Positive Words

Words can bless a person or they can curse a person. Words can build a person or destroy a person. This is a day and age in which sarcastic humor is the thing to do. We need to be cautious on how we bring our message across especially all of us who knows the Truth and the Truth that has set us free. A wrong choice of words may sometime leave behind permanent damage. Proverbs 16:24 says "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." I am not saying that we need to go around the bush but my emphasis is in using the right choice of words.

Words will heal or make you sick. How you speak about yourself and others has a direct bearing on what the mind creates. Words that ridicule, torment, harass and tear down a person will never bring life. Thoughts that are always fearful and bitter will never remove fear and worry. The Lord says our thoughts are not His, but they can be His if we will change our way of thinking and speaking. We have what we have because we speak into existence.

Some once said, "Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes". How true is that statement. It is echoing what the Word of God said in Matthew 7:12 "Therefore, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them, because this summarizes the Law and the Prophets".

A lot of trouble in this world is caused by combining a narrow mind with a wide mouth.

I pray that the Lord will give us a tongue that is slow to speak and ear that is ever ready to listen.

Be Blessed.

Easy & Difficult

In life there are things that are easy and things that are difficult. In those difficult moments we need the Father's grace to carry us through so that we can be more like Jesus.

Easy to occupy a place in the telephone directory.
Difficult to occupy the heart of somebody.

Easy to judge the errors of others.
Difficult to recognize our own errors.

Easy to hurt those whom we love.
Difficult to heal those wounds.

Easy to forgive others.
Difficult to ask for forgiveness.

Easy to exhibit victory.
Difficult to assume defeat with dignity.

Easy to dream every night.
Difficult to fight for a dream.

Easy to pray every night.
Difficult to trust God in the smallest of things.

Easy to say we love.
Difficult to demonstrate it every day.

Easy to criticize everybody.
Difficult to perfect ourselves.

Be Blessed & Have a great weekend.

Silent Prayers

Today, I grieve with the family members who have lost their love one in last night Mumbai horrific terrorist attack. Over 100 people have died in this horrendous attack. I pray that the Lord will surround them with His unchanging love and peace especially in times like this.

I wonder what was going on inside the mind of the killers? Have they ever wondered that all of us come from the same offspring that is Adam and Eve? I wonder what makes a person to be so revengeful until innocent lives are downed in split seconds.

Today, over 100 families might have lost a father, a mother, a son or a daughter. For some, it may be a loss of a sole bread winner for the home. For some, it is the loss of a sole care taker. I pray that the Lord will make a way for them.

I wonder when will all this come to an end. When will human being learn to respect each other and live harmoniously? When? When?

I suggest we offer a silent prayers for those family who lost their love one. May their soul rest in peace.

Leadership

One of my favorite management topic is in the area leadership. Leaders and managers- the words are often used interchangeably, but they are different. Those in management positions do not always possess the qualities and skills of a leader. On the other hand, leadership is just one of the many skills that a manager must possess

In fact I always tell my staff that I don't believe in managing people but I believe in leading people. People are well trained to manage themselves and what they need is guidance and direction. This is where a leadership come into action. In my personal opinion, leadership takes precedence than any other management skills.

The word "leadership" comes from the Old English word "lad" for a "course". A "lode" is a vein that leads or guides to ore; a lodestone is a magnetic stone that guides; the lode-star is the name for the star that guides sailors, the Pole star. The word "management" comes from the Latin word "manus", the hand, from which we also get "maintenance" and "mainstay". Leadership guides by setting a ship's course. Management keeps a hand on the tiller.

John Adair in his book "Leadership" compares management and leadership to the old dichotomy of Art and Science. Managers are of the mind, accurate, calculated, routine, statistical, methodical. Management is a science. Leaders are of the spirit, compounded of personality and vision. Leadership is an art. Managers are necessary; leaders are essential.

Jim Clemmer, one of the leading leadership guru, view of leadership states "A leader doesn’t just react and respond, but rather takes the initiative and generates action. A leader doesn’t say “something should be done”, but ensures something is done. An effective leader is a “people person”. Effective leaders connect, stay in contact with, and are highly visible to everyone on their team in their organization. Leaders have developed the skills of supercharging logic, data, and analysis with emotion, pride, and the will to win. Their passion and enthusiasm for the team or organization’s vision and purpose is highly contagious. They fire the imaginations, develop the capabilities, and build the confidence of people to “go for it”. Leaders help people believe the impossible is possible, which makes it highly probable."

