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CONTENTSIssue 63 | July - August 2011 Damansara Utama

Methodist Church

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

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

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

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

3 Pit Stops - How Crucial!

4-5 HiYA Night Live! Forum

6 Obeying The Lord

7 How I Was Blessed At MCCC

8-9 Thank You For Your Grace

9-10 From Ugly Duckling To Beautiful Swan

11 Food Packing Can Be Fun

12-13 Never Too Old To Have Fun

14 Biggest Ever Myanmar Concert In Malaysia

15 Outdoor Gym

16 From Prayer Track To Prayer Mountain

17 My Father Is With His Shepherd 18 The Parenting Course Has Arrived! 19 A Tribute To My Father And All Men

20 Be A Godly Man!

21-22 DUMC Ministries

23 DUMC Diary

24 The 15th Malaysia Cell Church Conference

Bahasa MalaysiaHall 2Sund

TamilHall 1Sundays, 2.00 - 4.00 pm

MyanmarRoom 102Tuesdays, 12.00 midnight - 2.00 am

ays, 10.00 am - 12.00 noon

Chinese

Other Languages

Hall 1Sundays, 9.30 - 11.15 am

YouthHall 3Saturdays, 8.00 - 10.00 pm

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

NepaleseRoom 102Saturdays, 8.45 - 10.45 pm

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

Xtraordinary Youth ZonHall 3Saturdays, 2.00 - 4.00 pm

Children’s ChurchHall 1Saturdays, 2.30 - 4.30 pm

Weekend Celebrations

Pit Stops

Pit stops in Formula 1 racing are planned preventive maintenance taking only a few seconds each time. In life, when we do not take regular pit stops, breakdown happens and serious health problems can knock us out completely. Hence, it pays to take periodic pit stops to take stock, reflect, adjust and plan ahead to stay on course and finish our race of life well.

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In Formula One Grand Prix racing, pit stops are crucial and can determine whether one wins or loses the race. Likewise in the Christian life, pit stops are essential for us to re-assess, re�ne and/or restructure whatever necessary so that we could respond in greater e�ectiveness in our Christian discipleship.

Mid-year is always a crucial moment to conduct an honest appraisal for without evaluation we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Our 2011 theme of Presenting everyone mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28) focuses on building depth through three means: the Word, prayer and ministry. These are the apostolic means which God has designed for the growth and maturity of His people as we see in the Book of Acts.

The �rst set of questions we need to ask ourselves relating to the Word of God is: How have we grown in the understanding of God’s Word? How much time do we make each day and each week in learning from the Word of God? Of course, besides learning from God’s Word, it is of critical importance to apply God’s Word in our daily lives because it is the application of God’s Word that transforms our lives. Also, are we coming with a sense of expectancy to learn from God’s Word as we come, for example, to the weekly worship celebra-tion?

Also, are we signing up for the teaching and training courses that will equip us further in the understanding and applica-tion of God’s Word? Have you seen some changes in your life since the start of the year? Have you grown in greater clarity and con�dence in your walk with the Lord? Are you living an increasingly victorious Christian life? Have you grown in grace,

godliness, humility and generosity? Some of these qualities may be hard to measure but some changes should be noticed by ourselves and others around us slowly but increasingly.

Another set of questions for assessment is related to the second apostolic means, that is, prayer. Have we grown in our prayer life since the start of the year? Prayer, I believe, can be measured in terms of both quality and quantity. Do we grow to enjoy our prayer time with God each day? This gives an indication of the quality of our prayer life. The second question is how much time do we spend each day in prayer? We cannot say we have “quality time” with the Lord in prayer without having a certain quantity of time. How much time therefore do we make each day for prayer? Also, have we prayed more in line with God’s Word, will and purpose? Are we seeking to hear from Him and obey Him as we pray?

I want to extend a challenge about partici-pating in corporate prayers. Prayer is not only private and personal but also public and corporate. We see the power of corpo-rate agreement in prayer when Jesus says, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:19, 20). Will you make it a goal to participate in church prayer evenings, at least once a month? This is a good key performance index to aim for and, I believe, will further stretch your faith and deepen your prayer life.

One �nal set of assessment is to do with our involvement in ministry. We see the apostles trail-blazing much of the Roman

Empire then with the gospel of Jesus Christ in the First Century AD. Because they served they were emboldened and they grew in greater depth and maturity as well. Likewise the early believers went all out to serve and bear witness. That should likewise be our example and challenge. Is every DUMC worshipper involved in at least one ministry in our Christian disciple-ship? This ministry can be within the church or outside the church. It does not matter where or what as long as we are involved in some form of ministry. Some of us may be serving in ministries in church. Some of us may be serving outside like bringing food to someone in hospital, o�ering help to a colleague, visiting an orphanage or helping in an old folks’ home.

Others of us may be serving the margin-alised or people in our neighbourhood. Still others may be serving the migrant workers or even championing their rights and exposing the abuse they su�er. As we serve, we grow and the more we serve, the more we grow. Serving builds depth and gives a sense of ownership, belonging and ful�lment.

It is as we assess ourselves in these three areas of the Word, prayer and ministry mid-stream that we can chart our course for the next half-year. The Psalmist says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). May we never walk in regret but instead revel in gratitude when we look back at 2011 in six months’ time.

by Senior Pastor Dr Daniel Ho

Pit Stops -How Crucial!

LIVE Forum

It would be a major understatement to say that work is important in our lives. Most of us, young adults spend at least half of our wake-up time trying to earn our keep. With ever-rising competition in the rat race of the marketplace, this forum on “My Work – Life?” for our “highly in�uential young adults” (hiYA) came at a very opportune time. More than 150 working young adults were at the forum to share and seek answers on common issues and challenges.

The event was moderated by Ling Hsern-Wei and Lim Kah Hooi, with a panel of speakers from diverse corporate backgrounds comprising Stella Hoh, (Executive Director of PricewaterhouseC-oopers), Wong Poh Yi, (a Senior Associ-ate with Boston Consulting Group), Pr Jonathan Yeoh, (previously a General Manager with a multi-national in the chemical industry) and Tan Eng Choong (who has his own law practice).

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Below are some of the highlights from the forum:

Question: According to a survey conducted, approximately 88% of employees have a hard time juggling between work and life. How do you balance work, life, church, family and the many di�erent responsibilities in life?

Stella: It is a struggle, for we only have 24 hours a day. I thank God that I have an understanding husband. The fact of the matter is that there will never be enough time; hence, we have to make time.

