A newsletter published by Glad Tidings Assembly of God

G L AD TID INGS
15
A newsletter published by Glad Tidings Assembly of God
YEAR OF +
INCREASE
2006
02
03
CONTENTS
FEATURE
Year of Increase 2006
GT CALENDAR
APRIL
05
CLs Meeting
06-09 Senior Adults Retreat
07
Easter Prayer Walk & Tracting (Cells)
10
Half Nite Corporate Prayer Meeting
11
Prophet Mohd’s Birthday
14
Good Friday Celebration Service
14-16 Easter Healing Encounter
16
Easter Celebration Service
16
JC Easter Evangelistic Party
22
Matured Adults Fellowship
22
Ushers Training 2
23
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
30
Membership Intake 1
30 YA Retreat (30/4 - 01/5)
03 FEATURE
04 EVENT
Charity Walkathon 2005
06 EVENT
You’ve Got a Friend in Me!
08 EVENT
Tour of Jerusalem, Israel
10 CONTEMPORARY ISSUE
Da Vinci Code – True or False?
12 CONTEMPORARY ISSUE
MAY
01
01
01
03
06
06
12
12
12-13
14
19
20
21
21
26
27
Year of Increase 2006
Homosexualism (Part 1)
GTNET Trimester 2 (1/5-31/8)
Labour Day
PJ1 Family Day
CLs Meeting
Prayer Seminar
Adult EE Trainers Briefing
Wesak Day
Singles Day Trip
JC Workers Retreat
Mother’s Day
Appreciating our Parents (Cells)
Matured Adults Fellowship
Water Baptism 2
Communion Services Fellowship
Upper Room 10-Day Prayer & Fasting (26/5-04/6)
HRM Volunteers Training/Meeting
(School Holidays 27/5-11/6)
28
JC Parents-Teachers Fellowship
29-30 A/G General Council Meetings
31
APAGF Conference (31/5-02/6)
13 MISSION
JUNE
03
04
04-07
14
17
17
18
22
24
25
30
EDITORIAL TEAM
Agong’s Birthday
Pentecost Sunday
Church Camp
CLs Meeting
Matured Adults Fellowship
Altar Workers Training 2
Father’s Day
Senior Adults Anniversary
JC Teachers Training 2
Baby Dedication 2
College Camp (30/6 - 02/7)
End Time Harvest Planery
16 MISSION REPORTS
New Ventures, New Territories
The Year of Increase. This is truly going
to be a year of great growth in every
area of our lives. Glad Tidings has truly
seen the grace and favor of the Lord in
our church. We believe that this year
will be an exciting year to see our faith
stretched, our tents enlarged and our
foundations fortified.
2006 is our YEAR OF INCREASE! (Deut.
30:16; Psa, 115:14). We have a powerful
emphasis that promises life and
abundance.
GTPost aims to connect the church as
one. Our two-fold purpose is to seek
to be a voice of its members sharing
your experiences and testimonies
and also as a resourceful publication
that gives you insight on some of the
current issues.
You will live: God offers us life – a future
eternal life and present abundant, full
and meaningful life. Jesus said, “The
thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full.”
With a facelift and also a new burst
of flavour, GTPost hopes to be a
greater blessing to you. May you be
challenged by the articles within and
give glory to God for His great works
in our lives.
18 TESTIMONY
God Bless & Go Bless!
19 TESTIMONY
Gwen Choo
A Year of Challenges
Served as He Had Served
20 TESTIMONY
In Loving Memory of
Rev Arthur Yoong
Advisor
Gwen Choo
Editor
Cindy Koh
CONTRIBUTORS
Cell Voice
LCS
Chew Kim-Ann Ting Mee Kean
Designed by Figtree Design
Sub-Editor
Christine Lai
GLAD TIDING POST
is published by
Glad Tidings Assembly of God
No 6, Jalan Bersatu 13/4
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel 03 7958 2777
Fax 03 7958 5300
[email protected]
www.gladtidings.org.my
For internal circulation only
GOD’S PROMISE is INCREASE! In Deut.
30:1-16 God promises His people life,
blessings and increase.
You will be blessed: God releases His
blessings. Our God is a God who loves
to bless. Loves to give. Loves to spice up
existence. God created man with the
intention of blessing him. And not just
blessing him but abundantly blessing
him.
Sadly though, prosperity has almost
become a dirty word for the church
because of the way it has been abused.
When we talk about prosperity, there
are two extremes. First, the so-called
“Prosperity Gospel” says that if you are
not prosperous financially and materially
you must be in sin. The second extreme
is the legalistic way of looking at
prosperity; if you really serve God, you
must be poor. You can’t have a nice car
or a nice house because these are fleshly
things that real believers can’t have.
The truth is that God wants you and I
to prosper – but under His terms, not
ours. 3 John 2 says; “Beloved, I pray that
you may prosper in all things and be in
health, just as your soul prospers”
GOD’S WAY to INCREASE is simple.
“See, I set before you today life and
prosperity, death and destruction. For
I command you today to love the Lord
your God, to walk in His ways and to
keep His commands, decrees and laws;
then you will live and increase and the
Lord your God will bless you (Deut.
30:15-16). God shows us in His Word that
Increase is achieved by four essentials.
4) Choose Life! – This is important. In the
Book of Deuteronomy, Moses wanted to
remind the Israelites that for 40 years
they had made wrong choices and it
didn’t have to be like that! You must
choose whether you are going to live a
life of increase or a mediocre one. It’s a
decision you must make. Joshua said,
“choose for yourselves this day whom
you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
It is possible to forfeit the blessings of
God because of wrong selfish choices.
Choices have consequences. Our choices
determine the quality and sometimes
even the quantity of our lives. The
choices you have made in the past have
made you the person that you are today.
Every choice that you make today will
impact your life tomorrow.
So choose right that you may receive
God’s INCREASE and finish strong in
2006. Choose to pay off your debt rather
You will increase: God wants us to have
than allow it to keep on mounting up
a fruitful life. What is Increase? It is
till you can’t pay them anymore. Choose
prosperity, being successful especially
to eat healthy rather than junk food, to
in financial success, and having in
exercise and make your body healthier
abundance.
rather than keep on the way you are
going. Choose to obey God instead
GOD’S DESIRE is for us to experience
1) Love God – Loving the Lord produces of man, to give God time rather than
INCREASE in every aspect of our life.
increase. This is the first and greatest
giving all the time to yourself. Choose
“And the Lord thy God will make thee
commandment.
to obey God and give God tithes instead
plenteous in every work of thine hand, in
of spending all the blessings God has
the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of 2) Walk in God’s ways – Fellowship with bestowed on yourself. Choose to put
thy land, for good…” (Deut. 30:9) “The the Lord produces increase.
God first rather than let Him have the
Lord will again delight in you and make
leftovers. Choose to be diligent not
you prosperous…” (:9) We can expect
3) Keep God’s Word – Submitting to and slothful, to be forgiving not revengeful.
productivity and prosperity at work, at
obeying God’s Word produces Increase.
If we want to experience INCREASE we
home, and in our personal life.
All blessings come down to us through
must choose the positive sides of life.
the channel of obedience. “You will again Choose wholeness, choose closeness
obey the Lord” (:8). Let obedience mark to God. Choose life. Choose Christ. And
our walk with God this year.
Increase shall be yours!
As a Church, we are believing God to
grant us a great increase, as in the
Book of Acts when the Lord added to
the Church those who would be saved.
Since we moved into our new facility
in Section 13 in August 2003, we have
grown by about 450 people in weekly
attendance, to over 2,500! Now, we
are believing God for an increase to
5,000! Such growth is possible; it is
within God’s promise and desire for His
Church. Let’s do it God’s way – through
much prayer and active evangelism.
INCREASE will surely come when
we are careful to love God, walk
in His ways, live according to His
commandments, and choose God in
everyday situations.
Be fruitful and INCREASE this year!
By Main Pastor,
Rev Dr Vincent Leoh
03.
04
EVENT
Charity Walkathon 2005
01.
02.
05.
Last August 31 was not only a special
day for all Malaysians to celebrate the
country’s independence, it was also
a day Glad Tiders flexed their muscles
and worked their adrenalin beyond its
normal rate. Life Community Services
(LCS), the social concern arm of GTPJ,
held its inaugural charity fund-raising
walkathon which began at the church
premises.
The walkathon, themed “Community
Walk of Hope’, was aimed at raising funds
to meet the operating expenses of the
homes and centres under LCS’ umbrella.
Besides Glad Tiders, the event was also
open to the public with a registration
fee of RM30.
There were 2 participant categories,
namely competitive walkers and fun
walkers. Competitive participants were
required to cover a distance of 5.8 km
while the fun walkers only needed to
cover 2.1km. An estimated number
of 500 walkers, mainly cell members,
joined in the fun.
The men were flagged off first followed
by the women, youths and seniors.
Leading the way was a safety car to clear
the route for the walkers. The police were
also called in to help maintain traffic
and facilitate the smooth operation
of the event. The ever-available and
dedicated Lifezone boys were on hand
to act as walkathon marshals. The St
John Ambulance team stood by and was
ready to render First Aid in case of any
unforeseen circumstances.
(Malaya), Expressway Lingkaran Tengah,
Malaysian Milk and Pemanis sponsored
mineral water, milk and packet drinks.
The winners carted home toiletries and
food hampers. The top prizes included
a holiday package, a facial treatment
(for the lady) and a dinner voucher at
Bangsar Seafood Centre. There were
also blessed draws for those born and
married in the month of August. Children
below 8 and from 4-12 years old walked
away gleefully with prizes too.
