Why Bishop Eddie Long Should Be Transparent

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The church has had enough spin, denial and closed-door settlements. Leaders must demonstrate humility and repentance.

A few years ago a minister in my city went through a divorce, and the messy details of the settlement between the pastor and his wife were reported in our newspaper. But when the divorce was finalized there was no public statement. The man’s wife disappeared from the stage, her photo vanished from the church website and nothing further was said. Zip. Nada. No comment.

The message: It’s none of your business what happened between the pastor and his wife. He’s the anointed messenger of God. Just follow him.

“People who talk out of both sides of their mouths certainly cannot preach an uncompromised gospel. And liars cannot be trusted to give us the truth.”

Snowball Your Way Out of Debt

There are many ways to get out of debt. Some are helpful; some are actually harmful. One strategy that often fails is debt consolidation. In our opinion there is always a better way.

Debt consolidation looks so appealing, but there are some dangers. You will possibly end up paying a much higher rate for a much longer term, so it costs you dearly. Also, debt consolidation can backfire if you look at your new, low monthly payment and decide that you can afford to make some other purchases on credit. Then you repeat the cycle that got you into financial bondage in the first place.

Remember that there are companies out there who seem to be offering you help, but in reality they are just increasing your financial bondage and their profits.

A far better system is one that helps you develop discipline and contentment while giving you the satisfaction of seeing your debt load steadily decrease. That is the beauty of the Snowball. I must tell you that we do not know who first came up with this plan or the name for it, but whoever it is we thank them! Many people have been helped by it.

Mastering Money, Part 2

Defeating the Debt Monster

If you are already in financial bondage, you will need to take some decisive steps toward freedom. Picture yourself in a deep hole. Here's a ladder that will let you climb out.

Step One: Recognize why you are in financial bondage.

Don't blame the economy. You must recognize that the real reason for your financial problems is your own unsound decisions. Times may be difficult, but many people survive difficult financial times because they follow the right principles and make wise resolutions.

Step Two: Do not borrow any more money from any person or any company.

This is a real step of faith shown by action. "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?" (James 2:14) Right actions must accompany faith, not just any actions. If you steadfastly decide not to borrow or buy anything on credit, God will honor your faith and provide honorable ways to meet your needs.

Worship Team 3 July 2011

Chairperson: Hong Lu

Worship Leader: Shankar R.
Back-ups: Siew Pin, Lydia Sim, Foong Yee

Pianist: Meng Fhui
Synth: Jonathan L
Guitarist: Ken Fhui
Bass: Weng Ern
Drummer: Anna Sim

Projectionist: Joseph Yap

PA Personnel: Manjit Singh, Tommy Q.

Sunday Sermon 26-June-2011 - Dr. Lay Kee Neu

Speaker: Dr. Lay Kee Neu
Full Gospel Mission Centre, Jelebu

http://www.mediafire.com/?15nq24z5ogw67dz

Mastering Money

Marriage counselors all agree that money problems are a chief source of marital stress. The following letter to John and Anne, a couple experiencing financial difficulties, gives some good, practical advice to couples about managing their finances. Without a doubt, money matters.

Dear John and Anne,

I hope you'll take this letter in the spirit of love and compassion in which I send it. Ever since I came to know about your financial difficulties, I've been deeply concerned for you. When a friend complained you had borrowed money from him and had not repaid it, I knew the problem was really serious. I soon discovered that you were in debt to many people, sometimes borrowing from one to pay something to the others. That’s quite desperate, wouldn’t you agree?

I want to share some principles with you that will help you recover from your financial snare. Of course, you are not alone. Many, many people find themselves caught in the same net. Like a trapped animal they fight against their bonds, spending all their strength and more than all their money. There is a way out, but it comes by humbly applying God's wisdom, not by frantically scheming.

Judas, The Man Who Never Knew

by Max Lucado

I’ve wondered at times what kind of man this Judas was. What he looked like, how he acted, who his friends were.

I guess I’ve stereotyped him. I’ve always pictured him as a wiry, beady-eyed, sly, wormy fellow, pointed beard and all. I’ve pictured him as estranged from the other apostles.

Friendless. Distant. Undoubtedly he was a traitor and a quisling. Probably the result of a broken home. A juvenile delinquent in his youth.

Yet I wonder if that is so true. We have no evidence (save Judas’s silence) that would suggest that he was isolated. At the Last Supper, when Jesus said that his betrayer sat at the table, we don’t find the apostles immediately turning to Judas as the logical traitor.

Booby Traps and Blowups

It wasn’t a great day for the Wilson marriage. Ninety-nine percent of their days were just wonderful, but this wasn’t one of them. If the day I am talking about had been videotaped, they would certainly want it erased.

It all started with an innocent comment Joyce, the wife, made about a project she and George had been working on. Joyce and their son, Morgan, had found a solution that George had spent hours tracking down. George should have felt happy about the solution. “Good job! That’s great!” That would have been a healthy response. But he didn’t. George became sullen, brooding, even angry. Actually, his reaction surprised him. It wasn’t the way he wanted to act, and he certainly didn’t plan it. His reaction was completely out-of sync with his usual responses. So why did he do it?

George analyzed that for hours. As we discussed the reaction, he said that he felt offended that he was left out. He wanted to feel that he was part of the process, a supplier of answers, a problem-solver. Instead he felt useless. Joyce and Morgan surely didn’t need his help. They had it all figured out.

Keep On Praying—a Breakthrough Is Near

  J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Don’t lose hope. God has promised to answer when we persevere.

So you pray for something for years and then you wake up one day, breathe a big sigh and say to yourself: This is crazy. Nothing is happening. God must not be listening.

Congratulations. If this has been your experience you are not alone. You’ve been enrolled in the School of Persevering Prayer, and it’s not a one-semester class. It’s a lifelong journey designed to stretch your faith, develop your character, purify your motives, test your patience and increase your capacity to know and experience God’s amazing love.

“Have you ever been around a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy? She is often in a state of agitation—ready to give birth but weary of the strain. I know many Christians today who are in this same uncomfortable stage of spiritual travail.”

At Least Get Paid for It!

by Mark Gungor

There is a misconception, a mistaken way of thinking among Christians when it comes to having sex outside of marriage. Here is what many people think:

• The best circumstance to have sex in is within the bounds of matrimony or if you are not married, to remain sexually pure.
• The next best scenario is having sex with your boyfriend/girlfriend…but while you really shouldn’t do it, most people will give a pass to those who do. Because after all, you love each other, it’s just so difficult to wait; you can’t really control yourselves when you feel so strongly about one another.
• Then the lowest and most unacceptable sex (in most people’s minds) is prostitution—those who get paid to engage in sexual acts.

But that’s not actually how the list goes…at least according to the scripture in Ezekiel 16. Here God is chastising the nation of Israel for their unfaithfulness. And He uses the analogy of prostitutes when He says:

Get Out of Jail Free

Do you ever associate two or more thoughts or events that are completely unrelated? When we do that we will always arrive at faulty conclusions. Faulty conclusions frustrate relationships.

A friend of mine received a pretty severe reprimand at his work. It was an unpleasant experience for him, but he bore up under it. The next day his powerful computer was missing form his desk. His manager told him someone else needed it and assured him there was no connection to the reprimand.

Now my friend had a choice: either believe the two incidents were unrelated, or make a wrong connection. He chose to believe his manager. By leaving the two events unconnected he prevented friction from developing. Had he believed that the two events were connected, regardless of his boss's assurances, he would have reported to work everyday with a cloud over his head.

You're In The Jailhouse Now

Mark comes home from work. He’s tired, so he doesn't greet his wife, Sally, with much enthusiasm. That morning she awoke late, causing more tension than usual in their morning routine. Sally makes a connection between those two separate incidents. Watch the process:

Announcement: Morning Watch

Dear All,

Morning Watch:
The present Morning Watch in church has been marked by poor response for church members due to reasons of their own. There were people attending but more often than not it was poorly attended.

I am informing you that Bro. Liong and Bro. Michael Lim have graciously opened their homes for morning watches w.e.f. 2nd. July, 2011 between 8-9am.

• Zone 1 will be handle by Michael Lim at S2 and surrounding areas.
• Zone 2 will be handle by Liong KC at Bukit Jade and surrounding areas.
• If God wills we will like to open one at Blossom Heights and surrounding areas.

