Lifegroup - Kee Hang's Group

Mid autumn festival celebration-26th SEP 2009

2009-10-03T10:35:00.018+08:00

Pot luck again~~~yummy,yummy.....

猜灯谜 lantern riddles

全神贯注....

绞尽脑汁....

啊，好难啊！ ~@~@~

yeh!终于有收获了！好开心哦！haha....

我们猜中最多！hehe....

我们也不赖哦！hoho....

孤军作战的方平表现也不错哦！

HAPPY MID AUTUMN FESTIVAL TO EVERYONE!!
＊月亮圓月亮圓月亮照在我的家沒有春夏秋冬的家流傳千年＊ 現在的孩子不相信月亮有小白兔功課與電腦使他們不再聽古老的神話當高樓大廈遮擋了古老的月亮就趁這個季節讓你的孩子知道古老的神話源自何方....

Kee Hang's LG Participation of Mega CMC Basketball Competition - OLD MAN TEAM

2009-09-30T11:20:00.014+08:00

Perfect Match = "Old Man Team" + "Aunty Cheerleader"

WaLaoEh !!!! Before Match, Kasut sudah Rosak.......

We are ready for the match, come on "放马过来"

Before Match: Energetic (Young Man)

After Match: Exhausted (Old Man)

Result Update: 6 Games - 3 Wins & 3 Losses
Game 1: Lose
Game 2: Won
Game 3: Won
Game 4: Loss

Game 5: Won

Game 6: Loss

Misson accomplished,

"Old Man Team" has successfully enter into Semi-Final

美佳堂第四届夫妻营 (4th Mega CMC Couple Camp) - 有你作伴，感觉真好！

2009-09-28T00:02:00.008+08:00

我们的目标 - 全体小组组员一起参与第五届美佳堂夫妻营

Our's Goal - All Kee Han's LG members to participate in the 5th Mega CMC Couple Camp

LG‘s Couple Badminton Tournament~19th July 2009

2009-09-05T19:17:00.014+08:00

我们的第一届‘夫妻羽球赛’于7月19日在Crimson Apartment's Badminton Court举行。

Sharing for morning prayer meeting-己汉&佩芳

2009-09-03T13:18:00.008+08:00

感谢天父，让我们这班弟兄姐妹能一起组成这个小组。
带领小组~~的确不简单。当初我们也考虑了蛮多才凭着信心接下这个‘不简单任务’。
记得当时是带着战战兢兢的心情带领第一次的LG meeting,5 对组员中只认识两个姐妹，其余的都未曾谋面，当时只来了3对组员……由于对彼此都还陌生，起初LG meeting 的出席率并不怎么理想，原本每星期一次的meeting 好多时候因着组员们太忙而postponed了，我想当时大家看到手机传来己汉的来电都好怕吧！哈！我们一直担心是不是带领方式不是组员们所要的，以至于你们不喜欢参加小组,相信每对组员对小组都有不同的期待&要求吧！
感恩的是如今看到组员们对小组有了委身&归属感，相信神把我们这班拥有不同恩赐的夫妻们聚集在这小组里一定有他的美意，让我们彼此谦卑，彼此学习，彼此鼓励，同心配搭，搞好我们的夫妻&家庭生活，一同兴旺神的事工！荣神益人！！阿们！
代祷事项:
• 为着家庭祷告：夫妻相处，有智慧&精神体力去照顾宇洁，宇洁健康快乐成长。
• 为工作祷告
• 为小组祷告：求神赐我们智慧懂得如何继续带领小组，为着组员的灵命&夫妻关系祷告

Sharing for morning prayer meeting-方平&宝美

2009-09-03T13:08:00.003+08:00

感恩事项：
感谢神的安排，让我们能够有机会参加‘情侣’生命小组，那正是我们计划结婚的时候。从筹备婚礼到结束，甚至去度蜜月，一切都蛮顺利。特别要感谢组员们给予的宝贵意见、分享各自婚礼的经验、夫妻相处之道，让我们从中学习、获益不浅。我们的小组将成长。。。不仅局限‘情侣’，而是家庭小组。

代祷事项：
1.为我们的健康祷告。今年健康状况欠佳，常生病。
2.为我们婚姻生活来祷告。求神继续做我们夫妻的元首，让我们在他爱里能互爱、互助，建立有见证性的生活，同时能坚持一起同心灵修，同心祷告，凡事都能同心。
3.为願意在教會有服侍的心祷告。求神引导我们服侍的方向。

Sharing for morning prayer meeting-Jerry&Jacqueline

2009-09-03T13:05:00.003+08:00

Joining couple life group (LG) has been truly a great experience for both of us. In fact, this is the very first experience for Jerry. Thanks to Lord Father who has given this wonderful opportunity to us!
Having LG members with different personalities really do spice up our lives! Sometimes, without realising… we have gotten so much insight and encouragement through sharing. Indeed, it’s a pleasure having able to share and grow spiritually together as brothers and sisters in our journey of life.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the LG members for being part of our lives. Thank you for all the useful insight that you guys have given to us (especially “tips” living as husband and wife J).
We are really thankful to the encouragement and care that you guys have shown on us! Not forgetting your prayers for Jerry’s father in his battle with lung cancer and praise that Lord that he is now in his recovery process!
Last but not least, a big Thank You to our great Lord Father for bringing us together in LG!
Prayer Items:
1) Pray for our spiritual growth and the commitment to God
2) Pray for Jerry’s father’s speedy recovery after the tumour removal surgery.