The walkers strode determinedly
towards the finishing line. They started
to trickle in at the end within 45
minutes of the commencement of the
race albeit breathless and exhausted.
As the participants entered the church
premises, Lifezone boys distributed door
gifts of toiletries and drinks to them.
By the grace of God, all participants
returned without any mishap.
Before the event, about 87 cell groups
and church congregation comprising
the Chinese, Tamil & English church
participated in raising funds from the
public through the funds collection card.
It was the single-hearted commitment
of cell members and their obedience to
Christ’s example and teaching to reach
out to the community (Matt 25:34-40)
and “to be rich in good deeds” (1 Tim.
May the good Lord God bless you!
6:18) that a total amount of RM208,
979.49, far above the targeted amount
By Ting Mee Kean
of RM120,000, was raised. We praise
God for the generosity and compassion
shown by all who contributed. Those
who raised at least RM100 were given
free T-shirts. Individuals and cells with
the most fund collection were rewarded
with cash prizes for their untiring efforts.
Five participants from each of the 4
categories of walkers won attractive
prizes sponsored by generous corporate
bodies like Johnson & Johnson and
Kao (Malaysia). Many other companies
such as F&N, Giant Hypermarket Shah
Alam, Amoy Canning Corporation
Running concurrently with the
walkathon were breakfast stalls set up
for the walkers and supporters of event.
Cell groups, Lifezone and Rumah Juara
set up 10 stalls, providing a breakfast
variety of porridge, assam laksa, chee
cheong fun, curry puffs, vadai, fusion
fruit juice and an assortment of drinks.
01. ??????????????????????????.
02. ??????????????????????????.
03. ??????????????????????????.
04. ??????????????????????????.
05. ??????????????????????????.
LCS would like to extend its heartfelt
appreciation to all sponsors, donors,
cell groups, language churches, St John
Ambulance, the Petaling Jaya Police,
Lifezone, volunteers and the public for
their support, sponsorship and generous
donations. The combined united
efforts will go a long way to meet the
many needs of the homes and centres.
Thank you all for helping to make the
walkathon a successful, meaningful and
joyful event.
06. ??????????????????????????.
04.
06.
06
EVENT
You’ve got a
friend in me!
Love-A-Friend Weekend at GTRS:
Celebrating Valentine’s the GT Way
“My command is this:
Love each other as
I have loved you.
Greater love has no
one than this, that he
lay down his life for
his friends”
John 15:12-13
Valentine’s Day brings to mind the
common perception of candlelight
dinners, heart-shaped chocolate boxes,
stolen glances, surprises, and the
excitement of exchanging cards, poems
and letters that profess enduring love.
Whatever the gift may be, this special
occasion celebrates and honors… love.
Love not pertaining to just the better
half of a couple, but also the recognition
of family ties, the unconditional love
between a parent and a child; and not
forgetting what a famous Pizza Place
sign calls “the Bacon Bits in the Salad
Bowl of Life” – friends.
Love-A-Friend weekend, more
endearingly known as L.A.F Weekend
to us GT-ians, was GT Revival Service
(GTRS)’s way of celebrating Valentine’s
with an emphasis on friendship.
The Saturday kicked off with an
awesome worship session aptly themed
“Loving God” that flowed into teachings
from the Book of Esther, as Pastor Julie
Khoo preached a powerful sermon from
the “I Will” series GTRS was embarking
on. Riding on the momentum of her
“I Will” sermons from previous weeks,
she once again left her audience reeling
with the question, “I will lay down my
life… will you take up your cross?”
ringing in their thoughts.
Before the service drew to a close, Pastor
Julie and the young adults paid tribute
to the mothers of GT-ians who had been
serving as part of the Parent-Support
Team in the youth ministry. It was times
to honor them for their overflowing love,
commitment in blessing the youth and
the young adults of this church.
The atmosphere took an even warmer
turn when members of the congregation
began to line up to embrace these
women to express their personal
gratitude for their love and support.
Hugs of warmth, a prayer of blessing,
and the service was over.
And… the night began.
L.A.F. night went into full swing as
Lim Cheng Jin and Norman Wong got
the crowd excited with table games
over a scrumptious western dinner.
Young adults got into a writing frenzy
with the alphabet scramble, searching
their memories to identify famous
love lines and songs from movies,
and cracking their heads over famous
couples throughout history… even
Napoleon Bonaparte got his mention
for the night!
As the answer sheets were hesitantly
surrendered to the judges, the
entertainment ala GT-style kicked
into motion.
Towards the end of the night, two
tables were announced winners for the
games while Stanley Wong shared the
limelight for knowing Regine Teo, his
wife through and through. “She wants
a new car for her birthday!” was his
prize winning quote, while the crowd
burst into thunderous applause at his
impeccable memory.
After all, Jesus did say…
“My command is this: Love each other as
I have loved you. Greater love has no one
than this, that he lay down his life for his
friends” John 15:12-13
Liang, GT’s very own home-grown
singing sensation belted out his
Yes, indeed, love and friendship do
rendition of the song, “You’ve got a
belong together.
friend in me” while FGCC Cell 3 crooned
the crowd with Michael W Smith’s
By Chew Hwee Yen
famous “Friends”, reiterating the fact that As Pastor Julie took over to conclude for
friends was the buzzword for the night. the night, all of us held hands while our
voices sang in unity the words of the
While the former two items paced the
song “Friends”.
night with a softer tone, the culmination
of it all had to be the presentation from Much planning went into creating this
the youth leaders, dedicated to the
fantastic night (kudos to the team!)
crowd as an expression of their love.
as people left happily with satisfied
They jiggled to “L.O.V.E.”, an 80’s style
stomachs, but most importantly, friends
English-cum-Chinese pop song by the
were reminded of the special relationship
Wynners that gave the crowd a glimpse they share with each other.
of the superb dance capabilities and
hidden talents our youth leaders have.
08
EVENT
Tour of
Jerusalem,
Israel
Indeed it was such an
awesome experience to
walk the very places that
Jesus walked, to be where
He had been...
If there is a trip you should not miss in
your lifetime, it should be to the land
of Israel.
On October 31 last year, arriving from
KL, we stopped over in Doha (Qatar) for
a night before embarking into Amman,
where we were ferried by coach to the
Israeli border. The journey took 2 hours.
At the border, we were introduced
to our Israeli guide. From the border,
we headed to the city of Jerusalem,
approximately 1.5 hours away from the
border of Jordan and Israel on wheels.
One of the things that stood out in my
impression was observing the Sabbath
Day in Jerusalem. We were amazed
at how the Orthodox Jews observed
their customs. At the hotel on Sabbath,
we noted that there was a special
Sabbath elevator that stops at every
floor automatically, as even pressing
lift buttons was considered work. Even
the types of food served were strictly
according to dietary rules in Leviticus.
During breakfast, fresh milk was not
to be served with meat and at dinner,
powdered milk was substituted for fresh
milk for beverages as meats was served
then. Except for fish with scales, no other
seafood was served.
We started off with a tour of Mount
Zion which offered a panoramic view
of the Mount of Olives, the Dome of
Al Aksa, the Valley of Hinnon (Field of
Akeldama), the Persian church and the
caves where Jesus was laid.
We also visited the Upper Room where
Jesus supposedly had his Last Supper
with his disciples and the Tomb of
David below that, before venturing
into the streets of Jerusalem into
the Jewish Quarters to behold the
“Wailing Wall” (also known as the
“Western Wall”). Considered by the
Jews to be the only surviving remnant
of the Second Temple, many Jews and
tourists were seen praying while facing
the wall and sticking small pieces of
papers containing their prayer requests
into the cracks of the wall. We passed
through the Shepherds Field where the
Scriptures says that angels appeared
to the Shepherds following Jesus‘ birth
and Boaz’s Fields mentioned in the
Book of Ruth as well.
We saw the Mount of Olives and
surrounding places of interest
– Temple of Ascension (where there
was a nearby church along which
walls were inscribed the Lord’s Prayer
in numerous languages of the world),
the Church of All Nations which stood
amidst the olive trees in the Garden of
Gethsemane, the “Stations of the Cross”
along the Via Dolorosa which Jesus
passed from His place of trial to Calvary,
and the Garden Tomb, believed to be the
field of Joseph of Arimithea. From the
tomb, we were able to catch a glimpse of
“Skull or Golgotha”, the place Jesus was
crucified. Amazingly, there is a stone face
that resembles a skull.
Next was a journey to the Dead Sea
that took us to the historical regions of
Masada and Qumran Caves, where the
descent from 900m to 400m above sea
level is considered to be the lowest in
the world.
Many of the tour members went for a
swim in the Dead Sea. The waters are
believed to be therapeutic because of
its natural mineral content. Before the
swim, they covered their bodies with
mud (imagine the mud pack the ladies
apply on their face!). Along the way to
Jericho city, we passed along the Judean
mountains where Bedouin Arabs, the
nomadic descendents of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob lived in small huts and tents.
The rest of the trip took us out of
Jerusalem into the areas along the
Mediterranean Coast – Tiberius,
Caesarea, Haifa, Mount Carmel, Mount
of Beatitudes, Capernaum – right up
to the Syrian border, where we noted
a UN camp situated in between the
two border camps (also known as no
man’s land). Two of our members were
baptized in the waters at a site called
Yard Nit by Pastor Lee Kuan Meng.
