|A Generation For Christ|

In Conclusion...

2011-09-22T15:14:00.001+08:00

[Passage]: Read 2 Corinthians 13:14

There was once an old man who sat by the roadside everyday. He was dirty and smelly. Just being near him makes you nauseas. People would not only pass him by, they would avoid him by a mile if they could. A young boy came one day and saw the old man. As he looked at the old man, he felt compassionate. The young boy went and bought a loaf of bread with all the money he had, gave it to the old man, gave his bottle of water, looked at the old man and smiled. "Here, for you!" The sincerity of the young boy touched the old man's heart. He stood up and hugged the boy. Then, he took out a sack of gold and gave it to the boy, saying, "I am the king of this nation. You have proven to me that my people is not all heartless. Thank you for being wonderful."

Pick up a story book or an essay. You see that it is basically made up of three parts, an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Imagine what it would be like to read a story and at the very last page, just ends abruptly without telling you what happened to the hero? You would probably label it as a lousy book and burn it! Even movies have conclusions. What then is a conclusion? It is basically a summary or a closure of what the writing is about (or the movie is about)

In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he ended his letter as such: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." He emphasized a powerful message in his conclusion. Firstly, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is truly by grace that we are saved. It is not something we deserve of something that God owe to us but it is in His sovereignty, Jesus chose to come to die for us. The love of God as shown in God the Father sending His own and only Son to take our sins upon Himself and die in our place. And that after Christ ascended to Heaven, even until today, the Holy Spirit has been sent to us - showing that God is always with us, and the Holy Spirit to lead and fellowship with us. This fellowship is not something we deserve as well. Is not something that God owes to us. But is simply by grace. The amazing truth of salvation is that even though we do not deserve it, yet because of God's great love for us that He sent His only Son to take our sins upon Himself and die in our place so that we may have salvation. Yet even after that, He does not just leave us alone as if He had done His part and nothing more, but the Holy Spirit is sent to be with us. How deep the Father's love for us~ Here is a video for you that I found. Listen to it and I hope you will be blessed. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Voawjjqg8zw)

[Reflect: If Christ who has no sin, who is Creator of all, would look beyond our sins and wrongdoings to look at us with love, who then are we to judge others? Shouldn't we all the more look at them with eyes of love?]

[Response: Take time to reflect on how great God loves us. That we who are undeserving, yet He would still lay His life for us - sinners undeserving. Then, thank Him for His love and grace.]

[Action: Think of someone who has offended you or someone you have a bias against. Forgive that person and let that person know. God did not just profess His love, but showed it through His action - death on the cross. So do something for someone who has offended you. Do it with joy.]

Punishment that has an ending

2011-09-21T09:01:00.000+08:00

[Passage]: Read Joel 2:23

"Pppppiiiiiaaaaannnnggggg~" Ken had broken the antique vase in the house. Just 5 minutes ago, Ken's dad had just warned him not to play football in the house. But Ken would just not listen. While Ken was imagining that he was the first Malaysian to be a Manchester United player, and that the game entered the penalty shootouts, and that it was up to him to score the winning goal, unbeknown to Ken, he kicked the ball a tad too hard, causing the ball to deflect from the wall at such a great velocity that it hit dad's expensive and precious antique vase. "KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNN!" shouted dad, with anger heard in his voice. Ken shivered with fear in anticipation of what will be his fate. Dad stomped to where Ken was, gave his a good scolding till Ken cried badly, as if someone had beat him up. Dad ended the scolding with, "Son, you are now grounded for a whole month. Come into the room with me!" As Ken entered the room, he saw his dad with the cane. Dad gave him 3 strokes on his bottom. Crying, Ken turned to his dad and said, "I'm sorry, dad. I will not do it again. I will listen to you next time." Dad put down the cane, hugged Ken, and explained to him why he had to be punished, and ended with, "I love you, son." Holding Ken, they both went to the living room and dad gave Ken an ice-cream, of which Ken ate heartily.

The story above is a modern day scenario of what Joel 2 was talking about. A warning was already given and not heeded (as is common to Israel). Joel 2 begins with an extended description of what is going to befall Israel, followed by a serious call to repentance. But Joel 2 just does not end with the call to repentance. The beauty of Joel 2 is that it ends with the Lord's response if the people repented (read Joel 2:18-32). Joel 2:23 calls the citizens of Zion, who mourned in Joel 2:15, to rejoice! Don't wallow in self-pity any longer, or be upset with the destruction or punishment that the Lord had to carry out. Rather, rejoice in what the Lord is doing now! The Hebrew word for early rain there could probably mean teachers. In another sense, God is telling the people not to be depressed but rejoice and be thankful - for the fact that God had sent them people to forewarn the people about the coming punishment and call them to repentance. After repentance, God pours out His blessings to the people abundantly, like the latter rain. What is the latter rain? For half the year Palestine is generally dry. The rainy season begins with the early rains usually in late October to early December, followed by the latter rains in March and April. Without these rains productive farming would not be possible, as Joel’s original readers knew only too well. The forewarnings as well as the punishment is then like the dry season and the blessings that come afterwards are like the latter rain that the farming community await for in order to farm. Like Joel's call, whatever hardship and difficulty we are going through, let us rejoice in the fact that God will never leave us and that He will vindicate us and afterward, we will see His mercy and grace.

[Response: Thank God for His blessings and mercies that He has shown and poured into your life. Recount the times where God has shown His mercy and grace and just thank Him. Ask God to help you to not look at the hardships that you are going through, but rather thank Him for His faithfulness.]

[Action: Like in Joel, God did not just forgive His people, but He restored them to the situation they were before, if not better. God took action rather than just merely uttering words of forgiveness. Is there someone you need to forgive today? If there is, go to that person and tell that person that you forgive him or her. Once you have done that (if there is no one you need to forgive, look for someone you have forgiven), do something for that person. It could be as simple as treating that person to a meal, or just spending time with that person, whatever it may be, do something for that person to let the person know that you sincerely have forgiven him or her.]

