Floodgates 062

May - June 2011 Issue 62

GraceChildren’s Church Easter Party 23 April 2011

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CONTENTSIssue 62 | May - June 2011

Damansara UtamaMethodist Church

Church OfficeDream Centre, 2 Jalan 13/1Seksyen 1346200 Petaling JayaSelangor, MalaysiaTel : 603 7958 7388Fax : 603 7958 3787Email : [email protected] : www.dumc.com.my

The church office is closed on Mondays. In the event of emergen-cies or after office hours, you may contact 012 295 2600.

FLOODGATES is a newsletter of DUMC, seeking to report the happenings of the church and the blessings of God upon His people in DUMC. May the articles in Flood-gates which seek to encourage and edify the soul, contribute towards God’s community and making known His glory.

If you have an encouraging story to share, please send your article of about 600 words to [email protected] or call Monica Lee at 03 7958 7388 if you need a reporter to cover your story. All articles may be edited for purposes of clarity and space. Articles for July - August 2011 issue should be sent in by 8 June 2010.

3 Truth And Grace

4 My Sweet And Bitter Experience

5 The Lord Is My Refuge And Fortress

6 Servanthood & Leadership Conference

7 Journey To The Cross

8 Easter Reflection

8-9 The Man Who Defined History

10 Children’s Church Easter Party

11 He Is Faithful

12-14 How Great Is Our God

15 A Life-Changing Experience

16 How We Came To Know Christ

17 Our Amazing Isteri(s)

18-19 Women Of Worth

20 Fatherhood - Fire In The Fireplace

21-22 DUMC Ministries

23 DUMC Diary

24 Children’s Church Easter Party

Bahasa MalaysiaHall 2Sund

TamilHall 1Sundays, 2.00 - 4.00 pm

ays, 10.00 am - 12.00 noon

Chinese

Other Languages

Hall 1Sundays, 9.30 am - 11.15 noon

YouthRoom 103Saturdays, 5.00 - 7.00 pm

Children’s ChurchRoom 104Sundays, 10.00 am - 12.00 noon

NepaleseRoom 102Saturdays, 8.45 - 10.45 pm

n

e

EnglishAuditoriumSaturdays, 5.00 - 7.00 pmSundays, 10.00 am - 12.00 noo

Xtraordinary Youth ZonHall 3Saturdays, 2.00 - 4.00 pm

Children’s ChurchHall 1Saturdays, 2.30 - 4.30 pm

Weekend Celebrations

Truth & Grace

When we have God’s truth, we have God’s manual for our lives. It will keep us humble in good times and steady through the storms. And when the going is tough, God’s grace will be sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in weakness.

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Truth is crucial for the structuring of human lives, culture, society and a nation because only truth can hold these together long-term. And only truth can make these strong as well. Any society or nation, for example, that is built on half-truths or incomplete truths will crumble. We see this in multitude of civilisations over the centuries.

Truth transforms when it is applied to human life, culture and society. Jesus Christ who is the full embodiment of truth transforms human lives, culture, society and a whole nation when He is enthroned as their true Lord and Master in every sphere of human activity. We see this partly realised during the short reign of King Edward III when the young king was under the godly tutelage of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the Lord Protector Somerset and Richard Hooker, a brilliant preacher and outstanding Bible expositor.

Truth must therefore form the very foundation of all life and living. It is truth that builds strength in a society and nation. Even at the basic form of human relationship, it must be built on truth or it is a matter of time that the relationship will fall apart. And Jesus Christ who genuinely transforms must continue to form that solid foundation for anything that is going to last.

While truth is crucial, it will also hit us like a ton of bricks because truth is tough, hard and unyielding. That is the nature of truth and there is no two-way about it. Truth cuts and separates. Truth exposes the devious and even the devilish. Truth is painful to confront or even to acknowledge. That is why Jesus Christ comes not only as one who is the truth only but as the One “full of grace” (John 1:14).

We need grace to counter-balance truth and Jesus Christ is the full embodiment of this grace. He did not come to condemn as John 3:17 tells us: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” Jesus came to an unlovely world. He came to us who did not deserve His love and goodness. He came nevertheless. This is what grace is all about: love for the unlovely and the undeserving.

Jesus o�ers hope for all humankind. He loves us irrespective of who we are and what we have done. As there is forgive-ness in Him, we do not have to carry the excruciating load of guilt, pain, shame and condemnation. Jesus Christ has taken it all on the cross. Hence, human beings, culture and society can be redeemed and transformed in Jesus Christ. This is embodied in a nutshell in the Church of Jesus Christ.

The Church must therefore be a community of grace because having received this undeserved love, mercy and favour from God, they must reach out to o�er others this same grace of Jesus Christ. The Church must welcome everyone irrespective of background and past deeds. The only requirement is a genuine repentance of sins and from one’s past and a genuine turning to Jesus as Lord, Master and Saviour. The Church of Jesus Christ is the only body on earth that can o�er such hope to all.

There is, therefore, a better and greater future ahead of us all; a future �lled with excitement and expectancy. That better days are to come and the best is yet to be. This is the con�dence the people of God can look forward towards. In the midst of all the problems in this world, we see hope. Such is the assurance of the people of God. So, we work and serve bringing the grace of Christ to bear on our situation, environment, workplace, culture and nation. Indeed, the Church is the hope of the world.

Hence, the Church must ful�l her divine design, duty and destiny and it is for such that we work. Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth, o�ers hope and the only hope for us all humankind, cultures, societies and nations.

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17)

by Senior Pastor Dr Daniel Ho

Truth and Grace

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Never would I imagine that I would experience a funeral and a wedding one after another, of two very dear family members. My only daughter, Jade and Alvin were going to be married on Satur-day, 30 April 2011. On Thursday morn-ing, 28 April 2011, my 89 year-old father whom I love dearly went home to be with the Lord peacefully.

What were we to do with the planned wedding? My 84-year-old mother who accepted the Lord four years ago, was very steady. She gave her consent for Jade and Alvin’s wedding to proceed. Once that decision was made, the sequence of events became very clear. On Thursday, we witnessed the passing of our beloved family patriarch and had his wake service in the evening. On Friday, we had his funeral service in the morning and his burial in the afternoon. On early Saturday morning, we were in church for Jade and Alvin’s wedding. On Sunday night, we had Jade and Alvin’s wedding dinner.

So we had a funeral and a wedding that weekend! It was a time of sorrow at the funeral and a time of great joy at the wedding. What an unusual bitter and sweet weekend for me. The same was experienced by all my family members, cell members and close friends who knew both my father and daughter very well. Is it possible to celebrate the

wedding right after my father’s funeral? As the events moved very fast that weekend, I did not have time to think about such question. My family mem-bers and I just went through the motion.

Now, as I look at the photos of the funeral and the wedding, I am amazed at how we transited from the state of mourning on one day to the state of celebration on another day. It was possible because we have God’s truth and grace.

Firstly, we know that my father has moved on to heaven, which is a better place for him. A few months ago, I had a dream of my father as a young man up on a ladder repairing the fuse box. In the dream, he had black wavy hair. He was rippling with muscles (as he was shirtless) and he wore a pair of blue pants. I sensed God telling me that my father’s physical health which was weak-ening, will be totally restored in heaven.

Secondly, during the last weeks of my father’s life, he repeatedly told us that he would be shifting house. He said that his father had a big house for him where it was cool and he liked it there. On the eve of his passing, he told the maid that he would shift to a bigger room upstairs and our house would be full of people the next day.

So when my father passed away on that Thursday morning, yes, I was very sad but also at peace at the same time. Truly, it was God’s truth and grace that sustained me. Knowing God’s truth that my father is in a better place and as con�rmed by my father himself, has enabled me to let him go. After my father’s funeral and burial, we celebrated my father’s life at a restau-rant. I felt totally unburdened and there was this unexplainable joy. A few of us went shopping for wedding shoes there-after. Philippians 4:7 which says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus” was what I felt.

On Saturday, 30 April, we celebrated Jade and Alvin’s wedding at the church with great joy. I was told that I looked absolutely radiant. For someone who had lost her best friend and husband, my mother also looked very radiant at the wedding. How would all these be possible if not for God’s enablement?

