Worship and Tech. Workshop

by Jun Gan

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. (Psalm 149:3)

Music has been around for what may seem to us, like an eternity. As a matter of fact, it is!

On August 28^th, we were honored and privileged to have Kelvin Lim. He came all the way from Kuala Lumpur to share with us the true meaning of worship through a 3 hour Worship and Tech Workshop that was opened to all. From his humble beginnings to the incredible experiences he has had in the music industry, we were given the chance to journey with him as he related to us how God has been using his passion for music to draw him as well as thousands of others all over the world closer to God. “Worship brings change”, the motto of his 1 Accord Ministry (1a.m.) band, represents everything they strive to achieve.   

Music. It’s something the world at this age can’t live without. People use music to describe themselves. People can easily relate to music be it through the lyrics or in the genre itself. People express their emotions through music. In short, music is at the core of our lives, hearts and spirits. Why? It’s because God created music.

David penned Psalm 139:3 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” with evidence, apart from learning about the heart of worship, the power of sound, the power of light, yes, even lights HAVE sound! (just out of our hearing range) and the creative arts.

One of the highlights from the workshop was the sharing of the research study about genomic music. It’s something that many of us were not aware of.

Genomic, as we know it, has something to do with our genes.

In this comprehensive and extensive research, a group of brilliant people translated the DNA of different types of animals into musical notes/expressions using a specific algorithm complemented with advanced technology to see if what was produced made music or merely noise. What was shocking to the researchers, and I’m sure to many of us, was that each species of animals had such a distinguished music, unique to its own kind. (e.g. all dolphins had the same symphony of music, whilst swans had their own kind of symphony). Kelvin played a few samples to help us better understand. It was indeed extraordinarily eye-opening! To think that the DNA of animals had the power to produce such beautiful composition was beyond our imagination. 

What was even more phenomenal was that this exact research was further done on the genes of human beings. The outcome of the research was without a doubt, mind-blowing to not only the researchers, but to us, too. Whilst animals had a sweet and graceful symphony unique to their own species, what they found was that human beings, on the other hand, had a uniquely dynamic symphony not as a species, but as individual beings! How incredible is that! A short sample was played and what we heard was enough to send chills down our spine. The music was just indescribably captivating. The melodious music accompanied with such dynamics was powerful enough to create such harmony in the spirit. The expression and emotions it delivered was infinitely astonishing and tremendously majestic!

So… what does that tell us? In essence, it tells us that each of us has his own song! God put a distinct sound in each of us even before we were born.  Yes, we were indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. Why? It’s because we were made in the image of the King of Kings! How can we not stand amazed at our amazing God? 

To wrap it up, Science and God indeed complement each other. Everything screams of God’s work. Let us guard our ‘music’ by guarding what we allow to penetrate our ears and ultimately our spirits as well. With the type of music this world dances to, as well as the catchy music that gets us bopping to unknowingly, let us be reminded that everything we listen to has the potential to distort the beautiful music God has placed in each of us. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, but God came to give us life in all its fullness. (John 10:10)

Let us remember that God created music. The devil can only distort and imitate what God has created. The original intent of music was to exalt and praise God for His goodness, love and faithfulness.  Thus, we call it ‘worship’, “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration to something or someone that’s worthy to be acknowledged.”  (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

What are we listening to today? What are our children listening to? More importantly, what is media exposure doing to the children of this generation? Let’s contend for purity and redeem back the true essence of music, see the next generation taking a stand for their beliefs and not just allowing the media to steal away their precious God-given music. 

When we truly allow our music to resound ever so clearly by guarding our hearts and offering true worship unto God, we’ll find that we can and will be renewed and transformed, simply because “worship brings change”. 

Water Baptism

by Flor Esteban

On July 30 afternoon we headed for the beach (behind Flamingo/Paradise Hotel) to witness the baptism of  Ku, Lai, Shawn, Ellen, Jocelyn, Mylen and Khai Thrine. The short program started with Praise and Worship, then the sharing of the testimonies, praying and finally the water baptism.

