John Mayer song to my Mom, Dad, and dear sister, Grace.

I love you all. Missing you guys much...

I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
But she's just like a maze
Where all of the walls all continually change
And I've done all I can
To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Oh, you see that skin?
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now she's left
Cleaning up the mess he made

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Boys, you can break
You'll find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong
And boys soldier on
But boys would be gone without the warmth from
A womans good, good heart

On behalf of every man
Looking out for every girl
You are the god and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too [x3]

~ "Daughters" by John Mayer

The Rule

Have you ever been in restrooms,
Public or your own?
I don't know why,
let out a sigh!
the Rule's not set in stone!

I appreciate those who follow it,
who stick to it like glue;
who insist on it,
Hack! Hack! and spit!
May the sky always be blue!

"What," say you, "is this is fast rule
that must be across the lands?"
Why, haven't you heard,
king, peasant, nerd?
The need to wash your hands?!

After business in little rooms,
After using shiny stalls,
Please understand
and wash those hands
when done with nature's calls!

Bacteria and germs thrive galore,
so do other creepy things.
They rest unseen
until you clean
those little fingerlings.

For while you insist that you are a clean,
Others may not know.
Please sir, be kind
and quiet their minds
from worry and from woe.

Some dont even care 'bout it,
some may have no clue!
They walk in there
and "pay their fare"
then out to shake hands with you!

Your hands are important, useful things;
you shake and eat with them.
So wash them often
even after coughin',
smother them not with phlegm!

A Rule, I say, one strong and firm
to pass throughout the lands.
That all must carry
this necessary
need to wash your hands!

Yet till the day of reckoning comes
When Rule is fast and true,
pull up your pants
and wash your hands
Oh please I beg of you!

Forget yourself into greatness

Consider the comments of William Arthur Ward of Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth, Texas:

If you are wise, you will forget yourself into greatness.
Forget your rights, but remember your responsibilities.
Forget your inconveniences, but remember your blessings.
Forget your own accomplishments, but remember your debts to others.
Forget your privileges, but remember your obligations.
Follow the examples of Florence Nightingale, of Albert Schweitzer, of Abraham Lincoln, of Tom Dooley, and forget yourself into greatness.
If you are wise, you will empty yourself into adventure.

Remember the words of General Douglas MacArthur: “There is no security on this earth. There is only opportunity.”
Empty your days of the search for security; fill them with a passion for service.
Empty your hours of the ambition for recognition; fill them with the aspiration for achievement.
Empty your moments of the need for entertainment fill them with the quests for creativity.

If you are wise, you will lose yourself into immorality. Lose your cynicism. Lose your doubts. Lose your fears. Lose your anxiety. Lose your unbelief.

Remember these truths: A person must soon forget himself to be long remembered. He must empty himself in others to discover a fuller self. He must lose himself to find himself. Forget yourself into greatness. Empty yourself into adventure. Lose yourself into immortality.

~ John Maxwell, in his book Be a People Person

unleashed...

Yo here's a tribute to my good friend Waikit.

I didnt know he could dance. Fantastico! Way to go bro!!

2 Timothy 4:5

But YOU,
be watchful, alert, and sober in all things,
endure hardship and afflictions,
preach the Good News,
fulfill your ministry.

Is life really worth living?

Yes, if you live it well.

Problem is, not everyone knows how to live it well. The fast-growing electronics company LG says it right: "Life's Good". But it's not just when you buy their consumer electronics, though. Life's good because you make it good, and you know it's good. Christ made this life worth living. You now have the power to feel good about your life because you're not in control...He is.

Recently, I had a very legitimate reason to say that life wasn't treating me really well. Took two CLEP tests hoping to pass them so I could skip ahead in school and not have to pay through my nose to take those subjects in class. But I didnt obtain the required score to get an exemption from classes...and for a couple of weeks, I really didnt feel too good about myself. I mean, the last time I failed a class subject was when I was 16 in high school! So really, I felt terrible. Does my brain still work? Could I still absorb what I've learned? Am I capable anymore? Lies, Lies, LIES. I let lies sit on the couch on my mind and watch TV through my eyes. Everything was boring and dull as a result of that crummy attitude.

