July 17, 2017

Hello World from Toronto

Hello world, my pen is still alive. My heart is still composing... and I am still traveling.
No longer a wanderer, but journeying on, bringing my Home with me wherever I go.

The past three years for me has been a journey of beauty, new life, and of brokenness and pain.
Soon, very soon, I will be writing again. I am only myself when I keep on writing...

December 2, 2011

Kota Kinabalu , East Malaysia

December, 2011.

We had asked Him for His strategy, and He told us that the key to unlocking KK into her destiny was awakening the Bride of Christ to intimacy and love. Indeed, His ways are so much higher and I love how we can always be surprised by God because He is never "predictable" and He rarely does the exact same thing twice! I had prepared for soft, gentle intimacy songs, and He showed up like fire tonight! As we sang "let the fire fall, let the wind blow, let Your glory come down" and we were being baptized by the manifest presence of the all-consuming fire of God, I realized God's love was so strong and unrelentless. He burns with a jealous jealousy and such an urgency to awaken His bride to love Him. He was burning away every other love apart from Him. He wants our all. His love is a jealous love and He will purify and refine the love of His bride. I had missed this fire. I am so humbled and thankful that He would allow us to witness Him calling His people to love. As I heard in my spirit the loud sounding of a shofar and the authoritative declaration that "Now is the time!", I heard His voice, full of love - a love so gentle and humble, yet so strong and demands our all - He says, "Oh how beautiful is My Malaysian bride."

Oh, how beautiful is this Malaysian bride!

October 3, 2011

an ageless cry

I close my eyes, and see hands reaching out from the darkness, waiting to be held, waiting to be rescued. I close my eyes, and see eyes looking out to me from the darkness, eyes filled with hope that someone from the light will grab hold of their filthy pair of hands and pull them out from captivity. I close my eyes, and hear the cries and screams of a million innocent souls in anguish, continually asking the world why. I close my eyes, and see cages filled with an army of living corpses, breathing in despair. Some are young, some are old; some are female, some are male. All are beautiful; all are precious. All are waiting for salvation. In the height of the modern-day slave and sex trade which is fuelled by the extremes of Western egocentrism, when every one turns a forgetting eye away, I hear a voice asking day and night, night and day. "Who will go for Me," says the voice of the One who created every one of these souls in chains. "Who will go for Me?"

And so I wrote a song...


Wonderful Love

Take me by the hand and we will go
To the darkest place, to the lowest place
Take me by the hand and we will go
To the hurting ones, to the lowly ones

There is a love that never fails
It is the love of the Son of Man
His perfect love is always near
He wipes our tears, He calms our fears

What a wonderful love You gave
Teach me to love like You
What a wonderful Savior King
Teach me to give like You

And I will wrap my arms around the lonely
Clothe the naked, feed the hungry
Love the ones whose never been loved before
We'll show the world that He's alive
In the darkest place we'll lift Him high
And every eye will see Your light shine

October 2, 2011

from the oxford book of exploration

I have recently been reading an anthology on the best writing from explorers and travelers throughout the ages. While reading the very words of those who changed the world through their pioneering and relentless search for new lands, new peoples, and new experiences, I have realized that a hunch and thirst for wild, raw adventure will always be close to the core of who I am. It is truly not just about the destination, but the journey that matters. The following short paragraph written by a famous English explorer Wilfred Thesiger (traveled far and wide in Africa, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan) really speaks into my heart:

"For me, exploration was a personal venture. I did not go to the Arabian desert to collect plants nor to make a map; the fact that I have very successfully done these things were only incidental. I went there to find peace in the hardship of desert travel and the company of desert peoples. I set myself a goal on these journeys, and, although the goal itself was unimportant, its attainment had to be worth every effort and sacrifice. Scott had gone to the South Pole in order to stand for a few minutes on one particular and almost inaccessible spot on the earth's surface. He and his companions died on their way back, but even as they were dying he never doubted that the journey had been worthwhile. Everyone knew that there was nothing to be found on the top of Everest, but even in this materialistic age people would know not to ask, "What point is there in climbing Everest? What good will it do anyone when they get there?" They recognized that even today there are experiences that do not need to be justified in terms of material profit. For surely, no, it is not the goal but the way there that matters, and the harder the way the more worthwhile the journey."
- From "Thoughts on Exploration" by Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Oxford Book of Exploration.

September 27, 2011

Geylang , Singapore

June, 2010.

It wasn't until we arrived in Singapore Geylang district - Agape Church - that we realized how intense the darkness is surrounding this church. Along the same short street there were two temples, one mosque, and two chinese martial arts centers (run by triads). There is also a small hotel right across the road where occasionally you see ladies in skimpy clothing waiting around below or talking with a middle aged man (講數 discussing "her" price). Not just that, but if you have heard of the notorious Geylang district in Singapore, it is famous for its good food, durian stalls, and unfortunately ... brothels on almost every street, girls of every age and every "price" standing in every street corner at night, men coming to "have fun". It's horrible. And so our team slept, ate, hung out, held meetings and harp and bowl sessions in this church, and reached out to the lost in Geylang.


It wasn't easy at first, living in the district. At night, we were terrified for the streets were crowded with people - pimps, girls, men. In the daytime, we could see the left behind syringes and needles of druggies. But slowly, God really did break our hearts for the lost out there (most of the ladies are from mainland China!). I could not forget one night, when we were handing out mooncakes to the prostitutes and just chatting with them, one particular lady seemed mesmerized by the fact that i was smiling at her and chatting to her from a sincere heart with no intention of wanting anything from her. As I slept that night, I doubted the impact we made to those girls. The Lord then told me, "Your smiles are like a refreshing drop of living water to the thirsty out there. Thank you for refreshing their hearts with one smile." I then was reminded that it wasn't only about whether or not they get saved or come to church, but it was FIRST about loving on them, giving them a smile, bringing the presence of the Father to where they are - letting them know that the church is not just in a building, but out on the streets, on the move.


It seemed right, that the house of prayer not only stayed in one location, but went to the darkest of places. It seemed right, that we would carry the fire of prayer into the darkness and stay with them, eat with them, live with them, love on them. When Jesus gave us the Great Commission, He did not say to the church, "tell the people to come", but for us to "Go!", for all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus; and not just to go, but to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt 28:18-20).


By the time we left Geylang, there was one prayer resounding in my heart: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matt 9:37-38) It wasn't only about being called to evangelism, or to worship, or to prayer, but the whole LOVE package - we are called to an all-consuming, explosive, extravagant, beautiful package called GOD. And whatever the Father does, we shall do.


July 16, 2011