Mom knows Everything

Thanks for the guest post by Donn Schroeder.

My mother told me she had reduced her electricity costs just by going to a website called http://www.texaselectricityproviders.com/txu-energy-texas/Texas/L/Lacy-Lakeview/. I was a little hesitant at first, but once I got going, it saves me a lot of money. She also told me about this great couponing site that saves her a lot of money on groceries… I signed up as well and now all I have to do is print out some sheets before I go shopping each week. Speaking of coupons, have anyone else been watching that extreme coupons show on TLC? Those people on that show save hundreds of dollars every time they shop… I don't know how they do it! I'm thankful my mom-suggestions that really helped me get my budget back on track. I hadn't realized how much extra I was spending each month until she had me look at all my finances and figure out where I could cut back. What is it that they say? Mom always knows best? Given that the whole truth!

Mom is in the hospital

After making kuih chang everyday for more than a week, her body finally succumbed to tiredness and fatigue. Nobody forced her to do the kuih chang but it is out of her love for her children that she persistently and laboriously prepare the kuih daily. She had to sit or squat for a long time while making the kuih chang and thus it affects her abdomen muscles.

When the children went back to their respective homes, it was a little too late for her to catch her rest. She caught fever and lost her appetite. The next day, she complained of stomach ache. The clinic doctor told her that it may be because of bacteria in her stomach and prescribed some medicine for her. That night her condition got worse and she had to endure stomach pain until morning. She was brought to the hospital and after a MRT scan, the specialist said that her appendix burst and they need to operate on her. Now she is recuperating and God willing, she can be home in a few days time.

Sometimes I am amazed at her persistence in doing something for her family that she is willing to risk her health. People who are injured by others can get the service of Austin Personal Injury Lawyer at O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949 but what would you do in my mother's case. Self "inflicted injuries" because of love for family is a no cause for any legal action. At least not in most countries of this world. Would I do the same for my children when I am in my golden age? Hmmm... .

Don't forget to pray for Mommy

Wifey is having fever due to mastitis. We went to see the doctor and she was given the necessary medications. During lunch time, Annabelle and Clarissa inquired as to what happened to their Mommy. They seems very concerned that their Mommy is not feeling well. I asked Annabelle and Clarissa to look after their brother and sister, and not to trouble their Mommy unnecessarily.

As I was getting ready to go to work, Annabelle reminded me, "Daddy, don't forget to pray for Mommy at work". I'm happy that she is very concerned about her Mommy's health and her trust in God to heal her Mommy.

"Father, heal Michelle and grant her a strong and healthy body. Grant the childlike faith of Annabelle that You are Jehovah Rafar, the God who heals. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen"

Even the Genie doesn't understand women

One day a man was walking along the beach when he found a
bottle, when he opened it up a genie popped out. The genie said
he could have one wish. The man thought about it a while then
told the man that he was afraid of heights and got sea sick,
but really wanted to go to Hawaii so he asked the genie to make
a highway to Hawaii.

"I don't know," said the genie, "that is really difficult. Do you
have another request?"

"Well, I really want to know all about women, you know, how
they tick and why they're the way they are!"

The genie replied: "Will that be two lanes or four?"

Lazy maid

We have read many stories of house maids being lazy. My wife's friends have complained about their maids. The number one problem that most of us maid owner faces is the maid being lazy. When they first started working, the maids would be very hardworking just to impress us. After a few months they started to show their true color. The maid would take naps whenever the employers are not around. The maid would not do the work as diligent as before.

We as parents of small children are quite worried when we have to leave our children with our maid. We wonder what the maid would do to our children. Would she treat our children well if we are not there to watch her. It is because of this fear and uncertainties of their maids, some of the parents thought of home security pima. I too have considered installing multiple security cameras and Direct TV around my house. Then I can watched what happened in my house when I am not there. Would the maid be sleeping? Would the maid be stealing food and other things in the house? Would the maid be watching TV instead of doing her household chores?

Whatever the situation is, we as parents are caught in the middle. We do not like the maid's attitude but we cannot live without the maid's service.

New opportunities for business expansion

An offer was given to buy over one small internet cafe at a very reasonable price. I'm interested to buy it but of course I don't have the capital. As much as possible I tried not to go into debt as taught in the Bible. The exception would be when I know that I can pay the debt on time.

Told a friend about the opportunity and he is very interested to buy it also. Let's see how things work out. Oh Lord, what's your plan for me in this area?

Nice signboard

After 4 years under the sun, my cybercafe signboard has worn out. The pictures and wordings can't be read. I've been wanting to look for an Advertising Agency that can replace the signboard with a reasonable price. The only factor that is holding me back is lack of money. It cost me about $1800 to install the signboard four years ago.

There's one shop that has an attractive signboard. They use glowing lights around the wordings. However, it only look beautiful at night when the lighting is on. It was something new that I have never seen it being done elsewhere. I called up the owner of the shop to ask for the contact of the Advertising Agency that did their signboard but he has yet to return my call. I guess I have to look around for any Advertising Agency that can do the same signboard for my shop.

How to increase sales?

It has been a while since the maintaining mentality crept in. Since all the profits are just enough to support the family, there's nothing much to spend on the business. So, the best thing to do for the business is to maintain and hoping that the customers would be happy with what we have to offer.

If there's extra profit to spend on the business, there are many things I want to change. The signboard is in desperate need of change. That would cost about $2K. Another unit of air-conditioner could keep all the customers cool and cozy wherever they are seated. And of course the floor can be upgraded. Many thoughts came to mind. I've seen the trade show flooring and the trade show carpet. I'm still trying to figure out which is the best upgrade for the floor. Cost and durability are two main factors to be considered. Maybe a few of my company logo mats to greet the customers would create a nice atmosphere. I was thinking of using logo canopy outside my shop but that would not be appropriate for the time being.

Praying that once God bless me with more profits, all the above changes can be done. Then, once the place is more elegant and conducive for the customers, they would come again and again and my sales would increase and increase.

Am I Kicking Out My Tenant Again

From the day I started renting my apartments until today, I have not get any tenants that do not give me any problem or any that stay through the contract period. Either they leave earlier or I kick them out.

At present, both my tenants have been late in paying the rentals. One of them can't even pay the full amount of the electricity bills till I have to cut the supply. I have been giving in to them for the past 2-3 months. One of my tenant's father even called me to tell me to stop harassing his daughter for rent! I smsed once to asked for payment. The tenant gave a date. On that particular date, I did not received the promised payment so I called. Right after that phone call, the father of the tenant called me. I doubt he understands the meaning of "harassing". If my wife were to talk to him, I'm sure she will kick his daughter out from the apartment that instance.

This month will be their last chance. If they are late again next month, I'll tell them to look for other apartment. Then I will have to go through the hassle again to look for furniture cleaning tips, floor tile cleaning machine austin and best home carpet cleaners austin to make the apartment clean again before I put it up again for rent.

I am really praying hard that we will get a good tenant next.

It is not fair at all

Recently, there was a story of a house owner who was slapped with a fine of $3K by the electric company for stealing electricity. Unfortunately for him, he does not do it. It is his tenant who did it. His tenant is an employee of the electric company so he knows the dirty trick to steal electricity. The owner who had to pay the outstanding electricity bill of $5K when the tenant left the house had to fork out another $16K to repair the house before he can rent it out again. He thought that his ordeal is over until he received the fine for something that he does not do. It is just not fair at all.

I too have been cheated by my tenants before. I had to pay $2.5K for the outstanding electricity bill. It is just not fair. In situations like these, I wished that I have good Compensation Lawyers that can fight for my case. Why should I have to come out my hard earn money to pay for other people's usage? Or in the case of the house owner, why should he pay the fine when the electric company failed to take action after numerous reports being made by the house owner.It is not fair at all.

