From Whence Comes My Help?

In times of troubles and need, where do I seek my help from? Where does my solace come from?

I was once given a self made bookmark by a girl whom I was interested in. This was about 15 years ago. The bookmark had a verse in it. It was a silver bookmark with engravings of the verse in it. Of course, given a gift by someone I had feelings for probably made it the greatest gift in the world back then. 

I hadn't kept in touch with her ever since after high school and what she was doing now is something I wouldn't know. The bookmark may have been gone. But what remained is the verse in the bookmark and how it speaks to me everytime I read it or recited in church or anywhere for that matter. 

And I share this psalm with the lot of you and hope that it gives you the strength and assurance, as it has given me the same:- 

Psalm 121 (NKJV) 

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

A Song of the Ascents 

I will lift up my eyes to the hills

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord, 

Who made heaven and earth

He will not allow your foot to be moved; 

He who keeps you will not slumber. 

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; 

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, 

Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; 

He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and even forevermore. 

2012 - In retrospect

After a 4 month hiatus, I'm breaking the duck once more. 

It's been a rally, the past 6 months. More so, it had a lot to do with work. Being a litigator is not easy. I've thought I knew the costs of being one. And I'm reminded once more of how tiring it can be. Managing an average of 5-6 hours of sleep a day (I know, some people say that it's quite a lot and perhaps it is), sleepless nights aren't much fun especially waking up in the weee hours of the morning and just staring into deep space, counting sheep, hoping that you fall asleep once again without much fuss. 

But all that said and done and looking back at those times, it wasn't so bad afterall. We eventually survive. We will survive, since we live on hope even when hope seems to be nothing but a tiny flicker, yet, we latch on to it to get through the night. :) 

It was a roller-coaster year indeed, and also a year which sets out the foundations for my decision making and risk taking. Not yet, but I will get there very soon.

So, in retrospect, here are my bests and worsts of 2012

Movies

Seriously, this is a really tough decision to make..........nah. I'm just kidding. I should have perhaps chosen an Oscar contender, but alas, I'm bias and I follow my heart. I

It would be, yes you would have perhaps guessed it, The Dark Knight Rises. It's not as good as its predecessor, The Dark Knight, but it's an epic on its own. 

 

Don't get me wrong. I love many other movies as well. And Avengers would have been a close second. But comparatively, the intensity and drama didn't match the aforesaid Dark Knight who remains as brooding and conflicted as ever. 

Other notable movie mentions which are favourites of mine are The Amazing Spider-man, Judge Dredd and Moonrise Kingdom.

My favourite comedies, I've watched many comedies this year but Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator definitely takes the cake for it. I expected it to be another Borat-ish mockumentary but was quite delighted to find that there is a proper story set out The Dictator. So it has my vote for favourite comedy of the year, followed by Ted (seriously, who can resist a potty mouthed teddy bear?) and Will Ferrell's The Campaign (great stuff and a parody of the American election which is quite endearing). 

Music

Now....we were suppose to go to Singapore to watch the Foo Fighters. Tickets were bought and plans were made. Alas Dave Grohl had a really bad throat infection and lost his voice. Monies were refunded, but it was a waste cause it would have been an awesome concert. 

To compensate the misfortune, I bought myself L'arc En Ciel tickets for their concert in Singapore. I was gearing up for that so much so that I started downloading the music which was kept in cassette form by me, which was eventually disposed off. So yes, it was downloads and new L'arc En Ciel album acquisitions. 

But alas.......national service came a-calling. And on 28 April 2012, on the day of the L'arc En Ciel concert, BERSIH 3.0 happened (which will be covered below). And I would miss L'arc En Ciel's first and perhaps only ever tour in South East Asia. Damn.........

Anyhow, no regrets going for Bersih 3.0. I would have decided to go for Bersih 3.0 anyway. 

But the Avenged Sevenfold  (A7X) concert more than compensated for the above bereavement and grief of missing out on two concerts thus far. The Avenged Sevenfold was really tight and each beat was played out precisely! 

I never was a fan of Avenged Sevenfold and was only there so that I get to see a concert in 2012. But like many other prudent people going concerts, we listened as much as we can to AX7 and slowly but surely, I developed a liking for them. And on that day of the concert it was a done deal. I was an official fan of A7X. Energetic, frenetic and I wished I could sing more of their songs at the concert, but I can't cause I'm not familiar with the lyrics. Anyway, here's a video for you if you are either curious or interested.