Venturing further outfield took us into
Cana in Nazareth.
On the return leg back into Amman,
Jordan, we went up to Mount Nebo
where Moses stood and saw the
promised land. The view was breathtaking as we could view Black Sea
situated in the north as well as Jericho
and Israel.
It was truly an awesome trip and we
thank the Good Lord who protected us
from the bomb blast in Amman (Jordan)
that was detonated by a suicide bomber
a day after we left the country.
The trip has blessed me so much. It
really opened up my eyes to things that
are not often elaborated to us in our
weekly sermons, for example, the living
conditions and the inhabitants of the
region. Indeed it was such an awesome
experience to walk the very places that
Jesus walked, to be where He had been.
My reading of the Bible is so much more
enriched and deepened as I can actually
visualize the scenes in my mind now and
gaining this new perspective has given
me a totally different outlook. I am now
able to appreciate the Scriptures more
in their context. I thank God for blessing
me with this experience of a lifetime.
Truly, God’s favor was very richly upon
us as the weather throughout our 9-day By Esther Foo
stay in the Holy Land was perfect. Amid
the friendship that blossomed among all
the members of the group, there was a
sense of unity as we traveled together.
We had daily worship sessions wherever
possible: in the bus, hotel and even
sacred places where Jesus had been.
10
CONTEMPORARY ISSUE
Seize this great opportunity to equip yourself to answer the challenging
questions raised by the movie about the deity of Christ and His Word. It may
result in opening up one of the most positive, compelling and welcomed
dialogues about the real and relevant Christ. You can find helpful insights
when you borrow these books from the Glad Tidings PJ Library.
Da Vinci Code: True or False?
A book by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci
Code, has made the best seller lists
over the last several years. He claims to
reveal the falsity of Christianity as we
know it. Dan Brown proposes that if the
secret were revealed, it could devastate
the foundation of Christianity. Many
have read this novel as if it were the
absolute truth about Jesus and about
Mary Magdalene. The heart of the book
proposes that:
• in Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting, it
was Mary sitting next to Christ instead of
the apostle John;
• Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus
and had a child, Sarah by him. This blood
line carried on to French royalty;
• the church was not started by Jesus &
the apostles in the 1st century, but was
a political creation by Constantine in
325 AD.
There are only two truths that have
a basis in this novel:
1. Mary Magdalene was a key figure
in the early church, and a close friend
of Jesus. But she was not an adulterer,
nor a sinful woman.
2. Women were elevated by Jesus
during his earthly ministry and by the
church in the first century. (Though
none claimed Mary to be one of the
12 apostles).
The following claims are false:
1.Brown infers that in the Last
Supper painting, we do not have 13
men (Jesus and the 12), but 12 men
and 1 woman, the figure at Jesus’
right hand. Brown says that Da Vinci
was a member of a secret society to
reveal the truth about Jesus and Mary.
But most pictures of John in those
days were feminine. The Bible and
secular literature all affirm Jesus had
12 male apostles. There is nothing to
contradict that.
Brown says the “M” outlined by central
figures could actually be a secret code
that stands for Mary Magdalene, or
marriage. The V formed to the left side
of Jesus is supposedly the symbol of the
feminine and the person was really
Mary of Magdala.
But Artist Nolta says you can find almost
every letter in the alphabet in this
picture. You can make the V into a W
if you turn it upside down. And on the
right side of the painting is a smaller V,
but no one argues for two women in
the painting.
2.Brown states that Jesus was
married to Mary but that this fact
was hidden from the church.
But Matthew, Mark & Luke were
written about 62 AD. If there was any
evidence of a marriage, it would have
been recorded then, or Jesus’ enemies
would have spoken of it. Nowhere, even
in secular literature is there reference to
Jesus being married. Jesus was famous.
At least contemporary historians as
Josephus would have mentioned it.
And the Christian church would have
venerated her as much as the virgin
Mary. But no evidence exists. Not even
one clear text. You cannot keep something
like this a secret for 400 years!
In the Nag Hammadi manuscripts
(Gnostic material dated in the 2nd
and 3rd centuries AD, many generations
after the time of Christ), it refers to Mary
as a companion (koinonos) of Jesus.
Brown and his followers imply that
“companion” could mean wife. Brown
feels, since Mary embraced Jesus after
the resurrection, that there was more
than just friendship.
But koinonos is more often used to refer
to a companion and fellowship. The
typical word for wife would be gyne
(we get the word gynecologist).
2.1 Brown says the Gospel of Philip
(a Gnostic writing- Gnostics claimed
super revelations that only those
initiated into their secrets could
know) claims Jesus “used to kiss her
often on her mouth.” (Gospel of Philip
58-59, 63).
But nowhere does the Gospel of Philip
say that, but rather infers a kiss of
fellowship, thus a kiss on the cheeks.
The context is more to a spiritual
relationship, not a marriage. But this
story literally has holes in it and places
where the words do not come through.
Actually we have Jesus loved blank.
And frequently blank kiss blank on the
blank. So it looks like Jesus kissed her
somewhere but we don’t know where.
Kissing was a traditional greeting in early
Jewish culture. Even Judas kissed Jesus.
19:11-12. If studied carefully, Jesus could
well be single and fit into the practices
of holy Jews.
2.3 Liberal Jesuit scholar John
Dominic Crossan sarcastically replies
to Brown’s ridiculous assertion:
“There is an ancient principle of biblical
exegesis (interpretation) which states
that if it looks like a duck, walks like a
duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be
a camel in disguise. So let’s apply that to
whether or not Jesus was married. There
is no evidence that Jesus was married
(looks like a duck), multiple indications
that he was not (walks like a duck), and
no early texts suggesting wife or children
(quacks like a duck)… so he must have
been an incognito bridegroom (camel in
disguise). Darrell Bock, Breaking the Da
Vinci Code, p. 31-32.
There is no evidence anywhere that Jesus
was married. Even liberal scholars agree
Jesus was single.
3. The novel claims that a
predominantly male church wanted
to deny Mary’s claims to apostleship
because of an anti female bias. Thus
there was a need for a new view of
Christianity because the Bible one
was bad history. Brown claims that
Mary of Magdala was chief among
the apostles.
But, the earliest reference to Mary as
an apostle comes from Hippolytus (ca.
170-236) where she is referred to as
one among a group of female apostles.
She was not listed as the apostle of the
But Jesus did not portray himself as a
apostles until the tenth century AD.
rabbi, and had no official role in Judaism. There is no real evidence that Mary was
And if it would be assumed he would be seen as one of the original 12 apostles
married, then the disciples would have
in sacred or secular literature. The Bible
no problem with a marriage, so why try does not show prejudice against women.
to cover up? Jesus himself talked about Paul’s declaration of neither male nor
the benefits of the single lifestyle Matt
female in Christ, Junia’s selection as an
2.2 Brown argues, if Jesus were
a good rabbi, shouldn’t he have
married?
apostle, Philip’s daughters who were
prophetesses, Eunice & Lois’ roles as
mentors for Timothy, Mary, the mother
of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit on
the day of Pentecost, Elisabeth, Mary,
Anna filled with the Holy Spirit and
prophesying, Peter’s declaration that
the Holy Spirit will descend on all flesh
male and female, Priscilla & Aquila’s
teaching roles, and many other passages
of scripture give vast room for the role of
women in Scripture.
4. Brown implies that Mary is the
Holy Grail, the holy vessel, who carries
on the royal bloodline of Jesus by
bearing his child. A daughter, Sarah,
was supposed to be born to Jesus and
Mary and she became part of French
royalty’s bloodline.
But there are no birth certificates or
entry in some ancient ledger as to her
arrival and who her parents might have
been. There is not one scrap of historical
evidence that Jesus fathered any children.
It would have been too obvious to hide.
5. Brown implies that Da Vinci led
a secret brotherhood known as the
Priory of Sion, a group entrusted with
protecting the truth about Jesus,
Mary and their child.
It was based on a presupposition: why
did Sauniere, a penniless priest 100
years ago die a rich man? Supposedly
he found some parchments in the
church containing secret messages.
Could it have been buried treasure?
The authors said no, that it was evidence
of a secret society that had guarded
the descendants of Jesus and Mary for
centuries (all conjecture). Thus the priest
used this knowledge to extort the church
and made money in order to keep silent.
But Archeologist Bill Putnam felt it was
the “greatest hoax in his experience.”
(in Stone Phillips, Secrets Behind the
Da Vinci Code, MSNBC article, April 13,
2005, p. 9)
How were the New Testament Gospels
assembled? Teabing asserts it was the
political plan of Constantine in AD 325.
