Sermons We See - Edgar Guest

I'd rather see a sermon

than hear one any day;

I'd rather one should walk with me

than merely tell the way.

The eye's a better pupil

and more willing than the ear,

Fine counsel is confusing,

but example's always clear;

And the best of all the preachers

are the men who live their creeds,

For to see good put in action

is what everybody needs.

I soon can learn to do it

if you'll let me see it done;

I can watch your hands in action,

but your tongue too fast may run.

And the lecture you deliver

may be very wise and true,

But I'd rather get my lessons

by observing what you do;

For I might misunderstand you

and the high advice you give,

But there's no misunderstanding

how you act and how you live.

When I see a deed of kindness,

I am eager to be kind.

When a weaker brother stumbles

and a strong man stays behind

Just to see if he can help him,

then the wish grows strong in me

To become as big and thoughtful

as I know that friend to be.

And all travelers can witness

that the best of guides today

Is not the one who tells them,

but the one who shows the way.

One good man teaches many,

men believe what they behold;

One deed of kindness noticed

is worth forty that are told.

Who stands with men of honor

learns to hold his honor dear,

For right living speaks a language

which to every one is clear.

Though an able speaker charms me

with his eloquence, I say,

I'd rather see a sermon

than to hear one, any day.

2 Chr 7:1-2 When Solomon finished praying, FIRE flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the temple. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the temple, they fell facedown on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord saying "He is good! His faithful love endures forever!"

                 When was the last time you have feared God in such a manner? When we see Jesus' frail body on the cross in the movie or church plays, He was not just a man. In Him and through Him, all things were created. Mount Kinabalu, Mount Everest, the earth, the sun, that's thousands times bigger than the earth and also the central thing of our solar system, it's also considered a star however, it's just a normal average kind of star you see at night. Our system being part of the millions of systems in our own galaxy called the milky way... and our milky way is just one of the billions of galaxies in the known universe. The known.. there's still more out there that have yet to see because it takes many light years for its light to reach earth. Sometimes, by the time it does, the galaxy might not be there anymore!

              With all that, God said in the Bible that He "flung" the stars in the sky and He holds the universe... the entire universe, known and unknown, in the palm of His hand. And through Jesus, that frail body we see, all of the universe was created. I never get tired of thinking about this. It reminds me how big God is. And also how small, minute, germ-sized I am. And how He can still count the number of hairs on my head, He is waiting by my bed side waiting for me to wake up to speak to Him.. and He choosing us to be His own children. I mean.. MAN! When we have the right perspective of God, we have no choice but to facedown, and just be in awe, to be in fear and reverance of the almighty God. Think about this the next time you pray to Him.

Read 2 Chr 5:14 (NLT) this morning.. "The priest could not continue their work because the glorious presence of the Lord filled the temple of God."

I remember one time in my life that I was so soaked in the presence of God, I couldn't even open my mouth to talk or even pray. It was one Saturday morning during one of those dubcube leaders (cubers) meeting at church. Was playing the guitar and wanted to start praying but I just cried out loud. It was a little embarrassing but I didn't care... my heart was touched by God.

On the side, I also read Pro 19:14 that says "Parents can provide their sons with inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give and understanding wife."

It's day two of my long distance relationship. Missing her more by the day. sigh.. it's ok. God is always good.  yeah~!

..from the Leadership Files by Phil Pringle

Patience is controlling your attitude when you want to lose it.

Patience is not raising your voice when you're angry.

Patience is a soft answer.

Patience will make you "complete" the Bible says "lacking nothing". (I like this one)

Patience is ruling your spirit.

Be Patient!

I've decided to put in meaningful entries or lessons learnt in my life journey.

Stumbled upon KC's blog entry and found it a cross of funny and lame. enjoy!

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"Attitude Determines Altitude"

Heard this phrase before? Consider this..

2 men were asked to go for the same overseas assignment. One was asked to row a boat across the ocean to reach the destination, the other one was given a plane ticket ride there. 2 men reached there and both completed their assigments though one took a longer time. The one who took the plane finished his assignment with a smile and an attitude that goes "Great..that was easy, I can do that again!" The other guy who had to row the boat finished the assignment grudgingly. "Why was I made to row the boat 30 days to finish a 3 minute job?! I'll never do this ever again!"