Poh Yi: Having a balance begins with the understanding that something has to give way. People matter most to me. I have to sometimes intentionally reduce my working hours to spend time with my husband.

Pr Jonathan: It is never a perfect balance. I always remind myself to get feedback from people around me. It is

not easy, but if you are determined enough, you will be able to �nd a balance. My wife helps me stay focused on what I am doing.

Eng Choong: Yes, it is tough. Over time, I have learnt to set my priorities at work and outside work. One simple but impor-tant lesson is to “learn to say no” to things or events that do not jive with these priorities. You also need to “discover” the real purpose of your current job. I thank God that I have good people that I am accountable to and who will speak their minds to me.

Question: What is really important?

Poh Yi: What is really important will change with the di�erent phases of one’s life. I have just got married and in this season, I spend most of my free time with my husband and my parents. On week-days, I negotiate with my boss. I tell my boss that I come in early to the o�ice but I also have to leave early.

Question: How do you integrate time with God?

Poh Yi: Pr Daniel always encourages us to be part of a cell group. I am still looking to join one. Work commitment made it hard for me to commit to a cell but I have since realised that it should not be an excuse. Work should not stop me from joining a cell.

Eng Choong: I go back to basics and ask myself the purpose of what I am

by Ng Phaik May, Floodgates

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doing now. I usually decide on a course of action based on priority and see what is important. Sometimes, a bit of negotia-tions is involved in the process, and at the end of the day, you have to come to a compromise and decide. Also, I usually discuss the matter with my wife. On rare occasions, I do work on weekends if the client needs me. Ultimately, you have to learn to say no. For example, I was once asked to travel to a foreign country fraught with civil war for business. Eventually, I decided against making the trip and told the client “no”.

Question: What do you wish you have more time to do?

Stella: To be with my husband in some of his ministry work. As I work full-time in the marketplace, I do not get to participate in the role of a pastor’s wife as often as I hope to. I also wish I had more time for shopping!

Question: How do you handle pressure at work?

Pr Jonathan: Pressure is something that is unavoidable. Every job has its pressure. I will usually laugh at myself and at the situation in handling stress! This helps me to ponder and think about the situation, especially when my bosses expect me to achieve ridiculous targets and when customers yell at you. If you stay focused, you will eventually �nd a solution.

Question: One in three adults su�er moderate to extreme stress. How do you handle stress at work?

Pr Jonathan: I used to have an extremely stressful job. I learnt to manage and organise my work. I switched o� the internet (as emails can be distracting) so that I can really focus on my tasks. One also has to be honest and ask for help when one needs it. I have also learnt to

ask for an extension of time from my bosses to complete a task. Most of the time, the answer is a “yes”. I also realised that most of the pressure faced is self-imposed, especially if we set our expectations at a certain standard.

Stella: It is not easy especially when you have to handle your bosses and subordi-nates. In my line of work, about 70% of the pressure comes from external forces. With mounting datelines, I take things step-by-step. Saying “no” helps. Having friends in the o�ice, who are mature enough to distinguish between being friends and workmates, also helps to relieve stress. Watching Korean drama helps too!

Question: When does stress becomes too much?

Stella: There was this regional project where my role was to manage content. As it was during the peak season at my o�ice, the administrative sta� who was supposed to assist did not turn up, and I had to manage pressure and sarcasm from bosses at the same time. Stress is harder to handle when you are a junior in the workforce. Being called rude names in the o�ice makes the environment in the o�ice harder to work in the long run.

Question: What if you cannot negotiate with your boss to spend time with loved ones?

Pr Jonathan: We have to make it clear from the outset. For me, between work and family, my family comes �rst. Of course, if the boss imposes dateline, we have to take the dateline seriously. We may have to work a bit late but we still must know our priorities. Always live a life in gratitude of what God has blessed us with.

Question: How much is too much time spent at work?

Pr Jonathan: When we are very tired, there is really no point working further. When we are mentally worn out, we should take a rest and go home. We have to know our limit.

Stella: As the younger generation enters the work force, they usually hope to achieve some form of work-life balance, as is evident by the corporations granting �exible working hours. You have to ask yourself, “What is it that you really want to achieve in life?” “What is valuable to you and are you able to take the sacri�ce that comes with it?”

Question: How do you know what you want, your calling/vocation?

Eng Choong: Ask yourself, in ten or more years from now, what do you want people to remember you for? This helps in �nding out your purpose or calling.

Stella: You need to enjoy what you are doing. If you do, then the passion will come. Step up, try it out. There is always the U-turn. Every three years, I ask myself if what I am doing right now is what I want for my life or not. While I am truly enjoying myself, I still take stock every three years.

Pr Jonathan: Sometimes we need to rethink what we do. I agree that we need passion to enjoy doing what we do.

The forum was helpful and served as a reminder of the need to live a godly, balanced life, with God in the centre of every pursuit. It was also useful to hear how the panel speakers who are much more experienced in life have God to guide them in every situation.

In late 2010, I sensed the Lord speak-ing to me about my career. As I had to travel 80% of the time, I was not able to spend as much time as I would like with my wife, Sophia and my three children, Timothy, Stephen and Joseph. Timothy and Stephen were 14 and 12 respectively and I felt it was time to pay more attention to their spiritual growth and character development. After praying for about three months, in December 2010, I resigned without another job. As the Lord prompted me to make the �rst step, I rested in Him that this was the right thing to do. All my subordinates and colleagues were very surprised that I left without another job but my cell members were very support-ive.

After I left my job at the end of January 2011, I went on a vacation with my family. It turned out to be the best family

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vacation we have had in three years. As I did not work for a while, I had all the time that I never had to do new things with my children. I started them on journalling. I also learnt new things on e�ective fathering from the book study in the Fathers’ Club and my Man‘s Accountability Group (MAG).

The Lord also provided me with an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Cambodia. It became obvious that the Lord had planned this downtime so that I could focus and hear Him. During this time, I was also able to share the gospel with my maid and led her to Jesus.

Two months later, a head hunting consultant called me regarding an opportunity. While we were �nalising the compensation details, he called one day to ask about my real reason for leaving my previous company. He could not believe that anyone would give up a

good paying job. He thought it was “not normal”. I was stunned by his statement as I had never thought that my course of action would be seen as “not normal”.

I explained to him again that the only reason that I opted for a career change was so that I could spend more time with my family. I almost wanted to tell the consultant that he should come to DUMC to see for himself that what I did was quite normal. Even my own father whom I did not get to see often told me that it was the right thing to do and that I needed to take care of my family.