Then Christianity is a creation of the
4th century, not the first.
read on the internet, whatever seems
plausible, there are people willing to
believe. Non-Christians will read the
All of it was contrived by Pierre
book and use it against Christians,
Plantard—the only link to such a
thinking we are the ones blinded by
society. He made it all up. He fabricated
prejudice. Young Christians and noncoded parchment that would appear
Answer: Without the resurrection of
thinking Christians may have their faith
to explain the mystery of the priest’s
Jesus, Christianity would not have
shaken by this novel. You need to know
fortune. Then he creates a body called
lasted one generation. That was their
what you believe and why you believe
the Priory of Sion. Then he plants the list basis of faith and proclamation. By
it. Our faith is based upon the Bible. It is
of grand masters and family trees linking Constantine’s time much of the world
built upon the most solid truths, tested
him to French royalty in the French
had already converted to Christianity.
in every way possible, archaeologically,
National Library. He had ambitions to
The New Testament was well accepted
linguistically, manuscript-wise,
be king of France. It turns out we have
already in the 2nd century, well before
historically, in unity, in accuracy, in
discovered why Sauniere was so rich. He Constantine’s time. The gospels were
personal experience and debated in
was accused of selling mail order prayer accepted primarily because of their being every forum imaginable. As former
services for the dead, and for that was
written by apostles or by one clearly
atheist Anthony Flew, the world famous
suspended from the pulpit. All other
close to an apostle (Mark to Peter) and
philosopher but not yet Christian, says,
explanations for the mystery are fiction. (Luke to Paul). The early Christians faced “the resurrection of Christ has more
Lincoln says about the Priory of Sion,
persecution and had to know which
basis than the claims of miracles in other
“The simple facts are, there are no facts.” books were worth dying for. They had
religions.” We are not afraid of truth. But
Philips, ibid, p. 10.
used the Gospels for over a century
wild claims that have no basis must be
before Constantine and the Council of
set aside. Don’t just believe what anyone
6. A character in The Da Vinci Code,
Nicea recognized them.
says or writes. Investigate thoroughly.
Teabing, stated there are over 80
You will find the Bible stands true!
gospels considered for the NT but
only 4 were chosen.
Concerning the novel’s claims of great
THE REAL JESUS CODE:
cover up, Bock says: “We have examined Jesus was born, died, and rose again.
But this is not true, even if you include
this claim and found it to be wanting
Mary and others witnessed to his life,
Gnostic writings 200 years later, with
historically at every key point. Mary
death and resurrection. It is all real.
only a handful of gospels. In the Nag
Magdalene was not married to Jesus.
Death has been conquered, sin can be
Hammadi manuscripts there were only
Jesus was not married to anyone else.
forgiven, lives can be changed. We need
5 gospels. Much of the New Testament
He had no children. Jesus was single in
God, we need to repent. We have real
had already been finalized by the end of a manner that Jews of his time could
hope in Jesus. Stand on the Word of God!
the 2nd century, well before the Gnostic appreciate. Jesus, as a religious Jew,
Give your life to Jesus today!
writings came up. Matthew, Mark &
could be single.” Bock, p.152. There
Luke were written in AD 62 and a whole is nothing historical about Brown’s
By Rev David Lim
generation alive in Jesus’day could
claims in The Da Vinci Code. All is built
have attested to their truth or falsity.
on conjecture and the word of one
The Gnostic writings were by people
man, Pierre Plantard, who fabricated
supposedly with super knowledge &
the whole story on the Sion Priory, the
philosophical & mystical insight beyond Knights Templar, Opus, Dei, and the
that of ordinary people about the nature Merovinglian line tied to a bloodline of
of God and the universe. Their teaching Jesus. An argument as flawed as this has
had no biblical basis. Their teachings
no basis. But Brown says whatever he
denied the earthly sacrifice of Jesus on the wants and some will believe him.
Reproduced with permission from
cross, taught an eternal dualism of good
Grace Pointer – A publication of
vs evil, and mystical insights into truth, This is an age of hearsay. Whatever we
Grace Assembly of God, Singapore.
which were totally foreign to the Bible. hear by gossip or rumor, whatever we
(July–Sept 2005)
12
13
CONTEMPORARY ISSUE
MISSION
Homosexuality –
what’s the deal? PART ONE
First it was a report of certain states
in America recognizing same-sex
(homosexual and lesbian) marriages,
and I thought to myself: what next?
Then came the ordination of homosexual
priests in certain churches in North
America and Canada, and following
hot on its heels, the well-publicized
“marriage” of the British celebrity Sir
Elton John and his partner. I wondered
again: Anything else to come? Well,
there was more indeed; recent news
reports highlighted a series of films such
as Brokeback Mountain and Transamerica
which all premised on homosexual
themes that garnered prestigious Golden
Globe and Oscar awards and nominations
in the American entertainment industry.
And that really made me sit up – I can’t
help but notice a certain trend in all this
– homosexuality is certainly making the
headlines of contemporary news.
In the Western world, gay (a popular
term used to refer to both male and
female homosexuals) activists gained
much momentum after World War II in
their fight for civil rights. A turning point
was reached in 1973 when the American
Psychiatric Association voted to remove
homosexuality from the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
thus negating homosexuality as a
clinical mental disorder. At the start
of 2006, at least five countries (the
Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada,
and South Africa), plus the US state of
Massachusetts, have legalized same-sex
marriage. Other countries, including the
majority of Europe, have enacted civil
unions.
with women and being inflamed with
lust toward for one another, commit
indecent acts with other men. 1 Tim
1:10 puts homosexuals into the category
of “whatever else is contrary to sound
teaching”.
With such wealth of Scriptures, what
else is there to cross swords over? But
the more I read, the more it would seem
the issue is not that simple. There was of
course obvious politicizing of the issue
by interested parties, even “pro-gay
theology”, which interpreted the same
Scriptures rather differently (by quite
a stretch of semantics and creative
exegesis, I may add). Compounding
this further are the many scientific,
psychological and philosophical theories
BIBLICAL VIEW
of whether a homosexual is born or
In the face of all these developments,
made, which to this day still befuddles
how is the Christian to respond? What
the human mind (at least it does mine!).
does the Bible have to say about
Space constraints do not permit me to
HISTORY
homosexuality? Leviticus 18:22 and
elaborate on each and every argument
Yet the issue is nothing new.
20:13 denounces a man lying with a man supporting homosexuality as normal,
Homosexuality is traceable back to
as having committed an abomination,
healthy and yes, even Christian. Thus
the days of ancient Greece and Rome,
a detestable act, something perverse,
I can offer only snippets of the ones
although the term itself came about
unnatural, abhorrent punishable by
most often expounded by proponents
only in the late 19th century, coined by death. The story of Lot in Gen. 19:4-8
of homosexuality as an acceptable way
a Hungarian Karl-Maria Kertbeny. The
who was confronted by the men of
of life.
word homosexual means literally “same- Sodom who wanted intimacy with the
sex,” being a hybrid of the Greek prefix
male guests in his house is oft quoted as It is denied that the original terms used
homo- meaning “same” and the Latin
an example of “this wicked thing”.
in Biblical passages relating to this
root sex meaning what else - “sex.”
Although the term is not explicitly
subject actually refer to homosexuality
mentioned, 2 Peter 2:6-10 makes
or else argued that such passages refer
Through the decades, the pendulum
reference to Sodom and Gomorrah being to specific non-consensual or oppressive
has swung from general tolerance in
destroyed for the their ungodly practices, homosexual acts. Thus Paul’s references
Grecian society to severe condemnation particularly those indulging in the lust of in 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:10 supposedly
and punishment especially through the polluting passion/following the corrupt illustrate pederasty (the sexual abuse of
latter part of the 12th - 14th centuries
desire of their sinful nature. Likewise,
young boys), homosexual rape or nonunder the dominance of the Catholic
Jude 7 talks of the cities involved in
committed homosexual relationships. It
Church. However by the 18th and
unnatural vice/sensual perversity/gross is argued that these are different from
19th centuries, secular arguments and
immorality and going after strange flesh. fully committed, loving homosexual
interpretations became increasingly
Apostle Paul in 1 Cur 6:9-10 classified the relationships that cannot be wrong
common in discussions of homosexuality, effeminate or homosexuals as one of the since it involves two consenting adults.
particularly in the field of medicine and unrighteous/wicked/wrongdoers who
Advocates also seek to confine the
psychology. The liberalism of the 20th
will not inherit God’s kingdom. Romans prohibitions of the Old Testament
century led to another redefining of
1:24-31 announces a list of things
to male temple prostitution whilst
sexual roles which took homosexuality
“worthy of death”, amongst which are
relegating the Holiness Code embedded
literally out of the closet.
men who, abandoning natural relations in Leviticus to ancient laws applicable
only to the Jews in that era which should
have no application in this present time
for this present generation, by virtue of
Jesus ushering in His Gospel of grace,
love and mercy for all.
PROFESSIONAL VIEW
Scientists and psychologists on both
sides of the fence have had a field day
arguing over whether there is a “gay
gene”, thus reducing sexual orientation
to a matter of biology, and not personal
choice; spawning heated debates over
the “God-made-me-this-way” theory. A
concise article published by the National
Association for Research and Therapy of
Homosexuality says it succinctly. “The
best overall summary of most respected
researchers is that homosexuality (like
most other psychological conditions)
is due to a combination of social,
biological, and psychological factors.”
Attempts are made to draw distinctions
between sexual gender and sexual
orientation which only seek to “pull
wool” over the real issue of whether
homosexuality is a sin.
So, is it or isn’t it? Well, it’s certainly fruit
for further thought….
By Christine Lai
End Time
Harvest Plenary
The Evangelism Ministry
ended 2005 with the staging
of a plenary themed End Time
Harvest on 19 November in
Parousia Hall.
14
MISSION
“You don’t need
a calling to go
anywhere – you
must go because
you are already
commanded to.”
Ps Vincent Leoh
The Evangelism Ministry ended 2005
with the staging of a plenary themed
End Time Harvest on 19 November in
Parousia Hall. Some 130 participants
spent their Saturday listening to and
absorbing the truth of God’s Word
brought to them by His two anointed
servants; Pastor Thomas G Mangham,
Evangelism Explosion’s (EE) Regional
Director for South-East Asia and Glad
Tiding’s very own Pastor Vincent Leoh,
main pastor of Glad Tidings Assembly
of God, Petaling Jaya. The session was
moderated by EE Malaysia’s National
Chairman Pastor Voon Yuen Woh of
Seremban Full Gospel Tabernacle.
GT Evangelism and Prayer Pastor
Lee Kuan Ming opened the session
appropriately with John 4:35 that
the harvest fields are indeed ripe
and plentiful, but the workers are few.
Challenging participants to translate
the slogan of the US giant telco AT&T
“Reach out and Touch Someone” into
Christian application, he reminded
that all believers are a vital part of
God’s Great Commission.
Pastor Yuen Woh voiced a prayer
that the participants would leave
at the end of the day not with simply
a knowledge-filled mind, but with a
different heart. He sounded a clear
warning against complacency and
comfort within the church, that we
not be like fish swimming contentedly
around within the aquarium or sheep
grazing within the green pastures,
but to remember there are other lost
fishes and sheep wandering outside
the perimeters of safety.
Pastor Vincent unveiled God’s threepoint plan to reach the world – “Go,
Stand and Speak”– based on Acts
5:17-33 as the key to fulfilling His
Great Commission. Contrasting the
1st century church of the apostles
where everyone was involved in
evangelizing to an unbelieving world
and the 21st century church which by
and large left evangelism to church
leadership, he underscored the End
Time Harvest call to the church to
be its greatest task as a spiritual
awakening shakes nations in this
day and age.
Highlighting that the first two words of
the Gospel are GO, he emphasized the
importance of the imperative to take
action, for nothing happens until we
actually physically GO. Pastor Vincent
clearly differentiated between God’s
call to “come and follow” Him, and
God’s commandment to “go and make
disciples” to the ends of the earth.
Describing a calling as an option to obey
or not to obey versus a commandment
as an order without any option of
refusal, he succinctly summarized “You
don’t need a calling to go anywhere
– you must go because you are already
commanded to.” Thus the church is a
people who have been called out of the
world to worship God, and sent out into
the world to witness and serve.
Noting that there is no such thing
as secret service in the Kingdom of
God, Pastor Vincent drew a parallel of
Nicodemus’ fear resulting in his seeking
Jesus in the safety of night with the fear
of most believers which keeps us back
from being an active witness. Reminding
believers that we are called to take the
stand for Jesus, he expounded on the
need for courage born of compulsion,
consecration and compassion to
overcome the fear.
On the sufficiency of lifestyle evangelism,
Pastor Vincent pointedly referred to the
need to still open the mouth to speak,
quoting several Scriptures to that effect.
Whether it be in personal or mass
evangelism, he emphasized that the
message to be presented must always be
the Full Gospel which involves Man’s sin
and God’s grace through Christ Jesus. He
ended with a sobering thought – “If we
don’t have the fire, it means two things,
either we are not truly saved or we are
back-sliding… for time slips, years pass,
life ends… therefore don’t waste time.”
He presented a humorous and thoughtprovoking look at how the problem is
we always seem to be getting ready
only, as he showed a video clip of a man
getting into a boat surrounding himself
with and explaining about all sorts of
flotation devices which would enable
him to swim, while all about him in the
open sea, people are drowning. The man
in the boat is the believer in the church
(the boat) who is so busy preparing,
training and being equipped to swim (he
has all the tools to save himself) he quite
forgets and totally ignores those already
drowning (the unsaved).
the first time into a mosque by the
local imam to repaint the place.
Pastor Tom took the next two sessions,
beginning with an exposition of the
parable of the cedar tree taken from
Psalm 92:12. Expanding from Ps Vincent’s
cue to GO, he described the journey as
one to be taken in humility, recognizing
that those who evangelize are no better
than the person being evangelized to.
He ended his session by inviting believers
to remember that God has ordained a
purpose for our lives to influence and
impact the lives we touch. This involves
conquering the regime of darkness,
penetrating the regime of culture and
transforming the regime of the heart.
Revealing very interesting facts about
how a cedar tree grows, Pastor Tom
expounded on how believers should
grow to be righteous to display and
speak the love and grace of Christ. In
highlighting God’s agenda to bring
salvation to the lost, he exhorted us to
get ready, move out and keep on.
As a living example, Pastor Tom showed
a video of EE International ministry in
Aceh in the wake of the tsunami. He
pointed out that though not trained
at all to do relief work, the volunteers
availed themselves and God’s glory was
graphically manifested there when these
Christians were allowed to set foot for
After the solid feeding of spiritual
food by Pastor Tom, the speakers
took to the stage to answer questions
from the moderator and the floor.
The discussion was animated with
the speakers shedding personal insights
and opinions on several interesting
issues raised, ranging from the
necessity and importance of being
equipped and trained to share the
gospel, the effectiveness and (oft
misunderstood) role of EE, handling
tough situations like explaining
heaven and hell and persecution.
In closing, he told the story of a
graduation ceremony, where the
MC, instead of offering the usual
congratulatory speech started off with
a startling question: One day, you are
going to die…what are the people
you leave behind going to remember
you for? People remember Pilate for his
title, but people remember Jesus for
His testimony. He didn’t need to ask the
obvious penetrating thought – what is
our own individual testimony?
In closing, Pastor Yuen Woh told the
story of a famous preacher who together
with a friend were observing the crowds
of people out on the street from their
high-rise office building. When asked
what he saw, the friend said he saw
people walking about. In turn the
preacher replied he saw souls marching
into hell. The point – it’s all a question of
perspective. That kind of vision is what is
needed to stir the fire of evangelism in
every heart to just go and share, while
there is still time.
By Christine Lai?
16
MISSION REPORTS
New Ventures, New Territories
Glad Tidings Missions is actively
involved in 10 countries in the past
and in 2005 we have ventured into
3 new missions field, Sri Lanka,
Nepal and Laos.
Our vision of touching lives
extends beyond our four walls
and within our nation. We hope
to make an impact for the Lord
to the ends of the earth!
Here are some mission trips
updates from September 05
till February 06:
The Indonesian hearts are hungry for the Word and their worship is fervent!
Philippines (6 – 13 Nov 2005)
Team: Vincent Chew (L), Ps Linda Khoo, Alvin Jo, Angela Chong, Jesse Liew, Stevie
Heong and Thomas Choo.
Indonesia (1 – 5 Dec 2005)
Team: Ps Russel Andrew (L), Ps Stanley Lim, Felicia Yip, Grace Wah, Lui Siew Mui,
Tracey Loh and Travina Teoh.
We praise God for 40 souls saved through this missions trip. Among the exciting
evangelism tools that they used were the screening of the Jesus movie, feeding
programs in the squatter areas, children ministry and of course the sharing of
testimonies from the team members. They also had the opportunity to preach
and participate in the church dedication and blessings service.
We thank God for Ps Russel and the team who has faithfully been working in the
land of Indonesia. GTPJ has managed to plant and support 49 churches thus far
and we thank God for the open doors for ministry. This particular trip centered in
Medan, Berastagi and Kaban Jahe. The team ministered in cell groups and had
preaching sessions in churches to adults and children. Glory to God for 2 souls
saved through the ministries and many lives touched and blessed too.
GT team taking a break with the local Philippinos.
Bangladesh children are eager to learn about Jesus and also need much care for
their personal hygiene and health.
Bangladesh (14 – 20 Nov 2005)
Team: Ps Julie Khoo (L), Danny Tan, Chia Chi Yen, Daniel Liew, Enoch Lee, Joann
Koo, Lucianna Lo, Simon Lee, Dr Sumitra Ananda and Dr Valerie Heong.
Bangladesh (10 – 17 Dec 2005)
Team: Ps Russel Andrew (L), Michael Tan, Nancy Ee, Ong Li Li, Tan Tat Thong and
Ting Mee Kean.
Missions trips are all about meeting the people’s needs whether spiritually,
emotionally or even physically. The youth medical team opened clinics at 3
remote villages: Gopalganj, Chourkhurli and Savar. The clinics were run at the
church premise where we saw droves of people just making their way desperate
to seek medical advice and treatment. Due to poor sanitation and poverty, many
minor ailments may have developed to more serious conditions. We hope that
through our distribution of basic supplements and medication, we would have
made a small spark of difference in their lives. The team also ministered at revival
meetings to the youth. This also served as an exposure trip to those who are
aspiring make the medical line as their profession. Glory to God for the salvation
of 40 adults and children.
Our church ministered in Bangladesh again with the adult missions team.
We organized Evangelistic crusades through which 536 salvations and many other
lives touched by the Gospel message.
[Left] Hinduism and Buddhism are major strongholds in Nepal. This is a picture of
a ‘holy man’ who goes around asking for alms. [Right] On the way to Trishuli, the
team stopped for a breathtaking view of the Himalayas.
Nepal (14 – 18 Oct 2005)
Team: May Chan(L), Ps Vincent Leoh, Ps Julie Khoo, Michael Tang and Gwen Choo.
Another country that the GTPJ Missions has been praying and targeting is Nepal.
We finally made our maiden trip to this beautiful nation and managed to explore
places and ministry for potential missions work. Led by May Chan and the team
met with key leaders of A/G Nepal, visited its bible college and other works that
are established there. The harvest is truly plentiful and the people are in need of a
Savior. May the Lord lead and give us wisdom as we avail ourselves for ministry in
the Land of Nepal.
Sri Lankan Church passionately worshipping Jesus.
