Giver of Life

Testimony by T. W. Hao

I was born into a Christian family. Everybody assumed I was a well-behaved child. But this is not true until I believe and accepted Christ. Since kindergarden I was a very very rebellious child who likes to break the rules. I liked to bully girls and was constantly picking on a fight with the boys. As a consequences, my teacher, frustrated with me, decided to send me away from the ‘excellent’ class as she was worried that I may have a negative influence on the well-behaved children.

Then, I enter into primary school. I started to smoke, gamble, fight, and even steal my parents’ money to buy story books I fancy. I stole books from book exhibitions. My neighbours also thought that my future was gone. By the time I graduated from primary school, my elder sister decided to bring me to church. Initially I was reluctant to attend because I could not stand the boring sermons by the preachers. With my attitude at that time, it was astonishing that I would have the patience to give it another try,but I suspect it was the work of Holy Spirit, that I have the patience for attending the biblical teachings conducted in the church. All of a sudden, I begin to experience a 180 degree change in my life. I became enthusiastic to care and help other people. I do not steal anymore and I even admit my small faults like breaking an egg to my mother. My mother was surprised and touched by the new change in me and encourage me to go to church more often.

However, in secondary school, I became decadent once again. The reason was – all the youth attending at that time were females and I was embarrassed and shy to go to church to mix with them. I was dissatisfied for a few years. Then arrive to the second turning point of my life when I was in matriculation, and my friends invited me to join their Christian gathering, which was conducted weekly. I joined their activities and was again touched by the Holy Spirit. I attended every gathering there and went to church regularly even if the members of the church consists mostly of girls as I do not feel embarrassed in front of them anymore because I know we are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.

I was baptized 3 years ago, now I am most happy and relaxed when I go to church and I am drawing closer to God day by day. If it wasn’t because of Jesus, I think I will not be here in USMKK. If it wasn’t because of Jesus, I think you would have seen my photo in newspaper photographed as gangster, thief, robber and any other law-breaker. Jesus Christ is the Giver of my life because He turned my life and gave me a new life. How about you, who is your Giver of life?

Tuesday with Morrie

Testimony by T. Liszen.

… a book that I read during early in my fourth year in University, I could recall not much of the book’s messages, but there is one chapter, one particular that keeps on lingering in my mind until now…and will once in a while pop out to echo loud in my mind. It is a chapter where Mitch, the author asked his old, bed-ridden professor, Morrie, who had been afflicted with a disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, about his opinion of the Book of Job. I suppose Mitch was wondering how a suffering patient like Morrie would see God’s deeds on Job in order to test Job’s faith.

As a Christian who was very enger to know more about God then, I am ashamed to admit here that I was terrified when reading through the Book of Job.
Yes, I was terrified.
“If I were to give all out for God, will I be experiencing the same situation as Job?”
It was not the adversities to come in the way that I feared the most; It was the process of testing my faith to God.
I love God very much; at least that was what I thought I was then. “But will my faith survive all those adversities if I were Job?”
Despite all these thoughts, I could not help but try to learn to be a good servant of God, because without His salvation, I will not be here writing this. Hallelujah!
Hence I began my journey to learn to be a good servant since my Year 4 in University. And more often than not, I would be encountering helplessness, loneliness and being perceived as a weird person or hypocrite. I survived these and I said to myself. “Hmm, not bad…may be it is not as bad as I thought it will be. Yes, as long as I put my eyes on God, God will help me to go through all those trivial trials. He will be my strength when I am weak.”
I had been holding to that thought whenever I encounter difficulties, until a few months ago, I found myself too weak to even to think of that thought.
I was confused, bitterly in pain emotionally and physically, and worse, I blamed God for what had happened.
I blamed Him for giving me a problem that could not be undo, I blamed Him for allowing that incident to happen, I blamed Him for involving the people I care and love all this while, if all these were to help me to grow…why it could not be that I being the one and only who undergo it?
Then during the CF meeting when Mick came to preach about “Encounter”, he said about how job demands of God an explanation of his plight, and God said,

“Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer me.
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?”
Those verses were like a slap on my face.

