A Smile

A friend that day told me when I was extremely tired in work this in an email

"Smile a bit, coz if u dont smile you wont look handsome anymore"

Even though it was a joke to beef me up, I decided to reflect on what my friend said now and what my friend told me is true. When you feel tired in office or anywhere you don't feel like smiling as you are really work out and it don't really portray you when you are filled up with energy. There was once when I read somewhere, this is what it says about smile, but I can't really remember the 100% words that was written. And I decided to do some research on the definitions of Smile and this is what I found out more. Some is written by my own understanding.

1. A Person Might Really Need A Smile To Cheer Them Up And With Your Timely Smile That Might Be All They Need
2. A polite gesture, a commonplace for friends, or something more. You can sense things through smiles, Like How comfortable you are, Or if you really are okay.
3. Smiles can do more for someone then you’ll ever know (backup for number 1)
4. An object of comfort
5. It can brighten someone up on the rainiest day of the year
6. When I see you walking towards me with that smile on your face,That smile,The one that goes on forever, so I don’t know where it starts and where it ends. (more for couples in love)
7. Because a smile is a special thing, which cannot be replicated And every one I share with you makes all the pain worth it
8. When You Started To Smile At Me, I Decided to Reply Your Smile Too
9. Everyone Needs To Smile.
10. A Smile can bring the person to another world (happiness) or even sweep them off their feet
    

So I guess in the end we should smile A LOT more to others as we will never know that we can touch their life with the single and simple smile. So what are we waiting for? Smile :)

Memories That Will Last Forever

The other day when I was helping my parents to cut watermelon for their HOME E, memories of working as cutter boy in Freo + Juiceworks started to come into my mind. I still remember all the fun I had cutting fruits, how I didn't want to do cashier and how I enjoyed the fellowship that I had with my friend.

I have to say, when ever I see a fruit, there is a story behind nearly all of it and it brings smiles to me when I am alone / my mind is idle or when I am with my other friends and I will just tell them the stories / experience that I had working there.

Actually I believe most of us all have great memories that we will keep till the end and most of it will replay when we are idle or when we see something that has to do with the memory. Most of the time this memories will replay (for me) when I am walking alone to the LRT station, in the LRT itself and sometimes when I drive (when I don't on the radio). This memories can be anything from spiritual till things that happen to you daily.

Hold on to your memories, it will really do you good and guess what? You can write about it or even tell your friends, gf/bf, your future spouse, your kids and even your grandkids next time. Its just a thought, as a memory just flash into my mind while I write this.......

Well Done People

Wow, I would like to congratulate some of my mates who can write really well in their blogs. Boy you guys are really doing great. Keep up the good work as we blog on every single thing from planet earth till mars :)

Some of your stuff that you write really makes me think even more. I guess I will need to write as good as you guys too. Darn better start hitting back to books to improve my grammer so I can write like you guys too :)

It Did Happen O_o

Well one fine day when I was somewhere, suddenly a sms came to me. So I check it out and the 1st thought that I have was damm, I still kena spam again. I thought they will minus my rm3 everytime they send spam to me. When I press the word read this is what the sms wrote.

"Dear Madam *** (forgot the name). We would like to inform you that your PAP SMEAR results came back normal. If You would need any clarification, please reply this message. Dr *** (unsure Name) clinic"


The Next thing that came into my mind, was what gender I was. I was checking myself out by looking at my own body part and wondered if I did go any hospital to do any check up recently but then again I didn't. Then I started to laugh.

Now I have this problem, does guys do pap smear too? Or is it only gals? Doc Pui Fun or who ever who reads this blog help me please!!!

Lack of sleep may be deadly, research shows

People who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease, according to a large British study released on Monday.

Although the reasons are unclear, researchers said lack of sleep appeared to be linked to increased blood pressure, which is known to raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

A 17-year analysis of 10,000 government workers showed those who cut their sleeping from seven hours a night to five or less faced a 1.7-fold increased risk in mortality from all causes and more than double the risk of cardiovascular death.