Well, not anymore coz I reminded myself that there is a better way to look at things. There is always a better way. So I went to my first class this semester today and thought to myself, there must be a reason why I'm sitting here taking doing this course when I could have passed it cheap. And I look forward to discovering that reason.

This post is rather sketchy, or raw, if you will, but only because I just wanna write something in here. The song by Switchfoot "Dare You To Move" has been ringing in my head the entire morning. Highly motivational. I recommend it. Go live your life like it mattered for only today. What will you leave behind?

I just cant hold it in anymore: gotta let it out! But before you continue reading this post, please read my post [click] on the dream I had a few days ago.

I love reading. I'm the kind of person that reads multiple books at a time. I read the book, bookmark it and then leave it for days, sometimes weeks for another book before I continue reading it again. Well, the very same evening I had my dream, I picked up this book by Randy Alcorn called "The Treasure Principle" that I had placed a marker on, and continued reading from there. Here is the excerpt of what I read that day that rocked my world.

After exposing the Laodiceans' spiritual poverty hiddel beneath their wealth, Jesus offered them real treasures: "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich" (Revelation 3:18).

When Christ returns, the world "will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in ti will be laid bare" (2 Peter 3:10). Does that sound depressing? It would be depressing if this world were our home. But it isn't! It would be depressing if we couldn't use our lives and resources to make a difference for eternity. But we can!

C.S. Lewis put it this way: "We are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased (The Weight of Glory).

Even many Christians have settled for a life of unsatisfying material acquisitions, like making mud pies in a slum. There's something so much better than anything the world can offer--eternal treasures and exhilarating joy.

Eternal things are so much more worth than material wealth. YET there's something so much better than anything the world can offer--

ETERNAL TREASURES & EXHILARATING JOY!

Dream

I dreamt last night I was in a church building that was newly constructed. It was built with the latest advancements in building technology: harder and more lasting sheet rock, impeccably designed to maximize space, equipped with multipurpose halls and facilities, and exceptionally beautiful.

I was part of this church that had built this facility, and we were proud of what we had constructed. All of a sudden, we heard the news about a freak storm coming our way. A storm like we have never seen. Rain will fall down hard on anything that it hits, and destroys it. The storm purportedly would contain an extremely toxic element that dissolves metal and concrete. News began to spread among the staff and the people in the building to salvage only what they need and run to the nearest natural shelter because the building will not hold.

I hastily looked around, and gathered the possessions I had around me. Wallet, clothes, keys, PDA, shoes. In a few minutes, the storm was coming, and there was shouting all around. "Hurry up! Get out of here!" I started running off with a bunch of people, when I remembered that I left my surround sound speakers on the ground (WHAT!?). I quickly ran back, plugged the speakers out of the wall, grabbed the woofer and speakers, and ran with all my heart as I begin to hear the din of rain falling outside.

I ran out the doors, the crowd nowhere to be seen. I only knew that they were running to the nearby woods. So I ran blindly ahead into the rain. Visibility was terrible, I could only see a few meters ahead of me. I could smell the rain falling on the heated ground. The rain was heavy, but I was not getting wet. Looking back I thought it was a strange phenomenon, but I couldn't care whether I got wet or not then. I just knew I had to get to shelter.

Countless times I would glimpse of trees and I could have stopped and sheltered behind a trunk but I forged on ahead. My hands were getting tired holding on to the speakers and whatever else I had grabbed. Then suddenly, a looming shadow of a gigantic tree appeared right in front of me. It looked like a giant umbrella with its trunk rooted into a massive mound of earth. I ran up that mound and climbed onto the trunk of the tree and I saw the crowd taking shelter there. Some were laughing at me, some scolded me for running back. I was just relieved. I dropped all my possessions at my feet, and realized how foolish I was.

I turned, as did everyone, and looked at our building. The frame of the building is still holding, but the exterior of it was already dissolved. There were some parts of concrete that were still left, but even those are slowly disappearing into a dust-like haze carried by the wind and rain. Soon, the frame began to fall apart, and before long all that was left was a desolate piece of land.