                                                                   

                                                         Singing praises

                                       Ku, Lai and Shawn sharing their testimonies

Happy faces coming out of the water

                                                        Eaglepoint Penang Family


It was another memorable day!

"Journey of a Working Adult"

by Shaynne Ricarte

“Everybody has his own little package of journey.”

Last Saturday, we received a wonderful and timely encouragement from Pastor Tim. He invited all the Working Adults  to help us understand why we are in the market place, and how we can keep ourselves aligned with God.

These are my key takeaways on that day:

Missional: All working adults have a purpose in life.

Original: You are who you are.

Relational: Friendship tends to shrink when a person starts to work.

Engaging: Sit down with someone, and engage. Talk about goals, life, etc. Discuss. Encourage.

All working adults have a purpose in life. There is something greater than earning money and climbing up the corporate ladder, which God has planned. And serving the God Whose thoughts are always higher than our thoughts, Whose ways are always higher than our ways, there is no comprehension to what He has planned for us. But His word in Jeremiah clearly says that His plan is to give us hope and to prosper us. So surely, there is nothing to worry about what His great purpose is for placing us where we are today.

We are who we are. But we still are to celebrate differences. Notice that friendship shrinks when a person starts to work. It’s funny how everyone was our friend when we were still in Kindergarten. All we fought about were toys and probably, food. But half an hour later, the bully who took our food was also the same kid whom we played see saw, tag or hide-and-seek with.

But when we start working, having our own car, we tend to choose whom to go out with. Or, rather because we are too busy and tired, we prefer to go straight home from work, and rest. We should still not forget that in our workplace, we could always find the opportunity to engage with someone, sit down with someone, and talk about goals, life, etc. It doesn't have to be so outlined. You see, the nature of a human being is the need to be heard. A few people have the gift of listening. Try to be the listener this time. Take the opportunity of developing a gift to listen. Take the opportunity to go in the cafeteria with a colleague, or a new junior assistant and…

Engage. Encourage.

There are 3 things that compose our internal compass as working adults:

1. Calling - this is what most of us forget. Most of us tend to take "career" rather than the calling. When we are given job offers we tend to ask the employer, "What's in it for me? How much am I getting? What benefits would I get?” etc. But there is actually more to that. It shouldn’t be just about the $, otherwise, we are just working for survival. There should be something more exciting than waiting for payday. There should be something far greater than survival. And that is our calling. God has called us to do something extra, other than the job we're supposed to carry as a manager, trainer, or junior assistant. This is what I always ask God to reveal to me. Why am I here? Why did He place me here? I haven’t fully realized my calling yet, but it is through hearing and hearing His Word that I find clarity.

2. Conviction - is something you want to do by hook or by crook. That no matter what happens, you will stand by it. Unfortunately, most of the time, we decide on things according to our convenience. For example, my conviction is: "I will attend Prayer Meeting every week." But when situations arise, like Boss wants me to work extra hours, I tend to set Prayer Meeting aside, because doing OT is more convenient for me, as I will receive extra $. The right attitude should actually be: "Sorry Boss, but I have Prayer Meeting tonight. If you may, I will just come back once Prayer Meeting is finished." or "I can do OT for you anytime of the week, except Thursdays, because I have Prayer Meetings on Thursdays."Put God first. Before everything else, put God first. What you can do is list down your top 5 convictions. See how God speaks to your heart. Find direction in Him, and you will never go wrong.

3. Compassion - What drives you internally? It is something that compels you to go to a certain direction because something has moved you. For example, Michelle is on a medical leave. And she happened to have shared her personal health problems with you, and her faith has deeply moved you.  A simple text message of: "Hey Chelle! Know that I remember you today, sister, praying for your complete healing, and fast recovery." Any simple text message will surely brighten up a friend's day. And you will never know how far it will go. This will also boost a positive energy in you, because you will feel good that you have just cast a hug to someone by texting him/her. Calling, Conviction and Compassion are the 3 things that comprise our internal compass as working adults. Discern your Calling. Develop your Conviction. And have a heart of Compassion.

