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Valley Stream Road by my house 

Yesterday morning it started snowing/slushing/raining and it was the first time that I have seen snow in Charlotte (since I've only been here less than a year). The roads are a bit icy and people are cautioned to not go out if possible. Several church services were canceled. We were supposed to have "Go God" Saturday night, but Reggie called it off. So for the most part, I just stayed at home with my housemates Ron and Chris. Above is a picture of my neighborhood covered with a light lattice of snow.

Recently I have begun listening to Misty Edwards' "Eternity" cd. I have known about this cd for a while (since last year), but I have only listened to it fully in the last week. It is one of the best worship cd in recent years (and trust me, I've heard lots of worship cds from working in a Christian bookstore), and some of her songs are just amazing. The way she sings reveals a deep intimate passion for Jesus. She has definitely expanded my view on worship, just by being a profound example of a radical worship. This album is something that I would listen to over and over again.

This past Friday I was invited to visit the youth group meeting at Resurrection church. It was a hectic time for them because their youth leader Jason had to rush his wife Meredith to the hospital because she was anticipating a baby. Jason was suppose to speak, but because of his absence, we had a time of meditative worship and intercession instead. It was good, nevertheless, and I got to meet some of the youths and pray for them. These youths have tons of potential in the Lord. They just need guidance and direction and higher vision. I would love to help them develop deeper intimacy with the Lord, become radical worshippers and intercessors, and activate their spiritual giftings. Anyways, I am praying that God will move and open the door for me to minister to these youth, if it is according to His will, if this is what He have me do in this season. Right now, I am hoping to meet with Jason and other leaders first, to see what they hear from the Lord as to how to lead the group.

Regarding the Philippines trip and my Compassion child Jenelyn, there is a slight chance that I might be able to see her, if she can come to Manila and meet up with me there. If that were to happen, I would have to pay for her trip from her island to Manila (accompanied by an adult, of course). I am praying for the Lord's direction in this matter.

The Scripture of the day: Psalm 37:1-11
Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who propers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret--it only causes harm.
For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.
But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

I believe that the Lord is speaking this psalm right now regarding the situation in Iraq. They just had a successful election, in which the Islamic terrorist tried to disrupt through fear and intimdation and bombing. The Lord will judge the evildoers and they will be wiped off the face of the earth. Revival is coming to Iraq and the righteous will inherit the land. It is essential that we do not fret or be anxious, as the media would have us do. We need to abide in His rest and wait patiently on the Lord. Let us keep interceding for truth and justice to prevail in the Middle East.

Over the past couple days I have been revamping this blog to become my official website. So far so good! I will hopefully finish all the "construction" in the next couple days. I have added a few of my personal teaching resources in pdf format on the side, and links to tons of resources and ministry websites. I hope you will take time to check out each resource and may them be of great spiritual benefit to your life. Be sure to check out my online photo album! I will be putting up my Whistler pictures soon for your enjoyment. My contact and support info are also here.

Bible passage of the day, from my housemate Chris:
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:4-8

Last Tuesday, at the Harp and Bowl, instead of doing our regular prayer and worship, we all went out to IHOP (house of pancakes) to eat and fellowship. It was a jolly good time. I talked to Greg and Neil and Bethany about the possibility of going up to Chapel Hill in February to minister to the youth group at CCMC (Chinese Christian Mission Church). I am praying that God would make it happen and use us to bring transformation into the lives of these youths.

Today, as I was reflecting on my life. I am just so incredibly thankful to God for what He has done and is doing in my life. He is sustaining me day by day and every moment is full of surprises. Sometimes things don't turn out the way I want to or expected but I know that He is sovereign over all. I had some chicken breast for dinner and when I was praying before eating, streams of gratitude just flowed abundantly out of my heart, that I was even able to partake of this good food set before me. Praise the Lord! Glory to God in the highest! He has blessed me so much, and I don't want to take anything of these things for granted. And that I have the privilege of serving Him and working along side with Him, being a co-laborer in Christ. I don't believe that there is a better profession in the world. I trust that He will finish what He started in me, and that He will accomplish all that He intended to do through my life.

Last Saturday we had a meeting for all of us going on the Philippine mission trip in April at Reggie and Debbie's house. The American team consists of Reggie, Debbie, me, Bethany, and Ashley. We talked a bit about the scheduling and the logistics, and what we would be doing over there in the Philippines. We will be doing worship evangelism, and worship intercession and warfare. I feel really good about going. The only thing is that I probably won't be able to meet and see my Compassion child Jenelyn, whom I have been sponsoring for years, since she lives on an island that is not easy to get to.