In his book, "Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership", Audrey Malphurs defined Genuine Christian leaders are “servants with the credibility and capabilities to influence people in a particular context to pursue their God-given direction.” Working from that definition, Malphurs concludes that authentic Christian leadership is the “process whereby servants use their credibility and capability to influence people in a particular context to pursue their God-given direction.” Maphurs, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary further stressed that good leaders influence people, but in a Christian context, that influence should always lead toward transformation - a change in thinking leading to a change in behavior. Effective influence, in a Christian context demands that the leader be a transformed person also.

This leads to a new term in the Christian context of leadership called "Servant-heart Leadership". Servant-heart leadership is a humble service of others based on our love for them. It is not passively ignoring one’s own legitimate needs; it is not wallowing in one’s own weakness, doing for others what they ought to do for themselves.

I pray that the Lord will give us a heart of a servant-heart leader when we serve Jesus Christ, our Master.

"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)


Be Blessed.

Joyful Weekend

It is indeed has been a joyful weekend for me and my wife as we had Ivan and family came up to Penang on Friday night to spend some days at our place. I always count it a blessing to have friends like Ivan & Soon Ling. In fact I look forward for them to come up to Penang....maybe for good!!!! Ivan, you got to leave Egypt one day and come to promise land (you know what I meant).

This time around, the family in Penang got bigger. We are not alone anymore....haaa...haaa...haaa... our family members from PATI was part of the crew in the fun time we had with the Foo's.

Being a true Malaysian, food is our first priority and I believe it is the catalyst for Penang's tourism development. It was four days full of food, food and more food. Read more on the places that we visited at http://ivanfoo.blogspot.com/2008/11/friendship-bliss.html

I am blessed to have friends in Penang, Melaka and elsewhere. Anyway, it is time to diet again after the Penang Food Marathon. My wife has packed some salad, cold meat and energy bar for my meal today.

"A friend loves at all times....." Proverbs 17:17

Be Blessed.

Ontological Inversion

Ontological means our "essential being"; or our "personhood". We are created spiritual beings who are given a physical body. We are first spiritual beings, then physical beings! At the fall (Gen 3), there was an 'ontological inversion' - we now see ourselves first as physical beings with physical appetites rather than first as spiritual beings with spiritual appetites. We are spiritual beings having a human experience rather than merely human beings having a spiritual experience. Therefore, our relationship with God becomes so important.

Let's take a look of Gen 1: 26-27. 'Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.'

All the while I thought 'our image' & 'our likeness' in the passage are very much refer to our outward appearance. Only lately that I discover that it is not what I thought initially. Actually, 'our image' & 'our likeness' were not meant to refer to our outward appearence, but they're meant to refer to our very essential being... we are indeed created in His likeness and He has imparted His divine attributes in us. Therefore, we are precious in His eyes.

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.." Ps 8:3-6

Now, I could truly embrace the reason why our King of Kings and Lord of Lords is mindful of us... for we are His spiritual children, created in His own image & likeness. Although I have read Gen 1:26 many times, yet the conviction is very much different... How to describe it?? It is like the knowledge in my head suddenly got transferred to my heart and it get rooted deep within...


Note: This article was written by my good friend, Mei. It brings your Christian life into a new perspective of understanding our purpose and our position in the Lord. Be Blessed.

Festering Wounds

Physical wounds are detrimental to health. They ought to be treated and not left to heal on its own. When left to fester, pus forms on wounds which soon turn gangrenous .The body is poisoned and maggots probably soon appear. The wound soon gives out a stench and the body is on the pathway to ill health.

How often it is the same with our soul. We carry 'cans of festering hurts' in our soul afflicted by circumstances; people who should have loved us but fail to do so and the unintentional acts of others that was never carried out to hurt. And along the pathway of inevitable associating with others in our daily lives, people rub us and open up the forgotten wounds that were covered through the busyness of life but were never healed. Painful circumstances are actually opportune times to make changes.We could dress those wounds with the balm of forgiveness , let them heal and then give the body strength to move on with the bigger picture of the life God has prepared for us. If we choose not to do, the wounds continue to fester deeper, the soul and also very soon, the body falls sick and people soon sense the stench of brokenness in us.

Ananias was afraid of the festering wounds inflicted by Paul upon the Christians. But he was a listening christian. He told God his fears about Paul when asked to meet up with the man and prayed for him. God showed him the bigger picture and Paul received his sight.

How dangerous and devastating it is to leave our wounds to fester. We not only die, but those around us too.

Bring ye all your 'cans of wounds, hardships and pain'. if they be opened up , get them dressed, healed and move on. There is a bigger picture to behold beyond licking your wounds in self-pity.

