HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR HUSBAND, NOEL!!

Today is my husband's birthday. Noel turns half a century today! Not a century but HALF!!! Yesterday the church celebrated his birthday with a wonderful gift of .....you can see it for yourself! And.....the other T-shirt with '21' signifies the number of years he has been the pastor of our church All Nations Church. There was also a half century egg (you know...the black black one....)  that was presented to him, which he ate.This morning, the boys (that means including Noel!) prayed together, and I am so grateful to the Lord for extending Noel's time with me and our boys. After prayer, he encouraged his sons to be faithful to the Lord and hunger for the Word of God. Despite going through many hard times in his life, God is always good.  As I have written in my book God's Word & You, I believe it is God's grace towards the boys and I, that he is still very much physically alive. It was by God's grace that he was able to have a heart bypass which was extremely risky for him, and come out alive to declare God's grace upon his life. We value each other a lot more because of this...of course we still have our little squabbles!....but the Lord is truly good in our lives!I remember that this is the man that the Lord gave to me. The Lord brought me all the way to Australia to know Noel. All the way to meet this man whom I thought, "This man is a fanatic!". I did not understand that this is the way a disciple of Jesus should be living. To me, we do not say "Praise the Lord!" or "Hallelujah!" in public. And the way he desired after God, and the way he spoke about God's Word made me term him as a fanatic. His 'fanaticism' rubbed off on me and I guess it was my turn to be labelled as a fanatic! I learnt to love God for who He is, and to love Him because I wanted to love Him. I learnt that what was important was having a desire for God, for the things of God. I saw Noel's love for God's people, desiring to see them love God the way he did, and to encourage and challenge them to seek God, obey God's Word  and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. To me, the most important thing that I have learnt from Noel is faithfulness to God and the love for God's Word. I first learnt how to study God's Word from him. To my dear husband, Noel Joseph Ha Thien Sen. You may be unassuming and have a tendency to 'take the back seat', but you are a great person because I know you have touched many and influenced many, to love God and love His Word. Thank you for being a faithful and loving husband and father, ever increasing with time! May we, as a family, grow and continue to serve our Lord faithfully and love Him with all that we have!                                                ............................................I intentionally booked a trip to Melaka last week, without letting Noel know. If I ask him when he would be free, it will be never! He always seem to say that it is difficult to go away. So I just told him last week that we will be going to Melaka....and here we are!! Here are some of the photos of places we have been today....mainly makan places lah.......

We had nice chendol and nyonya laksa here - Celenthe Art Cafe

Watching a Malay uncle making onde-onde

At the reception area at our Hotel - The Baba House. 
That is my dear mummy. Nice place!

At the STRAITS CHINESE JEWELLERY MUSEUM. 
We actually went to the wrong place...wanted to 
go to the BABA NYONYA MUSEUM...will visit tomorrow
Still a good experience. The picture on the right shows what 
young nyonya ladies learn to do manik (for putting onto shoes)
....one of the requirements to be eligible to get married.

All the good nyonya places were closed (most are not open 
On Mondays) but have read about this great Tandoori place, 
Pak Putra, but did not know it was only walking distance from 
The Baba House. That is their famous tandoori Chicken....
Noel had some!! For those who do not know, 
HE DOES NOT EAT CHICKEN


.

Last, but not least, thank you all of you guys from ANC for a wonderful and blessed celebration yesterday!!

A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL CORNELIUS SELVAM VELLU - BE GOOD IN ONE THING.... AND PUT YOUR ALL INTO IT !!