I have been listening to Phil Driscoll's CD "Sound the Trumpet." It is some of the best trumpet music I've ever heard, Christian or secular. Praise God that He has Phil worshipping Him with the trumpet.

Here is a passage for today:
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matt. 5:13-16

I was listening to Jason Upton's cd "Remember" and it blew me away pretty good, especially the song "First Language," where Jason sings like a little baby to our heavenly Father. People in the crowd could be heard shouting out "I love You Daddy!" over and over again. I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit all over me. It is something that I want to listen to again and again to let it wash over me and sink and soak into my being. I want to experience my Father God more and more intimately like this.

Another cd that I recommend is Leonard Jones's "Deep Waters." It is an instrumental cd with Leonard on the violin and Bruce Daley on piano. Leonard is the head worship leader at Morningstar, and he and Bruce are both amazing musicians.

On the way back from DC, I was listening to a tape message by Heidi Baker called "God wants your lunch." It is a powerful message on how Jesus took the boy's lunch and multiplied it for the crowd. Most of the time we are unwilling to give God our "lunch" and thus we are unfruitful in our lives. You need to listen to Heidi to hear her preach, because no one else in the world minister like her.

I just got back from DC a couple days ago. I was up there to attend the second-half of the "Reverse the Decree of 73" conference. It was a powerful time. They had many great speakers and worship leaders (Lou Engle, Cindy Jacobs, Rick Joyner, Jason Upton, Bonnie Chavda, etc.) and we did lots of intercession for America and for the overturn of Roe v. Wade (abortion). I also received personal innerhealing ministry up there and received some amazing breakthroughs in my spiritual life. Praise the Lord!

I also got to meet up with my friends Jean Lee, Clayton Simon and Jaeson Ma, whom I haven't seen in a while. I also spend some time with my cousin Lilian Ting. I even got to play violin for worship at the conference on the last day. It was a privilege to minister at such a significant event in history. I thank the Lord that He involved me in the things that are on His heart.

Another book that I am currently reading is Rick Joyner's "The Harvest." This book came out in the 1980's and was one of the most infuential book to be published in that time period. I finally got a chance to read it after I found out that my housemate Ron owned a copy. It is a pretty intense, deep book, jammed with spiritual meat and insight. It is one of Rick's earlier books (he's written lots of them), though it is not as famous as "The Final Quest," it remains a modern classic.

I'm reading this book right now and it is probably one of the best book I've read on the devotional life. I see it as a perfect complimentary book to Wade Taylor's "Secrets of the Stairs." This book gives you all the "tricks of the trade" in which no one really talks about, because it is really a secretive thing with the Lord. Anyone who reads this book will be encouraged to spend more alone time with God and be built up in their spiritual lives.

On another note, I am planning to head back to Charlotte after the Chinese Church meeting here in Chapel Hill tonight. I would be speaking briefly to the youth group (Lord, give me something to say to them!). Tomorrow, I am going to head up to Washington DC again to catch the "Reverse the Decree of 73 (Roe v. Wade)" conference with Lou Engle and the Justice House of Prayer (JHOP). I am praying for a safe drive up there and that it would be a fruitful and powerful time, affecting transformation in America and in my personal life. Let's all pray together for the end of abortion in the US and around the world.

Yesterday I was able to meet up with my friend Rob Lee from LA here in the triangle area in Cary, NC. He had just flown in the previous day without even knowing that I was just half an hour away in Chapel Hill. Praise God that we got to meet up after a year of not seeing each other. Rob was the head of Kairos, an Asian American worship/rock/hiphop/dance healing evangelism team, but the Lord has moved him onward now and he is seeking the Lord for the next step, which is hopefully to build a worship school in LA. Pray that God would grant him the desires of his heart, according to the Lord's perfect will. Later that evening, I had a good worship and intercession time with my cousins and their friends at my uncle's house. This worship school thing sounds interesting, perhaps the Lord would have me be involved in something like it in the future.