J-O-Y = Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between

2011-09-19T11:22:00.000+08:00

[Passage]: Read Philippians 2:3-4

Imagine this scene. A little girl is sick with a terminal illness. Day by day she gets sicker and sicker. Little by little, she gets weaker until she is no longer able to independently operate her daily routines. But instead, her little sister is the one that feeds her, cleans her, helps take things for her, and literally serve her. A question was posted to the younger sister. "Why do you serve your sister like that? Is it because of guilt or because she is dying?" The little girl looked up and shook her head. "No... The answer is simple... Because I love her..."

Or another scene wherein this lady gets a particular terminal disease in which as time goes by, she loses her memory and even her body funtions. She will no longer be able to control her bladder nor her bowels. She will have difficulty eating and will make a whole mess of herself. Taking care of her is a chore. But it was her best friend who took her in and when those symptoms began, it was her best friend who took care of her, no matter how difficult it was.

These stories above have one thing in common - their motivation was not money nor was it fame or guilt, but simply out of love. Take the second story for example. Neither kith nor kin yet still willing to humble herself and take care of her best friend simply because she loved her.

Paul urged the Philippians to do something somewhat similar. In Philippians 2:3-4, he wrote, "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well." In the original language, the word "Instead" there is a very strong negative emphasis. It is like saying "DO NOT do anything motivated by selfish ambition..." but instead, do it out of humility, treating others above yourself. Do not only consider your own interest but the interest of others as well. In other words, do not be selfish or self-centered but look to touch the lives of another and help them in ways that you can. If you look into the Bible, both Old and New Testament, you will find that this is a recurring theme. Look, even Jesus forgo his divinity, came in humility not for His sake but ours (as seen in Philippians 2:6-11). I remember something that I was taught in Sunday School. Putting others above yourself produces JOY. JOY is spelt J-O-Y, Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between. If Jesus is put first, others is put before yourself, you get such joy.

[Response: Thank Jesus for what He did at the cross for you and I. Respond to Him and ask Him to give you a heart that puts people above yourself. Ask Him to teach you how to love others sacrificially, just as how He loved us sacrificially.]

[Action: Look for a need in the community. It may not be something you like (for example, feeding the poor). They may be dirty and smelly, but take time not only to help them in their needs but to spend some time talking to them, letting them know that whatever situation they are in, know that Jesus loves them.]

To Do or To Love?

2011-08-26T08:26:00.000+08:00

[Passage]: Read Acts 7 and Psalm 119:165

I remember once during my high school days, happened a fight. Now before I go on to elaborate on the fight, one thing that you must first understand is the crumble of the racial wall between my batchmates. Those in my batch were really 1Malaysia. We had Indians, Chinese, and Malays all eating together, playing together, and were really on buddy terms. Now this fight happened in a class that was predominantly Malay with one Indian and one Chinese in the class. It was a fight that was instigated by the Chinese classmate. Now, the disciplinary teacher found out about the fight and called one of the Malay boys to the office. In actual fact, this Malay boy was not involved in the fight. In the office, the teacher asked the Malay boy to divulge who was involved in the fight. The Malay boy refused to reveal who was involved. When threatened that he will be punished, he still kept mum. In the end, he received a caning from the teacher. When he came back to class, he looked at the Chinese classmate, smiled and said, "You owe me one, dude..." He had sacrificed himself to save another simply because of his love for his friend.

Psalm 119:165 writes, "Those who love your law are completely secure; nothing causes them to stumble." Note that this was written during the Old Testament times. Note also the usage of the word "love". The psalmist refers to those who love God's law, not those who keeps the whole law (which was reflected by the Pharisees during Jesus' time of keeping the law without loving it). Those who love God's law will be COMPLETELY secure. They will be unwavering and unshaken, and as the psalmist puts it, "NOTHING causes them to stumble". A good biblical example of this principle would be Stephen.

As we all know, Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed by the apostles over the church. If you take it a step further and read Acts chapter 6, you would realize how powerfully used Stephen was. Acts 6:8 writes, "Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and miraculous signs among the people." In terms of ministry and what he was doing for God, he was uber effective! But the principle of Psalm 119:165 is reflected in Acts 7. As we all know, Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin council. It was here that Stephen delivered his sermon. It was here that Stephen showed his love for Christ. It was here that we see that Stephen was not only doing ministry because he was called but rather because he loved what God had called him to do and he loved God. Even before the Sanhedrin council, staring death straight in the eye, Stephen still delivered a message of rebuke. And when he was dragged out and being stoned, he still did not blame God nor hate the calling. In fact, he asked for God to forgive them of their sins.

[Response: Are you doing your 'Christian duties' out of religiosity? Are you doing 'Christian stuff' like praying and reading your bible just because you HAVE to do it being a Christian? Or are you doing it because you love Christ and love praying, reading His Word etc. Ponder about it and respond to God in prayer.]

[Action: Take some special time apart from your daily devotion to pray. Use this time to not pray for other items - as you can do that during your devotion prayer - or anyone else, but use it to just open your heart to God. Wearing no masks, come to Him and just pray for Him to ignite that love once again. Then, just simply fall in love with Him again. After that, encourage another Christian that you know of and spur him or her on to fall in love with Jesus again.]

"Are You There?"

2011-08-25T12:05:00.000+08:00

[Passage]: Read Psalm 116:1-2

As a kid, some of us were really mischievious... We skipped school, played pranks on people, and the list goes on and on (*evil grin*). But like Newton's Third Law of Motion, "For every action exists an equal and opposite reaction." In this case, the reaction is facing disciplinary actions. Remember the times you were asked to wait outside the principle's office and seconds seem like years? Your heart pounding as you wonder what fate awaits you... Caning, scolding, suspension or expulsion? You wished there was someone to come and rescue you.. Your favorite teacher or even your parents. In your heart, you cry out asking for salvation!

Well, this story may be a little exaggerated but you get the general idea. The psalmist wrote: "I love the Lord because he heard my plea for mercy, and listened to me. As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help" Throughout the psalm, the psalmist recounts how the Lord has delivered him in tough situations and how he praises the Lord for it.

But if we just look at verses 1 and 2, without looking at the rest of the context of the psalm per se, we realize that verses 1 and 2 on its own does not show whether God's answer is one of positive results or negative. Now, let us take a moment and ponder about this. We know that God hears our prayers but at the same time, we also know that ultimately, God has the best plans for us. We cannot comprehend or even begin to understand why does He allow us to go through certain things or allow certain situations to happen and it becomes very easy to lose our faith in God. But when we see as if God is not answering our prayers the way we expect, can we still hold on and praise God knowing that He hears our prayers and that He knows what is best for us? Will we still love Him or will we end up holding a grudge against Him?