My friend Jessica and I made a truly last minute decision on Saturday, 19 April, 7.45am, to go to Ipoh for the special service (was scheduled at 9.30am) for Michael Cornelius Selvam Vellu, Karpal Singh's personal assistant. I wanted to go when I knew about this service at 6am, because I knew that Michael's family members are in India, and I just wanted to be there. On the way to Ipoh...I thought, why don't we just drive to Karpal's place in Penang since we were half way? So the decision was made then that we would go to Penang too after Ipoh. We prayed that the Lord would take care of things and lead us wherever we were supposed to go!!
Jessica and I shared many things on our journey. We were in Ipoh at 10.30am and was so glad that the service was still on. Then we continued our journey to Penang after lunch and arrived at 144A, Jalan Utama, Penang at about 3.30pm. We shared what we have been learning from the Lord, especially after reading David Davis' book From Broadway to Mt Carmel. We find that these people just were sold out to the Lord and whatever, WHATEVER, the Lord said to them, or put in their hearts, they would just do!! And they put everything that they had to do that ONE THING that God put in them. Jessica shared that if it is sweeping the floor, then do it well with all your heart!! If it is teaching God's Word, then spend all your time doing that! 
And that is what Karpal Singh and Michael Cornelius did. We have read so much about what Karpal did and what he stood for. He put his heart and soul in helping people, and the nation cried for this man. Every person I know felt tremendous sadness over his death. Why? Because he was a man of action. A man who cared for people. He put all his time and effort in listening to people's problems and doing something about it....even when others say cannot be done or have given up hope. Can we, as disciples of Jesus, do just that! Sold out to the cause of Christ? Of course....but we have to CHOOSE. Choose to live according to God's way. Choose to give up our ways. And to GIVE. Even if it is just to give my life for one person. That is what Michael Cornelius did.
Yesterday, I read the following in the news that touched my heart :
Even as Karpal Singh is remembered for his contributions to many, there is another man who cannot be forgotten for his sacrifices for one man.
Michael Cornelius Selvam Vellu, the personal assistant to Karpal, would also remain in the annals of Malaysian history for his devotion to his 'Boss'.
Michael was literally the man behind Karpal since the 39-year-old would 'push' his boss around in his wheelchair wherever he went, including to the Parliament, courts and his office at Jalan Pudu.
Karpal's daughter Sangeet Kaur Deo, in a Bernama report, said Michael was a 'faithful servant to his master' and stayed with him even in death.Michael met Karpal in a hospital in India while the latter was undergoing medical treatment in 2005, the year the former DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP was paralysed as a result of a car.
Michael, who came from a poor family from Vellore, Tamil Nadu in southern India, then agreed to return with Karpal to Malaysia as his assistant.
Micheal practically “gave his life for Karpal” working around the clock 24-7 for his boss, said the writer of the biography ‘Karpal Singh: Tiger of Jelutong’ Tim Donoghue.“Without Michael… attending to his every need, and Gurmit (his wife), Karpal would not have been able to live the life,” Donoghue told Astro AWANI yesterday.

Read more at:http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/michael-cornelius-the-man-behind-karpal-singh-34156?cp
It is the poignant description given by Sangeet Kaur Deo about Michael Cornelius, the assistant to Karpal Singh.“From the day Michael worked with my father, he fasted every Tuesday as his personal vow so that my father could walk again,” said Karpal’s daughter, Sangeet when met at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital yesterday where a special prayer service was held for the Indian national before his body was taken to the KL International Airport to be flown back home to his wife and family. “He was a vegetarian and a man of faith. He carried the Bible on him and prayed all the time,” she said. Sangeet related that on Wednesday afternoon, the day before the accident, her father and Michael were jovial in the Kuala Lumpur office. “They were laughing and joking with the office staff when my father said ‘without Michael, I would be dead’ to which Michael replied ‘without Boss, I would be dead’,” she said and stopped as she remembered the tragic accident. Taken from https://my.news.yahoo.com/karpal-angel-michael-heads-home-india-225500790.html
And this is what Karpal said of Michael :
In an interview with FZ.com previously, Karpal had described Michael as his “shadow”.
“He has to wake up every few hours and turn me as I cannot sleep in one position for long… the poor fellow has no life, he has to take care of me all day and even sleeps in the same room,” Karpal had related in the interview.
Karpal also said of Michael: “If he’s not around, I’m in trouble!”
A friend of Karpal’s also remarked that “God was great in wanting Michael to stay with Karpal to help him in heaven”.
Michael, who last saw his family over a year ago, had also expressed that it was hard for him to leave Karpal’s side.
“Very hard for Boss because others don’t know how to carry him,” said Michael, who has never seemed to mind, and was in fact, happy to serve.

Read more at:http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/michael-cornelius-the-man-behind-karpal-singh-34156?cp
Michael, a trained nurse, served Karpal with all his heart....he bathed him, changed his clothes and even slept in the same room with him in order to turn Karpal. Reading about Michael fasting for Karpal, and being ready to serve his Boss 24/7, made me cry, because Michael was an example of a servant, a man of God. And most important of all, he showed Karpal who a disciple of Jesus was. Michael enabled Karpal to be the great man he was until his death. And God made Michael a great man who served ONE man, Karpal Singh. Michael, you may have served only one man, but you served him well! I know that Michael will be accorded his place in heaven...as a good and faithful servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Michael, for showing us what it means to do well in that ONE THING. May your family and friends find strength and comfort in who you are - a faithful servant of the Lord.


