The Call To Adventure

An ad in London newspaper in the early 1900s read, “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” It was placed by British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in preparation for his National Arctic Expedition, which subsequently failed to reach the South Pole.



Frodo Baggins of The Shire from The Lord of the Rings did not expect such an adventure lies ahead of him. He was just like any other ordinary Hobbit enjoying life, but one fateful night came and a great task was upon him. He was called to embark on a journey that will forever alter the course of history of Middle-Earth. Dangerous as it sounded, he answered that call and adventure began.

Whatever it is, a call to do something big is always risky and dangerous.

Centuries ago, one man came into the world to make a call similar to Sir Ernest Shackleton’s but he was different. This man was Jesus Christ and his call is still knocking on the heart’s door of everyone here today.

Jesus’ call was, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What good is it for a man if he gains the whole world but yet forfeits his soul?”
What a call.

Being a true follower of Jesus will not guarantee you trouble-free and will not guarantee that your life will be a bed of flowers. Many pastors and evangelists give the call of salvation with sweet baits such as, “When you receive Jesus, he will clear all your problems and your life will change.” “Jesus will help you with all your trouble and will make sure you have none.” Although there are truths in those sentences and many alike, that is not the real message that Jesus gave to us. His real message is hard to swallow and until today many Christians still do not know what it takes to be a true follower of Jesus.

Jesus’ call is one that asks us to deny ourselves, to rid ourselves off our selfish desires, wanting and ambitions. It is a call for us to reach out and get the desires of God. Jesus’ call is one call that guarantees nothing but trouble and hardship, and also an eternal life in heaven. Jesus’ call is one that bids us come and die that we may truly live in Christ.

Jesus’ call is one that is hard to accept and one that not many Christians want to know of.

However the call to adventure still beckons to everyone who confesses that they are Christians.

Will you answer it? Or will you wait and see what happens?


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Footprints That Last...

This man came into my life for a season. A season not too long, oh I wish it was longer! For 3 years, God brought this man into my life, during the early years of my baby Christian life. It was a right timing. That time I was a new Christian without much guidance from anyone. However I was very passionate about the things I do. I was very passionate about my walk with God. I was like a loose cannon. But God knew what was best for me. God brought this man called John Beh into my life for a season. A short one but enough to do what needed to be done.

I had a dream last night, ironically. I dreamt that Pastor John came back to Malaysia for awhile.
The moment I saw him from a distant, I cried and cried. I then ran to him and hugged him and cried even more. He hugged me back and prayed with me. That was all. Nothing much. But the main thing was, I miss him a lot. It was very weird I dreamt that. I seldom dream dreams. But this one came. It came because I knew somewhere inside my heart, I really miss him a lot.

Ever since he left for a new season in Australia, I have been in contact with him through emails. Even through the emails he has been teaching me a lot of stuff and guiding me.

I am not listening to a sermon that he sent to me via email. He preached it in a church in Australia. When I heard his voice on my laptop, I started crying. I am not shy to tell you this. I am an emotional person inside although I look tough outside. I miss this man.

Pastor John, I really miss you!

Thank you for guiding me through the years when you were here. You are indeed a blessing. And as the years passed, I am sure I will not forget you but continue to miss you even more. Till the day we meet again (soon), do take care of yourself and do what you have always been doing. Go and infiltrate the church of God with CHANGE! Go be bold and be more courageous in the things you do.

Indeed there is no one like you. You are special.

I know you are a very strong man. If there is one role model I would want in my life, that would be you!

Many people come into our lives with footprints. Different people leave different footprints. Some leave some good one, some not so good. But yet some come and leave some lasting footprints – footprints that will be carried with us through our lives. Pastor John’s footprints in my life will be the few that will be with me through the days of my life until I come to meet my Jesus.

I do not only remember you when your birthday comes. I appreciate you and remember you all the time. I am who I am not because of you.

Pastor John,

I LOVE YOU!

Blessed 45th Birthday.

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Bids Me Come and Die...

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” Sir Ernest Shackleton, Leader of the National Arctic Expedition.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what good is it for a man if he gains the whole world but yet forfeits his soul?” Jesus Christ.

In Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee loved the Shire. They lived in peaceful harmony with their fellow Hobbits. However they decided to embark on a dangerous mission when adventure and call beckons. What choices to they have?

What choices do you have?

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Stick With The Story

I remembered those early years of my life when I love to read storybooks. I was a naughty boy last time and I even stole books from my school library to read at home because I didn’t want to trouble my parents to buy them. I read a lot. I read while watching TV, I read during the commercials, I read whenever I am not doing anything, I read before I go to bed and after I wake up.



If you have read a story book before you will know the excitement you get, the anticipation that hooks you onto every page. You will want to continue to read until the story ends because it is just so thrilling. Some of my favorite story books are The Adventures of Hardy Boys about two young men who embarks of adventures after adventures filled with mysteries. I can hardly put down the book once I started. I love The Famous Five as well, really good stuff.