I Love My Dad Because...

by Flor Esteban

Father’s Day is just around the corner so I asked some kids why they love their dads. Here goes…

      He makes me laugh.

       He takes me to swimming pool.

      He tucks me in bed.

      He takes me to church.

CHRISTIAN

      He does everything!

JOHNNY

      He is gentle and sweet!

     He teaches me good things.

EIRENE

      He helps me in school work.
He cooks, cleans and washes things for me!

 HANNAH

       He is very funny and always makes me laugh.

JANIE

       He is fun and likes to tell jokes.

      He is patient and listens to my stories late at night.

       He cooks for me and works hard for me.

GABI

Dads, keep up the good work! They don't go unnoticed by your kids.

Happy Father's Day! 

Mother's Day Celebration

by Shaynne Ricarte

Last May 8 was a day of celebration for our mothers. Kids prepared a video telling their mothers how they feel. For the most part, it was about the "delicious foods" that mommy makes. And the sweetest "I love you mom in the whole wide world and back again." Janie (little Geok Hean) surprised everyone with a story about 4 mothers. The story goes like this: "Once upon a time there lived 4 mothers. They went to the river to do some laundry. One day..." I think little Janie would be the best person to narrate this story. She would give more justice to it with her actions and facial expression, and not to forget, the variety of her voice to tell the dialogue of Mrs. Smart, Mrs. Strong, Mrs. Voice and Mrs. Simple and their 4 sons.

Then Pastor Steve Johnstone shared and encouraged everyone to be part of the “Unashamedly Ethical” campaign. It is a movement that encourages Christians to support the fight against bribery and corruption which is so rampant these days.  Forms were distributed at the end of the service to interested applicants to sign up and join.

The Mother’s Day celebration continued with a Talk Show hosted by KC and Ptr John. They asked  some kids several questions to check how well they knew their moms. It was fun listening to the answers. Danzity once again gave an electrifying show with their energetic moves. Towards the end of the church service, all moms were called in front where they were prayed over and given simple gifts.

Last but not the least... came the sharing of refreshments courtesy of one of the Life Groups. Everybody munched and enjoyed the bite-sized hotdogs and tuna sandwiches that were prepared. What a thoughtful initiative from the Life Group.

That day was full of fun and love for and from our mothers, who never tire of taking good care of us. That's why our mothers will always have a special place in our hearts. Where would we be without the encouraging words from our moms:

- "You can do it baby. Just stand up and try again." after we fall from our first step.

- That soft whisper in the night, "Don't be scared, I'm here." when lightning strikes and thunder roars.

- "I made your favorite peanut butter sandwich, and I put it in your backpack." when we don't know what snacks to eat in school.

- "You did a good job, but you can do better." when you get a B instead of an A.

- "You are special to God. Always remember that." when we cry over some love trouble in our teenage life.

- "I'm free at 5pm, just in case you want to unwind and de-stress." when feeling tired after a looooong day at work.

Mother, Mom, Mommy, Nanay, Inay, Ibu, 母親, you are the main ingredient in genuine love.

Catalyst: Friendship

by Ari Esteban

Well, I'm gonna write about what I learned from our latest Catalyst session, but first let me share some photos during our Praise and Worship.

Yeah our speaker was Auntie April who is an oh-so-awesome-speaker.☺ The topic was about 'FRIENDSHIP'. She introduced acronyms, perhaps, to make it easier for us to remember the lessons. Here goes…

TRUE Friends:

Trust you

Reciprocate your kindness

Understand you

Empathize with you

She added that friends are like two bodies in one mind.☺

 Auntie April also introduced this "ABCDEF" thing.

Advisor - Friends give advice to one another. They help us solve conflicts.