Sharing for morning prayer meeting-重锦&淑娇

2009-09-03T12:55:00.005+08:00

参加小组的感想
从抗拒参加小组，到敞开心门接受小组，到不知不觉喜欢小组，到如今期待参加小组！

感恩事项
•感谢神把我们放在一群可爱，热情，爱主的弟兄姐妹当中，一起学习，一起在主里成长。
•感谢神，藉着小组组员的真心分享，增进我们夫妻的关系。

代祷事项
•为着我们夫妻关系祷告，让我们更幸福更恩爱。
•为着重锦家人的救恩祷告，让他们一家人能接受主为他们个人的救主

Direction Of Our Life Group - 2009/2010

2009-08-27T20:37:00.005+08:00

I really want to thank Brother Kee Hang for hosting the impromptu LG meeting last night. It was one of the most inspirational moments I've ever seen in the history of our LG. Thanks :)

I want to take this opportunity to recap some of the key points and solidify the pillars and values of our LG.

Bible Based And Scripture Focused

The spiritual foundation of every Christian starts from the Word of God. The first verse of the Gospel of John clearly proclaims that, " ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Therefore it is with great pride and joy that our LG begins our bible reading with the study of the Gospel of John.

This book must be understood and experienced on a personal level in order for us to be effective ambassadors for Christ.

Accountability And Responsibility

One of the biggest breakthroughs I've observed in LG is that the dynamics of our relationship between one another has made a turn for the better the moment we all decided to be accountable and responsible for one another's actions.

It is human nature for people to be lazy, and not bothered with one another's worries and concerns. After all, we reason that it makes sense to look after ourselves only since we are so busy with our own lives, right?

Wrong...

The church is a dynamic, living organism. God commands us clearly that once saved, we are to integrate into a community in order to enrich and enjoy the fellowship of other Christians within and without the church.

God has also scolded Cain when he claims that is NOT his brother's keeper (right after Cain murdered his brother...) We are all our brother's and sister's keeper. This means that their success or failure is MY responsibility as well should I fail to pay attention to their needs and their goals.

By being accountable to another, we develop more responsibility towards ourselves and others will be there to support us in our time of need. Let us know one another's deepest goals and concerns and fervently pray and support one another.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, please call on me anytime you need assistance and I will do the best of my ability to assist and support you.

Evangelism and Enrollment

The moment we fail to enroll newer members into the body of Christ is the day we fail to heed the call of the great commission.

Jesus clearly commands us to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth. He also commands us to build one another and be there for our brethren should we see them faltering in their faith.

It is our personal responsibility to increase the numbers in our LG. Uncomfortable as it may seem to step outside our comfort zones, it is essential to increase our numbers the same way the early church has spread 2,000 years ago.

Let us challenge one another to bring more souls to Christ and bring at least 1 or 2 new couples (for every couple in LG)

Relationship And Community Building

It is very important for all members of the LG to develop ourselves on a personal level. As we develop ourselves, so shall we develop the people around us starting from our spouse because the family unit is the most basic community unit that lays the foundation of our church.

We must all develop a great marriage or a great relationship with your significant other in order to exemplify the beauty of the relationship Christ displays to His church (his bride).

We will be studying many topics revolving around building relationships, marriages and the development of the community through empowering the family unit. All couples (Christian or Non-Christian) are welcomed to join us to learn the ways to build our lives and our families.

Sports And Recreation

Christians are not about 'all work and no play'. As we toil for our Lord, He often gives us the pleasure of enjoying an abundant life through recreation and the enjoyment of life.

Our LG is packed with fun-filled activities and sports ranging from basketball, badminton, bowling, board games (hmm... all the B's...) and Karaoke as well!

We've even organized outings to Cameron Highlands and Couple Camps.

Let's enjoy the company and the beauty of friendship that God has blessed us with abundantly.

Please Pray For Us

One of the biggest things I want to give thanks for is that after the couple camp, my wife Yuenn and I have discovered how we can be more intimate with one another through the Pastor's wife's teaching.

If we can choose not to use words to describe our feeling and use a song instead, this would be our personal breakthrough:

Yuenn's Breakthrough Song

Khai's Breakthrough Song

If you pay close attention to the lyrics, you will know what we mean.

有你作伴，感觉真好！

2009-08-24T16:37:00.026+08:00

前一晚方平告诉我们他的“骇客任务”后，星期六早，感谢重锦当我们大家的司机，我们出发去PD咯！

Lunch time！
有上当的感觉！！！！！！！！！
Mission1： Current Situation VS Vision of our family
天才牛仔夫妻档的准备！ -- Screenwriter: 诗宇& 辉文
节目名称：Wizard of cow
Narrator --- 芝昀
女主角Pomeety ---宝美
没大脑阿旺 ---重锦
没有心大雄----凯雄
没有勇气胆小鬼--- 方平
Wizard of cow：淑娇
 重锦给淑娇的情信曝光了！要用放大镜才看得到勒！
贪吃鬼！假的西瓜也要吃！！！！！！！！！！
很美的夕阳！
跟很爱摆pose的牛仔！！！！
谁最有夫妻脸？？-- 很难选勒！我真的觉得重锦&淑娇很像咯！

Yamseng！！第一次，吃花生可以乱乱丢花生壳！不错啦！Wizard of Cow 有得第3名！Yeah..... 任务成功！！！！
mmmm, 独家偷情照??!! 那晚，谢谢大家把自己的秘密大公开哦！还有，专业的芝昀脚底按摩课程, 你们学会了吗？ hahahahhaha!!!!!!!

这次不止在灵命上得到很大的帮助，更加升了我们大家的了解！谢谢大家being so open minded, and all the meaningful sharing is really helpful!!
期待下一次的聚会！~~~~ 有你们作伴，感觉真好！~~~~~

重锦，下次outing可以不要住Kampung 屋吗？？像酱的酒店就蛮不错的！ Heeheee^^

Sharing for Saturday (1 Aug 09) Morning Prayer Meeting - Huay Wen & Esther

2009-07-28T21:16:00.009+08:00

Our perception of a Life Group was a bunch of people gathers together and keeps on praying, praying, and praying… That scares us since both of us have not joined any Life Group before!