After further delay by Air Canada, I am finally back in NC! (where it is much warmer than BC) Praise the Lord that I have all my luggage, none of them were missing. On the flight from Vancouver to Toronto I had an interesting conversation with a lady from Whitehorse, Yukon, where it is 48 C below 0. Yikes! She said that it is so cold up there that you can't even drive your car, as your engine won't start. The only means of travel when it's this cold is by dog sled, and even the huskies get cold too. She and her fiance have been there for 8 years, but it is almost impossible to get use to the cold. Because the town is above the Arctic Circle, they get 24 hour daylight in the summer and complete darkness in the winter. I asked her what they do when it gets too cold to go outside, she replied, "We watch TV and play video games." She also mentioned that the youths still go outside to wait for the school bus when it is minus 30 C, which is totally crazy. "Somebody has to inform the kids that the world is not an iceberg," she mused. I guess they don't realize that it is actually warmer in most other parts of the world.

I had a chance to share with her a bit about my "profession." I also told her some supernatural healing stories. Hopefully she is open to the Lord speaking to her, and drawing her to Himself. I am keeping her in prayer.

We went to Whistler (2 hours north of Vancouver) on Monday and returned to Vancouver last night. Whistler is a famous ski resort (one of the best in North America), and I had a good time skiing for 2 and a half days. My parents didn't ski. Instead, they went sightseeing and cross-country skiing. We stayed at the Listel Whistler, owned by Best Western, at the foot of the mountain in Whistler Village. The hotel is within walking distance of the ski lifts, and they had the nicest blankets of any hotel I've been to.

The ski area consists of 2 large mountains (Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain) side by side. Each mountain alone is larger than most ski areas in the US. The terrain and the runs are amazing. However, they did not have a lot of snow when we were there. It has been a below-average year as most of the snow storms veered south to California to Lake Tahoe and Mammoth. As a result, over a quarter of the runs were closed due to lack of snow coverage on the slopes. However, near the top of the mountains, the snow was nice, as on Blackcomb there are 2 glaciers that never melts (they do offer summer skiing on the glacier June through August). It was the first time in my life that I got to ski on glaciers, a pretty cool experience.

When I was young, I had dreamed of coming here to ski, so my spirit could not be dampened, even with the subpar conditions. It is interesting how the best efforts of man to build this world-class resort is still depended on God who grants the snow. Without the snow, the town would be nonexistent, and the entire economy and prosperity of the area would be gone. Pray that the people at the resort would recognize their dependency on the one true God and worship Him, and not be preoccupied by the distractions of the world. One has to recognize that recreational activities such as skiing can become a barrier to God if they consume our lives, leaving no room for Jesus. One has to always keep one's life in proper order.

Vancouver/Whistler has been chosen as the site for the 2010 Winter Olympics. and I had the opportunity to ski on portions of the future Olympic downhill, Super G, GS, and Slalom courses (both men and women). It was a treat to speed down these runs. Before we arrived at the mountain, I had been alerted by the Lord to pray against sexual immorality in the area. Later on I found out that Whistler will be hosting an international gay and lesbian ski week at the end of January. We can all keep this in prayer, for the deliverance and the salvation of these folks and breaking down of this demonic stronghold in the world.

After a couple flight delays, I arrived in Vancouver safely last night. My parents and their friend from church were already waiting for me at the baggage claim. I am glad that i have all my luggage with me, for it would have been really chilly if my warm clothes did not make it to Canada.

Today my dad preached at a Chinese home church, and I played the violin for worship. I haven't heard him preach in a long time and so it was nice for me to hear him, and also to be around Chinese people to practice and maintain my Mandarin. At the end of the service, they also ask me to share a bit about what I'm doing in fulltime ministry. I gave a brief message, and they actually took up an offering for me! Praise God, I did not expect that to happen at all.

At the end of the service, knowing that I'm from MorningStar church, they ask me if I could pray and prophesy over some youths. I concurred and and we had a wonderful time, as I was able to pray and declare some words from the Lord. Glory be to Him! They were touched by the ministry and I believe that the God has lots in store for these youths. I certainly did not expect to minister prophetically on this trip. The Lord, obviously, had other ideas.

Tomorrow we will be heading to the mountains and I'll be skiing for the first time this season. Yay!

Right now I am at my uncle and aunt's place in Chapel Hill getting ready for an AM flight out of Releigh, NC, to Vancouver, British Columbia, tomorrow. I will be meeting my parents up there to visit a chinese church (and play violin for worship there) and go skiing afterwards at Whistler. It will be a fun trip!