Booster - Friends provide stability when the going gets tough. They ease our anxiety when we're stressed. Friends share the same situations like tell you what they did when faced with this and that.

Crossing (Kangaroo Crossing) - They're your companion.☺They're THE BEST companions. Friends remove the sense of loneliness. They form "cliques" or "groups".

Do it or Don't Like - You know it's wrong, so will you still do it?

Enter or Empathize - It's like, would you enter if you know it's dangerous? Or would you emphasize that it's not good?

Follow or Fail - Would you follow the bad stuff if other people are doing it or would rather fail to be, like, one of them? Hmm.

The D, E and Fs are all about what I think.☺ SO, that's what I got from her class and it was pretty fun.

Then we grouped ourselves (LG) and shared with one another what we learned that afternoon.

I wonder what's our next lesson would be...

G2KU

by Flor Esteban

You mean, "Getting To Know You"? Yes, that's what G2KU stands for.

Finally, we had our first ever G2KU! It's our fun way of introducing our guests and newbies (that is, newcomers) to our church. Since it's our first time to hold it, we invited even the oldies like me. 

As usual, we began the event the best way we know how - eating! We had catered food, but   few ladies brought dessert. For icebreakers, we played a game. There were some funny moments but in the end everyone got it right. Now we know who celebrates his/her birthday when. Thank you, Game Master April!

The Catalyst (courtesy of brothers, Justin and Joram) and Kids Church provided the night's entertainment by playing the guitar and dancing, respectively.

Then came the sharing part. Pastor GP took the stage and introduced Eaglepoint Penang's leadership team, the various ministries and leaders, the church vision and what we believe in. Afterwards, the LG leaders facilitated a discussion among their members by answering some questions (G2KU Response Slip) aimed at getting feedback about Eaglepoint Penang and engaging with new people.

Looking forward to our next G2KU...

Laying Foundation

by Flor Esteban

We believe in having a strong foundation so we are delivering classes to do just that - establish biblical foundations!  Laying Foundation (a.k.a Biblical Foundation) classes started last Sunday, March 20.  This will go on for 3 months and will be held every Sunday from 9-10am before the church service at 10:30am. We're grateful to several people who have committed their time and talent to teach (may your tribe increase!). Below is the schedule of classes.

Last Sunday's "Sin and Salvation" class was delivered by Pastor GP. We had a pretty good attendance.  Khai Thrine interpreted the lesson in Mandarin that was helpful to some attendees.

I hope that you, too, can join us in learning the great foundational truths. And don't forget to get a copy  of the Purple Book from Joon Han. I suggest that you read it and do the "homework" before going to the class. See you!

Life Group Outing

by Ari Esteban

So, yesterday was so fun because we went to the BEACH (Penang Water Sports Center)! with church mates. It was supposed to start at 4pm, but I arrived at around 5:30pm because of my swimming session practice at USM! I got so tanned and it was SO HOT over there, so yeah, that's what happened.☺

Moving on, I got to the beach just in time for the games to start. Oh yeah there were 5 teams: Blue, Yellow, Red, Purple & Green. I was in Purple Team! 

The games were fun like some of them was to mix yourselves up (I mean hands) and then untangle yourselves, put-a-balloon-between-you-and-your-partner's-shoulders-without-making-it-fall-or-burst and balloon throwing. Then there's  bite an apple with no hands, take it outta the basin, and eat it all up (now using your hands). Then, hang a donut tied to a string and try to eat it. And lots more.☺

After all the fun and games, we had BBQ and ate. And then, Hannah and I went to play volleyball :D. We kept on playing till we were tired and sat down and talked. Had tons of FUN that day.☺ 

Yee Sang Night

by Gabi Esteban

Last Sunday our church had a Yee Sang party. Yee Sang is a popular dish during Chinese New Year. It symbolizes prosperity, abundance and good health.  Each Life Group (LG) brought his own version of Yee Sang. My mom and dad’s combined Pinoy LG just bought one from Sushi Jusco. 