The findings highlight a danger in busy modern lifestyles, Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Warwick's medical school, told the annual conference of the British Sleep Society in Cambridge.

"A third of the population of the UK and over 40 percent in the U.S. regularly sleep less than five hours a night, so it is not a trivial problem," he said in a telephone interview.

"The current pressures in society to cut out sleep, in order to squeeze in more, may not be a good idea -- particularly if you go below five hours."

Previous research has highlighted the potential health risks of shift work and disrupted sleep. But the study by Cappuccio and colleagues, which was supported by British government and U.S. funding, is the first to link duration of sleep and mortality rates.

The study looked at sleep patterns of participants aged 35-55 years at two points in their lives -- 1985-88 and 1992-93 -- and then tracked their mortality rates until 2004.

The results were adjusted to take account of other possible risk factors such as initial age, sex, smoking and alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol.

The correlation with cardiovascular risk in those who slept less in the 1990s than in the 1980s was clear but, curiously, there was also a higher mortality rate in people who increased their sleeping to more than nine hours.

In this case, however, there was no cardiovascular link and Cappuccio said it was possible that longer sleeping could be related to other health problems such as depression or cancer-related fatigue.

"In terms of prevention, our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health," he said.

NOT WRITTEN BY ME, TAKEN FROM WEBSITE, THOSE WHO WANT TO SLEEP LESS THINK TWICE FROM NOW ONWARDS.

Rainbow

Was driving to work on Monday morning when it drizzle a little before I left and when I was on LDP to KJ LRT Station Parking, this is what I saw, a rainbow over the sky. It was only half (left to center, other side tak ada), but it was enough to remind us of the covenant that we have with our God. At that instant moment I really smiled knowing God is always there for us too.

Not only that, the song called "Some Where Over The Rainbow" came thru my head and it ended there.

When Your Best Is Not Your Best To Others And Words

Well I can say that most of us work really hard for everything that we do and all of us want to achieve something out of it. You know at times you put in the 110% effort but in the end people just don't appreciate your work even a single bit and just continue to shoot you to blame you for things that you do or even things that have already happen? People will at times wonder if it is truly my fault if the problem occurred when actually it is not our problem or we have tried our very best to fix the problem.

I know on earth there are no people who will say nice things to you or even compliment you on your job that you have done nicely. Most of the time people will just say things that will hurt your feelings and some of them do it intentionally and unintentionally (to them is a joke when it is not).

Why can't people be nice with each other? I know there is nothing we can do to change the other person, but there is something that we can do to change our own self. It is always the 1st step that we need to take to make the difference rather than being just like one of them. That is why now I am learning how to or have already started to use words of encouragement and even to compliment people as they will feel appreciated and you will never know that those are the words that they just want to hear at that very moment. You might never know that they will just even remember your words you have for them even at that time even though you might have already forgotten what you have said to them.

Badminton

Since I am off today, I decided to play badminton in the morning with my friends. I woke up late actually and I woke up about 845am and I saw 3 miss calls on my hp from my leader. Then I return his call and just remembered that we are playing badminton today in the morning. Reach there like 9am and started to do warm up and Dylan arrive at the same time. So we started to play doubles and I partnered Dylan. The game was really good as the shoots all was trick shoots, smashes, net play and many more. In the end Dylan and I lost. But we manage to win 1 game. The 1st game was easy, the 2nd and 3rd game was so close to each to other. Later I played with Dylan one on one on a single court to practice our shoots. Then it was doubles with another people who was actually playing on the other court. My Partner was called Hew. When he told me that name, it reminded me of my friend who I work with in office and it is also my friends gf who also read this blog :P But in the end, we played 21 points, we manage to win it quite easily.

