Flee from sin

Why is it that so many believers fall into deep sin?  Why are so many Christian marriages broken by adultery?  It is because believers still have much to learn about sin.

Sin, by nature, is seductive and deceptive.  Sin, when it causes havoc, rarely is understood as the source of the evil.  It is the master con artist that is the champion of disguise.  It is the mirage that never gives what it promises.  It has people all over the world chasing after water that will never satisfy.

Believers are told to flee from sin.  Whenever there is temptation, the believer is called to flee.  However, too often, we do not understand the evil and deceptive nature of sin.  We like to flirt with it.  We like to go as close to the line as possible.  It is because sin still looks desirable for us.  We still believe the promise it offers.  But learned believers see the mask.  They see the mirage for what it is - nothing but lies.  Lastly, they see sin as the reason that put Jesus on the cross.

Sin is not to be taken lightly.  Believers need to learn to hate sin and whenever tempted, to flee.  Sin is the reason we need to be saved, because we cannot save ourselves.  That is the first lesson for the believer, and this lesson needs to be reinforced every day.

[Extracted from LIVING Life April 2013 - Joel Yoon]

Gratitude

According to psychologists, one of the keys to happiness is gratitude.

Grateful people have higher level of happiness and optimism as well as lower levels of depression and stress.

Gratitude is a key component of the Christian faith.  It is a sign that the Christian understand grace.  It is focused on Christ and what He has done for us.  God is not glorified by our action but by our faith in His action.  It results in happiness and contentment.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough and more.  It turns denials into acceptances, chaos to order and confusion to clarity.

The best things in life are the eternal riches that come from God's goodness and grace in Jesus Christ.  We do not hold them in our hands, but in our hearts - David McCasland.

Gratitude fuels expression, which is exactly what Psalm 107 describes in verses 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 26, 27, 31.  As Scott Thomas writes, "Success, or lack of success, is a false indicator of God's love for me (Job 10:12-13) ... If your performance is saving you, then you are in effect, denying the gospel.  "Our works, our performance, do not save us.  To some, God gives wealth and success.  To some, God gives poverty and hardship.  The test, so to speak, isn't about what we have, but what we DO with our circumstances.

4  Elements of true thanksgiving found in David's song (Psalm)
a)  remembering what God has done
b)  telling others about it
c)  showing God's glory to others
d)  offering gifts of self, time and resources


Gratitude is a choice.  It is only when you choose to be grateful that you actually become grateful.

Steamboat dinner at Feng Huo Guo

Trying out a new steamboat outlet along Jalan Bawasah, Penang.

Distractions we all face

Some of the distractions we all face in our life journey include :-

a)  FEAR - the emotion we feel when we perceive that life is suddenly beyond our control instead of trusting that life is in God's control.

b)  DESPAIR - the internal sense of loss that causes us to lose heart and hope because circumstances cloud our view of God's purposes.

c)  DISAPPOINTMENT - the woundedness of soul that results from placing our trust in people who fail us.

d)  STRESS - the pressure that comes into our lives when we try to take on life in our own strength.

In the face of such challenges, we need to be people of purpose - people who look beyond the distractions that surround us, so that we can run the race of life as in Hebrew 12:2 ... looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (KJV)

[Extracted from Discovery Series : Simon Peter - A Rock Moved By God]

Day-Trip to Balik Pulau

Labour Day was spend on a journey to Balik Pulau town at the south west district of Penang Island.

We visited the Hakka cultural museum showcasing the history of  Balik Pulau in general and the Hakka community in particular.  We then help our selves to delicious Hakka delicacies that go nicely with locally brew nutmeg juice drinks. The trip ended with the town famous laksa and ice kacang.

Purposes of sharing real life

The life that is real begins with sonship and continues in fellowship.  First, we are born of God, then we walk (live) with God.  Real life is to have a genuine fellowship with God and with one another.  It is a life of victory.  And once we have experienced this exciting life that is real, we will want to share it with other people.

Witnessing is not wrangling but sharing our spiritual experiences with others - both by the lives that we live and by the words that we speak.  The purposes for sharing is :-

a) that we may have fellowship (1 John 1:3)

    Fellowship is Christ's answer to the loneliness of life. 

b) that we may have joy (1 John 1:4)

    Joy is Jesus Christ's answer to the emptiness of life.  David said, " ...  in Thy presence
    is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11 KJV) 

c) that we may not sin (1 John 2:1)

    As we walk in fellowship with God and in obedience  to  His  Word,  He gives us ability
    to resist and to have victory over temptation.

d) that we may not be deceived (1 John 2:26)

    We need ability to distinguish between right and wrong, between truth and error.

e) that we may know we are saved (1 John 5:13)
    The life that is real is based on knowledge of solid facts.  

A visit to Macallum

A visit to a newly open coffee & snack cafe in Macallum Street, Penang

Berry & Yoghurt Creepe Cake

Cell Gathering - Chap Goh Meh Celebration

Adult fellowships and small groups are not miniature church services.  They are pockets of people who love Christ and believe in helping one another.  They do not point fingers or preach or compare.  They are your brothers and sisters in Christ. - Charles Swindoll

Cell gathering is a place where lasting Christian friendships can be made.  It is also a place where the gifts and ministries of the Spirit can be exercised in an atmosphere of love and acceptance, where people are free to risk making mistakes.  It is a place where individual can learn, for example, to lead worship, pray for the sick, develop the gift of prophecy and share the Words of God.

Martin Luther  "At home in my house there is no warmth or vigour in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through."

Oyster Sauce Prawn

'Too Kar Chow'

Chinese Sausage Mushroom

'Jiew Hoo Char'

Indian Curry Prawn

Some of the home cooked food served during the gathering.

Mixed Vegetables

Otak Otak

Bubur Cha Cha

Chinese New Year gathering 2015

A long awaited Chinese New Year family reunion dinner at Evergreen Laurel Hotel Penang.

Why 'angpow'

In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope, red packet, 'lai see' or 'hongbao' is a monetary gift which is given during auspicious or special occasions, such as New Year celebration, weddings, graduation, or birth of a baby.

A hongbao (in Mandarin or Cantonese) or ang pow (in Hokkien) is a gift of money inserted into a red packet.

Red is considered a symbol of luck, life and happiness, and is supposed to ward off evil spirits.

Over 1,000 years ago in China during the Qin dynasty, parents gave their children 100 coins called yasuiqian in the belief that they would live up to the age of 100. The money was referred to as 'money warding off evil spirits' and was believed to protect the person of younger generation from sickness and death.

The angpow is more than a tradition of red packets or money changing hands, it is an exchange of auspicious well wishes mutually given to both the givers and the receivers which brings family and friends together.

So please do not stop giving for its more blessed to give then to receive.
" GONG XI FA CAI "