Tell me who has a better attitude? The man on the plane?? haha
If so then, "Altitude determines attitude".

My second entry this month! I think I'm on a roll.. so proud of myself!

March13-16 '07 were four cRaZy dayz as I was invited to speak at the SMK Seafield camp @ Genting Highlands.

All 120 of us bunked at this 3- storey bangalow. Man..the place was HUGE!! On the first day, half the campers still couldn't pick out who the camp speaker was. I look high school? haha..

 

 

 

The camp committee are a whacky bunch! They've got like a joke every 2 minutes.. Creative juice just ooooozing out from them! On the bus, Jason (game guy) asked everyone to shout their name, form and colour of their underwear! 

 

 

 

 

..and just for the record, most of them wore blue! heh..

 

Check it out! I got a pink bed with a moshi maro blanket. What's the deal man? Talk about Metrosexual.. this is pushing it. 

These groups of posers here are none other than the worship team! They've got some creative spark! They even write their own songs. Keep writing guys! Your songs will reach the ends of the earth!

This "delicious health drink" here is made out of celery, carrot, tomatoes, bitter gourd, cucumber, ginger, cili padi and some other X ingredients. The games were.. hmm.. quite motivating AND de-motivating at the same time... I'll explain: You have to race up and down as fast as you can in 5 minutes. And the more you complete, the more cups you'd have to drink. The more cups, the more points for you team. To drink or not to drink - that is da question.

Don't be alarmed! He's just been seduced, handcuffed and shot dead. On the second night, there was a harmless sketch that turned into a crime scene. The campers became detectives and had to find out who the killer was and what his/her motive was. Cool huh? There were clues like bullet shells on the floor and lipstick marks on the body. Also, throughout the night, the suspects would be walking around waiting to be interviewed. However, the campers had to interview with professionalism otherwise the suspects could get ticked off and refuse to answer any questions. 

Who was the killer? ....I'm not telling! tu lah! Never go camp.. muahaha..

 

Well, I spoke on "Faith that breaks borders and brings you beyond your wildest dreams", "Five love languages", "Spiritual Hunger" and "What MTV knows about young people". There was a session I had with the committee that was super powerful! I spoke to them about the Power of God and introduced the song "First" by CHC. God really showed up! In our last two sessions we had extended ministry times. About 20+ people gave their lives to God in that camp. Hallelujah!

All in all, it was a successful camp. Three cheers to the committee for doing such a great job! Their commitment and dedication is commendable.

1 Tim 4:12 - "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 

What a fairy tale! Two co-founders of City Harvest Church KL now as one. The wedding was glorious! The lady next to me started weeping even before the bride marched in. I would say it had to be the most efficient, well organized wedding yet even with the double-kiss that's becoming a culture at CHC. The wedding dinner was super classy at the Banker's club. "No Jeans!"  the manager emphasized. Okay! Okay! We got it! ^^" This was tough as jeans was CHC's uniform. What an entrance made by the couple..!! With Laverne's beautiful voice in the background, the newly weds floated down the stairway as the crowd cheered them on! The night was classy yet relaxed, crowded yet warm and filled with smiles and laughter. Congrats once again Jenn and Greg! 

"..endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" 2 Tim 2:3

Get your excitement from accomplishing the hard things.

Be more excited about producing than consuming.

Be more excited about making money than spending it.

Be more excited about controlling your diet than eating whatever you want.

Be more excited about educating yourself than entertaining yourself.

Be more excited about listening to someone than talking about what you want.

Don't look for the soft option, the easy way, the short cut.

Life's tough. Be tougher!

What a game! Liverpool faced familiar rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Even with 2 clear cut, sure score by Kuyt and Stevie G chances, we still lost the match. Bad luck!!! The gods of football did not favour pool. Any cosolation would be that it took wonder strike by Drogba to win it for Chelski AND MU also losing!!! haha! Fergie, You'll Never Walk Alone!

After reading blogs after blogs, I thought I'd contribute my thoughts too.

How good was today's service with Rev. Robert Ekh?? It was awesome! CHCKL are certainly blessed to have such a man of God in our midst. I guess what struck me the most was "love is always associated with giving." For God so LOVED the world, He GAVE. This means you can't say you love someone when you've not given peanuts. You can't just "go with the flow" all the time. When you want to love, you gotta be prepared to give.

"Love is not for cowards." - Rev. Robert Ekh