White Fields Assembly

Whitney Houston and the Silent Shame of Addiction

2012-02-16T10:35:00.004+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The pop diva’s death should remind us of an uncomfortable reality: People in church take drugs.

Anyone who has listened to Whitney Houston’s rendition of “I Love the Lord”—or who saw her perform with CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar at the 1996 Grammy Awards—knows she had an incomparable voice best suited for gospel music. But Whitney chose a broader path: When the doors opened for her to make a pop album in the 1980s, it became the all-time best-selling debut album by a female artist. She became America’s diva.

But all her worldly success didn’t help her overcome her personal demons. Her stormy marriage was marred by domestic violence. She admitted in the 1990s that she took cocaine every day. She tried rehab three times over the course of eight years. Her voice was so damaged by her drug habit that people walked out of her comeback concert in London in 2010. She became a pathetic shell of her former self.

“Whitney Houston was not the only person who talked about Jesus yet struggled privately with cocaine or other illegal drugs. I frequently meet men and women at church altars who have never found the strength to kick their habit.”

Christians in the music industry reached out to Whitney and prayed with her during her up-and-down battle with addictions. But the drugs had a powerful pull. In 2006, a photo was released of her bathroom sink in Atlanta filled with crack pipes, drug paraphernalia, cigarettes and beer cans. Even after she divorced Bobby Brown in 2007, the downward spiral continued.

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Control Is Not a Four-Letter Word

2012-02-15T09:02:00.000+08:00

by Mark Gungor

Control is not a bad word. It’s not a bad thing. Yet in our culture today, people treat it as is if it is a cuss word. Many think it’s a horrible insult and freak out when someone accuses them of trying to control something. Frankly, I just don’t understand it.

Here is a scenario to help illustrate what I’m talking about: A wife is texting and emailing very personal, sexually charged and inappropriate things back and forth with a guy from work. She is also meeting this guy alone for coffee and lunch. When her husband talks to her and challenges her on this, she fires back, “You can’t tell me who I can be friends with and what I can and can’t do! You are just trying to control me!” And then he feels bad and backs down.

Or maybe it’s a husband who goes out drinking and partying with his friends several nights a week till the wee hours of dawn and when his wife confronts him, he shouts ”You are a control freak! You can’t tell me when I can come and go in my own house!” Then she thinks she’s wrong and just lets it go because she surely doesn’t want to be controlling. Are you kidding me?!

I am stunned at how many people in bad marriages just shut up and empower the other person because they fear the charge of being a controller. Whenever you have a badly behaving spouse, there is always an enabler who is weak and insecure and all the badly behaving spouse has to do is accuse the weaker one of being controlling, jealous or insecure, and they win.

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FG+ Convergence Camp

2012-02-15T00:30:00.000+08:00

https://www.facebook.com/fgplusconvergence

http://fgconvergence.weebly.com/

Worship Roster - 19 February 2012

2012-02-13T09:56:00.000+08:00

CM : Tan Hong Lu
WL : Terry Choong
BU : Tan Hong Lu, Chow Foong Yee, Joycelyn Choong
PN : Priscilla Sim
SY :
LG :
BG : Anna Sim
DR : Darren Oi
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Moses Tan, Bryan Tan
PA : Manjit

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 12-Feb-2012

2012-02-12T11:25:00.002+08:00

Speaker: Bro. Chin Teng Lum
White Fields Assembly Seremban / Youth With A Mission (YWAM)

http://www.mediafire.com/?xs8461jvkuhme9b

Take Up Your Cross

2012-02-10T09:06:00.006+08:00

by Max Lucado

The phrase “take up your cross” has not fared well through the generations. Ask for a definition, and you’ll hear answers like, “My cross is my mother-in-law, my job, my bad marriage, my cranky boss, or the dull preacher.” The cross, we assume, is any besetting affliction or personal hassle. My thesaurus agrees. It lists the following synonyms for cross: frustration, trying situation, snag, hitch, and drawback.

The cross means so much more. It is God’s tool of redemption, instrument of salvation—proof of his love for people. To take up the cross, then, is to take up Christ’s burden for the people of the world.

Though our crosses are similar, none are identical. “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me” (Luke 9:23 CEV, emphasis mine).

We each have our own cross to carry—our individual calling. Discover your God-designed task. It fits. It matches your passions and enlists your gifts and talents. Want to blow the cloud cover off your gray day? Accept God’s direction.

“The Lord has assigned to each his task” (1 Corinthians3:5 NIV). What is yours? What is your unique call, assignment, mission? A trio of questions might help.

In what directions has God taken you?

What needs has God revealed to you?

What abilities has God given to you?

Direction. Need. Ability. Your spiritual DNA. You at your best. You and your cross.

While none of us is called to carry the sin of the world (Jesus did that), all of us can carry a burden for the world.

Check your vital signs. Something stirs you. Some call brings energy to your voice, conviction to your face, and direction to your step. Isolate and embrace it. Nothing gives a day a greater chance than a good wallop of passion.

From: Great Day Every Day: Navigating Life’s Challenges with Promise and Purpose

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2012) Max Lucado

Previously published as 'Every Day Deserves a Chance'

Phoney Rabbis, Lost Discernment and the Eddie Long Disaster

2012-02-09T09:19:00.001+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Why did people applaud Bishop Long’s bizarre “coronation” in Atlanta?

Question of the week: What should you do when a megachurch pastor is accused of serious financial and/or sexual misconduct?

A. Ask the pastor to step down so he or she can receive ministry, and then conduct a thorough investigation.

B. Flatly deny all allegations and wait until the storm blows over.

C. Use church funds to pay off the people who made the sex abuse accusations.

D. Ask a guest preacher to call the pastor to the stage, wrap him in a 312-year-old Torah scroll and ask an “expert” in Old Testament language to declare him a “king” so he can be exonerated of all wrongdoing.

“True restoration requires a lengthy process of repentance, restitution and inner healing. If we practiced biblical restoration on a wide scale, the cancer of immorality that is eating the church alive today would go into remission.”

Until Jan. 29, when Bishop Eddie Long of Atlanta was coronated on the stage of New Birth Baptist Church in front of thousands of his congregants, I would never have dreamed of option D in the list above. I thought I had seen it all. Yet the odd ritual (I hesitate to call it a “Jewish ceremony”) performed by Denver minister Ralph Messer is now officially the most bizarre religious video ever posted on YouTube. (If you are one of the 16 people in the world who have never seen it, click here.)

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Apologies: Because People Aren't Perfect

2012-02-07T09:16:00.000+08:00

by Dr. Gary Chapman

When is the last time you apologized? What did you say or do? Did the person to whom you apologized seem to accept your apology? Did they forgive you? Was the relationship healed? If not, I have an idea as to why they found it hard to forgive you. They did not hear your apology as being sincere.

When someone hurts us and is now trying to apologize, the question in our minds is: are they sincere? We judge sincerity by how they apologize. If they simply say, "I'm sorry," that may seem a bit weak. We may want to hear them say, "I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?" There are five ways to apologize. If you speak only one, you will likely come across as insincere.

Apology 101

Do you know how to apologize? Chances are you do what your parents taught you, but that may not be enough. Dr. Jennifer Thomas and I discovered that people have different ideas on what it means to apologize. In fact there are five languages of apology. If you don't speak the right language you are not likely to have a favorable response.

If you aren't sure how to apologize, consider saying this: "I value our relationship. What do I need to do or say in order for you to consider forgiving me?" Their answer will reveal their 'primary apology language'. Express your apology in that language and will likely receive forgiveness.

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Worship Roster - 12 February 2012 - Communion

2012-02-06T00:30:00.000+08:00

CM : Siow Kim Woon
WL : Shankar R
BU : Peggy Tan, Jacquelina Lim, Colleen Chang
PN : Christopher Lai
SY :
LG : Chew Weng Ern
BG : Kenneth Lai
DR : Wong Kai Yew
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Timothy
PA : Hiew FF, Jeremiah

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 5-Feb-2012 - Bro Andrew Kok

2012-02-05T11:21:00.000+08:00

Speaker: Bro. Andrew Kok
Malaysian Fellowship President, Moscow

http://www.mediafire.com/?s3lvzx07qw43p44

How to Win ANY Battle in Life - 2

2012-02-05T00:30:00.000+08:00

by Steve Arterburn

The Choice of Humble Willingness
Those who are both humble and willing realize they do not have all the answers, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to find them. This place of humility allows them to seek help from others and shift their reliance from themselves to God.

Proverbs 3:5-7 tells us to not lean on our own understanding and to not be wise in our own eyes. A humble willingness to do whatever it takes, to reach out and get the help that is needed is a sign of character and strength. It is the beginning of the path to the victory circle. But to get there you have to allow God to use your struggle to teach you to rely less on your own resources and totally on Him.

Over the years I have watched people reach this crucial point where they are willing to do whatever it takes, and I have watched everything in their lives turn around. I have also seen those who reach the point and turn and run in the opposite direction. The biggest reason is that they are unwilling to make a bold move toward healing.

You can't just declare yourself a winner. You have to heal the things that are preventing you from having victory. The biggest reason you have lost the battle is that you have relied on your own strength, trying to win on your own.

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Automatic vs. Intentional

2012-02-04T19:40:00.000+08:00

by Mark Gungor

When you first start out dating, and then in the early stages of marriage, most of the relationship is automatic. You are running off of emotions and hormones that drive each of you to be nice, be considerate, spend time together, and tend to one another. But eventually, marriage happens, life kicks in, kids come along and things change.

Most people think that the early stages of love—that chemically induced time of bliss and ease—will continue indefinitely. After all, they are “in love” and have found “the one” that will make the rest of their days as euphoric as the honeymoon phase.

But that’s not the way it works. The reality is this automatic phase is short-term (lasting six months to a couple of years) and when it fades away your marriage and your sex life must happen on purpose. You have date night on purpose. You plan to have sex on purpose. You make time for each other on purpose. Couples who don’t make the transition from automatic to intentional have marriages that suffer the most.

This is especially true when you become new parents. Now there is this new little creature that has come into your lives who consumes inordinate amounts of time and energy. Add another child or two and it’s easy to see how the auto-pilot can fly out the window. Couples start to struggle during this season of new responsibility because things aren’t as easy as they once were. They don’t have the time or they are too tired and often this is when husbands and wives will begin to think that the marriage isn’t working, or that it’s over.

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Does your child feel loved?

2012-02-04T10:28:00.000+08:00

by Dr. Gary Chapman

Nearly all parents deeply love their children, yet not all children feel that unconditional love and care. Why this contradiction? Often, parents assume that their kids just "know" they love them, or that saying "I love you" will be enough. But children are behaviorally motivated. They respond to actions-what you do with them. So to reach them, you must love them on their terms.

Sometimes parents don't feel especially loving if they've had a discouraging day. But you can behave in a loving way, because behavior is simple. You can give your love to your children, even when you don't feel loving.

You may wonder if your children can see right through you. Since your children are exquisitely sensitive emotionally, they know when you don't feel loving, and yet they experience your love behaviorally. Don't you think they are even more grateful and appreciative when you're able to be loving, no matter how you feel inside?

It was the apostle John who wrote, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18). If you began to list all the behavioral ways to love a child, I doubt that you could fill more than one page. That is fine because you want to keep it simple-behavioral expressions of love can simply be divided into five categories: physical touch, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and words of affirmation. To uncover your child's love language, visit 5lovelanguages.com.