Note: This article was written by my good friend Emily Yoong and I have edited the content so that it can be shared in this blog. Be blessed and have a great weekend.

Jehovah Jireh

I am sure every Christian are familiar with the one of the name of our Almighty God...Jehovah Jireh. Abraham, the patriarch of faith mentioned this beautiful name when he was going up to Mount Moriah to offer his son as an obedience to the Father's call. The truth contained in this name of God, Jehovah Jireh, planted deep in Abraham’s heart even before he uttered it and established it as a memorial in in Mount Moriah where God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac.

Many things must have crossed Abraham’s mind which might have caused him to disobey God. As he start the journey to Mount Moriah, he must have had many faith-testing questions like the promises of God on Isaac and maybe what would the response of his friends and neighbors to his act of slaying his only son in the name of God. Put on your sanctified imagination and try to picture yourself in Abraham's shoe. How would it be?

But Abraham obeyed God regardless of cost or consequence. Abraham said to himself, "The Lord will see and the Lord will provide. He will not break his promise. He will not alter his word. Perhaps he will raise Isaac from the dead. But even if he is not pleased to do so, by one means or another, my God will justify my obedience and vindicate His command. Abraham knows that our God will provide his needs.

The Lord honor Abraham's faith and provide a ram as substitute.

Today, we need to cling on the promises of God like never before especially in believing that He is our Jehovah Jireh who will see into our needs. Let this reality be renewed in our thinking, then watch the flood gates of Heaven open on our behalf, fulfilling all that our need.

Be Blessed.

Nature's Light

Nature always amazes me with its beauty and its magnificent. I know that it also reflect the greatness of the Creator. Genesis 1 talks about how the world was formed and how the Almighty God created the various elements that fills the Earth today.

Couple of years ago, I visited the firefly sanctuary in Kuala Selangor together with Rangers boys from Melaka. It was an awesome scenic view watching the fireflies flashing in synchrony creating a Christmas tree like twinkling effect in a mangrove forest along the riverbank.

On last Sunday, I visited the Nibong Tebal firefly sanctuary which is located along the Krian river. Nibong Tebal is located in the mainland of Penang. The place was open just over 3 years ago. In terms of fireflies population, it has much lesser population compare to the one in Kuala Selangor but it is enough to amaze you with the wonders of creation. The tour operators in Nibong Tebal include in other activities beside fireflies watching. The package I took consist of river cruise over the Krian river, bird watching and visiting a fish farm in the open sea.

Since it is school holiday, why not take a cruise down the Krian River and witness a brilliant show of nature's light

Be Blessed.

No update

There is no update on Tuesday as I am resting at home due to food poisoning. Do uphold me in prayer.

By the way, it has nothing do with the Pizza. I consume pizza on last week Thursday. I think it has do with some seafood I consume on Monday.

Thank you and Be Blessed.

Food Review: Best Pizza in Town

I have been tasting pizza's in different places. Even tried in Italy before...!!! In Malaysia, I have tried at the major pizza fast food chain like Pizza Hut, US Pizza, Shakey's Pizza & Domino Pizza. I have also tried at some Italian restaurants in Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Talking about pizza, Malaysia has its own style of pizza making especially for the toppings. The fundamentals are still the same but the ingredients and flavouring are customed to the local taste. Try asking for Rendang Pizza or Tomyam Pizza in Italy !!!! Some of my European friends find pizza in Malaysia so weird but being a true Malaysian, in my opinion, ours is the best.


Recently I was introduced to a humble Pizza stall in Penang. In fact the stall has no name. It is located at the Goodall Food Court in Jalan Gottlieb in Georgetown, right across the Penang Chinese Girls High School. The stall has variety of thin crust pizza with the right blend of herbs, sauce and cheese. The taste is awesome. One of the reason the pizza is good is the way how it is baked. The oven is fueled by fire wood. A lot of my friends have tried the pizza there and their feedback was excellent. The price is reasonable and in fact much cheaper that the one offered in fast food chain.

If you are looking for a good pizza, try the pizza stall at Goodall Food Court. You will fall in love with it.

Have a great week ahead.

Thank you

Dear Friends,

I want to thank God for adding another year in my life. Today marks the beginning another journey in my life. As I look back, God has always been faithful for my God is a faithful God. I just don't have words to describe how much I am grateful to my Jesus for all He is done in my life.

I want to thank God for my wife for her love and faithfulness over the last 10 years (not including the courtship years). I know that she is a gift from above. Sathy, you are special and will always be the apple of my eyes.