First contact with our Life Group was a phone call from Kee Hang, back then we were planning for our Wedding and at the same time I was busy with my MBA examination and assignment. The first thought came into our mind was trying to push him away as many times as we can then he will eventually give us up.

We were wrong; I guess he has done lots of PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens) on us instead. We attended our first gathering at Kee Hang and Pei Hong’s house which we can still remember vividly, it was a steamboat dinner night. Although it was the first time we met the rest of the brothers and sisters, we felt welcomed and comfortable to be with them. And thank God, we were able to repaint the picture of Life Group in our minds -- an awesome caring and sharing time together, after our very first Life Group gathering.

Six months journey together with the brothers and sisters has not only brought us closer together but also drawn Esther and me closer to our Heavenly Father. We have learnt so much from our brothers and sisters on how to become and better husband and wife, and at the same time to become a couple who can always glorify our God.

Life Group plays an important role in our life now, without the fellowship we might be still an ordinary church-going couple whose spiritual life can hardly grow.

We would like to thank God who has put us into this precious group where Esther and I can be accepted and have the chance to grow. And to all the brothers and sisters, we thank you for your guidance and sharing which made a big difference in our life! Last but not least, we are blessed to be part of Mega CMC where we feel like being with the family, thank you all!

Please pray for us on the followings:

To be a better husband and wife that we accept each other’s differences and walk through the journey of life together with the strength and courage from God

Both our families (parents and siblings) will come to know God and accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour

Sharing For Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting

2009-07-27T16:29:00.006+08:00

Joining life group has been one of the most spiritually enriching experiences for me in my life.

It has become a very strong anchor for my spiritual growth and I believe that my relationship with God and my life as a Christian will be far from complete should LG ever cease to be a part of my spiritual experience.

Prior to joining LG, I was a really arrogant and skeptical person. I had little regard for other Christians and spiritual activities, constantly viewing my brothers and sisters in Christ with contempt, blaming others for their hypocrisy and the church & Life Groups for not being 'perfect' due to my past experiences.

All I cared about was earning lots of money and avoiding people unless they were useful to my business.

However, the turning point came when Brother Ernie challenged my attitude towards the church insisting that I 'step up' and commit myself to contributing my time and effort to LG. That was when I felt a stir in my heart challenging me to own up to my self-limiting beliefs and to stop giving myself excuses for my lack of commitment.

From then on, I started to mingle along the sidelines. Slowly participating and peeling off the layers of my defenses by learning to be genuine and authentic with my LG brothers and sisters.

I believe that one of the biggest breakthroughs in my life was when my cell group leader, brother Kee Hang selected me to be his assistant LG leader. That decision practically rocked my world because I was once again, challenged to take serious responsibilities as a Christian.

From that day on, I started making a stronger commitment to God and became more serious about fighting sins and bringing glory to his kingdom.

One of the biggest things I can truly take away from LG is that it has given me a tremendously practical experience about fellowship and serving others. The most important goal for me now is to develop human capital by building up LGs and training up to 5-6 new LG leaders within the next 5 years. This vision has empowered me to begin each day of my life with clarity and purpose and I have LG to thank for it.

I also want to take this time to personally acknowledge the following persons for their tremendous contributions in my life.

Firstly I want to acknowledge our LORD and Heavenly Father and thank Him for not giving up on me when my spiritual life was non-existent for the last few years. After spending such a long period of time in the wilderness, I'm truly thankful that God will never leave me nor forsake me. God truly takes care of his children on a personal level and guides us even when the road seems unclear for miles to come and has a beautiful, wonderful plan for each and everyone of us, preparing us to do great things in His name.

Secondly, I want to thank my wife, Yuenn for being my most fervent supporter of everything I'm doing in the last 4-5 years. Thanks for being patient with me when I'm utterly undeserving of any. Many a times, I fail to appreciate the fact that you take care and handle all the little things in our lives that I take for granted. These little things are like the small screws in a car which hold everything together and I really want to acknowledge you for your tremendous contribution towards making our vision in life to become into reality. You truly are a person who sticks by my side in the past, even when I had no vision, money or future. I really love you with all my heart and I'll make a commitment to be a better Christian and husband.

I also want to thank and acknowledge all the couples in my LG for their huge contribution in my life:

Our fearless leaders Kee Hang & Pei Hong

If there is one word I can really summarize about my leaders, it is the word 'steady'.

I'm amazed to see them face so many challenges in their personal lives and in spite of their busy schedule, I'm really thankful for the fact that they never fail to keep everything together by running everything well in the background even when they are not able to be there in person, encouraging and showing concern for all LG members, pushing us to greater heights constantly and most important of all, getting things done.

Your hard work and dedication has truly inspired me to step up my level of commitment and give more of what I have.

'Big and small' - Kim & Jaslyn

Thank you for being one of the most fervent supporters of LG. You guys are truly a passionate couple who 'goes all the way' for whatever task that given to you. One of the biggest inspirations you have taught me is that you never give up no matter how bleak the task is (e.g. the basketball tournament).

I'm also amazed at Kim's impeccable LG attendence and his fervent desire for God even though he has utterly zero spiritual foundation, to be the man of God that he is. Thanks for encouraging me to be more passionate about serving God with all my heart.

'The Polar Opposite couple' - Huong Ping & Poh Mee

One of the things I want to acknowledge about Huong Ping is that although he is a man of few words, when he does speak, he speaks volumes of wisdom and is a very caring and supportive person who shows his love and concern for others silently.You can definitely count on him to always be around and lend a helping hand.

