For those of you who were in church last Sunday morning and thus had the privilege to hear Pastor Adam preached, you will recall his message on “All the power you need”. Embedded within his sharing is what I now refer to as the 5As on living our lives according to God’s will and purpose:

- Admit that we are weak without God
- Affirm God’s power and presence
- Align yourself with God’s will
- Ask God for the power you need
- Act out of obedience to God

A couple of Sundays ago, just before we started our choir practice, I was deeply honored to have an opportunity to chat with Pastor Adam. Here is a man so God-filled, so inundated with responsibilities as a pastor, a worship leader, a zone supervisor, a husband and a father and for him to spare those few precious minutes to speak to me, meant the world to me. I know I will always remember our conversation that day. Simply because his caring for all of us epitomizes how Jesus deeply loves each one of us.

At the heart of our walk with the Lord is the level of our obedience to God’s voice and calling. Pastor Adam, in his message last Sunday, succinctly advocates that faith without action is a futile exercise. How often is it that when we pray we attach certain conditions befitting only us and in such process, either completely ignores or overlooks God’s desire for our lives. And as a result when God does answer, we chooses to hear only a portion of His voice; the part that is easier to obey and requires the least of our effort. But here’s the thing, obedience for the better part comes with sacrifices – within us and from us. And because our God has a sense of humour, the sacrifice required from/of us is usually of those things that we place great importance on.

A month ago, I had some friends from Singapore in KL for a visit. One of them works for a large global investment bank, with its base in Zurich, Switzerland. My friend asked if I knew of anyone who would be willing to take on a global role as a tax analyst based in Zurich. She showed me the job description and I jokingly said that maybe I should consider the role. The next thing I knew, she had set up a telephone interview with Zurich and on the following Wednesday, I found myself having the interview, sitting in my car, parked in church, just before prayer meeting started. Needless to say, the role was challenging and as the interview progressed, the surreality of what I was actually considering was overwhelming. For one, I wasn’t even looking for a new job, let alone one which requires me to uproot to another country. Panic sets in and I shared my dilemma with Genie, Luisa and Maddie. The interview had given me an early indication that unless I seriously botched my next interview with the global head of tax, the job was already in my pocket.
There followed a week of very little sleep. Mentally, my mind read out my CV – from Singapore, Sydney, London, Kuala Lumpur and now Zurich – wow! Possibility of expatriate package, not to mention a salary increase of leaps and bounds! Career advancement and a global role. Monetary wise, the job was just crying out “take me, take me!”. But one thing that remained to be answered was how much of this was within God’s plan for my life and whether my heartbeat was attuned to God’s heartbeat. So I prayed fervently and asked God to reveal His purpose for my life. And through it all, I had three faithful prayer warriors who interceded and prayed for me and without them, I am certain I will not be writing this today.

Exactly one week from the first interview, I was on my way to work. My heart was heavy leaden during that time. I was petrified of going to work because I knew that Zurich had sent across a package for me to peruse and I didn’t believe my decision would be God driven once I had opened the package. So as I lined my car behind numerous cars in Bukit Tunku, God gave me a vision. His vision to me was of an outstretched hand (of God) which stretched from the shore line to the sea. And within the bobbing waves of the sea, men, women and children desperately tries to keep afloat. The hand is attached to those on the shoreline – Christians comprising you and me. The hand will reach down and retrieve the individuals when Christians on the shoreline intercede and pray. The waves represent the sorrows of these people. And then the Spirit of God spoke and said “You are not done yet in KL”. I can’t even begin to describe the magnitude of emotions that welled inside me. God has answered my prayers before but never as powerful as the vision He gave and His voice spoken directly into my heart. That’s when I knew how to attune my heartbeat to that of God.

True enough, when I got to work that morning, the package was on the desk. I placed it under my desk and proceeded to send an email to Zurich to terminate the discussion. I received a reply that afternoon to say that the bank was sorry I was not able to join them in Zurich. After prayer meeting that same night, Maddie shared with me how that very morning, God had asked her to intercede for me and it was at that very moment that God gave me His vision and words. Prayer is a very powerful tool and I write today to testify that when I really sought God for His guidance, He came through amazingly and brought a sense of release upon my life.