When I started on my new job, my new boss, a divorcee shared with me about her struggles with her daughter who was caught in drug addiction and jailed for a short while. She a�irmed me that nothing is more important than family, not even work. She has the highest respect for fathers who choose to devote time to their children and family.

The last few months have been a de�n-ing period of my life. The Lord has planned this all out and all He just wanted me to listen and obey. The mate-rial things that I gave up were insigni�-cant compared to the time I have had with my family and the spiritual refresh-ment that the Lord gave to me.

The Fathers’ Club is not just for fathers but also for single men to learn about real life struggles and how each one of us can seek the Lord’s help and guidance in facing challenges. We encourage each other to love God more and lead holy lives. It is through the Fathers’ Club that I re-learnt about what it means to obey Christ!

by Roger Heong, KL Zone

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Having just attended a week-long of Leaders’ meeting in my organisation, I was initially hesitant to go for the recent 15th Malaysia Cell Church Conference. On hindsight, I thank God for being at the conference as I was blessed in so many ways.

Focus on cell was very relevant to mePr Daniel as speaker for plenary 1, gave a brief history of DUMC and shared with us the distinctive features of each of the phases DUMC went through from its founding in 1980 to the present. As a DUMC cell leader intern, this background information and the conference’s focus on cell groups was timely and useful for me. I also had the opportunity to explore the topic in greater depth and learnt from other leaders’ experiences.

Pr Philip Lyn’s �nite cell strategy to rearrange and revitalise the cells was interesting. A �nite cell is a cell that has a certain duration which Pr Philip set at a 10 month- period. This enabled existing cell leaders who are tired to take a rest while new energetic leaders take over to run the cells. Pr Philip shared that the bold move that his church took, generated very good response. As a result, 93% of his congregation attends cells. He has yet to decide if this

10-month duration should be main-tained, extended or removed to revert to no time limit.

The empowerment of cells to ful�l the church’s vision and mission is exciting. It means mobilising the cell to do mission and social work instead of leaving these to the missions depart-ment or ministries of the church. The cells can come up with interesting project ideas.

It was also inspiring to learn from Pr Chew Weng Chee about SIB’s social work through Generasi Gemilang. Pr Sam Surendran from Excel Point Community Church shared about how he was able to apply the things he learnt from previous cell church conferences and how they had brought him good results. This encouraged me to be teachable and look out for lessons that I could adopt and apply for my cell and my life.

DUMC members of all ages serving togetherIt was very heartening to see DUMC members volunteering themselves to serve and ensure the smooth running of the conference. Since it was held during the school holidays, many of our youths were at the conference to serve.

Big spread of WorkshopsThere was a total of 35 workshops, all carefully planned so that participants could choose the workshops they want to sharpen their skills in or learn in greater depth. I attended the Multi Media ministry workshop and had the opportunity to learn more about Dew Crew ministry. I now appreciate how much e�ort Dew Crew put in to ensure the smooth running of our celebration, something that most of us take for granted.

Meeting up with old and new friendsDuring breakfast on the �rst day, I had the opportunity to make friend with a participant from another church and in the process, he reconnected me with his pastor, who turned out to be my former church pastor and whom I had lost touch for about 20 years. What a joy it was to meet both new and old friends at the conference. As there were also many delegates from East Malaysia, many bridges were built between East and West Malaysia at the conference.

I was glad and blessed by the 15th MCCC and I now look forward to attend next year’s 16th MCCC!

by Joshua Aw, PJ South 1

How I was blessed at the 15th Malaysia Cell Church Conference

Iused to chant and worship idols whom I thought was God. In mid-2007, when my three children were one, three and �ve years old respectively, they used to wake up and cry in the middle of the night. They had frequent nightmares even though we had the goddess of mercy in our house who was supposed to protect us. I was very troubled. I consulted my grandmother and an aunty who took me to the medium. I paid quite a lot to the medium but my problem was not solved. Instead of peace, I ended up with more fear.

Worse still, the medium advised me to stay away from my mother who was said to bring me negative ‘qi’ (energy) and spirits. On hindsight, I was foolish to have followed her advice. I actually avoided my mother for a while. I tried to be more spiritual by chanting faithfully. However, the chanting did not give me the peace that I needed. I then started to question if avoiding my mother was a right thing to do.

As I wanted to understand what I chanted, I approached the monk at the temple. He explained that it took them years to understand and receive revela-tion. As I had only chanted for two years, he replied, “What made you think you can understand when you have only chanted for two years?” He also advised me not to chant a certain mantra or I

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would invite more spirits. I was shock with what I heard. I became more confused. I continued to have sleepless nights because of continual attacks on my children. I was also exhausted and lost.

One day, I shared my problems with a Christian friend over lunch. She told me that I was not worshipping the true God. On leaving the restaurant, I saw a stall selling Christian books and I bought a Bible. That night, I did not chant or perform any of my daily rituals. Instead, I read the Bible and every page I read was like God talking to me. I �nally found many answers. Thereafter, I read the Bible every night. My dear husband must have wondered if I was alright as I switched from chanting to reading the Bible.

I was amazed to read that even the demon had to submit to Jesus. When my children next cried in the middle of the night, I shouted, “In the name of Jesus, leave this place. You have no right to disturb my children and dwell here.” After rebuking the demon, I went back to sleep as I was very tired. From then on, my children and I have not been disturbed. I also had a bleeding issue. I continued to spot after each menstruation cycle. My doctor could not �nd anything wrong with me. A crystal lady once warned me that if I was not healed, I would eventu-

ally have ovarian cancer. As her price was high, I delayed going to her. When I read in the Bible that the woman who had a prolonged bleeding issue was healed when she touched Jesus’ cloak, I prayed to Jesus to heal me. My spotting problem has since stopped.

I was overjoyed. Deep within me, I knew I have found the true God. Next, I knew I needed to �nd a church to go to. How-ever, having been misled many times in the past, I wanted to avoid further error. I asked Jesus for direction. The follow-ing week, I kept meeting Christians everywhere I went. I then asked God to show me a church to go to. The follow-ing day, I met a friend who had earlier given me a Christian book and she led me to DUMC. On my �rst visit to DUMC, I cried and cried. I felt at home and I knew God was comforting and cleansing me.