Poh Mee is constantly full of energy and laughter and I feel really happy being around her as she provides others with an endless source of energy. The conversations we share are really meaningful and I really look forward to more insightful conversations in the future.

'The Master Of Patience' Huay Wen & Esther

Although Huay Wen & Esther has only joined us for half a year, I feel touched by his most desirable quality. His patience is like the Energizer bunny - it keeps going on, and on, and on, and on......

When they were sharing about how Huay Wen spent such a long time patiently waiting for Esther to be born again, he never pushed her nor felt impatient towards God's timing. They have blossomed to become a happy Christian couple as a result of God's timing and abundant blessings.

This quality teaches us that with God, all things are possible, even when the results seem to indicate otherwise. Thanks, Huay Wen & Esther for your encouragement and your passion to live a full life.

'J&J' - Jerry & Jacqueline

Last but not least, I really want to thank this couple for being a part of our lives.

In spite of their hectic schedules in their busy careers and family commitments , I'm truly thankful that Jerry and Jacqueline has both dedicated their efforts to support our LG from time to time.

I feel encouraged by their commitment to God and I hope we can spend more and more time catching up and learning from one another.

Prayer Items

Please pray for the following matters:

(1) Brother Ernie and I are working together to create a new spiritually empowered personal development course (based on the Bible) for small groups.

The purpose of this course is to empower Christians to live their lives to the fullest by being very clear of God's will in their lives.

The course will cover topics such as:

- Developing meaningful relationships and true intimacy with God and people in their lives
- Acknowledgment of our roles as spiritual children and ambassadors of Christ and positive living
- The biblical view of money and how to liberate your mind from self-limiting beliefs about money and to use it to empower our spiritual lives
- Experiential, practical Christian living for our day to day lives
- How to develop a vision and create a legacy for years to come

Pray that I will be able to write the course with clarity and to research from a biblical perspective.

(2) Pray for each of us that we will make a commitment to develop human capital by becoming a leader ourselves (in our personal lives), and to train up at least 5-6 new LG leaders starting from our own group.

"Precious Corner"

2009-06-26T00:55:00.017+08:00

Kim & Jaslyn
Wedding Ceremony
27-12-08 @ Mega CMC

Kee Han's LG had performed a song called "Precious Corner"

Now, "Precious Corner" has become our LG's "Yam Ko" because we sang this song during Huong Ping &Poh Mee's wedding ceremony too.

We like the song alot & really appreaciate yours sincere performance

Lastly, Thanks for your attendance & performance.

圣经比赛!

2009-06-25T15:30:00.006+08:00

各位，掌声鼓励鼓励佩芳！如果她不update我们小组的blog的话，这个blog真的要zamlap了拉！哈哈！我也来update一下吧！大家还记得圣经比赛吗？当天，方平，宝美和凯雄可是很努力的在准备哦！

就算是到了比赛现场，还是很努力哦！（加油！加油！重锦，淑娇和芝昀精神上支持你们）！哈哈！

这一项真不容易！大家还要训练更多默契哦！-- 其他小组大概用几秒的时间，就猜出来了，快到。。。。。我们彻底的输了：（

这次的比赛其实蛮好玩的！下次我们大家再努力吧！^^

LG 1st Anniversary~~20th June

2009-06-20T22:04:00.016+08:00

感谢神的带领，我们的小组已经‘一岁’了！时间过得真快，还记得20/6/2008~我们的第一次聚会，当时我们都不认识彼此哦！

如今，大家都愿意敞开自己，在主里彼此分享，勉励，代祷。。。。

在此，特别感谢我们的区长~恩年兄&怡岑姐这一路来的指导&鼓励。

当然也不忘记每一位组员为这小组所付出的一切，你们都好棒！继续加油！！

*己汉说：“我们要走的路还很长，大家继续努力，让我们的小组能荣神益人！”

18/6/2009~我们提前到Kepong的Desa Park City庆祝~~Steamboat

己汉&佩芳&宇洁

凯雄&芝昀

方平&宝美

重锦&淑娇

辉文&诗宇

Jacqueline (Jerry在怡保无法出席）

恩年兄&乐乐

怡岑姐&谦柔

惟屹

我们的小组员

2009-06-20T21:41:00.007+08:00

“ 哈啰！叔叔阿姨们，您们好！我是新加入的小组员——小宇洁。
我在09年3月13日，3.53pm出生，daddy&mummy为我取这名字是希望我有一颗圣洁纯洁的心,成为一个神所喜悦的女儿。
希望以后我在小组时都能乖乖地，为您们带来更多欢乐。。。
我也期待着叔叔阿姨们尽早为这小组增添更多的小组员，让我有伴一起玩乐！
加油哦！ “

Pot luck night~15/2/2009

2009-06-20T17:27:00.020+08:00

大家准备了自家的拿手菜肴来一起分享：） Ho Chiak!

咖喱鸡+炒米粉~~重锦&淑娇

西班牙烘蛋+Sarsi鸡~~怡岑姐&恩年兄

三文治~~宝美&方平

Lobak糕~~芝昀&凯雄

Rojak~~佩芳&己汉

未动口前先来张大合照

2008 christmas celebration-19 Dec 08

2009-06-19T21:02:00.010+08:00

"yummy........"

MLM / Direct Sales In Heaven??

2008-11-20T09:38:00.002+08:00

It’s a simple, proven program: You bring me five souls, and they each get five souls, and… pretty soon, you’ll have a halo, company wings, and a six-figure residual income for eternity.

God wants us to evangelize - if The Lord Jesus had 12 disciples and his 12 disciples had more than 80 other disciples on their own which spread on to create the entire church structure, then are we to say that Christianity is a pyramid scheme?