From this bitter and sweet experience, I also learnt that God’s timing is always perfect and that He is in control of every situation. My strength and peace came from the Lord. He directed my path and He sent me wonderful friends in my unusual time of sorrow and celebration.

by Pat Wong, PJ North 2

My Bitter and Sweet Experience

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I accepted Jesus in 2007 when I was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer which had spread to my lungs. I invited Jesus as my Saviour because I desperately needed His help. I now advise my pre-believing friends not to be like me, turning to Jesus only in a state of need. If we have Jesus in our lives, we will be better prepared for all storms of life. Nevertheless, God is good. He accepts us as we are.

Looking back, that decision to turn to God was the best decision I had made. I cannot imagine what and how my life would have been if God was not with me these past four years. Since 2007, I have gone through 32 cycles of chemo-therapy, 28 times of radiotherapy and more than 20 cycles of either weekly or bi-weekly maintenance chemotherapy. I have to do at least one course of six cycles of maintenance chemotherapy treatment yearly which means for at least three months in a year. I am currently going through a course.

Most cancer patients usually go through only one course of six cycles of chemo-therapy. What I went through and still going through is a lot more. I thank God for sustaining me and being there for me through out.

Shortly after I was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, I had a major operation and was warded in the Intensive Care

Unit for six days. Everyday, I asked God to strengthen my breathing, my arms and legs so that I could regain my mobil-ity. When I was transferred to the normal ward, I prayed for God to bless me and for all the tubes to be removed from me.

After I was discharged, I had to go back to the hospital for daily dressing of my wound which was about four by four inches. This was my routine for about 60 days and it was a horrifying time. The pain during the �rst two weeks of dress-ing was so excruciating that even the painkiller did not help. I prayed to God before every dressing and with God’s help, the pain was just bearable.

I believe God has healed me. Nine months after the operation and comple-tion of my �rst course of chemotherapy, I was well enough to return to my corpo-rate work as an Assistant General Manager. I started to live a normal life, serving in Resonate as a choir member while coping with my chemotherapy routine.

Each morning, I now give thanks to God for a brand new day and the gift of life. Each night, I give thanks to Him for the blessings I received. Whenever I am fearful, I will meditate on Psalm 23 which says, “My Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me

beside quiet water, He restores my soul...”

When I received a medical report that shows progression in my cancer, I will meditate on Psalm 91 which says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.’”

I thank God for my supportive husband and cell group. The cell members are the people I call upon after calling God. They continue to uphold me, encourage me and help me grow spiritually. I am blessed to be introduced to this cell group by Pr Margaret.

As I re�ect on my past few years of journey, I have much to thank God for. Apart from healing me, I am blessed with a job that can �nance my heavy monthly medical bills. God answers my prayers and He is very real in my life. For as long as I hold on to God and do not give up on Him, I know He will have His way for me. He did not promise me a smooth sailing life but He has given me many promises which I can claim and hold on to. God is good and He has His timing for everything.

by Jong Ai Woon, PJ South 1

The Lord is my refuge and fortress

The Lord is my refuge and fortress

With my family on a holiday in February 2010

“The conference was very good! It was solid teaching! I learnt so much! The speaker was very good and yet amaz-ingly simple and humble!” These were some of the common remarks about the conference. All who attended seemed to enjoy the conference. Even those who attended only the weekend celebrations felt that they had received a personal message from God.

Rev Dr Tan Siang-Yang spoke with great passion and conviction on servanthood and discipleship at DUMC’s Servant-hood & Leadership Conference from 6 to 8 May 2011. He is the Senior Pastor of First Evangelical Church, Glendale in California and also Professor of Psychol-ogy at Fuller Theological Seminary, USA. He is also the author of a number of books and one of his books, “Full Service” is about servanthood.

He started the conference by pointing to Jesus as the Master Servant. He touched on how Jesus humbled Himself to wash His disciples’ feet (John 13), how He emptied of Himself to become one of us (Philippians 2) and that Jesus no longer calls us servant but friend. He also emphasised many times that the Bible focuses on “discipleship” which is about following Jesus and servanthood. Every Christian is a disciple and is called to servanthood as friends of Jesus. Hence, when we serve our best friend, we want to serve out of love and not out of enslavement.

Rev Tan said servanthood should be a way of life where our focus is not about doing great things for God but to do things (and it could be small things) for a great God with great love. And whatever we do, we want to do it in secrecy and anonymously.

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by Low Mei Ling, Floodgates

Rev Tan also cautioned against frivolous activities where we get so involved with the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord. We must never lose touch of our “First Love”. Servanthood is not servitude which is doormat service, saying “yes” to everything to please others. True servants take orders only from the master Himself. And if we are truly serving our best friend Jesus who loves us and wants the best for us, we will put Jesus �rst and we will rest in Jesus.

Throughout the conference, Rev Tan also touched a number of times on John 15:5 which says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” He reminded everyone that it is Jesus who holds everything together (as written in Colossians) and even the very breath we take is by His grace. If we appreciate this fact that we can do absolutely nothing without Jesus, we will be humbled.

He said that only Jesus can give us the “deepest life” where we �nd our true self (and not lose ourselves). The Christian life is the deepest kind of life we can ever know. The way to it cannot be rushed and cannot be crammed in a short programme. It is to “walk with Jesus daily” (WWJD). When we spend time with Jesus in prayer, have deep fellow-ship with Him and be anointed by the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will show and people will see Jesus in us.

In one of his sessions, Rev Tan also touched at length on the subject of pride and humility. Of the seven deadly sins comprising pride, envy, anger, greed, sloth, gluttony and lust, he shared that

“pride” is the deadliest. He also highlighted many Scriptures which showed how much the Lord hates the proud and gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 16:18 says “pride goes before destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride is an obsession with self. It is about putting self and not God �rst. If pride is our issue, we need to kill it before it brings us down.

The conference was very helpful in that it gave us many pointers to check on our spiritual health and reminded us to focus on Jesus, remain in Jesus and rest in Jesus for apart from Him, we can do absolutely nothing.

To check if pride has quietly crept into our lives, Rev Tan shared the following �ve sign posts of pride according to Peter Wagner.• Yearning for praise/ human accolades• Keeping score of what we have achieved• Cultivating a creator complex and trying to change people to our image• Rejoicing in people’s failures and resenting people’s success• Compulsively defending against criticism

Servanthood & Leadership Conference

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Thirteen stations representing Jesus’ �nal “Journey to the Cross” were enacted in DUMC. During the period from 11 to 24 April 2011, about 1,000 people seized the opportunity to retrace some de�ning situations of Jesus’ �nal moments on earth.

It was my �rst time. As we could spend as much time as we desire at each station, I had a very personal experience with Jesus. The �rst station was a fuzzy television monitor representing the noise and distractions of our lives. Once the television was turned o� and as I quiet my spirit before God, I immediately received a sense of peace and calm.

The next station had a pair of sandals, the ordinary kind that Jesus probably wore when He walked the dusty roads in Israel. I was reminded that our eternal God who created the world humbled Himself to become an ordinary man for our sake. Towards Jesus’ �nal days, Mary anointed Him with expensive perfume. At this station, we placed a few drops of the fragrant oil on a cotton ball and then smelled the fragrance. The fragrant worship of Jesus ought to be a vital part of our lives.

How could anyone betray a close friend for money? Judas traded Jesus for money. At the next station, we held a few coins in our hand and tried to imag-ine how Judas must have felt. It dawned on me that Jesus is priceless. How can He ever be traded at whatever price?

In the Passover feast station, we ate some bread dipped in oil as was done during the Last Supper. Imagine the heartbreak Jesus must have felt as He knew one of his disciples was about to betray Him. Often, we would stop some-one whom we know is plotting against us but Jesus did not. He understood God’s sovereignty and submitted to God’s bigger plan and purpose.

In remembrance of Jesus’ sorrow in the garden of Gethsemane, we were to drink a small cup of grape juice and remember that Jesus chose to bear the agony of the Cross by drinking the cup to save us. Jesus also prayed to the Father, “Yet not as I will, but as You will”. In so doing, Jesus showed us the mean-ing of true submission. The next station had a thick and heavy rope representing Jesus’ arrest. Jesus, our Lord and Saviour chose to submit to the di�icult way of the Cross . How can my King go through such submission, be in obedi-ence for me? But He did.

