A month after!!

It's been more than a month since my last post,how i wish i could write more often. Everytime when i sit down to write there will always be something, someone or a phone call that will distract me from doing so.HUH!!!!!!! NO EXCUSES!!
But the last one month was really a great adventure with God, so much had happened in my personal life and in our ministry. First it was the EMERGE in CHC(i wish i could write more on this next time when i have more time. It was just another life changing experience for me and my leaders)then we had the 'Sex education' teaching in one of the Jr high school(gonna write more of this in my next post), then we had the 劉畊宏 concert(that was just AWESOME!but we learnt so much from this concert), then did a 'Training session'for the leaders in Pst Wang' church in Xin Chu (great breakthrough there!), then had to deal with issues that surrounded some of our members (BIG ones!!), right after that had to deal with another SERIOUS personal prob of one of my leader (That really took a lot of my time, emotion, energy, sleep.... that is what pastoring is about; protecting, guiding, loving, encouraging and strengthening my sheep. Praise God he is back on track again!!! this is one of the most EXCITING part of pastoring; seeing people fall and rising up again and becoming stronger and bolder for JESUS)
The last one month i experienced God as my PROVIDER, COMFORTER, HELPER, TEACHER,ROCK and FORTRESS. He guided and comforted me through the valley, He rejoiced and shouted with me in the mountain top. He is always FAITHFUL yesterday, today and forever! amen!

Father, i want to thank for keeping me and leading me into the path of righteousness. I was weak but did not fall, i was poor but was not in lack, i was afraid but did not fear. Thank u for strengthening me when i am weak, thank u for prospering me when i am poor, thank u for the faith when i am afraid.
Thank u for being my shepherd and making me lie down in green pastures and beside still water. Even though i walked throught the valley of the shadow of death, but i did not stumbled for you were there with me, your rod and staff comforted me. You prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies, you annointed me with oil and made my cup overflows. Thank u for goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, thank u for all the breakthroughs and victories. I will dwell in your house forever Lord. AMEN!!!!

MOTHER -- Best gift from God

This year mother's day was just awesome!!! we had so many mom in our youth service this year,praise God!!! We really ROCKED the nite.. YAA!!

The BEST part was that i was able to clear some of the wrong concepts and doubts in the mind of these parents. I realized that most parents object their kids from coming to church was because of one wrong concept, ie, 'Christianity is a religion that don't honor our ancestors and parents.' But that is WRONG WRONG WRONG!! Coz when we look at the Bible; the greatest commandment is to love God whole heartedly and loving people fervently. Matt 22:37-39. In fact, the fifth commandment in the 10 commandment is to respect and honor our father and mother.

When God created Adam and Eve the first commandment He gave them was to establish FAMILY.
Gen 1:28 God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.

When we look at the four Gospels we can see how beautifully the Bible recorded the relationship between Jesus and his mother. From the very beginning of Jesus' life till His death and even after that.... the Bible has kept the record of it. It's really the best illustration of a relationship between a mother and son.

1. Jesus started His first hour in His mother' arm Lk 2:1-7.
2. When Jesus was 12 Mary walked the extra miles back to Jerusalem to bring Jesus home. Lk 2:42-46
3. When Jesus started His ministry at age 30 Mary gave Him an opportunity to perform his first miracle. Jn 2:3-5
4. At age 33 when Jesus was hung on the cross Mary was at the foot of the cross to gave Him strength and courage to complete his life mission. Jn 19:25-27
5. Finally when He rose from His death Mary was there to witness the empty tomb. Lk 24: 1- 12
6. Even after Jesus ascended to heaven Mary was still around, she was there to witness the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:12-14

From these passages we can see how important and precious it is for a child to be connected to his/her mother.

5 most precious gifts from our mom:
1. Mother gives us LIFE
2. Mother gives us a WARM HOME
3. Mother gives us OPPORTUNITY to step into our DESTINY
4. Mother gives us STRENGTH and COURAGE to fulfill our life MISSION
5. Mother gives us her TRUST

So what can we do for our mom on Mother's day?