I want to thank my parents (parents here include my in-laws) for their guidance and advice and above all for the love they shared. Also thank God for the discipline too...!!! Thank God for family members and relatives......thank you Prettysha for the kind wishes over the phone. You will always bring cheer and joy.

I want to thank all the great men and women of God who have invested in my life in many ways since I was young......Ps. Geoffrey & Felicia, Ps. Richard & Irene, Ps. Nathan & Mala, Khoo & Judy, Uncle Toong Kien & Auntie Chia, Eng Ching, Ms. Chee, Tina, Ps. Ben and Ps. Sally, Rajen, Steven Cho, Ps. Graeme & Sharon, Uncle James & Aunty Evelyn and many more whom God alone knows who have in many ways impacted in my Christian walk.

I thank God for good friends whom God bring into our life so that we can be a blessing in one way another to each other.......Ivan & Soon Ling, BA & Jessy, Alyna(tiormm), Jason & Shirley, Eddy Law & Alicia, Steven & Wan Sin, Dinesh & Abby, Errol & Jessica, Lih Gin, Esther Tham, John Loh & Deline, Dr.Lorend & Dr.Margaret, Jo Ann, Betty, Emily, Janet, Julian & Yvonne, Robert & Julie, Cristal Teo, May Ching, Jamie, Rachel Fu, Bee Hua, Mei, Wilbur & Mary, Kuna & Cheng and many many many more....only these names comes out in my mind right now but I know there are many many many more.

I thank God for the young people from Youth Impact and Royal Rangers Melaka #1 who always make me feel young. All of you are special in my heart.

I also want to thank my PATI members...BA, Jessy, Alyna(tiormm), Esther, John, Derris, Suplim and Deline for the dinner hosted last night. Awesome food and above all, great time of fellowship. Thank you for the flowers too...emmm...first time in my entire life, getting a flower....wow...I feel special!!!....I am so blessed to have you all in my life. BTW, PATI is just the name of our fellowship group in Penang...why PATI? Well it is a long long long story to tell. I thank God for each of them. We can literally express our feelings, our joy and our sorrow openly to the team.

I want to thank all of you for your kind wishes via sms, phone call, facebook, email or in person. It is a joy to know all of you and I count it a privilege to know all of you. Been receiving calls from as young as 5 years old.....I just have one word to say...I am blessed.

Ivan, thank you for the article, A Tribute at http://ivanfoo.blogspot.com/2008/11/tribute.html . I give all glory to God for without Him, I am nothing. The article brings back a lot of sweet memories.

Thank you so much and God Bless You. Have a great weekend

Be Blessed

Education System

Yesterday, there was a good article is NST written by Hassan Talib on the state of our education system. The title of the article is, "Revert to old school set-up". It is a great piece of write-up. Being a product of the new school system, I agree completely with Hassan on his views and wisdom. It is true that those who are from the English medium education are a class of their own compare to us who were placed in the KBSR/KBSM system.

The outcome of the new system is so evident today in our society. Our standard of English has drop drastically. Once, we were one of the best English scholars in the region but today, we are lacking behind in a lot of ways. The failure of the primary and high school system has been transferred into our higher education system. Today we produce graduates like a manufacturing factory except that in manufacturing factory there are tight quality control processes.

In my course of work, I have the opportunity to meet up with new graduates coming out from our local universities. In comparison to foreign graduates, the local graduates are far behind the foreign graduates both in technological knowledge and in general knowledge. Looking at the kind of projects they do for the final year itself gives you some indication. Oh well, I am speaking in general term here. There are some exception out there.

One of the most notable failure that the new system has introduce is the emphasis on academic grades. Today, students are just studying to make the grades instead of obtaining knowledge. Students have no time for serious co-curricular activities. I guess that speaks volume why our competitiveness is sports has drop drastically. Many of them are busy with tuition and other academic programmes. Even when they go for Piano lesson, it is all about what grade the kids can achieve.

I had the privilege of studying my final year degree in New Zealand. I am so grateful for the opportunity as the experience in NZ totally change my perception and gave me a new dimension of understanding in my pursuit for knowledge. I was amazed to see young kids in NZ who are able to name the stars in the skies. Mind you that some of them are as young as 10 years old. Try asking our kids? Maybe they can name those stars in Akademi Fantasia.

Something got to be done with our education system. A major overhaul is needed. Most important thing is don't bring politics into our education system. The introduction of teaching Mathematics and Science in English is a good decision but more is needed. If nothing is done as soon possible to improve the state of our education system, the current situation will just get worse.