I purchased a Heather Clark cd at the new years conference with a gift certificate from Morningstar. It's called "Dark Yet Lovely," which is Heather singing the passages from Song of Solomon. It is a great cd to get intimate with the Lord. For those of you who don't know, Heather is a worship leader/song writer/musician/dancer, etc. from British Columbia, Canada. You can click on the link above to go to her cool website.

Last Saturday I saw the Passion movie for the first time on dvd. My housemate Ron received it from his sister for Christmas. Directed by Mel Gibson, it was a powerful film which showed the last 12 hours of Jesus' life prior to the crucifixion. Most people in America saw it when it came out in the theaters. I did not had the opportunity to watch it then, because I was out of the country in Guatemala and China. I am glad that I finally got to see it, and it definitely made an deep impact in my mind as I meditated on the life, death, and resurrection of my Lord and Savior.

Moving on to a different subject, last night we had a "soaking" session at Harp and Bowl. I normally play the violin for this unique worship/intercession meeting on Tuesday nights, but tonight the leaders felt that the Lord wanted us just to "soak," to lie down, and meditate in His presence. So we didn't have any musicians or prayer/worship leaders, we just played some soft worship cds and received ministry from the Lord in a peaceful, soothing manner. It was great to get filled up by the Holy Spirit and experience God in this fashion for a change. Praise God!

Tonight I went to my first NBA game with my friend Steve and his friend Tom. It was the Bobcats vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Steve invited me to go, and I didn't have to pay for the tickets at all. Praise God! It was a wonderful experience. Even though the Bobcats lost, we saw LeBron James, the star on the Cavaliers, perform spectacularly. One needs to pray for his salvation, because all that talent is not going count at the end.

This morning I had the opportunity to play violin for worship at Morningstar. It was an incredible experience. I had just emailed Leonard, the main worship leader, on Saturday, about the possibility of meeting up to talk about playing for worship. He emailed me back right away asking me if I could come to rehearsal the following morning. I had never expected to be "ministering" so quickly, but I knew it was the Lord's will. I had been reluctant about it in my spirit for several months, and I guess I was hesitating. I received a prophetic word earlier in the week, which said that the Lord had given me a choice to ride on a horse named worship, and that it was my choice. When I hear those words, I knew what it meant in my heart.

Praise the Lord that I was able to follow through and allow Him to move through me. I definitely felt His presence up there on the stage. I am glad that He has indeed trained and prepared me to be able to "flow" spontaneously to make music, and I've had enough playing experience in the past to not be overwhelmed by the scale of the operation. It always takes a lot of faith, because you can never just "perform" in the flesh. Thank God for His grace. Afterwards, one lady came up to me and said, "Thank you for sharing your gift with us," and I was moved by those words. Perhaps I have been "in hiding" too long and that the Lord is placing me as a lamp, from underneath the bed to a lampstand.

2005 has arrived. It's a new year and a new beginning. I have returned from the first Morningstar conference at Heritage, the new property that they are restoring. God is good. I had a grand time worshipping and dancing to the Lord, and received some incredible prophetic words regarding the direction of my life. God is awesome!
Normally I am not a big conference guy and I tend not to go to conferences, but I felt prompted by the Lord to go to this one, grudgingly, perhaps. So when I went, I said, "Lord, I need you to show up; you must have something for me here." And I believed He did speak to my heart and renewed my focus for this coming year.
There were some divine encounters with strangers, and I felt blessed by the people whom I meet and ministered to me. Praise God!
Prayer: "Lord, I pray that you would open the eyes of my heart more and more this year, and direct my paths. I pray that I would grow in greater intimacy with you this year. I pray that I would walk in the spiritual authority that you have given me, and that I would not shrink back from all that You want me to do. I pray for greater healing and restoration in my own life, and in the lives of your people. I pray that You would do new great things this year and bring a great revival and harvest all around the world. Have your way, O Lord, in my life, and in America.
I pray for your salvation and help in the parts of the world affected by the recent catastrophe. Provide supernatural aid (the multiplication of food), supernatural resources and healing (including the raising of the dead) and supernatural signs and wonder to express your mercy and love upon the people. I pray for godly men and women to come in and minister to the people in desperate need.
I pray for President Bush, that he would grow in greater intimacy with you, and that he would gain wisdom and hear your voice better and clearer. I pray that he would be a great leader who help eliminate abortion and accomplishes your purposes in the world. I pray that you would lead him and guide him every step of the way, and that you would bring godly counsel to his side. Shield him from the attacks of the enemy and cover him with the blood of Jesus.
I pray all of this in Jesus' name,
Amen!