But one thing for sure, I will start to have leg pains and back pains today till don't know when as I can already feel the side effects coming and hit me even right now. But it is worth it all as I manage to exercise after so many weeks. I guess I haven't exercise for nearly 4/5 weeks as my sundays are now always full till the evening. But I need to do some work out after my choir practice. Can't be too lazy

Please Please Be Careful

Ladies, Kids or who ever you are, please please be really careful when you go out or even when you go back alone. Due to the death of a little gal in our country, things have been really unsure these days. Not only have little gals died, but also young working ladies who died due to snatch theft. These are actually people who didn't do anything to anyone and they are the victim's. They do NOT deserve to sexually assaulted or even die unnecessarily. I wish those who have done these to any gals will NOT rest in peace from now onwards and that their conscience will be pricked so badly till they will not even be able to sleep at night and that they will repent of their wrong doing.

But there are things we can really do as Christians, pray for our nation. Our country really needs our prayer. God only you know can do something in the Spiritual Realm as we pray for our nation.

So once again, who ever you are, especially gals, please do NOT leave office late, and if you do need to leave late, please get someone to walk with you. If you have a bf, it will be better if he can company you home or even pick you up from office. Remember, safety comes 1st, work can wait at times

My Room Floor and My Wife (Guitar)

I am starting to rock more on my guitar. I really starting to go even to another level trying to play things that I really cannot play. Nowadays I will just come back early and play the guitar as I quite sick of working so late everyday. I am trying to make myself not comfy at what I know but I would really like to rock all the frets on my guitar. Even though there are 14 reachable frets, it is still more than enough for me to learn all the different chords in the different frets. I guess the reason why I can spend more time playing the guitar and doing vocals is because I still have yet to find a girlfriend yet. I guess once if I do have a girlfriend, my guitar might not be so important anymore, but then again since I spend 1.7K on it, it will still be my treasure.

As I was walking to office today, I decided to do some slow christian songs. When I was nearer to the telecom building, I decided to change to another song. It is actually one of my favorite songs. As some of you might know that my voice can change differently for different songs. When it was the chorus part, I manage to do something that I never knew that I could do (not trying to be big head) and it sounded really nice as it sounded really rounded (musician term). I believe this is not what I have done, but I know this is the skills that God have put in me to be used for the advancement of his Kingdom. I believe once I stop working in my current company, I will try to switch to another ministry which is the MWM to sing for God in the stage.

People Confuse Of Future?

Well, I am going to talk about future of a person's job. I know at my age / freshie out of uni, people will be confused on what they really want to do in their life. I am going to count the age of coming out of uni is about 22/23 years old. There might be some of you a little bit slower but that doesn't matter. I know that at the age, most of us will wonder what we should really start or career path. Some of us might start out by doing technical support /phone support, programmer,web page designer, administrators (what ever system, wintel, as400, linux), network engineer and many more.

I was just chatting with a couple of my friends, some of them are you as you read my blog and they told me that at a certain age, you will know what you really want to be focus in. Example for my case, currently I am doing Security Administrator in my company, I actually can choose to become windows Administrator, As400 Administrator (not so strong in this) or even focus in security. But bear in mind, like my friend said, in my case, I can know 3, but I either can focus in 1 or 2 and know a bit of the other. Well I have to say I total agree on what my friend said. It will be a benefit being able to know more.

Then while I was having lunch with a friend of mine, I ask this friend, what would you like to do? This friend is a lot my senior and my friend told me not really sure. I was honest shocked as I thought usually at their age they will know what path they really want to head at. But then again I am not really shocked as my friend's confusion is due to the companies crap. They are forcing my friend to learn something my friend haven't really learn before. Actually I feel this is unfair as I believe if I am already at lets say 28/29 years old, I have my own direction and it is not really up to the company to ask me to do things I don't want. But then again my company they want every one to know everything but at the same time master of nothing which can be quite sad. Even though we might be quite focus (example like me as a security administrator), we still need to learn a lot of other things even though we are "suppose" to be focus .

I will just write a bit on what I am currently doing now in the company. Now I am doing spring cleaning to AD (creating + disabling ID, Doing Policy), Email Server (checking scanmail, email logs to make sure it don't overflow, checking mails that get's in, deleting email ID's), IMSS, IWSS (boy this system is interesting), OfficeScan, AS400 (checking mimix, creating + disable id's, check system status), VMWARE Administrator (tivoli softwares), Tivoli Administrator, Sans Storage Administrator, Tivoli Admistrator, Line Monitoring, Technical Support, ISO, IPS Administrator and doing my own work. There are actually more for me to do, but then again there is not much training even though all the system's are there for us to use. We can't really simply disturb the system as if there is any error, we will be held responsible for our actions.