I pray and hope that many more Hassan Talib will rise up to sincerely address the importance of revamping our education system.

Be Blessed.

Politics in the Christian Community

I was contemplating to write this article for a long time. I don't want to be judgemental in my writings as it will not bring honor to God. But recent turn of events had inspired me to write this so that we are aware and be conscious in our Christian walk. When I write this article, I am reminding myself about the danger of myself getting involved in church politics.

I am fully aware of the political game being played both in a nation and also in the corporate world. In fact, in the corporate sector, this is almost norm in many organization. But seeing it in the House of God brings heartache and sadness for me. I thought Christian suppose to shine the Light of Jesus to the world and be a role model to a dying world.

Recently I came to understand the intense of politics in the Christian community when I see one leader (Leader1) stopping the another leader (Leader 2) from being successful in his/her ministry. Sadly, both of the of ministers are under the same denomination. Leader 1 used to be head of the ministry at the national level and Leader 2 is the newly appointed leader of the ministry. Leader 1 has given instruction to his members not to be involved in the national leadership team of Leader 2. Mind you, Leader 1 has a group of talented leaders for this particular ministry.

Church politics comes about when christian departs from either the leadership of the Holy Spirit or from the guidance of the Bible. The Word of God has clear guidelines and standard laid for Godly leadership practice and the Holy Spirit will reinforce it when we are willing to listen to His still small voice.

The problem is when we depart from the standard and guidelines of the Word and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we begin to engage in religious spirit. This religious spirit seeks to counterfeit the voice and authority of the Holy Spirit in the life of the leader. Even the partial influence of a religious spirit will have a negative effect on the development of the work of God. Religious spirits leads people to legalism and formalism These religious spirits seek to divert our very purpose in serving Christ. Religious spirits operate deceptively, justifying selfish behavior on the part of leadership. Such spirits seek to lead people into greater bondage.

I believe a leader should be a role model in love and servant heart and not simply preach it so that he might be loved and served. Church politics replaces the values taught by Christ of love and servant heart. This leads to pride, ambition and a love of power and I am sure it will grieve the Holy Spirit.

The bible has many example of this. Extreme politics took place during King Saul and David's time. King Saul used various tactics hoping to kill David, but without success, because God was with David. The entire story gives us many insights into christian politics which is active in many segments of church life today. The sad thing about this is the consequences or the end result. Along the way, King Saul killed many true priests of the Lord because they had innocently sheltered David. In the same way, those with a church politics will seek, if possible, to kill the ministry of anyone they perceive to be helping those of whom they are jealous.

Today, I pray the Lord will give us servant hood heart as we serve Him in the last days. The lives of great men and women in God's Kingdom are marked by humble service. They never seek to be lifted up to a prominent place. They served God sacrificially, with a heart of humility. Samuel Brengle, who, when he was referred to as great, wrote in his diary, "If I appear great in their eyes, the Lord is most graciously helping me to see how absolutely nothing I am without Him, and helping me to keep little in my own eyes. He does use me. But I am so concerned that He uses me and that it is not of me the work is done. The axe cannot boast of the trees that it has cut down. It could do nothing but for the woodsman. He made it, he sharpened it, and he used it. The moment he throws it aside, it becomes only old iron. O that I may never lose sight of this"

Luke 9:48 - "...because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest."

Be Blessed.

Soar high like an Eagle

One of my favorite bible verse is found in Isaiah 40:31. I am sure many of you are familiar with this bible verse and to some of us, it is printed deep in our heart. Isaiah 40:31 says "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

We are called to be like eagles but unfortunately there are many chicken Christians around. Instead of soaring high with the Lord, we are busy pecking in the dirt and trash. Instead of being more than a conqueror, we live a life that is defeated.

Chickens are earthbound, they keep their eyes on the things of this world. They scratch out an existence and never lift their heads to look any higher then where they are. They scratch in the dirt, eat whatever is thrown to them and search greedily in their crowed barnyards for more to fill their bellies, much of it unclean. By nature chickens are an unclean bird, they are bound to their existence and are satisfied with it. The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-16 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world."

The eagle focus on high place and soar to the heavens. An eagle has an inherited nature that will not survive confinement. It may look lonely up there because not many will dare to rise to such heights. But the eagle doesn’t care; it’s not in his nature to need the approval of the majority.

When encounter a snake, a chicken is normally defenseless but an eagle would put a fight. An eagle deal with the snake by laying hold of the snake with their talons, removing his head and using their bill to peck the snake to death. Eagle's will also pick the serpent up and drop him on a jagged rock causing him to die.