M = Make her a card
O = Order her a flower
T = Take her to the best restaurant
H = Help her do the house works
E = Embrace and kiss her
R = Remind her that you love her


Father, i want to thank you for giving me the best and most wonderful mom in this whole universe.
Without her i wouldn't be here to enjoy this abundant life
Without her i wouldn't have such a warm and cozy home
Without her i wouldn't have this opportunity to do what i am doing today
Without her i wouldn't have the strength and courage to continue my journey Without her i wouldn't be able to believe in myself
Thank you Jesus, may you continue to pour down your blessing upon her, let your love, joy and peace continue to overflow her life. May your angels be around her to protect her from all harm and evil. I prayed you will return to her double portion of all the sacrifices she made for this family.
I commit her once again into your loving hands. Amen!!!

Our Story

Here is a clip of my mom and myself sharing our old days :)
Will write more on this later....

Grace Youth vs Starbucks

What would life be without coffee??? especially STARBUCKS!! (declaration: starbucks didn't pay me for this blog ^^) Hey! i am serious, i was really pondering on this question! When i looked at my day in and day out, i just can't help thanking God for coffee.

When God created the heaven and earth coffee was in his mind too... wow!!! I guess coffee was created on the third day coz on the thrid day He created vegetation; seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it.... Gen 1:11 (That's a revelation for me this week.. :)

Just wondering what God did on the seventh day when he declared rest. Did He had a cup of coffee to refreshed His day? (Starbucks?) Just curious!!!! :)

Some facts about our ministry and Starbucks

1. I typed 70-80% of my sermons while having caramel machito (with a lot and lot of caramel) in Starbucks

2. Most of the important decisions of our ministry were made while having coffee with my leaders in Starbucks

3. This year Easter drama production script were written while having a cup of coffee in Starbucks; we spent 10 hrs there that day! CRAZY!!!

4. I wrote down our ministry 2007 vision while enjoying a cup of coffee in Starbucks

5. The gifts we gave our congregations in our last two events were products of Starbucks

6. Twice in the last 2 months i had such a tangible encountered with the Holy Spirit while reading my bible in Starbucks. I cried buckets!!! That proves that our God is 'Omnipresent' :)Yes, He is!!!!!!

7. One of the name in my '2007 Most Wanted Person to Evangelise' is a store manager of a Starbucks which i go often. His name is Mill (we have become great friend now, praise God!!pray for him if you happen to read this blog :)

8. In 2004.1.1 while having coffee in Starbucks the Holy Spirit impressed in my heart to rise up in prayer and have faith to see my parent save in ONE YEAR time. My parent received salvation in Nov 2004. A REAL MIRACLE!!!!

Thank you Jesus for COFFEE!!!!

One Life + One Vision = One Mission

Had our weekly prayer meeting today.. God broke my heart again when I prayed for churches in Taiwan and Shin Zhuang. Every time when I prayed for churches in Shin Zhuang(including ours)
my heart just broke and groans before the Lord, most of the time I am really without 'word' in my prayer and all I could do is groan coz the burden is so deep and heavy, I really can't find the right word to express what's in my heart.
This 'burden' burning deep in my heart is the driving force of my life, ministry, dreams, thoughts, and everything that i do every single day. This is what fuel my life!! I eat and sleep with this thing, when i am awake or when i am asleep -- it's there!!! It may sound CRAZY but it's so REAL!!!! This is also the reason why i am really CRAZY about REVIVAL and 'CHURCH GROWTH'

Even though people may advice me not to be too aggressive or to slow down in my pace or in other word to 'CONSOLIDATE' . Did somebody just say consolidate??? Man, that is a SCARY word even though it may sound 'spiritual'. Some says ' Be satisfied in what you have now'. Hey! That sounds even better!!!! Yes, I really praise and thank God for what He is doing in our midst but.......

