Thoughts of You~ Barlow Girl

Thoughts of you
And how you've changed me
Fill my mind
Without You where would I be

So even though I've tried to express my thanks
It never comes out how I hoped
I want to say so much more so with these simple words
I'll try

I love You My heart is Yours, only Yours
I long to give You all of me
My everything, my everything

God I never could repay You
You gave everything
Without You where would I be

You still loved me even when I
Pushed You away
You stood there and waited
Till the day I'd return

So even though I've tried to express my thanks
It never comes out how I hoped
I want to say so much more so with these simple words
I'll try

I love You My heart is Yours, only Yours,
Jesus I want to give You all of me I love You,
My heart is Yours, only Yours
I long to give You all of me
My everything, my everything

Thoughts of You
And how You've changed me
Fill my mind

Psalms 142~

I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly set a snare for me.
Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
No one cares for my soul.

I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, "You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me."

Prayer is more important...

M2G - God, it's me, and I'm tired, weary, worn out, please help me. I can't do this on my own. I can't seem to rise above the overwhealming odds that seem to flood my soul. I'm overwhealmed by my weaknessess and failures, instabilities and emotions. I admit I'm helpless, lost, confused and defeated if You don't pull me out of this valley. Lord, I surrender....

G2M - My Son, lift your eyes up to the mountains, from whence comes your help? Your help comes from me, maker o heaven, creator of the earth

M2G - Oh how I need You Lord, You are my only hope, You are my only strength. So I will wait for You, to come and rescue me, come and give me life..

G2M - I will rescue and lift you up, my son. You are dear to me, you are the apple of my eye, you are precious to me.. hang in there buddy....

Forever~ Hillsongs

I'll worship at Your throne
whisper my own love song
with all my heart I'll sing
for You my Dad and King

I'll live for all my days
to put a smile on Your face
and when we finally meet
it'll be for eternity

and oh, wide You open up Your arms
when I need Your love
how far You would come
if ever I was lost
and You said that all You feel for me
is undying love
that You showed me through the cross

I'll worship You my God
I'll worship You my God
I love You
I love You
Forever I will sing
Forever I will be with You
Be with You

Jesus take the wheel.....

or.. really? what happens after that? can i sit back in the backseat and relax while God drives me around? i'm beginning to not think so...

i believe He still lets us drive.. we're still pretty much in control of what we do, actions we take, words we speak.. BUT.... He's right beside us, He's our instructor, He's got us covered cuz He knows it all, been there and knows what's ahead....

scary thing is we don't know what's ahead.. there's so many turns to take... cars (distractions and obstacles) around us.. are we willing to trust Him? are we willing to seek His will and direction for our lives? or do we ignore Him to the point where sometimes He's gotta hit the emergency break on the instructor seat to keep us from straying....

just another interesting thought... i guess our view on surrender should mean submitting our minds, will and emotions to His will... yet not letting go of the wheel of decisions.. but asking Him, what would Jesus do? what would Jesus say? what do You want me to do? where do You want me to go?

and to trust and obey that He knows best....

Guidance~

Took this from a friends blog post, and wow, never thought of it this way before....

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance I kept seeing ‘dance’ at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn’t flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It’s as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw ‘G: I thought of God, followed by ‘u’ and ‘i’. ‘God, ‘u’ and ‘i’ dance’

God, you, and I dance.

Rebirth of journalling....

M2G - HI God! it's me checking in with You today, waiting for you, to hear Your voice...

G2M - My son, i'm always speaking to you, are you listening in today?

M2G - Hey dad i'm sorry for neglecting my times with You, for busying myself by doing soo many things out of my own strength and for neglecting what really matters..

G2M - My son, find rest in Me, find peace in Me, let your burdens down, and find your source of strength and hope in Me

M2G - Dear God, I commit myself into your hands, everything that happens today, may You work in me, help me to encourage someone and build somebody up today

G2M - ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find. you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, be still and know that I am God

M2G - Thanks dad! I love you~

G2M - I love you too, son~

Brother-Covenant

Lord, help me to:-

1. Encourage and build up those around me
2. Make an effort to get to know others more and do it in love, laying my ego aside
3. Not envy or be self-seeking in the relationships I form and to be patient

So help me God

Japheth

Away - Alarice

Saw the sun peak through the skies to chase the blues away

But I feel a little heavy inside, let’s escape to a new place

So I grab the keys, turn the ignition on, let’s drive for a thousand miles

Away from it all, away from the noise

Just You and I

Away, away, away, here is where I wanna stay

Away, away, away, with You, my love

Feel the waves crash beneath my feet and the sand between my toes

Let’s feel the wind on the palm of our hands, let it weave through our fingers

We’ll drive for miles from coast to coast and leave our worries behind

Away from it all ,away from the noise

Just You and I

Away, away, away, here is where I wanna stay

Away, away, away, with You, my love

We’ll build castles in the sky, just You and I

We’ll frame it in our hearts, forever

My love

Dear God..

Thanks for granting me strength to go through today, it's been a crazy day and I just thank You that You're a God of second chances, every gracious and merciful. I'm sorry for my failures today. I'm still learning God. I'm still learning.. Be with me Lord.

I pray for CF Camp the next few days, I pray for an awesome time together with the CFers. I pray that everyone will learn lots from You and from each other. I pray for safety, security and a good time of fellowship and rest. I commit the committee and every camper into Your hands. May Your will be done in this camp, Lord.

Grant Your children rest and peace. Grant my heart rest and peace.

Thanks dad

Japh

Prayer for today

Hi God!

It's me checking in with You today, just amazed at You, the mysteries and wonders that only You are capable of doing.

Lord, You are good. Your mercies endure forever. Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever is Yours. Creation shouts out Your praise.

Thanks Lord for granting rest and peace to those who honour You. I pray that Your peace would reign in my heart and in the hearts of many. Prince of peace, Lord of lords, King of kings

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be pleasing in Your sight. Let my mouth sing forth Your praises, now and forever. Help me encourage others today, build others up. May people see You through me.

Thanks Dad, for being who You are and being awesome!

Yours is the Kingdom And the power And the glory forever is Yours Heaven and earth bow down In the wonder of Your Name Heaven is open Death is broken And the glory forever is Yours Nothing can overcome The power of Your Name  King above kings All the universe will sing Everlasting God You are wonderful You are wonderful  And the shout of the earth Will be Your praise God forever And the light unto all Will be Your wonderful Name For the glory Lord is Yours God forever All the glory Lord is Yours

Unspoken - Jaci Velasquez

I hear daily news
People cry out for their freedom
My eyes turn to You
Don't they know, Lord, You can lead them

If we all pray for peace
Change will come I believe
As we face the unknown
God heals us when we're broken

He is there, use your voice
reach for him, make a choice
None of us are alone
Don't leave your heart unspoken

God heals us when we're broken
Don't leave your heart unspoken

I pray save our souls
Help us find a new direction
We're lost in the cold
Let Your arms be our protection

Out of the dark
Into the light
He is there for us
With all of His might

He has the answers
He hears your prayers
Turn every corner
you'll find Him there

Don't leave your heart unspoken

Home - Hillsongs

Into your courts I run
with praises flowing from my heart
Every day I wake I sing your song
its the anthem of my life

I wanna spend my days in your prescence lord
bowed before your throne
In the house of God is where I've found my peace
its where I've found my..

Home Is heaven
one day I will live
In your courts you'll find me
in worship at your feet
Hide me now in the shadow of your wings
Where I will be
where I will be

Your love is all I need
so desperatly I have sought Your face
I know you hear my every cry
and petition that I make

Jesus, oh you are my treasure

Prayer for today

Dear God,

I admit, I've failed You in many many areas. I'm so sorry, please forgive me

I say that I've learnt many things from You, yet my actions don't seem to show it

I'm sorry for being a hypocrate

I'm sorry for being unreliable, undependable, not trustworthy and full of myself

Please help me change and make my actions right. You're the only one who can do that. Teach me, lead me, guide me. Please?