Protecting our children

I read with a shock about the latest tragedy on a seven year old boy in Arau, Perlis. He was tied up with a rope and repeatedly assaulted by the school teacher. He died two days later in the hospital. What on earth is happening to the school system in this country? Disciplining a child is a must but it must never cross the boundary of abuse. We hear of cases of kidnapping, molestation, rape and various kinds of abuses on our children reported in the paper almost daily. The world is getting worst everyday.

We need to protect our children from evil people. Yet, we also need to protect our children from our own ignorance. Many times, our children would suffer from our lack of knowledge about the danger or side effects of the medicine we give them. One good example is Topamax. While it is generally prescribed by the doctors to prevent migraine headaches to both children and adult, it can also cause cleft lip or cleft palate – birth defects that occur when the lip or palate fail to completely fuse together. It is our responsibility as parents to ensure that we are being informed thoroughly of any kind of medicine the doctor wants to prescribed to us and to our children. Most of the medicines would have side effects.

If any of your children are suffering because of such negligence by the doctors, one option is to go for Topamax lawsuit. Check out O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949 or any other lawyers that you know can help.

The world is no longer safe for our children. We as parents must take up our responsibilities to ensure their safety, directly or indirectly.

A big batch of chicken salad

Guest post written by Betty Slagle

I have a really big lunch that the women in missions at church is hosting for members after church on Sunday morning. That means that I need to take at least one dish with me to it, so I've been going through some of my cookbooks looking for stuff. But when it comes to those lunches, anything that's supposed to be hot kind of gets lukewarm by the time that people actually eat it.

So I thought that for once I would actually fix something that keeps cold instead. I went online to figure something out to fix and when I was doing that I came across some info about satellite internet packages and after I read a little more info I decided to sign up for one of them for my home service.

I decided to make a big batch of homemade chicken salad to keep in the fridge during teh church service and a platter of different kinds of bread and crackers so that people can get stuff to put their chicken salad on.

Back to the old days - the slingshots

When I was still young, I used to play with slingshot. We don't have the money to buy the ready made slingshot so we make our own slingshot. That was fun. The best branch that is suitable for the slingshot frame is the guava tree branches. We can always find a "Y" shape branches that can be used for the slingshot frame. We then would go and find unused bicycle tire tube and cut it into long strips to be used as the band. As for the holder of the stone, we would find any suitable leather (mostly from old worn out or torn shoes). It was fun making our own slingshots, something that we can be proud of and treasure so much.

We would then practice shooting with our slingshots. I pitied the chickens, buffalo, squirrels, dogs and also the trees that became our target practice. We would play till late evening and get hands dirtied picking up the stones from the ground as our ammunition. I don't remember our parents being hysterical when they see us dirty. We can just go to the well and give ourselves a good body cleansing scrubs. Our scrub set is not the modern type of scrubs as most of it are from nature or whatever that we can use to scrub our body. Now, you can find medical nursing scrubs that are sold in the pharmacies or even online.

Now that I have my own children and they are big enough to use a slingshot, I decided I would make our own slingshots. Thank God that there are still a few guava trees at the back of our house compound. Instead of using unused tire tube for the band, I decided to just use the rubber band. Managed to find an old shoe and cut off the leather for our slingshot stone holder.

The first slingshot are ready made slingshot bought from the shop. The other three slingshots are made by yours truly for the children to play.

Okay, now it is time to use the slingshots to shoot at the stray dogs hanging around the house. Adios.

Too nice also dangerous

A fellow was very much in love with a beautiful girl. One day she told him that the next day was her birthday. He told her he would send her a bouquet of roses... one for each year of her life.

That evening he called the local florist and ordered twenty-one roses with instructions that they be delivered first thing the next morning.

As the florist was preparing the order, he decided that since the young man was such a good customer, he would put an extra dozen roses in the bouquet.

The fellow never did find out what made the young girl so angry with him.

Daddy's Empty Chair

From Cybersalt Digest

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

"I guess you were expecting me, he said.

'No, who are you?" said the father.

The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up."

"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man.

"Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the minister shut the door.

"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, 'Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I will be with you always'. Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now.'"

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey....Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.

"Did he die in peace?" he asked.

"Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death.
Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."

Fish Project 2 - turn tortoise

Went again to the paddy field trench at 3pm. It was hot, too hot that I decided to go home and wait till it is evening. Brought Belle and Barnabas to the shop to buy fish net. The good quality scoop net cost about RM35 while the not so good cost only RM22. Since I wont be able to go fishing most of the time, I decided that the not so good scoop would suffice.

By the time we reached home, it was cloudy and we are able to go to the paddy field trench again. Now it is not only Belle and Barnabas who followed, but Clarissa, Phoebe and Shannelle also followed. They are really excited especially Belle. I think Belle wants to go into the muddy water again.

Unfortunately the water is still too much for my aging body to scoop all out. Thank God for the fish scoop. Using the scoop, I managed to catch small fishes but that is not what I wanted to catch. I was looking for ikan haruan/catfish or ikan betuk. After a few scoop, to our surprise we found a baby tortoise in the net. Wah...at least there is a worthwhile catch. After a few more scooping without any big fish catch, we headed home. Oh ya...another leech tried to suck blood a few minutes after I went into the water. Too bad for it as I found it early. No free blood donation this time.

Catch Fish project -1

Went to the paddy field trench this morning. Woke up at 8.15am and decided that I'll try to do what I want to do this morning. Woke up Annabelle and Barnabas, told them that we are going to catch fish. They immediately wake up and change. Clarissa has been up early and watching TV.



Armed with 3 pails and one scoop, we went down to the trench. The water is still alot. Oh dear... looks like I wont be able to get anything. Anyway, since we are there, I might as well get myself and the children muddied. Went down into the trench and built a "dam" so that I don't have to scoop so much water. But the task of building the "dam" is quite daunting.

Annabelle is adventurous enough to want to go down into the trench. So down she went into the muddied water. Then Barnabas also agreed to go down. By this time, the once brave Clarissa has become the timid little Princess and decided that she wants to go home.

While Belle and Barnabas "enjoying" themselves in the muddied water, I continued with my "dam" building project. Then their Mommy and Clarissa arrived. After taking photo, Mommy went back. Clarissa, feeling a bit brave and maybe seeing the "joy" of Belle and Barnabas in the muddied water decided to join them. But when she got mud on her feet she starts to cry and cry. Duhhhh....cry so loud until the people in the nearby taman can hear.

Decided then to finish the dam before going back. At least the dams are in place. Hoping that the weather will be hot and the water will dry up a bit more. Still not sure when I can go catch fish again with my children.

Oh ya, a leech decided to help itself on my leg. I guess the leech got on my feet for quite a while since he looks full with my blood.

Foreign worker

An outsourcing boss offered me a foreign worker to work in my cybercafe. Monthly pay of RM900 and a place of accommodation. Well it seems that this guy has all the qualifications in IT knowledge which is good.

My main consideration is whether I can trust him to handle the cash. That is the main issue for most bosses. Of course someone will say that unless I try I would never find out. Well, that's true but it would be a 2 years contract and what would I do if I found out that he is not honest after a month. Headache.

The current part time staffs are trustworthy. The only problem is that their working time are not fixed. Lack of motivation seems to be evidenced in them too. Well, I guess staff will always have staff's mentalities. Though as Christians we are exhorted to work as though we are working for Christ, it is not always easy to do so. Staffs always think about their own convenience and want more money.

Hmmm...if need too, I will consider the foreign worker.

Catching fish

It's been a long two weeks of working almost 12 hours a day at the shop. My body is weakened by lack of exercise. I need to have time to exercise. Exercising at work is not a good solution as I don't like to feel sweaty and sticky while serving my customers. Surely no customer likes to be near a sweaty and stinky guy. Well, lets see whether I can have time to exercise next week.