Affirmation of God’s vision was also revealed to me when I was listening to Ravi Zacharias audio CD on “Jesus Among Other Gods”. Right towards the end of the audio, Dr Zacharias read out a quotation from Don Wordson (spelling?) which brought such amazing clarity to the vision God gave to me. Don Wordson penned down these words:
When engulfed by the terror of tempestous seas
Unknown waves before you roll
At the end of doubt and peril is eternity
Though fear and conflict seize your soul
But just think of stepping onshore
And finding it heaven
Of touching a hand and finding it God’s hand
Of breathing new air and finding it celestial

Since then, God has revealed to me just exactly how I am to extend His Hand to those in the seas. But that will be another testimony altogether. I firmly and faithfully believe that God will direct me according to His purpose. His calling to me is unfathomable but with His strength and His wisdom, I am privileged beyond belief to be carrying out the task that He has set ahead for me. I don’t for a minute think it will be easy or smooth sailing but you know what…who better to ride out the storm with me but our Lord Jesus Christ.

What Stevie wrote is right on – what motivates us when we make decisions? How much of it is self driven vs God driven? I am constantly reminded that we must always give thanks to God for what He has done for us and as Stevie has written, loves us despite of who we are. Whatever God’s calling for you is, just take heed that your obedience to Him is a way for you to say “Thank you”. As I shared God’s vision to me with Pastor Adam, it struck me how much he and his family were willing to give up in order to follow the purpose and plan that God has revealed in their hearts. In obeying God, this family has taken that step of faith and because all their hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, I know, without a single doubt in my body, that this family will soar to great heights as they fulfill God’s purpose and calling in their lives.

Obedience does come with sacrifices but when those sacrifices mean that you are able to glorify God and have the privilege of being called His child, then I encourage you to “forget those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, press forward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14).

All glory, honour and praise unto God!

worship_baptism.pdf

Created a new category for downloads. For those planning for membership and water baptism, download the form and fill it up, and hand it back to me, (hardcopy, since you need signature!).

Pre requisite for Water Baptism is Foundation 1

Pre requisite for Membership is Foundation 2 and Encounter Retreat

Will try to get GT Net application forms as well, or any other files to put inside this category.

Thanksgiving: Our motivation for good deeds
We’re kicking off a series in studying what makes a good character.

I was having lunch with one of the new recruits and we talked a little about the company and the future. To me, I think most of us now and then fall into the trap of what I call, the illusion of position. Often times, we get so caught up with a sense of self importance on what we’re doing for the company, we completely miss out on the picture; that we are where we are because God put us there.

The inflated self ego says, “I did all the hard work, so I put myself here, God has nothing to do with it.”

I am reminded of Saul, and the tragic story he followed, all because of the self egotism in him. Saul generally lacks character. That made him a lousy leader, and eventually he lost everything.

In the illusion of position, people often times bring their ego along with them even once they clock out, believing they have the right to superiority everywhere they go. They treat the poor unkindly, they take no heed of the disabled and the old, because they cannot offer him anything. This illusion is also played out at where we work. You see senior managers huffing around with their air of importance and not willing to socialize with the other employees, or down lines.

What is Good Character?

• Good Character is the inward motivation to do what is right, according to the highest standards of behaviour, in every situation.

• Good Character is the wise response to the pressure of a difficult situation and what we do when we think that no one is watching. It is the predictor of good behaviour.

• Good Character transcends age, position, financial status, race, religion, education, gender and personality

The first character trait to be studied is gratefulness.

Gratefulness

• True gratefulness comes from an awareness of our total unworthiness and inadequacy before a holy and just God. If we received what we deserved, we would all be destroyed in an eternal hell. Lamentations 3:22
• Gratefulness is receiving all things from the sovereign hand of God and finding the benefits in each one. James 1:17
• Gratefulness is defined by God as a sacrifice because it involves surrendering the natural tendency to murmur. Psalm 116:17
• Gratefulness is important because it is the foundation of a believer’s walk with God and of God’s daily will for our lives. I Thess 5:18

What are the reasons to thank God for all things?

