missing The Wife

she's having semester break now. she went back to penang... it's been 6 days already. another 3 long days before she comes back... =(

the last time this happened, i wrote a song about it. it's in a minor key, very sad one. this is how it goes:

It's only a week
A week's not too long
To be lost and alone,
Heart tattered and torn
It's only a week
A week's not too long
To love you and miss you
And sing you this song:

A week, just a week
How my heart longs to seek
For the whole* that makes
Our oneness complete
A week, just a week
With desire i am weak
For the time when we
Again shall meet.

It's only a week
A week's not too long
I've been counting the days
With heart so forlorn
It's only a week
A week's not too long
Until i can hold you
And sing you this song:

A week, such a week
Now my hand, touch your cheek
And we're whole, for He makes
Our oneness complete
A week, such a week
But it's done, we can speak
Face-to-face once again
Praise the Lord as we meet.

*This is a reference to the idea that marriage consists of two whole
people whom God joins together to become one flesh. =)

Apart from pining away for The Wife, here are some upcoming events that you can pray for together with me:
- BK Oral Quiz, 1 Aug (this saturday!)
- ZMax Camp 2010 planning meeting, 3 Aug (monday)
- SUSOM 2010 planning meeting, 4 Aug (tuesday)
- Preaching at Bethel Baptist Church, 16 Aug (sunday)
- d'Na 2009 planning meeting, 17 Aug (monday)
- Speaking at Sri Garden SCF, 21 Aug (friday)
- School of Evangelism, Melaka, 24-26 Aug (monday-wednesday)

Thanks for reading, commenting, and praying. God bless! =)

Wake Up!

i've been reading about the Teoh Beng Hock case.

this is not a political blog, and i am not particularly well-informed, politically. i don't have the time or the energy to really get involved in the political scene. in fact, i am rather neutral when it comes to politics.

and so, i don't even know how to write about this thing in a way which does justice to it. i'm not sure if i can express my feelings of anger and sadness coherently.

well, a friend of mine wrote this in a facebook note, and i'm copying it here because i think it's something that as many malaysians as possible need to read.

====================

Are we drifting towards a culture of murder in Malaysia?

http://www.thenutgraph.com/selangor-exco-aide-found-dead
http://www.thenutgraph.com/what-happened-to-teoh-beng-hock

Of course, I have complete faith in our institutions to ensure that nothing will happen, nothing will be discovered and justice will not be done.

Not so long ago there was this:

http://www.liberation.fr/monde/0101472912-un-cadavre-tres-derangeant (French)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Shaariibuugiin_Altantuyaa (English)

And this...

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/26623-kugans-death-questions-unanswered
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/19539-final-autopsy-suggests-kugan-sustained-severe-beating

How many more people have to die before the nation wakes up?

====================

when so much is going wrong in our world, and there seems to be no recourse for justice in the official system, what can one do but cry out to God?

Lord, let justice be done. let those who are corrupt and who abuse their power be brought down. let righteousness and truth prevail. give us courage and strength to do and uphold what is right, even in the face of futility. You are our Hope.

in Jesus' name, Amen.

memos to the disorganized

Adapted from "Ordering Your Private World", by Gordon MacDonald. =)

Be convinced that the inner world of the spiritual must govern the outer world of activity.

Make a daily choice to monitor your private world's state of orderliness.

Recognise your proneness to operate according to schemes and patterns, not made of God, but fashioned by a disordered past.

Face up to what drives you, then listen quietly for the call of Christ.

See yourself as Christ's steward, and not master of your own purpose, role, and identity.

Make a daily determination to see time as God's gift, worthy of careful investment.

Seal the "time leaks" and allocate your productive hours according to your capabilities, limits, and priorities.

Determine that every day will be for you, a day of growth in knowledge and wisdom.

Seek to use all you learn in service to others, as Christ did.

Regularly choose to enlarge the spiritual centre of your life.

Be unafraid to be alone and quiet before Christ.

Absorb the words of Christ into your attitudes and actions.

Begin to pursue the discipline of seeing events and people through the eyes of Christ, so that your prayers reflect your desire to be in alignment with His purposes and promises for them.

Choose to press Sabbath peace into the rush and routine of daily life, in order to find the rest God prescribed for Himself and all of humanity.

Make a deliberate decision to begin the "ordering" process... Now!

This book is full of good, timeless principles. now, may God help me put them into practice in my life in increasing measure... =)

Health and Wealth?!?

[note: all names of people, except me, have been changed to arbitrary letters of the alphabet.]

one of my friends took this test on facebook: "which church in iwon'ttellyouwhichcountry are you best suited in?" and her result was "This Church". i made a comment on that test result, and the following conversation ensued:

=========================
Sieh Jin Kiew at 6:27pm July 7
hmm... some people say that "This Church" preaches health and wealth gospel, a feel-good version of the Truth...

i'm not saying they are wrong or anything, just saying be careful and always exercise discernment, ok. =)

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Mr. A at 7:39pm July 7
Jesus heals the sicks... that is health. Jesus multiplies 2 fishes and 5 loaves... that is wealth! He is the same yesterday, today and forever... hmm good discernment!!!! Amen!