Went to see the paddy field last Sunday. Saw the drain (parit)and it is drying up. The water is muddy and there's signs of fish in it. Well, maybe I'll bring my children to catch fish this weekend. Hopefully, I can be free on Saturday morning. This Sunday is fully booked with church activities.

Its been a very very long time since the last time I went to catch fish kampung style. By kampung style, I mean by draining/scooping the water out from the drain or small pond. I'm sure it would be the first time for my children and I hope they will enjoy it and get themselves dirty by the mud. Hahaha... the maid would have lots of scrubbing to do this weekend. Hoping to catch some ikan haruan/catfish and ikan betuk or whatever fish that can be eaten.

Really looking forward to this event.

What's important is...

Received this from Cybersalt Digest.

What's important is...
not what kind of car you drive,
but rather how many people you give a lift.

What's important is...
not the size of your house,
but rather the number of people you welcome into your home.

What's important is...
not your social status,
but whether you live your life with class.

What's important is...
not what you possess,
but rather what you give.

What's important is...
not how many friends you have,
but rather how many to whom you are a friend.

What's important is...
not how much overtime you worked,
but rather if you work overtime for your family and loved ones.

What's important is...
not if you live in a great neighborhood,
but rather how you treat your neighbor.

10 years of marriage

Time passes so fast. I can't believe that I've been married for 10 years. I thought that I was only married for 2-3 years only. Ohh... ya... I have 5 children now... so it must be true. walao... 10 years married de lah.

Ok... time to look back at these 10 years that passes by unnoticed (most of the time).

Status : from married (husband) to family man (husband cum father)
Vocation : church worker to cybercafe operator
Weight : from 72kg to 78kg
Height : still the same lah
Fitness : from superb to lembik de
Face : from clean shaven to trimmed moustache and beard
Hair : from short to short + pony tail
Favorite food : still likes sambal and lempeng. KFC is recently dropped from the favorite list. Bread + salad has recently been added to the list.
Favorite color : not important any more
Favorite sexual position : u no need to know lah... hehehe
Best girl friend : still that tomboyish girl that I got to know almost 20 years ago
Best guy friend : from Jasonkalai to none so far (in the process of building new guyships)

Ok...if someone asked me the secret to building good marriage I would say, "hmmm...know your partner inside out and settled it in your heart, mind and soul all the things that you don't like about your partner. Oh ya, don't forget to know the love language of your partner. It would definitely save you lots of time, effort and money in building up your marriage."

What are some of the achievements that I'm proud of? Well, God tells us not to be proud, so I would say that I'm very happy of these achievements that God has allowed in my life. :
-able to relate with my wife, loving her more and more throughout these years
-have 5 adorable special unique children and counting
-clear my business debt
-still maintain my faith in Jesus

What are my fears?
That God would take my wife away first and leave me with the children.
Or that God would take away my family...not sure whether I can be like Job who stands firm when all things are taken away from him.
And that I will fall away from my faith.

What are my nightmares? Dreaming of still being a student and haven't got a clue of what I'm supposed to study and the exam is tomorrow.

What are my plans?
To do the will of God for my life and family.
To have a better and more beautiful relationships with my wife, children and family members in the next 10 years.
To handle the "half time" challenges in a positive way.

oh ya... I luv u lah Michelle.

The Ugly Truth - acne

Watched this movie twice in the past one week. I normally don't watch movies more than once unless it is good. Okay, this movie is not superbly great but it is worth watching. It is hilarious with lots of sexual puns intended which makes it not suitable for children to watch/hear. There's not many nudity scenes but the message portrayed is definitely of low moral standards.

Anyway, it reminded me the facts/truth that many of us focus on the looks than on the inner beauty. Girls would do their best to look beautiful. Teenagers especially girls are prone to be be low on self esteem when they experience the acne breakouts. Many will be desperate to use Accutane to treat their acne problem. Accutane is a form of vitamin A and when used it reduces the amount of oil released by oil glands in the skin, and helps the skin renew itself more quickly.

But the problem is that Accutane can cause severe, life-threatening birth defects. Therefore,never use Accutane if you are pregnant. If however, you feel that you've been wrongly treated with accutane, go find a lawyer and file an Accutane Lawsuit. You can check out O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949.

I remembered that I used to press my acne when I was a teenager. Yes, that was a stupid thing to do. It leaves acne marks on my face but it gradually disappears when I got older. Instead of getting better look, it makes my face looks ugly. That's an ugly truth. I would suggest that you find a better remedy for your acne problems. A good balance healthy diet is the most important during this "acne" period.

Garden pangkin

At last, I managed to finish the garden pangkin that I wanted to make long time ago. It took the whole of Friday evening and Saturday morning to finish it. And I am very happy and happy with the result. It is a simple roofing to protect the garden pangkin from rain. All the materials are available around the house so there's not much expenses involved. Only need to buy RM2.00 worth of long nails. Two pieces of the garden pangkin wood have deteriorated and had to be replaced.

After applying a layer of white paint, the garden pangkin is ready. Even managed to nap there on Sunday afternoon. I guess when the other brothers come back, they would want to add their "touch" to the garden pangkin. Maybe this CNY, I will sleep on the garden pangkin. Of course, must put up the mosquito net.

Waiting

For the new arrival. So far everything has been according to plan. May God's protection and blessing be upon the mother and baby. May He provides cheerful, kind, skillful and compassionate doctor and nurses to assist in the delivery room. And may the baby be born without any problems and complications. May it be fast and without much pain for the mother. May God give me the opportunity to witness the birth of His blessing to us.

Praying also that the siblings especially Ezra would love the new baby and be happy to care and look after him/her. May I would have the time to juggle my time for the business and the family needs.

All praise, glory and thanks be unto God.

Father-in-law in the hospital

Received a call from wifey, saying that her father has been admitted to the hospital. He complained of pain when urinating. There are traces of blood in his urine. In the hospital the doctors did a scan and found the cause to be gall bladder stones. After consultation with him, he agreed to do the operation the same evening.

When we visited him at night he told us what happened before the operation. He was given four jabs of anesthetic by a nurse. All the nurse there wear uniform but the ones in the operation theater wear different nursing scrubs. He said that the injection was painful, similar to an electric shock. The operation took about an hour and the doctors managed to take out the stones. He complained of the cold (almost freezing) temperature in room. After the operation, the nurses changed his scrub clothing and brought him to the ward where he will stay for a night. Mother-in-law was there to accompany him. Ezra was happy to see his grandpa but I doubt he understands what has happened to his grandpa.

Need to upgrade my skills

Nicholas Chan has set up his own company. He worked with an IT company whose office is just above my shop. Met him yesterday and he told me about his newly set up company. Now he provides various IT services like IT systems integrator, IT Projects Management, Automation and Network Security, and also maintenance and services. He also sells special computers for factory usage which is generally more durable compared to normal computers.

My knowledge on networking is limited though enough for day to day operation of the shop. I'm glad that Nicholas shared a bit of his knowledge during our conversation. I wonder whether he has gone to Chicago CCNA or San Diego CCNA where excellent courses on networking were offered. He also shared about some of the internet cafes that he went in another city where the services provided is specifically catered to high end users. He said that in those places the owner have to hire an expert in server and networking just to look after and maintain the computer systems. These expert must have gone through Virginia Cisco Course or Virginia MCITP or similar courses before they can apply for such position.

Would I want to go for such courses? Well, I definitely want to, not just because of the need but because of my interest in knowing more about it. But then, would I have the time to study?

Need to be tough with the tenants

They can pay if they want to. But they chose not to pay the rental, TNB and water bills. And that makes me angry. Once bitten twice angry. The previous tenants left me with more than RM2.5K for TNB. Now this present tenants want to do the same. NO WAY, NO WAY would I let them do that to me.

SMSed them to pay TNB bills last week. Amount outstanding is RM555 but until today they didn't even bother to pay. Tried to make arrangement with TNB at Banda Kaba but useless also. Lots of bureaucracy, must send this notice that notice... bullshit lah.
They promised to cut off the electricity by Monday but satu habuk pun tarak nampak. No action, talk cock only.