How can I be satisfied when i still see people out there (especially young people who has great future ahead..) living under the bondage and being a SLAVES to Satan instead of being SONS to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

How can I be satisfied when I see churches becoming weaker and weaker as days goes by and loosing it's flavor in our society that we are suppose to impact?

How can I be satisfied when 97% of our neighbor is heading toward the lake of fire? Even worst, out of 3% Christians, how many are living a VICTORIOUS Christian life?

How can I be satisfied when we proclaimed that church is the HOUSE OF GOD and in this 'HOUSE’we do not find God?

How can I be satisfied when we says we believe that God is IMMANUEL God and people cannot feel his PRESENCE in church anymore?

How can I be satisfied when we preached that God is Jehovah Jireh(our Provider) but churches are in lack and providing our society with 3rd grades stuffs?

How can I be satisfied when we rejoice over Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday but the rest of the Sundays we act like Jesus is still buried in the tomb?

How can I be satisfied when after knowing the heart of God in verses like –

2 Peter 3:9 ……不願有一人沉淪，乃願人人都悔改。
1Ti 2:4 他願意萬人得救，明白真道。
Mar 16:15 他又對他們說：「你們往普天下去，傳福音給萬民（萬民：原文作凡受造的）聽。
Mat 28:19 所以，你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒，奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施洗（或作：給他 們施洗，歸於父、子、聖靈的名）。
Mat 28:20 凡我所吩咐你們的，都教訓他們遵守，我就常與你們同在，直到世界的末了。」

We can still sleep in our couch and care not for the LOST?

How can I be satisfied when after doing the bible study on Matt 22:37-39 (Great Commandment)

Mat 22:37 耶穌對他說：「你要盡心、盡性、盡意愛主你的神。
Mat 22:38 這是誡命中的第一，且是最大的。
Mat 22:39 其次也相仿，就是要愛人如己。

Our hearts are as hard as rock towards God and cold as glaciers towards men?

How I can be satisfied and not be aggressive when I know deep down in my heart that these are not FANTASY but REALITY?

BUT..... I believe with all my heart, God is raising up this new generation of young people to be Joseph' generation, Joshua' generation, Gideon' generation, David' generation, most of to be JESUS' generation to defeat the works of devils, to plunder hell and populate heaven, to regain the KEY and to unlock the greatest REVIVAL the world has ever seen. AMEN!!!

We are going to see His GLORY in His HOUSE
We are going to see His PRESENCE in His HOUSE
We are going to see His POWER in His HOUSE
We are going to see His PURITY in His HOUSE
We are going to see His PEACE in His HOUSE
We are going to see His KINGDOM come and His WILL be done here on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Father, i have one life to live, let me live if for your glory.
May this life be a living sacrifice unto you that is pure and pleasing in your sight,
Father, take all of me, let my life be a drink offering being poured out on the alter.
Here i am God, giving myself for the cause of your work, mold me, change me so that i can be an empty vessel in your hands.
Oh God! use me, use me to raise up an army of young people that will take our generation by the power of your Spirit.
God, multiply whatever that is in my hands to be a blessing to this generation.
Father, i need you in my life coz i am nothing without you.
It's not what i can do but it's what you can do,
It's not what i have but it's what you have,
Let it be all about you JESUS!!!!
Amen!!!!!!

Expecting the Unexpected!!!!

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it...................
God took me for another free roller coster ride today. YA!! a very SURPISED but EXCITED one!

My day started off with a normal start except that i got up at 6:20 AM today (getting up early is a tortured for me coz i am an OWL) to attend Pastor Kong meeting in Keelung.

It was an ordinary day but it ended up to be an extraordinary one coz today i had such a privilage and honor to be invited by Pastor Kong to share the testimony of what God is doing in our ministry during the meeting. Believe me!!! it was really SOMETHING when you are invited personally by someone you admire and look up to. I was without words when he approached me and asked me to share the testimony not only for tonight meeting but also for Shin Chu' meeting too.