The church led by Ps Lim with 40 members in Koh Demai village in Seam Reap
province, Cambodia.
Sri Lanka (16 – 21 Sept 2005)
Team: Sunita Philips (L), Ps Vincent Leoh and Ps Julie Khoo.
Cambodia (29 Oct – 5 Nov 2005)
Team: Tan Tat Thong (L), Ps Adam Justin, Chee Whee Fung, Dannie Lim, Henry
Chin, Jane Wong, John Tan, Kelly Kum, Lee Tet Lin, Moi May Ling, Phoon Siew Seng,
Phylis Philips, Ruth Lau and Sue Woon.
God has started to open new doors for GTPJ missions. We stepped into the new
territory of Sri Lanka. The country coordinator, Sunita Philips, led the team.
Together with our main pastor, Ps Vincent and youth pastor, Ps Julie, the team
met with the key leaders of A/G Sri Lanka and also visited the tsunami-affected
areas. We are looking forward to greater involvement and the extension of God’s
kingdom in Sri Lanka
GT team taking a break with the local Philippinos.
This trip marked many first time experience for its members. The 15 membered
team visited many villages and did various ministries there from teaching and
ministry sessions to adults, youth and children. They also managed to do some
medical ministry and held a 2-day seminar on the Purpose Driven Life. We give
glory and praise the Lord for the salvations of 54 adults and 285 children.
18
19
TESTIMONY
TESTIMONY
A Year of Challenges
Serve As He Has Served
2005 has been a year of great challenges
for me. I have been challenged in the
areas of relationships, leadership,
finances and health. I have gone through
betrayals, accusations, lack of finances
and now, cancer. This is one year that I
really felt that God had abandoned me
and left me to be tried in the hands of
the enemy.
It was time again for our monthly dinner
date with the staff and residents of
Lifezone Drug Rehabilitation Centre.
After consulting Brother Mark Chee
(Lifezone Trainer), we set the date for 11
July as most convenient for me to bring
over the food. Apparently, a reporter
and photographer from Guang Min Daily
Press had an appointment at the same
to interview Pastor Israel Tan (Lifezone
Home Master) and two staff members,
and they had also requested to interview
my husband and me.
But thru it all, I have learnt that God’s
grace is sufficient for me and that in
my weakness He is made strong. As I
struggle with these “challenges”, God
turned what I thought to be miseries
and defeats into triumphs. As I come
to terms with my condition and
challenges, God sent angels like Pastor
Adam Justin, Pastor Julie Khoo, Pastor
Stanley Lim, Pastor Lee Kuan Ming,
Pastor Ng Koon Seng and many, many
other church members and friends
to walk alongside me. It is with their
prayers, encouragement and support
that I am where I am today. Today, I can
confidently look back and thank God for
his goodness and mercy upon me.
As I ponder over their counsel and
support, I realize that I had been
narrow-minded and self-centered. I only
thought of my own problems and thus
went through a period of depression
and self-pity. Things got so bad that I
did not want to pray or even read the
Bible. I was that discouraged and angry
with God!
It was during this time that God spoke
to me, especially through Pastor Adam
and Pastor Julie. I began to see that
there were other people such as my
close family members and friends who
were equally hurting if not more and
they could only watch and feel helpless.
One brother even told me that when he
heard that I had cancer, he was affected
enough to ask God what he could do
for me.
As realization seeped in, I decided to pick
myself up and return to God for solace.
Little by little God dealt with me. My
breakthrough came when I realized that
God had not abandoned me and was
with me all along – through it all. I can
confidently say that I am in a win-win
situation: If I die due to this cancer, I get
to go home to be with the Lord; and if I
beat this cancer, God is exalted and He is
glorified in my life! Hallelujah!
Truly, God has been good to me. I know
that God has prolonged my life for a
purpose. My battle with cancer will still
go on but I am confident and assured
that God will never put me through
anything that I cannot handle. Now
I consider myself privileged that God
counts me worthy to walk this path.
I look forward to year 2006 with
eagerness and much anticipation. I have
decided that I will accept Pastor Julie’s
During Pastor Kuan Ming’s recent sermon invitation to walk the hospitals with
on prayer, I knew that God was speaking her; to listen to Pastor Adam’s counsel to
to me and that my trials were not an
return to cell leadership, to Tat Thong’s
excuse to stay away. I made a conscious encouragement to return to missions
effort to return to prayer meets on
and to my brother Alvin’s suggestion to
Wednesday night. I only missed it when resume and finish GTSOM!
I was on chemo or was not feeling well.
I returned to my passion for praying for God bless you all!
others, and whatever prayer lists I had
previously, I started to pray over them
By Stephenie Liew
again.
God is good and I am greatly encouraged
that my prayers were answered one by
one. I saw a friend reunited with her
son after years of separation and she
became an instant grandmother of two!
I also received good news from a friend
in Saudi Arabia that she is now pregnant
after years of anticipation and prayers.
I also had the privilege of seeing a cell
member come to the Lord. The joy and
happiness of his wife is encouragement
for me to carry on praying.
Along the way, God also taught me
several lessons. Firstly, He saw me
through my finances. I have had to
quit work due to my treatments and
God sent different individuals to bless
me from time to time. Till today, I still
receive supplements from a friend who
recognized my need. God is indeed
Jehovah Jireh, the Provider.
both of us would go to the PJ Old Town
market at 6:30am from our house at
Puchong to buy food supplies, which are
comparatively cheaper there. It is also an
advantage as I am familiar with many of
the hawkers whom I buy from regularly.
My husband would have to make several
trips to and fro the market and the car
due to the amount of food I have to buy.
If there were more people, both of us
would get up at about 4/5am to make
some preparations before going to the
market. Once the cooking starts, it would
take 4 to 5 hours, just in time to send
the 7 dishes and appetizer off for dinner.
Due to this, a few of the residents and
helpers have complimented the act to
the reporters.
I do not deserve all the praises that
was said of me in the article. Indeed I
pray one day I can truly imitate Jesus
as written in His Word, that our Lord is
compassionate and concerned when He
saw the multitude of people gathered
around Him and He acted quickly to
provide food to feed their hunger. His
love truly shines through and heals
all people, rich or poor, without any
distinction of status or age.
I recall the Daily Bread text for 11 July
which quoted 1 Corinthians 11:1-2
That night we set up dinner for some
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate
40 people at the premises of the rehab
Christ.” It illustrated a grandfather who
center in Section 7, Petaling Jaya.
challenged his young grandson to “just
Three days later, Brother Mark called to
watch” when the boy asked him how to
inform me that the interview had been
live for Christ. I also remember Pastor
published in the Chinese newspaper. I
We truly find joy in the company of the Tanya’s message shared with the senior
got my copy from the newspaper vendor Lifezone staff and residents. I would
adults in June. She illustrated how
but unfortunately no one could read
like to take this opportunity to praise
everyone who wants to carry out a job
Chinese in my family.
and congratulate all those in charge of
needs tools. For example, an engineer
the residents’ training and treatment in needs certain equipment to undertake
The next morning while marketing in
the centre. Indeed they are so very well a particular project; a tailor needs a
Taman Kinrara, the hawkers there asked disciplined and courteous. We have the sewing machine, etc. Likewise, God
us a lot of questions about the article
highest regard for Pastor Israel Tan and
needs tools to do what He wants to do,
as they recognized us from the featured his assistants, past and present. By the
and His tools are children, women, men,
pictures. It was only after they explained look on the residents’ faces, we know
and elderly people. When I correlate
to us the contents that we understood
they are happy and thankful for the food these to the press article about our
what had been published. One hawker
provided.
service for Lifezone, I take it to be God
even asked for Lifezone ‘s contact
speaking to me. He is surely watching!
person/s – such was the impact of the
I strongly believe and know God is
press article!
behind everything that has taken place By Helena Tan
there. God must have stirred Pastor Israel
The article tells about how since
and he in turn poured out his love and
November 1998, we have been serving
energy into the residents and now all
God by providing food to Lifezone on
that love has been released, translated
a monthly basis. I would cook and my
and published in print for the world as a
husband would send the food to the
testimony to God’s goodness.
center. Each month, on different dates,
20
21
TESTIMONY
FEATURE ARTICLE
In Loving Memory of
Rev Arthur Yoong
In the later part of 1964, we came over
to Glad Tidings to join the Christ
Ambassadors (CAs) and the power of the
Holy Spirit totally gripped his life.
He walked away from the two
consuming passions of his life; the scout
movement and the brushes of painting,
in order I suspect that he could be
unperturbed by their distractions for a
calling far greater by comparison, liken
to Jim Elliot, a missionary who died
at the hands of Auca Indians in South
America who said: “He is no fool who
gives what he cannot keep to gain what
he cannot lose.” (Source: Jim Elliot by
Kathleen White)
We had schooled in the primaries at
road 10 in the “Old Town” of Petaling
Jaya, lived as neighbors about 500
meters apart but it was not until form
three – the class of ’64, at Bukit Bintang
section 14, we sat at the back of the class
together.
By then, Arthur was already a fullpledged King scout at the PJ One, where
meetings were held every Sunday
morning at the PJ club.
The Sixties had the sounds of the
Beatles and the Rock and Rolls that
crescendo through the corridors of our
adolescences but at the same time
spiritual awakenings also abounded. The
search for Peace with God occasionally
brought both of us together at the youth
meetings on Fridays in Gospel Hall, Jalan
Gasing.
