MJ & Life Lesson.....

The world was caught in surprise with the news on the demise of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson, the moon walking former child star who became known the world over as the "King of Pop" before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals till his death. The circumstances of Jackson's death were not immediately clear although there are many theories going on out there. Even his own father suspect something might have taken place. I still remember when we were young, we tried to perform dance move like Michael.

Anyway, my article today is on what we can learn from the death of Michael. Michael’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s. Michael at one point had it all: fortune, fame, basically everything the world can offer. Yet he still was searching and suffering his whole life and died with millions of dollars of debt. Columnist Andrew Sullivan, on his blog for The Nation magazine, wrote that he grieved for Jackson "but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours, and it is a lethal and brutal one: With fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out,"

Rev. Chris Long put it in a very simple way during our last Sunday service. He said the bible teaches us three principle of love. Firstly, love your God with all your heart. Secondly, love your neighbor and thirdly love yourself. Unfortunately, Michael only learned to “love your neighbor”. He was a great philanthropist. Michael donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundations, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. Jackson co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in Africa and the US. He was one of 39 music celebrities who performed on the record. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.

When looking at Michael Jackson’s life one of the greatest lessons I personally have learned is the truth of Jesus’ words of how blessed the person is who puts the kingdom of God first and trusts in Him rather than the arm of flesh. I am once again reminded on how human we all are and that all we have is a gift from God. We need to rely on the Lord through our good and bad times and remain grateful for every blessing He gives us.

Learning to Stand

And having done all... stand. Ephesians 6:13 NKJV

Don't allow the conflict-free seasons of your life to lull you into a false sense of security: 'Be vigilant… the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour' (1Peter 5:8 NKJV).

What should we do when the Devil comes along? 'And having done all… stand.' Indeed, '… God is able to make [you] stand' (Romans 14:4 NKJV), not in your own strength, but the strength of Jesus Christ. By yourself you're an easy target, but in the strength of the Lord you can stand and not give in. So today when satan shows up with his temptations, announce that you're going to stand in Christ. Let him know you're going to stand until the shaking stops, until the wave of loneliness passes, until your marriage is restored, until you come out of debt, until the struggle is over, until the tempter loses his power to trap or topple you. When you do the standing - God does the strengthening!

Paul said, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me' (Philippians 4:13). Note the word 'strengtheneth.' He won't just strengthen you once, He'll do it again and again. He'll strengthen you every time you face a difficult challenge, every time a memory comes back to torment you, every time you're reminded of your imperfect past, every time you face a difficult situation. Drawing from God the strength you need to stand up to the enemy will take effort. It will take your praise, your prayer, your getting into His Word with an intensity you never had before. But the truth is - you can stand if you want to!

Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd.

If someone forces you to go one mile, go... two...Matthew 5:41 NIV

In Roman times soldiers could make Jewish citizens carry their gear for a mile. But Jesus says: '"If someone forces you to go one mile, go… two."' Max Lucado writes: 'We've a second-mile servant in our church. By profession he's an architect; by passion, a servant. Prior to each worship service he does his rounds through the men's restrooms… wipes sinks, cleans mirrors, checks toilets and picks up paper. He tells no one and requests nothing in return…

Let me tell you how to spot [second-milers]. They don't wear badges or uniforms; they wear smiles. They've discovered… joy in the extra effort… satisfaction in helping others… that the real reward rests at the base of the second mile-post… Why? Liberation! They've passed from slave to volunteer. When Mary anointed Jesus' feet, one-milers like Judas criticised the deed as wasteful. Not Jesus. He received the gesture as a demonstration of love, a friend surrendering her most treasured gift.

There's an elderly man in your community who just lost his wife. An hour of your time would mean the world to him. Some kids in your city have no dad to take them to the cinema or football games. Maybe you can. They can't pay you back but they'll smile like a cheshire cat at your kindness. How about this one? Down the landing is a person who shares your last name. Shock them with kindness… your homework done with no complaints… coffee served when they awake… a love letter written for no special reason. Alabaster poured out 'just because.' Jesus chose the servants' quarters. Can't we?' John Gardner said, 'When people are serving, life is no longer meaningless.' You're not called to 'get by,' you're called to go 'above and beyond.'

Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd.

How To Leave A Lasting Legacy

Those who turn many to righteousness [shall shine] like the stars forever. Daniel 12:3 NKJV

An unsavoury character passed away and a eulogy was delivered by a pastor who'd never met him. Hoping to comfort the family the reverend got carried away, describing the departed as a caring son, a dedicated father and a loving husband. After the service the widow nudged their son and said, 'Go up to the coffin and make sure it's your father he's talking about!' Seriously, if your life was measured by its donation instead of its duration, how would people remember you?

D James Kennedy wrote: 'Consider the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the world's most massive structures. Someone built it as a memorial to himself… King Khufu, not exactly a household name! Emperor Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal as a tribute to his wife, yet he too built in vain; after all who knows the name of Mumtaz?. While these people are all forgotten, we can make a permanent imprint on the world. God placed a desire in our hearts for significance and permanence, because we're bound for eternal life. So how can we make a name for ourselves for eternity? By bringing others to Christ! Do you know somebody who needs salvation? They'll be forever grateful you took the time and made the effort to introduce them to Jesus.' The Bible says by bringing people to Him you'll 'shine… like the stars forever and ever.'

Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd.

Camporama 2009 - City Gates

Faces of Camporama 2009 (Part 2)

Faces of Camporama 2009

Camporama 2009

Camporama 2009 is finally over. What a camp indeed!!!!.....I am so glad that I manage at least to be a partial camper despite my busy schedule. I manage to stays 2 days and 1 night. My initial plan to attend the entire camp has to be changed due to some last minute business trip to East Malaysia.

Camporama 2009 is simply awesome and fantastic. Thumbs up for the organizing committee led by Ps. Gideon and Camp Commander Rueben Ponniah. It is one of the best Camporama that I have ever attended. There was a lot of fun and laughter especially seeing the different groups showing their skills and talents. Not forgetting all the other activities like archery, flying fox, kayaking and the lasergun. The food was awesome....we had BBQ lamb, chicken and fish for dinner. The facilities was excellent too.

I notice something significant in Camporama 2009. It is like seeing 4 X 400m race where the runners are passing the baton over to the next sets of runners. I saw new leaders taking up the baton and running the race in this awesome ministry called Royal Rangers. I am so proud the young ones (emmm not so young anymore lar) like Rueben, Darren Teoh, Terrence Ooi, Zach and many others taking their position in organizing and running the camporama. I observe the senior leaders supporting the younger one in the background quitely....giving the new leaders a free hand to run the camp while they take carestuff like First Aid and not forgetting busy sipping the teh tarik. Many go unnoticed but they are providing encouragement to the young leaders.

I understand now the significant of the theme of Camporama 2009, “Positioned to Serve” and the scripture verse taken from Acts 13:36 “For David, after He had served God’s purpose in his own generation…”. It is indeed true that God is rising up brand new leaders to serve this generation. I feel so fulfilled when I see many of the young ones taking up their position in serving the Lord. I was glad to see Stefanie Sim from my former outpost Melaka #1 serving in Royal Patrol and also helping out in the games. I told Stef that in the next Camporama, I would like to see her to be one of the Camporama cities Mayor.

As I was resting at home, the Lord reaffirms this conviction that I had in Camporama. I believe RR Malaysia is heading towards a new season and a brand new experience. I believe this new generation of leaders will do greater things for the Lord in RR.

So gear up and position yourself to serve our Awesome God.

Be Blessed.

Eight Principles To Live By

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity...Proverbs 3:21-22 NLT

People who set goals accomplish much more than people of equal education and ability who don't. With that in mind, build these eight principles into your life.

1) Decide what you want. But first consult God. 'Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails' (Proverbs 19:21 NIV).

2) Think on paper. Writing your goals down gives them a sense of permanency, plus it energises you. 'Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity… ' Wishy-washy objectives won't get you where you want to go.

3) Establish a deadline. Without a definite beginning and ending it's easy to procrastinate and get nowhere.

4) Make a list of what you need to do to. Keep it before you at all times; it'll give you a track to run on.

5) Convert your list to a plan. Decide what you need to do first and what you can do later. An organised plan is always better than trying to carry stuff around in your head.

6) Act immediately. 'Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity… ' (Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV). Do something! A mediocre plan that's implemented beats a brilliant one that's not.

7) Do something every day to move you forward. Build it into your schedule. For example, read systematically through your Bible, call a specific number of clients, engage in physical activity for a given time.

8) Have a goal you're willing to devote your life to. And keep your eye on that goal at all times. 'Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom' (Psalm 90:12 NIV).

Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd.

Fake Smile

Are you naturally putting up a smile when you go to work or forcing yourself to smile? Something to ponder for the weekend.

Find something to praise God for today!

If there is anything praiseworthy... meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8 NKJV

General Robbie Risner described the seven years he spent as a prisoner of war as 'the essence of despair.' He said, 'If you could have squeezed the feeling out of the word despair, it would have come out lead-coloured, dingy and dirty.' What's amazing is how he survived. He pried the cover off a floor drain in his cell and lowered his head into the opening. There he noticed a solitary blade of grass, the only smidgeon of colour in his colourless world. Calling it a blood transfusion for the soul, Risner began each day in prayer, lying on the floor of his cell with his head down the vent, focused on that single blade of grass.

Jesus said, '"Your eye… provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness… "' (Matthew 6:22-23 NLT).What are you looking at? Each day you get to decide where you'll focus. And you won't have to look hard to find things to complain about: war, petrol prices, the economy, global warming, and crime. God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed in the Garden of Eden, but they chose to focus on the one thing they couldn't have. He divided the Red Sea, sent signs to guide the Israelites in the wilderness and provided food so they'd never go hungry. Initially, '… They… sang his praise. But… soon forgot what he had done… ' (Psalm 106:12-13 NIV). Don't be like that. The Bible says, 'If there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things.' Surely you can find something to praise God for today!

Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd.