Archive for the 'His & My Story' Category
I am a Groundbreaking Thinker
Filed under: His & My Story, Snippets | Tags: Groundbreaking thinker, personality test
Comments(1) Recently I did a personality test which I thought was rather accurate in its description of me. Here is a summary:
Groundbreaking Thinkers are charming, enthusiastic persons. They really bubble over with energy and like to take centre stage. They love variety both professionally and privately.
Groundbreaking Thinkers tackle changes consistently with their optimism and firm belief in their own abilities; they are always on the look-out for improvement possibilities. Their excellent communication skills are of great advantage to them here.
On Work life
In their work, Groundbreaking Thinkers highly rate challenges and diversified tasks. They cannot stand routine and too detailed work. They love to astound others with bold ideas for an original, new project and then leave it up to the others to implement them.
Hierarchies, rules and regulations arouse their opposition and they love outsmarting the system. It can happen that some people feel somewhat duped by their flexible, spontaneous nature.
Their sociability and enterprise ensure that Groundbreaking Thinkers always have a large circle of friends and acquaintances in which activity plays an important role. As they are mostly in a good mood, they are popular and very welcome guests. Grumbling and peevishness are unknown to them. However, they do tend to be a little erratic and unstable when it comes to obligations and this makes them appear to be unreliable to some.
On Love life
Groundbreaking Thinkers are very critical and demanding when it comes to picking a partner because they look for the ideal relationship and have a very concrete picture of this ideal relationship. Mutual aims in life are very important to them. They do not like compromising and would rather remain alone.
For the partner, it is often a challenge to have a long-term relationship with a Groundbreaking Thinker. Groundbreaking Thinkers need a lot of space and diversity or otherwise they become bored and feel cramped.
Types who are rather more traditionalistic often have problems with the willingness of Groundbreaking Thinkers to take risks and their often crazy, spontaneous actions. However, if one can summon up sufficient flexibility and tolerance for them, one will never be bored in their presence and will always have a loyal and faithful partner.
Try out the personality test here>>>
My God-sent Family
At times, I can’t help but wonder how did I ever end up with my gang of friends during my secondary school days.
Whenever I reflect about this, I find it divinely funny since there is somewhat some distinct difference between them and myself.
Our special bond
Albeit the obvious differences, all of us share a common situation that I believe bonded us together: our dysfunctional family background.
Somehow, our gang became our family that we did not have or experience at home. It was being together that we felt a sense of belonging and security with each looking out for one another. It is amazing how we are still keeping tabs on one another till now.
God’s love revealed
Lately, I had a revelation that it was His plan and purpose from the very beginning that He “planted” me in that group in order that one day He could use me to reach out to them. And already I see this coming to pass.
I am not ashamed to say that I am thankful to God for my chequered past and the friends that I have made from there. Without them, I would not be the uniquely me I am today.
And I dare to say that I would have been worse off if I didn’t have friends as such as they were my family when I needed one during the most critical period of my early years.
Through my personal life, I am coming to understand more and experience more the deep love that God has for each one of us. He will resort to all means to ambush us with His love in order to save us.
The Move of God’s Love
Remember my ”big brother” who was miraculously saved by God’s grace some 3 months ago?
Last Sunday, I saw God moved right before my eyes during a rare dinner with about 10 of us. He used Thomas as His mouthpiece to share about his salvation.
Mind you that my old gang (pun intended) of friends were mostly from the traditional chinese background and are never interested in seeking Christianity. So witnessing the entire session was just mind-blowing!
In spite of his limited knowledge of God, I was encouraged how Thomas was able to boldly convey his personal experience with the Lord’s saving grace. He was even able to refute a couple of “attacking” comments!
Apart being glad for Thomas and his growing convictions of God in his life, I am also truly thankful how God is surely and slowly sweeping His love and truth among my friends.
After 8 years, some ”seeds” are finally budding and bearing fruits!
Is it All Worth it?
Filed under: His & My Story | Tags: heavenly Father, Michael Guglielmucci's, Planetshakers' Youth Pastor
Comments(6) 
The recent news about Planetshakers’ Youth Pastor (right), Michael Guglielmucci’s confession of his fraud and addiction to porn has brought many Christians into a shroud of disappointment and delusion.
From what I have observed more and more each day, I think this world is getting darker and darker with every passing year. It seems that we, as people are just getting more and more “sick” and evil in this present age.