As an Eagle Christians, we know that we will always have to deal with the enemy, who is the Serpent. We, using the Word of God as a Rock, can crush and destroy the devil as well. In Luke 10:19 it says, "Behold, I give thee authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

My prayer for you:

Mighty God, whose hands holds together our universe, give those who can barely walk the strength to continue as they face the stress and assault of the evil one. I specifically want to pray for those I know personally who are facing trying times. Please, dear LORD, give them strength and meet their most pressings needs. I pray, O God, that they will rise on eagles wing and soar high for You. In Jesus holy name I pray. Amen.

Be Blessed.

Busy Weekend

Weekend has been a great time for me especially with some adventure activities. On Saturday morning, my department when out for hiking trip to Monkey Beach which is situated in Penang National Park. As it's name suggests, the beach is inhabited by monkeys especially one unique species that eats crab and I think it is called the Crab-Eating Macaque. I always thought monkeys are vegetarian but this one is different.

The hike along the cost to Monkey Beach took around 1.5 hours. A variety of fauna and flora can be found along the way. It was great time for especially getting to know staff much better especially in an informal setup. We had our brunch at Monkey Beach under the watchful eyes of a group of monkeys aiming at our Nasi Lemak, Curry Puff, Sandwiches and other stuff. We manage to secure our food stuff and belonging from the monkeys. Had some good beach game with the team. Our return journey was much relaxing. We took a boat ride back to the park entrance.

In the evening, together with my good friends, we went to try Frog Moi again (frog porridge). Unbelievable right...!!! We had frog moi twice in a week. This time we drove over to the mainland to try out at another outlet belonging to the same chain of restaurant that we visited on Monday. The journey to Bukit Mertajam took about 1 hour by car. Interestingly, the frog moi in the mainland taste much better than the one in the island. Furthermore the frogs are much fatter than then one in the island. I wonder whether the frogs in the islands are going some dieting program...haaa...haaa...haaaa.....!! As usual we ordered the extra spicy Kung Poh Frog with porridge, veggie and kung poh eel.

On Sunday, as usual, we went for Sunday service. I was serving as backup singer last weekend. After service, we suppose to have Operation Tanggam Meener but was not able to carry out due to some technical glitches. Will try again next week. Emmmm....you would be wondering what is this project all about....It is for us in PATI to know and for you to find out. We had lunch in church as it was our church fellowship weekend. We then proceed to BA and Jessy's new home for fellowship and testing of their new reclining sofa set....Awesome...wish I got one at home.

We reach back home at 5.30p.m......took my usual weekend evening nap but this time, it was a bit unusual.........I woke at 9.30p.m.......shows how tired I was after the busy weekend.

That's all folks from me today.

Be Blessed.

The Ultimate Trip to Heaven

Received this email from my good friend, Abby Phua. Wanted to share with all you.

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Planning to go to heaven? Here's a traveler’s guide...The ultimate trip ... see you there! ...

1. ACCOMMODATION
Arrangements for first-class accommodation have been made in advance.
'In My Father's house are many rooms ...... I am going there to prepare a place for you.' (John 14:2).

2. PASSPORTS
Persons seeking entry will not be permitted past the gates without having proper papers/credentials and having their names registered with the ruling Authority.
'Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life'. (Revelation 21:27).

3. DEPARTURE TIMES

The exact date of departure has not been announced. Travellers are advised to be prepared to leave at short notice.
'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.' (Acts 1:7).

4. TICKETS

Your ticket is a written pledge that guarantees your journey. It should be claimed and its promises kept firmly in hand.
'I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.' (John 5:24).

5. CUSTOMS

Only one declaration is required while going through customs.
'That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' (Romans 10:9).

6. IMMIGRATION

All passengers are classified as immigrants, since they are taking up permanent residence in a new country. The quota is unlimited.
'...... they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one ........ He has prepared a city for them.' (Hebrews 11:16).

7. LUGGAGE

No luggage whatsoever is necessary.
'For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.' (1 Timothy 6:7).

8. AIR PASSAGE

Travellers' going directly by air are advised to watch daily for indications of imminent departure.
'After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.' (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

9. VACCINATION AND INOCULATION

Injections are not needed, as diseases are unknown at the destination.
'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain....' (Revelation 21:4).

10. CURRENCY

Supplies of currency may be forwarded ahead to await the passenger's arrival. Deposit your heart, mind, soul and life.
'But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.' (Matthew 6:20).

11. CLOTHING

A complete and appropriate new wardrobe is provided for each traveller.
'...For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness....' (Isaiah 61:10).

