Look to Him..

I came across this the other day and i think is is fantastic. This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have heard...

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: 'I don't believe that God exists.' 'Why do you say that?' asked the customer.

'Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.'

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barber shop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkept.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: 'You know what? Barbers do not exist.' 'How can you say that?' asked the surprised barber. 'I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!' 'No!' the customer exclaimed. 'Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.'

'Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me.' 'Exactly!' affirmed the customer. 'That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.'

WOW!!!

Tag!! You're IT!!

The rules are:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post the player than tags 5 people and posts their names, than go to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they done got tagged and to ask them to play and read your blog.
4. Rules are meant to be broken.. teehee..
5. Who comes up with these games anyway? I’m surprised I got sucked into all this.

What was I doing ten years ago (1998 in general)?

1. Schooling in Sekolah Rendah Chong Eng
2. Busy making the school proud (Badminton, Ping Pong, Spelling bee, Story Telling, Music Band)
3. Bossy school prefect
4. The No.1 David Beckham fan (after that superb free kick against Colombia in the World Cup)
5. Daily football match with the wall in the garden

5 things on my to-do list today:

1. Get up early to help set up in church
2. Watch Manchester United whoop Arsenal yet again
3. Attend Birthday Party
4. Finish watching Heroes season 1
5. Organize my study notes

5 snacks I enjoy (I think this is a trick question. Just 5?!?):

1. Doritos (The best by a mile... chilli heatwave… drools..)
2. Fries (Thick British fries, not the silly French ones)
3. Err… food?
4. Fruits? It’s counted right?
5. I don’t really snack… really… seriously… I’m not joking… come on… you believe me right…

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Move Eden Community Services into a world class facility
2. Build a stadium so that churches in Kluang can worship together monthly
3. Support people who want to go to Bible College
4. Support people who have the heart to become teachers (better quality teachers in schools)
5. Buy over Manchester United

5 of my bad habits (Oooooh...):

1. Procrastination
2. Thinking too much
3. Lazing around
4. Lack of trust in others
5. Complacency

5 places I have lived:

1. Mother’s womb
2. House in between Revertex factory and jungle infested with snakes
3. Jalan Maju, Taman Kerjasama, Kluang
4. Kilmorey Hall, Brunel University, London
5. Short and long stints in many other places

5 jobs I've had:

1. Paper mixer, Calendar tear-er and glue-er at Boon Hwa Printers
2. Drinks maker and chef at Barneys Restaurant
3. Waiter at Roc Cottage Restaurant (London)
4. Volunteer at various places (Eden, Agape, STK, LIBT etc)
5. Renowned World Class food connoisseur… hehe… (still am)

6 people I tag:

1. Gideon (To post stuff more than 2 lines!)
2. Joyce (To post stuff other than pictures of herself.)
3. Wei Shin (To help him out with his monthly post.. keke)
4. Lisa (To give you something to share other than donuts and blaming the world… haha)
5. Seem Yee (Since she likes this tag thingy so much. TAG!!)
6. Kris (My new found typing pal!! )

As white as snow..

On an early Sunday morning, i got up to a pleasant suprise when i drew the curtains in my room. I was awestrucked to see the ground and buildings totally white and fluffy white falling from the sky. It was snowing!! It wasn't my first time, but i was still quite excited as most equater-ians would be. I was actually more shock then then excited because it had been a rather warm week and its APRIL! It should be mid spring by now.. I also dreaded the thought of walking 20 minutes to church with the snow blowing into my face. The walk to church was uneventful but at 8am the university was unusually filled with people taking pictures, making snowmans and having snow fights. Football training in the afternoon was quite an experience as it started to snow again while we were in the midst of a game.

As i told people back home about the snow fall, i would get responses like 'Wow, thats so cool', 'I want also', 'Bring some back for me?' etc. People are fascinated by snow. All first timers are. Even people who have experienced snow their entire life still do. Some people just enjoy gazing out their window as the snow covers the ground like a white sheet. But why are people so fascinated by this white thingy falling from the sky? If black stuff falls from the sky like rain, would it be appreciate as much?

Snow is white. White is the combination of all the colours of the visible light spectrum. White is technically achromatic and not a colour. White represents purity. White sooths the eye. White represents cleanliness. White portrays the symbol of a new beginning.

Have you ever thought why most walls are painted white? Why is paper white? Why is wearing a white shirt considered formal wear? Why does white have superiority over other colours? It was customary among Jews to wear white garments as a symbol of purity. Angels are believed to have no other clothes other than white garments, thats even if you believe they need any clothes. Holy Spirit is symbolised by a dove which is white in colour. When Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection, his clothes were as white as snow.