A word of caution, though. If your child is under age five, don't expect to figure out his primary love language. You can't. The child may give you clues, but his love language is rarely clearly seen. Just speak all five languages because they all converge to meet your child's need for love. If that need is met and your child genuinely feels loved, it will be far easier for him to learn and respond in other areas. This love interfaces with all other needs a child has. Also, speak all five languages when your child is older, for he needs all five to grow, even though he craves one more than the others.

Continue the conversation: Share your questions, thoughts insights, or comments by joining the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/5lovelanguages

Peace for Anxious Days

2012-02-03T17:52:00.000+08:00

by Max Lucado

When my daughters were single-digit ages—two, five, and seven—I wowed them with a miracle. I told them the story of Moses and the manna and invited them to follow me on a wilderness trek through the house.

“Who knows,” I suggested, “manna may fall from the sky again.”

We dressed in sheets and sandals and did our best Bedouin hike through the bedrooms. The girls, on my instruction, complained to me, Moses, of hunger and demanded I take them back to Egypt, or at least to the kitchen. When we entered the den, I urged them to play up their parts: groan, moan, and beg for food.

“Look up,” I urged. “Manna might fall any minute.”

Two-year-old Sara obliged with no questions, but Jenna and Andrea had their doubts. How can manna fall from a ceiling?

Just like the Hebrews. “How can God feed us in the wilderness?”

Just like you? You look at tomorrow’s demands, next week’s bills, next month’s silent calendar. Your future looks as barren as the Sinai Desert. “How can I face my future?” God tells you what I told my daughters: “Look up.”

When my daughters did, manna fell! Well, not manna, but vanilla wafers dropped from the ceiling and landed on the carpet. Sara squealed with delight and started munching. Jenna and Andrea were old enough to request an explanation.

My answer was simple. I knew the itinerary. I knew we would enter this room. Vanilla wafers fit safely on the topside of the ceiling-fan blades. I had placed them there in advance. When they groaned and moaned, I turned on the switch.

God’s answer to the Hebrews was similar. Did he know their itinerary? Did he know they would grow hungry? Yes and yes. And at the right time, he tilted the manna basket toward earth.

And what about you? God know what you need and where you’ll be. Any chance he has some vanilla wafers on tomorrow’s ceiling fans? Trust him. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matthew 6:33-34).

From:

Great Day Every Day: Navigating Life’s Challenges with Promise and Purpose

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2012) Max Lucado

Previously published as: Every Day Deserves a Chance

Please Stop the Holy Ghost Smackdown

2012-02-02T17:53:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Do you want the real power of the Holy Spirit? Then don’t pretend by pushing people to the floor when you pray.

I love it when the Holy Spirit shows up in church gatherings. Whenever sinners are converted, backsliders repent, bodies are healed or self-centered believers are broken by God, we see evidence of the Spirit’s work. But I don’t appreciate it when people fabricate spiritual manifestations to prove God is using them.

A few years ago a popular charismatic preacher spoke at a meeting I attended at a church in Orlando, Fla. After his message he asked all ordained ministers to run to the platform so he could lay hands on them. Immediately this man’s team of beefy bodyguards began grabbing people, dragging them onto the stage and holding them in place until the evangelist could pray for everyone.

“We seem to have become masters of mixing the anointing with other ingredients. The charismatic movement has become an embarrassing mixture of flesh and spirit.”

I felt queasy about this spectacle. It resembled a charismatic version of World Wrestling Entertainment: lots of smacking noises, falling bodies and cheers from the excited crowd. We Christians seem to love a good show, even if it is staged!

I cringed as I watched the bizarre theatrics. But before I could move to the side of the auditorium, one of the evangelist’s 220-pound goons strong-armed me onto the platform. When I looked up, the wild-eyed preacher was heading toward me with his arms flailing. I tried to duck, but when he got close enough he shouted “in the name of Jesus” and slapped me across the face. I tumbled to the floor.

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8 Myths (and Truths) About Male Authority - 2

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

by Joel Hunter

SO WHO ARE WE? 8 TRUTHS ABOUT MALE AUTHORITY

Being real men is not just about gender; it is about spiritual maturity in all areas of life. Therefore, manhood is about our calling and not about any competition with women.

Truth #1: We have a gender-unique leadership role in our marriages. 1 Corinthians 11:3 says: “But there is one thing I want you to know: A man is responsible to Christ, a woman is responsible to her husband, and Christ is responsible to God” (NLT). Then, in verse 8 it says: “For the first man didn't come from woman, but the first woman came from man.” I don't know why God made this arrangement. In many ways our wives are more competent than we are. Wise men will lean on their wives to decide many things for the family. In the end, it is not a matter of competence or even gender; it is a matter of following God's order.

When I was in grade school, my desk was closest to the door. That made me the leader for fire drills. Why was I the leader? Because I was more competent? No. Because I was a boy? No. It was because the teacher said so.

Truth #2: We are to love our wives as Christ loved the church and give ourselves up for her. Our authority is for sacrificing and protecting our wives, not for lording power over them. We don't need to be less strong to be a servant, nor do we need for our wives to be weak so that we can appear strong.

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Worship Roster - 5 February 2012

2012-01-30T00:30:00.000+08:00

CM : Liong Kam Chong
WL : Priscilla Sim
BU : Chow Foong Yee, Christopher Lai, Lydia Sim
PN : Jocelyn Lee
SY : Jacinta Lee
LG :
BG : Darren Oi
DR : Anna Sim
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Joseph Yap
PA : Tommy Quek, Jason

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 29-Jan-2012 - Bro Andrew Loh

2012-01-29T11:25:00.002+08:00

Speaker: Bro. Andrew Loh

http://www.mediafire.com/?k6qq14i54qowsq5

How to Win ANY Battle in Life - 1

2012-01-29T00:30:00.000+08:00

by Steve Arterburn

You've tried it your way and failed. Don't give up! Choose to stay in the game and see how God even takes our mistakes and builds them into our greatest victories.

How many times have we heard this one: “It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game that counts.” Some of us realized winning meant a lot when we noticed that the guys who got the girls were the ones who won the starting positions on the team. Even if how they played the game was anything but nice, they still won and got the girls.

Go out in life thinking that winning does not matter and you will be very disappointed. Winning matters a lot.

Winners get the best stuff. The world talks about and celebrates winners, while it shuns the loser who seems to not have what it takes or has it for a while and then loses it. Few can tell you who raced in the Indianapolis 500 in any given year. The winners are the ones that count.

Your Personal Battles

Everybody struggles with something and battles it day after day. Your main battle might be overeating, pornography, drinking, anger, depression or one of many other things that could have been tripping you up, perhaps for years.

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Third Culture Kids' Friendships - final

2012-01-28T15:32:00.000+08:00

by Diane Constantine

Now let’s consider other effects of multiple losses on relationships:

1. They may struggle with a fear of intimacy because they fear loss.

2. They may erect walls to keep relationships from going to the third and fourth levels of communication, even without realizing it.

3. They may limit their vulnerability to impending grief by refusing to acknowledge they care for anyone or anything. This can cause the profound pain of isolation if not dealt with.

4. They may have a 'quick release' when separation is impending. They quit calling or getting together before it is actually necessary, so as to avoid pain. Then they may wonder why the other is upset for 'abandoning' them.

5. They may pick fights. To them it seems more comfortable to be angry than sad.

6. They may just completely refuse to say goodbye.

I think I have seen some of those effects with my own TCKs and those of friends. They find friends at home shallow and parochial in their thinking. Years as a TCK have made one a good communicator, able to capitalize on other's needs and interests. For that skill, he is highly esteemed in his work. He can talk to anyone about almost anything they want to discuss, and do it well.

Others make lots of acquaintances, but have difficulty maintaining long-term relationships. They want friends, but it takes more time and work to develop them.

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God Runs Toward You

2012-01-27T09:53:00.002+08:00

by Max Lucado

Brighten your day by envisioning God running toward you.

When his patriarchs trusted, God blessed. When Peter preached or Paul wrote or Thomas believed, God smiled. But he never ran.

That verb was reserved for the story of the prodigal son. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20 NKJV)

God runs when he sees the son coming home from the pig trough. When the addict steps out of the alley. When the teen walks away from the party. When the ladder-climbing executive pushes back from the desk, the spiritist turns from idols, the materialist from stuff, the atheist from disbelief, and the elitist from self-promotion…

When prodigals trudge up the path, God can’t sit still. Heaven’s throne room echoes with the sound of slapping sandals and pounding feet, and angels watch in silence as God embraces his child.

You turn toward God, and he runs toward you.

From: Great Day Every Day: Navigating Life’s Challenges with Promise and Purpose

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2012) Max Lucado

Previously published as 'Every Day Deserves a Chance'

Song : Phillips, Craig & Dean - When God Ran

The Desperate Cry of Africa’s Women

2012-01-26T10:18:00.004+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

It is time for the church in Africa—and throughout the world—to address abuse and injustice against women and girls.

After spending last week in the city of Masindi, Uganda, I traveled to Uganda’s capital, Kampala, to address a women’s conference. After my first session a woman named Florence grabbed me and began to tell her painful story.

She had given birth to five girls during her marriage. But when her girls were small, her husband decided to leave Florence because she had not produced a son. He blamed her (I guess he didn’t know a man’s sperm determines the gender of a child) and he said she had shamed him by having only girls. He sold the family house, evicted his wife and daughters and gave them no money for food or school fees. Then he married again and started a new family. He got two boys and another daughter out of the deal.

“My dream is that the church—not only in Africa but throughout the world—will stop playing in the shallow waters of feel-good, me-centered Christianity and decide to apply the gospel of Christ to the injustices of the world.”

Florence was not depressed when she shared her sad history. She wore a colorful African dress and had a bright smile on her face as she told me how Jesus had been faithful to care for her after she was abandoned. “I had to learn to pray,” she told me. “But today my girls are blessed and my oldest just finished her university education.”

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8 Myths (and Truths) About Male Authority - 1

2012-01-25T00:30:00.000+08:00

by Joel Hunter

God has given men a unique role as leaders of our homes and families. But how do we reconcile this in a culture that has become reactionary against men exercising biblical authority?

We live in a society that is pushing for male sensitivity and female strength. That's fine. But much of the current societal norms are a reaction to a perverted idea of God-given male authority. If men could understand the authority God gives to them, they would not have to surrender to the culture's emasculation of their role. If wives could understand their husbands' roles, they would see that support of their husbands' leadership would make themselves more free and secure, not less.

Many Christian men today are wimps. They hate themselves for it, and women do not respect them because of it. So, let me remind you of eight ways that our culture perverts the biblical understanding of male authority … then we will see the list of how a “real man” exercises his authority.

Myth #1: Male authority means male dominance. Men must understand that mature masculinity in Scripture has to do with our strength to serve and sacrifice for the good of the woman. Luke 22:26 gives the general servant-leadership paradigm: “'But among you, those who are the greatest should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant'” (NLT). Ephesians 5:25 gives the home version of it: “And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church.”

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Don't Take It from Me: Reasons You Should Not Marry an Unbeliever

2012-01-24T22:13:00.000+08:00

by Kathy Keller

Over the course of our ministry, the most common pastoral issue that Tim and I have confronted is probably marriages---either actual or proposed---between Christians and non-Christians. I have often thought how much simpler it would be if I could remove myself from the conversation and invite those already married to unbelievers do the talking to singles who are desperately trying to find a loophole that would allow them to marry someone who does not share their faith.