Went to the apartment with my padlock cutter and bought a new padlock. Didn't manage to cut open the padlock but managed to damage it so that the key is useless. Asked the management office to lock the water meter and take out the electricity fuse. Then went back home for lunch.

Guess what. The tenant called me and said that they are trapped inside the apartment. Hahaha (sorry lah...I sound so evil in this post). Told him that I will cut open the padlock (still not sure whether I have the strength to do it or not)provided they pay me the rental and TNB bill amount. So went to the apartment again.

Talked to one of the tenants at the management office. Almost quarrel there. Anyway he said that he will pay the rental provided I open the door. So I went and take the cutter and passed it to him to cut the lock. After a few grueling tries he managed to cut it. Praise God for that. I was thinking that I might have to cut the padlock holder if everything else fails. To cut the story short, he went in and paid me the rental. But they are still without water and electricity. They told me that they will only have the money on the middle of this month. Well, good and fine. Stay without water and light then. So I went back.

Lo and behold. In that evening, I received an SMS from the tenants saying that they have paid the electricity and water bills. HAHAHAHAHA...these %$#^%$^ have the money but they just don't want to pay. So must force them to pay... the hard way.

BTW, I really don't like to be the mean person but by doing so, I managed to save myself from coming out with probably RM1K or more for unpaid bills.

Time to upgrade

Bought another photocopier for the shop. The old one is giving lots of problem lately. The paper would always crumple and/or get stuck. Every time the paper got crumple, it is a waste of money (paper, toner and electricity), time, energy and patience. It also gives a bit impression to the customers. They might not even want to come back to the shop and this is something that I want to avoid. So it is time to get a new photocopier.

The good thing is that my supplier allows me to pay by installments. That enables me to pay him and get the machine. If he wants me to pay the whole sum at one time, then I'm not sure when I will have enough money to do so. Maybe, I would have to get a loan from the bank. But I hate to take loans. Pray that this new machine will last long and give a good return for the business.

World's biggest

Do you know that China is the world's biggest bullion miner. Yes, China. And who is the biggest gold consumer. Well, it's India for now. But China would most probably take over that title from India very soon. I know the Chinese are fond of gold and most of them would buy gold coins as gifts to their loved ones. Looking at the trend of economic uncertainties, it looks like this precious metal would be a safe bet for investors.

Oh ya, even though China is the world's biggest bullion miner, she still has to import gold from other countries. Yes, China's gold mines are not enough to meet its own internal domestic demands. And the good news is that the increase in gold import by China will help to lift prices in the coming months. The Dragon country has voracious appetite for gold.

Quiet

Because my two girls are not at home. No more fighting, shouting, running around, complaining, whining. Well, too quiet also is not good. Miss them. Anyway, I should enjoy the peace and quiet while I can. They will be back this evening and the house will be noisy again.

So far, Ezra has compensated abit with his screaming when he plays with his brother Barnabas. And Barnabas keeps on talking and talking when he is near me. He's the talkative type, the total opposite of his father. But he takes good care of his brother too. Willing to play with his brother even though they are about 3 years apart. It's a wonderful feeling to see them play together, shouting, screaming, laughing and getting excited in their game.

Cameron Highland holiday

Not me but my two daughters, Annabelle and Clarissa. They followed their auntie and grandma. Well, since they are big enough to enjoy a holiday, we just let them go without us. Anyway, we can't go because of work and work and not convenient. *Sigh. Sounds so pathetic.

I do hope they are enjoying themselves there. Yes, I do miss them.

Expected to go on increasing

Read the paper TheStar today and found an article by By YVONNE TAN on the price of gold. The article mentioned that the price of gold is expected to scale higher at least over the next one year. Well, if that is true, it is indeed good news to me. Yes, I do invest in gold although I did not buy gold coins. I invest in gold saving accounts because I have problem keeping actual gold coins in a safe place.

The downside is that I don't have extra money to invest further. With the roof renovation and buying of another photocopier for my business, all my extra money has disappeared. Would I encourage you to buy gold? Yes, I definitely would do so. I'm not a high risk taker like those who play the stock market daily. I like to play safe and at the moment, investing in gold is a safe bet.

Holiday vacation

One of my daughters grumbled on the lack of activities this holiday. Her cousins are not back and we have yet to plan for a vacation. A bit busy with the business. Furthermore her mom is due in early January so that is also another deterrence factor. Yes, we did thought of going to Cameron Highlands, Genting Highland, and even Port Dickson for our vacation. So far, there is no decision made.

My wife has gone through the net looking at other hotels in Genting and Port Dicksion. We normally search for the hotels that offer cheap rates as school holiday rates can be very expensive in most hotels. Our idea of staying in the hotels is only for night sleep so there is no need to get a very expensive room.

Anyway, we have listed down two beach hotels should the beach be our destination. It is either Bayu Beach hotel or Tiara Beach Resort. However, knowing my wife, she would prefer to go to the cool places like Genting and Cameron.

Happy Birthday Dear

You are my best friend, my soul companion. You complete me. Indeed, I'm blessed by God to have you as my wife. I can say with all my heart that you are the greatest wife in the whole world for me. God knows that you are the one for me and I fully trust God on that.

There are times when I wish that I could give more to you. Sometimes I wish that I am financially rich so that I can provide for you and that you would not have to bear the comments of others on money matter. Having said that, I too am glad that you have endured such comments and have came out a better person. Instead of a nagging wife who is not satisfied financially, you have become a constant support to me and the children. I thanked God that I'm spared from having an unsatisfied and nagging wife.

You have gone far in your character building and I'm proud of it. Yes, we have to go further in this area but I rejoice that in doing so we will find many treasures in life. And I'm looking forward to our journey together in our pursuit to bring up godly children. There will be ups and downs in that journey but I know we will be enabled by God to achieve what He has in mind for us. Again, I praised God that He has given you as my partner as we complete this Amazing Race together.

Loving you always.

Hubby

Maids in Saudi

I have a maid from Indonesia. Most of the Indonesian maids prefer to work in nearby countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei because of the similar language. It is much easier for them to understand the instructions from their employer and as such can avoid making unnecessary mistake because of language misunderstanding.

The maids have a choice to work in other countries like the Middle East countries. The pay is much higher but the maids must understand English or Arabic. The good thing about working in Middle East is the maid's salary can be in kind. The maid can ask the employer to buy gold bullion for her instead of paying cash to her. I think this is a better deal for the maid if the maid does not need to use her salary as gold price keeps on increasing. If the maid has to send back money to her family, then this salary deal is not appropriate as it is risky to send back the gold bullion to their own country.

I was further told that sometimes the maids in Saudi would never seen her employers face throughout her employment period as the women would wear burqa and the maid would not be allowed to see the male employer.

Tenants leaving

Received a call from BBU Management office admin. She told me that my tenant is leaving by end of December this year. They just moved in about two months ago and now they are leaving. It seems that the courses that they wanted is not provided for by the university here. They would be moving up to Cyberjaya next year. Looks like it would be another month of looking for tenants.

Cost of renovations

The roofs on our kitchen halls need to be changed. Yes, we have two kitchen halls, one is indoor kitchen and the other one is somewhat outdoor kitchen. The roofs are of zinc material and over time, it rusted and there are many holes on it. It is time to change it.

The 1st contractor quoted RM10K for the work. Then the 2nd contractor quoted RM5.4K or RM7K with some extension. Then another contractor quoted RM14.8K if we use steel frame. So we decided to go for the 2nd contractor. We call him but was informed that he has calculated the cost on the low side. He will have to recalculate the cost to the repair.

He came and and after another recalculation, quoted us RM6.5K and RM8.8K with some extension. That is an increase of RM1.1K and RM1.8K from the previous quotation. *Sigh.