• All things work out for our good (Romans 8:28)
• All things can produce Godly character (Romans 8:29; James 1:2-4)
• A right response will produce genuine love (Romans 5:3-5)
• All things, including trials, can bring us closer to God (Ps 77:2; Ps 119:67, 71, 75)

Ephesians 5:15-20

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I was reading Matthew 15 this week and this just came to me

These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

The danger of lip service to God is not far from what we do everyday. I’m guilty of it sometimes, saying I forgive, or God is good, when I wish bad things would happen to that fellow. Or when I praise God, yet I know areas of my life is still in sin: Lip service might work with people, but God knows and boy, does he really let you know as well that he knows. The same goes to our thankfulness to the Lord. Are we truly thankful for his generosity? Then be generous in return, in terms of forgiveness, in terms of money and time.

We as human beings are selfish at the start. We’re always keen on fulfilling what we desire, and ‘helping’ others are second thoughts. Ministry is often used as an outlet for us to give back to God…but tell me, will we still be involved in that ministry if it is something we’re not naturally keen on? It’s easy to say, “Oh, I love being in worship ministry!” when its because I love playing the guitar. Will I sacrifice time and my golf game to come for a worship ministry prayer on Saturday at 6 a.m? That’s different. True gratefulness puts things in perspective. It’s not easy to put God first above what we like to do, but we’re dying to self everyday, and being grateful shows how much Jesus sacrifice for us, and what little we can return to Him.

Gratefulness is often accompanied by actions of generosity. And generosity is not giving things we have in excess, like time or money; it means to sacrifice. Anyone can give up time when they have nothing to do. But will I cancel a highly anticipated Golf Game to serve God on a Saturday morning? It’s tough! But I’m learning that talk needs to be accompanied by works. And works doesn’t mean only the popular things, or the nice activity or something you like to do…it might mean things you don’t find particularly popular, yet you’re willing to give your time for it.

“You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:11

“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:12

When we do something, for instance, helping in an orphanage, taking time out to minister; it isn’t due to some cosmic karma point system we’re working at, it’s simply because it is an overflow of our thankfulness towards God. That becomes our motivation. Whatever we do, we will never ever reach justification with God through our deeds. We’re born in iniquity, as David says, and from the start, we’re already separated from God, and no amount of generosity or good deeds can deliver us.

Sometimes, people say, if he loves me, he won’t want me to change. He’ll love us for who we are! Wrong. God loves us despite of who we are. But that doesn’t mean He accepts us..or rather, He doesn’t accept our sins. Lots of us think God accepts us for who we are: sinners. If He is merciful, He’ll understand why I keep sinning and stuff. If He is merciful, He will accept us no matter what. No. He doesn’t and that’s why the concept of Hell is real.

In Romans 12:1, shows how we can make ourselves acceptable to God.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

We don’t deserve his love or acceptance, which is why we need to be grateful for giving us things we do not deserve. Paul’s urging of us to present ourselves as living and holy sacrifices acceptable to God is not based on fear of God’s condemnation, but rather upon gratefulness for God’s mercies.

In Hebrews 13:15, it talks about the sacrifices of praise. Why? Something has got to be given, to be sacrificed. In this case, self, hence a living sacrifice.
Thus, there is one sacrifice that the believer can offer: a heart overflowing with gratitude and love, which manifests itself in praise and thanksgiving. Eugene Peterson, in The Message, paraphrases this verse thus: ‘No longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name’.

There’s a song by Carrie Underwood that talks about this woman losing control of her car and in that moment cries out for Jesus to take the wheel. The car crashes but her baby is safe, and she starts thanking God.

Over the Raya break, Jeremy, Thomas and I met up with an old friend Chris in Seremban to have a round of 18 at Seremban International Golf Club. It was a fun time, overall, but there was this episode on the 6th or 7th hole. It’s a Par 4 with a blind drop to the green, with left treeline OB, dogleg right. For non golfers, it means: Jungle to the left, downhill to where the little flag thingy is, where you are supposed to hit that white ball at.