That way, I could skip all the Bible passages that urge singles only to "marry in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:39) and not "be unequally yoked" (2 Corinthians 6:14) and the Old Testament proscriptions against marrying the foreigner, a worshiper of a god other than the God of Israel (see Numbers 12 where Moses marries a woman of another race but the same faith). You can find those passages in abundance, but when someone has already allowed his or her heart to become engaged with a person outside the faith, I find that the Bible has already been devalued as the non-negotiable rule of faith and practice.

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Worship Roster - 29 January 2012 - Communion

2012-01-23T09:55:00.000+08:00

CM : Caleb R
WL : Peggy Tan
BU : Ng Siew Pin, Shankar R, Gigi Lim
PN : Lydia Sim
SY :
LG : Chew Weng Ern
BG : Terry Choong
DR : Wong Kai Yew
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Moses Tan, Bryan Tan
PA : Manjit

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 22-Jan-2012 - Ps. Dr. Solomon Abraham

2012-01-22T11:16:00.002+08:00

Speaker: Ps. Dr. Solomon Abraham
Grace Assembly of God, Petaling Jaya

http://www.mediafire.com/?d3d7vv855tccv0c

Patience: Because People Aren't Perfect

2012-01-21T13:00:00.003+08:00

by Dr. Gary Chapman

In Western culture, we are not trained to be patient. We get irritated just waiting for the computer to boot up. We are also impatient with people who don't operate on our time table. Or waitresses who bring us the wrong order. And yet, patience is one of the traits of love. To be loving is to be patient. In a nutshell: patience is accepting the imperfections of others.

Patience begins by recognizing that people are not machines. They have thoughts, feelings, and they make decisions. Those decisions do not always please us, but we must give them the same freedom that God gives them. To condemn your son for not going to college will not have a positive effect on his life. Step back, and give him freedom to be human.

Isolation is not Patience

Patience does not mean that we do nothing when others are upset with us. I've known people who will sit stone-faced and listen to the ranting and raving of their spouse and then get up and walk out of the room with no comment. This is not patience it is isolation. It is self-centeredness.

Patience is caring enough to listen empathetically with a view to understanding what is going on inside the other person. Such listening requires time and is itself an expression of love. Patience might mean remaining calm when what the other person is saying is hurtful. Patience says, "I care enough that no matter what you say or how you say it, I will listen and try to understand.

Positive Patience

When I become impatient, lose my temper, and spout condemning words to my wife, I have become an enemy, not a friend. So, she will likely fight the enemy or flee from the enemy. So, we have a royal argument that no one wins, and both of us walk away wounded, and try to avoid each other the next few days. All because I was impatient.

On the other hand, had I been patient, I would have asked questions in an effort to understand my wife's behavior. Once I understand what motivated her behavior, I'm more likely to have a reasoned response. I am now her friend and she responds positively to a friend. The whole atmosphere remains positive because I chose to be patient.

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God Listens

2012-01-20T09:34:00.003+08:00

by Max Lucado

You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens. He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel, God listens.

Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God.” Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.

Then, the angel “filled the incense pan with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth” (Rev. 8:5). One call and Heaven’s fleet appears. Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven, and “God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.”

You are the someone of God’s kingdom. You have access to God’s furnace. Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear: Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth. What an amazing thought!

When you speak, Jesus hears.

And when Jesus hears, thunder falls.

And when thunder falls, the world is changed.

All because someone prayed.

From: Lucado Inspirational Reader

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado

Why I Refuse to Give Up on the Local Church

2012-01-18T22:40:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady - Fire In My Bones

This is not a time for gloom and doom. The church can shine its brightest in a dark hour.

When my friend Ferrell Hardison moved to the town of Princeton, N.C., in 1990, he began pastoring a Pentecostal church with 70 people. Founded in 1918, it was a tired, aging congregation with a tiny budget. Ferrell was the 25th pastor to lead the church, and some of his predecessors had stayed only a year or two. Not exactly a young pastor’s dream job!

Today, the church has a new name—The Bridge—and it has grown to 1,250 in weekly attendance. Last fall the vibrant congregation broke ground on a new worship center, and they’ve planted a satellite congregation in the town of Goldsboro, N.C., that already has 300 members. A large percentage of the church’s $2.6 million annual budget is marked for outreach, and Ferrell estimates that at least 3,000 people have come to Christ through their ministry in recent years.

“Because of this pervasive negativity, many Christians have settled into a gloomy cynicism. They think America is ripe for judgment (Haven’t we been for decades?) and that we might as well shut the blinds, curl up on the couch and wait for the rapture.”

“In a down economy, our giving has been up,” Hardison told me. “We have discovered that people give when they understand how their giving changes lives for eternity.”

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Worship Roster - 22 January 2012

2012-01-16T09:17:00.000+08:00

*tomorrow is Chinese New Year

CM : Tom Cheryan
WL : Chow Foong Yee
BU : Tan Hong Lu, Colleen Chang, Lareina Chang
PN : Priscilla Sim
SY :
LG :
BG : Anna Sim
DR : Kenneth Lai
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Timothy
PA : Hiew FF, Jeremiah

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 15-Jan-2012 - Bro Patrick Cheng

2012-01-15T11:47:00.003+08:00

Speaker: Bro. Patrick Cheng
NECF Senior Executive Secretary

http://www.mediafire.com/?bd19co0t6bai7h2

Third Culture Kids' Friendships - part 2

2012-01-14T15:30:00.000+08:00

by Diane Constantine

Pollock and Reken describe the various levels of communication as people get to know each other. While this happens in different ways in various cultures, here is one common pattern for how relationships are established.

1. Superficial level:

This involves conversation generally referred to as "small talk"--How are you? Where are you from? The weather or today's headlines.

2. "Still safe" level:

This is an exchange of no-risk facts. Where did you go on vacation last year? What sights did you see?

3. Judgmental level:

Here, we begin to risk a few statements about our opinions on politics, religion, or other matters about which our new friend might disagree with us.

4. Emotional level:

We begin sharing how we feel about life, ourselves, and others (e.g., that we're sad, happy, worried, or depressed).

5. Disclosure level:

We reveal our most private thoughts and feelings to another person, confessing secret dreams as well as painful failures. This stage involves an honesty and vulnerability that leads to true intimacy. Most of us only have a few people in our lives with whom we share at this level. Some people have no one to share such a place.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

“You Say You Want a Revolution?” – the Beatles

2012-01-14T00:30:00.000+08:00

by Mark Gungor

We need a revolution.When I grew up in the 60’s, young people rebelled against materialism and morality. We said “Enough!!” and fought back against the establishment – an establishment we regarded as corrupt and clueless. When it came to a war we thought unjust we chanted, “Hell no, we won’t go!!” When it came to materialism we said, “We don’t want it!!”, and walked about with no shoes and holes in our jeans. And when it came to traditional morality, we rejected it and gave ourselves to free sex, drugs and rock and roll. It had an enduring impact on our nation. And while the rejection of materialism was a positive reminder that there are more important things to life than possessions, the plunge into immorality has been devastating.

Today, four decades later, as I look at the Evangelical Christian Church (now as a pastor, husband, father and grandfather) I can’t help but believe we are in need of another revolution. This time, however, we need a revolution among Christian young people – those who will go against the narcissistic thinking of their unspiritual Christian parents, a thinking that only leads to selfishness, materialism and a high divorce rate.

Our Christian young people are being destroyed today by a culture of sexual impurity – a poisonous trend that is not taken seriously enough by their clueless parents. Our daughters rarely lay claim to being virgins on their wedding night and we have helped to produce an entire generation of young men who are porn addicts. Our divorce rates are skyrocketing and, as a result, our grandchildren are being traumatized.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

The Stand-off

2012-01-13T08:32:00.004+08:00

by Dr. Gary Chapman

It only takes one person to break the silence. Have you been standing off, refusing to give in and call, waiting for your spouse to make the first move? Why wait? An effort to communicate that you care, that you are open to working on the relationship may be all that it takes to get the process going.

"He failed me. Why should I try to reconcile with him?" That line of reasoning is perfectly normal, but not biblical. In Matthew 18, Jesus instructs us to reach out to those who have sinned against us and seek reconcile. If they won't turn from their sin, then we take someone with us and lovingly confront them again. If they still refuse to talk with us, then we turn them over to God. We pray for them. We seek to win them by the love of Christ in us.

Reconciliation is hard in any relationship, and it's even harder in marriage. But God is good. He offers healing. If you and your spouse have been separated in the past but are now reconciled, share an encouraging story for others who may be in that situation right now.

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Everything You Need

2012-01-12T08:29:00.000+08:00

by Max Lucado

Are you hoping that a change in circumstances will bring a change in your attitude? If so, you are in prison, and you need to learn a secret of traveling light.

What you have in your Shepherd is greater than what you don’t have in life.

May I meddle for a moment? What is the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in this blank: “I will be happy when ________________”? When I am healed. When I am promoted. When I am married. When I am single. When I am rich. How would you finish that statement?

Now, with your answer firmly in mind, answer this. If your ship never comes in, if your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, could you be happy? If not, then you are sleeping in the cold cell of discontent. You are in prison. And you need to know what you have in your Shepherd.

You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need.

From: Lucado Inspirational Reader

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado

Seven Tips To Raising Godly Children

2012-01-11T13:55:00.000+08:00

Seven Tips To Raising Godly Children

1. Love them with all your heart

(Titus 2:4 - that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,)

The love you have for your child will make an incalculable impact on his or her life. It will help your child develop the proper sense of self worth. They will carry it with them even when you make a mistake or they do. Without true love for your child, he or she will be handicap in life. It will be harder for them to love others; to have a proper relationship with others. It will also give them a distorted view of God since our love is based on His.

2. Teach them God’s Word

(Deut. 6:6-9 - 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.)

The surest way to raise a good child is to teach them the Good Book. Even from the womb babies ought to be taught the Bible; it is a habit to form early on. As they grow the lessons and material can be adjusted to suit their needs. If parents wait until their children are 10, 12, 0r 14, it is way too late. In fact, from my observations and what others tell me, if you wait much beyond the first year or two a great deal is lost that may never be recovered.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Don’t Limit God With Little Prayers

2012-01-10T08:33:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

When I stepped into 2012, God challenged me to pray big—and to expect the unexpected.

Right before Christmas my wife and I took our youngest daughter out to dinner to celebrate her grades from her third semester in college. When we got home I sent out a tweet about the dinner, and mentioned the name of the restaurant. (Hint: It’s a popular national chain that serves Italian food—and it has the best bread sticks in the world.)

I didn’t think anything about the tweet. I was just sharing personal news about Charlotte’s accomplishments. But the next morning I got a private message from the restaurant, thanking me for the “advertising” and informing me that they were sending me a $100 gift card.

“Are you willing for God to overwhelmingly surprise you by doing something bigger than you ever expected? If you are, you may need to change the way you are praying.”

I don’t play the lottery, don’t enter sweepstakes and can’t think of another time when I won a monetary prize. So I was skeptical when I got the message—and wondered if it was a scam. But in a couple of days the gift card showed up in my mailbox. And after Christmas I took my wife, our daughters and their husbands out for a free meal.

