... New Skin ...

I have been bugging Win to change my layout for quite sometime ... and last nite at 1230am she started doing it!!! Seems she was very stress with her studies / assignments .. and re-doing the layout of my blog was a stress relief! Hahhaa ... thank God for that ... now I get new skin!!!

Wonder how many of us are just tired with our own looks that we need a beauty make over --- for ladies .... its either u "iorn" your hair straight or "rolled" it up ... after keeping my hair permed for 1.5years, I rebonded my hair 2.3mths ago ... Win has been wanting to perm hair from kingdom come's day and 1 ago ... she made a trip to JB to purposely perm her hair!! I introduced Wen the hairdresser ... Wen introduced him to Win ... now like satu kampung goes to him -- I have been going to him off on for the past 8 years!

Likewise, in our spiritual lives ... those of us who believes in Jesus and asked Him to come live in us, we now have a new life! We do not need to feel sian or bored with our life because ..... "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)

The new life we live now is a life of power through the Resurrection of Jesus ... the power that resurrected Jesus from death 2000years ago is with us now ... so, let's move and live in our new life .... through the power that has been given to us!

Our lives will be different ... will look different from the inside out because of the life of Jesus and power of resurrection that lives in and through us!

Do you have the "new skin" in your life through Jesus? I do .... la la la la .....

Memories of Mooncake Festival

Coming back from Gelang Patah prayer meeting ... I saw many groups of young people and children carrying their lantern walking around the housing estate ... and as I drove into the street I live ... my neighbor lighted a row of lanterns and hang them over a poll the place between the gate and fence.

Here in Taman U ... one can really feel this festival .... the festive mood is in the air ... kids are outside their house at almost every Chinese house ... it has been a long time since I see groups and groups of young people and kids carrying their lanterns ... :0

When I was young, I remember the celebration of Mooncake festival .... perhaps I was about 6 or 7 years old ... we were living in Sitiawan Estate and we used to hang out with my second cousins who lived in the mid way along the road that lead to Sitiawan Estate.

So, that evening we went to their house .... they made lanterns from Milo and Nestum empty tins because our parents will not buy us lanterns that is made of colorful plastic papers. So, we need to make our own lanterns if we want to play with them. All you need to do is to cut the bottom of the tin, then cut stripes on the walls of the tins, lastly you press the tin downwards that made the tins roundish in shape. Then at add a wire to hold the candle at the bottom. Actually, this is the best lantern because you will not set them on fire .... :0

With these homemade lanterns, we will carry then along the road ... to the house that is a home keropok factory ... while we carry the lantern ... we shout .... "niang-teng ah" "niang-teng ah" ... literal translation from Foo Chow -- lantern display ... lantern display ....

Simple fun we had as kids .... :-0...

Off course, not too long later, we had paper lanterns which is cheaper than the colorful plastic paper lanterns ... and the Milo/Nestum tin lantern slowly fade away .... what is left is just memories of it ....

In Foo Chow tradition, we do not only have mooncakes during this festival ... we also have 2 other type of delicacy ... one is small square biscuit ... made from flour and lard ... and another .... small hard sugar coated biscuit .. which is called "lor-chu-piang" -- literal translation from FooChow ... rat's tail .... actually when I was in Fu Zhou 2 years ago, they sell these type of biscuit all year round in the supermarkets. Guess, in Sitiawan, we can only get it during MoonCake Festival ...


This is my memory of Moon cake festival - what is yours?

Samgak San - the National Prayer Altar of Korea

This piece of article is taken from the the official site of Bukhansan National Park - http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=312935

