We God Ran : Let The Word Minister to you ....

Wow ... the power of this song ...... listen to it ( ...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBzcOGydUaA&p=838B2CBEB8FB2DA1&playnext=1&index=32) and let the words speak to you ....

When God Ran

Almighty God, the great I am
Immovable rock, omnipotent, powerful, awesome Lord
Victorious warrior, commanding King of Kings
Mighty conqueror, and the only time
the only time I ever saw Him run

CHORUS:
Was when He ran to me, He took me in His arms
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice He said,
“Son do you know I still love you?”
He caught me by surprise when God ran

The day I left home I knew I’d broken His heart
And I wondered then if things could ever be the same
Then one night I remembered His love for me
And down that dusty road ahead I could see
It was the only time – it was the only time I ever saw Him run

And then He ran to me, He took me in His arms
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice He said,
“Son do you know I still love you?”
He caught me by surprise as He brought me to my knees
When God ran – I saw Him run to me

BRIDGE:
I was so ashamed, all alone and so far away
But now I know He’s been waiting for this day

I saw Him run to me, He took me in His arms
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice I felt His love for me again

He ran to me, He took me in His arms
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice He said, “Son”, He called me Son
He said, “Son do you know I still love you?”
He ran to me and then I ran to Him
When God ran

.... Stuck ..... Still water is Stale water

I met them 7-8yrs ago .... they we brought to my house by a friend .... at that time her daughter was just 3-4yrs old .. very cute and quiet girl. I remember she was very hungry ... I packed food for them .. the daughter finished all the food including fried chicken .... at that time she was living in the single mom's house provided by the government because she had problems with her husband .. or her husband never came back .... she claimed she believed in God and wanted to follow Him .. she claimed she wanted to give her life to Him ... and to serve Him ...

Today ... after 7-8yrs .... she maybe have gone back to her husband and living with him right now ... at least her daughter has a father .... the man still does not come back every night because she is the 3rd or 4th wife ... she is still in the same shoes ... claiming the same proclamations she declared years ago.... one can see that she is still in the same situation ... physically ... she claims that she still does not have money .. can't support herself ... looking for someone to support (perhaps this is why she went back to her husband -- an old man, completely different race, religion) ... she is debt deep ... her house was auctioned by the bank ... and she is looking for another house .... spiritually ... she's still as stuck as how she was 7-8yrs ago ...

We are used to the saying still waters run deep ... true .... but there is another phase that impacted me shared by Paul David : "Still water is stale water". In still water .... mosquitoes breed .... still water may turn to stale water ....

Like wise in our lives .... are we allowing rivers of living waters to flow in us and through us to others or the waters in our lives have been so still that there is a thick layer of particles that we allow it to come into our lives over time to sick deep at the bottom? If these particles are not stirred to surface so that we know what it is in order for us to remove it one by one .. then the water that is in us will be stale water pretty soon ....

If you feel that there you are stuck in a situation or stuck in your life --- come to God and ask Him to stir the waters in you so that you know what are the things that is causing the blockage .... and then .... deal with it .... work at it to get it removed .... removing it = letting it go or be how it was intended to be in the first place ... once the blockage is removed ... you are able to move on ... rivers of living waters will flow out from you again .... the fountain of live will be found in you.

Jesus said,

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:38

... A Tribute to Friends from Old Days ...

As I look back, God has blessed me with good friends at every stage of my journey .... right from kecik2 time, I've got lots of friends and from the pool of friends, good friends .... spiritual friends .... "worldly" friends .... friends for every kind of need and situation I have .. my Father indeed knows how to take care of His daughter ....

The issue of friendship and I have come very far .... I remember when I was in standard 5 or 6 ... I had a gang that I click with -- we were almost like the team of Famous 5 : Regina Kok (father is a major in the TLDM, she was transfer to KL in form 1), Su Ee, Shirley, Jeje and I. Some how this group sort of like disperse when Regina went to KL. O yea .. there was Evelyn Lian as well ... but she was not that close to us as she lives super far ... her Dad is a manager in one of the estates / plantations before Pantai Remis I think ... cant remember where it is ... but it was far. Went to her house once .... her house has a swimming pool.