 Members of the church can contact Bro. Michael and Bro. Liong as to whether their watches are on or cancelled. We will have a briefing as to what should take place at our morning watches.Why are the people not attending? I could think of the following reasons:

• Time not suitable.
• Venue not suitable.
• Do not want to get the children up early as it is the only day in a week that children can sleep abit longer.
• Working people after 5 days of getting up early would like to sleep also for a bit longer.

The morning watches can only be conducted in homes that have air-condition since we do not want to disturb the neighbours by our singing and speaking in tongue. Morning Watches can be cancelled when the majority of the members within the group decides to do so. We want maximum participation. There is strength in numbers. 

Music & Worship Duty Roster

Please get it here

The ABCs of Healthy Communication

The human body needs basic elements to thrive and last. So does your marriage. With these qualities, expression and understanding thrive. Without them, they die.

Accept Each Other

Acceptance means taking one another just as you are. The English word even comes from a Latin word that means, literally, to take to oneself. Accepting your spouse doesn’t mean you totally approve of every action or attitude. But it does mean we’re on the same team, and glad of it.

Team members know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Rather than wishing they were on another team, they learn to recognize their strengths and build on them, while strengthening their weaknesses.

The difference in winning and losing is often more about attitude than it is about ability. Sure, other people might have an easier time building a great marriage. They may have strengths that you and your spouse don’t naturally possess. But you are not other people. God knows how to bring you fulfillment, no matter what your flaws are.

Happy Fathers' Day 2011!!

Worship Team 26 June 2011

Chairperson: Dr. Siow KW

Worship leader: Prisca Sim
Vocalist: Lareina, Colleen, Peggy Tan

Pianist: Lydia Sim
Synth: Jocelyn Lee
Guitar: Weng Ern
Bass: Anna Sim
Drums: Ken Fhui

Projectionist: Moses Tan
PA Personnel: Tommy Q, Hiew FF.

Sunday Sermon 19-June-2011 - Bro Liong Kam Chong

Speaker: Bro Liong Kam Chong
White Fields Assembly Seremban

http://www.mediafire.com/?zoalaj6vxlb1l4b

Making Sex a Mutual Joy

Not Taboo

Contrary to the opinion of some, sex is not a topic that God finds taboo. In fact, sex was God's idea. He created us male and female and He instituted marriage with the intent that two would become 'one flesh'. Why then do so many couples fail to find satisfaction in this important area of marriage? I want to suggest one major reason: Unrealistic expectations.

Films, magazines, and novels convey the idea that sexual thrill and mutual satisfaction are automatic. That is simply not true. God told Israel that a young couple should 'take a year' and learn to pleasure each other. What makes us think that we can do so in less time?

The Truth About Sex

Some Christians have a negative attitude toward sex. It may have come from a distorted sex education, an unfortunate sexual experience as a child, or sexual involvement as a teenager that brought disappointment and guilt. The origin is relatively unimportant. The important thing is to understand that we choose our attitudes.

The first step in overcoming a negative attitude is exposure to the truth. The truth about sex is that within marriage it is God ordained and designed to bring mutual pleasure. As in all of life we are called to live by the truth. We admit our negative attitudes and feelings, but we don't serve them. With the help of God we live according to His revealed truth.

Expression and Understanding

The Keys to Communication

Walter, a psychologist, makes his living by helping hurting people. Although Walter cares about the people who come to him, he has learned to care without becoming emotionally involved. It's the only way he can survive the constant stream of critical problems that he faces every day. If he didn't practice a little detachment, he would burn out faster than a cheap candle.

Walter has a wonderful wife, Sharon. Sharon wants Walter (this man who makes his living by listening, understanding, and communicating) to pay some attention to her. However, she needs his attention as a husband, not as a professional. When Sharon has an emotional need, Walter responds calmly and logically, just like he does with his clients. That drives Sharon crazy. She thinks that Walter, the professional counselor, can understand just about anyone but her. She doesn't resent the people he helps. She just wishes Walter would give her more of himself than what he gives his clients.

Today I Will Make a Difference

by Max Lucado

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble… . I will get up. It’s OK to fail… . I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

From Shaped by God (original title: On the Anvil)

Copyright (Tyndale House, 1985, 2002) Max Lucado