You Are My Father

As I was choosing worship songs for tonight's cell group, I came across True Worshipper's song 'You Are My Father'.  It's such a wonderful song to remind me of my eternal Father who has always been there and never failed me. 

There have been so many changes in my life over the past few months and sometimes my emotions have been like a roller-coaster, but I can always count on God to be there to celebrate my victories and listen to my cries.

Verse 1:
It doesn’t matter where I run, You’re there for me
It doesn’t matter what I’ve done Your love’s for me
You wipe away the tears, You lift me when I fall
My life is saved by the mercy of Your grace

Verse 2:
It doesn’t matter where I go, You walk with me
It doesn’t matter when I fall, You cover me
You wipe away the tears, You lift me when I fall
My life is saved by the mercy of Your grace

Chorus:
You are my Father, Provider
You’re my Deliverer
Your mercies embrace me, surround me
Through Your everlasting love
Father I worship You
Father I worship You

And Your love is for me
And Your love is for me
And Your love is forever

As I take on this new chapter in life, I must remember all that God has done for me and keep Him at the centre of my life.  Without Him, I am nothing.

Oh please....

The beginning of 2010 hasn't been that great for Malaysians as a whole. On the last day of 2009, the High Court ruled in favour of Christians using the word Allah for God. This sparked protests all over the country from some Muslims, and even caused division amongst Muslims - some supported the decision, some did not.

Over the past few days, there were arson attacks on 8 churches across the country. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. Political parties quickly condemned the attacks, and the government and Muslim NGOs offered to help and contributed towards the church rebuilding fund.

I kept wondering how God felt about all this...He must be sad. God sees our hearts and motives, and I think He would prefer it if we used all our time and energy to worship and get to know Him, do His will and learn to love each other instead of fighting over what we call Him. And He knows that though we may be passionate about fighting for justice or our rights, once this is over and done with, we might not even utter His name with a heart that loves Him.

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

Missing Nepal

As I was taking Spottie on a short walk this morning, enjoying the perfect weather, tranquility and greenery around me, I was suddenly reminded of Nepal. And at that very minute, that thought triggered something in my heart, and I started missing Nepal...a lot.  The more I reflected on my trips to Nepal, the more I missed it. I've been to many other countries, but I don't miss any of them like I miss Nepal. 

I began to process what I was feeling in my mind, and I wondered whether it was remotely possible that for some reason, I had some kind of calling there at a certain point in my life... possibly in the future. When I think about Nepal, I feel joy, awe, excitement and a mix of nice feelings! 

Is it just that I had 'out-of-this-world' experiences in my 3 mission trips to Nepal over the past 5 years... or is it that God has planted something special in my heart for that country? Is this why I often feel restless and frustrated at the work I'm currently doing, feeling that I should be doing more? 

My hope is that at the end of my life, I would be able to say that I have done what God intended me to do in my lifetime. And I hope and pray that I will be obedient and courageous to do what God asks, because nothing else matters except walking in the perfect will of God.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

The Sabbath

I'm currently reading a book about a priest who leaves church for a secular job.  She writes:-

"If my first lost upon leaving church was my regular Sunday job, then my first gain was the Sabbath." 

- Barbara Brown Taylor

She talks about how inconceivable it was for her to not 'work' on her off day. She had to pay the bills, do the laundry and a whole list of other things. I can relate to that. Yet long ago, Jews with many children and aged parents managed to observe the Sabbath and kept it holy. 

I think that nobody really takes the Sabbath seriously nowadays. That includes me. Pastors preach about it, we read about it in the bible, we discuss about it and we pray about it.  But we don't practise it.

On our 'Sabbath' day, we have a whole list of 'things-to-do' like repairing the sink, grocery shopping, washing the car and countless other activities. Churches have extra events and meetings on a Sunday and public holidays. Volunteers come in to serve in church for hours on their Sabbath day.

If God rested on the Sabbath, what makes us think that we don't need rest? I think that the lack of Sabbath observance in our lives today has resulted in many defeated Christian lives. The truth is I don't know how to observe the Sabbath in my hectic daily routine, but I know I have to do it!

I feel that if Christian leaders take the Sabbath seriously, they must not only practise it, but allow and teach their sheep to practise it too.  After all, Christianity is not all about working for God, its about a relationship with a loving Father and getting to know Him through His Word and His awesome creation. 

Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.  Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. Exodus 20:8-11

The Wonder of Creation

I love going on walks with my dogs. During my off days, Spottie will wait by my side at 4.30 pm anticipating his 45 minute evening walk. To him, the evening walk is the best thing in the world.

I love seeing Spottie go on his usual route. He will visit his friends from the neighbourhood one by one - the dashund, the labrador, Chloe the mixed retriever, Susie the shih tzu and a few more. Of course not all his friends are pure breed dogs, many are mongrels too! I believe that all dogs are beautiful regardless of breed.

I have learnt a lot from walking my dog. He enjoys nature so much, taking his time to sniff things out, his tail held high in confidence as he walks and the way the hair on his back stands when he's being threatened. I have learnt to enjoy nature the same way, savouring the wind and sun on my face, examining the amazing texture of different kinds of plants and trees and observing how dogs relate to each other.