Shortly after I got the card I was jogging near my house, and I had an intriguing conversation with the Lord. It went something like this:

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Worship Roster - 15 January 2012 - Communion

2012-01-09T09:15:00.000+08:00

CM : Tna Hong Lu
WL : Wong Kai Yew
BU : Ng Siew Pin, Shankar R. Gigi Lim
PN : Jocelyn Lee
SY : Jacinta Lee
LG : Chew Weng Ern
BG : Terry Choong
DR : Darren Oi
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Joseph Yap
PA : Tommy Quek, Jason

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 8-Jan-2012 - Pastor Justin Ryan

2012-01-08T11:44:00.003+08:00

Speaker: Pastor Justin Ryan
One Voice Ministries

http://www.mediafire.com/?3j1vadikiegzgt9

Personality Differences

2012-01-07T13:41:00.002+08:00

by Dr Gary Chapman

Have you ever gone on date with a person and all they wanted to do was talk about themselves? Their life, their problems, their emotional baggage strewn out for you to look at and analyze. It's probably because they're a babbling brook. Many of you may be asking what in the world that means.

When it comes to communication there are two extreme personality profiles. First is the babbling brook. This person is constantly picking up the phone to talk to others, in fact, if they get someone's voicemail they call someone else. If they can't get someone on the phone they'll talk to themselves. Whatever they see, whatever they hear, they tell. Some of you are probably turning red saying, "That's me," but don't get too embarrassed because there are likely others out there saying, "I wish I could find someone like that, then I wouldn't have to worry about conversation starters."

This personality type is called, the "Dead Sea" personality. These people are perfectly content not to talk. In fact, if you say to a Dead Sea personality, "What's wrong, why aren't you talking tonight?" He/she is likely to respond, "Nothing. What makes you think something's wrong?" These are the kind of people who don't find long silent car rides awkward, rather they find these car rides enjoyable.

Babbling brooks have a great time with Dead Seas because they are such great listeners, and Dead Seas love not having to carry the weight of the conversation so they enjoy time with babbling brooks. The good news for two babbling brooks is that you can both learn to become better listeners. Likewise two Dead Seas can learn to be more open and to find things to talk about.

Which are you, a babbling brook or a Dead Sea? What ways have you tried or learned to become more balanced?

GET SOCIAL: Share your questions, thoughts insights, or comments by joining the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/5lovelanguages

Getting Your Family to Help

2012-01-06T11:43:00.001+08:00

by Diane Constantine

Wow 2012 got off to a tough start for my husband and me. I hope yours was much, much better. We have been down with a flu bug and it’s after effects. Broken night’s sleep has robbed us of strength for the day. We’re both on the mend, but needless to say, we are almost a month behind in our internet work.

So this month I’m going to share some ideas from a newsletter that I get regularly called Mamapedia. You may like to join the list or just browse through the web site.

Many of you receiving this letter have children too young to begin doing chores, but keep these ideas in mind and hopefully chore time won’t become fight time in your home. For those of you with children old enough to help with chores, don’t be afraid to try something new. If what you have been doing hasn’t worked well, January is a good time to try a new scheme, learn new habits, and see big improvements.

Here’s to a better 2012!

8 Ways to Get Your Family to Help You Around the House

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Just Believe

2012-01-05T09:26:00.004+08:00

by Max Lucado

It was small enough to overlook. Only two words. I know I’d read that passage a hundred times. But I’d never seen it.

But I won’t miss it again. It’s highlighted in yellow and underlined in red. You might want to do the same. Look in Mark, chapter 16. Get your pencil ready and enjoy this jewel in the seventh verse (here it comes). The verse reads like this: “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.

Did you see it? Read it again. (This time I italicized the words.)

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.”

Now tell me if that’s not a hidden treasure.

If I might paraphrase the words, “Don’t stay here, go tell the disciples,” a pause, then a smile, “and especially tell Peter, that he is going before you to Galilee.”

What a line. It’s as if all of heaven had watched Peter fall—and it’s as if all of heaven wanted to help him back up again. “Be sure and tell Peter that he’s not left out. Tell him that one failure doesn’t make a flop.”

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Are You a Disciple? … or Just Part of the Crowd?

2012-01-04T09:24:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

In 2012, Jesus is calling us to re-enroll in the school of discipleship.

Besides being the Year of the Dragon in China, 2012 is full of global observances. World Peace Day was Jan. 1, World Rabies Day is Sept. 22 and the World Day for Laboratory Animals (huh?) is April 24. There is also Global Hand-washing Day (Oct. 15), Star Wars Day (May 4), International Cat Day (March 1), and—for all Johnny Depp fans—International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19).

I don’t know who comes up with these odd celebrations, but I’d like to add one more. Can we declare 2012 the Year of Discipleship?

“When Jesus started talking about repentance and the necessity of the cross, people lost interest. Crowds always thin out when the message gets tough.”

This would be an appropriate time for it, since Jesus had 12 disciples, and that number won’t be showing up for a while as far as years go. But I doubt 2012YD would inspire much more than a corporate yawn. Discipleship is just not popular, even though the word figures prominently in the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19, NASB).

Notice that Jesus did not say, “Go therefore and make converts,” “Go therefore and gather crowds” or “Go therefore and build churches,” even though those things aren’t wrong. The mandate is very specific. Jesus wants disciples, or “taught ones”; He wants followers who know Him intimately, who have surrendered fully to His will, and who can impart His life to others. He wants mature sons and daughters who reflect His character.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Resolve to be Thankful

2012-01-03T08:44:00.000+08:00

by Mark Gungor

Thankful? Haven’t we passed that holiday? I know, Thanksgiving was seven or eight weeks ago…the leftovers have vanished along with the attitude of gratitude that was quickly lost in the flurry of Christmas. Now, here we are at the start of a new year. The presents have been returned, the wrapping has been recycled, and the tree is tucked away in the basement for another year.

Many people make resolutions beginning January 1st to improve themselves and their lives. Lots of us make promises to eat less and exercise more, or to pray and read the bible more and watch TV less. All good things…and they would be even better if we could actually stick to them beyond Valentine’s Day! But here is an idea for a resolution: Be thankful.

Let’s start by looking at an example from scripture of what being thankful actually looks like. In Luke 17 we find the account of Jesus healing the ten lepers. As most people are well aware, leprosy was a horrible disease at the time. It was incurable and caused people to be completely separated and isolated from everyone…including their own spouse, family and friends. Therefore, when these ten guys heard this man was healing people, they wanted in on the deal and made their way to see him crying out loudly for Jesus to have mercy upon them.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Worship Roster - 8 January 2012

2012-01-02T09:15:00.000+08:00

CM : Siow Kim Woon
WL : Terry Choong
BU : Tan Hong Lu, Chow Foong Yee, Joycelyn Choong
PN : Christopher Lai
SY :
LG :
BG : Priscilla Sim
DR : Anna Sim
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Moses Tan, Bryan Tan
PA : Manjit

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 1-Jan-2012 - Elder Sim Say Khim

2012-01-01T11:40:00.002+08:00

Speaker: Elder Sim Say Khim
White Fields Assembly

http://www.mediafire.com/?ld9p2vxag85v9ek

He Still Comes

2011-12-31T13:56:00.000+08:00

The world was different this week. It was temporarily transformed.

The magical dust of Christmas glittered on the cheeks of humanity ever so briefly, reminding us of what is worth having and what we were intended to be. We forgot our compulsion with winning, wooing, and warring. We put away our ladders and ledgers, we hung up our stopwatches and weapons. We stepped off our race tracks and roller coasters and looked outward toward the star of Bethlehem.

We reminded ourselves that Jesus came as a babe, born in a manger.

I’d like to suggest that we remind ourselves he still comes.

He comes to those as small as Mary’s baby and as poor as a carpenter’s boy.

He comes to those as young as a Nazarene teenager and as forgotten as an unnoticed kid in an obscure village.

He comes to those as busy as the oldest son of a large family, to those as stressed as the leader of restless disciples, to those as tired as one with no pillow for his head.

He comes and gives us the gift of himself.

Sunsets steal our breath. Caribbean blue stills our hearts. Newborn babies stir our tears. Lifelong love bejewels our lives. But take all these away—strip away the sunsets, oceans, cooing babies, and tender hearts—and leave us in the Sahara, and we still have reason to dance in the sand. Why? Because God is with us.

He still comes. He still speaks.

From

Christmas Stories: Heartwarming Classics of Angels, A Manger, and the Birth of Hope

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado

Third Culture Kids' Friendships - part 1

2011-12-28T15:27:00.000+08:00

by Diane Constantine

As you may know, our two sons grew up, for more than half their childhood years, outside their home country. That makes them Third Culture Kids, or TCKs. Recently I have been thinking about how our sons react to their world. I wondered how much their experience as Third Culture Kids actually affects them today, now that they are adults. I was especially interested in how TCKs make friends, and how their experience differs from others in that area.

For a refresher, I looked at David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken's textbook called, Third Culture Kids. The chapter on Relational Patterns discusses how Third Culture Kids (TCKs) make friendships and how that affects them later in life.

Their research can help parents of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) understand their children better. Here’s an excerpt:

"During childhood and beyond, all our experiences of mind, heart, body, and spirit--cultural, emotional, physical, geographical--all of the moves, the relationships, the places, the losses, the discoveries, the wonder of the world--are layered one upon another through time."

You may have that noticed your TCK makes friends and maintains friendships in a much different way than you or your husband. Basic personality influences the way all of us relate to others. If your TCK is more extroverted, he can talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. He may have a huge list of friends, yet have no one he will turn to when he is troubled.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

A Word for 2012: New Leadership, New Boldness and New Provision

2011-12-28T09:45:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

As I have prayed about the coming year, I’ve sensed three clear directives.

Some people are terrified of 2012. They worry because the Mayans of ancient Mexico mysteriously ended their 5,126-year-old calendar on Dec. 21, 2012—as if they expected the world to end that day. This silly hypothesis became the basis for several New Age books and a goofy disaster movie, 2012, in which actor John Cusack avoids meteors and earthquakes just in time to get his family aboard the modern version of Noah’s ark (built in China!) before the rest of the world is destroyed by a tsunami.

I’m not afraid of 12/21/12 because:

(1) Ancient Mayans never actually said the world would end in 2012—and even if they did, they didn’t have an inside track to God;

(2) Doomsday predictions have never been accurate; and

(3) Jesus holds the future in his hands. As long as I’m in relationship with Him, it doesn’t matter what happens on earth. I’m secure.

“Despite strange weather patterns, global terrorism and the specter of an economic crash, I’m actually optimistic about where we’re headed in 2012.”

Despite strange weather patterns, global terrorism and the specter of an economic crash, I’m actually optimistic about where we’re headed in 2012. And as I have prayed about the coming year, I’ve sensed these three clear directives:

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Worship Roster - 1 January 2012 - Communion

2011-12-26T09:15:00.001+08:00

*New Year's Day

CM : Liong Kam Chong
WL : Terry Choong
BU : Peggy Tan, Jacquelina Lim, Wong Kai Yew
PN : Lydia Sim
SY :
LG : Chew Weng Ern
BG : Darren Oi
DR : Kenneth Lai
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Timothy
PA : Hiew FF, Jeremiah

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 25-Dec-2011 - Rev Dr Peter Yee

2011-12-25T11:58:00.000+08:00

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Peter Yee
Bethel Anglican Centre, Puchong Jaya.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dbm99e3qtgyk77y

Seeking the Savior

2011-12-23T09:02:00.000+08:00

Simeon [said], “Can I stay alive until I see him?”