At the next station on Jesus’ trial, we imagined ourselves in Peter’s shoes. Peter was a close follower of Jesus and yet not only did Peter watch Jesus being beaten and mocked, he also denied knowing Jesus. Next, we were presented with a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns used by angry soldiers to wound and humiliate Jesus. All I could think of at this juncture, was that Jesus, being the perfect man, did not do anything wrong. Yet, He went through all these because of me.

The station for Jesus’ cruci�xion was the most signi�cant of them all. The larger-than-life-sized Cross and projected scenes of Jesus being whipped and beaten by the Romans were heart breaking. Tears naturally �owed. Seeing the immeasurable pain that Jesus went through as he was �ogged, bruised, whipped and beaten, kneeling at the Cross was the least one can do, in awe and thanksgiving that our King has died for our sins. At this station, we were to write a sin in our life and nail it on the Cross. As I nailed my sin on the Cross, it was reinforced in my heart that all my sins were nailed on the Cross where Jesus died. He bore the pain of the Cross so that I am forgiven. Forever.

Darkness came over the earth the moment Jesus died. We extinguished one of the lit candles at this station in remembering the darkness that the whole world felt that day. The next station focused on the heavy rock which sealed Jesus’ tomb. The disciples’ hearts must have been very heavy when they thought that Jesus was dead and buried. The �nal station was on Jesus’ resurrection. What joy it was for the three women to know that Jesus had risen and was alive. Today, I too rejoice knowing that He will return one day to reign as the King of kings! At the �nal station and after going through the “Journey to the Cross”, we re�ected on “What will I do with Jesus?” I was simply thankful to Jesus for His �nished work on the Cross and my life is now His.

by Ng Phaik May, Floodgates

Journey to the Cross

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During the recent Easter celebrations, DUMC members had the privilege to experience a wonderful one-man stage play by Bruce Kuhn based on the Gospel of Luke and some passages from John. Bruce brought to life the living Word of God with incredible enthusiasm. The audience was thoroughly engaged in his delivery of Bible events and captivated by his astounding dramatic perfor-mance. With the vivid portrayal of events, people were able to see, understand and be touched by the Word of God.

In the story of how Jesus forgave an adulterous woman, Bruch Kuhn brought the scene to life with not only his superb voice control but also very careful body language. A week after the Easter play, I had an opportunity to interview Bruce in person and was thrilled to be invited to his coaching class. At last, I learnt how Bruce is able to recite from memory the words from Scripture and express them so marvel-ously. I learnt that it truly takes a lot of time and dedication to memorise the Scripture by heart. However, that is only the �rst step.

After committing the Scripture to memory, the next step is to paraphrase it to their natural voice and to relay the story as actual events, that is, to tell the story from an eye witness’ account point of view. To do this, the story teller must thoroughly understand

the character, the setting of the event and even minute details such as the thought process behind the character.

For instance, in the parable of the adulterous woman, the story teller had to understand why Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground when the “noble men” came and demanded an answer to their question. The men said to Jesus, “This woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

They were out to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against Him. However, instead of directly answering the question, Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his �nger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “If anyone of you is wihtout sin, let him be the �rst to throw a stone at her.” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no

one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. And Jesus said, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Indeed, Jesus Christ has forgiven all our sins. He took it upon himself the sins of the world at the cross, endured excruci-ating pain and took away our guilt and shame. We are so loved by God, that “He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

I also noticed that in the stage play, when Bruce stooped down, his back was facing the audience. Why? In the class, Bruce explained that a plausible reason why Jesus stooped down and just doodled on the ground was because He was using a crowd controlling technique. Imagine, Jesus facing an angry mob, who purposefully placed Jesus in a position of con�ict, demand-ing for an answer. Reacting noncha-lantly was a strategic move to counter the hostility of the mob. Now, why did Bruce choose to have his back facing the audience? According to him, out of

by Rosalyn Ho, Floodgates

respect for the adulterous woman who might not be appropriately dressed, Jesus had his back facing the crowd and her.

Hence, apart from memorising the Scrip-tures, sometimes, research (Bible studies) had to be done to understand the context, characters and thoughts behind the actions. If we practise this story telling technique when we read our Bible, we will be enriched with a deeper understanding of the gospel.

At the close of the play, Bruce shared that there was once a young person who was very captivated by the Bible story he presented but thought that the way of life presented was only meant for Christians. He then explained to the young man that the gospel is like an open wedding invita-tion where everyone is invited and it is up to us to accept. On this note, Pr Daniel weaved in to reiterate that Jesus has invited all of us to join Him in having this everlasting life. This invitation is open to everyone irrespective of background. We just need to receive this loving invitation, through faith in Jesus Christ. It was wonderful to see many people responded to the altar call.

Indeed, DUMC is very blessed to have seen Bruce’s work and learnt his powerful story telling techniques. For Bruce, he shared that it was a joy to be able to touch hearts with his performance and see souls saved in the process.

It’s again a time for joy on this most auspicious dayWhen the Lord gained victory over evil, death He defeated

A time to celebrate the glory of One with mighty ways

The One and Only who died but was divinely resurrected

We rejoice and praise Jesus, God’s only sonWhom God sent down

in human form as Son of ManThe Lord who saves, Messiah,

Christ and Anointed OneWho played to perfection

His role as God’s Sacrificial Lamb

He inspires mankind with His kindness and love

Working miracle after miracle with His mighty hands

He gives the weak strength and the poor their worth

And guides His sheep away from decadent quicksand

He brings salvation to us who have faith in Him

Ingloriously suffered pain on the cross so we get to gain

Gave His life to pay full ransom for all our sins

One should question oneself, “Is His sacrifice in vain?”

He offers His flesh and blood as the new covenant

And, by God’s design, was crucified at Calvary

Only to conquer death, resurrect and ascend to heaven

To claim His rightful place as One in the Holy Trinity

He reveals to the world His second comingSays be righteous and faithful,

prepared and always readyLike a thief in the night

He will return without warningSinners will perish whilst those saved live with Him eternally

Yet for what He has done, is and will be doing for mankind

Regrettably, many do not know Him to have His blessings

And for who He was, is and will be in your life and mine

Sadly, many who know still will not come to believe Him

Reflectionby Chin Fook Yuen, PJ North 3


The Man who defined history Watch to see, listen to hear about the One who de�ed death …

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During the recent Easter celebrations, DUMC members had the privilege to experience a wonderful one-man stage play by Bruce Kuhn based on the Gospel of Luke and some passages from John. Bruce brought to life the living Word of God with incredible enthusiasm. The audience was thoroughly engaged in his delivery of Bible events and captivated by his astounding dramatic perfor-mance. With the vivid portrayal of events, people were able to see, understand and be touched by the Word of God.

In the story of how Jesus forgave an adulterous woman, Bruch Kuhn brought the scene to life with not only his superb voice control but also very careful body language. A week after the Easter play, I had an opportunity to interview Bruce in person and was thrilled to be invited to his coaching class. At last, I learnt how Bruce is able to recite from memory the words from Scripture and express them so marvel-ously. I learnt that it truly takes a lot of time and dedication to memorise the Scripture by heart. However, that is only the �rst step.

After committing the Scripture to memory, the next step is to paraphrase it to their natural voice and to relay the story as actual events, that is, to tell the story from an eye witness’ account point of view. To do this, the story teller must thoroughly understand

the character, the setting of the event and even minute details such as the thought process behind the character.

For instance, in the parable of the adulterous woman, the story teller had to understand why Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground when the “noble men” came and demanded an answer to their question. The men said to Jesus, “This woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

They were out to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against Him. However, instead of directly answering the question, Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his �nger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “If anyone of you is wihtout sin, let him be the �rst to throw a stone at her.” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no

one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. And Jesus said, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Indeed, Jesus Christ has forgiven all our sins. He took it upon himself the sins of the world at the cross, endured excruci-ating pain and took away our guilt and shame. We are so loved by God, that “He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

I also noticed that in the stage play, when Bruce stooped down, his back was facing the audience. Why? In the class, Bruce explained that a plausible reason why Jesus stooped down and just doodled on the ground was because He was using a crowd controlling technique. Imagine, Jesus facing an angry mob, who purposefully placed Jesus in a position of con�ict, demand-ing for an answer. Reacting noncha-lantly was a strategic move to counter the hostility of the mob. Now, why did Bruce choose to have his back facing the audience? According to him, out of


respect for the adulterous woman who might not be appropriately dressed, Jesus had his back facing the crowd and her.