Then in form 1 I hanged out with Asma for awhile... she lives in Lekir .... but at the same time, my friendship with Sue Mei begin to develop and takes a spin when we started going MIF together. Suzie came into the picture as well here. We also had Mrs Nagarajah's Maths tuition in command as well. With more common grounds, our friendship begin to grow --- I recall many overnights in Sue Mei's house .... more of the one in Taman Singa and not the one opposite Chung Chen. Sue Mei and I practically went every where together .... then, I met Foong Lun ... in my 1st MYF camp, Convent Cameron Highlands - she prayed for me to receive the gift of tongues and I did!!! way back in my mid teens ... at that time, I really dono what it was ... hahha ...

Then in form 6, I met new friends who became the few that God blessed me with -- who held me in their prayers .... who cried when I cried ... laughed when I laughed ..... Lang Nguk .. who taught me to look at things on the brighter funny side and her famous statement that made a deep impact in my life - friends are like flowers ... it needs lots of sacrifice, nourishment ... lots of sunshine & TLC ... and Choo Leng .. the fusion of cina moi & a white on the outside but yellow in the inside ... but this 2 precious friends and I have journeyed far and wide together ...

In varsity days ... I was close to 2 coursemates - Jane Lee and .. Ai Ling (think that's her name) .. wah ... see if I dont pen down .. I will forget all their names ... but after grad... I lost contact with them. Then off course there was Wui2 ... my twin sister in campus ... both of us looks alike with the same hairstyle .. same style of dressing .... :0 still the same ... thank God that when we met up once a while ... we are still able to share and connect like old days ...

Off course, in varsity ... my friendship with Wendy became closer though I have known her since MYF days. We became closer as we lived together in Charis House in Minden Heights. God send her as a friend who stood by me when I was falling -- she came all the way from Bkt Jalil to Sri Damansara just to hang out with me ... pray for me and brought me to church -- DUMC .. and later the Family Camp in PD ... :0 ... thanks Wendy ....

When I started working ... friends seem to have shrunk .... we do not have time to cultivate friendship ... except for working colleagues .... LN and I lived together for 3 years in Section 10 .. fun times ... right opposite of CK & CY. During this time, I got reconnected with Susie and Jeye .. Jeye was doing law in MU and live in Section 5 -- so ... dinner time ... we always hang out ..

As time move on ... friends seems to set smaller but God reserved some close ones that stick with me through thick and thin ....

Eventually when I left work and started to work in church -- I hanged out with another 5 people ... Felix, Shally, Barry, Dorithy & Doreen ... I seem to connect and click with Shally the most ... perhaps its our background and life experiences .... this Dot .... quite cute la ... she will go the extra mile if u need help .. rber the 1st time she came and visit me in TTC ... betul2 like aunty ... bring Milo (I dont drink Milo but cos of her I occasionally drink it now!!!), instant noodles ... to visit the inmate in TTC "house arrest" .. then .. there was once .. she cooked soup ... brought them all the way from JB .. through the immigrations .... hop off the bus gave it to me .. and hopped on the bus again to go to TCA .. what a friend .. :0 ... God's blessing ....

In TTC, the Lord brought Pris and Li as my hang out buddies and Ah Yi as my prayer partner ... :0 ... and the rest of the class ... whom we fought so much .... cried so much .. laughed so much ... and prayed together .. these are a special group of friends who will be my strength, comfort and counsel as I journey on serving HIm ....

Friends come and go ... some stay ... some go ... one thing for sure ... God will always bring us friends because no man can live as an island ... all of us needs companionship & emotional support!

Love - Chris Tomlin Watoto Children's Choir

By now you will notice that I love this handsome dirty looking guy's songs .... LOL ..... dont u agree with me that he's kinda cute looking .... God used this man to bring to us many powerful songs .....

Just go listen and enjoy this song ... LOVE the African kids choir and rhythm - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47FWQ5xxS8k

There is love, there is love
There is love, there is love

When our hope is hard to find
And our faith is in decline
We need a cause to stand behind - love
We all want the way it feels
Time it comes and time it steals
What remains, what is real - love
[Chorus:] There is love
There is forgiveness
There is love in times of need
When life is cold there is a promise
You will never go without...
There is love

It heals the sick
Comforts the weak
Breaks the proud
Raises the meek
In this life no guarantees...