It was then when I looked at my hands and saw that my skin and flesh were intact...my rings now were almost worn away. I immediately thought of Lynn's ring, her necklaces and earrings. I wondered if she was OK.

I begin to ponder what I had seen, and then I woke up. The dream was not quite what I would call a nightmare, but it troubled me. As I pondered, I realized that nothing in this world lasts...nothing. In the end when death comes, we take nothing of our possessions with us. Nothing. Not gold nor silver, not our precious jewelry, nor treasures, whatever they may be. Not even our immortalized memories in the form of photos, not our computers, cars, or houses. NOTHING follows us into the grave...nothing but our deeds.

In the end, when we stand before God, we will be asked to give an account of what we have done on the earth -- not what we have accumulated, but what we have done.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

YFN 2007

Just a quick update about what we did last week...we went for a youth summer camp with our church youth to Youth For the Nations at CFNI...it was incredible.

We had about 15 youth at the camp, we stayed at the church at night, so it was almost like a daycamp for us, and i guess the youth really loved the games and sessions. But to me the most rewarding experience is to see them experience the Lord in such a real way, and i have so much joy in my heart to know that i was there to witness it all!!

one guy in our group gave his heart to Jesus for the first time; about 4 of them got baptised in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues; one of our youth leaders got miraculously healed from scoliosis; several of them were set free from anger, bitterness, addictions, hate, and unforgiveness; one of them discovered his gift and purpose for living; a couple of them received deliverance from demonic influences; several of them got touched by God and cried for the first time in a service; and ALL of them rededicated their lives to God!!

we know that we're treading on the devil's tail here...we know because there have been attacks on some of the youths' families and on them themselves. I know Lynn and I have been praying hard against the work of the enemy; BUT WE KNOW that victory is on our side! The war has been won and the battle is the Lord's!! He has given us EVERY AUTHORITY ( come ouuunnn, somebody shouttttt in this placceee!!)

so we give God all the glory and honour and praise!! To Him to sits on the throne over all the universe, He is able to set you free from all and any bondage. Trust in Him.

And for those who pray with us, please join us in prayer as we seek the Lord for a fresh direction for the youth ministry here. We want to start fresh, passionate, and on fire for God...and right now is the time!!

Holy Spirit unless you show up, then all we do is in vain! SHOW UP! SPEAK! CHANGE LIVES! CONVICT OUR HEARTS! FOR YOUR GLORY!!!!!

Wedding Sonnet

Here's a copy of our wedding program. Click on the pic for a bigger version.



If you're trying to read the sonnet i wrote, well, here it is.

A Wedding Sonnet

by Thomas Leong

Of me, to thee will I freely give

My heart and life for thy love I live;

To hold thy hand with fingers entwined,

And say thou art mine and I am thine.

To what mystery doth this Love owe

That two would bequeath their hearts like so;

That life itself is now sacrificed,

And the very self is now demised?

My love, thou needs not answereth me

For I know ‘tis Christ, our mystery.

So come, step with me upon this aisle,

This journey we birth will take a while.

For thy love and mine, and Christ’s, is three

And our Love, sweet Love, shall stronger be.

Feel free to use it for your wedding, if you want to. Just leave me a comment and quote me.

Wedding Pictures

Hello friends!! we are back in Dallas! touched down at 11.45pm on Tuesday night, July 3rd. we're both very tired, trying to get over our jet lag. We're slowly moving into our new apt!! woohooo...

Here's some pictures preview that we promised to upload but we've been very busy with wedding preparation and packing to come back to Dallas. Here's some to whet your appetite..till settle down into our new place and schedule. Okay? =)

Hello everyone...some quick updates:

1. We have finally gotten adjusted to the time change. Crazy isn't it? Almost two weeks, can you believe it?
2. We have also met with many key people that we hoped would help with our wedding...things are falling into place, praise God hallelujah!
3. We have also taken our wedding pictures. We will be taking our last few shots on location at the beach and then making the final selections this Wed.
4. The CFNI team arrived last night, and Pheng will be staying with them till they leave Penang. Meanwhile, I've been roped by our pastor to help with their transportation for the next few days while they're in Penang.
5. I've eaten so much since I've been here...*burp!* food here is too good. If heaven is better than this, I cant begin to imagine how good it'll be, but for now, this is definitely food heaven for me.

well well, that's it for this post. More to come, hopefully soon!