Hence, apart from memorising the Scrip-tures, sometimes, research (Bible studies) had to be done to understand the context, characters and thoughts behind the actions. If we practise this story telling technique when we read our Bible, we will be enriched with a deeper understanding of the gospel.

At the close of the play, Bruce shared that there was once a young person who was very captivated by the Bible story he presented but thought that the way of life presented was only meant for Christians. He then explained to the young man that the gospel is like an open wedding invita-tion where everyone is invited and it is up to us to accept. On this note, Pr Daniel weaved in to reiterate that Jesus has invited all of us to join Him in having this everlasting life. This invitation is open to everyone irrespective of background. We just need to receive this loving invitation, through faith in Jesus Christ. It was wonderful to see many people responded to the altar call.

Indeed, DUMC is very blessed to have seen Bruce’s work and learnt his powerful story telling techniques. For Bruce, he shared that it was a joy to be able to touch hearts with his performance and see souls saved in the process.

It’s again a time for joy on this most auspicious dayWhen the Lord gained victory over evil, death He defeated

A time to celebrate the glory of One with mighty ways

The One and Only who died but was divinely resurrected

We rejoice and praise Jesus, God’s only sonWhom God sent down

in human form as Son of ManThe Lord who saves, Messiah,

Christ and Anointed OneWho played to perfection

His role as God’s Sacrificial Lamb

He inspires mankind with His kindness and love

Working miracle after miracle with His mighty hands

He gives the weak strength and the poor their worth

And guides His sheep away from decadent quicksand

He brings salvation to us who have faith in Him

Ingloriously suffered pain on the cross so we get to gain

Gave His life to pay full ransom for all our sins

One should question oneself, “Is His sacrifice in vain?”

He offers His flesh and blood as the new covenant

And, by God’s design, was crucified at Calvary

Only to conquer death, resurrect and ascend to heaven

To claim His rightful place as One in the Holy Trinity

He reveals to the world His second comingSays be righteous and faithful,

prepared and always readyLike a thief in the night

He will return without warningSinners will perish whilst those saved live with Him eternally

Yet for what He has done, is and will be doing for mankind

Regrettably, many do not know Him to have His blessings

And for who He was, is and will be in your life and mine

Sadly, many who know still will not come to believe Him

Reflectionby Chin Fook Yuen, PJ North 3


The Man who defined history Watch to see, listen to hear about the One who de�ed death …

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He added that in bringing the story to life, God transcended the language boundary by touching the hearts of many of the Orang Asli guests who came to the Easter party. Although these children did not understand English which was the language used in the play, some of these indigenous people wept when they watched the performance.

For all who came, it was an awesome experience to re-live the �nal moments of Jesus and be reminded of His great love for each and everyone. Hearts were touched because God was present at the Easter party.

by Low Mei Ling, Floodgates

More than 1,000 children and 300 adults packed Hall 1 to attend Children’s Church Easter Party on 23 April 2011. The attendance was way above expec-tation. This year’s Easter play started with a scene of Palm Sunday with Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem with crowds of disciples joyfully praising God in loud voices and shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The story then moved to the scene where the chief priests, the rulers and the people wanted Pilate to crucify Jesus. When Pilate suggested for Jesus to be released as He did no wrong, the crowd protested. They demanded that Jesus be cruci�ed and the criminal Barabbas be released instead. The character of Jesus was played by a youth from XYZ, all other members of the acting cast were from Children’s Church.

The highlight of the play was the next scene which portrayed Jesus’ �nal steps to Calvary. The ambience created that afternoon was quite nostalgic. With the lights dimmed and the clear voice of a soloist permeating through the hall, singing “Via Dolorosa” (which means the painful of Jesus to Calvary) and accompanied by a mini strings ensemble, there was complete silence amongst the audience. Imagine 1,000 children holding their breath and their eyes glued on at �rst, Simon from Cyrene who helped the badly beaten up Jesus carried His cross for part of the journey. Towards the end of the route, Jesus who was in great pain and had many stripes on His back, struggled with

the heavy cross Himself and then endured the worst kind of su�ering which was the cruci�xion. He did it for us.

During these moments, although I knew it was all acting by the young cast, it still gripped my heart and I shuddered to see the image of Jesus struggling and su�ering on Calvary. As the lyrics of “Via Dolorosa” were also projected, everyone in the hall was stunned. Some of the children wept as they could relate with the pain and su�ering of Jesus. He loved us so much that He was willing to die for our sins so that we could be reconciled with God and have eternal life. Of the 1,000 children who came, about 25% of them were �rst time visitors. When Pr Jonathan Yeoh made the altar call, 152 children responded. As the front portion of the hall was quite packed, many more could have wanted to respond but could not make it to the front. The Easter play was very well-received by the audience. Pr Jonathan gave thanks to God for enabling the project team to take the story from concept to stage in two-and-a-half months. This was his �rst Easter Party since assum-ing the position as Children’s Church pastor and he was overwhelmed by the whole-hearted support of his leaders, helpers and parents. He attributed the success of the party to his leaders who have worked together with one heart, one mind, one spirit and as one people. More than 50 children were involved in the production of the play.

Children’s Church Easter PartyTracing Jesus’ �nal days on earth

It was April 2011. As it had been more than three months since I lost my job, it was a challenging time indeed. Cell members, friends and pastors encour-aged me to “hang on” and trust God for open doors. However, when I started to think about where the providence will come after our resources are used up, immediately, all the “man’s e�orts” set in. I grabbed every interview opportunity. I made every e�ort and explored every avenue to secure a decent-paying job to support my family.

However, I faced rejection after rejection. My hope was dashed. In many of the interviews, the prospect of getting a job was so close and yet so far! Looking back, it was a season of God’s moulding. During this time, God taught me about Faith, Faithfulness, Faith in persever-ance and Faith in action.

Notwithstanding the uncertainties, I had peace and deep assurance within me to persevere, continue to seek the Lord and trust Him all the way. It was a testing time as I battled between trusting the LORD wholly and time and again, leaning on my own e�ort. It was also a re�ning time. I began to submit slowly to the will of God and let Him have His way in my life. The Holy Spirit reconciled me back to Jesus and restored my fellow-ship with Him in my prayer life.

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He is faithful! by Dominic Ong, PJ South 2

During this period, I had the opportunity to catch up on my reading and most of the books I read were about Faith. I read the autobiography of Hudson Taylor who is the Father of Faith Mission, books by Benny Hinn and Dr Paul Yonggi Cho which all pointed to faith in the true living God and total reliance on the Holy Spirit. They also reminded me to put my faith in God to provide for every area of my life.

Although this was not the �rst time I was out of a job, the experience this time was di�erent. There was this peace in my heart that I could not explain. And God did not fail to provide. There was food daily and many times, in abundance. My faith was stretched and tested. There were times when I failed but God always let me start again. I learnt about “Faith-fulness and Faith in perseverance”.

He is indeed a God who gives us a second chance and often, more than a second chance. God did not forsake me. Through these times of testing and stretching of faith, I learnt to hear from Him more clearly and accurately. The Holy Spirit began to reveal to me why most of my interviews were not fruitful. They were not rejections but protection from potential frustration and heartache. Jesus was watching over my family. He knew every detail and He protected me from anything that would not be favour-able for me.

Given my unemployment and the uncer-tainties ahead, I turned down an invita-tion to go for a mission trip to Cambodia. Pr Ling encouraged me to trust God. He said, “Go and God will provide.” Indeed, when I took the step of faith and con�rmed my participation for the mission trip from 26 May to 3 June, God provided me with the job I had been waiting for! He was faithful to provide when I trusted Him and stepped out in faith. I have prayed for an opportunity to serve Him in missions and He honoured it. I am looking forward to the trip.