Reveal Your heart to me, God. Transform me. Renew me. I want to be a new person. I want the world to know that I'm a new person. I want to be who You want me to be.

I do not want my past to dictate how my future is going to be. I do not want to be affected by what others think of me. I just need You and Your acceptance.

Help me get up and live the life You want me to live. By Your strength. Your plans for me are good, to give me a future and a hope.

You have all things in Your control Lord. Including my life and my actions. I place my hope and trust in You.

I pray for grandma, would You heal her Lord. I know nothing is impossible for You.

Thanks Dad

Japh

Lord over all - sonicflood

Be the reason I live
Be my quest, my constant vision
Be the water I drink
The treasure I seek more than gold

Be the fire in my heart
My consuming love and passion
Be the air that I breathe
The song that I sing from my heart and soul

Jesus, Lord over all
Be the Lord over me
Jesus, drawn to this alter I come
Here is my heart
May Your will be done in me

It's finally over!

Yes! those dreadful exams.. are over!! for only 2 weeks but hey! :D....

And yes, back online to update the ol' bloggie.

Praise God for helping me throughout this sem! It's been *wow* quite a journey for me.. personally, but hey you get the picture (come find me if u wanna talk :p)

I've been pretty much ok, need to catch up on some sleep, and some serious cleaning of my room! again!.....

Dear God,

Thanks for helping me in my exams, truly it was your grace and strength that pulled me through, I will trust in You, always ;)

Thanks for an awesome semester, for lots of new friends, for the amount of encouragement and support and for being there, just when I needed it most, and the times I felt I didn't need anything else, too ;)

Thanks for keeping me alive and safe, an awesome family, friends, food, shelter and life

I pray that you will help all who are in need, and show yourself real to many more of your children

Thanks Dad!

Japh

Short Devotion - from tee shern ren's blog

1:1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

At the end of the day, we are all meditators, we are all delighted and captivated by life and by certain things in life. For the Hebrew word for meditate was literally to "chew", to ruminate - the same way that, when you have a good piece of well-cooked chicken, you gnaw it down to the bone, and then lick your fingers for good measure. To meditate simply means to allow your mind to be drawn to thinking about something all the time. You don't even need to consciously think about applying it; after a while, whatever we meditate on will automatically begin to apply itself.

When we allow ourselves to be delighted and captivated by the wicked and their flashy ways - when we let ourselves be drawn to the sex and the booze, the money and the power - we slowly become like them. We learn to do things their way (all the time convincing ourselves, perhaps, that each new sin is "harmless", that we are not really like them no matter how much we act like them); we become comfortable standing around them, at the dinner parties and the bar nights and the corporate photo sessions; and at the end of the day their chairs are so comfortable that we sit down with them and become indistinguishable from them. We will identify so well with them that the day will come when, as the righteous gather, we will stare at those we once mingled with in suspicion and ignorance without even remembering that we once considered ourselves among their ranks.

But - the Law, the Law! Not just the Law of Moses but the Law of God - the good and perfect standards for living that God, our Maker, has graciously revealed to us through the Bible. If we draw ourselves into the world of the Bible (instead of the world of this world), if we lose ourselves among the stories of David and Moses and Daniel the same way that modern people lose themselves in the stories of shallow celebrities, we will not be able to stop thinking about the Bible even if we wanted to. Slowly the Bible will start to come to mind, more and more immediately, the minute we are tempted to go the world's way instead of God's way. God's commands will become meaningful, not archaic; God's holiness will become vital, not prudish. Whatever we stare into day and night has the power to change us into its image; and the word of God will transform us, day by day, into the likeness of the children of God.

need.. motivation.. and focus..

recently I've been into thinking quite a bit. am doing a history subject in uni called contemporary worlds. we learn stuff like the cold war, vietnam war, arab-israeli conflict, rise of asia, colonisation and many cool stuff. gets me thinking alot, especially since my recent fascination with war history. am halfway through a really thick book on the cold war for my assignment. I keep thinking like, what if this happened, or that happened, or this never happened, who would it have changed the way we live and the world we live in..

fact of the matter is, history is still being written. Now more than ever. We live in an age that communications has just blown us through the roof. we are capable of making and doing things and finding information and interacting like never before, only a few decades. we are connected and can virtually view every part of the world through a click. satellites can bring us to any destination we want to go. and yet... history still repeats itself. wars are still being fought. people are dying of hunger and poverty everyday. global economies rise and fall. corruption and injustice is still widespread. greed and unrighteosness still prevails in many parts of the world.

what can we do to write history? what can you and i do? Every choice that you are making, Every step that you are taking, Every chain that you are breaking, Every word that you are saying, Every prayer that you are praying, History is in the making. What difference are we actually making? the bible talks a lot on persecution, that those belonging to Christ will face it. Sometimes I ask myself why do I not see persecution among my fellow christian peers? why are we so contented with so much peace we enjoy and become complacent? Is it because we are not doing enough to deserve to be persecuted? Are we not standing up enough for righteousness, truth and justice? Are we just like other 'i-don't-care' what happens people? Think about it seriously. Why are christian in malaysia so fearful to preach to the M people? Why don't we stand up and petition when injustice happens? Why are we scared of being put to jail and dying for our faith when it's clearly mentioned in the bible- to live is christ, to die is gain? No wonder the world labels us hypocrites.

It's time to take a stand. For righteousness, truth and justice. For holy living. Against abortion, homosexuality, immorality, rape, murder, deceit, injustice, violence, wars, inequality, sex before marriage and more. Let the world know that we are different. Light and darkness cannot and MUST not mix. Join petitions, NGO's that make stands, be determined to fight corruption and promote righteous behaviour among your friends. Watch what you think, say and do. Pray without ceasing. Join a mission or charity organisation someday, give to the poor. Finish your meals and use only what is needed and necessary. Support your friends and family, encourage and build each other up.

Let's continue to pray for wisdom. For a new attitude when it comes to daily living. Even the way we view our assignments or our work. Always ask yourself what would Jesus do? What would Jesus say?

Let's pray for strength in times of weakness, for joy in times of stress, for peace when the world is turning upside down. We CAN make a difference. We SHOULD make a difference. Live a life that glorifies our creator and worthy of Him.


Random thoughts before class
Japh

What now? - Steven Curtis Chapman

I saw the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl
She was standing in the corner on the other side of the world
And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my heart
Didn't you say you wanted to find me?
Well here I am, here you are

And I saw the face of Jesus down on Sixteenth Avenue
He was sleeping in an old car, while his mom went looking for food
And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my soul
Didn't you say you wanted to know me?
Well here I am, and it's getting cold

So, What now?
What will you do now that you found Me?
What now?
What will you do with this treasure you've found?
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you remember this is right where I said I would be
You've found me
What now?

Who am i? ~ Casting Crowns

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am yours..
I am yours..

Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns

Oh,what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says "do not be afraid"
And the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Update Update!!

It's been a tough journey for me recently, having a million thoughts buzzing through my brain at the moment, thought I'd stop and chill and update this bloggie after some time...

Am still studying at Monash Uni (well at least trying to - I need the motivation to press on! Lord please grant me the motivation and strength to persevere! please?)

Have been busying myself with some activities and so forth, kinda more to keep me going ~ Ministering through Adventure Programmes (MAPs) has been a great outlet to learn skills and exercise a little on weekends (mountain biking anyone?); Local Youth Prayer Gathering (LYPGs) and prayer meetings in Monash Christian Fellowship (MCF!) and at home has been keeping my spiritual life on check (oh btw there's a young adults prayer meeting at my house on tuesday nights if anyone reading this is interested :D). Have been busy at CF and Monash as usual, with coffee ministry on mondays and prayer everyday; and finally the never ending assignments......

For some reason I've still found time to sleep quite a bit. And write a song recently (weird huh?). I guess that's what happens when there's just too many things I have to do, I just end up trying to sleep it all away.... and then it reappears once I wake up.. sigh. The funniest bit was trying to write an essay on motivation and finding myself needing the motivation to do it! (how ironic!). I still find myself thinking a lot about many things, fighting various spiritual battles and kicking myself out of 'emo-ness' (thank God for the strength He's been so graciously pouring out - I love You Dad!)

I wonder who would still actually view my blog, but I guess I just want to say to everybody (who I know or you know me or have yet to), I'm sorry for not being a good friend (and by that I mean by not making the time and effort to spend time with you, get to know you better, or just have been busying myself with so many things). I really want to make an effort to catch up with old and new friends, chill out hang out yam cha go jamming or futsal but have been selfishly kept to my own activities and efforts. I'm really sorry and I want to be a better brother (in Christ) and friend. I want to encourage all of you and help you grow in your walk with God. Sometimes when I shy away, don't reply sms's or dissapear all of a sudden has been because I most probably am battling stuff inside me (feelings, dissapointments, fear) and I know I should not. But I shall be real and honest, I need help (in organising my life, in conquering habits and living a God-centered and People-loving life). I appreaciate inputs and encouragements!

I don't have anything much left to say. Other than let's pray for each other. I know many youth and young adults out there (you may be included) are facing different battles of your own. I can't say I know the answer to your problems or can help you directly but I will make time to pray for you. God has been teaching me a lot on trusting in Him, focusing on Him and relying on His strength and guidance. We really can't do this thing called 'life' on our own.. we'll just get tired and burned out at the end the more we try. To those who have yet to know this 'Jesus' I'm so crazy about, I pray that you will get to know Him, the saviour who's been keeping me alive and is the reason I breathe. I will be more than happy to tell you why I'm so passionate about Him.

On a lighter note, the Joy of the Lord is my strength!! I will persevere and press on towards the upward prize in Christ Jesus! I will overcome and conquer the battles as I trust in my supreme commander up there! Please nudge back a reply if any of you agree with what I'm feeling right now! I don't want to do this alone!

To those who want to find me and am wondering where I am; or just need someone to talk to, I'm in Monash CF on wednesdays 4-7ish, monday mornings giving out coffee, at 12 noon prayers on tues, fridays; LYPGs every saturday fortnightly in People's Park Baptist Church- next one on the 25th April 11am-1pm, tuesday prayer meetings fortnightly at my house at 8pm and MAPs programmes on some weekends. Other than that, I'm mostly found at home! (besides church on sundays of course). Do call me out yam cha or rock climbing or jamming or whatever!! I malas nak organise edy (u bunch of busy people too! :p)

Take care you all and God bless!
Gal 6:2
Philp 1:6

Japh

The Joy of the Lord ~ Twila Paris

The joy of the Lord
Will be my strength
I will not falter
I will not faint
He is my Shepherd
I am not afraid
The joy of the Lord
Is my strength


The joy of the Lord
The joy of the Lord
The joy of the Lord
Is my strength


Thy joy of the Lord
Will be my strength
He will uphold me
All of my days
I am surrounded by mercy
And grace
And the joy of the Lord
Is my strength


The joy of the Lord
Will be my strength
I will not waiver
Walking by faith
He will be strong
To deliver me safe
The joy of the Lord
Is my strength

Everyday I wake I sing your song, It's the anthem of my life..

The only One - Written by Japh 09

I love You Jesus
I set my eyes on You
I long for Your presence
Come fill my heart once again

I need You Lord
You are the reason I live
I need You to hold me
Come be my master and my saviour

Cuz You satisfy my soul
In You, I am made whole

You are the one who completes me
You are my strength and my fortress
In You I can place my hope and trust

You are my one desire
You are my faithful father
In You I can place my hope and trust
Cuz You're the only One

Your love, it captivates my thoughts
I will be still, and know You are God

LYPG 2

Hey everybody!

LYPG 2 will be on the 7th February at People's Park Baptist Church at 11am till 1pm!It's at the same place LYPG 1 was held, for more information please email klpjlypg@gmail.com and do also reply if you are able to help serve in various areas such as worship, publicity, logistics and feel free to voice out comments, suggestions and ramblings, let's ALL work together on this! Here's the map to PPBC, See you there!!

For more info and videos about this whole mypg lypg thing please check out the KL/PJ Local Youth Prayer Gathering blog at http://klpjlypg.blogspot.com

and the Malaysian Youth Prayer Gathering blog at http://mypg.wordpress.com

Hope to see u there!

Japh

BersatUnite

When I first heard of 'bersatunite' concert I was excited. The thought of having youths from different churches, denominations and backgrounds uniting for a night of prayer, worship and passion really caught my attention. I've been brought up knowing the power of prayer and the importance of it, and seeing various youths coming together with a heart and passion for unity and prayer ignited the fire in my own heart to be a part of this wave of revival.

I began my journey by train towards KL Wesley Methodist that night on the 10th of January which began at 7.30pm. When arrived I was shocked initially to find the old traditional nicely decorated Methodist building with an amazing sound system and colourful lights amplified around me. It was my first time in a 'modern' traditional church. The pews had been removed to be able to accomodate the hundreds of youths who would soon be standing all over and filling the church. And soon enough, almost 400 youths, 360 and some adults to be exact were in attendence. The hall was packed.

The night started off with a couple of announcements and worship. The worship was led by youths from various Methodist churches, even as far as youths from Kuantan. After an amazing time of worshipping and coming into the presence of God, we were led into a time of worship by Juwita Suwito. She has an amazing voice and it was the first time I've watched her sing live after hearing about her for a long time. God's presence was indeed in our midts as youths from all over welcomed His spirit into their lives and their churches.

After worship there was some time of prayer, 3 youths from 3 different chruches, a baptist, presbyterian and methodist youth represented their various denominations, and asked God for forgiveness and to unite us once again. The atmosphere of prayer was great and I could actually feel as though a sense of unity in purpose and prayer was filling the room. The speaker, Pastor Raymond Raj, gave an inspiring message about unity and the importance of it.

After that, another 3 more youths came onstage to represent the schooling students, the uni and college students and the working adults. Elaine, from PPBC, mentioned the importance of prayer and the amazing things that happen when you pray, Eunice, from FGA Cheras, gave an inspiring speech on what has been happening with the youths in prayer in Malaysia and Yew Ming gave a challenge to the young working adults to 'catch on' with this movement and really be 'history makers' once again. Yoshua, from a Presbyterian church, gave his analogy of young adults from 25-35, who are sitting in their fighter jets waiting and getting tired, but God is saying; now is the time to fly!.

The message was brought forth that this bersatunite event will be continueing further with KL/PJ 'Local Youth Prayer Gatherings' following up after the event, which will start of in People's Park Baptist Church on the 17th February! The meeting ended with Juwita Suwito singing some songs and the song 'Satu Suara'; a call to ALL christians and churches to unite as One Voice in order to see changes and have peace in Malaysia. The night ended in fellowship and people building connections with each other; I was excited to see many familiar faces and to be able to encourage many others to continue to work together to see God's will be done in our lives, the church and nation of Malaysia.

All in all I really thank God that I am a part of this movement, not for any other motives but really to see christian youths from all over Malaysia unite their hearts, put their differences aside and come together to seek His face! It's time the christian youths rise up to set an example for the next generations to follow; not to harbour bitterness and live in strive with one another, but truly as the body of Christ; we may be of many parts but we are ALL in one body. To the glory of God!till the next Local Youth Prayer Gathering, God Bless!

Japheth Chew

~ Inspired ~

I have to say this, I'm inspired by the young people in FGA Cheras, the YPF, eunice and her bro, lester wong in executing the Mercy Project (video at the side of blog, please take some time to let it load and view it :p)

It brings back memories of when I did YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in 06 after SPM, the things I did do during my lecture phase in Brisbane and outreach in India (creative prayer, feeding children etc.)

I never really did put in the effort and time to report about my experience in ywam and create a video and all, but I guess by seeing this video you can roughly have the feel of what I went through a few years back, and will be going through once I finish uni (it'll be back to missions for a year (at least)).

On a personal note, this video really encouraged me, and I'm once again affirmed by God that missions is where He wants me to be in (although I have dreams on forming a band, being involved in different ministries and all), The call on my life is to live for God, and for others.

So help me God :D

P.S - do check out this blog too, KLites and PJians - http://klpjlypg.blogspot.com

Let's get involved in prayer for our nation together, shall we? ;)

Japh

~ I Trust In You ~ From movie, The sword

Lord when You came into my heart
You gave my life a brand new start
And promised You'd never ever leave

You've kept all the promises You've made
You gave me Your word to light my way
Your Spirit is with me every day

And though the circumstances of this world
would try to get my eyes off you
I'll stand my ground
'cause I know I've found in You, the victory

I'll trust You Jesus
Put my whole life in Your hands
I'll trust You Jesus
On Your Word I'm gonna stand

For every situation that has tried to make me doubt
You've anointed me, given faith to me, so my Lord

I'll trust in You
My Lord I'll trust in You

Jesus, You have called us all to follow after You
And even when it seems there's no way out
I know You'll see us through

Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year 09

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Too busy for Him?

written by Sarah Chew - redrafted by Japheth

He waited patiently at the restaurant, glanced at his watch and sighed... The waiter approached him and asked,
"Sir, would you like to take your order first? It has been half an hour since you've been here"
"No thank you," said the finely dressed man 'She'll come in a while, maybe she's delayed today"..
He looked out the window and sighed again.. The waiter shrugged his shoulder and went his way.

The clocked chimed nine times, the waited again approached the man and said,
"Sir, it's already 9'o clock and it's getting late, are you sure you don't want to order ahead?"
"Maybe just a coffee," he replied. "I'm pretty sure she's coming soon, I really do believe in her, I just can't wait to spend time with her, listen to her day, gaze at her beauty and tell her how much I love her.." the man said. The waited once again shrugged his shoulders and went to get the order of coffee, "What an irresponsible girl!", the waiter thought, "She should consider herself fortunate to be with a such a fine, understanding and loving man like him." thought the waiter further.

By ten'o clock the waiter was frustrated, for the gentle man was constantly looking out the window and sighing with a heavy look on His face and yet having such hope that the girl he loved was coming.
"Sir, it's 10'o clock, and we will be closing soon. Whoever the girl you're waiting for does not deserve such a fine man as you. You have waited patiently for her so long! What is so special about her anyway?, You have not even eaten yet. I couldn't help but notice that this is not the first time she's done this to you and I remember seeing you here for a few nights in a row without your date."

A tear fell from the man's eyes.
"You don't understand", the man said. "I love her so much that I would give my all for her, Yes, she has not been coming for quite a while but that will never stop me from loving her." he wiped a tear from his eye. "Thanks for the coffee." the gentle man paid the bill, gave the waiter a tip and got up from his seat. With another sigh, the man walked off into the night...

...


She flungs open her room door and dashes for her bed.
"What a great day I've had today!" she mentioned, "Gosh, I'm so tired and worn out after going out for a birthday party and an awesome movie!" she yawns.
The clock chimes 11 times.
"Oh no!", thought the girl, "I promised God I would spend time with Him at 8pm!"
"Well, God knows I'm really really tired after a great time today, I'm sure He understands ;)"
and she drifted off into the night...

God at the improv

taken from a book - butterflies in brazil

As a christian, I believe that God is the creator of all things, and he is ultimately in control. But that doesn't really answer our question. As humans, we are not passive pawns that God shifts and shuttles in a purely deterministic of chess. Our lives are part of a bigger story, and somehow our choices contribute to it. We have a purpose, but we are not puppets. Part of our life's journey is to learn how to surrender to God and cooperate with hiim in shaping our lives around his purpose. Saying that God is sovereign means acknowledging that the story is his, and it is about him. It also means recognising that he has allowed us to participate in the story with him. He's the author and finisher, but we have very importnat roles to play.

Think of it this way: Human history is like an improvisational movie- that's right, not an improv sketch, an entire movie- with God as the writer, director, producer, and lead actor. It's a work in progress, and we, the other improv avtors, have the opportunity to put in a few scene's of our own. We're not just extras in a busy boulevard scene, we're characters with uniques parts, personalities, and idiosyncrasies.

So let's imagine a scene. You're on a date. Let's say it's your first date in a while- you were taking a break from the dating scene, you know, taking some time to clear your head and reconnect with God. In this scene, there are a few things you know the director doesn't want- you can't be a jerk; you can't end up in bed together, you know the limits- but the restaurant, the activity, the conversation, that's all you.

Now, as it turns out, God is also in that scene. You soon discover he's in every scene, though you don't always see him. As you try your hand at this edgy style of acting called improv, you see that God improvises right along with you. And like a good actor, he leads you in each scene with subtle cues and actions. In case you forget the overall story, he's there to help you not ruin the picture, and to find your way back to the plot. God never forgets; he wrote the synopsis, remember?

The direction you go with the evening is your choice: You either advance the plot of God's story, or you digress and distract it. That's why you can't end up in bed with your date: It's outside the plot and would sidetrack the story that God is trying to tell through you. If you allow your scenes to be hikacked by sin, they'll end up on the cutting room floor, because they'll be ruined. But when you let God redeem your life, it can become a great scene, displaying a powerful performance by the main character.

God's brilliance is seen in his ability to work the various parts and players together into a larger story that serves his ultimate purpose. He knows what each scene is for and what purpose it serves in the overall picture. Still, how each scene unfolds depends in part on how the players play it. We can make choices that take a scene in a direction that God did not intend, but when we do that, we hinder the development of the story and don't advance the plot. (If you've ever been to an improv performance and suffered through a sketch that just doesn't work, you know what I'm talking about. It makes it awkward for everyone.) When we take a scene away from the storyline that God has prepared, our actions in that scene become pointless because God won't use them in the final cut. Although God can use even our 'cutting room floor' scenes to refine our character and teach us important lessons, the more we come to understand the roles he has given us to play, the more our lives can become a part of the story God is ultimately trying to tell.

The good news is, He's on the scene, always leading us back to the story. After all, He's the star. The story is His.

Will you be a part of His-story?
visit mypg.worpress.com

Raising an army that marches on its knees!

Isaiah 52:7 - How beautiful on the mountains are the feel of those who bring good news, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'

In New York City a guy called John bought a Big Mac for a homeless man; it was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. In Dublin, Lucy's heart felt as if it were breaking as she prayed for friends who didn't know Jesus. In Tennesee, a prodigal stepped inside a prayer room and began the journey home.

The stories of Jesus are still being told. He is alove and moving powerfully in our generation, still comforting those who mourn, answering prayer and making ordinary lives extraordinary.

Stories are powerful; they can evoke anger, ignite truth, inspire hope or invade a person's loneliness with an empathetic hug. Jesus told stories but He also was the story. You've heard of short quotes and personal accounts of God on the move. Life is like a video, there are snapshots capturing parricular moments on people's spiritual journeys. Hopefully they will help you understand God's character better. And when we get our heads around God's character; Prayer, devotion and discipleship ceases to be a technique and becomes and instinct.