As you can see I have listed down so many task that I do, but the question is, where is my career path in the future? Who won't be confuse if there is so much to do but then again we are master of none? There is a level where all of us can really help each other or even learn up each other's work, but then again there should be a focus point / specialization in the job name that has been given to us. If I was at 28 years old and I am given so much task, I think I will surely leave the company as there is like no future for me even though I can learn a lot more. I believe in the end, we will really need to know what we really want in our live to really move on to the level that we will be most comfortable in

So where do you stand now? Where would you head? Think really hard as it is your future.

Some Thing Nice

Saw this in my friends blog and it cost USD975

1 Peter 4:12 - 19

Suffering for Being a Christian

¹²Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"^[a]

¹⁹So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Gathering

I would like to take this chance to thank Phui Yein (my utar mate) for oragnizing a small gathering on last Friday even though it was a last minute thing. Only 4 people turn up and it was me, wei jeng, lai heng and phui yein herself. I was a bit late myself as I had to come back to eat before I went and meet them in the shop in ss2. When I was there I just had a drink and we chat a lot about work and other stuff. Since the shop was going to close, we continue our talking session in the mamak stall. Even though it was just chatting and catching up with each other it was really fun. I guess all of us shared the different path of our lives, some of us regret (like me working in aeon like dog) and they even compared like people working overnight but they cannot fight me coz at times I work 24/7 without going home. I have to say I am very thankful for going for the gathering even though I was tired. If I didn't go, I won't know when it will be the next time we will all meet once again. A special thanks again to all who turn up.

I am So Weak

I haven't been having the best of health these days. Was having fever on Monday evening and I took 2 days mc, then I recovered and yesterday I had a very bad flu. And today the flu has cause me to get backache. I was in church and during worship I could feel the backache really hitting me as I stood up and worship. Boy do I really need energy to continue this hectic lifestyle. I know that work is not even easier on me these days, but I really need to know my limits and even come back early to get more rest and also play with the baby. Even my mum tells me to come back early everyday when I know I can't but actually I can. I can't kid myself too much already. I really need rest.

Having A Blast

Boy I am really enjoying my MC for the last 2 days. I have been sleeping so well, eating so well and I really glad I told the doctor to give me 2 days mc. Not only that, I have been enjoying myself in playing so much guitar in these 2 days. I have to say the love of music is in my life and it is starting to creep in even more telling me to go to another level. I know I can, because I can do a lot of things when I have my BIG BOSS telling me I can do it. Not only that, I might / will come and do vocals for YOU when I quit my company. With my current work load well things dont really permit to do so. I really want to be the best in all that I do, my work, my playing guitar, my vocals, my service to God and all.

With 2 days of mc, boy I don't even remember about the company at all. That is the reason why I sleep so well. I am also very lucky that they don't even call me for support. If they do, its easy, I won't even pick up the call. I am not on duty and at times I don't even want to pick up their call anymore. Tell you the truth, it is not worth it at all. Even the other day when I was off for 4 days, every single day they called me for support. Look how crappy can they be? No Freedom.

Being Tactful

I believe being tactful in what you always say is really important. It is more important especially when it comes to the unseen (emails, msn, yahoo messenger, icq, skype, google talk). I guess it is important to get your message clear on what you want to say especially emails. Now I know why it is extremely hard to write emails to make it clear what is needed to be said. It is even more important when the person is feeling down and the person need some words of encouragement and not things that they do not want to hear.

I think I shall illustrate some of the examples.