I belive its really God! Coz everything happend in just the split of a sec; a SPARK!! It's a free roller coster ride paid by Abba Father.

I would say God really used an unexpected event to encouraged me. I said that because recently i was going through a lot of persecution and challenges in my ministry, everything seem to be agaisnt our ministry and myself. To speak the truth, i was a little discouraged and felt lonely with the things that is happening around me, but PRAISE GOD!! He is a faithful God, He is always there for me, He is the God who cares. He didn't abandoned me in this time of need, Infact He used such an unexpected event to encouraged, comfort and strengthened me again. What a wonderful God he is!!!!!!!

The incident tonight really charged me up again 101%. I am once again ready to fight the good fight of faith!!! Amen!!

As i always said 'Always expect the UNEXPECTED from God'

Boy meets Girls- Part 1

Last sat we finally kicked off with the much awaited series on 'When Boy meet Girl'. I promised the young ppl to speak on this series last year but we kept postponing it until last sat, ha! Better be late than never!!!!
I started this series with a hard blow! ya, a hard one!!!! I started with the bible verse in
Gen 1:27 神就照著自己的形像造人，乃是照著他的形像造男造女。
Right before i went on with other stuffs i first hit the nail on homosexual, coz i feel if we don't get this stuff right then there is no point talking about boy and girl stuff. I reminded the ppl that God didn't created Adam and Steve but Adam and Eve and nothing in between!!!! NOTHING!!!
How i wish i could take the snap of those SURPRISED faces of these young ppl, i could read in their expression 'What are you talking about Garrick? Are you drunk...$$##@@?' But as i continued to pondered on this with my bible backing me up i slowly could sense the atmosphere started to changed; long surprised faces started becoming round again =(- -)= I just thanked the Holy Spirit for the breakthrough. As i go on and moved to the main theme for the nite, ie 'The different between LIKE and LOVE' . All of a sudden i started to see sparks in ppl' eyes, i saw death being resurrected right infront of my eyes .. haha....
The rest of the night was fun, full of excitement and relax. I myself had fun too!! it's a quite different experience preaching on this topic.. Praise God we are gonna ponder on this subject for the next couple of weeks, hope it don't go on forever............ :)
So what is the different between LIKE and LOVE? Let me put in some thoughts here.....

1. 喜歡是一見鍾情 ------------------愛是尊重與接納
2. 喜歡是來去匆匆 ------------------愛是歷久彌新
3. 喜歡是在乎外表 ------------------愛是內心吸引
4. 喜歡是迫不及待的要有身體接觸-- 愛是願意等待

Looking Back!

Wow!! it's already 14 months that i am in full time ministry now, it seem like yesterday that i gratuated from SOT -- full of passion, fire and bumped up to take this generation for Jesus!! Now after more than a year in ministry i would say i had a wonderful, exciting, fun + FEARFUL roller coster ride with JESUS. I realized after all that had happend, i am more passionate, more on fire and most of all MORE in love with my first love JESUS!!!! Ya!! His love has turned my life upside down (good way:)) Gimme a guitar and 'i could sing of his love forever' :)

I thank God for the last 14 months, so much had happened; The good, the bad and ofcourse the ugly!! I witnessed miracle, healing and the saving power of God. God expand our ministry, He gave us seeds to sow and grace to reep the harvest (Plentiful) He gave me wisdom to do his ministry. He sustained me when i can't go on, He magnify His grace and mercy when i am weak, He made me rich when i am poor, He encouraged me when i need one desperately, He walked with me through the valley of dry bones, He put words into my mouth when i ran out of it, He say 'I can' when people says 'I cannot', He says ' I have appointed you when you are in your mother's womb' when ppl says 'I am too young....' He guides me in paths of righteousness, He prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, He anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows, most of all, He was and is a father, brother, friend and a lover to me :) I stand where i stand because of HIM!