That's when we can take our place in an army that marches on its knees, fighting for the Prince of Peace.

Will you join me?
Then check out mypg.wordpress.com!

Song writings

Song No.1

When I was blind You made me see
You are the love that carried me
I will rejoice because of You
And now all I wanna do (X2)

Is to praise You
to love You
to adore You
There's no one else in this world that can be
compared with You
Bring joy to me
Satisfy and comfort me

Now I look unto the cross
All my sins and all my dross
I lay them at Your throne
I give You full control (X2)

Song No.2

You gave it all for me
I will look and see
Your love and faithfulness
Forever You will be

Glorious are you Lord
Faithful, You are God
I will praise Your name
and magnify Your fame

Now I will worship You..

Time to catch my breath~

Amidts the hectic end year schedule, it's good every now and then to catch my breath, sit down and reflect, think and take a nap.. Zzz..

After exams I've been out most of the time. Have been in MAPs (ministering through adventure programs) and doing outdoor sports like mountain biking at FRIM. Spent some time in another forest doing some bible reading and song writing and finally hanging out with friends. I've just attended a worship conference with Glen Packiam (awesome!), and next week I'll be going to a children's camp with my parents, rest a day, and then off to another prayer camp for a couple of days before going to MAPs again till the end of nov. December's pretty free which I'm thankful for (phew..), 2 camps so far, including white water rafting, archery and caving which should be pretty fun ;)

Among the stuff that needs to be done (cleaning my room, never ending house chores, enrol for next sem and plannings), I've finally gotten my real driving licence (no more Ps!). There are though, a lot of books to read, and other stuff to do before the new year starts and work comes in jan feb at my parents' kindergarten and the new semester starts again...

Paintball anybody? ;)

A word of encouragement~

taken from daily devotional material - worthy ministries

Proverbs 22:1 : "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver or gold."

My comments and personal messages on facebook and msn has been a lot about God and includes bible verses and personal prayers such as "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me". I've had comments on "oh you shouldn't put your nickname in MSN like that, it's too extreme"...

Well honestly, would a msn nick "Busy doing assignment, stressing out, going through depression, just ate a nice cake, or a random nick" serve any purpose? I mean really, stop reading this for 5 minutes and scroll through your msn contacts. What do you see? Anything encouraging? Or just another person perhaps looking for sympathy, or articles for assignment, or being bored..

Personally, the reason why I love to put encouraging verses or quotes on my blog, facebook or msn is because I feel that people need it, and I don't want the attention on I, me and myself, it really is ALL about Him, looking at the bigger picture, without Him, all we do or say is useless cuz He is the one who gives us life and the ability to communicate and share His goodness.

Life is bigger than your exam, life is bigger than what happened yesterday night at the party, or what movie you watched, the latest political news or sporting event. Life is about Him, shining His glory and living a life worthy to be called a child of God.

I would encourage whoever who's reading to think about changing your personal message on msn for some time, put anything encouraging, be it a verse, a line in a song, a quote, a promise, and wait and see if people will nudge "thanks bro I needed that encouragement today". There is power in what we say, be it verbal or written, check this out:

Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit"

2 Thessalonians 2:15-17 - "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."

and my favorite:

Proverbs 15:23 - "A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!"

Be Blessed! and may we be a blessing to the people around us.

God bless you

Japh

Currently reading~ again..

Boy meets Girl. (Joshua Harris) -

'A couple committed to God's glory places their ultimate hope in God, not in each other. Before two people can please God as a couple, they must first be individuals who want God more than anything else and who know that only He can satisfy the deepest longings of their souls.

One of my favorite authors, John Piper, has made his life message this simple but profound truth: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." What does this mean? It means we can exalt God by trusting in Him and desiring Him above anything else in life- more than companionship, more than romance, more than marriage. When we do, out lives say louder than words that HE is more fufilling than all these things.

Unlike all the fleeting pleasures of this world, when we make God the object of our soul's longing, He truly satisfies us - we find lasting peace and joy that we long for. Only then can we have a healthy, happy relationship, because instead of the relationship being our reason for living, it becomes an expression of the fact that we're living for Someone greater.' (Harris, 2000)

God Bless You!

I will in trust in You, Jesus...

You give and take away
My heart will chose to say
Blessed be Your name...

You open doors and close some
I may not fully understand why
But I chose to trust in You
Cuz You know what's best

"Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls-

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer's feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills."

Taken from Habakkuk 3:17-19

He alone is my Rock and my Salvation
He is my Sheild
I will not be shaken

My deliverer, My comforter in times of trouble
My portion, My everything
My God is mighty to save....

My family~

THe Chew Familylove them to bits!, from left, Japheth, Sarah, Irene, Deborah, Jeffrey Chew ;)

~All About Love~ Steven Curtis Chapman

We've got CDs tapes and videos and radio and TV shows
Conferences retreats and seminars
We've got books and magazines to read on everything from A to Z
And a web to surf from anywhere we are

But I hope with all this information buzzing through our brains
That we will not let our hearts forget the most important thing is...

Love love love love love
It's all about
Love love love love love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love
It's all about love

Now they're fighting in the Middle East and they're fighting down on 7th street
And there are fights in my own house on given days
It's like something¹s lurking deep inside that can't seem to be satisfied
But life was not meant to be lived this way

'Cause it's true for every man and woman every boy and girl
That our only hope for living here together in this world is...

Love love love love love
It's all about
Love love love love love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love
It's all about love

This is the reason we were made
To know the love of our Creator
And to give the love He's given us away
Yeah, the Maker and the Father and the God of everything says...

Love them like Jesus~ Casting Crowns

The love of her life is drifting away
They're losing the fight for another day
The life that she's known is falling apart
A fatherless home, a child's broken heart

You're holding her hand, you're straining for words
You trying to make - sense of it all
She's desperate for hope, darkness clouding her view
She's looking to you

Just love her like Jesus, carry her to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don't need the answers to all of life's questions
Just know that He loves her and stay by her side
Love her like Jesus
Love her like Jesus

The gifts lie in wait, in a room painted blue
Little blessing from Heaven would be there soon
Hope fades in the night, blue skies turn to gray
As the little one slips away

You're holding her hand, you're straining for words
You're trying to make sense of it all
They're desperate for hope, darkness clouding their view
They're looking to you

Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don't need the answers to all of life's questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus

Lord of all creation holds our lives in His hands
The God of all the nations holds our lives in His hands
The Rock of our salvation holds our lives in His hands
He cares for them just as He cares for you

So love them like Jesus, love them like Jesus
You don't need the answers to all of life's questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus
Love them like Jesus

Love song for a saviour ~ Jars of Clay

in open fields of wild flowers
she breathes the air and flies aways
he thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
in no simple language
someday she'll understand the meaning of it all

He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
as close a heartbeat or a song on her lips
someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
someday He'll call her and she will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray

i want to fall in love with You

sitting silent wearing sunday best
the sermon echoes through the walls
a great salvation through it calls to the people
who stare into nowhere, and can't feel the chains on their souls

He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
as close a heartbeat or a song on our lips
someday we'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
someday He'll call us and we will come running
and fall in his arms and the tears will fall down and we'll pray

i want to fall in love with You

it seems too easy to call You "Savior"
not close enough to call You "God"s
o as i sit and think of words i can mention
to show my devotion
iwant to fall in love with You

F.O.C.U.S!!

F- Finish what you need to do!
O- Other things can wait for later!
C- Concentrate on the important things!
U- Utilize every time you have and Use it wisely!
S- Succeed rather than just Survive!

Yes I need more of that! Lord Help Me!