As we walk together, we have this unique bond between 2 friends, a human and a dog. Both very different in nature, and yet, created by the same God. I believe that God created animals and nature to help us understand more about Himself, teach us how to live fulfilling lives and bring us peace, joy and healing in different circumstances.

And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25

My morning prayers

I pray each morning driving to work. I start by asking God to forgive me of my sins (like David says, they overwhelm me and are more than the hairs on my head) and I know my prayers won't go through when I have a whole bulk of sins blocking my prayers. So need to get the sins out of the way. Then I thank God for His love, grace and mercies towards me. Because I honestly don't think I will be alive today (or can make it alive for the next few minutes) without it. Then I pray for my sick friends and relatives. Sadly, there are so many people with sicknesses nowadays and every prayer counts. Sometimes I think whether my little prayer will make any difference to someone who is so sick, but then I think again, maybe it means everything. And if I were sick, I'd really appreciate someone praying for me.

Then I pray for my stuff - my work, my ministries, my life. Everyday, I ask God to lead and guide me, to make His will my will, and that His will be done. Sometimes I'll feel worried praying that, because I have no idea what God has planned. But then life is really not worth living if I miss out His will for me completely and do something I wasn't created to do. And I remind myself daily that I am nothing without Him. I usually add in little things in my prayers, like now I'm praying that God will make my 2 dogs Bully and Spottie love each other so that they will not fight. And so far they have been really good!

Then the end is my favourite. Not because I'm ending the prayers, but because the end part keeps me alive. Everyday, for the past... maybe over 10 years, I've prayed this. I ask God for His protection and good health for my family members (including my dogs & parrot) and I ask Jesus to cover us with His blood. With His blood over us, nothing can harm us. Then I just see all the evil stuff fleeing from us :) Then I say, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

Let the Wedding Plans begin!

This is going to be an exciting year. Wedding plans have started and thank God, everything's moving on smoothly. There are so many things to think about and decide on, the budget, the card, the venue, the gown, the bridal party, the guest list......

Hoi Hian and me have decided that the most important thing for our wedding is that it honours God above everything else. And that we'll be a blessing to our family, friends and relatives who attend our wedding. We don't want it to be just another wedding, where everything's perfect and beautiful and grand to the smallest detail. As long as God's happy, we're happy.

So it's quite a joy planning for the wedding. It's easy depending on God because things just fall into place one by one. I really thank God for my parents and friends who have been so supportive and willing to help in so many areas. The theme for our wedding is 'Blessed' because we're indeed so blessed by God and we want to be a blessing to others.

I feel that God has been taking me to another level of faith lately, not just in terms of wedding preparations but in many other things. I was reminded recently that there are really so many things we cannot control. Our lives are so fragile, anything can happen anytime. But thank God He is always watching over us and we can always count on Him. And having that thought enables me to get through difficult days and grants me sleep at night. It's the comfort of knowing that my Shepherd is watching over me and that whatever happens, He will never forsake me.

Psalm 23:1-3
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Horton Hears a Who

One of my favourite movies this year is Horton Hears a Who. It reminds me that humans are really just like a speck in comparison with God. In fact, we are just a speck in a speck in a speck. But God still loves us and was willing to sacrifice Himself for us in order that we may live eternally.

Recently, someone in the US wanted to sue God but the case was thrown out by the court. How he could even come to that stage is beyond me. Well, to judge is not my call. But I shall have my say. I think that some people nowadays think of themselves as some kind of god...goddess...whatever. I think its caused by a few main things - fame, fortune, pride, great success, power. Humans forget their mortality. They can be a 'god' only as long as they are alive....but what happens when they die?

We are bombarded by so much information these days and its easy to loose focus. Recession has already started across the globe and everyone's worried.. some have even lost a lot of money. I think money has a way of controlling our lives. Like the Chinese say, 'No money, no talk'.

There's also people debating over doctrine in churches. Pastor X says this, Pastor Y says that. Who is right and who is wrong? There's the constant political battle... character assassination, etc.

Sigh. Everyone's forgotten who's in charge. Only when bad things happen... God's name is brought up again. 'It's God's fault, why did God allow this?'.

I have this to say.. Don't blame God for bad things that happen. Don't only think about God in desperate times... when there's nowhere or no one else to turn to. Don't leave churches hastily.

Keep your eyes on God. Don't worship people no matter how great, powerful, famous they are. Because they are still mortal.

Seek God first because He always faithful, loving and perfect... He never fails. God is immortal.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well. Matthew 6:33

He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He. Deuteronomy 32:4

People over Performance

That's what I sense God saying lately. Been praying about my ministry, Dew Media and just sense that we should put people over their performance. The world emphasises performance a lot, what we are, how much we can earn, our group of friends. All that depends a lot on what we can do. Not who we are.

The world has achieved excellence in so many areas - music, media, art, architecture and the list goes on and on. But it has failed miserably in one area - love. Love is so tainted in the world - again, it depends on how we look like, what we can do, how much we earn and who we know!

I feel that as God's children we should focus on loving people the way God does. Unconditionally. And its God's love demonstrated that will draw His children back to Him. We should love and accept people even if they don't meet our 'standards'.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8