So why are people fascinated by snow? As snow covers everything like a white sheet over it. It somehow gives people the hope of a new beginning. The once dirty and ugly looking ground or roof is seem to be renewed. Snow serves as a reminder to all of us that our sins have been forgiven in Christ. We are cleanse and are pure again. As White as snow.

'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.' Isaiah 1:18

Thank you Lord for the reminder!!

A tribute to a brother..

Goodbyes are never easy. Personally, I really dislike it but it is a part of life that we must get used to and learn how to deal with. I have been reading this book 'The Way of the Wild Heart' by John Eldredge about a Boy to a Man's journey. It's a fantastic book. I would share about some of it another time but what the author rightly mentions is that in order for a boy to become a man, he would have to go through certain stages in life. He would have to face challenges and overcome them as part of a learning process. Of course there is no way to measure, but this process is evident. I am in that stage now since leaving home in September and now a great friend and brother of mine is taking that step now.

He is none other than Ryan. We knew each other since young from church and CBC. I wouldn't go to the extent to say that we grew up together because we weren't exactly playing buddies when we were kids. One memory I had about was during CBC camp at Padang Hijau many years ago. For those who have been, you will remember that we have such a thing called camp court to report those who broke camp rules. Ryan was THE ultimate rascal, he would be shouting 'CAMP COURT!!' for every single thing. I think if we had a title for 'Mr Irritating' he would definitely have won it hands down. No question. We also used to do a lot of acting together in church for CBC. Though he stated before than he disliked me for some reason but i think i was too hard not to love. haha..

Ryan has been a fantastic friend to me and i am sure to all of us who know him. We have grown closer as friends this past few years and even more so last year. We went for mission trips together. It's when you live with a person over a period of time that you really get to know them inside out. With Ryan around, there is never short of entertainment. Period. We worked together on the church opening event which was great. The best of all were the eating sessions we had together. He never thought someone would travel so far in the middle of nowhere to have mee soto right? haha.. On top of all that, Ryan miraculously was here in the UK in September which we did spend some time together.

This is a tribute to my great friend Ryan Nair. A man true to his word, uplifting to those around him and a heart of gold. A pure bred joker, a clown within and a fool for Christ nonetheless. A perfectionist at heart, a one word description of Ryan as i agree with Yosh would be 'Quality' in all he does. A class act in his specific field. Even though our partnership ends here temporarily, God willing our paths will cross again in the future.

God Bless you my dear Brother!!

Easter weekend

It has been a great weekend for me. Many people call it Holy Week and in some sense it is. Its a good time to reflect what Christ has done for us but a celebration as well. I had passover meal with my cell group on Friday. On Saturday, i spent the whole dayhelping out in church to prapare for the evangelistic event in the night. While i was helping out, one of the leaders Vijay asked me:' Isaac do you mind doing the game show later?' This was 45 minutes before i had to do it. I agreed to help out and he asked me to throw in some jokes as well. I went up and did 'Inspector Muniandy'. The whole church nearly fell down with the laughter. It was really good and everything turned out well. Now, everybody speaks to me with an Indian accent. haha...

Celebrated Alice's birthday at an italian restaurant. Had one of my best italian meals whilst im here. The folded pizza was simply superb. I should be visiting there again soon.. haha..

While in church on Easter Sunday, Ps. Jennie invited me for dinner at their house after church. I was a bit reluctant at first because i was supposed to go watch ManU trash Liverpool with my friend after church. But i of course accpeted the offer. It was nice hanging out in pastor's house with both pastors while the others had their meeting. After dinner, we watch a movie called 'Gridiron Gang' with lead actor being Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. An inspirational true story that i would recommend all to watch. Got back to my room at about 1am.

For me, it was a fantastic weekend. I thank God for the church that He has provided me with. I thank God for the fellowship of His people. Friends in university that i can count on. Most importantly, showing me yet another window of apportunity. He indeed has Risen!!

An experience to remember..

The 2 weeks of utter busyness is finally over. Assignments, presentation, training and work. I can finally take a breather. It is something that i have been looking forward to for so long. Time seems to just fly by. It feels funny some times, because the fact that i have overcomed the 2 weeks alive i seem to miss the busy times i had. Weird kind of feeling, but it happens. Don't know why, but this sort of feelings just cant be expained. Anyway, i handed in my last assignment on Thursday and had badminton training in the evening. We were gearing up for the finals in Sheffield on Saturday. We left campus on Friday afternoon in our mini bus. To be absolutely honest, i didn't really know about any arrangements for our trip. The only think i knew was our final opponents were from Univesity of Leeds. I thought University of Sheffield was the venue and we were goin to stay in their hostel for the night. But, this is what it turned out to be.

