Christmas - In my eyes

Ah it’s that time of the year again. Shopping malls are packed with people and the roads are jammed up all the time. The advertisements on the radio become more and more ridiculous. There was one I heard where two reindeers fought to use the computer to promote some internet package and another where `Santa’s little helpers’ promoted Giordano’s ‘cool clothes. All kinds of Christmas songs are everywhere. Santa Claus jokes start popping up. This ridiculous `naughty and nice’ list is mentioned to keep kids behaving good. These are the few reasons why I really dislike the Christmas season. It’s just so commercialised.

On a brighter note, there is one particular thing that I like about Christmas. And that is........ Turkey!!!

No la I’m just kidding. It’s the fact that I get to spend time with my friends and family. The really good thing about Christmas is that it is at the end of the year. A lot of people are on holidays so many people from overseas return. The many parties around provide chances for people to get together and talk and meet new people.

Just yesterday I went to a party and really liked how we all just sat down around a few tables and talked with new and old friends. I don’t know about you guys, but that’s what I like about Christmas. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year peeps \/
=)

- Alex 'c o p h y' Tan

Images taken from:
http://alllayedout.com/Comments/Christmas/
http://planetsave.com/2009/11/25/happy-thanksgiving-turkey-facts-as-a-tribute-to-those-who-gave-their-lives-for-our-stomachs/

OA Trip - Told in Photos

Serving Moments









Hilarious Moments

Phoebe sat on this magic pen and this is the result of it.





The Food




Artistic Shots
















Great Fellowship!









So many more moments that we can't fit all of it in here so.. do join us on the next trip instead! :D Thank you all for the prayers as well. :)


God bless,
daryl 's u n d a e' heng

Camp to me

While I must comment that the committee and the camp commanders did a good job on the camp, on the more serious note, I think it is important on certain things that must be shared in the camp.

A sister shared during one of the discussion sessions regarding the camp and it really caught me off guard because her point really didn’t occur to me at all but it was really important. The point was :

“Did you had an aim when you go to the camp?”

I confessed that I went there not knowing what to aim for or expect, I just went because to me it was second nature that Youth work is my priority. Although that thought in itself is alright but having that thought alone does not suffice God’s work to be fully realized in my faith at the camp.

I did my homework of studying the hermeneutics(science & historical research) of the epistle of Hebrew and even read up commentaries of it, but all that was just preparation. It wasn’t an aim to work out something and to ensure that objective is reached.

What made it worse, I did not pray of what God would want me to do whilst in the camp, rather I was praying for things I had in mind for the camp. Again, while the thought of that is not to say “wrong” per se, I believe it is not the right approach for something as important as camp. Many people placed in loads of effort and costs to make it happen, is it really alright to just go there without seeking the Lord’s will?

If God told me to reach out to a certain specific person, I would have placed in my top of priority to that person rather over the things that I “felt” like doing during the entire period of camp. If God told me to support and encourage the committee before, during and after the camp, my priority would’ve been placed on that. Even If God told me to simply ensure that my faith needed to heed the message that was spoken by Mr.Andrew, I would’ve gave my utmost best in listening, digesting and reflecting upon the sessions he spoke.

Problem is, none of them were achieved, I just went with the flow.

Of course plenty of beautiful bonds were made with the younger youth and learning some new things like I can’t teach (I really can’t). It is still an irony that God’s will may not be done ultimately due to lack of listening.

You may or may not agree with me but I hope it is something you would consider upon the next camp you go, did you go because you knew what God has in mind for you there, or you go because of every other reason except for that reason?

If you felt happy because you had fun in the camp but came back learning nothing about the word of God and deciding to apply it in your life, then that aim in itself has defeated the whole purpose of organizing the camp in the first place. But if you did, fret not, there’s always the next camp and I hope that I too, will learn to come humbly in seeking God’s will and not taking each of these privileges to learn God’s word in such comfort lightly again!

Ephesians 5, 15-17

“Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.”

- Gary Heng

Images are taken from :

http://bijuachan.webs.com/links.htm
http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2006/04/24/creative-flow/

Crisis @ Workplace

The prelude of this is at the TTDIGC YTM blog post dated on the 9th November 2010.

Now I am at the brink of losing my job, which was also one of my sources of security. You may refer to my writings at these blog posts on 14th September 2010 and 12th October 2010 which mentioned that I am a highly insecure person from young. Once again, I found myself being struck and compelled to leave my comfort zone.

Frankly speaking, this is the only job that I have worked for a long time (4 years plus) after my graduation. My 1st job was 13 months while my 2nd job was only 11 months. I got very comfortable at this 3rd job, something like how many of you feel after some years of hanging out with the same bunch of people.

Office politics are always there at all my current and previous workplaces. However, things have changed after my 2nd boss came to power. In all the troubles I have in my office, it echoes with the Psalmist writing at Psalm 57:1-5 (New King James Version)

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.

2 I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.

3 He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

4 My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.


Yes, indeed may they have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah (Psalm 57:6)

If you are going through a period of suffering, remember that God has promised this:-
John 16:33 (New King James Version)

33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

God did not promise a bed of roses after you became a Christian but He promised that He will be there for us. Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen - Matthew 28:20 (New King James Version)

-Yit Mun

Images taken from:

http://www.dynamicbusiness.com.au/articles/articles-hr-and-staff/70-percent-of-employees-need-more-strees-at-work-2256.html
http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=2455

Christmas that never was - Trailer

A video trailer on the upcoming Christmas dinner titled, "Christmas that never was"! Speaker Uncle Russ Ooi will be at the dinner so do take this opportunity to invite your friends to know more about Christmas and do pray for their hearts and minds to be receptive towards the message.

The idea is basically to imagine, "What if Christmas never happened?" and how would that affect not only to us as Christians but also to non-believers as well.