Example 1
A friend didn't do that well in exam and you know you did better and you purposely rub his wounds if he did well knowing that he didn't

Example 2
You were at home doing nothing when all of a sudden your friend who is having fun time SMS you and kind of laugh at you for staying at home (on purpose or not on purpose)

Example 3
You are done with evaluation and your marks was not what you hope for and people tell you that the marks don't matter but it does matter to you


All I can say, words of encouragement is a need for people in need and never ever go put your thoughts and make people feel that you are against them even though you might not mean it. It is really worst as if it is unseen by the person and the person interprets it wrongly. I believe it is important to try to understand their feelings and putting yourself in their shoes and they will only know that you are a true friend.

A Quote From Lydia

This was what my friend shared with me once when I was down. Thanks Lydia

"Come i take a light of hope and light the candle tht is burnt out =))"

Quote From Bible / IM

Love Is Kind
Make A Joyful Noise
Good Friends Are Forever
Friendship Hits The Spot
Love One Another

The cross ... as it is

Smile That Will Make Difference

Today I was doing ushering and I was at church by 830am. It was quite a good time to be there early and we manage to hear the songs that will be sang during the worship. It was quite nice to worship God in advance with the songs. After a while Pastor started to pray for the celebration to do a sound check on his mike. Then it was time for the celebration.

During worship, suddenly something caught my attention which is like I felt like a word came in saying this "one day you will be up there (on stage doing vocals for church)". At instant I was like yeah I believe I should. I can't imagine myself up there, but I know with God's grace and timing, I will be up there one day. After that, I was so fired up for worship. I sang differently and tried to make it sound nicer from my place where I was standing. It was a good time of praise and worship. One of the songs that I played yesterday evening was "Kau Yang Terindah" and it was one of the songs that was sang today. Maybe for the person who heard me singing that song yesterday, comment if it is nice or not :P

At the end of the celebration, I was sitting around and I saw a group of students sitting together and one of them turn towards my location and I smiled at her. She return with a sweet smile. Around 1 hour later, I saw the same gal again this time in DTM as she was playing in the orchestra and they were doing strings check. So she looked at me and gave me that sweet smile that lasted VERY LONG. I just return her a smile and just observe the place as there were different people playing different musical instrument.I learn that a smile will make a difference. That is what my teddy bear thought me in my room as he is always smiling at me 24/7 in my room.

After that I left the room and I started to talk to little kids (I guess most of you know my heart are for kids) which started to ask me math. There was this 2 boys (age 5 and 7) and a gal at 7years. This kids are extremely cute and I manage to connect with them in 1 Minute. Their math questions are not that easy. In the end I could not answer their questions as it is always multiply something and something (all in big numbers). I have to say, even though today was a tiring day and from today onwards till December my whole Sunday will jut be focus in church, but it is worth every single time of mine. I just want to give back as much time I can for HIM and for the advancement of his Kingdom.

My Bear

Who is Good Enough To Be A Christian

I've been thinking about this question for a period of time "How can you determine whether a Christian is a good christian or a bad one?" Well, I still haven't get the exact answer, but one thing I'm pretty sure is that I am in no position to judge whether that person is a good Christian or the other way round cause I'm born with sins and I'm going to leave this world with lots of sins also... so how can I say someone doesn't match to be called a Christian while I myself is not a perfect saints also in the eyes of GOD!.

Thus, one thing I practice is don't try to act out a life of an angel but live a life that listen to the inner voice and express the Christ within me. Sound abstract? Well, it is so subjective that often times, I, myself can't even determine which voice is from the source that I should rely on. But, one thing I learn is NO MORE MYSELF, but the ONE who has crucified for me.

Here is an abtract from a forwarded email that I've received ages ago which I think is so true. You might have read it before, forgotten all about it, hopefully this might remind us of something:

Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, ...
but such a small amount when you go shopping?

Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?

Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying but...
you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?

Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible but ...
how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GREY book?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games but ...
they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?

Isn't it strange that we can go early for functions but we are often late for church celebration or events (added by Jason)

Isn't it a waste that the skills / things we are good in (gifts) are not use nicely for church but it is used other places (general)? (added by Jason)

Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, ...
but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?

Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others;...
but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?

Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say but...
we question the words in the Bible?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven but...
they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away but ...
when we are going to send messages about God,
we think about it twice before we share it with others?

Might Be True Or Might Not Be True

10 signs u love sumone


TEN:
You feel shy whenever they're around.


NINE:
You smile when you hear their voice.


EIGHT:
When you look at them, you can't see
the other
people around you, you just see
him/her.


SIX:
They're all you think about.


FIVE:
You realize you're always smiling when
you're
looking at them.


FOUR:
You would do anything for them, just
to see them.


THREE:
While reading this, there was one
person on your
mind this whole time.


TWO:
You were so busy thinking about that
person, you
didnt notice number seven was missing


ONE:
You just scrolled up to check & are
now silently
laughing at yourself.

Why Do People Lie?

I need answers. Why do people lie? I know most of the people who lie is to cover themself but the best part is when they lie then they kantoi. Its like practically stupid to lie then ur lies get back fired. If there is nothing to lie about, why do you bother telling lies? If lets say the work is not done I rather the person tell the truth than lie as when the system don't work, who is going to get it in the end? The person who lies.

Next question is why do people like to lie to me too? I guess the answer is as I stated on top and people know I trust their words most of the time. The thing about me is if I find out that you had lied, you don't exist in planet earth anymore. I am so freaking good in ignoring people. Its just something in me that I guess I was born with. If you all treasure friendship that will last till the end, don't lie. Its not worth it at all.

You all have been warn, so don't try me.

Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 GT

I was buying dinner today when suddenly I saw this red car which was quite nice. So I decided to wait and take a look and it was the new Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 GT that pass me. Boy was the engine quiet and it didn't have any sound at all. I wish I had the money to get this type of car. But then again to get this type of car you will need to earn a certain sum to pay for the loan and also maintenance. Since the car went into the DJ housing estate, I went to my car as fast as possible to go and locate the Lancer. But I failed to find it out. I guess you all must be wondering why this boy is so crazy? Well simply to say I like the car. Well just to share some of the pictures that I found.

DUMC Dreamcenter

DUMC DreamCenter had their official Opening on Sunday Morning. I was actually in church since 745am as I had to do ushering for that day and we had to be there early for the briefing. I was to take care of the gallery and also to usher people to the gallery. On that day itself was a hot day and it was not any cooler as now the ushers have to wear coat during ushering. I was hot and I was sweating a lot at the same time. I have to say the aircond of the church is not powerful enough and some parts of the church can be quite hot.

Anyway that aside, on that morning itself i shake nearly 300+ hands as I shook nearly all the hands of the people who were coming up the staircase. Some didn't shake my hand as they were shy. Guys and gals also shy :P Now I know how it feels to shake so many people's hands in less than 2 hours.

Anyway I have to say the Church rocks. I believe there are around 4K+ people on that day itself. We open the overflow room which can sit around 700+ and it was pack and the extra people had to sit at the concourse area as every where was full. Even students had to sit on the stairs to give way to others to sit on their chairs. Worship was great as it was lead by aunty Stef and Pastor Chris. Those musicians were one of a kind too as guitars were played by Timmy and Matthew, Bass was Andson, Drums Not sure who and Percussion by I don't Know who either. There was the choir and also the main set of vocals which did a really good job.

Day 21 (2 September): The Proclamation (II)

Morning Meditation: Psalm 104

Passage: Isaiah 61:1-11

There is a second proclamation that was made over our church from Isaiah 61:1-11. Interestingly, the similar passage was proclaimed by Jesus in the New Testament in Luke 4. However, Jesus stopped short after declaring the ‘year of the LORD’s favour’ and did not go on to announce ‘the year of vengeance’.

Why was that so? Jesus’ coming was to declare the year of God’s favour. His coming also covered the vengeance of God over our manifold sins. Therefore, in Christ, there is no longer any vengeance of God, because Christ has borne the full vengeance of God on the cross of Calvary.