My inner dialogue
Like many others, I can’t help but question myself if my all-out pursuit towards godliness is worth it.
Would it really make a difference or matter?
Why am I tiring myself for?
What good will it contribute to our world?
But God is always quick to draw me back to Him…
Honoring Him
Albeit being surrounded by darkness, I know I will still choose to honor the Lord with all that I am as compelled by His grace. Even if setting a high godly standard is tiresome, I do know that it is worth it cos He’s worth it. I love Jesus.
And personally, I believe my obedience to stand tall on His godly standards do matter. But even if it doesn’t make much of a contribution as I hope it would, at least the next generation (my future children) will.
Charging onwards
As a saying goes, “The higher you are, the harder you fall.” When we are higher, we are also an easy target for the enemy.
Therefore, it is critical that certain “check and balances” have to be learnt and to be in its proper place from the beginning to prevent any slip-ups that may proof costly like what Michael Guglielmucci has experienced.
In all honesty, I have no reservations to say that living a godly life is an insurmountable task to achieve in a lifetime. But I’m confident that God WILL provide the sustenance for us in living a godly life in order that we can be His “lighthouse” in this world.
No matter what goes on, we need to continue charging onwards.
My Journey of Faith: Crossing the 30-year mark
Today marks my 30th year in this journey called life. And to the contrary of what most people would think, I am enjoying every bit of this ageing process. Ha ha…
Personally, I think I am in an age and in a time of age (21st century) where divine opportunities are just laying before me (and for us) to seize in faith with His divine promises!
This journey with God
In retrospect, the past 8 years has been the most fruitful years of my journey. And that’s only because it has been a journey walked closely with God.
I can’t help but be grateful to where He has led me at present. I am also amazed that I am where I am cos never would I have imagined being who I am as a person or being where I am today.
Without Him, I am nothing and would have achieve nothing.
Expecting more with the road ahead
If I have to recount all the blessings and miracles that I have received and encountered, I will have to take an entire lifetime. And that’s what I intend to do!
What’s so exciting is that I know my journey with God has only just begun, and I’m looking forward to next 5 and 10 years of my life. I know whatever I am doing or deciding upon now would have a definitive effect on the future.
My prayer is that my heart will always be soft to His love and my walk aligned to His truth. Though I know the walk ahead is not going to be all easy, but I am assured of His faithfulness and love to me.
This journey in life is not just a test of faith in Him, but also a test of love for Him.
Embracing More of My Life In Christ
Filed under: His & My Story | Tags: tattoo removal, laser treatment, tattoo mark
Comments(10) 
The tattoo mark near my forehead has been with me for the past 15 years. It was done during my delinquency days and was supposed to identify one as a fighter.
In Hokkien there is a saying that’s used to describe people who have this tattoo, “Tou Ghan Zi Tiam… Pah Lang Bo Zeng Tiam.”
In literal translation it means, “Those head put one dot… beat people don’t know how to stop (without restraint).” Ha ha…
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
But in a couple of weeks more, this tattoo mark will be gone forever as I am undergoing laser treatment to permanently remove it.
The Life of Joseph: Dreams Fulfilled
Filed under: His & My Story | Tags: Genesis, Joseph the dreamer, man of dreams
Comments(4) 
Recently, I have been reading the life story of Joseph through the pages of Genesis.
His story is one that is truly inspiring.
This time reading it again brought fresh insights and revelation from God.
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
Interestingly, what I have observed from Joseph’s life has enabled me have more clarity in what He might be doing in my life and how I should respond in any given circumstance.
The man of dreams
Joseph was described as a man of dreams or the dreamer as it was recorded that he had two dreams which illustrated how his father and his brothers would kneel before him.
This revelation about his future was given unto him when he was a young lad. And I can imagine how Joseph must had been so excited about it.
Cos if he wasn’t, he would not have gone around sharing it to his brothers who were incensed with jealousy.
Later we read that his brothers plotted against him and sold him to be a slave. Joseph was eventually brought to Egypt where he served Potiphar’s household.
The Author of dreams
Joseph's brothers kneeling before him
When reading the plight of Joseph, it would be natural to pity with him in how he was betrayed by his own flesh and blood.
From being a young master with a comfortable, safe and good life, Joseph was now a slave leading a dirty, tough and poor life.
But as I read on, I’ve come to realise how the Hand of God was writing the chapters of Joseph’s life towards fulfilling his dreams when he was made the Prime Minister of Egypt.