No one can take any credit for my job as all man’s e�orts have failed. God provided and only He is to be glori�ed!

He is faithful! Through testing times, I learnt to hear from Him more clearly and accurately.

In March 2011, our team of nine mem-bers comprising John Ow (leader), Elaine Surin, Peter Chen, Karen Chen, Helen Hew, Roger Heong, Khoo Seng Keong, Cathy Loh and I went on a nine-day mission trip to Cambodia. Apart from our leader, John Ow, the rest of us were all �rst timers.

Cambodia is truly a place where “the harvest is plenty”. Many of the Khmers were open and eager to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. We taught and did village outreach, home visitation and church services. God was with us every step of the way and we experienced His mighty power working through us. By God’s grace, we were privileged to witness several miracle healings and about 250 salvations.

One of the highlights of our trip was the instant healing of a 78 year-old woman. She had not been able to lift her arms beyond her shoulder for past two years but after a simple prayer of blessing, she could raise her arms. With tears of joy, she proclaimed her healing to the other villagers and many came to faith that day because of her.

After all that we saw and experienced in Cambodia, every one of us came home with stronger faith, increased compas-sion, greater urgency to proclaim the gospel and a deeper desire to do more for God. We are forever changed by what we experienced on this trip. The acronym TEAM sums up our experience in Cambodia, which is timely, exciting, amazing and memorable.

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by Jenny Tiong, PJ North 2

How GREATis our GOD!

Pr KEA (Sokun’s spiritual father)

NartMy name is Nart and I am 15 years old. My mother is the breadwinner of our family as my father cannot work due to illness. We have a very hard life. We barely have enough money for our food and daily needs and there is no way my parents could a�ord to send me to school.

JESUS is wonderful. In 2009, I have a friend who was learning English from brother Sokun. Jesus connected me with brother Sukon and He paved the way for my pre-believing parents to allow me to leave home to stay with brother Sukon in church so that I could learn English. Brother Sukon is �ve years older than me. He took me under his wings and shared Jesus with me.

Ever since then, JESUS has made many things possible for me. Jesus provides for all my daily needs. Brother disciples me and my friends, Happy, Ravrut, Bun and Srors who are about my age. I now go to school. I can speak English and

now, I can teach my friends English. I thank Jesus for all that He is doing in my life. I am growing in Him and I am very happy to serve Him in whatever way I can.

Every Saturday night, I help out at our cell meetings. On Sundays, with God’s help, I now lead worship and prayer in church. He guides me on what to pray. For example on 6 March 2011, Jesus led me to pray for pre-believers to know Him and for the many Christians in Baray who were in debt to be out of debt. When our leaders go to Baray for ministry work, they allow me to follow and I get to help

lead other friends to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

I hope to be able to study Maths and Computing someday. When I am older, I would like to be a tour guide so that I will be able to provide for my parents and sister and for my church. Jesus made the way for me to learn English, go to school and more importantly, to know Him as my Lord and Saviour and serve Him. I now pray the same for the Khmer people that they will come to know Him and have a better life.

Sokun (Nart’s spiritual father)I come from a family of �ve children, three girls and two boys. My father is jobless. My mother is farmer and to supplement her income, she also runs a grocery stall. We used to believe in Buddhism and Taoism and we worshipped our ancestors. When I was younger, I was quite rebel-lious. I had no respect for my father and always argued with him. I used to hang out with the wrong crowd, drinking and doing things that I should not. My life took a turn when a classmate persuaded me to join him for free English lessons in a church. He told me that I might be fortunate to have some foreigners to sponsor my education. On my fourth visit to church, I became a Christian

because I found so many caring people there especially Pr Kea.

When my mother found out about my new faith, she stopped me from going to church. However, I was very persistent and eventually, she relented on the condition that I ful�lled my responsibility at home which was to feed our cows before I go to church.

One day when I came home after church, I found my mother upset and crying. Our cows had crossed over to our neighbour’s farm and they ate all the vegetables on the farm. The neighbour demanded US$500 as compensation. We had no money to pay. Out of rage, my mother beat me continuously and pushed me down the stairs. The fall was so bad that that I had to be rushed to the hospital.

My church friends and Pr Kea prayed for me. With God’s grace, I managed secure a loan from the bank to pay for the damage. Another miracle happened that day. My neighbour decided to charge us USD250 instead of the earlier demand of US$500. From then on, I started to draw closer to God for I knew it was He who helped me to resolve my problem.

I was brought up in a Buddist family and my father was a leader of a local temple. In my younger days, I was involved in all sorts of vice from stealing, drinking, womanising to gangsterism. When my sister decided to become a Christian, I opposed strongly. I believed then that Christianity condemned other gods and would teach us to hate our parents.

Sometime in early 1990s, I had very severe typhoid fever. My family sought help from many doctors and the temples. However, I could not be cured. My condition worsened and I was bedridden for many weeks. I grew weaker by the day. Then out of desperation, I remembered the God that my sister was always telling me about and I cried out to Him to heal me. God came upon me and I felt a burning �re in my body. In the days that followed, I started to recover and slowly regained my strength until I was completely healed. I then knew that the God who healed me was the one true God. In 1993, with God’s grace, I was led to accept Jesus Christ by Pr Seng, a Khmer mission pastor.

After I became a Christian, my family started to face persecution after perse-cution from the villagers and the temple Nart and Sokun

Instead of sharing more about what our team did in Cambodia, we would like to highlight the lives of three generations of Khmer leaders we met on our trip namely, Pr Kea, Sokum and Nart. It is amazing how Jesus has touched and transformed their lives.

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What a privilege to see this grateful woman in tears of joy having just received her miracle healing.

God reminded us to love and serve others regardless of their background. Just as God has richly blessed us, we can do the same to others.

What we saw and learnt on the mission fieldWhat we saw and learnt on the mission field

followers. My father was ridiculed and mocked for his inability to prevent his son from converting to another religion. I was in turn persecuted by my father and friends. My relationship with my father was strained as a result.

I became a pastor in 1996. I now lead three churches and I am actively involved in the youth ministry. One day, while I was praying to God, asking Him to raise more youth leaders to help with the ministry, God gave me a vision of Sokun. I started to mentor Sokun and today, this 21 year-old young man is the leading two youth groups and the children’s church.

I am married to my lovely wife, Vuthy and we have two children. My mother accepted Christ recently. My relation-ship with my father has since reconciled. Although he has yet to come to faith, he believes in Jesus Christ. My vision is to see the Somroun church grows from the current congregation of 200 worshippers to 1500.

God opened our eyes to see how much He loves His people. He is in control and He is more than able to take care of everything.

We learnt that it is not what we can do but what God can do through us when we surrender to Him.

In March 2011, our team of nine mem-bers comprising John Ow (leader), Elaine Surin, Peter Chen, Karen Chen, Helen Hew, Roger Heong, Khoo Seng Keong, Cathy Loh and I went on a nine-day mission trip to Cambodia. Apart from our leader, John Ow, the rest of us were all �rst timers.

Cambodia is truly a place where “the harvest is plenty”. Many of the Khmers were open and eager to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. We taught and did village outreach, home visitation and church services. God was with us every step of the way and we experienced His mighty power working through us. By God’s grace, we were privileged to witness several miracle healings and about 250 salvations.

One of the highlights of our trip was the instant healing of a 78 year-old woman. She had not been able to lift her arms beyond her shoulder for past two years but after a simple prayer of blessing, she could raise her arms. With tears of joy, she proclaimed her healing to the other villagers and many came to faith that day because of her.

After all that we saw and experienced in Cambodia, every one of us came home with stronger faith, increased compas-sion, greater urgency to proclaim the gospel and a deeper desire to do more for God. We are forever changed by what we experienced on this trip. The acronym TEAM sums up our experience in Cambodia, which is timely, exciting, amazing and memorable.

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by Jenny Tiong, PJ North 2

How GREATis our GOD!

Pr KEA (Sokun’s spiritual father)

NartMy name is Nart and I am 15 years old. My mother is the breadwinner of our family as my father cannot work due to illness. We have a very hard life. We barely have enough money for our food and daily needs and there is no way my parents could a�ord to send me to school.