Therefore, as His church, we are called:

1. To Preach (v. 1) – We are called to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to whoever we meet. We are to declare freedom and healing to the land.
2. To Provide (v. 3) – We are asked to provide comfort and proclaim gladness by reaching out to those in pain and grief. We are called to serve the community.
3. To Plant (v. 3) – We are called to be God’s planting as oaks (not mushrooms) because God wants us to have a lasting impact. We exist to display God’s splendour.

What then is our task? (v. 4)

1. Rebuild the ancient ruins – DUMC is into the rebuilding of lives. At the Dream Centre, we believe that it will be a place ‘Where Dreams Come Alive’, ‘Where Shattered Dreams Can Live Again’ and ‘Where Destinies are Realised’.
2. Restore places long devastated – We are to restore all that the enemy has stolen in our lives and our land. No longer will the evil one lay waste to God’s inheritance for His people.
3. Renew – Bring renewal of mind and heart to all, based on God’s Word.

Therefore, what is our role? (v. 6)

1. Priests – We are called to be intermediaries, to bring people into God’s kingdom and also to bring God to people.
2. Ministers – We are to be servants. Ministers are the true servants of God.

What is our portion?

1. Plunder – We will reap the double portion, and unending joy and celebration will be our inheritance as we feed on the wealth of the nations. (v. 6)
2. Renown – DUMC will be known around the world. (v. 9)
3. Recognition – All who see us will acknowledge that we are a people whom the LORD has blessed (v. 9)

Point of Reflection:

The journey of the 21 Day Fast and Prayer has ended but the journey on as God’s Church begins on this day when we enter into the Dream Centre for our inaugural Worship Celebration today!

Let us take heed of everything that God has spoken to us in the past 21 days, and as a church, may we be everything that God intends us to be.

It is time to make our Father in heaven proud of His children here on earth!

Hallelujah! All glory to God!

Day 20 (1 September): The Proclamation (I)

Morning Meditation: Psalm 103

Passage: Isaiah 60:1-3

As a church, we proclaimed Isaiah 60:1-3.

1. Arise and Shine – His light has come (v. 1)

We are called to shine into all places. We are called to dispel darkness and evil from our land. We are called to ‘shine’ onto (expose and reveal) the condition of the human heart, revealing and healing the woundedness/brokenness, the wooden/hardened, the blinded/unresponsive and the bitterness/anger.

2. Glory of God has come and has come upon us (v. 2)

Hallelujah! The cloud of fear over our land is broken. The church is delivered from all forms of fear. We are now under God’s glory cloud – under the authority, protection and grace of God. This gives us boldness, courage and faith to accomplish all that He sets before us. Just as in the time of Moses – God’s cloud now hovers over His church.

3. Nations will come into God’s Kingdom (v. 3)

We believe that all nations, all ethnic backgrounds, and from all social backgrounds will come to know God and enter into His everlasting Kingdom.

The promise we claimed together as a church is found in Isaiah 60:20-22.

Point of Reflection:

God has uniquely called DUMC into His purposes. How will you respond to the proclamation made and the promise claimed? Let us arise and shine, for the glory of God is NOW truly upon us.

Day 19 (31 August): Christ’s Ambassadors

Morning Meditation: Psalm 149

Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:11 – 2 Corinthians 6:2

Ambassadors are representatives from their own country in a foreign land. Their duty is to build and protect the image of their home country there. Likewise, we are Christ’s ambassadors. Heaven is our home country, Jesus is our King, and earth is the foreign land where we are called to represent our King. As ambassadors, we must represent King Jesus and His kingdom well.

As ambassadors of Christ, we have a mission – the Ministry of Reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18 states “all this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” Our duty is to reconcile people back to God.

The reconciliation process involves knowing:

1. The Message (2 Corinthians 5:19) – The Good News.
2. The Means (2 Corinthians 5:21) – Jesus Christ, the means of grace.
3. The Manner (2 Corinthians 5:11) – Out of the fear of God, a fear that drives us to God (Revelation 15:3-4)
4. The Motive (2 Corinthians 5:14) – Christ’s love compels us.
5. The Measure (2 Corinthians 5:15) – No longer living for ourselves but for God. Are we honouring God with our money, time and resources?
6. The Moment (2 Corinthians 6:2) – The time is NOW, the day is TODAY.