Now, I know from John 10:10 that “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy”. The enemy tried to destroy my relationship with my mother and steal the peace in my household. Shortly after my acceptance, my husband had a legal case against him. We also faced a �nancial crisis at the same time. Although it was supposed to be the lowest point of my life, I had unexplain-able peace, joy and rested assurance. We lacked nothing. God worked things out beautifully. By God’s grace, the legal

by Pauline Wong, PJ South 2

Thank You forYour Grace

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suit against my husband case was thrown out. The Lord delivered us from the hands of the enemy.

I am indeed reminded of God’s promise in Acts 16:31 which says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved- you and your household.” Not only did my husband come to know the Lord and our marriage strengthened, my grand-mother, my father, my uncle and my brother also accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

I used to wonder why Christians are so proud of their God that they always give praises to Him. I used to think that God was an arrogant God who wanted praises all the time. Now that I have tasted His love, goodness and faithful-ness, and have been set free from all kinds of fears, I am very thankful to Him. How can I not want to praise Him? His grace is truly greater than my sin.

His grace has also given me the oppor-tunity to publicly testify His goodness and also to say this to my mother, “Mum, I am sorry. I love you and Jesus loves you.”

Although I am only 30 years old, I have tasted much sorrow and hardship in my life. From the age of 3 to 11 years old, I was very badly abused. I come from a broken family where my father aban-doned us before I was born.

My mother struggled to raise my sister and me. When she was stressed, she would beat and punish me by tying me to a tree for hours to be bitten by ants. I grew up in an environment of darkness, bitterness and much fear.

My mother passed away when I was only 13 years old. I had such bitter memories of her that I was not sure if I missed her. I had such con�icting thoughts about her that it made me confused and sad. I used to ask goddess “Kuan Yin”, “What’s the purpose of my life?” I had no answer. I wanted to die even before I grew up. I felt empty. I once considered becoming a nun.

My heart yearned to �nd a meaningful purpose for my life, a reliable anchor that I can hang on so that I do not have to feel defeated by life's circumstances. I often asked, “Is there a true God out there who cares?”

At the age of 19, my teacher shared Christ with me. I accepted Jesus into my heart and became a Christian. However, I was not growing as a child of God as I did not have any fellowship with other Christians. I did not read the Bible and I went to church only once in a long while. I continued to believe in many gods.

I thank God for my beloved uncle who provided for my education. I opted for an IT course. Even though I was faithless, God was faithful.

As soon as I �nished my studies, I was employed within a few days. My employer provided bene�ts like trans-portation and housing which God knew that I needed so much.

At the age of 23, I made the decision to be baptised. That was when God started to deal with me and transformed my character.

by Micheale See, KL Zone

From Ugly Duckling to Beautiful Swan

My second job was with a Christian company. However, that was a bad experience and it left me questioning about Christians. Later, I realised that man's weakness is not God's weakness. Also, God was mounding me to be patient and strong on the inside. I learnt that I must look to God and not man.

In my third job, I was overworked until I was hospitalised. Again, I questioned God about on why I was still struggling so much. Shortly I decided to commit myself totally to the Lord without holding back and I had a breakthrough. I felt a sense of release.

I have joined a cell group and my new family of God is always there to encour-age, support and guide me in my impor-tant decisions. I have come to value instead of complaining about God’s mounding process in my life.

Praise God for His blessings. In Novem-ber 2009, I was able to a�ord to purchase an apartment that was fully furnished. God has also blessed me with a good promotion in my job. In the same month, I had a car accident. Although the impact of the knock was hard and loud, I was not injured and there were only minor damages to my car. Most

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importantly, God gave me the grace to forgive my parents. When unforgiveness and the root of bitterness were plucked out of me, I started to experience the joy of the Lord which is now my strength.

God works in ways I cannot see. He is a good and faithful God. I have a precious and personal relationship with Jesus who is very real to me.

In June, I had a call for an interview with an oil and gas company. Although I thought I did not do that well at the interview and did not seem to have some of the required skill sets, I was o�ered the job with a very good package. I know it was God who made it possible. I was very happy and thank-ful but also fearful. I felt like the ugly duckling which has suddenly become a swan. I called Pr Margaret and my cell leader, Swee Lin and they a�irmed me. I also recalled the theme of WOW which

stands for “Woman of Worth”. I am now convinced that my new job which will commence in August, is an opening from the Lord. I used to perceive myself as unworthy but in Him, He said, “I am worthy.” He has taught me to walk with Him in all circumstances. He will never leave us nor forsake us. All glory unto Him!

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It was 18 June 2011 and time for the monthly food packing event organised by Foodbank. Tables were being set up. Ten minutes before 9.30 am on an otherwise quiet Saturday morning at the Dream Centre Sports Complex, excitement was in the air as the volunteers await the opening of the store doors. Most of the volunteers were DUMC members but on that day, we also had a visiting American.

The volunteers sprang into full action almost immediately after the doors were open. Our men started to load the heavier cartons and boxes of various types of food onto trolleys. The food items were arranged and stacked up in the open area according to types before packing can begin.

On that day, we needed to pack about 275 packets for Foodbank’s distribution and some additional packets for our Street Ministry. To add fun into the work while increasing our e�iciency, we divided ourselves into three groups which we call the shoppers, the packers and the dispenser.

The shoppers’ duty was to walk down the line with an empty box and collect the various food items given to them by the dispensers who were manning the various

stacks of food. The packers waited at the end of the line to collect the boxes from the shoppers and after checking that the items are correct, they put the items into plastic bags before tying them up.

This whole process was repeated until all the cartons from the store were empty. The exercise was very similar to a school sports event or a family day telematch! Perhaps, the packing process could be an inter-cell telematch at the same time.

Nevertheless, we were careful with items like �our as the plastic bags could tear quite easily. In addition, we needed to ensure that each of the 275 bags contain exactly the same items so that distribution is fair to all recipients.

On this particular morning, we had the privilege to have breakfast together after the packing was completed at 10.30 am. Pr Margaret who heads CES, shared with us the importance of the food packing event by giving us the big picture of the ministry. She also shared with us a few real and touching stories of some of the recipients.

Thereafter, we were given the opportunity to sign up for some visits to the various recipient groups like the refugees, Orang

Asli and Street Ministry. Although the packing was a sweaty event for some like me, it was such a joy to have the opportu-nity to serve the poor and needy in such a practical way that His Name may be glori�ed. What a blessed Saturday! If you are interested to join the next food packing event held monthly or if you would like to learn more about Foodbank, please contact Hong Looi [email protected].


Food Packing can be fun!