Sometimes we read what we do not want to read.

We follow the story and suddenly it takes an unexpected turn and your favorite character dies or a plot was foiled or someone dear to you in the story gets kidnapped and killed. The story will bring us where ever she wants us to go. Sometimes I felt so eager to know the ending I cheated and read the last few pages, skipping the whole story and getting to the end, then coming back to where I stopped. It pains our heart to read about things that saddened us in the story.

Sometimes we have the urge to skip.

You will come to a point in a story book where you can’t bear the anticipation anymore, when you are silently yelling, “I need to know what happens next… NOW!” The urge gets stronger and stronger and finally you give in and skip all remaining parts and read the last few pages or maybe just glance through to see whether the main character survives or not or whether it closes with a happy ending or not. Have you done that before? I have to admit I do but not always.

The power lies in the pen of the Author.

Reading a story book will either make your day or break it. If a story does not end the way you wanted it to, you will definitely curse the author for not being kind hearted. You did not want this person to die, but the author killed him. You did not expect them to get away with the crime, but the author willed it. In a story book, you are the audience and sometimes the story itself, and the author is god.

Sometimes we feel like changing the story.

I read through some story books and I have the imagination to create my own story out of the one I am reading. I just do not like some parts the author wrote and feel like changing it to suit my liking. However I always end up continue reading the story book and finishing it.

We just want to fast-forward every minute of our life and to skip all those scary parts and unwanted parts of our story. It is a painful journey to go through and life sucks in a lot of area. Things do not go the way we want it to be. I am sure many of us would want to fast-forward from our muddy situation right now and many would want to change our story.

But when we learn to trust God knowing that He is the Author, we have nothing to fear. The story will end the way God wills it to be and not the way we want it to be. If we would only allow God to come into our life and every situation, we would have a beautiful story to tell the world. And rest assure that your ending, in whatever way, shape or form, will be a beautiful one. Your ending will complete the story written even before you were born.

Do not skip the pages of life.

Stick with the Story.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord.

Both pictures in this post taken by me =)

Camporama 2009 Pictures

. . . . . Click HERE. . . . .

Serving God's Purpose In Your Own Generation...

Camporama 2009 was very memorable and it was a whole lot of fun! I had a great time being an Australian at Camporama. For those of you who don’t know much about it, visit www.camporama09.com to find out more.

The theme for the camp was Positioned To Serve and the Bible verse was taken from:

Acts 13:36
David had served God’s purpose in his own generation…

In this verse we see Paul mentioning about David serving God’s purpose in his own generation before he died and was laid to rest.


David was a man anointed by God for a purpose that will eventually lead to the birth of Jesus Christ. David was in the lineage starting from the promise God gave to Abraham. To put in simple term, David was a very very important man in the Bible.

We know that he is the youngest son in his family and we know of the famous encounter he had with the Philistine giant, Goliath. And how he defeated that giant with only a stone and a sling. And we also know that David killed lions and bears to protect his sheep. We also know that he fell into sexual temptation, murdered 7 innocent men and killed the husband of Bathsheba. He also conquered many lands. David was Israel’s greatest king. He might have fell terribly and sinned a lot but in the end, he did serve God’s purpose in his own generation before he died.

What’s more important is that we know David did what he was supposed to do before he died. God called him and raise him up for a purpose, and for a purpose that only David can serve. If David chose not to serve God’s purpose, then his life would have been a waste and God will be faithful to raise up another to take over David’s place.

Do you not know that each and everyone of you have your own calling and a purpose in life? You are not called to only live life like everyone else and doing what everyone is doing. You were not born to eat, sleep, live, have fun, and die.

You were born for more than this.

Even a small flower was born to serve a purpose. First, they slowly sprout from a tiny seedling to a stalk. Then leaves start coming out to make food. After when they are fully grown, their flowers bloom, painting the world with beautiful colors and brightening up the horizon. They were made to bloom, made to beautify the world and to give color, light and scent. And once they have finished what they were suppose to do, they wither and die, but before that, leaving behind seeds for the next generation.

Can you see the similarities between a simple flower and the human life.

Only you can serve God’s purpose in your own generation. If you fail to do so, another life would have come and gone leaving no impact, leaving nothing but fractured bones and decomposing flesh, eaten by maggots.

Take life seriously, seek for a higher calling and seek to do what God has called you to do. Know that there is more to life than this. Your reward is in heaven. Yes, live life to the fullest, but to the fullest according to God’s standard, not men’s standard.

What will people say of you?
More importantly what will God say of you?

“Well done, My child. Just like David and a simple flower, you have served My purpose in your own generation…”

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Picture above taken by Ryan Lai from Grace USJ.

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What Are You Building?

