Swimming

Finally I did something I can be proud of today, something I wanted to do for ages but never got it. Exercise! Today I swam at noon during the lunch break. Made my way to the swimming pool, I had the whole pool by myself. Excellent! The sky is a little shady, just nice and the water in the pool is slightly warm, wonderful. Did a 30 minutes swam, exactly what I wanted. Thank you Lord. :)

Paul, Barnabas and Timothy

Yet another funny service today without a normal Sunday Sermon. However pastor did shared about Paul, Barnabas and Timothy. We all need Pauls, Barnabas and Timothies in our lives. One or more Pauls, leaders or mentors who will guide us and fathered us; Barnabas who walks with us and encourages us when we are at valleys of life; and Timothies, many of them if possible for discipleship and for us to pass on the the legacies.

Who are your Paul, Barnabas and Timothies?

Mentors of my University Days

By default, Father, Mother and Wife, you had made it into my mentor honour list by default. As I ponder over my mentors, many faces came to my mind. People who came into my life at different phases of my life. I praise the Lord for these people. Special people that God sent into my life and make me into what I am today.

University days at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
- Israel Lee Yik Sheng, we were both freshmen at UKM back in 1996, we stayed at the same hostel. Israel is an extremely extraordinary chap. His name itself sounded weird for a Malaysian student at UKM. Israel has an enormous zeal for Jesus and love for people. He is also an astounding intellect. Being a freshman, first year in
college, he do not seems to fear men, and was moving freely around the campus preaching Jesus to all who care to give him the opportunity to do so. Israel brought my wife Siew Choo and myself to church. Israel has no vehicle in the campus, he would walk and walk and walk to visit people. He taught me to pray boldly for people. His zeal for the Lord and the love for people has influenced me greatly. Israel is a well built, tall, athletic, smart and good looking but he is humble and gentle. I remember following him moving around the hostel, knocking on rooms, offering to pray for students who are totally tensed up during the exam weeks. Well done Israel. You have impacted many and myself, God will surely bless you richly.

- Peter Chen Heng Peng. Peter is another most extraordinary person whom I respected very much. I thank God that I had the opportunity to know Peter and was his friend. We were both in the engineering faculty at UKM. He was doing electrical

engineering while I was doing chemical engineering. We become good friends and later even became housemates in a small flat at Bandar Baru Bangi. Peter has a nerdy look, with thick rim spectacles. An absolutely simple person, extremely humble, very helpful, intelligent, diligent and loved the Lord very very much. A person with many many skills and talents. I was astound when I realised that this nerdy first year student can study so well untirelessly, rides a two cylinder antique motorcycle and yet still can plays a guitar and sing beautifully. He knew the Lord in an most intimate manner and always prays. He is meek and serve others almost readily and in a selfless manner. He never complains. Peter earn much awe from course-mates, a great leader and is a resemblance of our Lord Jesus as a servant leader. Peter graduates, got married and became very successful in life. Peter taught me meekness, patience, servant-hood. He also showed me how to have an intimate relationship with the Lord. Peter influenced me much during the four short years we spent at UKM. Bravo Peter, God bless you.

- Henry Drieberg, another extraordinary fellow with a Dutch heritage. Henry is my two years my junior in university. He is also studying Chemical Engineering. A young man but a great leader who loves the Lord. Henry is a practical person and real. Henry teaches me to be real and faces the ugly reality with boldness and strength.

Mentors

Last Sunday, Pastor Victor preached about mentors. His preaching styles is most extraordinary, full of lah, loh, mah, meh, hah. Hardly English. He even said that if you cut him open, teh tarik will flow out. So much gestures, and even added in a song. And yet he claimed that he is an introvert!!

Well, I don't think he had actually preached that day, but I still like how he shared about his mentors. It made me thought about my mentors.

I am an introvert myself, I don't think there are many mentors in my life. But hey, praise the Lord, on hind sight and when I started naming them, there are actually quite a number of people that come into my life. They actually came during different stages of my life and had impacted me to be what I am today. Well, thinking further, I actually feel like wanting to honour them by listing them out. Will do that on my next post.