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Lots of fun on the busWhen the idea of a trip to Penang for Golden Club members was �rst mooted two years ago, it was quickly shot down. While some considered overnight trips to be di�icult to manage, others thought that the places of interest in Penang were not be suitable for the golden girls and guys. Can you imagine a bus load of senior citizens pacing up and down Gurney Drive looking for “char koay teow” and other Penang delights? This was exactly what happened. But we managed to eat what we wanted and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

At 8.00 am on 1 July 2011, a bus load of 42 of us, aged between 50 and 90 headed north for a three-day, two-night trip to Penang and Alor Star. Everyone was very excited. For Poh Choo, the journey seemed short. She said, “We sang hymns, oldies and even did the twist on the bus. No broken bones but plenty of laughter.”

The tour guide was very good. She gave us good background information on Penang, Kedah and all the places of interest that we were to visit. She tested our knowledge by asking us questions and a present was given to whoever who gave the right answer. It was fun. For Poi Keng who is from another church, her highlight was meeting fellow Chris-tians who are vibrant, energetic and full of joy. Another member said she had never laughed so much in her life.

It was a trip down memory lane for 90-year old Aunty Molly Chan. She was born in Penang but had not been back for more than 50 years. She shared that a lot of things have changed but not her heritage. As the Golden Club members journeyed happily, the Holy Spirit reminded Robert Tian of Psalm 33, “How good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity.” This is what the Lord desires - for everyone to share love and joy wherever we go irrespective of our age.

Gurney DriveWe were taken to the famous Gurney Drive by the sea on our �rst evening. Here we had the opportunity to sample all the di�erent types of famous Penang hawker fare. Everyone got to taste what they yearned for especially for those who have not been to Penang for a long time. Gurney Drive had changed beyond Aunty Molly’s recognition. “Even the char kway teow and yeow yee oong choy tasted di�erent”, said Aunty Molly. Nevertheless, she was happy to have tasted the new �avours which she thought had become “fusion”.

Tried the new fast train on Penang HillAmong the highlights of this trip was a ride up to Penang Hill. We enjoyed the cool breeze and the good view of the island from the hill top. Robert had an interesting time with God while on the

train ride. To have a feel of what it was like to be on the frontline, he sat at the very front of the train. He told the Lord that he was not fearful of the height or speed and would be excited to be with Him if anything untoward happened. The Holy Spirit however gently told him that his time was not up yet and reminded him of the 12 incidents that almost caused his life. When most of us were enjoying the scenery up the Penang Hill, for Robert, it was a time of re�ection and discovery of why God had sustained his life all these years.

Padi museum in KedahThe padi museum in Alor Star was a very interesting place. We learnt about how padi is processed and the di�er-ence between brown rice and polished white rice. The Alor Star museum is said to be one of the four such museums in the world. We were thoroughly stunned when we were taken to the revolving dome with a three-dimensional giant painting depicting beautiful padi �elds. The giant piece of art is said to have been done by 60 artists commissioned from Korea. We had a wonderful time at the museum.

The unforgettable �nal morning in Penang.We had planned to have our breakfast at Chowrasta market and do some shop-ping before going to Balik Pulau for durians. But when I woke up at 7.00 am,

by Molly How, Golden Club

Never too old to have funNever too old to have fun

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it was raining quite heavily and hence, not a good day to go to the market. Shortly thereafter, we had a blackout. My roommate, Sally and I got ready and packed our bags in the dark. The lifts were not working. As we had to be in the lobby by 8.00 am, Sally and I, both in our 60s, decided to go down the 14 �oors via the stairs with our luggage. We struggled and when we reached the lobby, we were told that the lifts had started working.

I told the Lord, “You are very humour-ous. You tested our resilience and strength but I trust that You know what is best for us.” For the inconveniences, the hotel management blessed us all with a free and good bu�et hotel breakfast. Aunty Molly thought to herself, “The Lord is great. He provides an excellent alternative when hawker breakfast was not possible on the wet morning.”

Aunty Molly who stayed on the 12th �oor of the hotel, had it easy. When the black-out happened, she already had her shower, did her make-up and was all nicely dressed. Almost immediately, she had a call from the tour guide to be patient and wait for the engineer to restore the electricity. Aunty Molly reminded the guide to get her and not leave her stranded if the electricity was not restored. Just then, our big and strong Joe of Golden Club saw her near the lift. He assured Aunty Molly that he would check out the stairs and piggy-

back her down later if necessary. He was Aunty Molly’s angel that morning. All ended well as one lift was swiftly activated.

For Robert, when the power was cut, he had his torch light and was reminded of Psalm 119:105. If we experienced total darkness in our lives, God’s Word is our torch light. It is a lamp to our feet and light for our path. With God’s light, we will not panic and stumble. How wonderful and useful it was to have the Word of God hidden in our hearts as in Robert’s case.

Durian season in PenangWhile on the way to the durian orchard in Balik Pulau, Sally recalled that there were lots of “oohs”, “aahs” and “wows” when people saw lots of durians hang-ing on the durian trees. For most people on this trip, the visit to Balik Pulau for durians was a highlight for a number of reasons. Firstly, the half kilometer walk from the bus on the main road to the orchard was very interesting. Poh Choo said, “We enjoyed plucking the rambu-tans along the way while thanking God for His goodness.” At the orchard, every-one feasted on the di�erent kinds of durians. Mangosteens, rambutans and nutmeg drink were compliments from the orchard owner. Not only did we eat at the orchard, many of our members also bought durians, durian cakes, mangosteens and rambutans to bring home. Some like Sally wished there

was more supply of the famous Penang “Ang Hay” durians to eat and buy.

The bus ride out of Balik Pulau was the other unforgettable highlight. Durian stalls lined up on both sides of the main road and people just parked their cars by the stalls to eat durians. At one point, our coach was at a standstill as we were blocked by the many cars on both sides of the road. To make matters worse, there was a Penang Rapid Bus also stuck on the opposite direction.

Guess what? Two of our brothers became heroes of the day. They assumed the role of tra�ic marshals and they slowly cleared the tra�ic so that our coach could manouvre out of the stand-still and down the narrow and winding road in Balik Pulau. We saluted our heroes when they �nally joined us on board. We also gave thanks to God.

Before we �nally made our way back to Kuala Lumpur, we had a late but sump-tuous seafood lunch at Bukit Tambun across the Penang bridge. We thank God for journey mercies, His presence, His protection, the fun, laughter and good fellowship throughout the trip. After all the activities, we still have energy to sing and dance all the way back. Praise God!

About 100 Golden Club members meet every Friday morning from 10.00 am to lunch time at Dream Centre for a time of fun and fellowship. If you are 50 and above or if you know of anyone in that age group who would like to make more friends or pick up a new activity like singing, line dancing or painting, come join us at Golden Club. Lunch is provided.

On the Sunday afternoon of 22 May 2011, about 2,800 people of Myan-mar made their way to Dream Centre in 63 buses for the biggest ever Myanmar Gospel Concert in Malaysia. The size of this concert and the logistics involved in organising the event just go to show how on �re the people of Myanmar are for the Lord. The concert was prompted by the Holy Spirit and it involved 11 churches working together. It was not easy for the organis-ers to co-ordinate and mobilise so many people to the concert. Just the image of 63 buses making a line to drop and later pick up the people in an orderly manner is quite beyond one’s imagination. But in Christ all things are possible for it is said in Romans 12:5 “in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member

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belongs to all the others”. It was truly encouraging to see the unity amongst these churches.

The concert was opened with a prayer at 4.30 pm by Rev Dr Winnie Zan Htar, a Myanmar pastor and was immediately followed by a time of Praise and Worship. The presence of the Holy Spirit was very strong during Praise and Worship as everyone worshipped God with such passion. Many people includ-ing the many pre-believers who came, were moved and touched by the presence of God.

Pr Daniel Ho was present to warmly welcome the Myanmar people to Dream Centre. The next item was a dance performance entitled “Because of You” which beautifully portrayed the “Love of Christ”. This was followed by a very touching skit about Jesus’ journey to the cross. The message of the skit was very powerful and many people were tearful and touched to revisit Jesus’ �nal painful steps on earth which He endured because of His love for us.

The next highlight for all the people of Myanmar that day was to see their national singers live in Malaysia. These

singers sang gospel songs and shared very moving testimonies. Pre-believers were amazed by the testimonies of their national singers. The singers also sang beautiful gospel songs and many found the true meaning of life in the lyrics of the songs. Rev San Toe who is an Evangelist from Myanmar then shared a powerful message. During the altar call, about 160 people took the step of faith to accept Jesus as their Saviour, thus making it an extraordinary blessed event. Apart from the wonderful harvest of souls that day, the concert has strength-ened the relationship of all the Myanmar churches in Malaysia. It has also fanned the �re and passion of people in DUMC’s Myanmar ministry and other churches to spread the gospel to the Myanmar people living in Malaysia. By God’s grace, many of them are coming to the Lord but there are still many more who have yet to know Jesus. I pray and hope that many people in DUMC will avail themselves to help out in the Myan-mar ministry. Serving in this ministry will be like doing mission work in the mission �eld that is on our home ground.

by Sarah Aye, Myanmar ministry

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The idea of an outdoor gym for children was well-received by our church leaders and elders and they approved the building of an outdoor children gym at the end of 2010. With suggestions from Pr Margaret and some pictures of a children’s gym she took while she was last in New Zealand, a group of us comprising our building management members, contractor, Juara Cerdik principal Stephanie and I got to work. We came up with a plan for the outdoor gym which was to be located next to Block D.

The construction of the outdoor gym was very smooth and was completed within three months. The teachers at Kid’s Haven were excited as we prepared ourselves to work with the children at the gym. We worked on the apparatus ourselves �rst. We needed to experience the work out before we had our children to exercise at the gym.

When we �rst introduced the outdoor gym to Kid’s Haven children, they were terri�ed. They cried and screamed espe-cially when they were coached to walk on the balancing beam, climb the single window ladder frame and hang on the monkey bar. All these three exercises were among the most challenging ones for them. To make the challenging exercise less daunting, we alternated the di�icult apparatus with simpler ones such as jumping on the trampoline, walking on the parallel ladder and swinging on the bolster swing. After three months of working on the various apparatus, we are very happy to see the children accomplishing the workouts with smiles on their faces. Over time, we raised the challenge by increasing the frequency per apparatus from just two to three rounds on each

apparatus to ten rounds. As we did that, we also noticed an increase in the children’s compliance level. The outdoor gym has certainly helped all the children to signi�cantly improve their co-ordination, concentration and con�dence.

We are awed by how God has made our physical body so connected with our brain. The more we work out, the more e�ective is our brain processing. We would like to record our special appre-ciation to our church leadership for the wonderful investment and also for believing in us, the teachers.

by Emily Lee, Kid’s Haven

Outdoor GymOutdoor Gym

“I want to spend more time in prayer.” Sounds familiar? I believe this is the heart cry of many of us, at least at some point in our lives. In DUMC, we have the privilege of many prayer events and trainings on prayer. At the beginning of this year, when I looked through our church training and equipping programmes, I decided that I should try to attend all the three units of Prayer Track.

So with that determination in mind, I signed up and attended the �rst two units in March and April 2011. Determination is the correct word as my cell meetings often ended late on Friday night as we really enjoyed our fellowship over food. Hence, getting up early to be in church by 8.00 am on Saturday morning can be a real challenge!

However, I was really blessed by the strong presence of God during the worship sessions led by Patrick Leong. Pr Chris Manivannan’s solid teaching about prayer and Sophy Lim’s lively presentation of her sessions were wonderful. I also enjoyed the testimonies of past participants about how thay have been blessed by their involvement in this ministry.

Hence, it was a great disappointment when I discovered that the third and �nal unit of Prayer Track was scheduled on 14 May 2011. I had a Leaders’ meeting in

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Korea and my �ight had been booked for 13 May. This meant I had to miss the �nal unit of Prayer Track.

However, during Pastor Chris’ sharing in Unit Two of the Prayer Track, he shared about his experience at the Yoido Church’s Osanri prayer mountain in Seoul. He also showed us some of his photographs. That stuck a cord in my heart. “Yes”, I said to myself.

The door is open for me to go to the prayer mountain while I am in Korea. I had in the past heard much about this prayer mountain in Seoul and had wanted to go there one day but had somehow forgotten about it in the busyness of my work. It was marvelous how the Lord reminded me about this long buried desire of my heart at the Prayer Track. During the break, I asked Pastor Chris for details on how to get there and together with some search on the internet, I had all the information I needed.