I was hoping that we can settle at the RM7K repairs which includes some extension but it looks like we have to pay for the same amount without any extension.
Thank God that the other siblings are willing to help out.

Gold wins again

My banker friend drop by at the house the other day. As usual, she would promote the various plans the bank has. And in this instance, she was promoting a fixed deposit plan for our children. The time duration for the FD to mature is 4 years and we are not supposed to take out the money within that period. The interest rate is only 3.5% per year.

Well, the plan is attractive because our children do have some money inside their saving accounts. Then, we calculated it against the gold savings plan. We estimated that the gold price will continue it upward trend for the next four years and the increase is definitely more than 3.5%. Well, it might go up as high as 60% for the next 4 years. Without much of a fight, the gold wins. So the next day we went to UOB to buy gold. Looks like the children will have higher returns for their money.

Rules of This Household

Got these rules from Cybersalt. Interesting....might even put up these rules when the children are older.

Here goes the rules: -

1. If you are not here for dinner, too bad. This is not a fast-food place where the cook is on duty at all times. The cook works full time and does not need a second job.

2. If you make a mess, clean it up. The dishwasher is open 24 hours a day to service you as are the vacuum, broom, and sponge. Please help them to help you by using them. If you need assistance, ask the cook -- she will be happy to give you training on any of the equipment.

3. The taxi service for this household is not on call 24 hours. You must make reservations at least 12 hours in advance. You have two good legs, skateboards, and bikes that are somewhat operational; one of you has a vehicle that works. Use them. By the way, skateboards are to be used on the outside of this house and are never to be used in the living room just because the landing is softer when you fall.

4. We are not a bank and you have no collateral to offer us. Face it: We own everything you have and I have receipts to prove it, so don't ask us for loans. Get jobs! We have them. Try it and you might like it (not so much the work as the money).

5. Curfew is negotiable, but try not to be late too often because it could go either way.

6. Tell us where you are going. GOOD GRIEF! I am way older than you, and I still tell my mother where I am going when I am at her house. Leave us a note or try to form words describing where you are going while we are in the room with you. Honestly, we don't bite unless provoked.

7. You know how to use a phone. Most of you even have cell phones. We like to hear your voice if you are going to be late. You can use a phone to find out what's for dinner, to let us know you made it to wherever all right, or just to let us hear your beautiful voice.

8. No food in your room, the living room, the bathroom, or anywhere in the house other than the kitchen or dining area EVER! How many times do I have to say this?

9. You do not contribute financially in any way, shape, or form to this household, so try to pull your weight in other ways: Clean something, put something away, surprise us by doing it before we ask. Otherwise, you may find yourself financially supporting yourself on the OUTSIDE of this house.

Changing tyres

As I entered my old junk to go to work, I glanced at the car tire and to my surprise, I saw that the tire has worn out. In fact both front tires are in the same condition and are badly in need for change. I knew that I need to change the tires immediately for safety reason.

As usual, I went to my favorite tire workshop. They provide fast, friendly and cheap service, which are some of my expectations for a good workshop. They recommended a few second-hand tires but it was quite old tires, about 3 years old. Told them to find a newer tires and they managed to find a year old tires.

While they are busy changing the tires, I noticed that they also sell Tire Chains. I will definitely get one of the tire chains if I ever decided to go up the mountains range during winter. At the meantime, the old junk would only be used for me to go to work.

Roof repairs

A month ago I informed my siblings of the roof conditions of the house. I told them that there are many holes on the zinc roofs and that the rain water will leaked through everytime it rains. And it needed repairs urgently. However, the emails does not generated any response from the recipients.

Everytime it rains, the water will sip through the holes and flows down to the wall and to the furniture. As you know wood materials should not be wet but there is nothing much that can be done in this situation. Bit by bit the rain water damage wood furniture austin. In addition to that, the rain water damage to walls austin can also be seen after a few days. I did not have any carpet on the floor or I might have to find some professional carpet cleaning tips.

A week ago, a few of my siblings came back to visit Mother. Only when they have seen the condition of the roofs that they see the urgent need to repair it. Only then they are willing to contribute to the repairs of the roof. Even then, the response from the others are slow in coming. What can I say? The repairs will still need to be done before more damage is done to the house.

HEARTS THAT ARE FULLY COMMITTED TO GOD

GBM Gateway Christian Fellowship, 18-10-2009 by David Bong

Key Scripture: 2 Chronicles 16:9,
“For the eyes of God range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

Intro:
King Asa early reign. War with the Cushites and Libyans.

1. God Is Searching/Looking. – “The eyes of God range throughout the earth”

God is looking to see us do the right thing. It is those things that are holy and pleasing that He wants to see.
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, anything that is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things” – Phil 4:8.

Eg. 1 : - God takes notice of Job.
In Job 1:8, “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
God is not looking for your fault but is looking for people who want to be blameless, upright, who revered God and shuns evil.

Eg. 2 : - 1 Kings 19:18, God told Elijah, “Yet I reserve 7000 in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

2. God Wants to Strengthen Us.-“ to strengthen those”

God knows our weakness. He knows that we need to be strengthened.
Each and every one of our abilities are given by God. – Exodus 31:1-6
It is a gift to us so that we can do the good things He wants us to do.- Heb 13:20-21

Eg. 1: - Joshua leading the people into the Promised Land – Joshua 1:6,7,9… “be strong and courageous”. Joshua has no “supernatural” credentials.

How does God strengthen us? Generally, God strengthens His people in a few ways:
i) By His Word
ii) By word of testimonies
iii) By word of encouragement
iv) By upholding the cause of the people
v) By being the Deliverer and place of refuge.

We should live by bread alone but by every word of God.
In Psalm 19:7a, the psalmist says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul”.
And in v 8a, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart”.
When God strengthens King David, none of the nations around him can defeat King David.

3. Hearts That Are Fully Committed To Him.

King Asa’s heart is not fully committed to God.
Are we fully committed to God?
What does it mean to be fully committed to God?
i) A life that centers on God and His Word.
ii) A heart that trust God notwithstanding the circumstances around him.
*1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing.
iii) Making a choice to do what God wants to do though it hurts badly.
*David Livingstone wrote back, "If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

Commitment will only emerge when there is hardship and choices to be made.
Marriage requires commitment.

God becomes our Master, Lord and God and we are His servants. In heaven, we want to hear from God, our Master tell us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We can build commitment to God by developing Godly disciplines/habits.
- Read your Bible daily- a chapter or 5 chapters
- Pray at certain time
- Sing Christian songs
- Read Christian books
- Greet God in the morning.

It all depends on us. It is when we are committed fully to Him, God takes notice of us and strengthens us. In James 4:8, Paul said, “Draw near to God, and then God will draw near to you.” The choice is ours.

Conclusion.
The Vine and the Branches. If we the branches remains committed to Jesus the Vine, then He will strengthen us and we will produce fruits for Him. If our hearts are fully committed to Jesus, he will not let us whither but strengthens us and in due time we will produce fruits for Him.

Joseph- Refined By Hardship.

GBM Gateway – 28 Feb 2010 – by David Bong

Scripture Passage: Genesis 37 – 50

Intro: Gen 50:19, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good”.

1. The Forming of Godly character – a servant heart.
Joseph was a favorite to his father Jacob. And he because of that he develops this boastful pride in his early life. He has this bossy type of character. He likes to show off. And because he is Jacob’s favorite, Jacob would give in to Joseph’s demands. That is why we read in Gen 37: 11 that Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. They were angry at him, hated him and could not speak any kind words to him.

God has a plan for Jacob and family. And God wants to use Joseph in His Mighty plan. But at the age of 17 and with his boastful character, Joseph is not yet suitable for the job. God has to refine Joseph to be the suitable vessel/instrument for His plan.