I hit a good one, and my buggy partner Chris pulled his into the trees. Now for those who have never seen a buggy, it’s a really nice vehicle:

Pretty isn’t it?

Anyhoos, while Jem and Thomas went after their own shots, Chris and I searched a bit for his ball; and he suggested I drive down the (steep) hill to see if it managed to roll down (the ball, that is). Hopped onto the buggy and drove down. Now, I’m used to buggy driving back where I play; we have a nice path for the buggy to drive on and our buggies are pretty well maintained and have an auto braking system. Not dissing SIGC or Chris, but their buggies look like they have been used for recon missions in Vietnam during the war; and their tyres bald as Kojak and they don’t believe in buggy paths; so we basically drive on the fairway (to non golfers, the short grass where you like to hit from, but when wet, can be like glass for Vietnam war recon mission buggies with Kojak tyres).

You see where I’m getting at.

I thought I saw a ball and so reactively I slammed the brakes.

I know I spun, because one minute Chris was way behind me standing on the fairway and the next, he was in front, and once again he was behind. I’m not too sure how the buggy managed to NOT turn over as it slid down the slope, but after the first spin, my human self preservation kicked in and I jumped off the spinning buggy. The buggy was sliding into the jungle on the left!

Next thought was to save our clubs. Golfers have simple thought processes, come rain or shine, crash or no crash, the game goes on. So I ran after the buggy (now reversing into the jungle at a pretty quick speed); and tried to pull it back. I must have looked like an idiot, to think I could single handedly haul the buggy back from its impending doom, when I struggle to get upstairs without panting. Superman I am not.

So the buggy rolled off the fairway and headed right into the jungle. By some miraculous intervention, in a jungle lined with thick trees, there was a small opening where, instead of thick trees that would have crushed the buggy and our precious golf clubs, a thicket of bamboo was growing. And our rolling buggy, of all places, plowed back first into this clearing. The bamboos were soft and provided a natural cushion on impact, and as the buggy grounded to a halt, destruction completed, our golf clubs were still shining delightfully in the dappled sunlight of the jungle.

Basically, God reverse parked for us. All I had to do was drive out like driving out a parking lot (I got stuck in the mud, but managed to get out of that after a while).

Of course, after that, a little shaken, I proceeded to screw up my second shot and settled for bogey (to non golfers, bogey from fairway is not a good score!)

I’ve heard stories of harm and injuries due to buggy accidents in golf, but never thought I’d be so close to one. There’s a reason why buggy damage is listed as RM1,500 coverage in our golf insurance I guess. I’m just thankful that the buggy didn’t turn over when I was in it during the first spin. If it had hit a rock or something, this might probably not be as funny as I now think it is.

Lessons learnt:

1) Always use the buggy track. If none, proceed with care.

2) Never try to pull a runaway buggy back. It’s over, it’s in God’s hands. Let it go.

3) Prayer and golf insurance are required for a round at SIGC

So thank God I’m ok, and for His divine parking skills! The most important lesson learnt here is:

4) Always take time to calm down after a life threatening event, else you’ll screw up your next shot and get a bogey (bad, bad, bad!)

Leave you folks with Miss Underwood’s (modified) song:

Jesus Take the (Buggy) Wheel

He was driving last Monday on the 6th hole in SIGC
On a beautiful Raya day
Going to look for his partner’s shot with their babies in the backseat
3 down, 12 to go and he was running low on faith and energy
It been a long hard game
He had a lot on his mind and he didn’t pay attention
He was going way to fast
Before he knew it he was spinning on a thin green sheet of grass
He saw his life flash before his eyes
He didn’t even have time to cry
He was sooo scared
He threw his hands up in the air

Jesus take the (buggy) wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can’t do this all my own
I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this fairway I’m on
Jesus take the (buggy) wheel

It was still getting colder when he made it to the jungle
And the buggy came to a stop
He cried when he saw those babies in the backseat shining in the sun
And for the first time in a long game
He bowed his head to pray
He said I’m sorry for the way
I’ve been driving this buggy
I know I’ve got to change
So from now on today

Jesus take the (buggy) wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can’t do this all my own
I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this fairway I’m on

Oh, Jesus take the (buggy) wheel
Oh, I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this fairway I’m on
From this fairway I’m on
Jesus take the (buggy) wheel
Oh, take it, take it from me
Oh, why, oh

*Song is meant to be a spoof, and advanced apologies if it insulted any Carrie Underwood fans. It is not a reflection of the writer’s true feelings. True feeling is still a little cheesed at getting bogey on that hole.