But the best album, that I've bought for myself, would definitely be this one:-

Tempered Mental's Pax Automata

I've been anticipating their follow up album after The View From Here. I loved their previous album and the EP (Honestly) way way earlier. But this one transcends my expectations. The songs were executed with perfect timing and pinpoint accuracy. The songs were edgy and tight. And progressive rock never sounded so good. Melina was as usual, slapping the bass and singing where no men (or women) can master. Except Les Claypool of course. Jack's guitar shredding puts him on top as one of the best (and technical) players this side of Malaysia. And Jimmy does what he does best, keep the timing tight and attack when needed. Purely technical but enjoyable and rocking stuff. I had the opportunity to watch them launch Pax Automata and what an experience it was. I've been to many Tempered Mental outings but this one was easily the best. Malaysia's best band in my humble opinion.

So that's my album of 2012. Yes Sir. Crap. Can't upload any videos from the launch though. :(

Events

There were many events that had happened over the year. There were some weddings. There were some wakes and funerals. There were performances. And then there were demonstrations. 
The biggest event for me in 2012 would be the Bersih 3.0 rally. 5 years down after the first Bersih rally back in 10 November 2007, the people marched on for cleaner elections and a more transparent process. I have in my own words documented this in my post here.
In light of the upcoming general elections, pressure needed to be asserted to ensure that the terms of the Memorandum from Bersih 2.0 will be clearly adhered to. Dato' Ambiga, chair of the Bersih coalition had warned that the upcoming elections would be the dirtiest. From the events that happened since the political tsunami of 2008, one would not challenge that assertion. 
Things are changing still and the process will be even more evident. But once again, it was encouraging to see familiar faces once more (veterans of the Bersih rallies, and I'm one of them if I do say so meself :) nyahahah) and new faces who have joined in to voice their concerns of the decadence of the ruling coalition.
Speculation on the dates for the general elections were pushed further and we may see experience the general elections in the first (or second quarter) of 2013. We will be ready then. And hopefully we see more change happening. The good fight continues on....

The other notable event would be the KL Bar Charity Night. SYB performed once more. I should be blogging about this as a tribute to our cover band. But here's the nutshell of it. It was a great night. We played our hearts out. The crowd was supportive and enjoyed our music (hopefully) and we hope we will continue to play for more events in the future. 

 We played a few covers. 6 in all. The list goes like this:-
1. King of Wishful Thinking by Go West
2. Rolling in the Deep by Adele
3. Don't Stop Believing by Journey 
4. Zombie by Cranberries
5. That's What You Get by Paramore and 
6. I Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

But here's 3 of the videos. I will perhaps post the rest up in another posts. If anything we're just a cover band, so we're not perfect :D



The lovely Raja Nadia Sabrina was our guest singer for two of the songs. This one is Zombie



Paramore's That's What you Get

and then below, Swtichfoot's Dare You to Move



Hopefully I get all the videos of SYB and I can post up a full song list in my next post. Whether you like it or not! Muahahah!

By the way, we also performed at the KLCC Plenary Hall. Michael Bolton held a concert there 3 weeks later. Just saying. 

Also notable was my trip to South Korea. It was an experience, culturally and err socially. Its a fact, there are many good looking people in Korea, and how do they all look so good? :) Well........it's your guess. But I enjoyed every bit of the trip; from the food I've tasted, from the wonderful places we visited and the people we meet along the way. Heck, given a chance I would go back there once more. Then again, there are many places I've yet to step foot on. Still the idea is an idea kept in view. 
We traveled cheaply and backpacked as much as we can. It made the whole trip even more worthwhile. 

Now here's the funny thing. Up this part, I can no longer posts any pictures. Probably I overused my quota of pictures for 2012. Hahaha. Oh well, just my luck. 

Oh yeah. And St Michael's had it's centenary dinner finally. It was a gathering of familiar faces. Ancient and young. Alumnis of La Salle who made their way from all over not only the country but from the globe as well. We gathered, we sang, we feast and we drank. And I'm reminded of why it is possibly the best school on Earth, ahahah (We Michaelians are a proud lot). And it has been an honour to have spend the best (and worst days) of my studying life in St Michael. 

To that I say, Quis Ut Deus (who is like God?)!

