WORD - FAITH

Today, I researched on the Word-Faith movement. It is labeled as a cult movement. Googled on "Word-Faith" and out came many familiar names. I was visibly upset by the reports I read. I was sad that the church is so naive and sometimes so take things for granted. Even to the point when God is challenged, many times we prefer to stay ignorant. Last week, pastor preached that we are in constant battle. Yes, I agree, we should not relax, surely the enemy comes prowling as a roaring lion waiting to devour all he can.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Cults have been around for ages. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is the deceiver of old (Rev 12:9). I just cannot accept that our beloved church is being infiltrate by the enemy right under our nose.

Need to research more. Will pray. Please join me, fellow soldier.

Mozart on Guitar

CRIME @ YOUNG AGE

(Excerpt taken from MNPN prayer New #11 dated 30 April 2009)

While we are constantly reminded of the rise in overall crime occurring in the country,the worrying fact is the increasing crimes committed by children who are under 18 years old.

Facts as reported by media

• IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan said criminal cases involving juveniles, aged between 13 and 18 y/o, have been on the rise.
  
• There were 2,218 cases last year, compared with 1,836 in 2007 (1/4, Star Online). These cases involved 3,725 students of which 3,629 were between the ages of 13 and 18. They were linked to serious cases such as murder, rape and break-ins.
  
• Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, vice chairman of Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation, said 295 students were caught in the first two months of 2009 (5/4).
  
• In Pahang, a total of 202 students were arrested in 2008 for 147 criminal cases, ranging from rape amd molest to rioting and extortion.
  
• In the first two months of 2009 alone, 51 students were detained for involvement in 25 cases (22/4).
  
• Recently, police picked up 23 "punk" and skinhead teenagers in an operation in Pudu. "Most of them were high on alcohol," said Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman (27/4, NST Online).
  
• According to a recent survey jointly conducted by the Youth Research & Development Institute of Malaysia and Psychology Research & Development Centre of Malaysia, 87% of Mat Rempit were those between 14 and 25. 48.1% of them indulged in illegal activities out of boredom, while 38% did it to fill their time. Another 27.8% due to peer pressure (1/4).
  
• A few days ago, some 20 Mat Rempit attacked and robbed a deaf girl at a petrol kiosk (26/4, Star Online)
  
• Statistics show that the number of girls below 16 engaging in sexual activities has increased. 60% had sex because they "wanted revenge" on their parents (27/4).
  
• Statistics from 2005 to 2008 showed 75% of the rape victims were below 18 and at least 60% of them were below 16.
  
• Boys below 18 made up between 8.4% and 13.6% of the 'rapists' (27/4)

What do people say about the causes of juvenile crime:

• Lack of morals and values are major reasons for the increase in crime.
• Emotional development in young people is being neglected.
  
• The demise of family life and the increase in family violence.
  
• Family breakdown, especially when parents contradict each other, provides no clear moral lead.
  
• Lack of parental supervision and father figure as role model.
• Growing incident of child abuse and child neglect
  
• "Boredom, low self-esteem and anger at the parents lead them to be Hells-Angels."
• Insufficient penalty for delinquent acts.
• Poverty: teenagers commit crime in response to failure to rise above their socioeconomic status, or as a rejection to middle-class values.
  
• Other risk factors: repeated exposure to violence, drugs, frustration or failure in school, delinquent peer groups, and media violence.
  
• Heavy exposure to internet or televised violence may be one of the causes of aggressive behavior, crime and violence in society.

I read the above report with sadness. These younger generation of our is so dear to us and yet we seems to be losing them. Dear Lord, do forgive us.

Angels and Demons

Watch the movie this evening with wifey and some friends. Actually enjoyed it, though it is not as good as reading the novel. Still much better than the previous Da Vinci Code.

Bersyukurlah

Healthy Self Image

We had our Power Point Meeting last night and my, it was a crowd. We continued our lessons from Joel Osteen's book Living Your Best Life Now. This time, it is Part 2 which dwells on developing a "Healthy Self Image". Guess what, I have to lead the discussion again. Oh..oh... how I drag myself to prepare for the lesson. Pheew... I actually pushed it aside until the very last day. Tell you the truth, I actually finally prepared the lesson for the evening, over lunch hour in the office. How lazy can you get, Cheekar, Cheekar???

Well, I am really amazed many times how God can work through the very the weakness of people, like me, and bring glory to Himself. For Him, it always work out while we freak out.

Some salient points from the lesson.

Self Concept:
Self Image - how we see ourselves
Self Esteem - how we feel about ourselves
Self Worth - How we value ourselves

Sum up, a level of self acceptance. I call it a measure.

We would never live beyond the self image we see for ourselves. It is like a measure we set for ourselves, and we will and we surely will live to that measure, be it a good or a poor measure. Hence, we got to make sure it is a healthy one.

The the question is, what is God's measure for us. What image does God sees us? How do our image of ourselves measure up to God's image for us?