[Response: Do you feel as if God does not care? Do you feel that He does not hear your prayers? Take heart and know that God hears, just that His answer may not be what we expect. Take time to just be honest with God. Just spend time in His presence and let Him minister to you.]

[Action: Lend a helping hand to someone today. Be the extended hand of Christ. Go the extra mile for someone today. Treat someone to dinner. You never know, you might be the answer to someone's prayer.]

"IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!" (T.T)

2011-08-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

[Passage: Psalm 94.]

"Why does Josh get all the toys and I don't?" "Why does Susan get new clothes but I get all her old ones?" "Why am I ALWAYS asked to do the chores but James can just kick back and watch TV?" How often do we make such statements (or at least feel this way)? Our natural conclusion in times like this is that "My parents love my siblings more than me!"

The psalmist felt the same way too. He looked around him and realized that the wicked were prospering while those committed Christians were suffering. Verses 6-7 show that the psalmist probably felt that the suffering they faced were in actual fact caused by the wicked! To the psalmist, this was unfair! Why do we who serve and love the Lord fervently have to suffer while those who are evil and wicked enjoy the good life? Where is justice?! And he calls on the Lord for justice and vindication. Sounds like our cry of unfairness that our parents treat one sibling better than the other?

But every human parent loves their children. No matter how unfair it may seem, if you end up in a need or in trouble, it is your parents who helps you, provides for you, at times been ridiculed by the rest of society because of your silly mistakes. They can only go through this because of love. The psalmist realized that God's love was like that as well. He knew that even though things may seem unfair, yet he knew that God has and will always love him and will never leave him. In fact, he was so assured that in verses 18-19, he said "If I say, 'My foot is slipping,' your loyal love, O Lord, supports me. When worries threaten to overwhelm me, your soothing touch makes me happy" This was not a request or just merely a statement, it was a declaration of assurance of the Lord's love towards him!

[Response: What situations are you in right now that you feel that is unfair? Or that you prayed and prayed but God has not intervened? Take heart and know that God knows what is best. He has and will always love us. In your prayer, commit everything to the Lord and tell Him that "Lord, even as I commit everything to you, I know that You have the best for me. So teach me Lord, not to focus on these circumstances or even my thoughts and emotions but teach me, O Lord, to just simply love You."]

[Action: Do you see someone going through an unfair situation? Do you know of someone who is wrongly accused? God has always talked about upholding righteousness and justice in the Bible. Just as He vindicates us, let us also be the voice to the voiceless and stand up for what is right.]

Cheese Sandwiches Again??!

2011-08-23T01:55:00.002+08:00

[Passage: Romans 8:31-39.]

There was an story told by Peter Kreeft of a poor European family who saved for years to buy tickets to sail to America. Once at sea, they carefully rationed the cheese and bread they had brought for the journey. After 3 days, the boy complained to his father, “I hate cheese sandwiches. If I don’t eat anything else before we get to America, I’m going to die.” Giving the boy his last nickel, the father told him to go to the ship’s galley and buy an ice-cream cone. When the boy returned a long time later with a wide smile, his worried dad asked, “Where were you?” “In the galley, eating three ice-cream cones and a steak dinner!” “All that for a nickel?” “Oh, no, the food is free,” the boy replied. “It comes with the ticket.”

Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans 8:32 - "Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?" In light of the context, Paul was talking about the love of God. God loved and cared for humankind so much that He provided for their ultimate need, the need of salvation, by giving up His own Son. This was a demonstration of God's love toward us. If God cared so much for us that He fulfilled our ultimate need, the need for salvation, how much more would He meet our other needs? In another sense, God's meeting of our needs is an outflow of His love towards us. He knows us from the inside out. In Matthew 6:8, the Bible clearly tells us that God knows what we need even before we ask from Him. On our side, all we need is the faith in God that He will meet all our needs, knowing that if He loves us so much that He is willing to give up His only Son for our ultimate need, how much more will he freely meet all our other minute needs in light of the ultimate need for salvation?

[Response: Take some time to just commit your needs to the Lord. It may be a financial need, an emotional support, God's intervention, or restoration of relationship, whatever it may be, just commit it to the Lord and trust that He hears and will answer in His time]

[Action: Look around you for someone in need. Whether it is a need for a meal, a need for a friend, a need for support, whatever it may be, like Christ fulfilled our need, let us too be the extended hand of Christ and demonstrate Christ's love for that person by meeting that person's immediate need.]

You Will Never Walk Alone ...

2011-08-22T01:46:00.000+08:00

Read Psalm 42.

As we grow up, there comes a time when we have to leave the family. We go to college, to university, and then move on to living our own lives. Usually, this path leads us to places different from where our families are. Many a times, due to the hectic nature of life, we get so caught up with so many things that sometimes, it is as if we are alone.

A lady was in her office one day. It was not a good day. Woke up late, car had problems, dog laid his atomic bomb in front of the door that she stepped on it on the way out, got reprimanded by her boss, had to skip lunch due to the huge pile of work yet finished and even at the end of the day, even with over-time, the pile did not seem to be decreasing. The lady was stressed and stretched as far out as she could. It was all she could take. Tears rolled down her cheek and she sat there in the dark office, with only her table lamp on, feeling so alone. It was then that her handphone rang. It was her mother. "How are you child? Have you eaten? Don't overwork yourself ya..." said the mother. She could not help but cry.

The psalmist of Psalm 42 was experiencing the exact same thing. It really felt all alone. He longed for a touch from God again. It was as if He could not find God any longer as he reminisced the past experiences with God. He was so desperate that he likened himself to a deer that is so thirsty that it longs for water. That desperation is the same desperation the psalmist had for God. But the beautiful thing about this psalm is in verse 8, wherein the psalmist writes, "By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. (NIV)" Even though the psalmist could not feel God and felt so alone, yet, he was so assured that God did not forsake him. He even tells his soul to not be downcast but to wait on God! It is like the situation depicted above. We sometimes go through life and its sophistication that we often forget about God. Not to mention that the loneliness gets worse when we are at low points of our lives. But like the psalmist knew for a fact — God has always been and will always be there for us. It is like the Liverpool FC tagline "You will never walk alone", God will not let us walk this path of life alone. He will ALWAYS be there. So, if you are feeling down today or frustrated or upset, commit it to God. Though you may feel as if He is not there, but take heart and be assured in the fact that God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, and His Word is true. Take time to just honestly pour your heart and what you feel to God today.