We started off with a game about Yee Sang (what this salad is made of).  Then we added the ingredients (shredded vegetables, salmon, nuts, etc.) and started tossing the Yee Sang as high as we could with our chopsticks. We’re supposed to shout our wishes and blessings while mixing the salad. Some fell on my hand. After that we started eating.

We played another game. We had to choose the fastest person in our group and they had to balance a 20-cent coin between their legs and run to the table and back. This time we didn’t win. But on the second round (for girls) we won. The next game was to make the longest line. So we all hurried to find “long” stuff that took a while and we won again. That was our last game.

 Then we started to clean up and packed our plates and bowls. I played with my friends for a while until it was time to go home. I had a lot of fun eating, playing and posing for photographs. Can’t wait for the next party. 

Thank You Jesus!

by Flor Esteban


This morning I asked some kids from Kids Church what they wanted to thank Jesus for. They said a mouthful!

Jesus, thank you for:

Mom and Dad

My life

My house

My bible

 Brothers…Sister

Johnny

God, thank you for everything you gave me. When I want something you give me what I want! Thank you that you made me. If I’m not here I would not make this letter! Especially my family! God you're everything to me! And my cousins, aunt, brothers, parents and you! Love, Eirene

Thank you Jesus for…this church, our house, food, money, car, clothes, family, friends, Me!☺ And Jesus! Hannah

Dear God,

I thank you that you made me and sacrificed for me! And thank you that you love me first! Thank you for giving me a good family and school. Thank you for guiding me in my exam. Thank you for giving me good friends. Thank you for giving me a house.☺ Thank you for giving me clothes and money. And especially food and drinks. Thanks for books to read. And thank you for my brothers – Jason and Jaden! Thanks for everything. And I almost forgot, thanks for my relatives like grandmother, cousins, aunts and uncles. I love you Jesus a lot. And thank you for furnitures, body, hair, ear, mouth, eyes and nose. And thank you for a good life. And thank you for a good mum and dad.
♥ Janie

 Yes, out of the mouth of babes! How about you? What do you want to thank Jesus for?

Hensons Appreciation Night

by Shaynne Ricarte

I met this wonderful family at Eaglepoint Penang. They are beautiful and sincere people who are always on the lookout for ways to make genuine relationships. Just when I started knowing them and crashing at their place for sleepovers and parties, sadly, they had to leave. Well, “leaving” isn't really the perfect word. It’s more like their “time to move on” has knocked on their doors and we became part of their “moving on” saga.

It was a cocktail party, but not one that you would want to shout to your heart's content all night. It was sad for the most part, knowing that it was a farewell party for a family I consider "Celebrities in Christ."

Ms. April turned the church venue into a black tie event last Sunday (January 23). Friends came in their formal attires - men in their long sleeves and black suites and women in their little black dresses. Everybody was elegantly dressed for the special occasion. Cocktails and  finger foods were served.  

Many of us took the opportunity to thank the Henson Family. There was a “no crying” policy, so we had to suck it up. It wasn't a surprise that they made an impact and somehow changed lives of different people in different ways: jogging, hiking, shopping, eating, sleepingover, cooking, chatting, singing, playing, partying and more. They have a gift of turning a simple day into a celebration of life. There was never a dull moment with them.

That same night the Hensons were given a simple token of our appreciation. Pastor GP presented the gift to Pastor Jojo, Mee Yoke to Ate Ida, Are Flor to Jonathan (Joe and Luis received it in his behalf),  Ate Lyn to Jenny, Kuya Rommel to Joe, Nat to Luis and Adrienne to Sabina.

And of course, the kids helped made the night as well. They wowed the crowd with their energetic dance.

Hensons, you are awesome! You have touched many lives in different ways, but for a single purpose - that is to build genuine relationships. That's one of the many things I learned from you . You are loved! =)

Thanks to Ms. April Lee for organizing the party!