A 'Holy' pyramid perhaps :)

Haha - I guess MLM is biblical.

What The Bible Really Says About Making Lots Of Money

2008-11-15T09:25:00.007+08:00

By Khai

Have you ever wondered whether it is wrong to pray that God will bless you with wealth and riches? Is there any problems with wanting to earn as much money as you can while you are living in the earthly realm?

My circle of friends are all entrepreneurs and to be able to associate within their circles, you have to be making a minimum of a 5 figure monthly income in order to qualify to interact with their level of expertise. So we talk about money and making money all the time.

However, many churches are reluctant to talk about money and wealth as they feel that money is a topic that is taboo and they avoid talk about it altogether within Christian circles.

In fact, Christians who bring up the topic of money are often frowned upon!

Let Scripture Be The Final Authority!

According to many of the reformers and puritans, they believed in the authenticity and the legitimacy of scripture (as we should, today) as evident in Sola Scriptura - in other words, by scripture alone to prove what is right, what is wrong, and what is true and what is false.

Therefore, we will let scripture decide what is the right viewpoint - especially after a careful exegesis to let us know if what we believe in is indeed biblical or not.

The Difference Between Money And Mammon

Let's establish these two points so that we do not get confused with the actual terms:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24 KJV

Firstly, we must NOT confuse money and mammon - Money is NOT mammon! It is merely a MEDIUM of Exchange! Therefore money is NEUTRAL!

On the other hand, mammon is the LOVE for money. Remember, money is neutral so there is nothing wrong with money, but if you obsess about something so much, even something good can turn into a venue for SIN.
Most people say that money is the root of all evil, but that statement is incorrect. The truth is that money is NOT the root of all evil but rather the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil, hence the definition of mammon is personified in the love of money.

So there is nothing wrong with money, in and of itself.

Money is a medium of EXCHANGE - nothing more!

Money is first and foremost a medium of exchange. As human society became increasingly more complex, it became inconvenient for humans to barter one commodity or service for another or to exchange a certain quantity of labor for a certain quantity of some commodity. No one invented money; it simply developed.

In this sense of a medium of exchange, money is both a social and an economic convenience. It makes complicated economic exchanges more convenient and more efficient than if each person had to barter commodities and services directly with other people.

Imagine how silly it would be if you try barter trading.

It would be possible to trade a LIVE cow for 3 loaves of bread...
But how on earth are you going to get a cow if you have only ONE LOAF of bread?
Unless you are running a steak house like Tony Roma or The Ship, is it IMPOSSIBLE to try and divide a live cow.

And it get's worse... what if the cow guy wants something else like chicken, and the bread guy would have to find someone who wants his bread and is willing to give a chicken to him.

Basically, without an economic system, we would be running around wasting time and more monetary resources trying to find a common medium!

Money is also important for STORING WEALTH. It is impossible to save money if people only gave you bread all the time. Imagine getting a whole barnyard filled with bread? After a week, your 'money' will turn into this:

It is preposterous to imagine consuming all your 'assets' in the present. Therefore, not only is money important as a medium of exchange and a means of measurement, it is also a way to store your wealth!

Therefore, the conviction of Christians that money is evil is an erroneous heresy based on several economic misunderstandings.

Remember, the purpose of value exchange is that it has to leave BOTH parties in a better position than they were before the trade.

Common Misconceptions About Jesus' Parables

Claims that the Bible condemns wealth or that God hates all the rich are clearly incompatible with the teachings of Jesus, who saw nothing inherently evil in money, wealth, or private ownership. (Otherwise, Abraham, David and Solomon would be condemned in hell for being rich)

What the Lord certainly condemned is materialism and the compulsive desire to acquire wealth, but he never condemned wealth in and of itself!

Remember, Jesus has wealthy friends and followers (Luke 14:1); he stayed in the homes of wealthy people; he ate at their tables (Luke 11:37).

The parable of the talents outlined in Matthew 25:14-30 talks about stewardship and investing your money wisely.

Jesus blessed the 'rich' investor who was given 10 talents by giving him an additional 10 because of his proper stewardship of money. However, he condemned the foolish investor because he buried his one and only talent into the ground.

This lesson shows us Christians that when God gives you money, you should invest them wisely and grow your wealth rather than stash them away in the bank and let it rot there.

It shows that God clearly takes an interest in the economic cycle as an economic system CANNOT grow if money doesn't 'roll' if you know what I mean...

Jesus didn't condemn the rich man and blessed the beggar Lazarus (Luke 16:20) because of the size of their bank account - it was based on Lazarus' FAITH and not because it is a sin to be rich. The rich man was unregenerate - therefore he had no faith in God and descended to hell. If Lazarus never placed his faith in the living God, he wouldn't even be anywhere near Abraham's bosom. So it has nothing to do with wealth as outlined in this parable.

Likewise, Jesus didn't require that all Christians give away all their wealth and possessions to the poor to follow him just as he told off the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23). He was merely TESTING his commitment by revealing where the ruler's heart lay, his trust in riches rather than the faith and providence of God.

God's Plan For Man

Let's examine what God really wants us to do with the pursuit of wealth!

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

Genesis 1:26

God created us in his images, so traces of his character is evident in humans who display the characteristics of God in a way.

The first instance of the bible, the task given to man is to RULE the earth manage it's resources!

God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:28

Shortly afterwards, God told man to be fruitful and multiply, once again, by subduing every other living thing on earth - man is to RULE and PROGRESS, not sit at home earning just 'enough money'. God wants us to GO OUT THERE and CREATE VALUE for society.

Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

Genesis 2:15

God also placed man in charge of tending the garden of Eden.

