Journey

Live is a journey.   We are just like a pilgrim, travelling on a bus or train.  As we move on, we will come to a cross-section where we need to make a decision - to stop or to move on.  We can make a wrong stop, or turn into a wrong direction, but if we have Jesus with us, He will guide us back into the right path and right direction.

By the end of July, my son Johnathan finishes his university life while my daughter, Audelia begins hers from first of August.  In a few months time, Johnathan would journey on to the next stage - that is working life.

As parents our role is to prepare our children, when they grow up to leave us as independent, emotionally resilient beings with a strong moral and social compass.

Being loving and kind while setting clear behavioral boundaries and consequences, positive and negative.

Proverbs 22:6 "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

Ephesians 6:4 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
Faithfulness is God's requirement; fruitfulness is His reward.

Father

Fathers of today is different from the past, which could get away with just being the breadwinner of the family. They are expected to juggle work and home, just like mother. They need to be strong in the office, yet gentle, loving and supportive at home. They must provide encouragement, teach and counsel; to warn and be a model Christian life for their children.

Being a dad means that God has entrusted us with the task of training our children in the way they should go [Proverbs 22:6]. He also asked us to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord without exasperating them. [Ephesians 6:4]

"A dad is Gods love in action, He looks with his heart and feels with his eyes.
A dad is the bank where his children deposit all their worries and hurts.
A dad is the cement that keeps his family together and his love last a lifetime."

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

"To bring up" refers to nourishing children by providing resources for their physical, mental and spiritual needs. "Training" includes concern about all aspects of a child development. And "instruction" speaks of providing direction by well-chosen words uniquely suited to each child.

THE BEST FATHERS NOT ONLY GIVE US LIFE -- THEY TEACH US HOW TO LIVE.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Salvation Belong To The Lord

I am very blessed and honor to be given the privilege to lead my aunt's sister through the sinner prayer just now. I am amazed, and believed that ... grace and truth came through Jesus Christ [John 1:17b].

As usual, I was with a group of church's friends hiking at Youth Park, when my aunt called and told me that her sister would like to invite Jesus to be her personal Saviour. This aunt, aunty Yeoh shared that she saw a vision of two persons carrying a table and a book on it, asking and inviting her whether she would like her name to be written into this Book - she said she told them she was not ready, and they just turned away and took the table and book away and disappeared.
Her niece [a pre-believer], upon hearing her vision, asked her if she would like to be a Christian - and she replied three times 'yes'.
I went to the hospital and share to her that all of us are sinners (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:10). God loved us and sent His Son Jesus to died for us (John 3:16) and He was buried, and He was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4).

By the grace of God, I then lead her through the sinner prayer. Jesus said , “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Revelation 20:15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Salvation belongs to our God,
Who sits upon the throne,
And unto the Lamb:
Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks,
Honor and power and strength -
Be to our God, forever and ever, AMEN!
And we, the redeemed, shall be strong,
In purpose and unity;
Declaring aloud:
Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks,
Honor and power and strength.

F.A.T.H.E.R. in heaven

Attributes of our Father in heaven :-

F AITHFUL For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. - Psalm 100:5

A WESOME For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. - Psalm 47:2

T RUTHFUL Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. - John 3:33

H OLINESS Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. - Psalm 29:2
E TERNITY Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. - Psalm 93:2

R IGHTEOUSNESS Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. - Psalm 89:14

A GODLY FATHER REFLECTS THE LOVE OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER.

Work-in-progress

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

As we go through our life circumstances, twists and turns, God's grace and mercy will brings us closer to Him and reshape us into more Christlike persons, "conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29)

Have Thine own way, Lord!

Have Thine own way!

Thou art the Potter, I am the clay;

Mould me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still. - Polland

We all face giants in our lives - worry, doubt, fear, sin and guilt. but with limited and unlikely resources and unswerving confidence in our all-powerful God, we too can triumph over them.

"When you fall, don't see the place where you fell, instead see the place from where you slipped. Life is about correcting mistakes."

Christian's life on earth is like God's work-in-progress as written in Ephesians 2:10. It is also about Christ and relationship with Christ.

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'

First commandment is the relationship or communion with God.
God had a relationship with Adam and Eve that was based on loving trust. But when disobedience broke the trusting relationship, God added more rules to protect the wayward couple and their offspring.

In Christ, God proclaimed once more that the good life He wants for us is not about rules but a relationship or communion.

Second commandment : ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
Even as we have tasted the goodness of God, we should share it with our relatives and friends as commanded in Matthew 28 :19-20 'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings the promise of peace and reconciliation with God and with each other.

Comforter or Comfortable

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1 :3-7

Someone has written : "Sorrow can lead us into one of four lands ; the barren land in which we try to escape from it; the broken land in which we sink under it; the bitter land in which we resent it; or the better land in which we bear it and become a blessing to others." To enter that better land, we must stop focusing on our own sorrows but accept God's comfort in them, and reach out to others in need.

The best comforters are those whom God has comforted and who are willing to comfort others -- Henry Bosch

GOD DOESN'T COMFORT US TO MAKE US COMFORTABLE, HE COMFORTS US TO MAKE US COMFORTERS

Trouble

Does it surprise you that trouble is a part of life ?

When troubles come and doubts arise, I often turn to Romans 8. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? asked Paul (verse 35).
It shouldn't surprise us, therefore that God permits the added trials of ridiculed and hated because we follow Christ (1 Peter 4:12)

So why do we need to go through pains or suffering in our walk on this earth ?