The Magi [said], “Saddle up the camels. We aren’t stopping until we find him.”

The shepherds [said], “Let’s go…. Let’s see.”

They wanted the Savior. They wanted to see Jesus.

They were earnest in their search. One translation renders Hebrews 11:6: “God … rewards those who earnestly seek him” (NIV).

Another reads: “God rewards those who search for him” (Phillips).

And another: “God … rewards those who sincerely look for him” (TLB).

I like the King James translation: “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (italics mine).

Diligently—what a great word. Be diligent in your search. Be hungry in your quest, relentless in your pilgrimage. Let this book be but one of dozens you read about Jesus and this hour be but one of hundreds in which you seek him. Step away from the puny pursuits of possessions and positions, and seek your king.

Don’t be satisfied with angels. Don’t be content with stars in the sky. Seek him out as the shepherds did. Long for him as Simeon did. Worship him as the wise men did….Risk whatever it takes to see Christ.

God rewards those who seek him. Not those who seek doctrine or religion or systems or creeds. Many settle for these lesser passions, but the reward goes to those who settle for nothing less than Jesus himself.

From

One Incredible Savior: Celebrating the Majesty of the Manger

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado

This Christmas, Take a Moment to Pray for an Iranian Brother

2011-12-21T09:04:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

As the world celebrates Jesus’ birth, Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani faces the threat of execution.

Those of us in the West who are blessed with religious freedom think of Christmas as a cheery occasion. But how would you like to spend the holiday in a dark prison cell in Iran—where inmates without any legal protection are sometimes rounded up at night and hanged in secret mass executions?

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been in the Lakan prison, near the city of Rasht, Iran, since October 2009. He was arrested after he complained to authorities that the local school was forcibly teaching Islam to his two sons, Daniel, 9 and Yoel, 7. (The Iranian constitution supposedly guarantees religious freedom.) The charges against the pastor, who leads a 400-member congregation in Rasht, were later changed: He was accused of apostasy and evangelism.

“There are no assurances that [Pastor Youcef] will not be executed. It could happen at any time. This is the way the Iranian government operates with executions. They do not give advance notice and it is done in secret.”

This will be the third Christmas Youcef has spent in a prison cell.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Worship Roster - 25 December 2011

2011-12-19T09:15:00.000+08:00

*Christmas Day

CM : Caleb R
WL : Priscilla Sim
BU : Chow Foong Yee, Christopher Lai, Kenneth Lai
PN : Jocelyn Lee
SY : Jacinta Lee
LG :
BG : Anna Sim
DR : Wong Kai Yew
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Joseph Yap
PA : Tommy Quek, Jason

*as per hardcopy printout

Motherhood is a Special Task

2011-12-19T09:12:00.004+08:00

QUESTION: More than anything in the world I want to be a good mom to my kids. How can I be the mom God wants me to be?

ANSWER FROM MAX:The virgin birth is more, much more, than a Christmas story. It is a picture of how close Christ will come to you, a mom, as you also bring a child into the world.

Imagine yourself in that story found in Luke 1.

God comes to you and says, “I have a special task for you. A child. A special child that I want to entrust to you. Are you willing to raise this one?”

You stammer, take a breath. “This sounds scary.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there with you. This child is special to me. He will be a great child.”

You shake your head. “Such an awesome responsibility. I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Nothing is impossible with me.”

You smile. “I am your servant. I’ll do it.”

Do we think only one child received God’s special attention? Sure, only one was his Son, and an angel sent out those special birth announcements, accompanied by an angelic choir singing “Happy Birthday.” Of course God pulled out all the stops for Jesus’ birth.

But children aren’t randomly born to parents. God orchestrates the right children to be born to the right parents.

Being the mom God wants you to be starts with the understanding of how important your job is in God’s eyes. He entrusts you with one of his own children. He chose you out of all the moms in the world for this one child.

Remember, you, too, are highly favored by God himself to receive such a special gift.

From Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado

Sunday Sermon - 18-Dec-2011 - Pastor Mike Constantine

2011-12-18T13:03:00.001+08:00

Speaker: Pastor Mike Constantine

http://www.mediafire.com/?vi1and3vygi4h04

Four Keys for Making Mr. Right: Part 1

2011-12-16T11:29:00.003+08:00

Wives can't change their husbands, but wives can and do have a tremendous influence on their husbands. How can you make that influence positive? Here are the first two of four keys to making Mr. Right:

Give Him Praise.

Men respond positively to praise. One of the most common complaints men make in my office is: "Dr. Chapman, in my work I am respected. People come to me for advice. But at home, all I get is criticism." What she considers suggestions, he reads as criticism. Her efforts to stimulate growth have backfired.

Give him praise. The fastest way to influence a husband is to give him praise. Praise him for effort, not perfection. You may be asking, but if I praise him for mediocrity, will it not stifle growth? The answer is a resounding "No." Your praise urges him on to greater accomplishments.

My challenge is to look for things your husband is doing right and praise him. Praise him in private, praise him in front of the children, praise him in front of your parents and his parents, praise him in front of his peers. Then stand back and watch him go for the gold.

Make Requests.

None of us like to be controlled, and demands are efforts at controlling. "If you don't mow the grass this afternoon, then I'm going to mow it." I wouldn't make that demand unless you want to be the permanent lawn mower. It is far more effective to say, "Do you know what would really make me happy?" Wait until he asks, "What?" Then say, "If you could find time this afternoon to mow the grass. You always do such a great job."

Let me illustrate by applying the principle to you. How do you feel when your husband says "I haven't had an apple pie since the baby was born. I don't guess I'm going to get any more apple pies for eighteen years"? Now, doesn't that motivate you? But what if he says, "You know what I'd really like to have? One of your apple pies. You make the best apple pies in the world. Sometime when you get a chance, I'd really love one of your apple pies. Chances are he'll have an apple pie before the week is over. Requests are more productive than demands.

Next Week - Four Keys to Making Mr. Right: Part 2

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What If Bethlehem Had Smartphones?

2011-12-15T08:40:00.002+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

I wonder if more people would believe in Jesus if His birth had been a trending topic on Twitter.

Matthew and Luke are the only Gospel writers who wrote about Jesus’ birth, and we aren’t sure who provided them with firsthand reports. Jesus’ mother was among the earliest Christian disciples, so we assume she shared her story with them. All details were passed down orally, without the aid of technology. There were no radios, televisions, tape recorders, iPads, walkie-talkies, cameras, cellphones or fax machines in first century Israel. The only form of “instant messaging” required a guy to run from one king to another over a period of days.

I wonder: What if the key players in the Christmas story had access to wireless devices? Pardon my literary license as I imagine the script:

Facebook update, 01/15/02 B.C., posted 4 hours ago

Elizabeth > Mary

So glad you can visit us! Zacharias is still not talking (so weird!), but his eyes brightened when I told him you were on your way. We are still in awe of God’s goodness to us. I feel so old to be a mom. Zach says he knows the baby is a boy. We plan to name him John even though our relatives disapprove!

“Of course there was no access to Facebook, Twitter or iPhones when Jesus was born. Yet the story of his birth immediately went viral, and the message the angels told the shepherds is still spreading globally.”

CLICK HERE to read the full post

New Kid by Friday- part 6

2011-12-12T09:44:00.000+08:00

http://firststepstoday.com

Over the last few months I’ve been sharing some insights from Dr. Kevin Leman’s book, Have a New Kid by Friday.

These are the last two strategies from Dr. Leman that we will cover in these letters. Strategy one, “Let reality be the teacher.” And the second strategy is, “B doesn’t happen until A is completed.”

He stresses that as much as possible allow natural consequences to teach lessons to your child. Don’t be constantly reminding them of the consequences, just let them feel them. Don’t micromanage your child’s experiences.

For example: as much as possible, feed your children when you eat and give them the same food you eat. Once they get down from the table, the meal is over. So if your child refuses to eat the food you serve, they don’t get anything else to eat until the next regular meal. It is hard to hear them say they are hungry later, but let that empty tummy teach him to eat what is available. He will not starve himself, but he will be extra hungry and willing to eat what’s on the table. (Don’t keep the food he didn’t eat. Each meal should be a new experience.)

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Worship Roster - 18 December 2011 - Communion

2011-12-12T09:12:00.000+08:00

CM : Tan Hong Lu
WL : Peggy Tan
BU : Ng Siew Pin. Shankar R, Gigi Lim
PN : Priscilla Sim
SY :
LG : Chew Weng Ern
BG : Terry Choong
DR : Darren Oi
TM : Joycelyn / Lareina / Colleen
LCD : Moses Tan, Bryan Tan
PA : Manjit

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 11-Dec-2011 - Pastor David Chan

2011-12-11T11:21:00.003+08:00

Speaker: Pastor David Chan

http://www.mediafire.com/?n23ux2xg08glgs8

The Ideal Christmas

2011-12-10T09:12:00.001+08:00

by Mark Gungor

Yes, it’s that time of the year again…the most wonderful, happy, and magical season of Christmas! At least that’s what the retailers, songs and TV specials all proclaim starting mid-November. Yet for many people, this whole holiday season starting with Thanksgiving and ending with New Years is anything but wonderful or happy.

Now, there may be a variety of reasons for this. For some people, it is the first year since a loved one has passed away, which makes for sadness. Others experience the whole season being separated by many miles from their family and friends either because of job situations, military commitments or just because they can’t make it home for any given reason.

Some of the things that cause people to be unhappy at Christmas time cannot be helped and they are quite reasonable sources for sad or melancholy feelings. But many people are upset and stressed out during this season by their own doing. And by far, the largest culprit in this is unrealistic expectations of what they think Christmas is supposed to be like.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not a scrooge. I love Christmas and the whole season, but we must remember to keep it in check. People get so caught up in the hustle and bustle, the buying and spending, and the dreams and illusions of what the media tells us we must do and have for it to be the “perfect holiday”, that we lose the real joy that can be a part of celebrating the season.

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Marriage Myth Busters

2011-12-09T12:29:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately, many people in desperate marriages base their lives upon commonly held myths. This week I want to expose some of these myths and challenge you to take constructive action in your marriage.

Myth #1

The first myth is the idea that my state of mind and the quality of my marriage is determined by my environment. "I grew up in a dysfunctional family, so I am destined to failure in my relationships." This kind of approach leaves one helpless.

Our environment certainly affects us, but it does not control us.You can keep a positive spirit even in a bad marriage, which will affect your emotions and your actions. God can give peace of mind even in the worst of situations.

Myth #2

You've probably heard this one: "People cannot change." This myth fails to realize the reality of human freedom and the power of God. History is filled with accounts of people who have made radical changes in their behavior. From St. Augustine, who once lived for pleasure and thought his desires were inescapable, to Charles Colson, the Watergate criminal who repented and began an international agency to offer prisoners spiritual help, the record is clear: People can and do change, and often the changes are dramatic!

Don't give up on yourself or your spouse. God is in the business of changing lives. Begin with prayer, and believe that God can and will change you and your spouse.

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Tiny Mouth, Tiny Feet

2011-12-09T09:28:00.001+08:00

by Max Lucado

God. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.

Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.

Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:

to touch a leper’s open wound,

to wipe a widow’s weary tear,

to claw the ground of Gethsemane.

Your hands, so tiny, so tender, so white—clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.