So on 14 May 2011, I was up at Osanri prayer mountain after taking the train from my hotel and the free shuttle bus from Yoido church which is the largest church in South Korea, if not Asia. I am truly blessed by this experience of how an initial disappointment can be God’s appointment to ful�l the desires of our heart. The lovely weather in Korea during May and the beautiful scenery of

blooming �owers of spring reminded me that our Heaven Father not just gives. He gives us the very best in His time.

Looking back, it is interesting how I started o� with DUMC’s Prayer Track and ended up on the Prayer Mountain of Osanri in South Korea. As for my Unit Three of Prayer Track, I will have to wait till 22 October 2011. Nevertheless, I am glad that God has chosen to bless me in this special way.

From Prayer Track to

Prayer MountainFrom Prayer Track to

Prayer Mountain


Each time I fetched my father for his chemotherapy treatment, he looked frail. Even then, he always had a smile on his face and he would walk with his head high despite the dreadful cancer in his liver.

God took my father home on 13 May 2011 at the age of 76. My father had pleaded for Jesus to take him home the night before as he gasped for air. He was discharged from the hospital the following day. He wanted his family to be around him on that last night. Close friends came to worship and pray together with him that night - for the last time, on earth at least. It was really beautiful.

Before moving to Petaling Jaya from Penang in 2006, my father was a hard nut. He was a Christian only by name. In December 2009, when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, he repeated the sinners’ prayer and started his transformation journey in Christ. Statistically, patients with his condition have an average of six to 24 months to live. God was gracious and gave my father 18 months so that he would have the opportunity to search God’s word, pray, worship and attend church celebrations. During that time, he was ministered to by Leong Sang Tow. Since the diagnosis, I would pray with my father every night. When I did not know how to pray, I would read Psalm 23. I prayed for God to heal him but the cancer marker kept going higher. The CT scan also consistently showed the cancer progressing. At one point, I felt so helpless that I told God that I dared not pray for healing anymore for fear that I would be disappointed with Him. When it became clear that God would probably not take the cancer away, I felt very sad. I could not sleep and my stomach would churn with grief. One night, the Holy Spirit spoke to me gently and told me to �ow with the Spirit. Since then, I felt God’s peace and I knew that God would take care of my father.

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I need not fear nor be anxious. What God wanted from me was to surrender the outcome to Him and trust that He knows what is best for His children. I found tremendous strength and comfort, knowing that God was in-charge.

My daily prayers changed from pleading with God for physical healing to spiritual healing. I asked God to prepare my father to meet Him. God did this by giving my father a series of dreams to reassure him of his salvation. In one of the dreams, my father was in darkness and surrounded by huge drains and rivers. He had to cling on to a huge cross but the ground was sinking. As he was sinking, he felt Jesus coming down from the cross to rescue him. Another dream was a scene where he was jogging at Youth Park in Penang next to the Christian cemetery. In the dream, he was not fearful at all and he related this to Psalm 23:4 – “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”. I also prayed for God to spare my father from pain as some cancer patients experi-enced great pain towards the end. God was so good in that throughout the chemo-therapy treatment, my father did not su�er severe side e�ects nor did he experience any pain from the cancer. When he slipped away from this earthly life and promoted to glory that Friday morning, God gave me a vision of my father in a white cloak smiling down from heaven with bright lights surrounding him. My father was no longer gasping for air. He had a resurrected body unlike the swollen and bloated one I saw lying on the bed. His face was radiant, unlike the yellow and sickly physical one. My father had met his shepherd and the Lord had found His precious sheep. There was great rejoicing in heaven. God loves my father more than I can ever under-stand.

My father is with his shepherd

by Lee Sook Yu, PJ North 5

Nicky and Sila Lee who started the Marriage Preparation Course in 1985 and the Marriage Course in 1996, were in Malaysia to roll out their new Parenting Course on 11 July 2011. The course has two components - the Parenting Children Course for parents with children below 11 and the Parenting Teenagers Course for parents with older children.

Malaysia is thus one of the �rst few countries outside UK to have the Parenting Course and DUMC is privileged to play host to the occasion where Nicky and Sila conducted the �rst Parenting Course Leaders’ Training for 200 participants from over 60 churches in Peninsular Malaysia. Pr Daniel who �rmly believes that a strong family is the key to a strong society and a strong nation, welcomed all the delegates to Dream Centre.

With the launch of the Parenting Course, we will now have a complete range of courses for the di�erent stages of family life, from preparation for marriage, sustain-ing a strong marriage to parenting children from birth till 18 years old. Like all the other courses from HTB, the Parenting Course which can be conducted over �ve or ten weeks, will start o� with a meal followed by a DVD talk by Nicky and Sila and then followed by a small group discussion. The discussion is very important as people can share and hear the issues and challenges of other parents. Often, it gives parents great comfort to discover that they are not alone in their struggles and that there are solutions to their challenges.

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Although it was very helpful to have Nicky and Sila to guide the delegates on how to start and run the Parenting Course successfully, it was very interesting to hear about some of the key principles behind all their courses.

Principle 1 : Marriage is critical to the health of society

Children on average do best when they are raised by parents who are together in a marriage. Nicky quoted a family expert who was once said, “If you want your kids to get to Harvard, go home and love your wife!” Marriage relationship a�ects how children shape up in life. It is sad to learn that in the UK, by the time a child reaches 16 years of age, one in two will experience family break-up and many of the problems in the UK today can be traced to marital problems.

Principle 2: Relationship education makes a di�erence

Nicky shared that many people today are like sheep without a shepherd. They need the teachings of Jesus to sustain family life. Christians understand the way of love because we have a God who loves us and teaches us to love one another. The course which is based on biblical under-standing of love will be useful to everyone.

Principle 3: The local church has a vital role to play

Family crisis around the globe is a huge crisis and the local church is God’s answer

to the problem. Notwithstanding all its �aws, the local church has the grassroot system to reach out to the community because every church represents one community. The local church also has a 2,000 year-old track record of loving and caring for people.

Nicky and Sila shared that when they started their �rst course in their local church, HTB London in 1985, they had not envisioned that the course would expand to around the world. All they did was to reach out faithfully couple-by-couple and then church-by-church and God provided the multiplication. Through the local church, our participation can make a di�erence to a huge problem and we have about 4,000 churches in Malaysia.

Yoong Fan Ngian and wife Sian Li, who heads the Family Life ministry in Alpha Malaysia are both very excited about the Parenting Course. Judging from the response of the participants and the inquiries they received, the local church looks set to play its role in helping to build strong families in Malaysia. As the Honorary Head of the Parenting Course, Jean and TC Lau are from DUMC, our parents can look forward to be amongst the �rst to attend the Parenting Course. So parents, look out for this new course that will give the handles to guide you along your parenting journey.

by Low Mei Ling, Floodgates

The Parenting Course has arrived!