He wants Adam to work hard in the field as part of his design for man. So make no mistake about it, a man who doesn't earn money is of no use to society and is NOT following God's will. This is the way males are wired, if they do not have a strong career and strong achievement, they will have poor self-esteem and they will feel lousy about themselves if they do not earn enough money!

So as you can see, life is all about earning money and developing/cultivating the earth!

Wealth creation is consistent with God's nature

God wants us to be rich, not just spiritually but materially as well as it is the REFLECTION of his glory on earth. This may be hard for some people to accept but a careful exegesis of the bible reveals that this may be the case.

To Quote Brian Griffin, "God placed us in his world to "cultivate it, improve it and harness its resources for our own use. Man has been created to have dominion in this world. The urge to control, direct and manage the resources of this world is part and parcel of man's nature and vocation. Idleness is at root alien to human personality."

God did not intend that humans simply scrape by. "God intended us to enjoy his world…no Christian should feel a sense of guilt from living in a decent house, driving a solid car, wearing a proper suit of clothes or eating a good meal. If we take seriously the fact that this world is God's world, then the business of creating wealth has a Christian foundation."

After all, all good things are created of God and blessed by God - This IS our Father's world after all!

John 10:10 talks about how Jesus came and gave us abundant life! Remember, abundance is not limited to the spiritual realm because evidence of God's work is revealed in the earthly realm. (Remember in 1 John, God says that if we don't love a brother whom we can see, we would be hypocrites to claim that we love a God that we CANNOT see is evident of visible, earthly manifestations).

How can you claim to non-believers, that your God is an abundant God, if you can't even afford a good pair if shoes or your pants are filled with holes? There is no virtue in POVERTY!

People who take pride in their poverty is giving our God a bad impression by painting him as a poor, stingy or selfish God who can't even give good thing to their children (Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? - Matthew 7:9)

Didn't God mention in Malachi 3:10 that if you were to bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it?

This shows clearly that our God is not only abundant, but GIVING and WILLING to bless you with his blessings till you can't fit it into your house!

In fact, even our own Rev. Ho enjoys eating Carl's Jr. burgers (premium, expensive burgers) and Mrs Ho. enjoys Baskin Robbin's ice cream!

There is nothing wrong with enjoying premium food and spending money!

Our God is an abundant God who wants his servants to enjoy the fruits of their labor otherwise they will be eating Ramli Burgers or Paddle Pop Ice Cream!

God wants us to live a FULL and blessed life. Whether spiritually, materially or in your relationships with people around you (similar with his relationship with Adam before the Fall).

“Life itself demands that we be continually involved in the process of wealth-creation. The basic necessities for living are not provided like manna; the land has to be cultivated, the sea has to be harvested, minerals have to be extracted, the city has to be supplied with services. God created us with the capacity and the desire to do all these things. Life itself, therefore, demands that we use what God has given us to provide the necessities, and to use the to it's FULLNESS!"

So at the end of the day, it can be summarized like this:

Go out there and make as much money as you can, provided you follow these 3 guidelines:

Always make sure you provide good value for people. If you are a plumber, then BE the best plumber in the world. If you are a writer, write books that will inspire and educate the world. If you are an entrepreneur, do your best to make money and provide wonderful products and services to others.

Go all out and serve, and give value. If you get money and you do not provide good value (cheating others, giving inferior products or services, poor customer services, etc) then your money is not well deserved. Just be good at your work, and money will automatically come.
Be very clear about the enticements of mammon while having a clear distinction about money. Always be content Philippians (4:11-12) while pursuing excellence, steward God's resources properly, (Matt. 25:24-30; Luke 19:11-27), share your possessions with others especially those less fortunate (Luke 6:29, 30) and watch for temptation of being obsessed about idolizing mammon.
Do the best that you can. Remember, God doesn't intend us to just scrape by or live on the bare minimum. God's glory is also reflected in your personal life, your stewardship of His assets and the enjoyment of his abundant blessings!

How to use your words to bless others

2008-10-27T00:01:00.005+08:00

Do you know that God created the world by using the spoken word?

The spoken word is a powerful thing as the bible describes the tongue as a little object that can set fire to things.

Likewise, there is life and death in the power of the tongue.

You can give life and you can cause death with the tongue.

Growing up in a typical Chinese family has taught me a lot about this principle.

I call it the POWER OF POSITIVE SELF-TALK.

I've experienced this mind set transformation quite vividly due to my childhood experiences.

My parents, bless them, are my role models when it comes to good parenting and they provided me with every single jump start for my life (my education and some of my failed business ventures - but NOT my Internet marketing business which I started from scratch with no money down.)

My dad being the sole bread winner and a star-studded employee practices a philosophy in life which is to work hard with impeccable integrity and honesty.

My mom is one of the most articulate and intelligent housewives/mothers that I've ever seen (most other mothers I've met are sooooo 'Aunty', if you know what I mean).

However, being a typical Chinese (or 'China man') family, they usually express their 'encouragement' in the forms of negative criticisms that I strongly disagree with their approach even until today.

Words they use like:

"Boooooy, you are so FAAAATTTT... go and lose weight before you DIE of a heart attack!"

"Don't Eat so much! You will block your arteries to DEATH!"

Now, please, do not get the impression that my parents are so evil to the point that they will curse me with a fatal disease. They are LOVING parents with good intentions, but I will never use these words on others if I want to encourage someone else.

Other words like: (warning: extremely butchered Malaysian English ahead)

- "Sooooon, work/study hard if not you will be poor and useless like and stay in a small, small house"

- "Do la! Go and do, later you die then you know!"

- "AIYOH, why you so STOOOPID ONE? Good for nothing!!!"