Blessings y'all!

Touchdown...

We actually made it! Finally after more than 24hours of flying and transits, we are back in PENANG! Flying like this really takes a toll on the body coz here I am awake since 5am this morning. The AC's too cold in the room, the air is too warm outside the room, mosquitoes and mosquitoes and mosquitoes. Ahhh...this is the life! Y'know, I'm actually so grateful that my parents fixed AC in the room. We lived without that luxury all my life. Definitely one of the best inventions of mankind.

OKOK please excuse me, I digress. So here are some pics from our journey, have fun, and I will try my best to update regularly while I can.

Stopover in LAX

at the new Hong Kong International Airport

Downtown HK

Double decker bus. Downtown HK reminds me of San Francisco.


View from Tsim Sha Tsui: ferry and International Finance Centre (IFC) Building

Pics

So here are some pics of Pheng during commencement this morning...enjoy!

Receiving the diploma from Dr Lindsay

The Graduate!

Sharing the occasion with Uncle Joe

Congrats Darlin' !!

Some thoughts from way back....

...from my 2002 mini-journal-notebook thingy

Work:
- what income level do I want to attain?
- what level of responsibility do I seek?
- how much authority do I want to command?
- what prestige do I expect to gain from my work?

Home:
- what kind of living standards do I want to provide for my family and myself?
- what kind of house and home do I wanna live in?
- what kind of vacations do I wanna take?
- what financial support do I wanna give my children in their early adult years?

Social:
- what kinda friends do I wanna have?
- what social groups do I wanna join?
- what community leadership positions would I like to hold?
- what worthwhile causes do I wanna champion?


I looked but I did not write down any answers for those questions above. Now that I've experienced life a bit more and seen so much more than I could ever ask for, I look at those questions and feel like I have answers, yet I am challenged for greater things.

Make no mistake: I have been satisfied so far, but I am pressing on for more. Because I know there's more out there that God has prepared for me.

Watch out, world. HERE I COME!

no more exams...at least for now

Wooohooo! So finally I'm done with exams, tests, and papers for this semester! 2 CLEP tests in one week can really bring out the nerd in me, I tell ya! Last week took college algebra, and then this afternoon infosystems and computing. I havent touched those subjects in years, and to pass them with such minimal preparation is definitely God's hand on me!

So now, this weekend I will be busy packing and moving out of my apartment...moving out, hahaha, more like packing up and moving to a corner. I'm leaving my stuff with my awesome roommate who's gracious enough to let me use his space. OK. And when everything's done, get ready, I'll be flying home to Penang laaaa!

I'm so excited!
Alright...gtg help Pheng move now, and then go for Nathanja & Jennifer's farewell party.

God is AWESOME!

I just thought Jeff's post on Time was interesting.
Check it out here.

The time has come...

Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? Time sure does fly by!

Anyways, many things have been going on the last 2 months, and God has been really real our lives, for both Pheng and I. For those of you still in the dark, we are getting married in June in Malaysia. Yesss, the date is finally set, and we will be walking down that aisle very soon!

It's a long story of how God made this all possible, but basically just the fact that He knew the desires of our hearts, He provided the means necessary for the wedding and the dinner, and He gave us the opportune time for this to happen. And in all these, He showed us again and again through a series of confirmation and reminding us that He is working all things out for us. Our plans to get married was not until early 2008 (maybe even later) but God's plan is always best. How could we refuse this?! It would be foolishness and plain stupidity! And so, it is to God's plan that we submit out lives and this decision to get married!

People, all who are reading this: I want you all to know that God is real and He is interested in our lives. When I say "our" I mean YOU and EVERYBODY plus ME! His plans do not confuse us, or bring destruction or aimlessness, but the Bible says that from the beginning of time, even before you or I were even conceived in our mother's wombs, He has thought of us and destined great things for our future to prosper and not to harm us. The only thing we need to do is to trust and believe Him.

Friends, do you believe? I mean, truly believe?