Love is the answer
Love will find a way
When we love one another
It's a brighter day

O-kwa-ga-la-kwe,
Ku-singa-byoo-na,
Bwe-twa-ga-la-na-o-lu-na-ku-lu-suu-fu

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love"
(1 Cor 13:13)

The Koci Story

I discovered kuih koci that is super nice in JB .. (actually not I discover la ... Lan Nguk introduce it to me.... made by her primary school classmate) Its the koci that will melt in your mouth as you take a bite .... eeemmm ...yummy ... the fragrant of the gula melaka .... wahh .... super nice .... but super expensive ..... rm1.20 for a small one. During buka raya, I can buy 3 kuih for rm1 ... hahaha ... its very nice .... but a little expensive ....


The koci can be found in Bkt Indah .... Nyonya Joy Restaurant ... this restaurant serves nyonya food but ... its not cook by nyonya ... but two sisters who is from Spg 5 ... the elder sis (married a Baba learned cooking from an old Nyonya from Malacca) manages the kitchen ... and the younger sister (LN's classmate) manages the kuih2 .... everything is handmade .... the younger sister claims that the recipe is 100years old ... she learned from an old old nyonya who learned it from her mom ... mom's mom and the list goes on ....

I brought Pris, a full flash nyonya .. she said that the koci is nice --- so is the cendol .. and kuih ketayap ... (pulut rice with prawn shrimp sambal)


Loving the koci reminds of how we love the kuih koci sold by a man who comes round our house (Sitiawan Estate) at about 1130am. The man paddles his bicycle with a wooden box at the back and this is where he places his kuih. As he paddles, he shouts "Kuih Koci ah" .... and we will run out of our house ... calling "koci -- koci" ... if he does not hear us ... we will shout "oooii .... ooii" LOL .... those were the good old days where we have paddlers going from house to house to sell their goods .... Actually there were 2 men who will come around the same time ... both are brothers ... and they collect the kuih from our neighbor to sell.


The man sells very nice kuih koci as well ...from our house, the kuih is fresh from the oven because the man collects the kuih from our neighbor ... who happens to be Ong Siew Chu's aunty. Siew Chu's aunty also makes very very nice ang-ku kuih as well ... and I do recall fullmoon celebration of Nee and maybe even Wen .... we ordered direct from her .... in those days ... one kuih koci will cost rm0.35 I think ... and for that, we already say its expensive .... :0 ....


In fact, I dont only remember goods sold like this ... but also services ..... my 3rd aunty goes round on his motorbike to perm and cut hair! Staying in an Indian community ... brings along the experience of fortune seller who comes all the way from India .... on foot he will go from house to house to sell his service -- telling fortunes ... and he uses cards and with the help of two little birds which he carries them in a cage.


Well, I thank God for giving nice koci to enjoy ... as well as sweet memories that comes along with it .... :0 ... made a journey back to the my childhood days ...

Great is the Lord ...and Worthy of Praise

This song was introduced to me back in MYF days and it was one of my favorite songs ... and even back in varsity days ... it was still my top 10 favorite song .... then ... I almost forgot that this song exist until I went to TTC ... in the Yellow Song book we use for Cluster Vesper, the song is in it ... and almost every time I lead Vesper, I'll sing this song ... hehehhe .. off cos .. it's still my favorite song ma .. and past two weeks the Lord gave me this song again when Tsuey lead worship -- we sang in Mandarin ... but for me to express myself better and let the song so fill me ... you can hear my loud voice singing it in English in the mist of the Chinese voices ... tonight, the song came so powerfully again .... the lyrics of the song never fail to "water" my eyes ... especially when singing "And Lord I want to thank You for the works You've have done in my life ... and Lord I trust in Your unfailing love .... " the Lord indeed had done a lot in my life ... and is continuing to work mighty in my life ... until the day I see Him face to face ... PTL!

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise

The city of our God the holy place

The joy of the whole earth

Great is the Lord in whom we have the victory

He aids us against our enemy

We bow down on our knees

And Lord, we want to lift Your name on high

And Lord, we want to thank You

For the works You’ve done in our lives

And Lord, we want to trust in Your unfailing love

For You alone are God eternal

Throughout earth and heaven above

How do we play Church?