World Events 

Obama wins the presidential elections and will yet serve another term. Joy to the Democrats. Not so the Republicans. 

There were tragic events as well. Notably, two shocking and shooting events in the US. 
The first in Aurora Colorado where a lone gunman fired into a movie theatre whilst showing the Dark Knight Rises. The gunman was arrested. The identity of the person was later revealed to be James Eagen Holmes. His trial is still and on-going event. 

And then there was the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Reminiscent of the Columbine massacre in 1999, only this time, it's in an elementary school. The death toll and fatalities was about 20 odd children and 2 adults. The lone gunman, Adam Lanza committed suicide after the shooting before help arrived. 



Whilst I read about this and vicariously experience the tragedy, one can not help but ponder once again on what is it that drives some people to the edge. Over these episodes, questions arose, on whether gun enforcement should be stricter, or whether these gunmen are themselves victim of social ills? 

In India in December, 2012, notably the brutal sexual assault of an medical student on board a bus (her friend was assaulted as well) and thrown off a moving bus has sparked outrage in the heart of India. It was one of the most crushing and heartbreaking news of 2012, on how the student cling on for life after the assault only to die 13 days later in a Singaporean Hospital. We can only hope that this event, would have sparked not just an outrage but also spark reforms on what seems to be the chauvinistic attitude towards women. Not just in India, but around the world, to strip down the chauvinistic attitude that men in some archaic nations (including ours) have always harboured and to pound in them the humility and respect that they owe women around the world. 

Ok, I felt kinda depressed penning down the last bit. 

On a sunnier note.....

Sports

On the sporting front, Manchester United lost the title to their noisy neighbours, Manchester City. Was it shocking? Not really. The most shocking thing was of course how United lost the lead whilst ahead by quite a margin by losing game after game. But the title was tightly contested nevertheless and in the end, the title was won on goal difference. 
We were in South Korea in the district of Itaewon (not many EPL fans in Korea I reckon) drinking our beers and drowned our sorrows when QPR conveniently lost to City in the dying minutes. A draw would have sufficed but at the end of the day it was not to be. 
So the noisy neighbours take the 2011/2012 title and United are left reeling. Of course, now, with the acquisition of Robin Van Persie at the expense of Arsenal, things are looking bright once more. Lets hope it stays that way. 

And then our Dato' Lee Chong Wei put up a gallant fight but was unable to deny his arch-nemesis and friend, Lin Dan of China from taking home the gold medal at the Olympics. 
That was my highlight of the Olympics. :) Wished I could remember the other medalists, but not at the top of my head right now. 

And Spain prove itself to be a formidable force once more in football by trashing the Italians 4-0 in the finals. Not only are they the World Champions but they remain the unbeaten champs of European football. A feat not easy or unprecedented even, that a team would win 3 consecutive championships. Spain has come of age and are no longer playing second fiddle to the powerhouses of old, i.e. Germany and Italy. I supported the Netherlands in this one. But they couldn't kick themselves into second gear and bowed out horribly without any point. They came with great expectations but collapsed under the burden of that expectation. 

Below are the highlights of the final. Watch how Italy is made mincemeat by the Spaniards.



Conclusion

The ancient Mayans predicted that the world would end in 21.12.12. It didn't. We survived the 'apocalypse'. But having said that, we are in our last days anyway, so it's just a matter of time.
But anyway, with 2012 gone and I've resigned from my current job, changes will come, rest assured. New challenges will be ever present. And I will continue blogging as long as I can with the things that interest me. 


And I end 2012 with this:-

2012, an epic, I have not,

But a rhyme or two,

A ponder, a thought.

It brought the worst,

And the best of times,

In friendships and fellowships,

And brotherhoods that bind.

Events that ensue,

Of wakes and weddings,

Of life and death,

Of funerals and blessings.

The successes and joy,  

Together we shared,

And tragedies that ensued,

In solidarity to bear.

Of hopes and dreams,

That may have fall short,

Of lessons we learnt,

Let them not be forgot.

So we bring new hope,

In the days to come,

Of planned resolutions,

May they be done.

As I shut the doors,

For a year gone by,

And I usher in a new year,

With a smile and a sigh.

A memorable 2012,

Has it at all not been,

Happy New Years to all,

Happy 2013.

My grammar sucks. Bite me.