I believe that God has already set a plan for Joseph to be a ruler. But to be a ruler, Joseph must be able to serve. Jesus said it in Matthew 20: 20-28 that to be a ruler, one must serve. So we see here that God’s plan for Joseph is to be a ruler. But a ruler in God’s definition is one that serves, not one that is proud and boastful and orders people around. God has to refine Joseph to be a ruler. Unfortunately for people who are boastful, God will allow them to go through humbling experiences. Joseph was given a dream, one that the people would understand its meaning. Joseph was destined to be a ruler, and rule over his brothers, and even his parents have to bow down to him.

God allows Joseph to be sold as slave of Potiphar to teach Joseph to be humble. It is also an opportunity for Joseph to learn to be a true leader that is by serving others. It is there in Potiphar’s house that Joseph learned to serve others. At first, it might have been difficult for Joseph to serve others. Imagine a spoiled brat trying to serve others. But Joseph did learn and when he put his best in serving, God was with him and in due time he was promoted. But Potiphar’s house is only the first purifying stage for Joseph.

Serving in Potiphar’s house is not so difficult. Good food, beautiful house, nice bedroom, and everything is taken care of. One thing about God’s trial is that He knows our character and He moulds us bit by bit. He knows how much hardship we can take for any given time. Although most of the time we feel that it is too much but God knows better. God knows that Joseph’s character is not perfectly moulded and the hardship in Potiphar’s house is not enough to fully refined Joseph. Joseph needs to be tested and refined in a tougher and harsher condition.

What better place to further refine Joseph’s character than to let him be in prison. It is one of the worst places to be and that is what needed to test/refine Joseph. If Joseph can succeed in serving in a prison, then he is ready for God’s plan. Indeed we read that Joseph was tested in prison for more than 2 years before God says that Joseph is ready to serve. It took about 12 years for God to transform Joseph to be ready to serve and be appointed a ruler.
* What situation are you in right now? Is it a difficult situation? Could it that God is preparing you for greater things in your life. Could it be that God want to build a better you and the only way to get you to cooperate is by letting you be in hardship. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

We may feel inadequate, unworthy, unprepared, but God will never call someone to do something that he won’t enable them to accomplish. He doesn’t call the equipped, He equips those He calls.


2. God’s Timing, Not our Timing
Joseph was given the “dream” that he would become a ruler of his brother and his parents when he was still a young man. Knowing that he is boastful and arrogant in his character, it is most likely that he tried to be rash and act as though he is the ruler, telling the brothers and parents to do everything he wants. I believe that Joseph might have tried to do it. He may have boasted about it to his friends. He may have wondered when that “dream” would come to pass. Maybe Joseph have been imagining on how the dreams would come to fulfillment. He may even plan on how to make the dream come to fulfillment faster. I would not be surprised if Joseph had followed in his great grandmother Sarah thinking. Abraham was promised by God that he would have children through Sarah. Sarah believed it but she could not wait. So, in her rashness to make the prophecy come to pass, she offered her servant girl Hagar to Abraham. But that is not God’s plan, not His timing.

Joseph might felt his biggest surprise/disillusionment while he is in the dry cistern. He thought he would rule over his brothers but it is him who was ruled over by his brothers. Caught and thrown down in the cistern, left to die. There in the cistern Joseph experience the death of his vision/dream. In his desperation, Joseph might have cried out to God to save him. Joseph might have bargained with God. That, we are not told.

Then God provides salvation to him. Instead of being left to die in the cistern, he was sold as a slave to a caravan trader. Later, in Egypt, Joseph was again sold as a slave to one of Pharaoh’s official, a captain of the guard name Potiphar. Joseph is now a slave. A prophesied ruler has now become a slave. Again, here we may imagine how Joseph may have felt. When Joseph was with his father Jacob, Joseph is the master of all the slaves, the menservants and maidservants. Instead of ordering others to do the work, he now has to do the work.

By now, we can see the changes in Joseph’s attitude. He became diligent and with God’s favor upon him, he was successful in all the tasks given to him. Soon he was promoted to take charge of Potiphar’s household. He is now the second in command. It seems that maybe, maybe the dream is alive again. Joseph is now in command again.
Now that Joseph is in command again, he might have thought that the dream is now fulfilled. He may have reason out that the dream is about him being a ruler or being in command, which he is now. Sometimes we are like Joseph, having a small plan and we tell God, “Ok Lord. Thank you for your plan that is fulfilled in my life.” Yet that is not God’s final plan for us. Many times we can’t grasp or imagine how great/big God’s plan is for us. Joseph may have thought that God’s timing have come and he may be contented with what he is now, being in command of Potiphar’s household. The problem is though he is in command, he is still a slave.

I believe that Joseph may have felt complacent and resigned to the fact that where he is now is the best he can get in his life, being in command of Potiphar’s household. He might even be happy with where he is now. Potiphar, being captain of the guard, one of Pharaoh’s official, is rich and have tremendous power, the elite in Egyptian society. It is said that a person like Potiphar lives in a big mansion, maybe 3 storey’s mansion. He uses gold utensils and bowls in his daily routine. There are big beautiful vases decorated in his mansion. He sleeps in big beautifully decorated rooms with nice pillows, mattress and comforters.
Joseph might have compared his life as a shepherd, a nomad when he was with his father Jacob, being in command of Potiphar’s household seems to be better. No need to be under the hot sun or shiver in the cold nights, sleeping on hard rocks with insects or snakes all around, smelling like sheep or goats.

*Many times it is when we are contented with what we are that God allows trials/hardships to happen. It is not that God is bad/evil but it is that we have not reached our fullest potential. God want us to go higher in faith. That is what happens to Joseph. He was accuses of doing something bad when he did not do it. And Joseph finds himself in prison, being treated like a criminal though he is not. Life is so unfair, really unfair. How would you react if you are in Joseph’s situation now? Would you be disappointed, frustrated, and angry with God? Would you be questioning God’s wisdom and do you want to curse God (like Job’s wife).

Now Joseph’s dream suffers another blow, a second death of a vision. However, God spared Joseph’s life. Potiphar has the right to kill Joseph there and then. Remember that Joseph is a slave. And a slave does not have any right. So it is quite surprising that we read that instead of killing Joseph straight away, Potiphar put Joseph into the prison. I would assume that Potiphar knew that Joseph is innocent. Potiphar may have investigated the matter with his other menservants and maidservants and found out the truth. And probably Potiphar also know his wife’s character.

We can say that Joseph is in deeper “shit” than before. Previously he is only a slave. Now he is not only a slave but also a prisoner. God was with him and even in prison he was promoted. He was to be in charge of all the prisoners.

Joseph’s dream is to be a ruler. Instead of things turning out good, things went from bad to worse. In a way, Joseph is being demoted from being in charge of a big rich household to being in charge of dirty, grim, depressing prison. It is like you are being transferred from the HQ in KL to some remote places in Sarawak/Sabah. And from living in a beautiful luxurious condominium/bungalow to living in a prison.

It is only when the time is right, when God has placed everything in position that God made the fulfillment of the dream/vision. We read the story of how Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and hew was appointed to be the second in command to Pharaoh. I don’t think Joseph would have imagined that he would be second most powerful man on earth at that time. When he received the dream, he would at the most imagined that he be the head/ruler of his family. But God’s plan is much bigger. God planned that Joseph be the second most powerful man on earth.

What is the vision/dream that you received? Are you still running with the vision? Have is suffered death? Always remember that it is God’s timing, not our timing.


3. Having The Fear of the Lord Always.

Joseph realized that it is always wise to fear/revere the Lord. He has internalized this wisdom and it is shown in his response to temptation. In Gen 39:9b, we read, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” We all are accountable to God first for all our action.

One near death experience can bring one near to God. It is likely that Joseph came to realize that life and death is in God’s hand. He may have realized that is it best to follow God’s ways than to depend on his own abilities. Joseph’s character was changed from one that is proud and boastful to one who give all the credit to God. He is constantly aware of God’s hand working in his life.