"Procession of Large Granite Rocks Create a Superb View" Mt. Bukhansan is situated in the northern part of Seoul. Designated as a national park in 1983, the mountain is 78.45 km wide and has 6 districts and extends out into Gyeonggi-do. The name Bukhansan means "big mountain" in the north, and it is also called Mt. Samgaksan. Mt. Bukhansan has such smooth curves that the large granite rocks sometimes look as if they would slide down the mountain. The sharp peaks provide contrast to the dozens of valleys and rivers flowing below. The mountain has many different kinds of peaks but its main peak is Baekunbong. The granite peaks blend well with trees, and there are about 1,300 kinds of animal and plant life living on the mountain. Among the granite peaks, the best known is Insubong Peak's Giam. The world famous granite rock peak Insubong is over 200m above sea level, and there are about 100 mountain paths leading to the rock. When you stand on Baekundae and look down, sometimes you can see as far as Seoul and the Hangang River. Bukhansan has a rich history as well. The cultural treasures it possesses attests to the historical events that occurred on the mountain. King Jinheung's Sunsubi on Bibong Peak, the Bukhansan seong Fortress built along the mountain's ridges, Sangunsa Temple built by the monk Won-Hyo, and numerous other temples occupy the mountain areas. Bukhansanseong Fortress is also a must-see tour site if you are visiting the mountain. Bukhansanseong Fortress was built with a wall spanning about 8,500 m, built specifically to stop foreign invasion. It is one of the representative mountain fortresses of the Joseon Era. In the fall, especially, the view you can get from the fortress of the mountain is spectacular. Temples are also representative of rich culture that flourished on Bukhansan. The Seungasa Temple on the east Bibong Peak, with Seokgayeorae Ma-aebuls carved into a 5m granite rock, and the Munsusa temple located halfway up the Musubong peak, with purified mountain water dropping from the ceiling of Munsugual Cave, are indicative of both Bukhansan's history and culture. With its granite peaks and Bukhansanseong fortress, Bukhansan is perfect for hiking in all seasons. In the spring, all kinds of flowers bloom, and in the summer, lush forests carpet the numerous valleys. The hiking path along the valley is perhaps the best summer mountain climbing course there is. The fall is the perfect time to visit the temples and pavilions in their autumn colors. In the winter, the snow-covered mountain scenery is very beautiful. Bukhansan National Park has many attractions and beautiful scenery, and is near enough to the city, that many come to visit. The park averages 5 million visitors and has received the Honor of being in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the national park with the highest number of visitors per square foot.

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Samgak was introduced to us by Bro Dae, a Korean whom we have been praying with for the past one year. Samgak San used to be his "home" for 7 years -- he hike up daily to pray for hours ... and coming down only for a couple of hours before he hike up again. I was very touched by his passion and heart to impart to us what he had experienced .... I keep saying its really crazy to bring a group of aunties and uncles up the mountain .... 3 days in a row ...people who do not really have experience in hiking and have not exercised for a long time .... why does he do it .... cos he loves the Lord .... thus he loves us enough to bring us up .... down ... in the sun .. through the wind .. rain .... lightening ... and moonlight ...

Samgak San in is located 1-hrs drive from the city of Seoul ... and in the Bukhan-san National Park ... means 3 points ... San means mountain. So true to its name, Samgak San has 3 summits .... and 2 of the summits is where people go and pray .... the summit that we went is called the summit of unity -- where people pray for the unity of north and south of Korea .... and the summit which is opposite this is called the summit of power --- where people go and pray for anointing .... many famous pastors in Korea used to go and pray on this mountain before they are launched into their ministry ....

Yes .... Samgak San is a prayer mountain .... its known as the national prayer altar for Korea. About 60years ago ... just before world war 2 .... a pastor was led by God to go to this mountain to pray for Korea ... and his prayer has stopped the invasion of communism into south Korea. There, he built a small chapel on the mountain .... however, after the war, the government torn down the chapel .... but allowed for many temples to be build. However it did not stopped people from going to the mountain to pray .... the pastor who started to pray on this mountain is now 90plus and unable to hike up .... God raised another lady pastor to pray daily on this mountain top. We met her on the 1stday when we were coming down from the mountain ... she starts her hike (alone) at 6pm and comes down from the mountain at 4am .... so, prayer has been ongoing past 60years.

Today, there are many temples in Samgak San (thank God the path we took did not pass any of them but we can see the temples from the mountain top). We can only see the ruins of the Chapel just before we reach to top of the summit. On the mountain --- besides our voices ... we can also hear other people praying ... it seems many many people used to hike up to pray - when Korea was declared bankrupted .. many went up to pray ... to seek God .... now we know why Korea has the largest church in the world .... now we know why Korea experienced revival .... now we know why Koreans are loud and passionate in their prayer ...

However, with growth and programs ... less and less people come up to pray ... now the lady pastor continues to pray for the unity and restoration of north and south Korea as well as for the pastors and churches in Korea ... because they do not pray as much as they use to ...

Certain parts of the mountain has been blocked off to preserve nature .... so they claim ... so, this has also prevented people from going up to pray. At the foot of the hill, is the home to many many rich and famous people (the Arab Saudi Embassy is just down the road) ... I guess they must have complained that people praying are very noisy ... so, when we came down from the mountain (especially midnite or early morning .. we were quiet ... ).