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The Ideal Christmas

2011-12-09T09:26:00.000+08:00

by Mark Gungor

CLICK HERE to read the full post

The Biology of Christmas

2011-12-08T07:56:00.001+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The virgin birth contradicts the laws of science. But our faith rests on the miracle of the Incarnation.

My wife and I have four girls, and I was in the hospital room for each birth. There was a normal amount of blood, but no serious complications. Our oldest took forever to be born. Our second was in such a hurry that we thought she might end up on the floor of a hospital hallway. Our third tied her umbilical cord in knots in the womb. And our youngest calmly slipped out as if to say: “OK, I’m born. What’s next?”

I had very little to do in the delivery room. My wife was the hero. She sweated, strained, pushed and gasped for hours. I stroked her arm a few times—and ate some doughnuts.

“The concept of a woman giving birth to a baby without a man’s involvement is ludicrous to unbelievers. It contradicts all the laws of biology.”

Normal births are amazing, whether they occur in hospitals or homes or the back seats of taxis. But when I consider the birth of Jesus, I’m in total awe—not just because of Mary and Joseph’s bumpy ride from Nazareth, Mary’s lack of a doctor (and no anesthesia!) and the crudeness of the manger, but also because of how Jesus was conceived. Mary was a virgin. Joseph, the “father,” had nothing to do but stand in the background.

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Worship Roster 11-Dec-2011 to 26-Feb-2012

2011-12-07T00:21:00.006+08:00

Worship roster for 11-Dec-2011 to 26-Feb-2012

Please view it here.

Worship Roster - 11 December 2011

2011-12-05T09:10:00.000+08:00

CM : Tom C.
WL : Chow Foong Yee
BU : Tan Hong Lu, Colleen Chang, Lareina Chang
PN : Christopher Lai
SY :
LG :
BG : Kenneth Lai
DR : Anna Sim
TM :
LCD : Timothy
PA : Hiew FF, Jeremiah

*as per hardcopy printout

Sunday Sermon - 4-Dec-2011 - Bro. Liong Kam Chong

2011-12-04T12:35:00.003+08:00

Speaker: Bro. Liong Kam Chong
White Fields Assembly, Seremban

http://www.mediafire.com/?klssuglbxsx0pza

A Wreath Observed

2011-12-03T07:48:00.001+08:00

by Dr. Gary Chapman

What's the best Christmas present you can give your kids this year? An iPad? An e-reader?

The other day in the car, Colin asked if we could get a bigger Christmas tree. The one we chose is puny, evidently. I think he wants more room for presents.

That caused me to think about what I really want to give them. I love giving toys, trinkets, gadgets, and giz. I love giving books and gift cards and musical instruments. I love the feeling of watching them open a present and seeing the recognition on their faces that someone knows them, sees inside their souls well enough to get that DVD or pair of woolen socks.

But the truth is, the greatest gift I can give my children can't be placed under a tree, no matter how big it is. The greatest gift I can give my family is a commitment to my marriage and the fortitude to work on that relationship no matter what.

On the cover of the book, A Marriage Carol, there is a Christmas wreath. And below that, the door knocker is in the shape of an engagement ring. These circles represent something that will last, something that has no end. The contents of the book, we hope, will encourage couples to continue the struggle, continue to fight for their marriage even if things seem bleak.

If your relationship is frosty, cold, or almost dead, all the trinkets, toys, and gadgets in the world will not make your kids happy. Their real happiness comes in the security they feel with two parents who are committed enough to each other not to quit, but to humble themselves and go to work.

If you're married, give the gift that will keep giving to your children, your friends, everyone around you, and also yourself. Give the gift of commitment.

No wrapping paper or bow needed.

GUEST POST BY: Chris Fabry

CHRIS FABRY is a graduate of W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and Moody Bible Institute's Advanced Studies Program. Chris can be heard daily on Love Worth Finding, featuring the teaching of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers. He received the 2008 "Talk Personality of the Year" Award from the National Religious Broadcasters. He has published more than 60 books since 1995, many of them fiction for younger readers. Chris collaborated with Jerry B. Jenkins and Dr. Tim LaHaye on the children's series Left Behind: The Kids. His two novels for adults, Dogwood and June Bug, are published by Tyndale House Publishers. Chris is married to his wife Andrea and they have five daughters and four sons. You can find out more about Chris at his website.

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From One Father to Another

2011-12-02T08:34:00.001+08:00

by Max Lucado

This isn’t the way I planned it, God. Not at all. My child being born in a stable? This isn’t the way I thought it would be. A cave with sheep and donkeys, hay and straw? My wife giving birth with only the stars to hear her pain?

This isn’t at all what I imagined. No, I imagined family. I imagined grandmothers. I imagined neighbors clustered outside the door and friends standing at my side. I imagined the house erupting with the first cry of the infant. Slaps on the back. Loud laughter. Jubilation.

That’s how I thought it would be.

But now…Who will celebrate with us? The sheep? The shepherds?

The stars?

This doesn’t seem right. What kind of husband am I? I provide no midwife to aid my wife. No bed to rest her back. Her pillow is a blanket from my donkey.

Did I miss something? Did I, God?

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Download : NECF Prayer Bulletin

2011-12-01T11:02:00.001+08:00

NECF Monthly Prayer Bulletin - December 2011

Download it HERE

A Word for the Weary: God Will Finish What He Started!

2011-11-30T11:04:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The devil is busy trying to abort God’s promises. Hang on and keep believing.

Here’s a trivia question: Which building project took the longest to complete?·

A. The construction of the Pentagon.

B. The carving of Mount Rushmore.

C. The digging of the Panama Canal.

D. The building of the Empire State Building.

E. The carving and assembling of the Statue of Liberty.

The answer is C.

It took 31 years to dig the Panama Canal, mainly because that superhuman task was started and stopped several times due to floods, mudslides, unexpected costs (the total bill for the United States was $375 million in 1914) and a horrific death toll (20,000 French workers and 6,000 Americans died on the job site.) The moral of that story: Expect delays when you cut a 50-mile-long canal to connect two oceans.

I’m not attempting to move millions of tons of earth to make room for cargo ships. My ministry assignment is different. But I still feel overwhelmed at times by the task. God calls each of us to join Him in His work, but accomplishing anything spiritual (such as building a church, winning the lost, or influencing culture for Christ) is impossible in human terms. We can’t accomplish anything for God without supernatural faith.

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Love, Marriage, and Stinking Thinking : Men Behaving Badly

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000+08:00

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If you or anyone you know has ever wondered what to do about a man who behaves very badly, this is the show for you to watch. Mark and Debbie look at both sides of the coin: What guys contribute to the situation and what women do that enables the rotten behavior. Get ready to be challenged in your thinking as Mark explains why our culture is in desperate need of strong, confident, respectful women--what he terms "butt kicking women!"Hear how the submission message that churches have been teaching and preaching for decades has contributed to the demise of marriage. You don't want to miss what Mark has to say about the "just submit" advice many pastors give to answer marital issues.

For more information on the show and more of Mark Gungor, please check out our website, http://www.stinkingthinking.tv

New Kid by Friday- part 5

2011-11-28T09:41:00.000+08:00

http://firststepstoday.com

Dr. Leman has a technique that he uses for a lot of different behavior problems. This one works particularly well when the purpose of the misbehavior is to get your attention and to control you. It goes like this:

1. Say it once.

2. Turn your back.

3. Walk away.

Telling your child more than once, he believes, just teaches your child that you think he/she is too stupid to understand you the first time. I tend to think it teaches children that they don’t have to obey until you have gotten worked up about it. That’s why counting is usually a bad idea.

Turning your back keeps your child from the reward of your attention. Children sometimes want your attention so much they don’t care if it means being punished. Not giving them attention when they are misbehaving breaks that link. Later, when they are doing well is the time to reward them with your attention.

Walking away is the hardest part of this method. When you walk away your child begins to panic, “Why isn’t mom giving me what I expect?” Dr. Leman says not to even say why you are walking away, just do it and it will result in a teachable moment.

So here are a couple common scenarios for toddlers.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Sunday Sermon - 27-Nov-2011 - Bro. Tan Hong Lu

2011-11-27T12:38:00.000+08:00

Speaker: Bro. Tan Hong Lu
White Fields Assembly, Seremban

http://www.mediafire.com/?p70sllofbs3y9vm

Worship Roster - 4 Dec - Communion

2011-11-26T08:02:00.001+08:00

CHAIRMAN Siow K. W.
W. LEADER W. Kai Yew
BACK UPS Ng Siew Pin, Shankar R., Gigi Lim
PIANO Grace Lee
SYNTH
BASS C. Weng Ern
GUITAR Jacquelina L.
DRUMS Darren Oi
TIMBREL
PROJECTION Moses Tan, Bryan Tan
PA Tommy Q.

Divine Gifts

2011-11-23T09:10:00.000+08:00

Oh, the things we do to give gifts to those we love.

But we don’t mind, do we? We would do it all again. Fact is, we do it all again. Every Christmas, every birthday, every so often we find ourselves in foreign territory. Grownups are in toy stores. Dads are in teen stores. Wives are in the hunting department, and husbands are in the purse department.

And we’d do it all again. Having pressed the grapes of service, we drink life’s sweetest wine—the wine of giving. We are at our best when we are giving. In fact, we are most like God when we are giving.

Have you ever wondered why God gives so much? We could exist on far less. He could have left the world flat and gray; we wouldn’t have known the difference. But he didn’t.

He splashed orange in the sunrise

and cast the sky in blue.

And if you love to see geese as they gather,

chances are you’ll see that too.

Did he have to make the squirrel’s tail furry?

Was he obliged to make the birds sing?

And the funny way that chickens scurry

or the majesty of thunder when it rings?

Why give a flower fragrance?

Why give food its taste?

Could it be he loves to see

that look upon your face?

If we give gifts to show our love, how much more would he? If we—speckled with foibles and greed—love to give gifts, how much more does God, pure and perfect God, enjoy giving gifts to us? Jesus asked, “If you hardhearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?” (Matt. 7:11 TLB).

God’s gifts shed light on God’s heart, God’s good and generous heart. Jesus’ brother James tells us: “Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light” (James 1:17 MSG). Every gift reveals God’s love … but no gift reveals his love more than the gifts of the cross. They came, not wrapped in paper, but in passion. Not placed around a tree, but a cross. And not covered with ribbons, but sprinkled with blood.

From One Incredible Savior

Love, Marriage, and Stinking Thinking : Finding a Soulmate

2011-11-22T20:23:00.000+08:00

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This week's episode features an email from a Christian man married 20 years who believes that he's found his "soul mate"and it's not his wife! Watch and see what Mark and Debbie have to say to about the cultural acceptance of adultery and the stinking thinking that is widespread even in churches.In this day and age when so many people make their decisions based on feelings and the need to be happy, hear why it's vitally important that we use the Bible as our point of reference.Mark also uses the account of Jesus' birth to illustrate where God is during our times of hardship and misery and how our comfort level has nothing to do with what is right or wrong in any given situation.

Bad Theology = Bad Marriage

2011-11-22T09:52:00.000+08:00

by Mark Gungor

There is line of thinking that began in American culture during the hippy movement of the 1960s and has continued to grow in popularity until it proliferated even Christianity. I’m referring to the concept of “unconditional love”. Over and over we hear people talking about how we need to love others “unconditionally” and how others should love us “unconditionally”. It also has morphed into the idea that God’s love for us is “unconditional”. What a bunch of horse manure! Nowhere in the bible does it say that love is to be without conditions…in fact, the phrase “unconditional love” isn’t even in the bible. (Not to mention that the bible is clearly a list of conditions God has for his people.) Funny how Christians are so quick to make such unbiblical ideas and phrases in to pillars of the faith!