- "Why your stomach so BIG one, quick, go jogging or else no girl will want you one day."

- "Make sure you Don't FAIL your exams or else you cannot get in to 'science-stream' and you will be a useless person"

Subconsciously, the words seeped in and for years before my Internet marketing ventures, I grew up believing that I was too fat, too stupid, too poor and somehow too inferior compared to the rest of the world.

Yet, in spite of the negative criticisms, I still saw the love and the underlying encouragement that my parents have for me (with much filtering through the criticisms). I vow never to use negative, derogatory statements in order to encourage someone else to succeed.

They even encouraged me by sending me this forwarded mail, and I believe it is worth your time to read this line by line.

Article by Abdul Kalam:

I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.
One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high.
My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, 'Bart, Hold on tightly.' So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.
I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, 'Tammy, don't fall!' And Tammy did... fall.
My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly.
This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal. You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that. For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, 'Don't drop it!' Naturally, I dropped the ball.
My coaches were not skilled enough to teach us proper 'self-talk.' They just thought some kids could catch and others couldn't. I'll never make it pro, but I'm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positive and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have had a longer football career.
Here is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your friends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil. Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions carefully. Say to them, 'Okay, try to drop the pencil.' Observe what they do.
Most people release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor. You respond, 'You weren't paying attention. I said TRY to drop the pencil. Now please do it again.' Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain while their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil.
The point is made.
If you tell your brain you will 'give it a try,' you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a 'no try' rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they won't. Either they will be at the party or they won't. I'm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I don't know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brownie points for pretended effort? You will never hear the words 'I'll try' come out of my mouth unless I'm teaching this concept in a seminar.
If you 'try' and do something, your unconscious mind has permission not to succeed. If I truly can't make a decision I will tell the truth. 'Sorry John. I'm not sure if I will be at your party or not. I've got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I will not. Thanks for the invite.'
People respect honesty. So remove the word 'try' from your vocabulary.
My dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism.
These are concepts that are especially useful when raising children.

Ask yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction.

So, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self-talk like, ' I'm fat. Nobody will like me. I'll try this diet. I'm not good enough. I'm so stupid. I'm broke, etc. etc.'
If our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, imagine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue. Here is a list of Toxic Vocabulary words.
Notice when you or other people use them.
But: Negates any words that are stated before it.
Try: Presupposes failure.
If: Presupposes that you may not.
Might: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener.
Would Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen.
Should Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen (and implies guilt.)ؠCould Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen.
Can't/Don't: These words force the listener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make without knowing the damage of this linguistic error.
Examples:
Toxic phrase: 'Don't drop the ball!'
Likely result: Drops the ball
Better language: 'Catch the ball!'
Toxic phrase: 'You shouldn't watch so much television.'
Likely result: Watches more television.
Better language: 'I read too much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books more often!'
Exercise: Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yourself as they occur and change them.

God bless my parents. Their 'constructive criticisms' and their funny antics really gives me a good laugh as I look back.

Thankfully, this self talk method has helped me to triple my income, lose more weight, increase my confidence and spend more time praying and reading the Bible.

I hope this article encourages you. Please leave your comments about your experiences as well.

Mega CMC Basketball Tournament

2008-10-18T22:07:00.007+08:00

Today is supposed to be a scary day for me because I've never participated in a basketball tournament before, much less, play proper basketball.

I must admit, playing sports really isn't my forte, but Ernie insisted that we were all playing 'just for fun' and asked me to come anyway. I guess we were all playing for God so I thought, I'll just give it a try, in spite of knowing that Chong Kim and Kee Hang wasn't planning on turning up.

Anyway, we started off the day shooting for prizes - with the men shooting at the half court line and the women shooting at the three-point line.

(The warm up)

All of a sudden, a miracle happened...

Our SUPER CENTER - Chong Kim turned up at the last minute in spite of his injuries.

We thought to ourselves... Whew! He has come to save the day.

In my humble opinion, I felt that if we were to win a single match, it would be a great feat... considering that none of us attended any practice sessions together.

During the group preliminaries, we played against others thinking that it would be quite a struggle.

But not only did we NOT LOSE (until the last match) in any of our earlier matches, we even managed to ENTER THE QUARTER FINALS!

Our score against the other three match ups were:

1st Match: 2-2 (Draw)
2nd Match: 1-1 (Draw)
3rd Match: 3-5 (WON!) (Thanks to Jimmy and a key three pointer score)

(The match we lost)

For our team, that is already a 'dream come true' and we were more than happy to get our butt kicked by the MJYF.

At least we did our best.

I remembered this verse during our matches:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Philippians 4:13

Praise The LORD for his blessings.

(Group Photo of Team - 'The Ball Is Round' 球是圆的）

The Ultimate Basketeball Challenge!

2008-10-10T23:11:00.010+08:00

Posted By: Khai

Today as we just had CG at Yam & Erica's house. After the CG, I was reminded by Kee Hang (己汉) that the church basketball tournament is going to start next Saturday.

I started thinking about basketball training again.

The first thing that came to my mind was Chong Kim (重锦).

I am really grateful to him for helping me out in basketball during our last 2 training sessions.

You see, Chong Kim is a tall and big guy. And I mean REALLY big.

Standing next to him, you can feel how small you really are. I think the air he breathes up there is quite different as well ;)

Anyway, Chong Kim is so big and tall, whenever you try to fight for the position under the rim, for shots or rebounds, it is like going up against a truck.

重锦 -------------------------------大猩猩灌蓝！！！

Does he remind you of a famous 'Slam Dunk' comic character?

Well, it does remind me of him. Hehe!

Even though he is so tall and he grabs the ball easily from 'shorties' like me all the time, one thing that I'm really grateful is that during the last few sessions of training, going up against him under the rim really pushed me to my limits.