[There are people around us that on the outside may seem to be perfectly fine, but on the inside, they are actually broken and lonely. Extend a hand to one person you know like that. Be a friend to that person. I know Jesus would1]

Family Heirloom

2011-07-05T21:26:00.000+08:00

If you watch shows that depict stories of the early Chinese people in Malaysia, you will notice one common thing in most of that shows - the family heirloom. For some weird reason, I am under the impression that the heirloom is usually a jade bangle and the main character of the show usually inherits the heirloom. Of course, there is much more drama than just simply receiving the bangle and storing it, only to give it to the next generation 40 years later.

Or another thing that we all can relate to: inheriting the fortune of one who has passed on. Whether it is a Western or Eastern show, this is one theme that is often recurring - families fighting against one another over the division of the inheritance, jealousy towards other family members because they received more than them, etc. But taking the drama away from all these, inheritance is simple the passing down of something to the next generation. How much more precious the thing will be if it is a heirloom - something unique to the family that has been passed down from generations to generations and finally to you. The family heirloom now belongs to you.

As much as Christianity is a personal decision of the individual to follow Christ, the reverse is true as well. No, not the reverse in the sense that following Christ does not need a personal decision, but the reverse in the sense that there is one more element, and that is God choosing us to be His inheritance, as seen in Psalm 33:12: "How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession." (Note that in Hebrew, the word for "possession" can also be translated "inheritance"). In other words, God sort of 'owns' us now. In this sense, we can no longer live anyhow we would like, but live exemplifying that God is in control of our lives - that we may be living testimonies of His love.

[Look out for ways that you can demonstrate God's love. Whether it is saying no to cigarettes or even clubbing with friends, use that opportunity to show that Christ is now in control of your life.]

Fertilizers or Worms?

2011-07-04T07:33:00.000+08:00

Everyone knows the basics of gardening. Some key ingredients needed for gardening: sunlight, water, fertilizer. Imagine two scenarios. #1, gardening using fertilizers. What would happen to the plant? It will continue to grow and grow and grow! Some of us might even have a plant like Jack's beanstalk in the story "Jack and the beanstalk"! Situation #2, what if instead of fertilizers, you use worms and caterpillars, what do you think will happen then? The plant would have holes in the leaves, look ugly, starts to wither and probably ends up dead.

Proverbs 14:34 was probably for a leader or king. It reads, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." If a leader of a nation is righteous in all his or her dealings, the nation will prosper and the people will all have a good life. But if the leader resorts to underhand methods and trying to enforce his or her power by violence and killing or hogging all money to himself or herself with their own aristocrats while the people live in poverty, the nation and all its people will suffer. The same principle applies in corporate leadership, team leadership, or any position of authority.

But it does not end there. "Oh, but I am not a leader therefore this does not apply to me." Who says it does not? I kid you not... An extended application of this verse can be applied to your daily interactions. How you treat other people - with righteousness, your integrity is upheld, the relationship blossoms and the person and you will be both happy! Treat them with unrighteousness or sin, the relationship suffers, your reputation goes down the drain, you live in fear, people look down upon you etc. Doesn't this point to the principle as outlined in the proverb?

God is a God of righteousness and He loves the righteous. Take a moment to pray and ask the Lord to help you in being righteous in every dealing you have today. If there is a broken relationship, commit it to the Lord and ask that God restore and heal the relationship, then make a commitment to uphold righteousness everyday. To use fertilizers or worms, it is your choice.

[Look out for a need around you. Someone is being bullied, stand up for that person. Someone does not have food, give the person some. When tempted to lie or cheat someone, pray and stand up for righteousness.]

It's ALIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

2011-07-03T06:47:00.001+08:00

I have always thought of Frankenstein to be rather hilarious. The scene in my mind (Disclaimer: This may NOT BE any actual scenes from ay cartoons, comic strips, or movies) is when the doctor places the heart into Frankenstein, fixes him up, and pulls down the lever. Electricity and sparks is seen as the generator powers up and a great shock of current shocks Frankenstein. He rises up and the doctor raises his hands and ecstatically exclaims, "IT'S ALIVEEEEEE!!" Of course, we all know that little Frankie went out of control to the point that Dr. Frankenstein wanted to kill it (or should I say him?) My guess is that when Dr. Frankenstein placed the heart into the monster, he wouldn't have guessed if the monster would be as good as a smurf or evil like Darth Vader.

Man is actually like Dr. Frankenstein's creature. Jeremiah 17:9 says "The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it?" The NIV uses the word heart in place of mind and says that it is deceitful beyond cure. Take a moment and think. It really is true. Outwardly, one may look like the Dalai Lama but who knows if there is any catastrophic plans hatching in his or her heart. The inclination for deceit and toward sin is human nature. Really, there is no one on this earth that can understand the heart of another. It is deceitfulness to the MAAAAAAAAXXXXXX!.

But look at what Jeremiah says in the following verse: "I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds.
I examine people’s hearts. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done." No matter how we try to cover up or disguise as an angel when we are actually carrying pitch-forks, there is someone who truly knows us deep inside. He knows our thoughts, our intentions, our secret actions. He sees pass the facade and deceit and sees the heart and mind as it is. It is the Lord who examines people's hearts. And as He said, He will deal appropriately.

Being humans, we will always fail in trying to be holy at every moment of the day. We try, but none of us can attain that perfection. It is being human that we will definitely sin in one way or another. A thought? A lie? Even though we may not carry out our diabolical plans but the mere intention or thought is already sin, and God knows it. We have to be quick to recognize that and be true before God, seeking for His forgiveness and His strength in overcoming it, that we will be more and more like Him. Then, will we only be truly ALIVEEEEEEEEE!