If Joseph had not been not sold and remained with his family in the land of Canaan, then his dreams would have never been fulfilled. All the chain of events from the betrayal of his brothers to his imprisonment was orchestrated by God to bring Joseph closer to his dreams.
Likewise, things (whether good or bad) happen to us for His reason and purpose. we must not lose the plot and react negatively. Hence, we must fix our eyes on Him and trust in His love and promises.
Dreams fulfilled
In chapter 45 of Genesis, we read that Joseph cried uncontrollably when he saw his brothers kneeling before him. In the past, I used to think that it was because he felt guilty towards his brothers that he cried. Or that it was because he missed them so much that he cried.
Now, I realised that it was none of what I had thought before. Rather it was because he saw his dreams coming to pass before his eyes when his brothers knelt before him.
And upon seeing his dreams fulfilled, he finally understood why God had put him through all the years of suffering as a slave in Egypt. Joseph could now put the pieces of his life together and truly saw how awesome God was.
I believe we can also experience this (our dreams fulfilled) if we remain steadfast in our faith in God by constantly growing in His grace and knowledge of His word. And that’s what I pray and look forward to in my own life.
Being All That I Can Be For Him
Filed under: His & My Story | Tags: 1 Corinthians 9:19-24, Being All That I Can Be, bible verses
Comments(0) Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever.
I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view.
I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
1 Corinthians 9:19-24 (The Message)
Just some “tagged” questions…
Filed under: His & My Story, Snippets | Tags: ideal partner, tagged
Comments(0) 
1. What’s your ideal partner like?
Someone who’s not only God-fearing, but loves people with a lifestyle of service. She must also be a lady that is respectful to others. And towards me, she has to be exceptionally supportive and patient since I am work-in-progress. Ha ha…
2. If your partner betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
Devastated. I think I will certainly hide in my “cave” for 1-2 weeks before I can come out and feel normal again to talk to her.
3. What will your dream wedding be like?
In a garden or anywhere outdoors with beautiful flowers and greenery as our backdrop for a touch of simplicity and nature.
4. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
To be truly blessed, we need to love and be loved. Having one lesser than the other is not exactly blessed.
5. Would you rather be single & rich or married but poor?
Why cannot be married and rich?! Ha ha… But if I only have these two choices then I would choose being married but poor. That’s because I believe life is about the relationships we build around us and not mainly about material possessions we accumulate.
6. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
Being a travelling minister or a global “tent-maker” for the Lord.
7. How do you see yourself in ten years time?
In another country as a “tent-maker” with a business to fund my ministry.
8. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
Status quo; mediocrity; ineffective leadership limited by lack of vision, wisdom and love.
Defeating Darkness with Light
Filed under: Extra Thoughts, His & My Story | Tags: Light versus darkness, Being the Light of the world, sure-win battle, Edmund Burke
Comments(1) 
God calls His people who are called by His Name to be the Light of the world; and to shine as His Light is not exactly optional.
However in reality, many of us may have allowed Darkness- the worldly influences and corrupted state of our environment- to overwhelm us to either the point of conformity or to the point of indifference/status quo.
Therefore, Edmund Burke’s statement that “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” does hold alot of truth and explains why the Church is weak (my general opinion).
Light versus darkness
In one of my recent private moments with God, I was gently reminded of the power that light had against darkness. And that darkness is only the result of the absence of light.
When there is total darkness, even the faintest of light will breakthrough and be seen instantenously. Light disperses darkness.
The same cannot be said for darkness. Whether there is a dim or brightest of light, no matter how much more darkness there is surrounding it. Darkness can NEVER disperse light.
Though darkness looks over-powering and hideous, it actually has no direct affect on light. But it can only overshadow light when light fizzles or fades away.
Being the Light of the world
Likewise as Christians, our “dark” or adverse situation can only defeat us or overwhelm us if we choose to fizzle off or fade away to the background. That’s how we hand over victory or the authority to our enemy.
“… Become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…”
Philippians 2:14-16
With understanding of the power light has against darkness, this gives us the confidence that we can only emerge victorious IF we believe in His word and keeping shining by stand our ground.
As Christians, we can take heart that despite being the minority in the world; in our marketplace; in our community or family; our light will stand out even more and shine even brighter.
Positionally, we are fighting a sure-win battle, but we need to have faith and claim our victory.