Why now? Why today? 3Ms.

1. Malaysia – 31 August 2007 – on our 50^th year as a nation, we declare God’s day in our land.
2. Merdeka – Today is a day of freedom and liberty!
3. Malays – God’s desire is for every person to be saved.

Point of Reflection:

On this special day, will you consider yourself an ambassador of God? If so, then, let us live up to the fact that we are representing Christ Himself to others around us. Let us not sully His name!

Day 18 (30 August): Free from Fear (II)

Morning Meditation: Psalm 34

Passage:

Today’s session was a continuation of yesterday’s topic.

Results in overcoming fear
	Freedom. When we turn our fear into faith, we gain freedom for there is nothing more to fear, nothing more to lose, and nothing more to hide. People of faith are righteous people. Take Elijah for example, as stated in James 5:16-18. He was a man of great faith and his prayer to God was able to change the direction of an entire nation.
	Intimacy with God. When we pray, we will experience God’s heart and mind. He will reveal his truths to us and we will gain peace and assurance. When we experience great intimacy with God, there is no fear - even if the mountains shake and the seas roar!
	Overflowing love. When we have a deep love for God, we will be filled with God’s overflowing love. It is love that is greater than a parent’s sacrificial love for his/her children. God laid down His life for us before we even knew him. We will love everyone because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)
	Strength & Power. When we focus on Jesus, we gain strength and power. Fear leads us to focus on the human level. Absence of fear leads us to focus on God’s power. Apostle Paul who focused only on Jesus, was not discouraged by his wrongful imprisonment, but instead he was strengthened and strengthened others too!
	Encouragement to others. When we focus on the future, we become an encouragement to others as well. In Philippians 1:12 – 14, we learn that God’s people outside of prison received courage to preach God’s good news from Paul’s imprisonment. 1 Peter 4:13 reminds us to rejoice when we share Jesus’ suffering for we will be overjoyed when Christ returns. When we suffer for Jesus, praise the Lord!

Point of Reflection:

When fear is no longer reigning in our life that is when we can live freely unto God.

When we are set free from fear, God can work freely in our lives. Are you ready to trust and thrust your entire life into God’s hands knowing that ‘God is good, all the time’? Are you willing to step out in faith into all that God has in store for you? Are you ready to give Him your all?

Day 16 (28 August): Principles of Sowing and Reaping

Morning Meditation: Psalm 37

Passage: John 12:24-26

Many of us wonder whether what we are doing will yield results. The answer is YES!!! Whatever we sow in God’s name always yields godly results. Whenever we look outwards, God changes our inward being.

From the passage, we can learn 3 key principles of sowing.

1) The principle of generosity (Psalm 37:25-26)

We read in the morning that generosity breeds generosity. A generous person is never out of God’s grace. A generous man is richly blessed!

2) The principle of sacrifice (John 12:24, 25)

When we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, time, gifts and go all the way (like a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground), we will bear much fruit. If we are willing to sacrifice our lives, we will gain it. That is TRUE sacrifice.

3) The principle of servanthood (John 12:26)

A follower of Jesus must follow in His footsteps (Mark 10:45). Perfect servanthood would require us to lay down our lives for a godly cause. It requires us to persevere when the going gets tough. It requires us to have a genuine love for others. The greatest service we can show to others is to share with them the Good News of Jesus Christ – even at the cost of our own lives.

Many of us may be gripped by fear especially in sharing our faith to others. God says in 1 John 4:18 that perfect love casts out all fear. Let us therefore allow God to fill us with so much love that our fear turns to faith so that revival can breakforth in our land.

Point of Reflection:

In life, are we sowing the way God intended (i.e. generously, sacrificially and as a servant) or are we sowing with the leftovers of our lives? Take time to reflect whether you have sown responsibly into the Kingdom of God this year, and resolve to change whatever necessary to serve the Kingdom of God effectively