Just at the foot of the mountain, there is a house that is converted to a church and a prayer house. Seems the prayer house was given by someone to the church ... and the house (very beautiful) .... estimated value at the time when it was given -- $US15million! Houses are very expensive in Seoul as it is a mountainous city .... this is why there are more condos compared to landed property. Even when one has a landed property ... they have very limited space for parking. That is why it is very common for cars to be parked right along the roadside of the house .... I saw one house with at least 4-5 expensive cars parked outside the house ... BMW, Volkswagon, Merdz ....

Every 2 days, there will be rangers or police who will round the mountain to check the mountain. We placed a Malaysia and Israel flag hidden among the rocks on the 1stday after our team prayed .... seems the flags were removed by the police the following week.

On the second day, we packed up to leave the mountain at 10pm .... and as we were climbing through the rocks ... we heard people praying and saw lights ... it was the lady pastor with a group of other pastors .... they were praying for Korea .... we can hear words ... Ooo Bapa ... ooo Bapa ... we were excited because we hear people using Malay words in Korean woods!!!
[later we found out that the group was praying for Msia!!amazing .... God just impress in their hearts to pray for Msia when we are there!]

On the 3rd day .... a Korean missionary looked our group up cos he heard us praying .... he was on a 40days liquid fast - he was in the mountain praying ... he found us at 230am ... and prayed with us, for us .. for Malaysia .. and we prayed for him and the reconciliation of South & North Korea!

Its really an honor to be at the national prayer altar of Korea .. to pray for Malaysia .... its really encouraging to see Koreans crying over Msia as they pray for Malaysia ... Malaysians .... will you rise up to pray for our land?

Hope to blog more .... another time ...... its really an experience money cannot buy ... :0....

Reminder : Isaiah 46 : 3-13

<sup>As I struggled pen down my 1st sermon on SFM since I come back the Lord encouraged and strengthen me through the following passage.... amazing ... wonderful is my Creator .. my Father .... my Savior, my Redemeer ... my Source ... my ALL ... yes... to whom we can compare our God to ... how can we doubt His perfect will and perfect plan for us, His beloved children whom He love unto death .... I acknowlege that He is God ... I am mere man ....

Let this passage minister to you as well .... in a fresh way :

3</sup> "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.

⁴ Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

⁵ "To whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?

⁶ Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.

⁷ They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer;
it cannot save him from his troubles.

⁸ "Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.

⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.

¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

¹¹ From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill My purpose.
What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

¹² Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are far from righteousness.

¹³ I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away;
and My salvation will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion, My splendor to Israel.

And all God's people say : AMEN!!!!

Faith With Out Deeds Is Dead

.... just as the body without spirit is dead, so is faith without deeds (action) [James 2:26] ....

These words rings strongly in my ears as I struggle to lead my 1st formal prayer meeting in Mandarin yesterday. Looks like the Lord had to "push"me me off the boat again into the waters to test and build my faith.

I was still OK with the idea of leading prayer met when asked by Bro Ding on Thursday morning because Tsuey was around --- so ... my usual contingency was for to be my interpreter ... but God had other plans. Tsuey is on schedule to take care of the kids instead and she asked if we could stick to the original schedule --what can I say but YES .. because deep down in my heart, I know I just got to JUST DO IT!

So, it was time to step out in faith and allow God to work thru me .... and God did .. :0 ... I knew I could not pray in Mandarin yet ... so, by His grace, He gave me the idea that I can pass the mike around for brothers and sisters to pray .. as I share the prayer pointers .... praise God ...it works ... His grace is always sufficient for us ... and He will not test us beyond what we can bear ... so when God ask you to jump off the boat ... JUMP! He will be there to help you walk on the waters .... when u jump off in faith and fix your eyes on Him ...

This is God's way of confirming that I should preach my 1st sermon in church next week in Mandarin ...something which I struggled for almost 1mth .... God indeed works and speaks thru mysterious circumstances eh .... :0 ..

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb 11:1) ..

What do I hope for --- to be able to preach, worship, worship lead, prayer and read Mandarin because of His specific call in my life ...

So, from now till then ...... its faith action all the way till I reach my final destination in this area..

Yeah!!! Bulan Puasa - Unity in Diversity :0

I was so excited that Ramadan is here. After being away for 3 years, today was my 1st day enjoying dinner from the buka puasa stalls. The house I live in is just 3mins walking distance from the stalls - super cool! When I lived in Perling, it takes 5mins drive to the stalls.