Yo peeps!,

Typically, I would pen down most of thoughts at my own Multiply site (http://thomaschoo.multiply.com/) but I though it would be good if I post something here as well. God has been good to me albeit my schedule has been mad and never walked so much before in my whole life, save and except for the mission trips in Philippines. It’s been slightly over a month now since my move and I have to admit, I like it here. Alvin will testify to that..hahaha.
Having my “own place” it’s a like new chapter of my life but it’s not all “glam” coz now I have to all the housework. I could of course hire a part time domestic helper but still trying to sort out my finances. Having said that, it was quite fun getting stuff for my place and learning to iron my clothes properly!! The only “ironing” i know before this was of the golfing nature. Well my place is almost done now, just need to add a personal touch to the place. The rental of this place is kinda on the high side but it’s very convenient. Only a 5 mins drive to Orchard Road and a 20 min bus ride to my work place in Suntec. My office will be moving to Raffles Place in December, even then it’s only 25 mins bus ride. Nothing is far in Singapore I guess.

Food wise, love it here except for the hawker food. F&B business is here is very competitive, so quality of food and service much better than in KL.

Church-wise, I have been visiting a church called Riverlife in Pasir Ris. Was brought to this church by my uni mate. Although it’s kinda far (until I get my own set of wheels!!), I do feel rather comfortable with it. It has about 1700 members and there is a cell group near my place as well. I have visited the cell twice now and the pple there have been great. I really believe God has a hand in all these and don’t think it was coincidence. But will continue to seek God’s wisdom if this is the church where He wants me to be and where I can serve. The cell is rather similar to ours back home but they have more girls than guys….woohoo!!!…Ehmmm sorry..:)

Those who know me well will know that I am a music and magazine junkie. The range of music and magazines here is amazing. Also, I get a very good range of comtemporary Christian music and books here. So it’s great.

Nevertheless, I do miss home, my family, my church, frens and cell members, my Italian bella, futsal, food…:P You get the drift. Anyways, I will coming back during Raya weekend, so hope to catch up with you guys.

Recently when it was announced at the monthly Cell Leaders meeting that we were going to devote two forthcoming cell meetings to appreciate the ladies and men, respectively, I literally groaned out loud. It was not so much of me feeling disrespectful towards the church program but more on how we were going to successful achieve this without inflating the already very inflatable ego of a particular gender. But jokes aside, I seriously thought of throwing all the men and women from a couple of cells (ours included) into an indoor futsal playing field and let them decide for themselves who were the better sex and hence deserved more “appreciation”. I figured the guys can show their prowess or think they are anyway and the girls can show our kick, claw and bite style in no specific order. Or better still, have Eileen (who is 8 months pregnant) stand in front of the goal post. I guarantee you that no guy in their right minds would’ve kicked the ball to her, let alone at her. The game would’ve been ours – hands down. Yet somehow, in the deep crevice of my heart, I felt compassion (for Eileen – hey, standing guard by the goal post on swollen ankles is no joke ok) and so we, as a cell, agreed to turn these two events into special occasions where all of us will feel appreciated and loved by our fellow sisters and brothers in Christ.

The Ladies Appreciation Night kicked off with style on September 22^nd at Alvin’s (Master Chef) place. In a cell for which the men outnumber the girls (10 to 6), a number of the guys were not able to make it – I believe some were diving off the east coast of Malaysia…to appreciate the wonders of the sea nonetheless. Of the girls, only Sue, Siew Inn, Eileen and myself were in attendance. We were served with aloe vera drinks…Yes, they are meant to be good for our health. Alvin had cooked up an Italian storm. There were appetizers – bruscetta style, starters – glorious mushrooms with salad infusion and main – angel hair pasta with wonderfully spiced tomato based source. It was rumoured that ice cream would surface as dessert but somehow the agility of Justin’s fingers made the tub go splat! on the kitchen floor. It was just as well because we were very well fed with Italian food. A huge kudos and thanks to Alvin! Sorry Stevie, I never did drink the juices you bought.