12. TIME CHANGES

Resetting of watches will not be necessary to adjust to the day/night schedule.
'The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp........ for there will be no night there.' (Revelations 21:23,25).

13. RESERVATIONS

Booking is now open. Apply at once.
'...... now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.' (2 Corinthians 6:2)

14. CORONATION CEREMONY

The highlight of the journey is the welcoming reception and coronation which await the arrival.
'Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.' (2 Timothy 4:8).


The Blessings of the Lord be upon You
Lamentations 3:21-23,25 'But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness...the LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.'

Be Blessed.

Funny Day

Today, I had two funny encounter. First, at 8.06 a.m., I received a call from my friend ET. I answered the call but there is no one on the other end. 20 minutes later, I call back ET and she said she never called me and in fact there was no record in her phone that she called me this morning....not even by accident. I wonder whether is there something going wrong with our mobile phone systems especially with the latest move allowing the switch from one provider to another while retaining your number. Some of my friends have expressed the same experience I had this morning.

Today also marks the 3rd service for my Honda City. In 5 months, my faithful City has already clocked over 10,000 k.m. My wife's 3 years old Perodua Kancil only clocked 14,000 k.m. so far. I guess my high mileage is due to my love for driving especially long distance. My wife picked me up from the Honda service center (how I wish Honda can provide shuttle service back to office). Send her back to her office and then took her Kancil back to my office. I realize after 5 months of using automatic car, I almost lost touch driving manual car. For the the first few minutes, I struggle on the gear change. At one of the traffic light, I just applied my brake without releasing my clutch......guess what happen lar...the car jerked.... haaa ... haaaa ..!!!

Oh well, I thank God for today and for everyday. HIS love and grace is always abundant for me and for you too.

Be Blessed

Frog Moi

Frog Moi or translated in English as Frog Porridge is a local delicacy in Malaysia especially among the Chinese and some Indians. Recently, my good friend BA Lim, tried this delicacy in one of the restaurant in the mainland of Penang. He manage to find out that there is a newly opened branch of the restaurant in the island of Penang.

On Monday, seven of us explored this place for dinner. It was an in-prompt-to decision. As BA Lim puts it nicely, "We have strived, persisted & fervently pursued our objective last night of eating frog moi even though it was a 11th hour decision".

Some may still puzzle whether I am joking when I say frog for dinner. Yes, we had frog for dinner........to some, this may sound insane but to some, this is a food from paradise. For some, this may be their fear factor. For me and my friends, this is an adventure.

The restaurant is called New Receipe located in Jalan Dato Keramat. Most of their meals are cooked using clay pots. Somehow, I always cherish meals cooked in clay pot. Some says it has authentic taste when cooked in clay pot.

This is their first outlet in Penang island with other two outlets in Kampung Baru, Bukit Mertajam and Raja Uda in the mainland.

We order two pots of plain porridge (topped with chopped spring onions, sesame oil and strips of fresh ginger. ), two pots of spicy frog cooked with black sauce (kung poh), one pot of spicy eel on black sauce and plate of fried lettuce with oyster sauce and floss meat (bah hu). The food was awesome. I love it and it is the best frog kung poh I have eaten so far.



A good meal is only good when you have good companion to eat with. We really had good time especially with our good friends who are also fellow PATI members (an unofficial social club). The price is slightly on the high end as frog and eel are considered exotic meat. Mind you that this is not the normal frog that you see in the street. Some called it the Bull Frog. The Hokkien speaking folks calls it "water chicken" and the Mandarin speaking folks calls it "paddy field chicken". What ever it is, it still looks like a frog but the meat taste like chicken meat.

So, if you want to try out something new, try Frog Porridge in Jalan Dato Keramat.

Sweet Sleep

Yesterday, I was covering on the topic of worries and today I want to zoom into one of the outcome of worries that is sleeping disorder. Today, a lot of people suffer from this condition.

The 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep in America poll found that 74 percent of American adults are experiencing a sleeping problem a few nights a week or more, 39% get less than seven hours of sleep each weeknight.

I wonder what is the statistics like for my nation especially with the current economic turmoil. Worry is definitely one of the reason for causing sleep disorder but there are other reasons that add to this condition.

Good sleep is a basic necessity of life, as important to our health and well-being as air, food and water. When we sleep well, we wake up feeling refreshed, alert and ready to face daily challenges. When we don't, every part of our lives can suffer. Our jobs, relationships, productivity, health and safety are all put at risk. And lack of sleep due to sleep loss or sleep disorders is taking a serious toll.