I had to jump higher, push harder and stand stronger otherwise, I would be crushed by his awesome size :P

After my sessions of playing with him, I realized something...

Playing against other people on the court seem SO MUCH EASIER!

Really, when you are used to wrestling with a huge guy like him, suddenly everyone else seem shorter and weaker. And when he is not on the court, even my friends thought that I've improved a LOT! They didn't know that I went through a 'secret training' with Chong Kim.

Jokes aside, I think Chong Kim is a really good player and going up against him is a really good challenge. As the basketball tournament draws near, I'm really glad that I'm on his team rather than against him. Because if he is on the other team, I think I will need an ambulance. HAHA!

God bless us and hope we will all do well next Saturday!

P.S. Chong Kim, please don't get angry when you read this, it is just for fun and I hope you find this funny as well - hehe!

你吃过“阿平红酒面线“了吗？

2008-09-27T19:31:00.008+08:00

这个星期五的小组，我们来到了方平和宝美的家！
嘿嘿，不要看方平静静的，其实他是“福州面线料理达人”呢！！

Jac+Jerry, Erica+李炎，恩年+怡岑，辉文+诗宇，你们走宝了! 嘻嘻！

“阿平面线”

大家都吃到很开心哦！
下次要有准备这么好的食物，先通知一下叻，害人家吃饱了，又没办法抗拒！来小组越吃越胖了！哈哈！

比999紧急救援电话更有效！

2008-08-10T13:50:00.005+08:00

当你遇到以下情况，这些号码比起999更有效

当你忧伤时，请拨 * 约翰福音 14
当你犯了罪，请拨 * 诗篇 51
当你面对危难，请拨 * 诗篇 91
当所有人都令你失望，请拨 * 诗篇 139
当你的信心需要鼓励时，请拨 * 希伯来书 11
当你又孤单又惧怕时，请拨 * 诗篇 23
当你担忧时，请拨 * 马太福音 8:19-34
当你受伤害,心怀不平时，请拨 * 哥林多前书 13
当你怀疑基督信仰时，请拨 * 哥林多后书 5:15-18
当你觉得被遗弃被隔绝时，请拨 * 罗马书 8:31-39
当你寻找平安时，请拨 * 马太福音11:25-30
当你觉得世界比上帝更大时，请拨 * 诗篇 90
当你需要基督就像需要保险时，请拨 * 罗马书8:1-30
当你出门远行时，请拨 * 诗篇 121
当你为自己祷告时，请拨 * 诗篇 87
当你需要勇气去完成一项工作时，请拨 * 约书亚书 1
当你为投资与通涨昼夜思虑时，请拨 * 马可福音 10:17-31
当你心情低落时，请拨 * 诗篇 27
当你的银行户口结余是零时，请拨 * 诗篇 37
当你对所有人失去信心时，请拨 * 哥林多前书13
当你觉得周围的人不友善时，请拨 * 约翰福音15
当你失去盼望时，请拨 * 诗篇 126
当你觉得世界比你小时，请拨 * 诗篇 19
当你希望结出果子时，请拨 * 约翰福音15
当你碰到很好的机遇或洞察先机时，请拨 * 以赛亚书 55
当你想与其他人和睦相处时，请拨 * 罗马书12
使徒保罗拥有喜乐的秘诀，请拨 * 歌罗西书 3:12-17

辅助号码
面对惊恐，请拨 诗篇3:47
寻求保护，请拨 诗篇121:3
寻求保障，请拨 马可福音 8:35
寻求双重保障，请拨 诗篇145:18

*以上所有号码都是直线电话，不需接线生；所有专线都直通天堂，全日开放.

己汉的 master convocation,05 Aug 2008,UM

2008-08-05T18:54:00.008+08:00

今天是己汉的master in manufacturing engineering的毕业典礼.

感谢神,他花了将近4年的时间,终于修完master,回想起这真的是个''不简单任务''呀!特别是在精神体力与时间上的煎熬.....真的感谢天父的保守带领以及家人的鼓励支持,让他终于熬过了这一切!

今天的己汉真的好兴奋,一大清早就起身准备了,毕业袍穿了还舍不得脱下呢!还有,拍照拍也拍不累的,笑也笑不停的...哈哈!

Yeh,己汉的梦想实现了,愿神继续保守带领他前面的路......

在此也特别谢谢重锦&淑娇送上的花与祝贺,谢谢你们!

重锦是黄金单身汉的最后一个生日！

2008-08-04T00:27:00.000+08:00

打铁要趁热！马上就来上第2个post! heehee!!

虽然coming星期二才是重锦的生日，但是今天在主日崇拜后，我们就到教会附近，远近驰名的超级鸡饭店为重锦庆祝生日。

用心的己汉和佩芳也准备了蛋糕和卡片。
大家一起来为重锦和淑娇12月的婚礼来祷告吧！HAPPY BIRTHDAY 重锦！好好珍惜这仅乘的几个月黄老五日子哦！

我们的第一次

2008-08-03T23:54:00.000+08:00

大家好！隆重介绍我们小组的部落格！

我们的部落格可以联系大家的关系，把我们小组所发生的事情统统记录下来（可以是大事，小事，八卦，老公老婆的坏话。。。。。。哈哈）不过最重要的是上帝的话！

希望大家踊跃地把你们想说的话记在部落格上。本人（芝昀)在家太得空, 所以我会post的比较多一点!! paise la!!!

我们第一次的相聚！

刚好是佩芳的生日！

虽然第一次有部分组员无法出席，但是我们还是蛮enjoy ourselves 的！因为佩芳的手艺还不错，她准备了好多好吃的东西哦！嘻嘻！