Now I realised why the church keep asking us to confess, confess all those goody, goody stuffs. Sometimes sounded fake to me. I guess, in this context, if we confess and believe, we set a healthy self image for ourselves and hence we will live into achieving it.

If we have a healthy self image, we love ourselves and we can also love others. If cannot love ourselves, we too will find it difficult to love others. Richard Innes of ACT International says that we love others the same way we love ourselves.

1 John 4:19 We love because He first love us.

We have to be loved first, and then we can love others. Thus it is important to love one another, that they can also love others. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot have a healthy self image. Why can't we love ourselves then? It is due to the dark secrets and hurts in us that are not resolved.

Richard Innes offers seven steps to developing a healthy self image for ourselves.

1. Be real, do not live behind a mask or in pretense. People will love our mask and not us.

2. Face the dark side of ourselves. This is the part that we are ashamed, guilty, embarrassed of. The cause of why we don't like ourselves or reject ourselves. It can be rejection, abuse or painful memories, anger, fear, hurt, guilt and grief. These has to be brought to light and dealt with.

3. We need to self-love. Learn to love and accept ourselves.

4. Resolve all unresolved feelings of hatred, anger and offenses.
1 Peter 2:1-2 (TLB) So get rid of your feelings of hatred [anger]. Don't just pretend to be good!

5. Live in harmony with healthy moral, ethical values based on God's standard.

6. Forgive.

7. Ultimately, of love and acceptance, be connected to God, know His love and affirmation. This is through confessing our sins to God, asking Him of His forgiveness and accepting His Son, Jesus, into our heart and soul as our Lord and Saviour.

1Jn 4:12 If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Life

I receive news on Friday morning that Thurai had not died of a heart attack as I posted previously. He too committed suicide and died.

Indeed, only one life chance for all.

Gotta live it right.

Only One Life Chance to Impact !!

Yesterday, Chin Hwee called. He has been trying to call me since all Tuesday evening. I managed to answer his call yesterday morning. He brought sad news of the death of our old classmate Vasu. Vasu had committed suicide. He left a young wife and a child. Sad news indeed.

This morning as I walk to the office, another colleague informed me of another death. Apparently the supervisor, Thurai from the workplace had died the night before due to a heart attack. Thurai is in his early fourties. Also left a wife and two young children.

The events kinda left me thinking, wow, life is indeed for a moment. My pastor passed away last September, he was fourty two. He also had left a young family. Brother El'berd from the church keep sending 'sms'es to me with the a catchy phrase "Only one-life chance to impact !". I never ask him what does he meant. I just knew that it meant something 'deep', maybe too deep for me, but it must been something very real to El'berd.

Guess El'berd is right, there is only one life chance, God has not been generous with this life thing. He has given only one to each person. Whether it is to impact, like for El'berd, to love God, to love your family, or love people as Jesus commanded or anything else. Or maybe to make that big money and enjoy. This is a serious choice here. Sounds like I have to really choose carefully. There is only one life chance. Cannot take it lightly. Mmmmm......mmmh !!

What is your choice?

Comfort Zone

Ricky is now retired and today I have finally shifted into Ricky's old office. It is a much bigger office room, in fact the biggest office room in the whole of our Engineering Site Office Building.

Some colleagues gave some "wow" in admiration but I actually did not enjoy the shift. Although the room symbolised a much coveted position, I did not like it. I finds fault with almost everything in this new office of mine. Silly me. I actually longed for my old room, one that is so familiar and to my liking.

However I know, longing for the old room is not right. This shift means that I am progressing. Isn't that what I have been longing for all this time?

I musta been crazy....

Denomination Breakdown

I would say that today's Sunday Service at our church Gereja Peace AOG Kluang is a historic one. It is significant for Kluang, and also for Christians at large.

Ps.Siong, a wonderful young pastor from Herald Presbyterian Church came over to our church and preached. He preached a wonderful message on the sovereignty of God from the book of Job.

Ps. Siong is from the local Chinese Presbyterian church. Historically, the Presbyterian has not been comfortable with the AOG movement. But that was due to the past and perceptions that are not relevant anymore today.

We, the members from Gereja Peace AOG Kluang had lost our dear pastor last September. Ps.Siong, being a local pastor, had a great burden from the Lord to visit our church and to encourage us. However this easier said than done. Ps. Siong, had never visited an AOG church before and the Chinese Presbyterian Church he serve in, do not agree with many of the cultures in the AOG churches at large. The young Ps. Siong asked his colleagues if it is alright for him to preach in an AOG church, the colleagues answered, better not.

However, this is not an agenda from men but a divine order. The Lord did not give Ps Siong peace. In fact he is troubled. Finally, he actually take courage to asked our pastor if he can visit our church Gereja Peace AOG and preach.

Indeed, this is historic. A breakthrough and victory over traditions and pride.

I salute Ps Siong for his humility, obedience and victory over pride.

Ps 133.1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Indeed it is very very beautiful.

Hatiku Percaya