[Take a moment to reflect in what ways have you fallen short of God's standards, then ask for forgiveness and the strength to overcome. If it is something you have done to someone else, like lie or steal etc., then, take up the challenge to go to that person, admit your mistakes, and ask for forgiveness. Someone once said: "Saying sorry does not mean you are wrong and the other party is right - it simply means you treasure the relationship more than your ego"]

The Old Rugged Cross

2011-07-01T07:18:00.002+08:00

A song kept ringing in my mind this morning. It is a hymn and probably lots of you young people probably have never even heard of this song. It was written by George Bennard around 1912-1913. It is a song filled with a a powerful message and reflects a powerful commitment to the Lord. The song is "The Old Rugged Cross". The lyrics of the song goes like this. The lyrics goes like this:

On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff'ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

(Chorus)
So I'll cherish the rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down'
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross so despised by the world
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left his glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.

(Chorus)

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

(Chorus)

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
Where his glory forever I'll share.

(Chorus)

Powerful, powerful song. Maybe I should do a recording of this song! But that aside, look at how Bennard described the cross. It was not one of gold, crafted by a renown designer, studded with gems and jewels, with high-end cushion on its surface and two boom-box fixed at its side. It was one of coarse wood, old, rugged, bloody, and despised. But in it, Bennard saw such beauty, such an attraction, that no matter what other options he had, he chose to cling on to this rugged cross and to cherish it.

The prophet Zechariah said, "The Lord will then be king over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be seen as one with a single name." (Zech 14:9) Being a Christian today is not easy. To stand up for what is right, to not be corrupted by the system of this world, to be ridiculed by our friends, called "holy Joe" and all, to be outcasted from the 'IN'-group, sometimes, it's so difficult that you just feel like not telling people that you're a Christian! But take heart in this, as Zechariah said, the Lord will surely come and be king over ALL the earth! Everyone will recognize that He is GOD! Christianity isn't about you or how you will look to your friends, but look at the cross. It was there that the ultimate price was paid. Blood shed, life given up for you and me. Be proud that you are the sons and daughters of the MOST HIGH! Let this song be an encouragement to you, that you will hold on to the old rugged cross. In the midst of all the gadgets and riches and fame, yet you will still hold on to the old rugged cross. Take a minute and thank God for the salvation at the cross, for His great love for you, and take another minute to pray for someone who is not yet a disciple of Jesus. Pray that he or she will come to know the love of Christ.

[Make an intentional effort to share Christ with someone, be it in a form of encouragement, or even in the form of a testimony, in any way, lift the name of Christ and share His love to someone today!]

Until Completion...

2011-06-30T06:17:00.003+08:00

A father brings his child to the shopping mall and shops around for groceries at the hypermarket. The kid was thrilled and began running all over the place. Running, and running, and running, and then she stops. She turns around and does not see her father there! She panics. "Daddy, where are you??" is the thought that went through her mind. Fear began to creep into her heart. Tears began to flow down her cheek. "Daddy doesn't want me anymore!!" She frantically walks all over the place looking for her daddy. Finally, she sits down and begins to cry. Daddy comes from behind, picks her up, and gives her a tight hug. "Daddy..." said the kid. "where were you when I needed you? Why did you leave me alone??" Daddy looked at the kid and smiled, "I have never left you, my dear... I was always with you, watching you from afar... waiting for the time you would not run off on your own but look for me..."

God is the same too, and the psalmist David knew it. Take some time to read and reflect upon Psalm 138. As you read Psalm 138, you will see how David recognize the greatness of God and his response toward God's greatness. He then writes about how he stands in awe that the great and mighty God would care for him, a lowly human being. More than just notice him, God even takes care of his every need and protects him.

Psalm 138:8 writes: "The Lord avenges me. O Lord, your loyal love endures. Do not abandon those whom you have made!" The NIV phrases it this way: "The LORD will vindicate me; your love, LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands." David, knowing the greatness of God and that God takes care of his very needs, know beyond the shadow of doubt that God WILL vindicate him BECAUSE God's love endures forever. Whatever God has begun, God will not just forget about it, nor will He just leave it there unfinished (like some construction sites~ LOL~). Whether it is the work of salvation, or the work of meeting a need, or just a work on making us to be more and more like Christ, one thing is for sure: God will see it to completion! What is one area of your life that God is working on now? Open up yourself to hear what the Holy Spirit wants to say to you about areas of your life and work with the Holy Spirit to be more and more like Christ!

[Make an intentional effort today to do something for someone you are not familiar with, or even better, who is not part of the "in" group and ask yourself, WWJD - What would Jesus do if He were here now. Treat the person to a meal? Chat with that person over a meal to know the person better? Whatever it may be, do something that will show the love of God as written above to someone who needs it! WWJD]

"Pinky-Promise!"

2011-06-29T06:00:00.001+08:00

When we were kids (or if you take a moment and observe kids), you will notice that they often like to make what we call "pinky-promises". A "pinky-promise" is a promise sealed with the action of hooking each others little pinky finger. Let me give you a common scenario. At night, as a mother was tucking her little girl to bed, the little girl looked up and her and said, "Mom, tomorrow night is my violin recital. Can you come?" "Yes dear," the mother replied. "Promise?" The mother hooks her pinky finger with the little girl's little pinky. "Promise." The next day, after sending the girl to school, mom goes to work and is so overwhelmed with work that the recital slipped her mind. After work, as she entered her house, she saw her little girl sitting, sobbing, tears flowing down her eyes, she looked at her mom and said, "Mom! You promised!"

Peter wrote to Christians who were facing the same problem. They knew that Jesus had promised that He will return but after so long, Jesus did not return. People were laughing at them saying, "Where is this 'COMING' that you speak of?" But look at what Peter told them in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." In simple terms, Peter was saying, "Hey guys, the Lord has not forgotten His promise! His delay is not a delay because He cannot fulfill His promise but rather is Him being patient so that EVERYONE can repent and be saved! God still keeps His promise!"