Whoa! It has been one week since I last blogged an article. No worries, I won’t quit doing what I love doing most =) Time is not at hand like how it used to be last time. However I will continue to dig deep into God’s Word and share with you the little little gems that I find along the way, in the hope that some of you might benefit from it.

These few weeks have been pretty busy for me. I attended my cousin’s wedding three times in a row. First it was a church wedding, then a tea ceremony followed by a dinner at night in Subang, then last week I was at Malacca with them and I was their official photographer. It has been a fun journey and I enjoyed every bit of it. Awesome. Congratulations to the newly weds Pamela Tay and Michael Cheang!

I will be going off for Camporama 2009 (www.camporama09.com) tomorrow. Will not be able to blog until next Monday. Do continue to watch this space =)

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One quote that I wrote about a few years back goes, “Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future, and time future contained in time past.”

I realize that having been doing so much these few months, I have not been concentrating on doing what matters most. I have been about doing what I want to do but neglecting a higher call and purpose. Do you not know that as each day pass we are suppose to have made that passing day a productive one? If we are not living a life of productivity then we are simply losing life.

We learn as we move on each day. We learn new things and we re-learn old things. Whatever we do, we are building a foundation for the next day and the day after and the day after and so on. We are placing bricks after bricks to build a building.

But we are building too many buildings. Many of which are left half-built.

When we study, we are building education. When we read, we are building knowledge. When we work, we are building future. When we practice, we are building talents. When we do something, we are building something. But the question is, “What are we suppose to be building?”

Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for the Lord grants sleep to those he loves.

Haggai 1:6
You have planted much, but harvested little, you eat but never have enough, you drink but never have your fill, you put on clothes but are not warm, you earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.

Haggai’s people struggled to build their own houses but left the house of God out. Therefore whatever they did, they did it in vain. In contrast, the people of Nehemiah rebuilt the destroyed wall of Jerusalem but left their own destroyed houses to be built later. By doing so, the people of Nehemiah prospered.

What I want to get across in this post is not about building the tangible and physical building of the house of God. What is more important is to build the spiritual house of God within us. We strive so much to improve ourselves in our hobbies and talents but do we spend the same amount of time and energy to study carefully God’s Word and to dig for treasures in it?

I personally have to re-evaluate my own life. What about you?

What are you building now?


Pictures from Pamela and Michael's Wedding:

Thank You For Coming

Here's to wish Blessed Birthday to two individuals who have changed my life in their own different ways.

Sister Kim and Andy Gomes, Blessed Birthday to you both. Loads of hugs from me. I will see you both soon for a hang out.

God bless! I love you both and thank you for coming into my life for a season.

I Dreamed A Dream

I would assume that most of you would have heard of Susan Boyle, the unexpected singing sensation to hit the world recently. If you have not, check out the video on HERE and you will be blown away just like me (hopefully).

Susan Boyle, a 47 year old single woman and unemployed. She joined Britian’s Got Talent, a talent show quite similar to American Idol, in April. The moment she stepped on stage and told everyone that she wanted to be a professional singer, everyone was cynical and immediately stereotyped her as a failure.

Please watch the video (HERE) before you read further, or else you would not know what I am talking about.

Watch it now…

Done?

Amazed?

I was and still am. Each time I see that video it moves me. When she started singing, I just felt so happy and felt so touch. Maybe I am just too emotional. But I have to agree that she is one real good singer. What captured me more wasn’t her voice but it was the great blow she gave to everyone at the hall and around the world.

Simon asked her, “What’s the dream?”

Susan answered, “I, I’m trying to be a professional singer.”

“And why hasn’t it worked out so far, Susan?”

“I’ve not been given the chance before but here’s hoping that it will change.”

Susan Boyle has a good voice, a wonderful voice in fact, but she has not been given the chance before. That is the problem with the world. We are so quick to judge one another and stereotype each other according to our looks that we do not know we are undermining so many of us. Watch the video and hear the judges’ comments at the end. Piers said, “When you stood there with that cheeky grin and said, ‘I want to be like Elaine Paige everyone was laughing, no one is laughing now.” The lady judge said, “I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical and I think that is the biggest wakeup call ever.”

This to me was also a wakeup call. It tells me not to really judge a book by its cover, even though I have heard it so many times, this is the first time it became real to me. Can you imagine what happened to the years before Susan came to Britian’s Got Talent? My guess was that everyone rejected her because they thought that she was one bad singer judging from her looks.

I believe that within each and everyone of us, God has planted something wonderful and beautiful - something that we can use to touch the lives of the people around us in a positive way. If we would only muster the courage within us to express that wonder and beauty, the world would be a much better place to live in. If we would stop being judgmental and start giving people not only a chance but MANY CHANCES, we would see stars brightening up our nights.

Many dreamed a dream, but few get the chances to see their dreams come to pass. Will you give someone that chance?

Susan Boyle’s sang “I Dreamed a Dream”. Check out the lyrics below:

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.