The night proceeded with the girls being treated to a movie of our choice – “You, Me and Dupre”. The girls were driven to the cinemas. Siew Inn, being completed satiated with the angel hair pasta slept for the better part of the movie:-> She was probably dreaming of having more pasta …No one enjoyed the movie more than Nico – he laughed the whole cinema down!

Two weeks later down the road, being last Friday evening, the girls had the chance to reciprocate the kindness that was shown to us by the guys. It was a pretty hard act to follow, with 4 girls appreciating no less than 10 guys – apparently the two boys were done appreciating the seas and wanted to return to the shore by then. It’s been said (and proven) that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And that’s what the girls did, we just loaded them up with food! We had Chinese take-away and pizzas for dinner. We also treated the guys to Starbucks drinks – we even delivered the drinks to them:-> We recited a poem (Man of Faith by Val Donner), to encourage them individually in their walk with God. And we made them thank you gifts, thumbs-up signs stand with individualized messages to spur them on to be Number 1 for God and for being a top-notch friend. One of our cell members, Pauline, is currently working in Penang and she was up until 3 o’clock one morning writing out her messages to the guys. We watched a DVD together (guy’s choice) and we ended the night with prayers.

I learnt a lot from the appreciation nights. That at times, we are so carried away with our busy schedules. We think that our loved ones know that we appreciate them. But that’s precisely what it is – a thought. It means so much more when the thought is followed through with an act of appreciation. We are inundated with technology – phone, sms, email and for some blackberry, use them all and make someone feel appreciated. Meet up, catch up and fellowship regularly with people you care about. The appreciation nights were not just a one night affair (pardon the pun) but they are a testimony to all of us that with a little effort on all our part, someone will be blessed.

So continue to bear the spirit of love and appreciate, appreciate and appreciate! Remember, just as there is no limit in what God will do for you, there is also no limit to what you can extend and offer to all those around you. Continue to shine for God and be a blessing to others. You all rock!

14 Oct (Saturday)

For enquiries, please contact Ps. Raymond Pu at 7958 2777 ext. 205 or email raymond@gladtidings.org.my

I very nearly song-led 2 Fridays ago (after a 5-6 year hiatus), but cell was canceled. I prepared myself the whole week for my “role”, and decided I will defy convention and go for songs I was familiar with rather than to follow the trend and pick the most “happening” songs or “hits”.

Few people know I came from a brethren background (before GT), and even though my musical taste is predominantly contemporary; when it comes to worship songs I prefer the plain and simple. You almost could not get more plain and simple than with hymns, and I chose 3 for cell that night. Certain hymns have always moved me more than most other songs, but my personal favourites which I recommend are:

1. Be Thou My Vision
2. Fairest Lord Jesus
3. Glory Glory Glory
4. Amazing Grace
5. His Eye in On The Sparrow
6. Blessed Assurance
7. Savior Like a Shepherd
8. Great is Thy Faithfulness
9. How Great Thou Art
10. I Surrender All
11. My Jesus I Love Thee

Why hymns? Some people have relegated them to funeral accompaniments; but I certainly beg to differ. They are to me among the most meaningful and beautiful worship songs ever written, because they speak to deeply, clearly and intimately of our humanity and God’s divinity.

I was in Ipoh last week as my friend’s bestman and on late Friday night, as we were preparing to turn in so we could be fresh for the morning’s call on the bride’s family (jip san leong), my friend initiated a prayer. He was deeply distraught because he and his wife had ’till then endured many trying moments with his in-laws, and there were 2 more crucial days to manage, as well as the most important event - the Christian ceremony. He was feeling very down because things seemed out of his control. We prayed and left the rest to God, hoping things would turn out well.