Proverbs 3:24 says "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet". The Lord provides a way for us to have sweet sleep. Psalms 3:5 says "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me".

In order for us to have a sweet sleep, the Bible gives us a little instruction in Psalms 4:4 that says "...when you are on your beds, search your heart and be silent". How do we search our heart and be silent? I believe strongly this is a call for a time of devotion and prayer before sleep. Surrendering our worries, our cares and our troubles at the feet of Jesus will help us to have sweet sleep. Psalms 4:8 continue to elaborate on the outcome. The Psalmist says "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety “.

So my friend as you lay down to sleep, I pray that the Lord gives you sweet dreams, a restful sleep. That you sleep in peace and wake up refreshed in the Lord.

Be Blessed.

Find Rest in the Lord

We live in a world where we worry about all sorts of things. When we are a student, we worry about exam. When we are in university, we worry whether we will get a decent job once we graduate. When we start working, we worry about whether we would get a near perfect life partner. When we get married, we worried whether our partner is loyal to us or we are worried about our children. And the list goes on. Day in and day out, we we worry about all sort of things.

The Bible that I believe strongly as the book of wisdom says in Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Worry tells us if we can’t solve a problem, there is no way God can either. Worry brings God down to our own frail, human level, so we question His ability to overcome difficult circumstances. But the book of Proverbs require us to trust in God with all of our heart and lean not with our understanding.

Friends, our own assumption and our limited understanding may lead us to unnecessary worries. Worries will lead to mental and physical fatigue. The Lord provide a way for us. We can refuge under the shadow of His wings. The Word of God says, "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest". This is the call of Jesus to us today. Come to Him and find rest in Him.

The story that God will give us rest reminds me of the contemporary parable about the footprints in the sand. Two pairs of footprints were in the sand, walking side by side. Suddenly, there was one pair of footprints. God said, “That is when I picked you up and carried you.” God lifts us up and carries us when the burdens of our lives are difficult.

Why not surrender your worries at the feet of Jesus and let Him take control of your life. God is too big for us to figure out, so just relax in His arms as a child does in her parent’s arms, knowing God is bigger than any human need.

Be Blessed.

Camp Site

It is a another brand new week. Thank God for last week and the weeks before that. He is a faithful God and a God who loves us.

Last Saturday, I was on the road again. This time traveling to survey two campsite for our youth camp. Together with Felicia Yee (my pastor's one and only wife), Rachel (my pastor's daughter) and Sathy, we drove to Gopeng which is a small town located in the state of Perak. Our journey started as early as 7.30 a.m. My good friend Ivan will know this by heart because every time when I go out on an early morning trip, I will make sure I will call him.....haaa...haaaa...haaaa.......and he will faithfully answer my call.

We drove straight to My Gopeng Resort in Sg. Itek, Gopeng. It was an adventurous drive. The drive to the camp site passes through a lot of narrow road with with some large pot holes. My Honda City survived such terrain....maybe because of the skill of the driver lar....haaa...haaaa....The scenery was awesome especially when we pass some villages. After a 20 min drive through the village road, we reach My Gopeng Resort. It is a simple and beautiful place. I am pretty sure it will bring our Youth to a "Back to Basic" experience. The best thing is no 012, 016, 017 and 018 mobile phone service is available there. I was told only 019 have some reception.

After surveying the place and talking to the person in charge at My Gopeng Resort, we drove to Kampar to try out Yau Kee Chicken Curry Bun. Man oh man.....I will give my No.1 rating to Yau Kee compare to CB Chicken Curry Bun. Their dishes are also pretty good. I love their Mayonnaise Pork Rib.......MaaMaaMia...awesome.

Then we proceed to check out the Grand Kampar Hotel. It is a pretty new (1.5 years) 3 star hotel located 5 minutes drive from Kampar town. They have really good facilities. I love their meeting rooms and their rooms are really spacious. It is also has a youth leader's friendly setup...e.g. nice bed, air-conditioned, clean toilet and etc....haaaa...haaaa...haaaaa.......Oh well, that will not be criteria for selecting the place. As a Youth Leader, we are ready to serve God anywhere we are....!!! Amen!

On our way back, I was having dilemma on which camp site to choose. Should we go for luxury or should we go for adventure. It is going to be a very tough decision. Anyway, for the sake of suspense and suprise, I will not disclose the decision now....haaa...haaa...haaa....

Check out for more update on our Youth Camp at http://www.youthimpactrocks.blogspot.com. It will be an awesome camp.

Have a great week & Be Blessed.