Recently in need of a whole lot of that, although trying to cut down things have been hard, saying 'no' to new things has been even harder!! ish. FOCUS JAPH!!!I guess I'm learning that not every event in life has to be attended. I mean, what's there to miss anyway. And when other things are starting to take priority over your personal time with God, that's dangerous. Nothing, and I mean nothing is more important that spending time with God, not even spending time with friends. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I've also been learning to really love others the way God wants me too. I mean, though I may have the faith to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing really.. The world has enough racist people, haters, rebels, proud and egoistic people, this world needs people who loves beyond themselves.. teach me Lord to love the way You would..

I always say how life could be better if only this and if only that, but really how about make the best of it in every circumstance? it's a choice to live in whatever state you may be in, and we can choose to either be happy or sad about the choices we have made/ will make. Life moves on. Do your best in whatever you and do and leave the rest to God. It's His life your living for anyway..

Well I could go around ranting but I could have more better things to do haha like getting started on yet another assignment :) and for some reason people have been telling me to enjoy doing it? that's hard! haha.

Japheth

Please Pray for Malaysia!! 16/09/08

I'm writing this on the 16 September 2008 at 1am, the date up there is incorrect for some reason. Anyway.

Many many events has been happening in our nation these past few days.

Please read the newspapers to find out what's been happening.

Racial tension, persecution, politcal unrest and a posible toppling of the government.

Please Pray for our Nation, today. Today is Malaysia day for those who might not know.

I'm seriously pleading with you guys, STOP praying only for your assignments and tests. Our country seriously needs prayer.

Whatever happens whether today or in the next few days will affect the whole nation.

Thanks and God bless!

Japh

Worlds apart~ Jars of Clay

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide

With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

I look beyond the empty crossf
orgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
"dull the nails that still remain"

More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago

So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours

take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
"dull the nails that still remains"
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide

take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart~

Church camp 08

So during the merdeka weekend I find myself in nilai attending my ex-church, church camp ;)
It was great just to be back where I was staying / studying last year at a house in nilai, brought back memories of staying alone / away from home during pre-u as well as in ywam, browsing through old notes, written journals and just enjoying peace and quiet....

church camp was great as well, catching up with old friends was a bomb, listening to an awesome speaker from Sabah was refreshing, and just reflecting my own walk with God while hearing His voice, here's some of the stuff learnt at camp:

1. The speaker gave a a testimony of a Sabah pastor who's house got burned down, one son got burned to the bones in the fire, the pastor risked his life trying to save his second/third sons and got 80% burned, before passing out, tells his wife to take care of the kids. In hospital the second son died while the third was 35% burned. Before his last breath, in excruitiating pain and agony, he struggles to lift up his hands, and whisper "puji Tuhan (Praise God)". His hands never came down. The speaker challenged us with a question, What is greatness? riches? honour? prosperity? size of congregation? No. One who can still praise God in the fire. That's greatness.

2. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9), the speaker challenged us to really dig deep into our hearts and ask God to search us out, every secret sins, to confess them before God and make right with Him. The speaker talked about Moses's prayer not to see his wretchedness appear, and David's fall into sin and genuine repentence to be cleansed again and again (psalm 51 - Wash me thoroughly). She mentioned that our salvation should be as a lamp that burns (keeps on burning - Isaiah 62:1) , and cleansing is a continual process.

3. The inside controls the outside, It's what's going on in the insides of us that needs to be dealt with, cuz often times it controls what we do/say (on the outsides). Just like how we wash ourselves everyday (bath), our insides (thoughts, mind, will, emotions) needs to be cleansed (brought before God) to be dealt with everyday. 'Unconscious is the most deadly', meaning to say, the things which we are unconsious about (most of the time, like pride, greed, lust etc, can bring out the worse in us, anger and so forth).

Many many other things I've learned in the saturday and sunday I was there. To mention all would take some time, we also had a christian minister and politician giving his testimony (super cool!) and we also got to see some fireworks outside the church camp (merdeka!), as well as eat local foods like durian and chi-ku-teh!

All in all, I guess I really thank God that I decided to follow my family for this camp, missing out on other events (such as Monash ball) wasn't much of a missing out at all, spending time with family these past few days has been very meaningful, went for merdeka dinner with dad and sis, catching up with old church mates and listening to God, totally made it worth it. Praise and Thank God!

right now? it's back to the books and assignments ;)

take care!

Japheth ;)

Passion ~ Sing Sing Sing ~ Chris Tomlin

We will sing, sing, sing
And make music with the heavens
We will sing, sing, sing
Grateful that you hear us
When we shout your praise
Lift high the name of Jesus

What's not to love about you
Heaven and earth adore you
Kings and kingdoms bow down
Son of God
You are the One
You are the One
We're living for

You are the love that frees us
You are the light that leads us
Like a fire burning
Son of God
You are the One
You are the One
We're living for

Passion - God of this city ~ Chris Tomlin

You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You Are

For there is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things are still to come
And greater things are still to be done here

You're the Lord of Creation
The Creator of all things
You're the King above all Kings
You Are

You're the strength in our weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness
You Are

Tagged!!

Instructions: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. At what age do you wish to marry?
Hopefully around 25ish ;)

2. What is your most favourite thing to do?
Sleep sounds pretty good at the moment ;) besides that I guess it would be jamming on the guitar or drums! or currently some extreme sports ;)

3. If you have a close close close friend since childhood who loves to take away whatever you like, including guys/girls, and he/she always wins, will you still consider him/her your friend?
What kind of close friend would do that? I guess it'll depend on the situation but it won't be anything too drastic la, life moves on....

4. What would you give up in return to eat all you want in the world and not get fat ?
Doesn't really matter, for some reason I think I eat a lot and not get fat, well not yet at least... ;)

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
That this tag thing would end? lol. I guess it'll be for the whole world to be saved! and a drop in oil prices might be helpful ;)

6. Do you believe you can survive without money?
Yes. It'll be hard, but yes.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?
Dignity? Reputation? Sanity? Oh and my loved ones of course ;)

8. What do you feel like doing, right now?
Finish this darn tag. lol. I guess it'll be to start studying... start ;)

9. If there's someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Sigh.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
1. His name is Wilson (is that good? ;))
2. He's open and transparent, nice guy to hang out with and share thoughts
3. Teachable and has a wacky sense of humour ;)

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
God-Fearing, Peace-Loving, Loves God more than anything else in this world, even me.

12. What is your ambition?
To know God and make Him known more and more! To be an influence in my generation and make an impact in this world.

13. Is anyone really perfect?
Yes. My heavenly father, Jesus Christ is ;)

14. If you had a choice to be rich or happy, which one would you pick ?
Happy. Of course.

15. If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?
The lazy bit part? Haha ;) More humility would be good too!

16. Who is the person that you can share all your problems with?
God, first of all. Next up would be my dad and sister, my pastor, and accountability partner

17. How do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Married. One kid so far. House. Working

18. What is the one thing you love about yourself?
Sounds a bit wrong eh ;) I guess I like it when I can relate to people, make friends, play music and sports?

19. How many personalities do you have?
A little out-going, tends to take on responsibility and leadership roles, sanguine?, a bit emo sometimes but trying not to be, loves adventures, lame most of the time, passionate about God, and would go all out doing the things I like ;)

20. What kind of personalities would you like to have?
More integrity, walk the talk more often, more focus, more discipline to study, Self-less and love people more, more wisdom in making decisions and will power to do it ;)

I tag:
1. Sarah (my sis)
2. Sarah Tan
3. Mark Teen
4. Jacqueline
5. Daniel Ong
6. Jo Khoo
7. Li Wen
8. David Yeap

Integrity

cant' remember where i got this from by must be from a book or devotional material somewhere ;)

An aging king woke up one day to the realization that should he drop dead, there would be no male in the royal family to take his place. He was the last male in the royal family in a culture where only a male could succeed to the throne - and he was aging. He decided that if he could not give birth to a male, he would adopt a son who then could take his place but he insisted that such an adopted son must be extraordinary in every sense of the word. So he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys, no matter what their background. Ten boys made it to the very top.