God, thank you for the privilage to ride with you in this roller coaster of yours, i pray that i will be in this ride for the rest for my life coz i wanna be part of what you gonna do in this generation. God, i have one life to live, help me to live it right before you. Let my life brings you glory, i live to honor you oh God, yes! you and you alone.
Lord i give you my heart,my soul, i live for you alone. Every breath that i take, every moment when i am awake... have ur way in me God. Use me God, use me to glorify your name... use me... use me.... Amen!!!

CROSS

Comfort
Righteousness
Over Comer
Sonship
Salvation

There is no EASTER without a RESURRECTION There is no RESURRECTION without a GRAVE There is no GRAVE without a CROSS
There is no CROSS without a SACRIFICE
Thereis no SACRIFICE without a LOVE

This year Easter we have one VISION, one PURPOSE and one MISSION, ie to see the CROSS of Christ being lifted up in Shin Zhuang. We want to see the POWER and LOVE of the CROSS transform the lives of young ppl, we want to sow the seed of the CROSS so that in due time we will reap the fruit of RESURRECTION in Shin Zhuang.

When we stepped out in faith we see that God really gave us another great break through for our team, leaders, ministry and most of all the kingdom of God. This year we saw God hands upon us , everything is beyond descriptions! All i can say is 'God you are an AWESOME God'.

This year we witnessed and experienced the POWER of PRAYER. Right before everything started to happened God impressed in my heart to rise up and pray(not just for our meeting but for revival in Shin Zhuang) I challenged our young people to rise up to fast and pray for 14 days continuously, when i passed out the fasting time table for the young ppl to fill up in my mind i just thought if we can have atleast 2-3 ppl to fast daily would be great but i had to repent before God for my lack of faith coz instead of just 2-3 ppl fasting per day i was surprised to find out that we have at least 10 ppl fasting everyday. I was so moved and challenged by these young ppl commitment to prayer (most of them new converts) but with great faith. When we started to fast and pray God began to poured out his heart on me - a heart for SOULS, it was so strong and deep that everyday all i asked from god is SOULS, SOULS and more SOULS...... The heart of God is so clearly written 2Peter 3: 9 'The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but eveyone to come to repentance'. Another verse is in 1Tim 2:4 ' Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth'.

God did answered our prayer...........

He is MIGHTY TO SAVE!!!!! Yes, our God is MIGHTY TO SAVE!!! On the day of the meeting eventhough we had bad weather but when God is on our side nothing can be agaisnt us, Amen!!! The bad weather didn't stopped people from coming, before the meeting starts there were young people every where waiting to get in. As the meeting starts the atmosphere were electirfied, the dance was awesome, ohh!! how i wish i could groove like them :) The band performance took my breath away........ BRAVO!!! especially the song 'via dolorosa' it was so touching and i saw tears in ppl eyes and the last song 'Precious Cross' really brought down the presence of god. The Holy Spirit was so strong and tangible and i was thinking to myself 'Oh my!! we don't need the drama on the stange i can just go up and have the alter call....' :) But how can i let my actors and actresses down?? :) after all we shed our blood writing that script!!! The drama ppl had a 100% perfect show( in my opinion) They performance really really impacted the ppl, there were TOTAL silence after their performance coz ppl were grasping for air to breath!!! I preached like CRAZY that night, whatelse can i do? the power and love of the Cross really CAPTURED my most inner being. In the time of alter call, apart from Christians the rest GOT SAVED!! around 150-160 ppl,, the CROSS really captured the heart of these young ppl that night. GLORY to GOD!!!!!!!!!!! REJOICE!! REJOICE!! REJOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My prayer after the meeting: "Oh God! even though the meeting is coming to an end but let it be a beginning of a REVIVAL in Shin Zhang, Amen"