Read more at:http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/michael-cornelius-the-man-behind-karpal-singh-34156?cp

A TRIBUTE TO A TRUE MALAYSIAN - KARPAL SINGH (1940-2014)

I woke up yesterday morning, 17 April 2014, with a Whatsapp message from a friend, informing me of the passing away of Karpal Singh in an accident. It is difficult to describe the grief and the profound sadness that came over me. Throughout the day, there was this sense of regret, and wept that I never prayed for God's protection over this great man who was always relentless in his pursuit for justice and righteousness. I then prayed for those who are in the government who serve the people, especially Christians. 


It was only recently that I got to know this TIGER OF JELUTONG  (review) a little better....through the biography of Karpal Singh written by Tim Donoghue. To me he was a true Malaysia, and nothing seemed to be able to stop him from doing what he was good at...a great lawyer and politician. I don't need to repeat what others have written about him, but here are a few :
I believe that he has inspired many young Malaysians to fight the battles once fought by him, and we now see a generation of youth who dare to stand up for what is right, in the face of injustice. If there are more Karpal Singhs out there, Malaysia would be a better nation. He is a symbol of selflessness, bravery and loyalty to his party, his supporters and to every Malaysian citizen. 
From http://www.loyarburok.com/2014/04/17/karpal-singh-%E2%80%9Cthe-tiger-jelutong%E2%80%9D/

Anwar Ibrahim on his good friend, Karpal Singh :
“Indeed, words cannot express enough my profound sadness of the passing away of my brother-in-arms for freedom and democracy, an inspiring symbol for the struggle against oppression and injustice and a man of unimpeachable moral integrity,” Anwar said in a statement here.Describing Karpal as a “selfless, courageous and noble defender” of fundamental liberties, Anwar said with the latter’s death meant the legal fraternity has lost one of its sharpest minds.On his part, Anwar said he had lost a true friend.“Kind in words, noble in deed,” he wrote.He quoted from William Shakespeare to describe Karpal’s relentless pursuit of justice in his colourful career as a politician and lawyer, saying: “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.”“And so it was with our hero Karpal Singh for there is none more valiant in life than this great mortal whose body may have perished but his spirit shall live on with us,” Anwar said.http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/anwar-karpal-singh-our-hero

Baru Bian from PKR Sarawak has this to say :
Indefatigable and relentless leaders such as Karpal Singh are few and far between. While we mourn his passing, I also offer a prayer of thanksgiving for his extraordinary life which was generously lived in the service of his people. I wish to express the gratitude of countless lawyers, political leaders and ordinary Malaysians for the inspiration that he was and will continue to be. It is said that when a great man dies, for years the light he leaves behind him lies on the paths of men. We are indebted to Karpal Singh for his immeasurable contribution to the unfolding democratisation of our country, and for his dogged efforts in paving the way for those left behind to carry on. The fight will go on but it will not be the same without Karpal Singh.
Karpal Singh's assistant, Michael Cornelius Selvam Vellu, 39, died together with him in the car accident. To leave his family to serve his 'boss' was a great sacrifice on his part. Piasau ADUN Alan Ling Sie Kiong recalls meeting Michael while chambering with Karpal’s legal firm in 2009. Click here for full article : Dutiful providerMichael became Karpal’s assistant in 2005 after the Bukit Gelugor MP was paralysed as a result of a car accident in that year.Hailing from Vellore, Tamil Nadu in southern India, he leaves behind a wife, a son and a daughter. His body will be flown back to India to be buried there.“He was often so busy that he once requested me to help him send money to his family in India. His only time of rest was travelling in the car with Karpal,” Alan related.A devout ChristianAccording to Alan, Michael came from a poor family and started serving with Karpal after meeting him while he was undergoing medical treatment in India.He was also a devout Christian and would often be seen carrying a bible with him.“Michael was often carrying a bible wherever he goes to. When I was married and after my victory in the Sarawak state election in 2011, he sent me some gifts and congratulatory cards with bible verses in it to inspire me.”I was so glad to know that Karpal Singh had such a wonderful servant of the Lord to serve him...and I am sure Michael must have shared many wonderful things of the Lord to Karpal!Karpal Singh, I may only have 'known' you from a distance, but reading about you, and seeing you fighting for justice for those who are oppressed, and many times powerless.....I want to say THANK YOU for loving this country of MALAYSIA, and you have shown your love for us MALAYSIANS through your sacrificial dedication to what you believe in. In my mind and heart, I hope you found the God of the Bible who is a God of justice and righteousness.
    NOBLE & ABLE DEFENDER OF THE DEFENSELESS                                  ...from a plaque given to Karpal Singh by a grateful client

JESUS IS RISEN!