There was little to separate these boys in terms of intelligence and physical attributes and capabilities. The king said to them, 'I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir to my throne.'

Then he said, 'This kingdom depends solely on agriculture. So the king must know how to cultivate plants. So here is a seed of corn for each of you. Take it home and plant and nurture it for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, we shall see who has done the best job of cultivating the seed. That person will be my heir-apparent.' The boys took their seeds and hurried home. They each got a flower pot and planted the seed as soon as they got home. There was much excitement in the kingdom as the people waited with bated breath to see who was destined to be their next king.

In one home, the boy and his parents were almost heartbroken when after days of intense care, the seed failed to sprout. He did not know what had gone wrong with his. He had selected the soil carefully, he had applied the right quantity and type of fertilizer, he had been very dutiful in watering it at the right intervals, he had even prayed over it day and night and yet his seed had turned out to be unproductive.

Some of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that. 'After all,' they said, 'how can anyone tell one seed of corn from another?' But his parents who had always taught him the value of integrity reminded him that if the king wanted them to plant any corn, he would have asked them to go for their own seed. 'If you take anything different from what the king gave you that would be dishonesty.''Maybe we are not destined for the throne. If so, let it be, but don't be found to have deceived the king,' they told him.

The d-day came and the boys returned to the palace each of them proudly exhibiting a very fine corn seedling. It was obvious that the other nine boys had had great success with their seeds. The king began making his way down the line of eager boys and asked each of them, 'Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?'

And each boy responded, 'Yes, your majesty.' And the king would nod and move down the line.The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up.

The boy was shaking with fear. He knew that the king was going to have him thrown into prison for wasting his seed. 'What did you do with the seed I gave you?' the king asked. 'I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but alas it failed to sprout.' the boy said tearfully as the crowd booed him.

But the king raised his hands and signaled for silence. Then he said, 'My people behold your next king.' The people were confused. 'Why that one?' many asked. 'How can he be the right choice?'

The king took his place on his throne with the boy by his side and said, 'I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test.

'If a king must have one quality, it must be that he should be above dishonesty. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout.' Never!!

We live in a society that has become obsessed with success and many show success at any cost. We say the end justifies the means. It is the tragedy of life. You see, failure often is an invitation to God to show that he is all powerful and does not need help to make us great or to bless us.

Reach out!!

taken from devotional material

Some time ago there was a story in the San Francisco Chronicle about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth.

Thankfully, a fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was in such bad condition that the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her, a very dangerous proposition.

One slap of the enormous whale's tail could kill a rescuer. Still the brave rescuers worked for hours cutting her free. One guy who was cutting the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time. Eventually they were able to free her.

As soon as she became free, the divers say she began to swim in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed gently around-she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

Let's take a lesson from this beautiful story. So often we let the hurting in our churches and communities fall through the cracks, never to be seen again. But it is a brave soul who gathers up an army of rescuers to reach out to a suffering or hard to reach brother or sister and rescue him or her from the binding entanglements of this world. Just as the Lord has so mercifully reached out to us, we need to do the same. Whether it is a gift, an invitation to a meal or a smile and a word of encouragement, let's strive to reach out.

Some more things to think about!

Got this from a devotional material - if i'm not mistaken - worthy ministries

Have you even heard how eskimos kill wolves?

First the Eskimo coats the blade of his knife with animal blood and allows it to freeze.
He then adds and freezes more layers of blood, several coats, in fact, until the blade is completely covered with frozen blood.
Next, he plants his knife in the snow, the blade facing up and goes about his business.
When a wolf finds his way to the luring aroma of fresh blood, he starts licking.

Then more and more vigorously, lapping it until the sharp blade of the knife is exposed.

However, by this point, so intense is his craving for the scrumptious blood, that the wolf does not notice the sharp sting of the blade on his own tongue, nor does he even realize that his ravenous craving is now being satisfied by his very own blood!

By light of dawn, the Eskimo will find him laying dead in the snow.

Sin entices and seduces us in precisely the same way. Satan lures us to the place where he plans to ravage us with some sort of destructive fleshly pleasure -- gossip, rage, sexual sin, etc. Once we give in to it's lustful pleasures, our craving for it increases.

When we continue to allow ourselves to indulge, it grips us all the more. And before we know it -- it completely consumes us. Our friendships are damaged. Our marriages are broken. Our testimony, spoiled...

It's scary when we think about it, and how true is it!

think think think ;)

japh

T.H.I.N.K!

Here's something to THINK about

Before we say / do anything, let's think:

T- is it true?
H- is it helpful?
I - is it inspiring?
N - is it necessary?
K - is it kind?

THINK! If what we say does not pass those tests, don't say it!

Interestingly, 've been reading some proverbs lately, and sometime it is a wise thing to do to be silent sometimes, even a fool seems wise when he stays silent, and a person who vents all his feelings is folly too.. hmm...

Gonna enjoy some moments of silent-ness ;)

Peace~

japh

Passion World Tour in Malaysia!!

Date: 3rd August 08
Time: 6 onwards
Place: Sunway convention centre, pyramid
Tickets: RM20

And, it's going to be awesome! Can't wait!
If I'm not mistaken, CHRIS TOMLIN and Louie Giglio is coming, and I'm so excited to see what's God's gonna do there, prepare for revolution people!!

Let's get our PASSION on!!

Japh

1st MYPG 08

So the 1st Malaysian Youth Prayer Gathering was a success! Youths from all accross Malaysia gathered in Kluang, Johor for a whole day of prayer, like 8am to 8pm! and prayed for many issues, repentence, prayer for the states, the youths, the nations and for our beloved country Malaysia!

The drive down to Kluang took about 2 and a half hours, thanks to my dad driving down at an average of 160Km/h! we left at like 6.30 in the morning, had breakfast along the way, and still made it by 9am! Kluang was really different than I expected, my first reaction when I first heard Kluang was, "what's a kluang?" then I tried looking for it in a map and couldn't find it! So when we entered Kluang district I was like, "CIVILISATION!!" haha ok sorry I'm mean! but ya Kluang is really developed, I saw a kluang parade mall, the conference was in a nice hotel, and there's kluang rail coffee! not to mention beef balls noodle soup we had for dinner ;)

It was great meeting people I knew from around Malaysia there, some from alor setar, others from east and south (JB) and be able to pray with the youths who were there, they have a really big dream of gathering 100,000 youths in the future to dedicate their lives to missions in a stadium! The organisers are really passionate about seeing this young generation get serious in prayer and commit their lives to seeing their friends saved and believe in transformation in Malaysia. Ps Kenneth Chin gave an awesome message and challenge to the youths to commit their lives to being 'full time' workers in whatever area they will be involved in their career. Indeed the harvest is ripe and there shall be many labourers starting from the youth! The youth leader, Isaac, has a huge heart and vision to see youths from all denominations to gather and just worship God!

It's exciting to see what God's gonna do through the youth in these end times!
Let's look forward together!

God bless!

Japheth

India Report

this is my friend's india report - which i was at -my friend from south africa

We arrived on chennai international airport 1 july. The first impression of india was hot and confusing! india is very hot! it was about 40 degraas celcius with a high humidity. the traffic is terrible! the vehicals drive as they like - hundreds of trucks and three-wheel taxis (called tuk tuks!), cars, scooters, bikes and cattle share the same road. cows stand in the middle of the road while the traffic simply drives around them.

the CiP (children in prayer) conference was from 2 tot 7 july. 37 nations were present; about 200 people. there was about 50 kids at the conference. i made so many friend from different nations! egypt, malaysia, australia, finland, new zealand, england, jamaica...

the kids led the conference two nights. we learned a lot about CiP across the globe. different people from different countries shared testimonies of what God is doing in CiP in their countries.