JESUS is wonderful. In 2009, I have a friend who was learning English from brother Sokun. Jesus connected me with brother Sukon and He paved the way for my pre-believing parents to allow me to leave home to stay with brother Sukon in church so that I could learn English. Brother Sukon is �ve years older than me. He took me under his wings and shared Jesus with me.

Ever since then, JESUS has made many things possible for me. Jesus provides for all my daily needs. Brother disciples me and my friends, Happy, Ravrut, Bun and Srors who are about my age. I now go to school. I can speak English and

now, I can teach my friends English. I thank Jesus for all that He is doing in my life. I am growing in Him and I am very happy to serve Him in whatever way I can.

Every Saturday night, I help out at our cell meetings. On Sundays, with God’s help, I now lead worship and prayer in church. He guides me on what to pray. For example on 6 March 2011, Jesus led me to pray for pre-believers to know Him and for the many Christians in Baray who were in debt to be out of debt. When our leaders go to Baray for ministry work, they allow me to follow and I get to help

lead other friends to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

I hope to be able to study Maths and Computing someday. When I am older, I would like to be a tour guide so that I will be able to provide for my parents and sister and for my church. Jesus made the way for me to learn English, go to school and more importantly, to know Him as my Lord and Saviour and serve Him. I now pray the same for the Khmer people that they will come to know Him and have a better life.

Sokun (Nart’s spiritual father)I come from a family of �ve children, three girls and two boys. My father is jobless. My mother is farmer and to supplement her income, she also runs a grocery stall. We used to believe in Buddhism and Taoism and we worshipped our ancestors. When I was younger, I was quite rebel-lious. I had no respect for my father and always argued with him. I used to hang out with the wrong crowd, drinking and doing things that I should not. My life took a turn when a classmate persuaded me to join him for free English lessons in a church. He told me that I might be fortunate to have some foreigners to sponsor my education. On my fourth visit to church, I became a Christian

because I found so many caring people there especially Pr Kea.

When my mother found out about my new faith, she stopped me from going to church. However, I was very persistent and eventually, she relented on the condition that I ful�lled my responsibility at home which was to feed our cows before I go to church.

One day when I came home after church, I found my mother upset and crying. Our cows had crossed over to our neighbour’s farm and they ate all the vegetables on the farm. The neighbour demanded US$500 as compensation. We had no money to pay. Out of rage, my mother beat me continuously and pushed me down the stairs. The fall was so bad that that I had to be rushed to the hospital.

My church friends and Pr Kea prayed for me. With God’s grace, I managed secure a loan from the bank to pay for the damage. Another miracle happened that day. My neighbour decided to charge us USD250 instead of the earlier demand of US$500. From then on, I started to draw closer to God for I knew it was He who helped me to resolve my problem.

I was brought up in a Buddist family and my father was a leader of a local temple. In my younger days, I was involved in all sorts of vice from stealing, drinking, womanising to gangsterism. When my sister decided to become a Christian, I opposed strongly. I believed then that Christianity condemned other gods and would teach us to hate our parents.

Sometime in early 1990s, I had very severe typhoid fever. My family sought help from many doctors and the temples. However, I could not be cured. My condition worsened and I was bedridden for many weeks. I grew weaker by the day. Then out of desperation, I remembered the God that my sister was always telling me about and I cried out to Him to heal me. God came upon me and I felt a burning �re in my body. In the days that followed, I started to recover and slowly regained my strength until I was completely healed. I then knew that the God who healed me was the one true God. In 1993, with God’s grace, I was led to accept Jesus Christ by Pr Seng, a Khmer mission pastor.

After I became a Christian, my family started to face persecution after perse-cution from the villagers and the temple Nart and Sokun

Instead of sharing more about what our team did in Cambodia, we would like to highlight the lives of three generations of Khmer leaders we met on our trip namely, Pr Kea, Sokum and Nart. It is amazing how Jesus has touched and transformed their lives.

14









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In March 2011, �ve DUMC members comprising Tang Hock Men (leader), Francis Chen, Tan Kim Huat, Day Ngo and I stepped out in faith for our mission trip to Sarawak. Our �rst event was a carnival and that was an excellent oppor-tunity for us to “touch base” and connect with the villagers through the many games we played. All the 180 children and adults who came had great fun especially during the tug-of-war. Every-one happily went home with a gift.

In the evening, our team members visited �ve long houses and attended a Sunday Service. The people were very open and there was a hunger and desire to hear all that we had to share. We had an awesome time of worship with assis-tance from two Kanowit youths.

During the weekdays, we ministered to the children and youths. We conducted English tuition at four levels and had a special session for the youths. The young people were very enthusiastic. One Thursday afternoon, we also organ-ised a futsal competition. Many non-Christian footballers came. They participated in our worship, ate with us and waited patiently for their prizes.

A large crowd came for the celebration and thanksgiving night which was also the �nal night of our trip. Our team spon-sored a piglet for the occasion. Although there were many people, there was su�icient food for everyone. Many guests also brought their own rice.

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by Yu Sok Lin, PJ North 4

The worship was awesome. Hock Men’s powerful and inspiring message was about being a member of God’s family and enjoying His blessings. When the altar call was made, more than 10 people responded. The evening was very memorable. The trip to Sarawak was a life-changing experience as each one of us had the opportunity to experi-ence God’s goodness.

God blesses those who fear Him - Tang Hock Men

During one longhouse visit, Day Ngo wrapped up her testimony with a few verses from Psalm 135 and since I had memorised this psalm, Psalm 135 became the perfect unplanned spring-board for my sermon that night which was about idols of the nations. The Ibans have their idols made of wood. I shared with them about how these idols are very di�erent from our sovereign living God. I also shared about the need to cut those blocks of wood from their lives and explained that there is no need to fear them. These pieces are made from the same wood that they use to cook their food and roast the pigs. I then touched on how they can be sons of the living God.

In another longhouse, we were invited to a thanksgiving dinner for the new rice harvest that had just started. A day earlier, Lai, their local church leader shared with me about how another resident had a miraculous escape when

the bull dozer he was driving to clear logs on a hill went rolling down the slope. The man shouted, “Oh Tuhan!” Although it was probably the shout of a re�ex action, God heard his cry. The machine came to halt against a tree and the man climbed out unhurt. I noticed that many residents of this particular longhouse are people who fear and love the Lord. Most of the church leaders live here. I shared with them about how God blesses those who fear Him.

There was another youth from this longhouse called Francis who fell from his motorbike but was not seriously hurt. I pointed out to them that their rice harvest, the miraculous escape from the rolling bulldozer, Francis’ minor injury from his motorbike fall and the many children in this longhouse all point to God’s blessings and protection over them who fear the Lord.

The youths will be the community’s hope - Tan Kim Huat

It was a spiritually enriching, impactful and rewarding experience to be able to reach out to the young Ibans in Sarawak. They were keen to learn and play. Their enthusiasm was an encouragement to our team. What they lack are learning resources and spiritual mentoring. Nevertheless, by faith, we know that they will be the community’s hope and strength for the future.

A life-changingE X P E R I E N C EA life-changingE X P E R I E N C E

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Every Christian has a story of how he comes to know and accept Jesus. For some, just one visit to the church and the decision is made. For others, the journey can take years. For Edward and Cecilia who have been happily married for 33 years, their story is very interest-ing. The couple testi�ed during their baptism in March 2011.

Edward :Until a year ago, I was a hard nut as what Pr Daniel would describe my type. I was a con�dent man and used to think I could achieve anything on my own. I would ridicule anything related to churches and would mock anyone who tried to share the gospel with me. That was me - the old Edward.

Cecilia :In February 2010, I had acute diarrhoea syndrome. My appetite was bad. What-ever food I ate was quickly passed out. I lost 14 kg in three months. Edward could only watch me with a deep sense of helplessness. I had delusions and feared death.

Edward:It was sad to see my wife su�er. Doctor after doctor could not help Cecilia. One night, I had a dream where a man asked me, “Edward, why don’t you convert your wife to Christianity?” I replied, “Why not?” I kept thinking about the dream the following day. Seeing Cecilia’s worsening condition, I decided to share my dream with her and asked if she would want to be a Christian.