Christians around the world are preparing to celebrate Easter. As usual, I want to use Biblical terms for whatever we celebrate and I know there is no word Easter in the Bible. Jesus died on the Feast of the Passover and rose again during the Feast of Firstfruits. Please refer to the Table below on the meaning of the Feasts and their fulfilment through Christ.

As I read Leviticus 23, I used to think it is the FEASTS OF ISRAEL. But now as I read, the Lord said, 

Lev 23:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts. 

It is THE FEASTS OF THE LORD, and He said, MY FEASTS. So does it mean we are to follow those feasts? I think it is a good thing to celebrate and remember what Jesus has done for us. My Open Bible says that the climax of the entire Old Testament is recorded in Exodus 12-14 : the salvation of Israel through blood (the Passover) and through power (the Red Sea)[1]. In Exodus, Israel was redeemed and established as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation .

The book of Leviticus is God’s guidebook for his newly redeemed people, showing them how to worship, serve and obey a holy God. Fellowship with God through sacrifice and obedience show the awesome holiness of the God of Israel, “you shall be holy, as I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)

Why do we study the offerings and the feasts of the Lord?[2]

1.         Because they are a part of the Scriptures given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit which are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

2.         Because they are “a shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:16,17; Hebrews 10:1,2) They point to Christ Who is the substance.

3.         Because they were prophetic types and ensamples, foreshadowing in Israel’s history future events. They shadowed forth that which Christ would fulfil in Himself and in the Church, which is His Body (1 Corinthians 10:6,11; Matthew 5:17-18; 11:13). They were written for our admonition. Part have found fulfilment, and part are yet to find fulfilment.

4.         Because the believer will find that there are things written therein for his learning (Romans 15:4).
5.         Because they set forth the total ministry of Christ relative to the plan of redemption. They set forth in their time element the present Dispensation (divine order of world affairs/time divinely appointed), from the first coming of Christ (Passover) through the Church Age (Pentecost) to the second coming of Christ (Tabernacles).

The things involved in the Feasts of the Lord pertained to the material, the natural and the temporal. It is a principle of God’s dealing with His people that it is “First the natural, afterwards that which is spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46-47).

THE FIVE OFFERINGS AND THE SEVEN FEASTS[3]

The Book of Leviticus is abounding with types and indirect references to the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The Five Offerings (Leviticus Chapter 1-4)

1.         The Burnt Offering typifies Christ’s total offering in submission to His Father’s will.
2.         The Meal Offering typifies Christ’s sinless service.
3.         The Peace Offering is a type of the fellowship believers have with God through the work of the cross.

4.         The Sin Offering typifies Christ as our guilt-bearer.

5.         The Trespass Offering typifies Christ’s payment for the damage of sin.

 I apologise as I do not know how to fit this table nicely on this page!

	FEASTS (in Hebrew)	WHERE IN THE BIBLE	TIME IN JEWISH CALENDER (normal  calender)		MEANING
I	THE FEAST OF PASSOVER (PESACH)	Leviticus 23:4-5	14th	FIRST MONTH	Speaks of the substitutionary death of the Lamb of God. Jesus died on this day.
	THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD	Leviticus 23:6-8	15th	(March to April)	Speaks of the holy walk of the believer (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
	THE FEAST OF THE FIRSTFRUITS	Leviticus 23:9-14	17th	April 15-22, 2014	Speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits of the resurrection of all believers (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Christ rose on this day.
II	THE FEAST OF WEEKS (PENTECOST) (SHAVUOT)	Leviticus 23:15-22	16th – 17th 7 wks after Passover	THIRD MONTH (May – June) June 4-5, 2014	Speaks of the descent of the Holy Spirit after Christ’s ascension. The baptism of the Holy Spirit came upon the believers on this day (Acts 2)
III	THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS (YOM TERU’AH) (ROSH HASHANAH – Jewish New Year, to welcome God as King)	Leviticus 23:23-25	1st	7TH MONTH September  25-26, 2014	Passover to Pentecost – 50 days, 7 Sabbaths from the feast of the firstfruits (sheafs)
	THE FEAST DAY OF ATONEMENT (YOM KIPPUR – the most important day of the year – fasting and collective confession and repentance)	Leviticus 23:26-32	10th	(Sept – Oct)  October 4, 2014	SUKKOT -Speaks of the events associated with the second coming of Christ. The Lord will establish His Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 37:26) and the world will come every year to appear before the King and worship Him (Zechariah 14:16,17)
	THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES (SUKKOT, festival of joy)	Leviticus 23:33-44 Deut. 16:13-15	15th	October  9-15, 2014	(Feast of Tabernacles - Possibility that Christ may have been born during this time?)