Egypt had a bash of 5000 kids coming together where they launched Kids Games. Kids from Singapore pray and people get healed. kids from malaysia, indonesia and india intercedes for the nations. kids from lebanon write down their prayers and draw pictures of visions they saw. a boy of 8years old led 5000 people in prayer in asia.

God is working with and through the kids. God's endtime plan is the kids!! Because kids are arrows in His bow which destroys the plan of satan. (Ps127) in malaysia, kids do spiritual warfare with shofars, worship, the Word and flags.

God uses the youth and grown-ups around the world to mentor kids and teach them to listen to God's voice.

5 july was a huge highlight. we went to father anton cruz's ministry for child intercessors, Royal Kids. His vision which he received from God is to raise up 100 000 child intercessors by 2010. Their ministry takes in children from the streets and garbage heaps and supply in their needs. They educate them in school and teach them how to pray. Transforming kids from trash to treasure!

The evening we were led by youth in praise and worship and we prayed for and moved in between the kids as profetic act that they say yes, i will labour in the harvest wherever God sends me.

We washed the feet of kids of prostitutes, orphans, kids with AIDS en lepers. our hearts were broken for the kids and we could just cry as we washed their feet declaring: the hearts of the fathers turn to the children. we also got prayed for by other kids. they layed their hands on our heads and prayed for us - in top gear! the herts of the chilren turn to the fathers.

the last evening of the conference some of the royal kids came to teach us how to dance and led us in worship.

God's heart is for His young disciples. kids are the missionary field. when the kids are reached, the parents will also be reached. through the intercession of children nations can change, can humble themselves and pray and seek God's face and God will then hear them and heal their land through the blood of Jesus Christ. india was a life-changing experience! if you want to see change, start praying!!

Wanna see change? I dare you to move!

1st Malaysian Youth Prayer Gathering!!

Place: Kluang, Johor
Date: 19th July 2008 (Saturday)
Time: 8am till 8pm

Am taking a van load down to Johor early Saturday morning and heading back saturday night. Places are limited so do inform me if you are want to come! The more of you guys confirm, can book more transport.

For more information, contact me and I will email you the information, fliers, video etc. It's going to be awesome!

Japheth

Praise GOD!!!

3 Ds and 1 Cs for first semester!! totally unexpected!! Thank You Lord!!

Management and Statistics especially, totally shocking!

It all starts again...... back to uni life, books, assignments....

And for some reason..... I'm excited!

Bring it on!

Peace~

Back from India!!

And it was... amazing...

It was a conference for children and children's workers from all around the world, called 'Children in Prayer Global consultation', which main aim is to connect children prayer networks from around the world and bring prayer back into their nations through children ministries, as well as to sense the father heart of God for children.

Many of you would probably wonder what I was doing there.. well, my family has been in the children ministry for some time and my parents bring us (me and my sisters) to their travels and ministry to help them, and we love it!

This time though, I was also involved with speaking in a main session about 'youth/children leading children' and help lead the kids who were from there from all around the world. Meeting with other people and kids is amazing, I now have friends from South Africa, Aussie, Egypt, and list goes on!

What made it great though, was what I learnt while the time spent there...

We visited a big orphanage called the Royal Kids, and they have a few thousand children around India, and just seeing them, was phenomenal! esspecially when they prayed for us

I really felt God's love for the indian children, and it brought back memories of my previous mission trip to India through 'Youth with a mission' in 06 (that's another whole story I've yet to write about :p)

This time though, it wasnt exactly a mission trip, altough we did minister to many of the children
and prayed for the children etc.

I was really worried actually, like 'who will feed these children, where do they stay, etc but God reassured me that He really loves them and will sustain them, even supernaturally.. wow!

This turns my perspective of the world around... again...

Many of these children have been abused, raped, forced into prostitution, watched their parents die in front of them (like being burnt or electricuted, it's horrifying just hearing their stories)

And then looking back at how blessed we are, melts us really, many of us just stood there weeping as we washed the feet of some of these children during the night rally..

May God break our hearts with the things that break His heart..

One particular verse will stick with me through this, Malachi 4:6 'He will turn the hearts of the children to thier fathers, and the heart of the fathers to their children', to the heavenly father, our daddy God!

Let's just be grateful yeah, for the things God has blessed us with, even the opportunity to read this post... Millions out there, have a need.. shelter, education, food...

Spend some time thinking, and praying, and being grateful ;)

God bless you

Japheth

Monash CF Camp!

IT was great!

Thanks guys for being so participative and sporting and funny and all!

Thanks committee for planning and leading!

Thank you speakers for just being yourself and transparent with us!

Thank you most of all, God!, for everything!

Praise God!

Jesus You are...

A song I wrote, can't remember when, or how it sounds like, but here it is ;)

God, help me realise that Life on earth is more than this
I try and try, yet changes never come
Could I suffer any more,
won't you help me please
not my will, but yours be done

Sitting alone in this corner
I reflect what you've done for me
give me the self-control, the will power
to live a life that I was meant to be

What must I do to break free?
To honour You, for You are worthy
Give me the strength, to worship thee
More of You, less of me

Cuz Jesus You are
More than the air I breath
the song I sing

Jesus You are
My only hope
My everything

Victory is found in You my King
As I seek You I shall find You
For You promised freedom, not just a fling
If I would obey and honour You in all I do

Out of the bag...

Another poem I found while digging through my old files... from RP2 Camp by a one of the groups

Out of the bag, I took out of my bag a paper,
My past, my present, and my future,
How the story of my life unfolds,
That the Lord God Almighty controls,
In order to move on I have to give in,
And surrender all my hurts and pains to Him.


Out of the bag I took out myself,
Taught of my identity, children of God himself,
Creations of the maker, special in every way,
He will never forsake me, each and everyday,


Out of the bag, I took out my God,
Viewed His personality, which I long forgot,
Knowing the trinity, my triune God,
Gives me a clear picture of my sovereign God.


Out of the bag I took out my family,
Memories of roles, discipline and responsibilities,
Mommy, daddy, siblings and me,
They are the people who make up my family,
I learned that unconditional love is a must,
And honesty, too, to build their trust.


Out of the bag I took out my friends,
People who motivated and inspired my plans,
The good, the bad, and the ugly,
They will always be a lasting memory.


Out of the bag I took out my teachers,
Painted my life a beautiful picture,
My teachers I learned to appreciate,
Remembering the sacrifices they made,
Imperfect though they may be,
I thank God they were given to me.

Devotions.....

taken from devotional material - worthy ministries

John 15:1-5 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

How do we produce much fruit? What is the Lord saying?In the modern world, the work ethic is, achieve and produce by working longer and harder! The focus is on getting results through human effort -- we've become product oriented and the bottom line is......the bottom line! But God's way runs contrary to this approach -- His way is much more oriented toward process and relationship rather than performance and production. He IS interested in results which He calls "fruit"; but not by pushing or egging us on to work harder or longer.The Lord's way is to work with and through us so that every result or product comes out of our abiding in Him, since without Him WE CAN DO NOTHING.This is opposed to of the culture we live in today, and to human nature in general. Think about it -- we're constantly bombarded with self-help books promoting self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-control –- our society is all about SELF! But God's way of success produces the results which He values; results which are not produced by self-effort, but which grow out of an intimate relationship with Him, in which we seek to constantly abide.

The only way we can become abundantly fruitful is to understand the Lord's fruit-bearing process. As we lay down self-effort, our natural human independence, and seek communion with Him, abiding in the Vine, then His power, His will, and His desires will be realized in our lives, which then, will bear fruit that remains throughout eternity!