I woke much earlier, and decided to start the day in a worshipful spirit - so I played some hymns on my laptop. My friend woke up to the hymns and I could see him visibly lifted, singing loudly in the shower. I then played the CD in the car as we made our way to the bride’s house. To shorten the story, many obstacles came our way up until the dinner on Sunday night, but we overcame every single one of them and the dinner turned out beautifully. I believe our prayers and the fact they both chose to honour God with made all the difference.

Both my friend and I have endured much and that’s why we are close friends - beacause we believed we’d transcend our trials and troubles someday, and so he has. Before I log off, I’d like to share a song which has always touched me deeply. Everytime I listen to it tears just well up. It’s a song by Wayne Watson (Touch of The Master’s Hand). This song constantly offers us fresh hope that our Master values us like no other person does, could or would.

“Touch Of The Master’s Hand”

Well it was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer felt it was hardly worth his while,
To waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile,
“Well it sure ain’t much but it’s all we got left, I guess we ought to sell it too,
Oh, now who’ll start the bid on this old violin?
Just one more and we’ll be through.”

And then he cried “one, give me one dollar,
Who’ll make it two? Only two dollars who’ll make it three?
Three dollars twice now that’s a good price,
Now who’s gonna bid for me?
Raise up your hand now, don’t wait any longer the auction’s about to end,
Who’s got four? Just one dollar more, to bid on this old violin?”

Well the air was hot and the people stood around, as the sun was setting low,
From the back of the crowd a gray haired man,
Came forward and picked up the bow,
He wiped the dust from the old violin, then he tightened up the strings,
Then he played out a melody pure and sweet, sweeter than the angels’ sing,
Then the music stopped and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low, he said “now what I’m to bid,
For this old violin” and he held it up with a bow.

And then he cried out “one, give me one thousand,
Who’ll make it two? Only two thousand who’ll make it three?
Three thousand twice, you know that’s a good price,
Come-on who’s gonna to bid for me?”
And the people cried out “what made the change we don’t understand?”
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
“It was the touch, of the Master’s hand.”

You know there’s many a man, with his life out of tune,
Battered and scarred with sin. And he’s auctioned cheap,
To a thankless world, much like that old violin,
Oh, but then the Master comes,
And that old foolish crowd, they never understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought,
Just by one touch of the Master’s hand.

And then he cried out “one, give me one thousand,
Who’ll make it two? Only two thousand who’ll make it three?
Three thousand twice, you know that’s a good price,
Come on who’s gonna bid for me?”
And the people cried out “what made the change we don’t understand?”
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
“It was the touch, that’s all it was, it was the touch of the Master’s hand,
It was the touch, of the Master’s hand; oh, it was the touch of the Master’s hand.

If you’d like a CD of the above songs, lemme know. God bless.

Continuing on our fasting series in cell, here’s an article of our church in NST!

Neighbours: Closer than we think

I had one of my most enlightened discussion with a good friend of mine Kumar. We were discussing views on religion and he was telling me how Hinduism was a collection of purana, i.e children stories for the simple, and that the underlying of these purana was a deeper meaning. For instance, Ganesha, the hindu diety with the elephant head is worshipped as a God. According to my friend, he believes Ganesha is a representation of the mind, one of the chakras for living. Of course, this doesn’t really go well with his relatives; he is some sort of radical apologetic for his own religion and way of life and like all apologetics, gets his fair share of persecution and ridicule.

I asked him, “Are you monotheistic?”

“Yes.”

“Then,” I smiled, “We have one thing in common.”

It’s like the song, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. Out of all the differences we face, monotheism is the ‘one thing we got’. It’s a step forward, but it’s going to be a long road and also long discussions away from seeing my friend accept Christ. I’m still plugging away, and he seems happy that I’m a vegetarian during the Ramadan month, albeit temporary. Go, Tofu!!!

Which brings me to my point. Islam is also monotheistic and I think it’s time for a good look at some of the differences (and similarities we see in us and our neighbours).

First we look at the doctrines.

*Sources are from www.carm.org*

What are the doctrines of Islam?

Note: All references are to the Koran where applicable.