Taking a step back, take a moment and ponder, what are the things that God has promised you? It could be something specific that He has told you, or even a promise that He made in the Bible. Take a minute or two to reflect on these promises, and ask yourself, "Has God fulfilled His promises to me yet?" If so, take that moment and thank God for His blessings upon your life. If He has not, remember that God has not forgotten His promise or that He has problems in keeping His promise but that in His due time, He will fulfill His promise when we are ready. God sees WAAAAAAAAAY ahead into the future and He knows what will happen if the blessings are given before we are ready - we could be on the road to our own destruction... BOOM! His delay is not a mistake but mercy toward us! Then, thank God and trust Him that He knows what is best for us and when is the best time that we are ready to receive what He has in store for us!

Competitions!

2010-04-27T16:25:00.004+08:00

Photos about Love
The world today is in need of so much love. Everyone is so busy with their daily lives, their jobs and their time is so devoted to their career or self. People need to take time and show some love to others: family, friends, people in need, colleagues etc. Moments like these are worth capturing as one touch can make a lifetime impact. God loves us so much too. Christ showed mankind so much love as well. In fact, we are to love one another, not just focus on ourselves. Therefore, Generation:R would want to capture such moments of love being displayed. If you have a photo (please, photos only) you want to show the world that shows love (the picture is an example) or has the theme "Love", do send it to us. We will place it on this website for all to see. In fact, we will even make this into a competition! The best photo picked by our panel of judges will receive a full sponsorship of camp fees to the upcoming youth camp! Prizes are as below:

Each photo entry is RM5

Grand prize: Full sponsorship of camp fees to the upcoming youth camp

Second prize: RM10 McDonald or Sushi King voucher (subject to change)

(Note: If there is extra money from the competition, there will be a third prize as well... Trust me, we don't earn from this!)

This competition is open to ALL! If you win, we will refund you your camp fees at the camp. The voucher will also be given out at the camp. So hurry! Competition is only until 23 May 2010.

Boomin' Graffiti

Of course, for those of you who are not photographers but are good in drawing, we also have a competition for you. The upcoming camp's theme is "Boomin': Repz of da' Most High", and thus, in line with that, we open for you guys to send in your graffiti of the word Boomin' (please don't draw on walls. On paper will be just fine). The prizes are slightly different though. Because of our tight budget, there will only be one prize for this and it is a mystery gift, in the sense that it will not be revealed until the camp itself. [note: for those of you who do not know what a graffiti is, the picture beside is a graffiti of the letter 'K']. Details are as follow:

Each graffiti entry is RM5

Grand Prize: Mystery Prize

(Note: If there is extra money from the competition, there will be a second prize as well... Trust me, we don't earn from this!)

Like the competition before, this is also open to all! The closing date for this is 9 June 2010. So keep them coming!

Instructions:

To participate, all you need to do is to email us your name, address, email and handphone number as well as email us the picture or your graffiti. We will then contact you with details on how to hand in your RM5 participation fee. Your picture or graffiti will only be taken into consideration once the RM5 has been received. No entries will be accepted after the due date and the decision of the judges is final. The only criteria is that you have to attend camp as the gifts will be given out at the camp. Failure to do so will result in forfeit of your prizes. Take note of that yea~ So, send your particulars and entries to bryanboo@generation-r.co.cc now! Keep em' coming! See you at camp!

Recruitments

2010-02-09T20:26:00.001+08:00

Hey you people!

Sorry again for the stalemate in the blog. Have been pretty busy. But it's okay. Things should get better from now on. I have roped in some leaders and they will be posting up their devotional thoughts to share with you all as well as be in the chat area to chat with you guys. So, enjoy and do come back often yea? (help promote the site also larh!! lolz)

Youth Logo

2009-11-13T01:36:00.001+08:00

Introducing to you the new official logo (more like picture than logo) for Generation : R. Taadaa!

How is it? Good? The rationale is as such: the source comes from an obor-obor, a torch. A torch’s flame is bright and goes on burning and burning. In another sense, it is like an unending source for the flame. Likewise, God is our unending source that will fan our fire into a flame. The fire signifies life, vibrancy, energy, power from the Holy Spirit; signifies revival. We want to be that generation that is instrumental in bringing revival, to be known as the generation of revival. Thus, the young man of flames from the flame showing that we are on fire for God! We are Generation : Revival. We are Generation : R. Do comment and give your views. Thank you!

Survivor Lockdown

2009-11-05T02:48:00.000+08:00

How many of you would turn on the TV, watch survivor and say, “Man, if only I had a chance to be part of it, I would have won!” Well, wait no more, my friend. For the first time in Generation:R’s history, we will be having our first ever Survivor Lockdown! Yes, it is not as big scale as the survivor on TV but the elements of outwit, outplay, outlast holds faithful in our smaller-scale Survivor. There will only be one prize for the ultimate survivor. You all will be locked-down in the church for 12 hours (8am to 8pm), forcing you to bond together, work together while being smart enough of trying to get the cooperation of everyone in your tribe to win the challenges or kick your threat out of the game at the Tribal Council. During the free time, you can chat, strategize, play or just hang out with one another. But during the challenges, you fight for Immunity. You may bring your laptops, Play Station, PSP, book to read or whatever else you might want to do during your free time. But do not forget to also prepare yourself with the champion mentality to win! Here are the details:

Date: 28 November 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 8am SHARP to 8pm
Venue: Gereja Peace AOG Kluang
Price: RM15 (inclusive of lunch and dinner)
Closing Date for Registration: 21 November 2009
Extra Note: for those bringing valuable items (like your laptop or playstation), please list them at the back of the form so we know who belongs to what item. Thank you.

Think you are tough enough? Think you are strong enough? Think you are wise enough? There can only be ONE SURVIVOR…

WILL YOU SURVIVE??

[ Click here to download the form. ]

For enquiries, do not hesitate to ask us. Age cut of limit for this event is 25.

The Love of The Book

2009-11-04T02:52:00.000+08:00

How long does it take you to read Twilight or any other novels?
How long does it take you to read a manga or watch an anime?
How long does it take you to read all those stuff you surfed in the internet?
It’s not wrong to spend your time doing all these

But

While doing all these.. Did you spend time reading the word of God? And now it’s time for some important questions I want to ask which are:

Tada~

Do you read the bible daily? Do you love reading the bible?