I hope that whatever that has been shared above will be seed thoughts from God's Word that will cause you to water the seed through the study and obedience of God's Word! Have a great Passover, and indeed our Lord Jesus is alive!

---

[1] The Open Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1985, page 53.

[2] Conner, Kevin J., The Feasts of Israel, page 1.

[3] The Open Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1985, page 95.

GOD'S WORD ENDURES FOREVER!

It is always exciting to share God's Word! The very fact that it is God's Word, from God....yes, from God Himself to us, is just so so amazing! These past 2 days have been an exciting and just a wonderful journey with the Lord....especially on Sabbath Day and today.

First, on Friday night. Sabbath Day starts from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Read Genesis 1....'the evening and the morning were the 1st day,...evening and the morning were the 2nd day,...etc' As a family, for the past year, we have made some efforts to take communion together and remember the Sabbath day as the Lord commanded in Exodus 20. This Friday, two days' ago (it is Sunday today) Noel invited a friend, a Christian brother over for dinner. Found out he was the one who gave me a couple of books on Jewish ppl and traditions to read a few months ago. The books were just passed to me by Noel, and I didn't know who they were from. This brother is such a funny guy and we had a great time laughing! Though he has never been to Israel but he has a great deal of knowledge of Israel and he seems to know quite a few places that I visited when I was there. I went to look at one of the books again that talked about the fact that when we get to heaven, it is ONE LONG SABBATH….resting in the Lord, so what we do on Sabbath here is a taste of what we are going to do for eternity. I was thinking a whole lot more of how meaningful Sabbath is....time of celebration, prayer, joy, family, and reflection upon our daily life, on a weekly basis. I was reminded of the Sabbath celebrations we had when we were in Israel...we spent 2 Saturdays there. This was what we did during Erev Sabbath (the eve of Sabbath, Friday night) :

The first thing that was observed was Lighting of the Sabbath candles. I didn't know what this was all about but read the following :

At least two candles should be lit. These represent "shamor" ["keep"] and "zakhor" ["remember"], the first words of the commandments [in the two Ten Commandments passages in the Torah] concerning Shabbat (Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12). They also symbolize the unity underlying all apparent duality, such as man and woman, body and soul, speech and silence, creation and revelation.

   It was always lit by a woman (I wonder why?) and will only be lit by a man if there is no woman there.

   

   Then there was Prayer declaring who God is, the Creator of the Universe.

   

   Interspersed, there was singing of Sabbath and Praise songs. There was also a time of breaking of bread, eating it and drinking grape juice (though called wine), with more singing and ending with prayer. Then it is time to partake of a wonderful meal together!

   Just found this and watched it...a taste of the Sabbath celebration as we experienced in Israel, especially the prayers. I find that this all so meaningful...and I hope we will do it with greater appreciation of the Sabbath!

   Today, I was sharing in church, continuing my message Our God is a great and faithful God. It is truly amazing to read of the journey of the people of Israel with God...that God is the King of His people, and is in every aspect of their lives.

   God rules His Kingdom in a lawful way. The Kingdom of God is the centre of Jesus' teaching, and the centre of what He did. The Kingdom of God began much earlier than in the book of Matthew. In Ex. 19:5-8, God's Kingdom has a role, the people of His Kingdom should be anointed, accountable to the King. My Kingdom is a society, with all kinds of people. We are to be the people to bring God's Kingdom to earth....to the society. God ruled every aspect of society for the Jews. Today, we equate our religion with the KIngdom of God. God wants CHANGE, where whole civilizations coming into the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is about training, and understanding what justice is. Let is be people of God's Kingdom....that is different, changed by the power of the Word of God!