As Job wisely assessed God's role in trying circumstances of loss and poor health: "He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" [Job 23:10]

As we go through trials or troubles, God uses these circumstances to bring us to our knees and to Him. By His grace, He continues to use life's twists and turns to mould and reshape our character to be more Christlike, ".... conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). It will also draw us closer to God, as we seek His strength and comfort. Trouble not only helps us experience our dependance on God but also reminded us of our inter-dependance with one another.

Much of life is about "getting through" the trials and troubles that are inevitable in our sinful world. Acts 14:22 recorded Paul and Barnabas strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Real trials in life are not ifs - they are whens. In fact, life's most profound lessons cannot simply be observed, they must be experienced. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [James 1:2-3]

No one can predict with certainty how stormy our life journey will be. But we do know, though, that everyone will face storms. If you're anchored in Jesus, you have nothing to fear.

TOUGH TIMES CAN TEACH US TO TRUST.

Mission Recce to Betong, Thailand

The Church organised a mission recce to Betong, Thailand from 14 to 16 May 2011. We [Pas. Gideon, Adrian and Joy] started our journey at 1 pm and arrived at Pengkalan Hulu after 2 hours travelling in the rain, before meeting Mr Lo who lead us into Betong town.

Betong is a district of Yala Province, situated in the southernmost province of Thailand in Sankalakhiri mountain range. With an area of 1,328 sq. km, it borders the Malaysian states of Kedah and Perak. Its terrain is mostly mountainous and hilly with forested plateaus. About 1,900 feet above sea level, it is 140km from Yala and 1,224km from the capital city of Bangkok.

Betong, meaning bamboo, is named in the Malay language. It has a population of around 30,000 which can be classified into two major groups Muslims and Chinese, the majority of its people are agriculturists. Climatically speaking, Betong is under the influence of the Southwest and Northwest monsoons. Therefore, there is a lot of rain and the weather is nice and cool with fog in the morning. This is perhaps how it got is name - 'A Town in the Mist with Beautiful Flowers'.

On arrival, we were given a tour by Mr Lo, where we saw the world's largest mailbox which is located at the Clock Tower Intersection in the town center. It was built in 1924 by Mr. Sa-Nguan Jirajinda, the former head of Betong Post and Telegraph Office and the Lord Mayor of Betong. Then we went to the 'hot spring' which is situated at Ban Bo Nam Ron, Tambon Tanah Merah, 5km from Betong town on Highway 410 and another 8km off this highway on an asphalt road. The heat of the spring water can hard-boil an egg in 7 minutes. Both locals and tourist love to bathe in the mineral water which is believed to cure body aches and skin diseases.

The last tourist site is Piyamit Village-Guerrilla Tunnel. The village of Piyamit located on a mountain surrounded by thick forest was first settled by a group of people called the Thailand Joint-developers in 1976. These people used it as an operation base for the Malaya Communist Guerrillas to escape from air attacks and to store provisions. The village houses a tunnel previously used as a headquarters stronghold for the guerrillas. The tunnel, which took 40 - 50 people 3 months to dig, is approximately 1 km long and some 55 feet wide, and has a seating capacity of 200. Only 6 of the original 9 passageways are left to be seen.

On Sunday, we attended a Lahu hilltribes church at Ban Bo Nam Ron area, situated directly opposite the 'hot spring'. The church is lead by a Lahu pastor, Pas. Caleb and attendance for the day were about 60 people. Presently, Pas. Peter, Pas. Jern and Pas. Wichai is assisting in training the members, and evangelism work in Betong town centre.

Presently, only 0.5% of the population are Christians, half of it being Catholic and the remaining charismatic believers. We believe “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" as recorded in the books of Matthew and Luke. Thus, the church will be going back again to follow-up and work together with the Romkloa Church as a partner.

Lahu

Population: approx 73,000, Origin: Yunnan, Myanmar
Also known as Musor, the Lahu are concentrated near the Burmese border and have five sub-groupings: Red Lahu, Yellow Lahu, Black Lahu, White Lahu and Lahu Sheleh. The Black Lahu is the largest sub-grouping, making up close to 80 per cent of the Lahu population. The women wear very distinctive black and red jackets and skirts and the men wear baggy green or blue pants. They have a reputation as excellent hunters, and survive off vegetable cultivation, with some supplementing this meagre income with opium production.

Lahu women are skilled in weaving cloth both on back strap and foot treadle looms. Lahu weaving is unique in that the pattern appears on only one side of the cloth. Lahu women also produce delicate and colourful patchwork trims. Lahu men make baskets, crossbows and musical instruments.

M.O.T.H.E.R.

M-O-T-H-E-R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.

- Howard Johnson

A good mother loves her family and provides an atmosphere where each member can find acceptance, security, and understanding. She is there when the children need a listening ear, a comforting word, a warm hug, or a loving touch on a fevered brow. - Richard De Haan

GODLY MOTHERS NOT ONLY BRING YOU UP, THEY BRING YOU TO GOD

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS NOT ONLY ON THIS SPECIAL DAY BUT ALSO ON EVERYDAY OF THEIR LIFE.

Choice

Choice consists of the mental process of judging the merits of multiple options and selecting one of them. [Wikipedia]

Choice is always a good thing. And what's even greater than choice is clarity of choice - Annoymous

Every choice we make creates a ripple effect on our lives as well as on the lives of others. The choices we have made throughout life determine where we are and what we are becoming. Paul captured the same idea in the universal law of sowing and reaping. He said, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7. Our choices often have a reach and impact that we could never imagine. Thus the apostle's words remind us to choose wisely - choices that emanate from a heart fully committed to Jesus. He stated that :- "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ," Phillippians 1:9-10

When choosing between options one must make judgments about the quality of each option's attributes.

MAKE AN EXCELLENT CHOICE AND WATCH THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF BLESSING.

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15