When I walked the stalls in the heat of the evening ... I was just soooooo thrilled and excited ...guess this was one of the things that I love and enjoy in Malaysia .... participating in the culture of another -- here ... the variety of food because of the fasting month! The choice of food --- wow ... u name it .... semua ada --- nasi beriani (macam2 type) .... ayam percik, stay, murtabak, nasi lemak, kebab, otak2, dishes ...asam pedas ... different types of fish ... kuih2 ... drinks ....dll (dan lain lain lagi)

Was excited when I saw a stall nasi dagang and nasi kerabu ... this is a typical Kelantan/Terengganu dish and its not easy to find it here. I wanted to get nasi dagang ikan but ikan finished (before 6pm) ... so .. I bought nasi kerabu ikan ... and burung puyuh goreng berempah. The nasi is very nice .... burung puyuh goreng .. this is my 1st time eating this. I bought this cos I wanted their rempah goreng .. it looked and smelled sooooooooooo good ... I dare not eat the whole bird ... bit geli and kesihan the bird .... ate a bit ... tasted like ayam ... but the meat is much tender ...

Happy and satisfied .... glad to be back in Malaysia man! Will visit the stalls again .... and this time must bring my camera ..

Draw near to God & He will draw near to you ....

What happens when people are hungry and thirsty for God? YES - God shows up to feed His hungry and quench the thirst children! This is what happen in my first "mission trip" under SKM to Medan!!! Praise the Lord!

Just got back from 6day trip to Medan with 4 other anointed servant of God. Awesome experience, exposure and huge learning opportunity on God, His Word and the Holy Spirit! :0 And I thank God for this opportunity that was give to me by my pastor.

We spent 5 solid days with Mu-En Methodist church in Medan. It is relatively a new church, set up right after tsunami hit their hometown in Acheh, approximately 100 members. Like tsunami, the church has gone thru winds of change ... and this wind is the wind of the Holy Spirit that is blowing in the lives of these hungry and thirsty people .....

Our mission therefore was just to be the vessel for the Holy Spirit to move and work - and I so touched that Jesus came, lived, died and was resurrected on the 3rd day to save me from my sins and damnation of sins --- to give me LIFE, and LIFE abundantly --- and hence, out of this LIFE .... He consider me worthy to be His vessel to allow His LIFE flow in and thru me ....

Typical itinerary : morning - prayer : we gather, ask the Holy Spirit to show us what He wants to do ... and we wait upon Him. Awesome! Some of us receive word ... vision .... scripture ... and when we put them together .... the puzzle fits perfectly ... there was a session to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit - God just shows up and move ..... :0 ... in another session, one of our team member had a vision of Jesus walking to each of us individually with His hands doing the heart shape sign, placing it in individual heart ... followed by a flying kiss on each individual - the meaning : Jesus is in our mist, placing His love in our heart and out of it will flow words of LIFE and His love to share with people around us.

Afternoon : individual healing & deliverance session (pre arranged to meet with one of the pastors. I am the student here). This is really a huge new exposure to me ... there is so much to learn ... Pastor June shares two foundation here : a) faith - all that we do is an act of FAITH. We must have faith in God and in what we are doing .. that God will work in and thru .... our role is just His instrument. The final healing, deliverance and restoration is His part. b) my salvation- this is the foundation of what I do and why I do it .... it is the power and meaning of the Cross in my life

I must add a few more points from my observation : a) Each case is different. So, we cannot have a fix method that it has to be done or expressed a certain way b) Humility - we have to consciously remind ourselves that it is not us or our power or our intelligence that had set the people free but it is Holy Spirit thru us. Never ever rob God of His glory c) Not only sensitivity to Holy Spirit but also discernment.

Many lives were set free from the powers of darkness as black magic is very much embedded in their lifestyle and culture.

Night : full blast session of being in the presence of God - in worship, listening to His Word, prayer, prophetic prayer act ..... and allowing Holy Spirit a free hand to move and touch our lives. The anointing was so strong that many were weeping in worship, some received the baptism of the Holy Spirit ....

The main word that impacted the entire meeting was James 4 : 6 - 8
"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
When we humble ourselves before God (acknowledging that He is God, we repent of our arrogance thinking highly of ourselves, we always want to be god or like god ... controlling and running our lives ad the lives of others around us), God will give us His grace and draw us to Him as we draw near to Him. As for the enemy ... we just need to believe by faith that when we resist him, he will flee from us!

God brought us to Mu-En to pass the fire and passion of intercession .... so that out of them .. God will raise intercessors and watchman for Mu-En, Medan and Indonesia! And I recalled .... a few years back (31 Aug 2005) .... Indonesia church from Batam came to JB and did the same thing to CCC JB and the fire of intercession was lighted up in me .... now is my turn to pass the light to others ... :0 ..

All glory to Him, my God, Master and Savior!!!!