Day by day Joseph’s heart becomes committed to God. He may have realized that it is all because of God’s favour that he was successful in all his tasks. This realization made his commitment to God stronger day by day. We have heard the principle that God strengthened those whose hearts are fully committed to God. This commitment to God was made manifested when temptation comes. He knows that he would be sinning against God if he sleeps with his master’s wife. I wonder how many of us guys would already have that kind of commitment. Not many I guess, for even people like Samson, King David and Solomon failed in this area.

When given the opportunity to take revenge on his brothers, he is able to see through God’s eyes. Instead of focusing from his own point of view, he focused on God’s view. And because he focused on God’s view, he is able to see that what his brothers did to him is also part of God’s plan. What would your response be to those who have hurt you? Are you still angry with them, never forgiven them even though its been years since it happened? Are you still blaming God for the sickness, the hardship, the misfortune that you experienced? Or will you try like Joseph to be so in tune with God that he is able to see God’s hand working in his life, even through the difficult part of his life. (being thrown into the cistern by his own brothers, being sold as a slave to the Ishmaelite traders, being sold to Potiphar, being unfairly and unjustly accused of having an affair with his master’s wife, being thrown into prison, helping others but was forgotten and stayed in prison for more than 2 years.

Being in tune with God made a lot of difference. Having the fear of the Lord made a lot of difference. Joseph was able to say that all the hardship is necessary so that he can be God’s instrument, God’s vessel to fulfill God’s plan, not only for Joseph’s life but also for the family members of Jacob. It is also to fulfill God’s prophecy given to Abraham. Being in tune with God frees us from being enslaved with hatred, vengeance, anger, bitterness, jealousy, lust, covetousness and many other evil thoughts. Instead being in tune with God will repulse all these evil thoughts away from our mind. But being in tune with God does not mean all the troubles will go away. It does not repulse hardship, trials or troubles.

Closing.

I truly believe that God has a GREAT Plan for each one of us. And I also believe that God is interested in building man and woman of Godly character. When God made us in His image, He wants us to display His character. That is why the Bible says that God is in the process of conforming us to be more like Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18). May we too be refined like Joseph through hardships and will come out as pure gold, an acceptable offering to God.

Panggilan Allah – 1 Samuel 3

GBM Gateway – 24 Okt 2010 – David Bong

Intro:
Allah senantiasa bekerja. W/pun kita tidak dapat merasainya atau melihatnya, yang pasti Allah senantiasa bekerja. Allah mempunyai rencana yang besar. Untuk membawa setiap bangsa ke syurga supaya mereka dapat menikmati kebaikan dan glori Allah. Bila keadaan kelihatan tidak ada harapan lagi, Allah secara diam-diam memanggil orang-orang tertentu untuk melaksanakan rencananya.

Apabila Allah memanggil kita, apakah reaksi kita? Mari kita lihat kisah Samuel apabila Allah memanggil dia.

Tempat: Shiloh dimana Tabut Tuhan berada. 3 kali setahun umat Israel akan berkumpul untuk merayakan perayaan-perayaan agama mereka. (1. Paskah & Roti Tak Beragi; 2. Pentekosta, 3. Pondok Daun)

Politik: Umat Israel sering kali diserang dan ditindas oleh orang Palestin. Umat Israel tidak mempunyai raja tetapi mereka bergantung kepada ketua-ketua suku kaum mereka dan juga Imam Besar pada masa itu – Eli.

Rohani: Gelap; Semua orang melakukan apa yg difikirkan betul; penyembahan berhala Baal dan Asithoret; efod yg dibuat oleh Gideon juga disembah oleh umat Israel; yang menyedihkan lagi ialah pada masa itu firman Tuhan jarang.

Samuel = Heard of God (didengar Tuhan atau Tuhan telah mendengar); Shama = mendengar; El = Tuhan.

Samuel – anak kepada Elkanah dan Hannah. Elkanah merupakan keturunan Levi dari bani Kehat (Kohatites). Umur Samuel pada waktu Allah memanggil dia mungkin 13 tahun. Samuel merupakan seorang pembantu kepada Eli, Iman
Tugas Samuel: 1. Menjaga dan membersihkan alat perabot di tabut Allah. 2: menyalakan dan mematikan lampu rumah Allah, 3: membuka pintu rumah Tuhan di waktu pagi. 4. Mengikut arahan para imam.

Pada satu malam ketika Samuel sedang tidur, dia terdengar satu suara memanggil namanya, “Samuel, Samuel”. Sebanyak 3 kali Allah memanggil Samuel. Baca 1 Samuel 3: 3-10

Apa yang boleh kita pelajari dari kisah Samuel ini?

1. Tuhan memanggil kita secara peribadi – Tuhan memanggil nama kita.
c/f Keluaran 3:4 “Musa, Musa”
- Tuhan tahu kita secara peribadi. Tuhan yang mencipta kita didalam rahim ibu kita. Tuhan yang tahu berapa banyak rambut di kepala kita. Sebelum sepatah perkataan keluar dari mulut kita, Tuhan sudah tahu mengenainya.


2. Tuhan memanggil kita mengikut waktu Tuhan.
- Mungkin kita seperti Samuel: -
- masih muda lagi – 13 tahun sahaja
- belum mengenal Tuhan
- firman Tuhan belum dinyatakan kepadanya
- sewaktu kita masih enak tidur.
- kita tidak mempunyai kelayakan yang sepatutnya – hanya pembantu rumah

3. Panggilan Tuhan selalunya berkenaan rencana Tuhan
- apa yang Tuhan akan lakukan terhadap anak-anak imam Eli
- sama seperti penciptaan tubuh badan manusia, Tuhan mempunyai tugas dan tempat yang khusus bagi kita. Mungkin sebagai telinga, mata, hidung, mulut, tangan, kaki dsbnya.

Bagaimana Respons Kita terhadap Panggilan Tuhan.

1. Tidak Tahu Tuhan Sedang Memanggil Kita
- sama seperti Samuel, kita tidak tahu yang Tuhan yang memanggil kita.
- kita menjawab kepada orang lain

2. Perlu Mendapatkan Nasihat/Bimbingan daripada orang lain.
- Eli memberi nasihat kepada Samuel apa yang harus Samuel lakukan
- ada diantara kita telah mendengar panggilan Tuhan tapi kita tidak berbuat apa-apa sebab kita tidak tahu apa yang perlu kita lakukan.

3. Bersedia Untuk Menerima Panggilan Tuhan
1) Membenarkan Allah bercakap – “Berbicaralah…”
- sering dikacau/diganggu oleh perkara-perkara lain
- dalam seminit, pemikiran kita diganggu sebanyak 6 kali.

2). Mendengar dengan aktif – “Hamba-Mu ini mendengar”
- dengan niat akan melakukan apa yang disuruh.
- kadang-kala kita tidak mahu mendengar Panggilan Tuhan sebab kita harus kembali ke jalan Tuhan. Kita tidak mahu meninggalkan perbuatan-perbuatan duniawi yang memuaskan nafsu kita.

God’s Way of Achieving Prosperity and Success.

Intro:
- All of us want to be prosperous and successful. There’s an inherent desire in us to be prosperous and successful.
- We have heard of so many ways of the world to find success. Unfortunately, most of the common way to achieve success is against the Biblical principle..e.g. *the means justify the end; cheating; bribing, stepping on others, taking advantage on others to get what you want; be scrupulous in your dealings; don’t give face to others; grab as much as you can; bring down your competitor; etc etc.
- It has come to a stage that the word “success” is commonly associated with worldly desire that we are afraid of desiring success. What does the Bible has to say of success?
- Very often the desire for success drives us to make bad decisions. Eg. Taking drugs by athletes.
*I’ve tried to study God’s Words on this issue. And I would like to share with you what I’ve learned about this issue so far. What I will be sharing to us is just a guideline/a framework of God’s way of achieving success.
*Desire comes first before the needs. Do we ask to fulfill our needs or do we ask to fulfill our desires?