"Eng Ing, m disappointed with your church" This was the words of a friend when I showed her where my church is .... my church is located in the back lane shop lot, a corner lot but its right in front of a garbage area. The sight of a simple church located at the back streets of Taman Universiti was not something she expected from a church which she has heard so much of ... lead by a pastor whom she has heard so much of too .... There was no proper signage for the church .... no nice sigh board or attractive colors slapped on the walls of the building ... the sight and smell from the two huge garbage bins was the last straw I guess ....

"How old is your church? How many people in your church? If church so many years and no growth, it is not healthy ..... something is not right somewhere ..... Normally churches will do rallies, crusades ....evangelistic meetings etc ...." The comments continued to pour in like a heavy downpour of rain ...non stop...

"You guys cannot just pray and except God to do things and not do anything ...."

I have told her before and was telling her again that my church is not an activity orientated church .... we do not have activities except for church prayer meetings, every Mon, Wed and Fri nights. We have 2 services .... the first service is more for the youth ... and during the second service, the youth goes up to CG meeting style. Then there is Sunday school ... NOT some gala huge children's church. We still use the normal plastic chairs with a maroon hood that can be stacked up after use.

My poor friend was so shocked I guess at the sight of the church building .... I have told her time and again .... she will be the most outstanding dressed lady if she comes to my church ... my pastor will normally just wear her favorite polo tshirt on normal days and a blouse or the Rev. collar blouse ..... no make up ....

When I first stepped into our church -- it really reminds me of the type of church that Paul Ling's old church (before his current building) or a church that we can find in our mission trips --(remembering those in my mission trip in Ipoh during varsity days or Chamek ... after STPM). The thing that struck me was the "river of life" that was flowing in this church .. I recall telling myself that this is the place where I can find the rivers of living water flowing and I can come and drink from it ... that was like ..... 3.5years ago? They worshiped God with their Mandarin songs .... at that point ... I hardly know any song .... but I know my tears was running down my cheeks as I stood in the service -- how do you explain this .... I don't even know the meaning of the words of the song ... This my friends .... was the Holy Spirit touching me ....ministering to me. What is worship? Our hearts towards God or .....

Do they have back up singers? Do they have a band? No ... it was just the worship leader .... and someone standing beside her as back up ... though there was guitar .... drum set .... but no one was playing .... the only music was coming from a piano .... God was there .... He still came and met us in worship!

We visited a new believer last Tuesday and this is an incident he shared with us .... His friend, ex Buddhist was a new believer and was asked to share the Gospel and ask people to come to church --- those around him ... this was the friend's reaction --- "huh? Why should we ask (pull ... translate that to Mandarin -- that was the word used) people come church .... the Buddhist or Muslims never ask people go to their temples or mosque .... people just go. Is church doing this because they do not have business or scared that they do not have business?" ... we laughed ... yes ... its a joke ... but think about it -- evenpre-believers and new believers have expectations on the church ...

Expectations .... expectations ... expectations of how a church should be (the physical) how the program should be ... how the pastor and staff should dress ... how we should talk ... behave .... how we should play church ... it is interesting to note that my friend who has been a Christian past 20years, attended a few churches and now looking for church to change ... seems to know better how we should run the church (like an organization) than my pastor ... Lord have mercy .... think that we should cease to play god or help God to be god ... but to repent ... and truly seek God what and how He wants us to do .... His way .... let His kingdom come on earth ... His way ... His Kingdom .... not man's kingdom .... He is God .. we are only mere man .... give back to God His rightful seat in our lives and heart ... and He will show us how to run our lives and His church ...

We need to be mindful of expectations .... it is expectations in our relationship that normally rock the relationship .... it is expectations of ourselves ... how our life should be ... our lifestyle .. what type of job we should have ... how our children should be .... ect ... that not only wrack but steal the very love, peace and joy out of our lives .... expectations ... is another blog by itself ... perhaps some day will blog on it ....

Lord have mercy ... and help us ... to live simply but fully for Him!

I am proud that I belong to this Body of Christ .... where the River of Living waters flow ... where fresh Manna is being served ..... where my shepherd's concern is the soul of her sheep ... the growth in depth & vertical of her sheep and not just the horizontal growth .... she would rather have small number but transformed souls .... hungry for more of God rather than numbers ... her focus is the internal ....not the external.... and I echo her vision ... because I am tired of playing church with God .. and tired of living out the expectations of people .... I want to live out the expectations of my Father and my Boss .... :0 ... Amen!