We were actually playing at the National British University Championships. A total of 20 sports were participating at the largest sports complex in the UK for 4 days. All the semi final and final events were played during that weekend. The complex was massive. It even had an indoor 400 metre running track. Sports like Badminton, Basketball, Table Tennis, Tennis, Boxing, Judo, Atheletics etc were going on simultaneously. Camera crews, newsmen and photographers were swarming the place. It was really a proper sports event. We were given special tags as participants so that we will be able to pass security. I was thinking to myself:' This is totally cool man!' To top it up, we were put up in a real nice hotel for the night. Apparently, Brunel University booked a hotel for all its atheletes in this £90 a night hotel. Totally totally unexpected.

We had to wake up real early for our match the next morning. There was a relatively big crowd that turned up to watch the match. But it was a proper badminton hall with proper auditorium style seatings for spectators. University of Leeds were much better and beat us in the final. Anyhow, we still got a silver medal. It was actually our first loss of the season as we had also won our 1st division league unbeaten. Nevertheless, it was a very good season for us indeed. I'm actually all excited to play in the premiership next year, but i really need to improve. After the price giving ceremony, we watched the badminton premiership cup finals. Boy, were they good! We watched a couple of other events like Basketball and Atheletics which Brunel were also competing before we headed back.

My experience in Sheffield was definitely one to behold. I really want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be able to compete. I was actually a reserve and only selected by default because the Jordanian guy could not play. Thank God for this experience that He has given through playing for the university that has enabled me to travel around the UK.

'Thank You Lord for your bountiful blessings that overflows even beyond what we expect and sometimes handle. I lift Your name up high. Amen.'

STPM!! SPM!! and the best of all YF camp!!

Its been by far my busiest 2 weeks in University so far. I have 3 assignments and a presentation which are all due next week. Badminton training as we gear up for the finals next weekend, football training for our match against University of Hertfordshire in April. Not to mention the 2 nights of work at the chinese restaurant. Time is of the essence. On the other hand, i am really enjoying myself to the fullest. Opportunities like this don't come everyday and yet some of this opportunities have to be earned. I still have 1 more assignment to complete and the satisfaction of seeing a piece of work well done is certainly something special to behold. It is something that motivates me to work hard and give my very best.
Just thought i would drop a few words of encouragements to my dear brothers and sisters back in motherland.

YF camp!! woopeeee.. i think the last time we had YF camp was when i was in F2. That's an awful loooong tmie ago. I have always treasured the times we had at YF camp. The camp we had with AOG back then in Melaka, i still have wonderful fond memories and remains one of THE camps that totally changed my life. Back then i was the room mate of a certain clown whom you all might still know by the name of Ryan. Haha.. The bonding as a YF family that we had in that camp was excellent. Foundations of friendships and on the Word of God were made which still last till today. I challenge all of you to grab this opportunity to make this camp a milestone in your life. Be challenged, be refreshed, BE transformed by the Glory of our God. Lastly, make the camp a blast and enjoy yourselves.

STPM!! SPM!! argh..... yeah yeah.. i know the feeling. For some it feels that you just want the world to stop. For some it's:' Can't you just give me the results now? it's torturous i cant wait!!' Its a feeling that cant really be explained until you are actually in that situation. It's torture, nail-biting, hair raising, stomach twisting, brain squeezing and toe tickling but.. it is worth it in the end. In my experience and im sure you all have also experienced it is when people always say things like ' Dont worry la', 'Sure straight As wan la, u soo smart', 'aiyah.. as long as you have done your best'. As u might also agree, it doesnt help a single bit to our 'rojak' feeling. In some cases in might even make you feel worse because it brings back memories of the missed questions or the chapters that you skipped but ended up in the exam. hehe.. its hard to do even for me but i'll say it anyway.. RELAX!! It's just an exam.. You have your whole life ahead of you. Come on Now. It's only an exam, a ticket towards your university or college. The sky wont fall if you get a bad result. Whats a bad result anyway? It is tangible. Take this as a learning process in life. A stage that all of us will have to go thru in life. In University we face this every semester and im sure in the corporate world maybe even every single day. So.. Get Used To It!! Well.. just take it easy ok.. whatever it is you get, give Praise to the Lord!!

I really don't want Malaysia to flood again ok.. hehe.. All the BEST you guys and gals!! God bless!!