Love

Love is something I seldom blog about. Not because I think love is for sissies or that I do not respect the idea of love, but often times love involves emotions. :)

But to say that, would be selfish of me, cause that is my perception of love. But love in all it's forms transcends everything else. :)
It transcends prejudice, it transcends hate, it transcends pride. And how beautiful then Love is.
From the love of two young lovers, two elderly couples, the love of a father and a mother towards their children, and the innocent love of children towards all things pure, to the love of a brother to another brother and a sister to another sister or vice versa, uncorrupted feelings towards one another and the love of friends towards one another.
How wonderful love is.
And here is where I quote 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 from NKJV (New King James Version, my personal favourite), love is all these :-

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself and is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails..."(there is more actually, but I shall stop at this point)

and yet it is said in 1 Corinthians 13:13 :- "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love."

:) Sounds easy? No. Love is never easy. But if you take away its biblical context and see the verses as they are, as though they were some circular message, then you will see that this is the love that is perfect :). As men we are fallen, but it does not, in any way, deny us the fact that we should aim towards perfect love. Be it friends, family, special ones, animals. :)

The greatest of these is Love :)

Christian Music in the 90's - Part 2

We continue with the series of Christian Music in the 90's

We start of with:-

Skillet
Genre - Alternative Rock
Skillet were back then:-
John Cooper - bass, vocals
Trey McClurkin - drums
Ken Steorts - guitar, guitar synth


I didn't really bought the first album, but I remembering borrowing it from someone, Colin I think. Bought the second album titled Hey Man I Love Your Soul. Their music was more industrial then. There were band line up changes and music changes in the 2000 onwards. But this was from the 90's. Alternative.

Skillet - Gasoline from their album Skillet


PFR - Pray For Rain

Genre- Alternative rock
PFR stood for PRAY FOR RAIN.
PFR were:-
Joel Hanson - guitars, vocals
Patrick Andrew - bass
Mark Nash - drums

I think their music was akin REM. Or any other similar sounding bands. Very much alternative rock. If the drummer's surname is familiar, that's cause he was Leigh Bingham's (of Sixpence None the Richer) former husband. Wasn't really into their genre, but hey, it brings back memories.

PFR - Pour Me Out from their album Them


Sixpence None the Richer
Genre - pop rock, dream pop

Sixpence None the Richer were in essence these two:-
Leigh Bingham - vocals
Matt Slocum - guitar
The rest are not mainstays..I think..ahaha

Anyway, I really enjoyed their brand of alternative music. Really nice and in the 90's very much in the vein of dream pop acts like the Sundays. Uncanny similarities in music, but what set them apart were the vocals. Leigh's vocals were distinctive and so where Harriet Wheeler's (of the Sunday's fame, in which I will do a post of them in the near future). Even when they went mainstream, I still enjoyed their music and they hit it big with their monster single "Kiss Me". But for now, these was a sample of their earlier stuff.

Sixpence None the Richer - Thought Menagerie and Maybe Tomorrow from their Album This Beautiful Mess


EDL
EDL stands for Every Day Life
Genre - Rapcore
Very Cypress Hill sounding.
Didn't bother naming the EDL personnel. Too many
First song I heard from them was 90's warfare. Blew me away. Couldn't find it on Youtube. Damn.
Anyway, this song is from American Standard. Hard to get good music like this nowadays

EDL - Transcend from their album American Standard


Precious Death
Genre - heavy metal
Can't get enough information on the band. But from my friend Gideon's list and upon listening to them on Youtube, yes, definitely something memorable.

Precious Death- Something About the Weather



Disciple
Genre - Metal

Kevin Young - bass, vocals
Tim Barett - drums
Brad Noah - guitars

Awesome metal. Bought their later stuff. Not as good as in the 90's. Very much rapcore then. Solid and steady riffs.

Disciple - Big Bad Wolf from their album This Might Sting a Little


Alright. It's sleepy time. Time to get back to reality and work beckons me in the morning. Trials coming up. Need all the energy for concentration as much as I can get. :)
Part 3, coming soon...

Christian Music in the 90's - Part 1

Ok.
My post is going to be a very biased one.
But like the comments or things that I say in this Blog, it is my view and perhaps mine alone. Actually I couldn't care less what you all think! AHAHA! Suckers!