Ok.. now I want you peeps to imagine that it was God who asked the two questions above. Imagine God saying, “Do you love reading My words?” “Why didn’t you read My word today?” If it was really God asking you these questions, what would your answer be? Think.. How would you answer God? Yes? or No? Well you don’t have to answer me.. Keep the answer to yourself and answer God honestly.. Many times, we tend to take the word of God for granted and neglected it. Our excuses when asked why are we not interested in reading the bible might be:

1) I’m busy! School work is piling up!
2) It’s too deep, I don’t understand what I’m reading!
3) It’s boring.. It puts me to sleep!
4) It doesn’t apply to today’s context!

Yes, it is difficult to understand the bible and trying to find time to read it is dreadful when we can do something else but we know very well that spending time reading the bible is the right thing to do as we have heard much about it from our pastors and leaders. Many times, we may have thoughts such as we want to know God more, we want to hear from God and we want to draw closer to Him. How are we going to be close to God if we can’t even spend like few minutes reading His words?

Getting to know a person, takes time. You need to spend quality time with a person in order to understand a person. If you can spend your time understanding your friends, games, books and etc.. Why not God? Doesn’t He who is our Father in Heaven deserves our time more than anything else?

Therefore, let us learn to do what is right and pleasing to God by making the effort to read His words everyday! It’s not easy.. I know.. really lols! Cause I’m trying too! It requires much determination and disciplines! Lets learn to love His words and spend time to understand God! All because He deserves it!

I would like to end this post with a scripture taken from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 just to remind us about the importance of the word of God to us as Christians:

“Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.”

by: Yu Li

Bla... bla... bla...

2009-10-31T09:57:00.007+08:00

There was once a story told to me. It goes like this:

There was once an old preacher. He was very loved by the townspeople. Every week, he would preach, evangelize, help and do counsel people. He loved the people. One day, the cleaner of the church was cleaning the church and she saw that the pastor's office door was left ajar. She looked in and saw the preacher there with a lady. She was puzzled. What was the preacher doing in the church with a lady? She walked the streets and met a young man. "Hey lady! Why you looking so puzzled?" he asked. And she told the young chap her story. "I think they are having an affair" she ended. Word got round and the rumours passed around like wild fire to the point that the it was uncontrollable and the preacher had to leave. The cleaner lady felt very guilty that she went and sought forgiveness from the preacher. The preacher gave her a bag of feathers. "Do these things for me and I will forgive you. Throw these feathers all around town and come back here." And she did so. Then the preacher said "now, go collect every feather back, not one less. Then bring it to me and you're forgiven." "How is that possible??" she exclaimed. "The wind would have blown it all away!" The preacher smiled. "And so it is with rumours." and he left.

James reminds us how dangerous our tongue can be. But let us look at something that Paul said. "But avoid irrelevent babble, for it will lead people into more ungodliness" (2 Timothy 2:16, ESV). How true these words are. Look at the story above. Not only was the preacher affected but the people were too. The Bible states that blabble, gossip and all is ungodliness. If so, weren't the people involved in ungodliness? Then, the lady not only destroyed the preacher and his ministry but also caused the townspeople to dabble in ungodliness. Let us learn from what Paul said: to avoid irrelevent babble. So the next time you want to babble, stop and think again. Don't just bla... bla... bla.......

Discipline a Painful Must?

2009-10-01T09:19:00.003+08:00

There is this parent who loved her child so much. To her, it was as if the child was everything. She spends time with her child, shower him with love and care and was just so loving her son. One day, her son was caught stealing her money. She caught him. She scolded him and with tears rolling down her cheek, she took the cane out and spanked him.

Now, that was discipline out of love. How? Imagine what would have happened if the mother had just closed her eyes? The child will grow up thinking he can get away with stealing and one fine day, he will be caught by the long arms of the law. Wouldn't that hurt the mother even more? In this sense, she disciplined him out of love.

Hebrews 12:3-17 reminds us today once again that sin still occurs and that as long as we have life on this earth, the struggle with sin will never end. God will discipline us because we are His children. It is His desire that we share in His holiness and so He disciplines us out of love. The author exhorts us by saying that the trials that we are going through are but discipline for God. That this trails and discipline, though it may seem painful, will later yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. So no matter what discouragement and painful situations you may be facing that may seem bleak, know that this is just training from the Lord. The Lord will give you strength and it is through this training that we will come out of it a better person, yielding the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Thank You, Lord.

Rediscovering God Bible Cartoon - Week 1

2009-08-24T19:45:00.005+08:00

This is a "modern" version of the gospel account. It is about the transfiguration. The animation is not that professional but still, its enjoyable. Enjoy~

The Gates of Heaven

2009-08-19T15:05:00.001+08:00

This is a very nice and interesting cartoon about getting into heaven. What gives us the entry to heaven? Join Sam as he meets with God to find what is needed to get into heaven. Enjoy!

Being Normal

2009-08-14T12:18:00.000+08:00

"Hmm.. I am a Christian because I've said the sinners prayer and I believe and confess that Jesus came and died for my sins and He is risen again. So, I am happy as I am. I will go to church and come back. I will pray and do my devotions but that is all I will do. Anything else, I will not. I'll be going to heaven anyways." You sure?

Yes, though it is true that way to salvation is that we repent from our sins and confess and believe that Jesus is the Risen Savior and that He has died for our sins (Joh 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ), but not to do anything else and still be saved is purely a delusion. Did you not realize that in the Bible, not doing what is right is a sin?

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (Jas 4:17, ESV)

What is the right thing? Let us put aside our common sense and logic first and lets see what the Bible says about what is right. The Bible actually has lots of indications on what is right and wrong. In fact, there are some things that the Bible actually COMMANDS us to do. Let us get this straight: it is not ASKING us to do but COMMANDING us to do!

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20, ESV)
We are called to go and make disciples of ALL nations. Another commandment which many find it hard is this:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Mat 5:44, ESV)

And this was spoken by Jesus Himself! These are two of the MANY things that we are commanded to do as Christians. So, as Christians, we HAVE to do these things. It is just a delusion that we can just be "NORMAL" and not do anything.

You? Young?

2009-07-24T11:27:00.005+08:00

As youths, we have loads of energy and want to do many things. We share the vision and get so inspired and motivated. But the killer statement given to many of us is "You are just a youth. You can't do it one la..." But what if I told you even a kid can be a king?