The other phrase that is repeated over and over again until it, too, has become accepted “doctrine” is “God loves you just the way you are.” Wrong!! God loves you in spite of the way you are!He loves you when you are broken and in sin.

He loves you when your life is a disaster, if you’ve committed adultery, are lost in addictions, or cheating and lying up a storm. It’s not that God doesn’t love you, he does… but he expects you to change.We need to repent, to grow, to mature as Christians. But when people mistakenly say, “God loves you just the way you are”, what is either spoken or implied is the caveat that you don’t have to change.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

10 Basic Blessings You Should Be Thankful For

2011-11-22T08:47:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Americans today face economic challenges, but we have nothing to complain about.

We Americans are a blessed people, but we are also spoiled. I know I am. I can get flustered over the stupidest things—like when my cellphone doesn’t get a good signal, when a flight is delayed or when my computer takes too long to load a website. Most people in the world don’t have iPhones, can’t afford air travel and don’t have computers. My impatience reveals my ungrateful spirit.

So how can we avoid this virus of selfish immaturity? Thankfulness is the antidote. It melts our pride and crushes our sense of entitlement. It reminds us that everything we have comes from God, and that His mercy is the only reason we are blessed.

"Be thankful instead! God calls us to live above negativity. When we give thanks in all things, God gives us a supernatural attitude adjustment.”

As you celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I pray you will invite the Holy Spirit to convict you of any whining. Here’s a list of 10 blessings that many people in the world don’t have. Go over this list and then see if you still have anything to gripe about.

1. Got clean water? The next time you uncap a bottle of water or grab a drink from the tap, remember that one in eight people in the world (that’s 884 million people) lack access to clean water supplies. Millions of women around the world spend several hours a day collecting water. When you take a five-minute shower, you use more water than a typical person in a developing country uses in a whole day.

CLICK HERE to read the full post

Sunday Sermon - 20 November 2011 - Rev. Canon. Dr. Lakshman K.R

2011-11-20T08:28:00.002+08:00

Speaker: Rev. Canon. Dr. Lakshman K.R
Bethel Anglican Centre, Puchong Jaya

http://www.mediafire.com/?5xpeli865ed6cnj

Worship Roster - 27 Nov

2011-11-19T08:00:00.001+08:00

CHAIRMAN Liong K. C.
W. LEADER Terry C.
BACK UPS Tan Hong Lu, Foong Yee, Lydia Sim
PIANO Jocelyn Lee
SYNTH Jacinta Lee
BASS Darren Oi
GUITAR
DRUMS Anna Sim
TIMBREL
PROJECTION Joseph Yap
PA Manjit Singh

Utilizing Thanksgiving as a Reminder to Appreciate Your Staff

2011-11-18T08:47:00.000+08:00

by Dr. Gary Chapman

Thanksgiving is the holiday where we are encouraged to be thankful for the good things in our lives - health, safety, adequate food, clothing, and shelter, as well as the many material blessings we have. For most people, Thanksgiving is usually more of a personally-focused celebration, including sharing meals and time with family and friends.

But the Thanksgiving holiday season can also be an opportunity to focus on, and be reminded of, the positive aspects of our work lives. This is especially true in these more difficult economic times, where many who desire employment are unable to find work or have to settle for a job beneath their professional capabilities.

For those who are supervisors, managers, business owners or leaders in their organizations, the Thanksgiving holiday is an excellent reminder to both remember, and communicate, the most valuable asset in your workplace: the people who work there (both employees and volunteers).

While many people sarcastically say, "I'd enjoy my work more, if it weren't for the people"; in reality, most of us have highly talented and valuable colleagues. And a few minutes of reflection can help each of us identify those positive characteristics that our team members bring to the workplace each day.

Identifying the Positive Characteristics of Colleagues.

Think about the individuals you see and with whom you work regularly.

What do they do that makes you smile?
What character quality do they demonstrate, that if it weren't present would really make life at work tough? (e.g. dependability, thoroughness, punctuality, honesty)
What talents or skills do they regularly demonstrate that are part of "who they are"? (e.g. good communication skills, accurate detailed work, being a good problem solver, creative).

Make a list of your teammates, along with the characteristics you've identified.Communicating your appreciation.While it's nice (for you) to reflect on and be thankful for the top quality co-workers you have, it would make their day to hear from you what you appreciate about them. Let me give you some tips that will make the appreciation communicated really "hit the mark" (versus "fall flat"):

Make sure your praise is specific and personal. General, impersonal praise is like eating mashed potatoes without gravy or butter - blah. Use their name. Tell them specifically how their positive characteristic makes your life better. Give a specific example, if possible.
Communicate in a way that will be comfortable for you. You can tell them verbally, write an email, or write a handwritten note in a Thanksgiving card. It doesn't have to be a big deal or production. Just do it.
Absolutely be genuine. Don't try to fake it and don't overstate your appreciation ("You are the best accountant in the world!"). Make sure your tone of voice, facial expression, and body language match what you are communicating. If you are rushed, or uptight about something, wait until you have relaxed before talking to them.

A small act of communicating your appreciation to your colleagues may make their whole Thanksgiving a very special holiday. And the rewards you may reap in the coming weeks may be bountiful as well.

GUEST POST BY: Paul White, PhDDr. Paul White is co-author of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. He is a psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant who helps make work relationships work. For the past two decades, he has improved numerous businesses, wealthy family estates, schools, and nonprofit organizations by helping them to build healthy relationships, create positive workplace environments, and raising the level of job satisfaction for both employees and volunteers. For more information, visit DrPaulWhite.com

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The God Who Feeds My Soul

2011-11-18T08:45:00.000+08:00

by Max Lucado

Bread is eaten daily. Some fruits are available only in season. Some drinks are made only at holidays. Not so with bread. And not so with Jesus. He should be brought to our table every day. We let him nourish our hearts, not just in certain months or on special events, but daily.

Bread can meet many needs. So can Jesus. He has a word for the lonely as well as for the popular. He has help for the physically ill and the emotionally ill. If your vision is clear, he can help you. If your vision is cloudy, he can help you. Jesus can meet each need.

Can you see why Jesus called himself the Bread of Life?

I can think of one other similarity. Consider how bread is made. Think about the process. Wheat grows in the field, then it is cut down, winnowed, and ground into flour. It passes through the fire of the oven and is then distributed around the world. Only by this process does bread become bread. Each step is essential.

Jesus grew up as a “small plant before the Lord” (Isa. 53:2). One of thousands in Israel. Indistinguishable from the person down the street or the child in the next chair. Had you seen him as a youngster, you wouldn’t have thought he was the Son of God. He was just a boy. One of hundreds. Like a staff of wheat in the wheat field.

But like wheat, he was cut down. Like chaff he was pounded and beaten. “He was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did” (Isa. 53:5). And like bread he passed through the fire. On the cross he passed though the fire of God’s anger, not because of his sin, but because of ours. “The Lord has put on him the punishment for all the evil we have done” (Isa. 53:6).

Jesus experienced each part of the process of making bread: the growing, the pounding, the firing. And just as each is necessary for bread, each was also necessary for Christ to become the bread of life. “The Christ must suffer these things before he enters his glory” (Luke 24:26).

The next part of the process, the distribution, Christ leaves with us. We are the distributors. We can’t force people to eat the bread, but we can make sure they have it.

“I am the bread that gives life.” John 6:35

From: A Gentle Thunder

New Kid by Friday- part 4

2011-11-14T09:27:00.000+08:00

http://firststepstoday.com

Over the last three months I’ve been sharing some insights from Dr. Kevin Leman’s book, Have a New Kid by Friday. In February I reviewed the three pillars of a child’s self worth: Acceptance, Belonging, and Competence. Then in March I reviewed the first of the top 3 long-term concerns of parents, Attitude.

In April I reviewed what he had to say about Character. Of course most of his book is about the third concern, Behavior. It is written for parents with children of all ages; much of the book is beyond the scope of babies and toddlers. Laying good foundations of discipline is so important, though, that I want to take some time to talk about some of his specific approaches.

Dr. Leman emphasizes the importance of looking at your long-term parenting goals when considering discipline. Here are a few of his points to consider:

Parenting is a big job with little time in which to do it. Children grow up so fast. You cannot afford to NOT take advantage of the time you have to teach them life lessons.
Think about the kind of person you want your child to become and keep that picture in your mind. Respectful, hard-working, thoughtful of others? Make your own list and then see what you can do today to begin to develop those traits.
Your child needs not only your attention but also a relationship with you. Relationships take time and effort to build. Don’t be too busy for your children. Without a relationship, your rules, your words, and your actions mean nothing!

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Sunday Sermon - 13 November 2011 - Pastor Ronnie Teoh

2011-11-13T08:29:00.002+08:00

Speaker: Pastor Ronnie Teoh

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?919ujcoadpm4hvk

Worship Roster - 20 Nov - Communion

2011-11-13T07:58:00.001+08:00

CHAIRMAN Caleb R.
W. LEADER Shankar R.
BACK UPS Peggy Tan, Jacquelina L.
PIANO Chris Lai
SYNTH Kenneth Lai
BASS C. Weng Ern
GUITAR
DRUMS Priscilla Sim
TIMBREL
PROJECTION Terry C., Bryan Tan
PA Hiew FF

Veterans Day: The Power of Words

2011-11-12T08:16:00.000+08:00

Editor's Note: On behalf Dr. Gary Chapman and all the Chapman Team here at Northfield Publishing, we would like to express our deepest appreciation to all those who have served, or are currently serving, our country in the military. Thank you for your service and sacrifice! In light of Veterans Day, we would like to share with you an excerpt of an article Dr. Chapman wrote for Military Spouse Magazine several years ago. Enjoy.

"Don't underestimate the power of words!"That's what my mother told me when my dad was deployed in World War II. For them, it was true because she wrote Dad a letter every day. And he wrote her every time he had a free minute. The letters may have been a month late, but they brought news from home. And they expressed love. Mom and Dad stayed connected though separated by the miles and months.

In today's world, with computers and wireless phones, staying connected is easier than ever. Staying connected while apart is the best way to make re-entry sweet. If you are disconnected during deployment, it takes time to re-establish intimacy. If one of you has violated trust by being unfaithful, it takes genuine confession and forgiveness; then it follows the often slow process of rebuilding trust.

For the average couple who stays somewhat connected while deployed and remain true to each other, re-entry can be heavenly; with perhaps a few hellish moments. Whatever problems you had before deployment did not go away while you were apart.

You must start, not where you left off, but where you are now. That means, taking time to talk and listen. It means sharing what has happened while the two of you have been apart. Obviously, there is not time to relive all the experiences, but if you are to reconnect, you must share some of what has transpired.

Don't underestimate the power of words. They can make or break a relationship. Such statements as, "I missed you. I'm proud of you. You look great; I am glad you are home," communicate love to the one who has been deployed. While "You did a such a good job with the things while I was away. I'm so lucky to have you as a husband/wife. You look fabulous. I am so glad to be home again," communicate encouragement to the one who stated at home. No matter what has happened, beginning with positive words creates a climate for reconstruction.