Arthur was then stoic, serious and
matured, perhaps too much of these
for a kid of 15, we thought at that
age, cautions should be thrown to the
winds hence everyday class time was a
breeze. We brought a stanza of music
from Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto to
Arthur’s chinese name, Yoong Loong.
The teacher had asked Arthur what was
his name and because he spoke so softly
and gently his name the class stood
to answer on his behalf and told the
teacher that his name was “Tden Tden”.
Thereafter his name was “Tden Tden”
and it became music to our ears. And he
accepted it with quiet resigning humor.
He cut a solitary figure in every recess
time alone in contemplation with a
tupperware of sandwiches packed by
his mother (he loved his mother). It had
dawned on me he was never afraid to
stand out alone while the rest of the
boys sought companions to run in packs.
In contrast of being subdued, in all the
art classes on the contrary Arthur was
the livewire, the center of attraction
and the darling of all the art teachers
(who happened to be all lady teachers).
A pencil and a brush in the grip of his
fingers could bring out a sparkle of
aliveness from the still-life of an apple,
an orange and sketches of strokes to
depict a horse in the field on a sunny day
and dashes of paint for a starry night.
His artworks were constantly selected to
be displayed as works of excellence .He
expressed himself through his artworks
and became very popular in school
although he didn’t think his talent was
that heralded.
beauty, watered by tears, but coaxed and
caressed by the smiles and approval of
the Master of his soul with the legions
of angels waiting in the beyond to
welcome him with the witching melody
of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far
drums beating the long roll in tune
with the refrain of one of the soldier’s
ballads “Old soldiers never die. They just
fade away” (Adapted as a context from
General Douglas Macarthur farewell
to West Point in 1964. Source: The
American Caesar by William Macarthur).
Indeed Arthur did not die – to all of us
he had just faded into the arms of His
Commanding Officer Jesus Christ, his
trusted Guide, the King Scout of all King
In my later encounters with him he never Scouts. To Arthur it will always be the
talked about these 2 passions of his life Gospel; the Gospel and the Gospel of
for the Gospel of Jesus Christ had by then Jesus Christ.
totally dominated his entire being when
at the age of 18 he was already standing By Ethan Heong
at the flank waiting and ready for the
call into Bible School to be a fulltime
minister for Christ.
I had my beret, scout attires, strips and
belts and all the gears to join the scout
movement as a tenderfoot in 1963 but
when I saw Arthur exited from the scout
movement in such dramatic fashion, my
scouting career never took off. I simply
chose the path a King scout so easily
gave up everything for. I decided to
follow Jesus and let go of all the scouting
activities on every Sunday morning.
My choice paled with that of Arthur’s and
I know that “when on that day he crossed
the river his last conscious thought was
that of the Gospel; and the Gospel and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
As Arthur crossed to the beyond with
the shadows lengthening, the twilight
dawning, his days of old had vanished,
tone and tint, they had gone glimmering
through the dreams of things that were.
Their memory was one of wondrous
A Bow and a Kiss
Authentic worship reveals both
the friendship and fear of God...
22
FEATURE ARTICLE
Christianity claims a unique place
among the world’s religions. Our
faith tells of a God before whom
the strongest saints took off their
shoes, bowed down, fell on their
faces, repented in dust and ashes.
At the same time it tells of a God
who came to Earth as a baby, who
showed tender mercies to children
and the weak, who taught us to
call him “Abba”, who loved and
was loved.
Christianity claims a unique place among
the world’s religions. Our faith tells of a
God before whom the strongest saints
took off their shoes, bowed down, fell
on their faces, repented in dust and
ashes. At the same time it tells of a
God who came to Earth as a baby, who
showed tender mercies to children and
the weak, who taught us to call him
“Abba”, who loved and was loved. God is
both transcendent and immanent, the
theologians say. God inspires at once awe
and love, fear and friendship.
To most moderns, however, a sense of
awe comes with the greatest difficulty.
We have domesticated angels into
stuffed toys and Christmas ornaments,
made cartoons of St Peter at the gate
of heaven, tamed the phenomenon
of Easter with bunny rabbits, and
substituted for the awe of shepherds
and wise men cute elves and a jolly
man dressed in red. Almighty God gets
nicknames like “The Big Guy” and “The
Man Upstairs”.
An article in the February 2005 issue
of this magazine addressed one of my
pet peeves. How did it happen that the
word worship became synonymous
with music? For several months my
church went on a hunt for a “worship
pastor”, and a parade of candidates
auditioned with their guitars and
backup groups. Some of them prayed,
yes: “Lord, just, you know, really be
here tonight with us, just let us know
you’re here”. None showed much
knowledge of theology, and assuredly
none led us toward anything like awe.
Worship today means loudly filling
every space of silence.
I welcome the sense of celebration and
joy apparent in much recent music.
Yet I wonder what we are missing
when we seek to reduce the distance
between creature and Creator, a
distance expressed so eloquently by
Job, Isaiah, and the psalmists. John,
the disciple Jesus loved, who had
lain against Jesus’ breast, records in
Revelation that he fell at his feet as
though dead when Jesus appeared in
full glory.
The style of worship swings back and
forth like a pendulum, from Orthodox to
Doukhobors, from Anglican to Quaker,
from Lutheran to Moravian, from statesanctioned churches to counter-cultural
emergent churches, and perhaps we
need a bit of both. Søren Kierkegaard
once said that we treat worship as if
the pastor and choir are the actors
and the congregation the audience;
instead, God should be the audience,
the pastor and choir the prompters, and
the congregation the true participants.
Which brings up an interesting question:
What kind of music does God prefer?
We will have a long time to learn the
answer to that question, it seems,
as Revelation gives many scenes of
creatures worshiping God through music
and through prayer.
Jewish ethicist and writer Abraham
Heschel made the observation, “Awe,
unlike fear, does not make us shrink
from the awe-inspiring object, but, on
the contrary, draws us near to it”. And
Martin Luther was said to pray with the
reverence of addressing God and the
boldness of addressing a friend.
One worship leader, who is having an
increasing impact on Christian music,
strives to hold in creative tension the two
elements of friendship and fear. Matt
Redman, author of such songs as “Heart
of Worship”, “Better Is One Day”, and
“Let My Words Be Few”, leads the group
Soul Survivor, which meets in a large
warehouse in London, England. One
year, concerned that worship music was
turning the focus to musicians rather
than God, Redman and his pastor took
the daring step of eliminating all music
from worship services. After that period
of “fasting”, he emerged with a new
understanding of worship. As he said in a
radio interview:
An album Redman released in 1998, The
Friendship and the Fear, takes its title
from a verse in Psalm 25: “The friendship
of the Lord is for those who fear him”.
Redman continues exploring the
borderland between friendship and fear,
for authentic worship encompasses both.
It is the proper response when a holy
God extends to flawed human beings an
invitation to intimacy. In the Hebrew Old
Testament, the primary word for worship
means “to bow down in reverence and
submission”. And in the New Testament,
the most common Greek word for
worship means “to come forward to kiss”.
Between those two—or combining
both—lies our best approach to God.
[Worship] is best summed up in
Ephesians 5:10, which says, “Find out
what pleases the Lord”. If you’re talking
about music, you want to bring an
offering that is going to please him and
obviously he is not worried about the
music, what style it is or if you’re playing
in time and stuff. When you pour out
your heart with the music and you back
it up with your life, that is probably the
heart of worship.
By Philip Yancey
This article first appeared in April 28,
2005 issue of Christianity Today.
Used by permission of Christianity Today
International, Carol Stream, IL 60188.
Philip Yancey is editor at large of
Christianity Today and co-chair of the
editorial board for Books and Culture.
His books include Reaching for the
Invisible God (2000), The Bible Jesus
Read (1999), What’s So Amazing About
Grace? (1998), The Jesus I Never Knew
(1995), Where is God When It Hurts
(1990), and many others.
24
25
FEATURE CELL
A Christmas Harvest of Love
For SS2/95 cell led by Kelvin Chee, 2005
proved to be a staggeringly busy but an
awesome year.
There were other key food contributors
– Aunty Alice with her renowned oxtail
soup (best in Kuala Lumpur and soon
to be made famous in Melbourne too!).
It was a cell which mastered the art
And in my personal opinion, Christmas
of wedding planning when four cell
just isn’t Christmas without a turkey,
members (Mr Chee himself included!)
and because we had close to 50 people
decided to tie the knot within 3 months coming for the event, an 8-pounder
of one another. Not surprisingly, the cell turkey (thanks to Jesse and Wai Ping)
found itself scrambling (in all directions) came with all the trimmings, including
to organise a Christmas celebration-cum- a portion of ham in the dressing. Just
cell harvest event in December. With the imagine… meat within meat.
cell’s vision for 2005 being “Outreach and
Growing Your Ministry”, the cell harvest In order to make newcomers feel “at
event was not only a necessity but also
home”, the evening started with an
served as a testimony to the first part of ice-breaker. A quiz of getting to know
the vision statement.
one another was introduced or more
accurately, we were encouraged to find
December 17 became the selected date out answers to very important questions
for the event. Anyone can attest to the
regarding bodily extremities such as who
fact that organising any event a week
had the biggest feet, shortest finger,
before Christmas is a monumental
largest palm, biggest eyes and so on.
task, but with the right attitude, a
This was followed by worship where we
collaborated effort and (lots of) prayerful expanded our lungs and sucked in deep
hearts, God’s grace had poured forth to
breaths for all-time favorite carols such
ensure the success of the event.
as “Joy to the World”, “We Wish You a
Merry Christmas”, “Feliz Navidad” and
With an organising committee informally the likes. A short skit was performed by
set up, each of us went about with our
up-and-coming lead actors, Mr Alf Joe
designated responsibilities. Food is an
& Mr Goh “IS” Yat Hwa who discussed
important facet of any Malaysian getthe fundamental search in fulfilling the
together (no surprises there) and to
emptiness in one’s heart and finding the
that end, our resident Monsieur Chan
true purpose for living. In doing so, the
ala Chef designed a menu which would skit used the context of a cell environhave put even celebrity chef Jamie Oliver ment as a platform to provide the basis
to shame. There were little bite-sized
for “What is the purpose of a cell?” The
hors d’oevres (sensational!), pasta with
underlying message was intended to
homemade sauces (fit for a Roman king) speak to those who are new to the cell
and wholesome potato salads (trust me environment (or Christianity for that
bacon bits with mashed potatoes give
matter), but I also believe that it spoke
a new meaning to “salad” altogether).
to those who have not been attending
cell on a regular basis and addressed the
importance of fellowship and spiritual
growth among fellow Christian brothers
and sisters.