Who am I and what am I to question and to even blame God? Then I realized that I had been loving and worshiping not God, but rather God’s gift and blessings upon me. I love what God can bless me with, to the extent that I idolize the gifts, not the Giver. That is the reason, I suppose, I agonized so much when things gone so wrong in my eyes, and forgot that sometimes, humans will never be able to comprehend all of God’s ways. For God’s ways are higher than our way.

The recently, God put me through a serial of events to help me to seize the meaning of true faith in Him. I could not share with people I love what are in my mind, what are troubling me and why am I acting in such ways. It was indeed a true agony, when the people you love started to doubt you and you could do nothing to make them understand. Then I learned at that time, am I not the same? Putting God into such situation myself? I doubted Him so many times, while deep inside, I know He loves me, and He has always been there for me. It must have been very painful for God too, to have His child to doubt Him, when all the things He has been doing, are for the good of His child, just that it is beyond the child’s ability to learn the blessings behind. Thus, I know now, Father in Heaven, that I should keep on having faith in You, even if the situation looked terribly grim and messed up at that moment.
And at the end of that chapter, Morrie answered Mitch, “I think, God overdid it.”
Personally, I think, God was doing things in His ways, in accordance to His will.
Well, so now I am really grateful and praising God for the trials He has been giving me, and I think there are more to come…but thank you, Father in Heaven, for promising me that You will not give me burden that I cannot bear. And I would really love to end this by sharing with you all these verses.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4.

CF Welcoming Night…

CF welcoming nite was over bout 2 hours ago. Year in, year out, they organize this specially for the 1st years beginning of the semester. I edi cant remember the previous CF welcoming nite, so much events and memories.

Every year I see new students, and for the past 3 years, I was among the first few seniors who see the first years as they stepped in USMKK. (What to do, Im PPMS ma…) I see them coming with hopes, dreams, inspirations. But as the years go on, as I see some of them grow older and more matured, changes happens. People gets less excited bout campus life, less excited bout studies, less excited bout CF, etc etc. We dont blame them, maybe they have found other purposes in campus. Even me myself, sometimes lost motivation in CF events. Old edi gua…

But I know clearly, seniors have to set a good example for juniors to follow. And its through this CF events that we get to relate to the juniors, show to them what campus life is all about. How they can find God in this stressful and lifeless place, is through our sharing to them. Only when we learn to sacrifice, then they will learn to do the same to the younger ones, and the cycle goes on. There may be times we fail, but as long we gets up, and put our focus on God, the fruits will come.

Last friday, during the Cell leaders meeting, I ‘hantam’ all other Cell leaders. I told them, if you all just become Cell leaders for 1 year and then quit, you all are gonna bring more harm and good to your members. It was actually the previous Cell leaders who quitted after just 1 year of serving, but I was reminding this new Cell leaders, that if they follow the footsteps of those Cell leaders who quit after 1 year, the members are the ones who will find it difficult to cope with new Cell groups. And because of this problem, CG members are owiz changing every year.

Its not that I purposely wanna ‘hantam’ them but this problem of Cell leaders quitting has been a chronic one. I felt the need to voice this out and solve it once and for all. But, anyway, I really thank God that this year will be my last year serving as Cell leaders. Even after graduate, I will not be a Cell leader in church for some time. Really ‘traumatised’ edi…

Anyway, back to CF welcoming nite… I really had a nice time playing those childish games, as if im back in 1st year… But some juniors were like saying I look too serious during the nite. But sadly, the pretty murni girl did not come…

Methodist Church Chrismas Carolling 2007 Photos

Cameron Trip

Malaysia 4 Jesus!

How bout tis shout, Malaysia 4 Jesus!? It great to when we jz imagine, ‘Malaysia 4 Jesus!’. Its sounds jz like salvation for Msia. How bout us, christian malaysian? R we gonna do something in this country whom we loved?? My desire for christian malaysian is tat we r able to b history makers in this land. Though sometimes we feel that things are not going well, people are being unfair, but tat is life. And with all the problems in this place, its a good opportunity for us to shine for Christ. Imagine thr is no problem in this land, how are we gonna shine for Christ? Come on, lets do it, frens!