This does not mean that you cannot voice your concerns, but even this need to be done in a positive way. "I know I may be misreading this. There are probably some things I don't know. But I felt concerned when...." This kind of statement is not condemning, but seeks information to clarify the situation. You can process your differences so long as you do not condemn each other. When you condemn and harshly criticize, you may create a war that is more volatile than the one from which you have returned.

The motif of a good marriage is mutual support and encouragement. Questions like, "What could I do to help you? How can I make your life easier? How could I best show my love to you?" express an attitude of helpfulness and will likely be well received by your spouse. Reaching out to help each other, you become partners in life, which is what marriage is all about.

The greatest detriment to such positive partnership is selfishness. Perhaps both of you feel that you have gone through a difficult period of life and you deserve a little pampering. However, when you focus on yourselves and start demanding things of each other, you become enemies. When you freely and genuinely reach out with the attitude of helping your spouse, you both become winners. Successful re-entry occurs when both partners seek the well being of the other.

Marsha, the wife of an enlisted man captured it all when she said "After all he had been through, I could not believe it when he came home and said, 'It was a hard deployment. But I'm home now and I'm here to serve you.' Of course, I wanted to serve him. What wife wouldn't respond positively to a husband who has that attitude?"

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Second Chances

2011-11-11T08:42:00.000+08:00

by Max Lucado

It was small enough to overlook. Only two words. I know I’d read that passage a hundred times. But I’d never seen it.

Did you see it? Read it again. (This time I italicized the words.)

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.”

Now tell me if that’s not a hidden treasure.

If I might paraphrase the words, “Don’t stay here, go tell the disciples,” a pause, then a smile, “and especially tell Peter, that he is going before you to Galilee.”

Whew!

No wonder they call it the gospel of the second chance.

Those who know these types of things say that the Gospel of Mark is really the transcribed notes and dictated thoughts of Peter. If this is true, then it was Peter himself who included these two words! And if these really are his words, I can’t help but imagine that the old fisherman had to brush away a tear and swallow a lump when he got to this point in the story.

It’s not every day that you get a second chance. Peter must have known that. The next time he saw Jesus, he got so excited that he barely got his britches on before he jumped into the cold water of the Sea of Galilee. It was also enough, so they say, to cause this backwoods Galilean to carry the gospel of the second chance all the way to Rome where they killed him. If you’ve ever wondered what would cause a man to be willing to be crucified upside down, maybe now you know.

It’s not every day that you find someone who will give you a second chance—much less someone who will give you a second chance every day.But in Jesus, Peter found both.

From: No Wonder They Call Him the Savior

A Message to His Holy Highness the Worshipful Bishop Rev. Dr. Apostle Grand Poobah

2011-11-09T08:46:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Jesus just wasn’t into titles. We shouldn’t be either.

I am often asked if I have a title, and my answer doesn’t satisfy some people. I travel a lot, so I don’t consider myself a pastor. All kinds of labels have been pinned on me: Reverend, prophet, apostle … even bishop. Once I was introduced to a church as “Dr. Grady” and I almost crawled under my seat. I only have a college degree. There are no letters after my name.

I tell people: “You can call me Lee. Or if you want to sound formal, you can say, ‘Brother Grady.’”

“Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of David, the Prince of Peace and the Apostle of our Confession. Yet when He came into this world He laid aside His heavenly glory and took on the lowly name of Jesus.”

Today it seems we’ve developed a title fetish. For a while everyone in charismatic circles was becoming a bishop (and some were installed into this office with rings, robes and funny-looking hats). Then the same guys with the pointy hats started calling themselves apostles. Then the prophets got jealous and started calling themselves apostles too! I knew one lady who, not to be outdone, required people to call her “Exalted Prophetess.”

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Love, Marriage, and Stinking Thinking: Dating and Happiness

2011-11-08T22:52:00.000+08:00

In this episode Mark and Debbie talk more on the subject of dating, letting someone have veto power in who you date, why pre-marital sex is a problem, and the idea that you should be happy with yourself before getting married, not relying on marriage to make you happy.

For more information on the show and more of Mark Gungor, please check out our website, http://www.stinkingthinking.tv-

Marry a Believer

2011-11-08T22:27:00.000+08:00

by Mark Gungor

People have all kinds of ideas and notions on whom they are to marry, how they go about finding “the one” to marry, and the list of standards and ideals they have for the one they marry. Let’s clear up a few things, shall we?

The bible doesn’t say anything about waiting for your soul mate to get married. It also doesn’t say anything about God having that one special person just for you…although people will argue with me on that one! What it does say is that we are to get or find a spouse—that means you don’t sit and wait for God drop one into your lap. Check out my new DVD set Singles and Stinking Thinking: A Clear Path to Marriage for more information on dating and why I believe God does not have “a special one just for you”.

The only other clear directive to believers is to make sure that the person you marry is also a believer. (See 1Corinthians 7:39 and 2 Corinthians 6:14.) Notice that scripture doesn’t tell us to marry a person who simply says he or she is a believer. There is a huge difference between the two, but in all honesty, most people don’t get that.

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Sunday Sermon - 2011-11-06 - Ps Kenath Varghese

2011-11-06T12:35:00.002+08:00

Speaker: Ps. Kenath Varghese
Full Gospel Assembly Mornington Peninsula, Australia

http://www.mediafire.com/?4d8q9h81vl1erz1

Worship Roster - 13 Nov

2011-11-06T07:58:00.001+08:00

CHAIRMAN Tom C.
W. LEADER Peggy Tan
BACK UPS Foong Yee, Chris Lai, Kenneth Lai
PIANO Priscilla Sim
SYNTH
BASS Anna Sim
GUITAR
DRUMS Kenneth Lai
TIMBREL
PROJECTION Joseph Yap
PA Tommy Q.

Theme for 2012

2011-11-06T00:30:00.001+08:00

The Depressed Spouse

2011-11-05T10:15:00.001+08:00

by Dr. Gary Chapmam

John is a successful business man, but his wife is suffering from depression. "She spends most mornings in bed, and in the afternoons she just sits around the house," he said. "She seems to have no ambition. Every night, I have to bring food home for dinner. Many nights she doesn't eat with us. She has lost forty pounds over the last year. To be truthful, life is pretty miserable at our house. I feel sorry for the kids, although they get more attention than I do. But I know they must wonder what is wrong with their mother."

John just described some of the classic characteristics of depression. Unfortunately, depression does not go away simply with the passing of time. John's wife needs medical and psychological help, and without it things will get even worse. Many Christians don't understand depression. They think it is a spiritual problem. While it may have a spiritual dimension, it is often rooted in physical, and emotional imbalance.

Identifying the Problem

What do you do when your spouse is depressed? First, you must get information. It is helpful to think of three categories of depression. First, depression may be the by-product of a physical illness. When we are physically sick, our minds and emotions move into a depressed state. We temporarily check out. It's nature's way of protecting you from constant anxiety about your physical condition.

The second kind of depression is called situational depression or reactive depression. It is a depression that grows out of a particularly painful situation in life. Many of these experiences involve a sense of loss: the loss of a job, the loss of a child to college, or loss of a friendship.

The third category is depression rooted in some biochemical disorder. It is a physical disease, and must be treated with medication. Visit the library or search the web and learn about depression. It's the first step in helping your spouse.

Finding the Solution

The healthiest road of treatment involves an honest and in-depth evaluation of three elements: physical, psychological, and spiritual. Seriously depressed persons will seldom take initiative to help themselves. As a caring spouse you must insist that they get help. Depression is not an incurable disease. Even those who have been depressed for months or sometimes years can find relief with the proper treatment.

Long term depression can be devastating to a marriage. If your spouse has been depressed for more than a few weeks, I urge you to take action.

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Why Did Jesus go to the Wedding?

2011-11-04T09:18:00.001+08:00

by Max Lucado

Why would Jesus, on his first journey, take his followers to a party? Didn’t they have work to do? Didn’t he have principles to teach? Wasn’t his time limited? How could a wedding fit with his purpose on earth?

Why did Jesus go to the wedding?

The answer? It’s found in the second verse of John 2. “Jesus and his followers were also invited to the wedding."

Jesus wasn’t invited because he was a celebrity. He wasn’t one yet. The invitation wasn’t motivated by his miracles. He’d yet to perform any. Why did they invite him?

I suppose they liked him.

Big deal? I think so. I think it’s significant that common folk in a little town enjoyed being with Jesus. I think it’s noteworthy that the Almighty didn’t act high and mighty. The Holy One wasn’t holier-than-thou. The One who knew it all wasn’t a know-it-all. The One who made the stars didn’t keep his head in them. The One who owns all the stuff of earth never strutted it.

Jesus could have been all of these, but he wasn’t. His purpose was not to show off but to show up. He went to great pains to be as human as the guy down the street. He didn’t need to study, but still went to the synagogue. He had no need for income, but still worked in the workshop. He had known the fellowship of angels and heard the harps of heaven, yet still went to parties thrown by tax collectors. And upon his shoulders rested the challenge of redeeming creation, but he still took time to walk ninety miles from Jericho to Cana to go to a wedding.

As a result, people liked him. Oh, there were those who chaffed at his claims. They called him a blasphemer, but they never called him a braggart. They accused him of heresy, but never arrogance. He was branded as a radical, but never called unapproachable.

His faith made him likable, not detestable. Would that ours would do the same!

From: When God Whispers Your NameCopyright (Thomas Nelson, 1994) Max Lucado

Why T.L. Osborn Is My Hero

2011-11-02T08:45:00.000+08:00

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Many healing evangelists have fallen from grace. This humble giant, at age 88, is finishing well.

I heard T.L. Osborn preach when I was a college student, and at the time I thought, That guy looks pretty good for an old man. That was 31 years ago. I sat down with this spiritual giant for an hour in his office in Tulsa, Okla., two weeks ago, and I thought, I hope I can keep up this guy’s pace when I’m his age.

Osborn, who is 88, was born 29 years before the first commercial airliner took flight. Yet he and his immediate family have preached in 90 nations, and he took a trip to India last January. He is remarkably agile (he is strict about a healthy diet), his intellect is still sharp (he spoke fluent French and Spanish to international guests when I was with him) and he is as spiritually intense as ever.

“At a time when so many charismatic and Pentecostal ministers are going down in the flames of financial or moral scandal, T.L. Osborn gives me hope that I don’t have to end up in failure.”

“I once had a vision of the Lord,” Osborn told me, leaning over in his chair to look into my eyes. “But in the vision, God didn’t have any hands. Then He looked at me and said, ‘You are my hands.’” Throughout his worldwide ministry—which has never been well-known in the United States—he reminds Christians that God is waiting on us to obey the Great Commission.

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Love, Marriage, and Stinking Thinking: Apologies and Boundaries

2011-11-01T08:30:00.000+08:00

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For more information on the show and more of Mark Gungor, check out our website, http://www.stinkingthinking.tv

Love, Marriage and Stinking Thinking has a new hometown! Join Mark and Debbie on the first show taped in Mark's home base of Green Bay, Wisconsin. It's a new city and a new band, but the same humor and insight that you expect as Mark and Debbie take on the subject of how men's brains think about apologizing. Find out why a man's style of apology doesn't always work for women and how all the wires in her brain can throw a twist into making up after an offense.Husbands and wives will both want to watch as Mark talks about appropriate boundaries in your marriage and how you can safeguard your relationship from the slippery slope of opposite-sex friendships.