Cecilia :My answer was, “Yes, I will convert to Christianity.” Knowing that Edward was a hardcore non- believer, I asked, “What about you?”

Edward:I love Cecilia and I told her that I would be willing to join her. I then called See Moey, Cecilia’s sister-in-law about my dream and our decision to accept Christ. See Moey and her husband, Kim Weng worship in DUMC. They were overjoyed with our decision. See Moey then arranged for sister Kam Foong to visit and pray for us. When they prayed for Cecilia, I noticed a deep sense of peace descending upon her. Tears rolled down her face. I was �lled with hope and excitement. I knew something wonderful had happened.

Cecilia :When they prayed, I felt a sense of peace and relief. At that moment I knew I have a hope and a future. As my salva-tion was a gift from a God who loves and cares for me, I was assured that He would heal me.

Edward:We were introduced to DUMC and Beng Keat’s cell group. My wife’s chronic condition persisted and had to be hospi-talised for two weeks. Meanwhile, I attended DUMC worship celebrations and cell meetings. I learnt as much as I could about prayer and every day, I would pray for God’s divine healing upon my wife.

Cecilia responded well to the treatment at the hospital. Her condition improved slowly but surely. Deep within me, I knew God has started to heal my wife. Today, Cecilia is fully recovered and it is by His mercy that we can together testify “How great is our God”. I used to be a hard core non-believer and passionate about golf. But now, I am now very passionate about the things of God. We enjoy attending cell, church prayer meetings and SOL courses.

Cecilia :Edward and I are very grateful to God for bringing many people, especially sister Kam Foong to pray for us. Edward is now a passionate reader of Christian books. Every night he would share with me what he read and learnt during the day. We journal daily and enjoy sharing our journalling experience with each other. We also love to pray together each day. We have much to catch up spiritually.

Edward:Our lives have changed since we welcomed Jesus into our hearts. We no longer walk alone but have God by our side. Our hearts are now �lled with new peace, joy and assurance. We may not know the future but we know who holds the future. Our new desire and purpose in life is to witness for Christ, love, serve and glorify Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

by Edward and Cecilia Lim, PJ North 1

How we came to know ChristHow we came to know Christ

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Our Amazing Isteri(s) by Kao Chee Ming, PJ South 1

Women, women, women… Oh.... they're such a wonderful mysteryShe’s our granny, mommy or isteri, Oh,... what an amazing trinity.Thank God for creating one for each man, and one for me.

When I rise from bed, she'd have fed and sent my son to school and done the laundry.When I return home & lay on the bed, she's in the kitchen preparing for the next day. What amazing tenacity !Between my rising and lying on the bed,You’d have gone to the market and Carrefour, Cooked, driven him to school and tuition, You face more tra�ic jams to school & covered more miles, than my trip to the o�iceAnd yet some hubbies think that wife-y’s do nothing - life must be easy I have one o�ice job and a salary whilst you have so many….. but no gaji! What amazing capabilities!

My son's mommy, my isteri and companion bini..My son's tutor, my home-maker and ‘producer’ of my babyMy cleaner, my launderer and my tukang masak nasi.More wonderful than 3-in-one instant co�eeWhat an amazing trinity!

When you go cuti or to women's campWe hubbies struggle to cook the chicken,lamb or beefThen the vegie - cabbage with hae bee, kai lan with cili,Forget masak nasi lagi, otherwise just simply makan Maggi meeIf it’s like this tiap tiap hari, I “chai see” or simply go crazy.If you don’t believe, try and see …….you’ll pening …if not mati….. that I guaranteeAnd this is not the end of the story… ‘chit tit keong si’… ‘kah tit ham yee’…. else won’t be tasty

So I thank God for you, how you conjure so many dishes magically,For your uncanny ability to think, beli, masak and cuci

"Lue Yan, lue yan, lue yan ………….… Lei hai tuck keh" ( Cantonese song )“Yee koh, yi ko sai kai mo lue yan …….. Lei wa tim tuck keh”Nowadays you have washing machine, microwave and Astro but still busy, busy, busy “Astro Wah Lai Toi” – should be renamed ..… “Walau, you also toil”.By the time you switch on the TV … We ask “Why are you so free? Better go make me some co�ee!”Now we want to say “We are sorry.”So you men, appreciate the woman next to you,... if she's your wife-y.You women, tell him not to worry.... if he's been a good hubbyI salute you and thank God for creating women,..

One for each man, and one for me.Women, women, women / Lou yan, lou yan, lou yan / Mommy, isteri and biniYou are a “moh tak ting” mystery, we hubbies salute thee.

Kao Chee Ming wrote and presented this monologue in church on Mother’s Day, 8 May 2011 as a tribute to all mothers. He also dedicated this monologue to his wife, Wong Yoke Chun.

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A wise Reverend once shared, “Think BIG, start small, grow deep”. That was how Women of Worth (WoW) was birthed.

Dream BigThe journey started almost three years ago, when six women participated in a Women Breakthrough Weekend held in Singapore. On that weekend, most of us caught a vision of what the women of DUMC could be. We believe that God has a plan for each woman in DUMC and we desire to see each of them reach their full potential for Christ (1 Peter 3:4). Just imagine the energy created when a group of ladies talk excitedly over tea and scones – multiply that manifolds and you will get a glimpse of what happens when every single woman in DUMC is growing towards her full poten-tial …. This combined energy will trans-form this nation!

Start SmallThe dream is big but before it can be launched, the �rst right step is to ensure that the core team (about seven of us at the moment) is united through a relation-ship that is God-centered and authentic. We started meeting fortnightly as a cell group. After a year, we held our �rst Women of Worth (WoW) Encounter Weekend in April 2010 with a small group of 32 women leaders where we saw the hand of God at work in a marvelous way. We held a second WoW Encounter Weekend in November 2010 and recently a third one in March 2011 with plans to run it twice a year.

Grow DeepDepth here applies to a few areas :-1. Relational – to turn each woman God-wards2. Spiritual – to encourage our sisters to be Word-centred

by Stella Hoh, WoW

Women of WorthWomen of Worth

3. Culture – to create a safe and caring culture where women are comfort-able to be authentic with one another.

We believe this dream is from God because if it was left to us, we would never have done what we are doing today. So, will you please pray along with us so that this dream will come true soon…for His Glory!

There are many testimonies of encoun-ters with God from the participants. Below are some who have shared.

Leona Tan I had no intention of attending WoW Encounter Weekend but everyone I met seemed to have made it their life’s purpose to make sure I went for it. Praise God I did. In all the sessions throughout the weekend, the power of

God was present and the Spirit of God moved very powerfully. Lives were changed, hearts were renewed and healed, strongholds were broken but most importantly, a precious bond was formed amongst the daughters of God.

Many blessings were received and in turn sel�essly given out to edify and encourage each other. God spoke and touched our hearts and lives through each other. The greatest lesson I learnt from the weekend was that I am not running this race alone. There are sisters running with me and life’s journey is made so much more beautiful when I share it with them.

Lee Guat Bee The WoW Encounter Weekend came at a time when I needed a face-to-face encounter with God. I was not quite aligned with everyone around me. I did not realise that I was also not quite aligned with God. The word “encounter” and the time slots for personal solitude and rest attracted me to sign up. I prayed hard for that weekend and for God to preserve that time for me.

I had a tremendous time that weekend. Stella, Foong Lin and the team minis-tered to me as the Spirit of God led the di�erent sometimes unplanned sessions. God did a wonderful cleansing and restorative work. I felt reinstated, restored, renewed and refreshed. Did the situations and surroundings change? No, they remained the same but God

changed me so that I could move on. There were things He needed me to do when I came back. He gave the grace and strength to carry them out. I give God all the glory and praise and will forever serve our living God.

Audrey FongWhen I signed up for the �rst WoW Encounter Weekend last year, I just wanted to give myself a break from the busyness of life. I thought that it would be fun to get away with a group of DUMC ladies for a weekend away.

What I experienced was a God-encountering, life-transforming time. It began even before the weekend. During the assigned daily devotions at home, God was already speaking to me deeply and clearly about some of the things I needed to get right before Him.