God

1. There is only one God (5:73; 112:1-4).
2. God is called Allah by Muslims (5:73)
3. Allah sees all things (40:20), is present everywhere (2:115; 7:7).
4. Allah is the sole creator and sustainer of the universe (3:191).
5. Allah is not a Trinity, but is one (5:73).
6. Allah is all-knowing (2:268; 10:61) and all powerful (6:61-62).
7. Allah created the heaven and earth (2:29; 6:1, 73; 25:61-62; 36:81; 46:33).

Salvation and Judgment

1. Allah will judge all people on the day of judgment (3:30; 35:33-37; 99:6-8).
2. If your good deeds exceed your bad deeds, and you believe in Allah, and sincerely repent of sins, you may go to heaven (3:135; 7:8-9; 21:47; 49:14; 66:8-9).
3. There is an eternal hell for those who are not Muslims, not practicing and of the truth faith (3:77).
4. Hell is a place of unlimited capacity (50:30) eternal torment (2:39; 14:17; 25:65; 39:26), fire (9:63; 11:16; 25:11-12; 104:6-7), with boiling water (38:55-58; 55:43-44), where skin is burned and renewed (4:56), for unbelievers (3:13; 19:49) and Jinn (11:119), with faces covered with fire (14:49-50).
5. There is a tree in hell, named Tree of Zaqqum, from which bad fruit is given and the damned are forced to eat (37:62-67; 44:43-48; 56:52-55).
6. Heaven (Paradise), a Garden (79:41) of bliss and fruit (69:21-24), has rivers (3:198), with maidens pure and holy (4:57), and carpets and cushions, (88:8-16).
7. There will be a physical resurrection of all people (19:93-95) on the day of judgment (3:77; 15:25; 16:38; 42:29).
8. Judgment is based on a person’s sincere repentance (66:8-9) and righteous deeds (5:9; 24:26; 45:21-22; 64:7).

Other

1. There is an afterlife (2:154;75:12).
2. There are such things as angels, created by Allah, that are created from light. Angels are obedient slaves incapable of refusing to do Allah’s will. The angel Gabriel brought the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad (2:97).
3. The Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel (2:97; 16:102).

A. There is no actual verse where the Holy Spirit is said to be Gabriel or is identified as Gabriel. These verses show that both the Holy Spirit and Gabriel brought down the revelation.

4. Jinn are unseen beings, created (51:56) from fire (15:27; 55:15), but are not angels. They have communities. There are good and bad Jinn.
5. The Devil, called Iblis, (2:34) is a bad Jinn.
6. Jesus was a great prophet but not the son of God (9:30), is not divine (5:17, 75), was not crucified (4:157).
7. Muhammad is Allah’s greatest and last prophet and his message supercedes all other past prophets including Jesus.
8. The Koran is Allah’s word. He literally spoke it to Gabriel who gave it to Muhammad.
9. There are other holy writings but they are superceded by the Koran.

. The other works are

1. Torah - the First Five books of Moses
2. Injeel - the message that Jesus gave, written down, but no longer exists. The writings have been altered by scholars. Whatever agrees with the Koran is true.
3. Zaboor - the Psalms
9. Pre-ordainment (Qadar) is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
10. Fasting is to be observed during the month of Ramadan (2:185).
11. Drinking alcohol is forbidden (2:219; 4;43; 5:93-94; 16:67)
12. Gambling is forbidden (2:219; 5:90-94).
13. Man is made from the dust of the earth (23:12).
14. There is no last minute repentance (4:18).

For a more detailed look into the notes, visit www.carm.org and browse the left side menu under Religious Movements. I’ll put up a link here once www.carm.org agrees on it.

CARM Resources - Click Here

Most of our discussion centred around the differences and amazing similarities Christians and Muslims have. I think it’s our duty to realise their doctrines and beliefs and respect what they hold if we want the same to be done to us. They have so much in common with what we believe in, that we can be considered not just neighbours, but cousins. So during this month of Ramadan, if possible, please participate in the fast that our church have initiated. It’s an important time of reflection and prayer, not just for us as individuals and as a church, but for the country as well.

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