Anyway, I truly thought the 90's was a good time for Christian music. Of course, the genre that I impose my thoughts on would be hard music, and not the contemporary kind. After all, contemporary music is timeless, i.e. praise and worship songs, and stuff by Avalon or Michael W. Smith or even Point of Grace. I still listen to their stuff. Nope, not talking about Delirious or Hillsongs even.

It's all about hardrocking, metal-induced goodness and lip smacking alternative junk that was in Heaven's Metal or some other Christian metal magazine.


We begin with P.O.D.- Payable On Death.
Genre - Rap metal
Every Knee was the first ever song I have heard from them through a Christian Metal compilation CD. They were hardcore and aggressive and that's perhaps the point that I liked them in the first place. P.O.D was Sonny on vocals, Marcus on guitar, Traa on bass and Wuv on drums. The line-up may have changed along the years but so has their direction in music, being more mainstream and less hardcore. But this was early P.O.D. stuff

P.O.D. - Every Knee - From their album Snuff the Punk. No MTV, just pure music and adrenaline.


Tourniquet - genre - trash metal/ Hard rock
Line-up (at that time):-
Ted Kilpatrick - Drums
Luke Easter - Vocals
Gary Lenaire - Guitar
Victor Macias - Bass
They have gone through line up changes over the years. Playing traah metal and then switching to heavy metal and then subsequently back to their trash metal roots.
Vanishing Lessons - from their album Vanshing Lessons



Bride
The Guns and Roses of the christian music circle.
Genre - hard rock/heavy metal
Line up (at that moment) :-
Dale Thompson - vocals
Troy Thompson - guitars
Jerry Mcbroom - drums
Rik Foley - bass
Awesome riffs, and even more awesome vocals.

Bride - Scarecrow Messiah - from the album Scarecrow Messiah

Just listened to their new stuff - Tsar Bomba, and boy, they never changed. I liked them then, I still like them now! :)

MXPX
genre - punk rock
Roughly same era as Green Day. However, their music was more punk rooted and less pop. Edgier I would say. They consider themselves a band of Christians and not a Christian band....oh well...:)
Line up:-
Mike Hererra - lead vocals, bass
Yuri Ruley - drums
Andy Husted - Guitar

MXPX - Punk Rawk Show - from their album Teenage Politics



The Crucified
Genre - trash metal
Line up:-
Mark Salomon - vocals
Greg Minier - guitars
Jeff Bellew - Bass
Jim Chaffin - drums
The first time I have ever heard double pedal (in this regard double bass I reckon) on any song. I was instantly hooked to the lightning riffs and lightning speed drumming. It was insane. And the original cover depicting humanity's decay, was absolutely wicked. Hard hitting lyrics, no holds barred! Not for the faint hearted.

The Crucified - Mindbender from their album Pillars of Humanity


The Prayer Chain
Genre - Alternative metal
Line up:-
Tim Taber - vocals
Andrew Prickett - guitars
Eric Campuzano - bass
Wayne Everett - drums

The Prayer Chain - Crawl- from their album Shawl
Best intro ever. :) And very special song.


Grammatrain
Easily one of my favourites. Sound of Seattle. When grunge music was at it's peak. Although compared to Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, it was still one of the best grunge bands ever from Seattle. Heavy, grungy, just how I like it. Creed who?!!!
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Grammatrain - Believe from their album Lonely House


Joe Christmas
Genre - Indie, Emo-pop
Not much information about them but here is a link

Joe Christmas - Coupleskate


Right now. That's all for tonight. Whole day at work and witness statements to draft.
Now you may wonder, what about DC talk, Audio Adrenaline and Jars of Clay? Well then, wait for Part 2...coming soon

Grace Over Karma - an interview with Bono

Hmm...i was suppose to be writing a post on the Valentine's Day Deftones experience. Unfortunately I didn't have the pictures I have taken at the concert with me as of yet. Had to borrow my friend, Sherly's camera cause I forgot to take mine despite making a mental note the night before, to bring it for the gig.
How old I have grown and my memory is faltering.
Well, but then Colin gave me an article to read which featured an interview with Bono, of U2 fame, and not Bono of Sonny and Cher.

It's a pretty interesting interview, where Bono explains his reliance on a beautiful thing which is God's grace. Something that we never deserved and will not be deserving despite our deeds, but yet was given to us.

Bono draws a distinction between the works of grace and the works of karma, even if it may be his opinion but yet, it is something that perhaps I could identify with.
Below are excerpts from the more poignant parts of the interview which caught my attention:-

Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?

Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.

Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.

Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it clearer for me.

Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics; in physical laws every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Assayas: I'd be interested to hear that.

Bono: That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?

Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was the Messiah or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched

Well, of course to get a clearer picture of the interview, do go to the link and have a read. Whether you do agree with it or not, it's still something worth pondering. :)

And for all my misdeeds and shortcomings,I'm glad that Grace is given to me, cause i know i will never deserve it, despite trying to earn it the best I can.
I end this post with a song penned by John Newton, which I'm sure is familiar to all :-

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.



Now....if only U2 would come for a gig in Malaysia! Yeahhh!!

I Can Only Imagine

Kendrick chose this song sometime back for worship. When I first heard it, to get myself into the song before we practice, i was dumbstruck by the progression of it, cause I thought it was really good. And then I listened closely and read the lyrics of the song, and I thought, wow, this is really an honest song and perhaps a song which will reflect the genuineness of my emotions when I do meet my Maker when that day comes.
And when I stand before Him, I can only imagine what I would do, cause I wouldn't know what may happen. And I thought that this is really a good song to share with the people around me. And here I put forth the lyrics for your personal reflection perhaps and for you to imagine, what it will be like when you stand before Him. :)
As Celynn once puts it, "An emo song for an emo moment" :D
Herein are the lyrics:-

I can only imagine
What it'll be like
When I walk
By Your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

I can only imagine

(chorus)
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in Your honour of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing Hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine, I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
When I find myself
standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in Your honour of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing Hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine, I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship You
I can only imagine...


The music and lyrics can be found here
Though the version that I first heard was from Soul Survivor and I thought that it was absolutely incredible. :)

Oh The Wonderful Cross

As we go through the season of Lent and this week in particular, of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, let us just remember the journey of Christ, from the time of the Passover Feast(the Last Supper) to the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed, to the events when Jesus was betrayed and sentenced to be crucified, and yet all this was done, for the salvation of you and I. At the Cross He died, so that we may live. The Death was not in a glorified fashion, for anyone would know or perceive, that the crucifixion was a devastating and gruesome encounter. But it is His death for US, which makes His resurrection even more so glorified.
Thank you for the Cross.
As we reflect on this time, let me just share this song, which has been a constant comfort in needful times for me. :)

WHEN I SURVEY

WHEN I SURVEY the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Oh, the wonderful cross,
Oh, the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find
That I may truly live.
Oh, the wonderful cross,
Oh, the wonderful cross,
All who gather here by grace
Draw near and bless Your name.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Music: Lowell Mason (1792-1872)

The Reason For Christmas

Christmas shall be upon us once more!! A time of cheer, a time of giving and bla bla bla…the usual stuff. But what does Christmas mean? Is it just about having parties, gatherings, opening bottles of liquor, buckets of beer and to get wasted? Come on…surely there must be more to Christmas than that. And more to giving and sharing and presents and gift exchanging.

It’s about the birth of a very special person, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for the sins of men. Now that is what giving is all about. Christmas marks the significance of this miraculous birth and it should be a time of celebration indeed for all mankind. But sadly, the significance is eroding as Christmas is merely just another day of festivities and another excuse to pop the bottle. I take this time to share about the true reason for Christmas, and I chose this song, a very beautiful song indeed and, if I can upload a video for that, perhaps many can actually capture the meaning of the lyrics and also understand the beauty and significance of Christmas. It’s a song written by David Meece which I have heard 14 years ago. Until now, it remains one of my best Christmas songs ever, as it touches the core and the true meaning of Christmas. Here goes “-

We Are The Reason

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn
And all the gifts and toys we knew we'd find
But we never realized a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

And we were the reason that He gave His life
We were the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

As the years went by we learned more about gifts
And giving of ourselves and what that means
On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying
in the rain
Because of love, because of love

And we are the reason that He gave His life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

I finally found the reason for living
It's in giving every part of my heart to Him
In all that I do every word that I say
I'll be giving my all just for Him
For Him

And we are the reason that He gave His life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

He is my reason to live

After all, as my friend Colin Pal aptly puts it, “You don’t celebrate a birthday without a baby, so how can you celebrate Christmas without Christ?” Check it here at http://simplyblatant.com/wordpress/?p=342