See you guys there!

God bless,
daryl 's u n d a e' heng

On Guard!

It was last year when I was having lunch with my friends. Our food had arrived, and we tucked in right away.

I was just a few spoonfuls into my food when my friend suddenly exclaimed, “Eh, Jo, you not Christian wan meh? No need to pray before you eat wan ar?”

I was caught by surprise and mumbled a feeble excuse about saying a little prayer in my heart.

After wards, I wondered whether I was actually ashamed of being ‘uncommon’. The group of friends whom I was eating with was a bunch of non-Christians, and perhaps I was shy or afraid of what they would think of me.

Another thought was how other people were actually watching our lives although we don’t realise it. My friend’s remark came as a shock to me because I never expected anyone to comment on it, let alone notice it.

This verse came to my mind:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. Mark 8:38

Let this be an encouragement to us to always be on guard with our actions as we never know who is watching us. Every time we feel like letting out our anger or frustration, think again. Think about the kind of testimony we want to leave with our friends. Think whether our actions are edifying. And most of all, pray. Pray for strength and discernment to choose the right actions.

- Jo-Yi

Images taken from:

http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/give-thanks/
http://stressed.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/20090816/afghanistan_rocket_090816/

Youth Camp 2010!

Here's the trailer for Youth Camp 2010 - Victorious Faith! Do share it with your friends and invite them to the camp :) Remember to keep them in prayer to have receptive hearts and minds as well as for ourselves to seek God earnestly in the camp.

Here's the link if you wanna paste it on their facebook walls!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYeT6u-bgqk

We'll also be giving out the flyers soon if you're passing to your friends via hard copy. So don't worry!

God bless,
daryl 's u n d a e' heng

Standing up for the LORD

I recall the moments of Daniel’s 3 friends, Shandrach / Meshach / Abednego, they did not bow although the whole nation bowed. They were threatened to be burned to death if they will not bow down to the Idol King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They had so much confidence that the God they are worshipping is the true God, they could even say to the King, in Daniel 3 : 16 – 18.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

What a bold thing to say, to be frank, I am not sure if I am able to utter such words in my whole entire life, not only is what they have said depict their faith in God, but it also poses a very great challenge to us as Christians, can we truly say, in regards of making a stand for God, that even if God does not save us, we will still worship Him? Before we read on, lets think about this for 5 minutes.

Well, we have always talked about making a stand for the LORD. All these years at least I have, although the many times we said we as Christians should make a stand, we make a big Hoo Ha concerning making a stand but many times the chances come and we don’t make that stand. Worse still, we pretend as if God is not calling us. I remember once during my College Orientation, when they were introducing the clubs of the College, they called out - Christian Fellowship. The facilitator then asked which of you here is Christians, I looked left and right, and I did not put up my hand. I was afraid, but afraid of what? Afraid of being - the lone one. Because of this incident, sometimes I feel very ashamed of myself and this is definitely something I would not repeat in the future.

Howsoever, today I would like to share this message of standing up for the LORD with regards to a recent incident.

Recently my grandmother passed away. As children it is good for us to pay respect to our grandparents, my parents have told us as they have returned earlier, that this funeral will be held in a Taoist manner. Seeing that the road back to Penang is long, the 3 of us KHORs drove back and we spent some quality time together listening to songs and talk. Alas at 6 pm, we arrived at Penang. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by our dad, whom brief us the dos and do not of the funeral, we changed into the mourning clothes which is white and black and we sat down while the funeral service begin. As a Taoist funeral involve holding of joss sticks, we held white roses in place of that.

What we thought was a service soon became a ritual, when the undertakers starting arranging tables and chairs in such a manner and making a bridge for the partakers to crossover. We had to walk around the coffin countless of times. There were also kneeling and bowing down to the idols they have erected. After figuring out that a ritual is undergoing, we decided not to participate. This act began to bring about questioning and frowning glances by our relatives, as they asked, why aren’t they in it? After 6 hours of rituals, it came to a hold and we retreat for the night.

The next day, the ritual continues, so we go on and on, until this part in which the coffin is being taken out, it involves us as grandchildren to kneel 3 times before it. At that point of time, the pressure was greatly there as yesterday the whole congregation was involved in kneeling, but today, individuals have to kneel one by one. When the undertakers mentioned the names of the grandchildren, I knew this time had to come in which our testimony as Christians will be tested. As I told my mum, we will not kneel because that will be deemed as idol worship. We told the undertakers, we are Christians and we should not kneel to any idols because such an act is deemed as worship. Instead, we gently took a bow, even though eyes were looking at us, some were frowning, some were neutral, some were perplexed, our family knew we were doing the right thing.

As we left, I had 3 thoughts on my mind,
1) It is such a privilege being God’s Children, we do not need to experience the hassle of securing our way in Heaven, simply because God has assured our salvation in Jesus Christ.
2) Although we looked awkward in the eyes of man, but what is man’s view when compared to the eternal God that we worship?
3) Being a good testimony does not always involve compromising and it might have looked like good testimony if our family kneeled, after all they will look at it as a sign of filial. But what about the part of being the salt and light to the world, what bout making a stand for God when the opportunity arises?

As I end this passage, I would like to share with you all a song we all sing when we were kids,

I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back,
Though none go with me, still I will follow
Though none go with me, still I will follow
Though none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back.

- John Khor

*Note: Images used in this blog post is meant purely for illustrative purposes only. There are no relation to the actual events of the photos displayed.

Images taken from:
http://timelytidbits.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/standing-up-for-yourself/
http://triathlons.thefuntimesguide.com/index.php?page=4
http://ronnieyap.net/tag/funeral/
http://kingdavid.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/it-all-begin-with-a-vision/