MBA - Completed

Ha Ha Ha, MBA completed. Really free this time. Took me three and a half years to finish this. All the same, I am glad that I did this and learn so much along the way.

Thank you Lord Jesus for being with me through these years.

No Fire

1 Jan 2010, I was promoted to Senior Manager position, whoa. Funny thing is that this very much sought after promotion don't seems to excite me. Need to find out why. Most probably the Passion is missing. Just heard Pastor Benny Ho's preaching on Passion, Ability & Responsibility. So this promotion is obviously a Responsibility, it is my job and I have the Ability, was doing this for the last 7 years but hey, where is the Passion. Pastor Benny calls this "No Fire". Pastor Benny's advise for people who are already in this position for some time should consider to move on.

Free

Completed my last exam for this semester this morning. Got a free feeling. Felt like a bird. Light & easy. Though I know it will not last for long. I still like the feeling. Yes, loved it. Get to rest and do catch up on doing the thing I love to do.

The Bible also teaches about being free. Free form bondage and the yoke of sins through Christ Jesus. If the freedom of the Bible is as what I felt today, I want it.

I WANT TO BE FREE !!

King James Bible
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

PARADOX OF LIFE

Received this from HF, I like it.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things..

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less.. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait.. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ' I love you ' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away..



George Carlin

Mary

John 12:1-11
Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.


We all had probably heard and read this popular Bible story many, many times, about Mary anointing Jesus' leg with expensive perfume and wiping it with her hair. What did it speak to you of this peculiar action of Mary? Lord forgive me, but I really had no special appreciation of this story until yesterday, until when Pastor Lydia explained.

This special perfume, spikenard is said to be very very expensive. It cost 300 denarii in Jesus' time. Wow, that is actually a whole year wage for a working man. As for the women who do not work during Jesus' time, it would take a far longer time to save and purchase this special perfume. Usually the woman would save and buy this perfume to be used only for her wedding day. The fragrance is very strong and it fills the air. On the wedding day, the woman would use this perfume, scented herself and the also whole atmosphere. This special fragrance is dedicated just for the husband by the wife. It is an very expensive offering to be given to the very special husband, and the scent in the atmosphere announce to all present of this special offering by the wife. Mary offered her expensive spikenard to Jesus in front of all. This is meant that Jesus is truly special to Mary. Mary had offer a very expensive offering to Jesus.

Reflection: Can we dedicate our very best offering to the Lord? Can we also offer a very expensive gift offering to our Lord?


The situation then is tense, the Jewish leaders who are in power are losing their fellow Jews to Jesus and they intended to kill Lazarus and Jesus. In such time, to remain safe, one would choose to avoid association with Jesus. However, Mary and Martha continue to welcome Jesus into their home. Jesus had raised their brother Lazarus back to life and that is no accident. The plot to kill is on. And it is during this tense situation that Mary anoint Jesus' feet with the very expensive perfume. This had declared loud about Mary's association to Jesus. Mary is actually endangering her life in doing so.

Reflection: Do we remain faithful and not deny Jesus, even unto endangering our life and death?


Mary also let go her hair and used it to wipe Jesus' feet. In doing so, she is deemed as a prostitute by the society. Women in Jesus' time do not let down their hair, otherwise, they will be labeled as prostitute. I still don't know the reason why Mary did so, but she had risk maring her reputation and putting shame onto her name.

Reflection: Can we risk our destroying our reputation and shame our good name for Jesus' sake?


In Palestine, the feet will get dirty as people travel. They will wash their legs as they enter a house. As for VIPs, slaves will bend down to wipe these VIPs' feet. Hence it is a very humbling act. Jesus entered the house, but none washes His feet. Mary in humility, bend down and washes Jesus feet with this expensive perfume and wiping it clean with her own hair. A humbling slave's action of those days.

Reflection: Are we able to humble ourselves to serve Jesus with humble acts as such?

Clouded Sky

Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains.

In a time where there is many gloom and uncertainties. Let me still focus onto my good Lord who is my hope, my trust and my refuge.