Topics of the Parenting Children Course � Building strong foundations� Meeting our children’s needs� Setting boundaries� Teaching healthy relationships� Our long term aim

Topics of the Parenting Teenagers Course� Keeping the end in mind� Meeting our teenager’s needs� Setting boundaries� Developing emotional health� Helping them make good choices

Men, men, men, lelaki-lelaki, father…Papa, daddy dan suami yang dihormatiYou too, are amazing …. yet also complicated!To small kids, you're a super hero, a macho man! To young ladies, everything you also can But once married, your ego … wives cannot stand! You are also hard to understandThat’s the reason, you can only do only one thing but women can “multi-task”

My papa is caring and lovableIn the 60’s, papa cycled �ve miles with my sister and I on a bicycle Across to other side of Klang town, to the only playground We played and laughed as we clowned aroundYes, papa… I do remember you cycled that far

My papa is a teacher, respectable and wonderfulIn the 70’s, after school, he will take me on buses to KL's only swimming pool Though only two hours at The Weld pool, we had endless fun, splashing under the sun! And we ended with sluuurping soup after a plate of saucy chee cheong funYes, papa… I do remember that

My father is magnanimous and self-sacri�cingWhen in�ation hit in ‘74, kung foo chow and Hokkien mee at $1 was no more Supper was infrequently less… but father will eat not, so that we can have the rest You"ll hide yourself in the room But now, I know in your heart, there’s a magnanimous room!Yes, father… those suppers, I do remember

But now with the time left, you are half deaf… I shout at you, in tears I confess Now you are wrinkled and untidy… I will soon too, be freckled and clumsyNow you are im-punctual and slow …My impatience grows and shows ...“ Where is my son that I loved ?”... Silently, you must wonderThe little boy on my bicycleThe happy son splashing fun in the sun reaching for my cuddleThe hungry teenager to whom I have sacri�ced many suppers

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So in papa’s existence ...“God, our Father, help me exercise patience and tolerance”,Papa, we’ll speak more, tho’ in quiet silence …And spend time with you in your quiet presenceNow I know, why old folks are quietly silent…You are watching us display our intelligence and ignoranceWhilst you are forgetful, I forget my son is watching and need to be mindful God, our Father is too

How will my son treat me? Will he model after his daddy?I thank God for you, my son You’re so young but godly already I thank God when you said … No need supper, not hungry, save the moneyI thank God when you said … no need a semi-D. A terrace please, it’s just us three You grew up without a PS2, iPod or iPad …And yet you still say “I love you Dad” When we holiday at the best, You yearned to return home, to our very own nest Son, assuredly I can rest You will be a greater Father I know, better than your Dad And when I’m old and all alone …And you put me in a nursing home, I’m aware it is because that you care ... Not abandoned, not forgotten in despair

Men, men, men, father, papa and hubby; Invest God the Father in your family Love your own mommy and daddyFor in the end, you see, that's how our children will model after you and me For when fathers invest in God for their families, then the following promise will come to being…Verse 6 of Psalm chapter 23 “...surely goodness and mercy shall follow me”

A tribute to my father and all men by Kao Chee Ming, PJ South 1

DUMC’s Fathers Club has just turned “one”. This is a club for men who desire to learn how to be authentic fathers, husbands and men. The past one year has been an incredible journey for the club! There have been many testimonies of how Fathers Club has changed our members’ lives and their families for the better. We celebrate every big or small accomplishment.

In Fathers Club, we frequently turned to each other and said, “Well done!” Often, that is all that a man needs, to be encour-aged to take the next step. Men respond positively to praise. Members of Fathers Club meet regularly in small groups to spur one another in pursuit of authentic-ity.

As a marriage counsellor, I have met many unhappy husbands and wives. Each usually has his and her own version of grievances. Both parties try and hope to change one another without realising that the key to harmony is not “compat-ibility” but “adaptability”. Compatibility is “self-centred” and is about how my partner can suit me. Adaptability on the other hand is “other-centred”. It is about what I am doing to suit my partner. The root of all marriage di�iculties is when God is missing in the relationship and when Matthew 22:37-39 about “Loving God and loving others passionately” is not applied.

We are all products of our upbringing. Our parents in�uence us more than we

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realise. We have learnt in Fathers Club the concept of “Father Wound” and “Mother Wound”. Father Wound is caused by our father’s absenteeism. A son needs to hear his father say to him three essential things:

� “I love you” (a�ection), � “I am proud of you” (admiration) and � “You are good in what you do”

(a�irmation).

In Matthew 3:16-17, we see God, the Father saying all these to His Son, Jesus. Mother Wound on the other hand, is unintentional and is often linked to her own wounds in life. The wound is unlike that of absenteeism of the dad. It is a wound disguised as being overly protective in loving and caring for her son. It is like a paper-cut that you cannot see but will feel later in life. The son either becomes domineering and controlling toward other women or the complete opposite, which is passive and submissive. It is often said that a young man tends to marry someone like his mother while a young woman often marries someone like her father.

How then do we help our sons as they grow up? There comes a point in time when we tell him, “Be a man!” There are men who are still boys in their thinking and maturity. They are like a boy trapped in a man’s body. What does it take to be a man? At what age does a boy become a man? What does a boy need to do to become a man? There is no deliberate

ritual in our modern society that tells our boys that they have become men.

The closest I can think of is in a wedding ceremony when the groom pledges to take care of his bride. But that may be little too late. The journey of Fathers Club is to equip man to be man and help our sons to be men. There must be a serious and intentional commitment to help our sons cross that line to be responsible and godly men for their own lives and that of their families.

Titus 2 addresses this issue of crossing the manhood line with sound doctrine. Our teachings must �rst and foremost be rooted in the Word of God. It is not just about applying behavioural sciences, although there are useful steps to follow. It is about understanding and dealing with our sinful hearts and repenting from our sinful ways as a prerequisite. When we grow in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), we will naturally grow in the way we treat others. Attending courses after courses on relationships without dealing with our hearts will lead to nowhere.

I will expand on Titus 2 in the next issue, but meanwhile, we need to say to our sons (and overgrown boys), “BE A GODLY MAN!”

BE A GODLY MAN!by Pr Chris Kam

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6 Obeying The Lord







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20 Be A Godly Man!


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