Joash proved this statement wrong. At the age of 8, Joash became Judah's king. Now, if we read the book of Kings, we see that many of the kings did evil in God's sight. Let's look at what did the author of Kings write about King Joash.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, from Bozkath. He did what the Lord approved and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left. (2 Kings 22:1-2)

another translation wrote that "... Joash did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord." Read on until chapter 23:30 and you will see the wonders that Joash did for God. He repaired the temple, found, read and obeyed the book of the law, tore down idols, destroyed Jeroboam's calves, loved God with all his heart and walked in the ways of David! A young boy who became king yet had God's favor and did great things to reform Judah.

Who says young people can't do great things? Now is the time for this generation to rise up and impact the world with the gospel! Let us learn from King Joash. A young kid that became king and proved everyone wrong by bringing reform to Israel and walked in the ways of the Lord, something that many of the Israelite kings did not manage to do. Make a difference!

Ashamed?

2009-07-23T18:50:00.005+08:00

John walked into the office one day looking gloomy and down. He strode all the way to the pastor's office and knocked. "Come in" was heard from the other side of the door. John entered the pastor's office and closed the door behind him. The pastor saw that something was wrong with John and probed. John explained. "Pastor, I haven't been the best kid in the world. In fact, I think I would qualify to be the worst. I've done so many things over and over again. I know God had called me and all the prophecies and stuffs but, I don't think it's gonna happen. I'm just a sinner." The pastor smiled.

How many of us had had the same thought as John? Even I myself have asked that question before. We all have done many things that we are not that proud of and the shame sometimes causes us to wonder, "will God forgive me?" More than that, we ask, will God still accept us as his children? We repent, fall, repent, fall and the shame makes all these worse.

The Israelites weren't the best people as well. Even though they were God's chosen people, we see through the Bible chapters that they fell, repented, fell again, repented again, and the cycle continues. Israel had seen the greatness and power of God's deliverance, yet they still ended up being infiltrated by idolatry.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “You are about to die, and then these people will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which they are going. They will reject me and break my covenant that I have made with them. At that time my anger will erupt against them and I will abandon them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses will overcome them so that they will say at that time, ‘Have not these disasters overcome us because our God is not among us?’ But I will certainly hide myself at that time because of all the wickedness they will have done by turning to other gods. (Deuteronomy 31:16-18)

These were God's words to Moses before the Israelites entered the promise land. This means God knew that the Israelites would turn from Him. He knew that they will break His heart. But the beautiful thing was that He still brought them to the promise land because He was fulfilling the promise made to their ancestors:

For after I have brought them to the land I promised to their ancestors – one flowing with milk and honey – and they eat their fill and become fat... (Deuteronomy 31:20)

God is One who will keep His promises. Even though the Israelites was going to forsake Him, He still fulfilled His promise. God promised in His word:

But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision,but by God. (John 1:12)

This is one of His many promises to us. God will not break His promises but will keep it. This gives me the assurance that no matter what the shame, God is still our loving Father who will embrace us in His arms, just like the prodigal son. So next time Satan taunts you with shame, let us stand our ground and say to him: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

Change Your World Tour : Kluang

2009-07-21T04:47:00.002+08:00

1 a.m. and a community of young people are traveling to different cities challenging their generation about choosing, creating and cultivating their world. Participate and communicate with us as we journey together how we can change our “world”. Change Your World is not just an event or a tour, it’s a journey we want to embark on with you. Together we want to discover new friendships, new creative ideas, new adventures, purpose, passion and so much more endless discoveries when young people unite for a greater cause. Good news for Kluang! Change Your World Tour will be coming to Kluang on Sunday, 23 Aug 2009 at 2pm-6pm. Tickets are now available. Here is a little teaser for you to enjoy! See you there!

Life without limbs - Nick Vujicic

2009-07-19T11:35:00.005+08:00

An inspiring video on being contented and overcoming obstacles. Let the life of Nick Vujicic challenge each of us about our view on life's challenges.

God with us

2009-07-18T22:15:00.007+08:00

A youth came up to me once and asked me a question. "Bryan, will God really not leave me? Is He really always with me?" Many of us ask such a question as well. In fact, the Israelites, during the exile, would probably be thinking of that as well. They were about to lose their leader Moses who had been leading them all this while. But Moses answered them in a very powerful way.

[Moses] said to them, “Today I am a hundred and twenty years old. I am no longer able to get about, and the Lord has said to me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’ As for the Lord your God, he is about to cross over before you; he will destroy these nations before you and dispossess them. (Deuteronomy 31:2-3a)

You see, Moses did not say that the Lord will be WITH them but rather, the Lord will go BEFORE them. Which means that the Lord will go in front of them. Before they reached the place, the Lord would already be there! In another sense, it is so much as if He prepared the way for them simply because He went before them. Isn't that a wonderful promise? God is not only with us but He goes before us. This gives me the assurance that He knows my future and knows what is best for me. God with us! Emmanuel!

New Site

2009-07-12T22:52:00.007+08:00

Due to the www.generation-r.co.cc site being shut down, we had to move the blog to this address and therefore, having to make a new layout. Do give your comments on this layout.

Let me give you a simple overview on what we have on this site's sidebar (that's where most of the navigation is at). We have placed the time and date so you wont blur blur forget the time and date then make excuses (you're not the first to use the it slipped my mind excuse!). Then we have the event scroller and event calender for you to be in the know of what are the activities that Generation:R has planned. We of course have the 'Urm...' section. It is actually just a shoutout box. We know many of you LOOOOOOOVE to chat and so we have placed a chatbox there for all you chatterboxes.

Of course, we have the schedule download so that all of you WILL BE IN THE KNOW that you are in charge of a duty for that particular week. It is designed in such a way that you HAVE to download it. So there should be NO EXCUSE that you do not know you are on duty.

We also put a few links of associations, organizations and also people's website that you might find interesting to visit.

Thereafter, we have put some information about our youth group as well as this blog. Finally, there is a contact me button where if you want to email us, just click the button and you'll be forwarded to a contact page where you can just fill it up and it will be sent to us.

We hope that you will enjoy this site. Do use it to the max. Enjoy!