During the weekend, I was stunned by the open and very painful sharing by the leaders and facilitators. Many more shared freely as an environment of abso-lute safety and con�dentiality was estab-lished. We were able to disclose things knowing that we will not be judged nor be the subject of a gossip. The most healing thing for me was to come before God in quietness and solitude. He spoke clearly to me about the need for reconciliation with things that have disappointed me.

This message of reconciliation was further brought home during the second WoW Encounter Weekend. God dealt

with me, �rmly yet gently, regarding an issue of reconciliation with someone very special to me. In order that I do not back out of dealing with this issue, I made sure I was accountable to the leaders of WoW as well as to members of my own connect group.

I encourage every lady to go for the next WoW Encounter Weekend. No matter where you are in your spiritual and emotional life, you will never cease to bene�t from a face-to-face encounter with the Holy Spirit and our loving Heav-enly Father. Healing and restoration come when we align ourselves right before Him.

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A wise Reverend once shared, “Think BIG, start small, grow deep”. That was how Women of Worth (WoW) was birthed.

Dream BigThe journey started almost three years ago, when six women participated in a Women Breakthrough Weekend held in Singapore. On that weekend, most of us caught a vision of what the women of DUMC could be. We believe that God has a plan for each woman in DUMC and we desire to see each of them reach their full potential for Christ (1 Peter 3:4). Just imagine the energy created when a group of ladies talk excitedly over tea and scones – multiply that manifolds and you will get a glimpse of what happens when every single woman in DUMC is growing towards her full poten-tial …. This combined energy will trans-form this nation!

Start SmallThe dream is big but before it can be launched, the �rst right step is to ensure that the core team (about seven of us at the moment) is united through a relation-ship that is God-centered and authentic. We started meeting fortnightly as a cell group. After a year, we held our �rst Women of Worth (WoW) Encounter Weekend in April 2010 with a small group of 32 women leaders where we saw the hand of God at work in a marvelous way. We held a second WoW Encounter Weekend in November 2010 and recently a third one in March 2011 with plans to run it twice a year.

Grow DeepDepth here applies to a few areas :-1. Relational – to turn each woman God-wards2. Spiritual – to encourage our sisters to be Word-centred

by Stella Hoh, WoW

Women of WorthWomen of Worth

3. Culture – to create a safe and caring culture where women are comfort-able to be authentic with one another.

We believe this dream is from God because if it was left to us, we would never have done what we are doing today. So, will you please pray along with us so that this dream will come true soon…for His Glory!

There are many testimonies of encoun-ters with God from the participants. Below are some who have shared.

Leona Tan I had no intention of attending WoW Encounter Weekend but everyone I met seemed to have made it their life’s purpose to make sure I went for it. Praise God I did. In all the sessions throughout the weekend, the power of

God was present and the Spirit of God moved very powerfully. Lives were changed, hearts were renewed and healed, strongholds were broken but most importantly, a precious bond was formed amongst the daughters of God.

Many blessings were received and in turn sel�essly given out to edify and encourage each other. God spoke and touched our hearts and lives through each other. The greatest lesson I learnt from the weekend was that I am not running this race alone. There are sisters running with me and life’s journey is made so much more beautiful when I share it with them.

Lee Guat Bee The WoW Encounter Weekend came at a time when I needed a face-to-face encounter with God. I was not quite aligned with everyone around me. I did not realise that I was also not quite aligned with God. The word “encounter” and the time slots for personal solitude and rest attracted me to sign up. I prayed hard for that weekend and for God to preserve that time for me.

I had a tremendous time that weekend. Stella, Foong Lin and the team minis-tered to me as the Spirit of God led the di�erent sometimes unplanned sessions. God did a wonderful cleansing and restorative work. I felt reinstated, restored, renewed and refreshed. Did the situations and surroundings change? No, they remained the same but God

changed me so that I could move on. There were things He needed me to do when I came back. He gave the grace and strength to carry them out. I give God all the glory and praise and will forever serve our living God.

Audrey FongWhen I signed up for the �rst WoW Encounter Weekend last year, I just wanted to give myself a break from the busyness of life. I thought that it would be fun to get away with a group of DUMC ladies for a weekend away.

What I experienced was a God-encountering, life-transforming time. It began even before the weekend. During the assigned daily devotions at home, God was already speaking to me deeply and clearly about some of the things I needed to get right before Him.

During the weekend, I was stunned by the open and very painful sharing by the leaders and facilitators. Many more shared freely as an environment of abso-lute safety and con�dentiality was estab-lished. We were able to disclose things knowing that we will not be judged nor be the subject of a gossip. The most healing thing for me was to come before God in quietness and solitude. He spoke clearly to me about the need for reconciliation with things that have disappointed me.

This message of reconciliation was further brought home during the second WoW Encounter Weekend. God dealt

with me, �rmly yet gently, regarding an issue of reconciliation with someone very special to me. In order that I do not back out of dealing with this issue, I made sure I was accountable to the leaders of WoW as well as to members of my own connect group.

I encourage every lady to go for the next WoW Encounter Weekend. No matter where you are in your spiritual and emotional life, you will never cease to bene�t from a face-to-face encounter with the Holy Spirit and our loving Heav-enly Father. Healing and restoration come when we align ourselves right before Him.

An important question we must ask our children is the question of their faith and salvation. God does not have grandchildren and our children’s faith cannot be inherited from us. We can in�uence them but we cannot make the decision for them.

Just as being in a garage does not turn one into a car, being in a Christian home or attending church does not make one a Christian. Each year, from the time my sons can reason, I will ask each one of them if he is still a Christian. I shudder at the thought of children of many so-called Christian homes rejecting their faith when they make the transition from youth to adulthood. They may have some remnant faith but once they have their freedom, their behaviour is no di�erent from the average Joe on the street or in their workplace.

Each time I asked the question, I also shared the gospel to my sons in the way they will understand. I recognise that their faith is also a journey. When they are young, they will adopt our ways, both the good and ugly side of our Christian disciplines. If we are fervent and commit-ted in the way we live our Christian lives, they are likely to pick it up. But if we are pew warmers, lethargic and mediocre in the things of God, they too will pick these up. Mediocre spiritual parenting produces mediocre spiritual children. There are exceptions but that would be purely the grace and mercy of God.

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I have counselled angry and bitter young adults who have rejected the faith of their parents because they do not see the relevance of their inherited faith. They do not see their parents practising what is preached at home, in church and in the marketplace. They do not see the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentle-ness, faithfulness and self-control. When our children know God only in their heads, they will not get far. Only when that knowledge gets into their hearts will their lives be transformed to the likeness of Christ. That can only happen when we as parents are authen-tic and live the Christian life with integrity.

I often wonder why Apostle Paul likens the marriage relationship to that of Christ and His church. Can a couple cognitively acknowledge their love for one another but refuse to engage emotionally, that is without any of that feeling which we call “love”? We need both. The cognitive aspect of it assures us of a well laid foundation of trust and faith in each other for a life-long commit-ment. The emotional aspect fuels the relationship and guards against taking each other for granted. It also helps us to take a second mile for our partner. Facts without the feelings will make our lives like a cold �replace without the �re. Feelings without facts will be like a �re burning out of control, outside the

�replace, burning everything in its path. Put the two together, we have a warm �replace providing just the right amount of heat and light for a cosy home.

I believe our children must have both the �replace and �re. Embittered and disillusioned children will drag their feet to church until such time they are independent. These children need the depth of Scriptures and the empowering passion of the Holy Spirit to help them run the marathon of the Christian life.

When my son, Ian was about 15 years old, he told me he had accepted Christ twice before. Yet, he came home one day from church and excitedly told me, “Dad, this time I am sure I am a Chris-tian!” This sounded strange coming from someone who grew up in a Christian home! “Why are you so sure now?” I asked. He replied, “Because for the �rst time I experience God in my heart!” He went on to explain what he meant.

I believe this time he has connected what he knows in his head to his heart. That’s the �re in the �replace!

Fatherhood : Fire in the Fireplaceby Pr Chris Kam

May - June 2011 Issue 62

GraceChildren’s Church Easter Party 23 April 2011

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