Where in the Bible does it mention God’s way of Achieving Prosperity and Success? Let me show you a few verses.
1. Leviticus 26:3-13
2. Joshua 1:8
3. 1 Kings 2:3
4. Psalms 1:2-3
5. James 1: 22-25

From these 5 references, let’s draw out the common instructions from God: -

1. All of these verses focus on the Word of God, (decrees, commands, Book of the Law, the Law of Moses, the Law of the Lord, the perfect law that gives freedom)
2. Exhort us to follow, obey, meditate on it, do everything written in it, observe, walk and keep his decrees, look intently into the perfect law, not forgetting about it and doing it.
3. The result is prosperity, success and blessings in whatever we do and wherever we go.

Wah… sounds so simple. And being a sinner, I too would not want to simply believe God in His Words and His promises. Like many others, I too felt that there must be a “catch” to God’s way to achieve prosperity and success. Tried as hard as I could, (so far) I could not find anything that contradicts God’s way. And I ask God to help me understand His ways in this matter. God is more than willing to do that.

Let’s meditate on this issue for a while. Let’s journey along this Biblical principle of achieving prosperity and success and let’s see what we can find along the way.

These 5 references refer to the meditating and obeying of God’s commands. God reminded me of the Greatest Commandment, (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:36-40) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves.
So the first stage in this journey is to love our God with all that we are. God wants our total obedience, devotion to Him. And how are we to show that we love God? Well, Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command”. And in verse 23 again Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.”
Then we asked ourselves, what is Jesus’ command and teaching? To put it in a simple way, it is the Biblical principles and teachings. Now, we can only obey the Biblical commands if we know what the commands are. And we can only know the commands if we read and meditate on it. That’s why reading the Word is important. It is crucial discipline of a believer’s spiritual life. One of the marks of a Mature Lovers of Christ is that he/she reads the Bible daily or has a regular time reading the Bible.

Most of us ask God for success and prosperity. Yet, this simple yet important spiritual discipline of reading His Word is ignored. We wonder why we are not successful. We wonder why we are not prosperous.

Let’s continue this journey to success and prosperity. We read the Bible daily and meditate upon it. We know God’s commands. The next step is the most important step. It is obedience. It is doing what we are instructed to do. It is obeying the will of our Master. Don’t bother asking God for prosperity and success if we do not want to obey Him. Even human logic can testify to this flow of consequences.
Parents – would you be pleased with your children if your child does not obey you? Would you want to give to them gifts if they are always disobedient and rebel against you?
Employers – would you be pleased if your employee does not do what they are instructed to do? Instead of making things easier, they make the job even worse. Would you recommend them to be promoted if they are lazy?
Teachers – would you be interested to give more teaching if your students just don’t bother to listen to you and not interested to learn?
We naturally want to give gifts to our children when they are obedient to us, when they willingly and joyfully listen and do things that please us. We want to reward them. We want them to be happy. Once we know that they have develop Godly character in them, we can trust them with gifts and whatever they ask for because we know that they would not be spoilt by such gifts. The gifts will not change their character.
Likewise our God operates in this simple way. God is longing to bless us. God is longing to provide for us. God is longing to make his people prosperous and successful. It is not for us but for His name sake. He longs to show to the world His characters.

Let me tell you what God wants for us. He does not want to cheat, lie, kill and destroy us. That’s all the work of the Devil. Instead, God our Creator wants us to have life to the fullest – John 10:10. He wants us to focus on Him, on His Kingdom. Luke 12:31 - He wants us to seek first His Kingdom with a promise that He will provide for our needs. John 14:23 – God not only wants or desire to have our obedience but also that through our obedience to Him, God can come to us, show us His love and have fellowship with us.

But God wants to make sure that His gifts of prosperity and success would not cause our spiritual downfall. *Deuteronomy 8:12-17, “Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 17 - You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”

God promises us His generosity, His willingness to give us whatever we wish when we remain in Him and His words remain in us – John 15:5. We will also know that apart from God we can do nothing. Only by remaining in Him, we will bear much fruit. The analogy God uses is the fruit tree. Success to the farmer is when the trees that he planted bear good fruit. And it is prosperous when the tree not only bears good fruit but when the tree bears much good fruit. In other words, you will know that you are successful and prosperous when like the branches that draws life from the vine, you bear much good fruit.

Okay, that’s it. That is God’s way to achieving success and prosperity. As simple as ABC.
A – Know the commands of God by hearing, reading and meditating on it.
B – Follow, obey, keep, observe and do the commands of God, then
C – God promises success and prosperity.

Now, before I close, let us look at a few more Scripture verses on this matter so that we would not get off in the wrong step.

Luke 12:15, “Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

James 1: 2-4, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Ephesians 5:8b- 10, “Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.”

In our quest for success and prosperity, may we be reminded of the words of Paul,
Romans 14:8, “8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord”.
Romans 14:12, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God”
Hebrews 12: 1-2, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,”
2 Timothy 4:7, “7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Sketch - a girl terrified by ghost

Drawing by Annabelle Bong on 29 Oct 2010.

UOB joins the market

In the past, we only have Maybank offering gold saving accounts. At the time when Maybank first launches that service, not many of the people are interested in investing in gold or precious metal. It could be that the people needed a ready cash just to get through month by month. Later, Public Bank also offered such service to the public. Well, it is not just gold saving accounts but also gold bullion and minted gold coins. If you check and compare Maybank and Public Bank gold price rates, you would note that there are differences. Generally, as for now, Public Bank offers a better rate for the public.

Now, we see another bank offering the same service. UOB has entered the market and the good news is that it is giving a better rate to the public compared with Maybank and Public Bank. So if you have extra money that you would not spend for maybe a year, I would advise you to invest it in gold savings account. Or if you are in USA, check out United States Gold Bureau. You may find a better deal there.

Sickness averted

Due to the haze that is blanketing the many states in Malaysia, my whole family is showing signs of sickness. Annabelle, Ezra and Mommy are down with flu, slight fever and cough. As for me, I experience low body immune system yesterday, feeling tired and weary the whole day. In times like these, I turn to Usana Essentials, taking it twice yesterday instead of my normal once a day. Yes, I know it says that I should take 3 times a day but I can't afford such luxury. And with extra doses of sleep during the day, my body recovered. Thank God for that.

I'm praying that God would provide wind to clear the haze, or pour down heavy rain on the hotspots in Indonesia. Maybe, just steer a portion of the super-typhoon Megi to Indonesia so that the burning would stop.

The haze is back

Every year, around this time (Sept, Oct, Nov, and Dec) when the dry spell is on, we can see the haze in this country. Sigh...because of the greed of some companies in Indonesia that blatantly practice open burning to clear the land to cut cost, the people in Indonesia and Malaysia have to suffer. Bahhh...and even after so many years, both governments seems to be doing nothing about it.

When the haze is here, our health suffered. Itchy eyes, itchy throat, coughing, fever etc etc. Grrrr....hate it when innocent people have to suffer because of other people's greed.

Sonic Gear speakers

Another thing left by my tenants is a set of Sonic Gear speaker Blue Thunder 1 model. And here is a picture of the same model.

I guess the tenants use this speaker for their room theater set. Being students in the local university, having a room theater set is much cheaper than going to the cinema every time they want to watch a movie. Those who love to hear music will surely get a good set of speaker and Sonic Gear speakers are considered good speakers.

No, I'm not a music lover. If I have lots of money which I don't have especially when the tenants left a hefty outstanding bills for me to pay, I would prefer to buy buy gold instead of buying pc speakers. At least I know my money will increase over time.

Anyway, before the Sonic Gear is sold (yes, I intend to sell it if there are interested buyer) I might as well make full use of it and plug it to my desktop.