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Ms. B at 7:42pm July 7
AMEN PASTOR! :D

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Sieh Jin Kiew at 11:24am July 8
Yes, Jesus heals the sick. when He was on earth, He healed every sick person who came to Him - there is no record of Him ever refusing to heal someone.

yet, after He ascended to Heaven, although His disciples continued to heal (and yes, i do believe that the gift of healing is still active in the church today), the incidence of healing was no longer 100%. see how Paul told timothy to take a little wine for his stomach and his frequent illnesses in Timothy 5:23. or see how Epaphroditus was sick and almost died, in Philippians 2:25. why not just heal them, if we were able to heal at all times and in all cases?

so the fact is that, in spite of the purest faith and the most fervent prayers, God does not always heal instantly. we may not understand why one is healed and another is not, but it is something we have to deal with. yet this is a fact that one almost never hears from the lips of those who preach the health and wealth gospel.

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Sieh Jin Kiew at 11:34am July 8
and yes, God can prosper us if He chooses. Promotion comes from the Lord (Psalm 75:6-7). yet reading Jesus' words, "you cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:24), and His reply to the rich young ruler, "go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" (Matthew 19:21) and paul's words in 1 Timothy 6:10, "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil"...

all these verses show us that there is something wrong with the kind of gospel that can blithely proclaim that all God wants to do is to bless and prosper you.

God does not want to make us happy - He wants to make us holy. and that means struggle, sacrifice, disappointments, dying to self, and etc... not the hollow promises of health and wealth that some churches peddle.

once again, a disclaimer - i do not say that "This Church" is one of these. just that this kind of teaching is becoming prevalent among some churches, and we would do well to be careful and practice discernment. =)

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Mr. A at 12:20pm July 8
2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Father, whatever promises that he doesn't want, please give to me and I say, " Amen!" to Your glory...

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Ms. B at 12:36pm July 8
I want also.. Amen!

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Sieh Jin Kiew at 12:43pm July 8
lol... i do not deny, and neither do i reject, the promises of God. so, Mr. A and Ms. B, if you're hoping God will give you my "rejected blessings", too bad, they're all mine! =D

but... here's a promise (or is it a warning?) that ties in with what i was trying to say earlier... "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
- 2 Timothy 4:3-4

one thing that makes the health and wealth gospel so dangerous, is that it's exactly what we want to hear. we must not 'censor out' the difficult, hard, challenging parts of the gospel. ok? =)

=====================

there's more, but i think that's sufficient to convey the concern or caution that i was trying to communicate to them.

i'd be glad to interact further with you on this matter if you have questions or objections; just drop a comment here. i do not deny that some pastors can be very charismatic and persuasive, and there may be no discernible error in their sermons - but i am afraid that they may be preaching only half the truth without error: the nice, encouraging, happy, blessings-and-prosperity half.

what do you think?

[p.s. the East Coast Regional Trip went well, in spite of some screw-ups on my end. thanks for supporting us in prayer. =)]

Kuala Terengganu, here i come! =)

the SU Youth Team and i will be in Kuala Terengganu tomorrow! please pray for us, for safe journey and meaningful and effective ministry there and in Kuantan. this is our itinerary...

Thursday, 9 July 2009
- Travel to Kuala Terengganu, 9.00 am
- Meet up with BK Students and Teachers in Kuala Terengganu, 9.00 pm
- Rest!

Friday, 10 July 2009
- Preach at St. Andrew's Anglican Church (Preacher: Runa), 9.00 am
- Preach at Air Jernih Presbyterian Church (Preacher: Jason Fong), also 9.00 am
- Speak at AJPC's Youth Fellowship (Speaker: Jason Fong), 3.30 pm

Saturday, 11 July 2009
- Youth Seminar, with people coming from Kemaman and Kota Bahru!
- Session I - The Bible: God's Word?!? (Speaker: Me)
- Session II - The Bible: Reading it Everyday?!? (Speaker: Runa)
- Session III - The Bible: You Know It?!? (Speaker: Me)
- Session IV - Scripture Union and You!!! (Speaker: Runa)
- 7.00 pm, leave for Kuantan.

Sunday, 12 July 2009
- Preach at Kuantan Baptist Church (Preacher: Me)
- SU Promo at Kuantan Wesley Church (Promo: Jason Fong)

oh, and a new guy will be joining us on this trip: Daniel Koo, a potential SU staff in the Camping Department. which is good news considering that so many staff will be leaving SU at the end of next year and early next year [including me]. i'll be bringing him home with me to seremban tonight, before we go off to Kuala Terengganu tomorrow.

thanks for supporting us in prayer... God bless! =)