John 3:16 was the key message when
Kelvin shared the Word – “For God so
loved the world that He gave His only
Son that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish but have eternal life”. Wow!
I always, and in fact we should all, get
goose-bumps when this verse is spoken;
the undeniable invincible impact of how
great God’s love is for each and everyone
of us. And through this undeserved love,
God gives us a second and consequential
blessing by granting us eternal life.
All Glory to God!
The evening ended with all of us
exchanging gifts. While the giving &
exchanging of gifts with friends and loved
ones during Christmas has
become more and more of “the norm”,
I have always liked to view this as “giving
someone and sharing God’s love with
them”. For without God’s provision, none
of us would be able to share and give to
one another. The exchanging of presents
is merely symbolic of the greater gift that
God bestowed on us through the birth of
Jesus and serves as reminder to love one
another as He has loved us. Indeed this
is what Christmas is all about.
I believe on all accounts that the
Christmas celebration-cum-cell harvest
event was a success. We had 14 new
friends. I pray that each of them had
taken away something tangible from
the event. Be it new friends made,
good fellowship, great food but more
importantly, I pray that the seed has
somehow been sown.
I pray that God sees the hearts’ desire of
this cell and that we will do our utmost
best to reach out to those who need to
hear of His great love for them.
This 20-something cell group, lead by
Kelvin Chee has since multiplied. The
new cell, led by Stevie Heong, now
meets at XXX {address}
By ???
CELL RESOURCE
HELP! I’m worship leading
in Cell this Friday…
The cell is a great place to build people,
because it has a more easy-going
structure that benefits beginners. It is
like a training school where budding
musicians and worship leaders learn
through doing. That said, there are still
standards, and these standards should
be adhered as much as possible. As
worship leaders and musicians, there
are certain things you would need to do,
and things that we should avoid.
1. Pray – Come before God and ask him
to anoint you, cleanse you. Our daily lives
with Him should be that of a worshipper.
After all, worship is an expression of our
love for God, and that love can only be
derived through a relationship with Him.
2. Prepare – When preparing, it helps to
start personally worshipping and singing
first. Avoid singing songs you are not
familiar with. If you still want to sing
it, learn it by heart. A leader has to be
confident in leading, only then can your
members follow.
3. Practice – Come together with your
musician(s) and have at least 15 minutes
to run through. Go through the keys,
make sure you as the worship leader
can reach the keys! Practice establishing
signs and flow to songs, transpositions,
transitions. It is important that the
worship leader and musician(s) be
in constant communication.
BEWARE OF…
1. Negative focus – “Well, we don’t
have a guitar, so we’ll just try our best to
worship la...”, “Umm, this is my first time,
so please overlook my mistakes”, “Oh, I
feel so tired and sad but hopefully some
good gospel music can lift our souls”, and
so on can be a stumbling block. Start
worship with a tone that says, “Man! I
don’t know about you folks, but I am
4. Worship – Just flow with the Spirit
excited to worship!!” That’s why standing
and the leader must worship. Musician(s) up is important. It immediately knocks
too. You can’t lead people into some
people out of their sedentary mood.
place you have not been yourself!
2. Weak leading – Worship leaders need
5. Be sensitive – Worship is not about
to be strong; be firm and take charge. If
you. Your role is to facilitate your
you want to try a new style of worship, be
members into worship, if anything
confident and lead it, and communicate it
you do detracts the glory of God to
to the musicians.
your own glory, well, you’re not ready
for ministry then.
3. Miscommunication – Avoid the
situation where the musician is playing
The above is by no means a set
the chorus and the worship leader goes to
procedure. There is also the Spirit’s
the verse. When members are confused,
spontaneity and we should never
they lose focus. Coordinate. If the leader
limit God’s work in us. These are just
is not sure of the key; explicitly tell the
guidelines compiled through various
musician to cue in with the proper key.
sources. At the end of the day, prepare
Learn how to use signs.
for your time of worship leading, and
always be positive that God wants to
4. Lengthy exposition – Don’t introduce
work something in you.
every song before starting to sing, or ask
members about their spiritual walk and
to get right. While it is ok to do this once
or twice, it breaks the atmosphere when a
worship leader talks too much. Members
are here to worship, not to hear us talk.
5. Leaving Others Behind – Worship
leaders do not have the luxury to
completely lose themselves in the
presence of God... they need to see
if there is response from the people.
Remember, we are leading the members
into worship; not just worship.
6. Distracting music – As musician(s),
the most important part is to keep
the atmosphere. Their goal there is to
provide a firm backbone for the worship
leader to work with. Provide strong
rhythm and confident changes in chords.
7. Losing track of time – This is a little
gray, since as worship leaders, we need
to allow the Holy Spirit to lead through
us. But usually, there are indications that
the Spirit will work and worship will be
the order of the evening. Remember
the allocated time for worship: 20-25
minutes. Don’t overblow it by 45 minutes
because we need to heed time as well
for the other ‘W’s to kick in.
26
ADVICE GIVING COLUMN
27
CELLS IN SHORT
If you have any pressing issues you would like Miss EarHeart to address, please do drop us a line.
Anonymity may be maintained. Of course, the Editor reserves the right to publish your question and answer.
And above all else, please remember that this is all written (and replied!) in good lighthearted humour!
Dear Miss EarHeart,
Dear No Music to My Ears,
I love worship. The songs are nice, some
with very catchy tunes. But every time
I got to cell, I am distracted. I cannot
concentrate on worshiping God as there
are several members who simply cannot
sing in tune. Help! It is affecting me.
What should I do?
Maybe you could ask them to sing up for singing
classes at Eximius! That should help them with their
pitching and keeping in tune… But seriously, one
that
form of worship is singing unto God. And we know
l and
whatever “sounds” we make, when done worshipfu
t
swee
with the intention to please Him, it will be like
incense to Him. Ask the Lord to teach you to immerse
ht
yourself into worshiping Him. When you are so caug
up with God, you probably won’t even notice what’s
happening on your left and right!
No Music to My Ears
rt,
Dear Miss EarHea
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Touching Lives, Impacting Nations
Obeying the call of the Master, eight members of Wangsa Baiduri
7 cell of Subang Zone set out on a five-day missions trip to
Bangkok, Thailand, on 19 August, 2005. According to one of the
“missionaries”, it was a good trip, which saw both children and
adults coming to know the Lord and some rededicating their lives
to the Lord. It was the first time the group worked with Liberty
Bangkok Church and the experience has enabled them to make
future plans on how to reach out to students and adults in their
next trip. So Thailand, be prepared for yet another “face-off” with
the warriors of God!
SSTTRRRRRIIIKKKKE!!!!!
FGCC Cells bowl it up at 1 Utama
Whoever said adults don’t know how to have fun?! What started
out as a slow and sleepy Tuesday morning quickly turned into
a great time of fun and laughter at 1 Utama’s infamous U-Bowl
centre. 40 cellies (including two very cute babies) from various
FGCC cells got themselves out of bed and to the bowling alley
to see who would become the best of the best. After the many
attempts to keep the ball on the alley and out of the drain, amidst
the screams of excitement at a strike or even the slightest tumble
of one pin, the crowd ended the day with a hearty meal and good
company, and for some, a movie!
Bonding in Fun
“… yes, that’s the first step – lifting the ball…”
“… and then you have to jab the ball a little… sure strike one!”
It was a fun-packed Sunday morning for the oikos of Section 19 PJ
cell led by sister Tai Jen Nee when they went for a hike and picnic
at FRIM, Kepong. It was an awesome experience of bonding with
one another through jungle trekking led by an inexperienced
“guide”, doing the canopy walk and exchanging Christmas gifts in
the open air.
We’ve got our feet firmly planted on the Rock…
A Walk in the Park
College Cells at the Botanical Gardens
There’s nothing better than retreating to the refreshing greens
of nature. 58 youths & leaders from the college zone made the
Putrajaya Botanical Gardens their destination for the day. The
outing saw them taking part in fun activities such as cycling,
riding trams and paddle boating (to which I am told, they used
to play tag & synchronized boating!). The relaxing day turned out
educational as well as they ventured into the “nature interpretative
centre” to learn about the various species of plants the botanical
gardens housed. The best part of spending the day outdoors?
Definitely the picnic lunch and the sharing with cellies!
Fashion parading in Nature
Who IS the guy hiding behind the branch?