Category Archives: Prismwater

Daniel's Gloves

Daniel's GlovesNothing much today.  Was a bit disappointed with the results today. Never the less, this was pretty much heart warming when I read this email forwarded by a friend of mine.

I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.

As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across thestreet. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared tobe carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, ‘I will work for food.’ My heart sank.

I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.

Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: ‘Don’t go back to the office until you’ve at least driven once more around the square.

Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square’s third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.

I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town’s newest visitor.

‘Looking for the pastor?’ I asked.
‘Not really,’ he replied, ‘just resting.’
‘Have you eaten today?’
‘Oh, I ate something early this morning.’
‘Would you like to
have lunch with me?’
‘Do you have some work I could do for you?’
‘No work,’ I replied ‘I commute here to work
from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.’
‘Sure,’ he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface
questions. Where you headed?’

‘St. Louis ‘
‘Where you from?’
‘Oh, all over; mostly Florida .’
‘How long you been walking?’
‘Fourteen years,’ came the reply.

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, ‘Jesus is The Never Ending Story.’

Then Daniel’s story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He’d made some wrong choices and reaped the  consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a
large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought…

He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God

‘Nothing’s been the same since,’ he said, ‘I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.’

‘Ever think of stopping?’ I asked.

‘Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles That’s what’s in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.’

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: ‘What’s  it like?’

‘What?’

‘To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?’

‘Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn’t make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people’s concepts of other folks like me.’

My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused He turned to me and said, ‘Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.’

I felt as if we were on holy ground. ‘Could you use another Bible?’ I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. ‘I’ve read through it 14 times,’ he  said.

‘I’m not sure we’ve got one of those, but let’s stop by our church and see’ I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

‘Where are you headed from here?’ I asked.

‘Well, I found this little map on the back of thisamusement park coupon.’

‘Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?’

‘No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that’s where I’m going next.’

He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we’d met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.

‘Would you sign my autograph book?’ he asked.
‘I like to keep messages from folks I meet.’

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I  encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse
of scripture from Jeremiah, ‘I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope.’

‘Thanks, man,’ he said. ‘I know we just met and we’re really just strangers, but I love you.’

‘I know,’ I said, ‘I love you, too.’ ‘The Lord is good!’

‘Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?’ I asked.

A long time,’ he replied

And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, ‘See you in the New  Jerusalem.’

‘I’ll be there!’ was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, ‘When you see something that makes you think of me,   will you pray for me?’

‘You bet,’ I shouted back, ‘God bless.’

‘God bless.’ And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them.. a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.

Then I remembered his words: ‘If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?’

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me t
o see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. ‘See you in the New Jerusalem,’ he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will…

‘I shall pass this way but once. Therefore,  any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.’

‘Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and e-mail buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace, In Jesus’ precious Name Amen…’

GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!

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God Grants our Need Not our Greed

   Internet connections still screw up, and apparently no news from Telekom yet. Will call them up later. Been trying to access my blog for the past few days, apparently I couldn’t get online through it… Oh well…

   For the past few weeks, I’ve pretty much been working out in terms of our current financial situation considering the fact that the recession might affect the business in the near future. But from what I understand that the people in Kuching are still pretty much spending as if there’s nothing to worry about. Not to mention that 1,500 people would be out of work next month, really troubles me. What are the 1.5k people are going to do here in Kuching? Because 1.5k is kinda a lot I think, for Kuching alone to be jobless. Despite the fact from the reports that US recession has not hit Malaysian tourism industry, but most of the tourist purchasing power is not like they used to be. I remembered the first time when I started working in the shop, bout 4 years ago the tourist were more easy to deal with and they pretty much buy in bulks. Some even said after looking at one product, said “They Will Be Back”, they really will come back and buy from you. Today, the tourist nowadays are pretty much so called smart shoppers whereby they would walk from one end to the other end just to see the price. But eventually in the end not buying anything at all. My assumption is that, economy is bad nowadays so they spend less. But why are they here in the first place? Probably they purchased Air Asia or Malaysian Airlines ticket during the promotion time months in advance, and thought it would be a waste if they don’t even travel.

   Anyway, going back to the recession which pretty much shook me up last year as I was trying to work up on a backup plan to see alternative measures to think where can we go next from here. In case Plan A doesn’t work, Plan B needs to be in operation just to break the fall. So I started to work on a master plan to basically calculate the expenses that we are currently occurring, and the amount of income we are getting. No doubt we are still doing fine, but after the episode on what happened to Esther last year December, it pretty much took a bit from our unexpected expenses. As Deluxe and myself are not really big spenders in material things, we pretty much are happy with the things we have now.

Breaking News : Telekom people just arrived and checked my line. Said there’s NOTHING WRONG. -_-” Apparently they suspect is my modem, but I told them it only occurs between 10am to 7pm. After that it’s fine. But never the less, they’ll be getting someone else to come again, prolly the Internet technician, whereby he told me he was only the line technician. Oh well.. Better than nothing.

   But looking back on all the things we went through, I seriously thank God that He pretty much covered all our expenses when we needed the funds. Like for instance, my wedding as how God pretty much settled our bills when I myself thought it was kinda impossible for me to do it. Anyway, it was miraculous in a sense where God had lead us to meet the right people and places. In one case where we had our dinner reception which pretty much will burn a big hole in the pocket, but the guy only told us that we just need to pay for the deposit of only RM500 and the rest is to settle right after our reception. Which we thought that, it wasn’t too bad of a deal where we pretty much booked for 30 tables if I’m not mistaken. When I told this news to my parents, turns out to be a good friend of theirs and I shouldn’t really worried too much about it. Fortunately everyone was happy with the food, and guess it pretty much solved all our problem.

   We were indeed blessed with the arrival of Esther in October. We thank God that Esther, was doing ok and did not have to spend any extra days in the hospital. As a friend of ours did a calculation whereby to have a baby it cost at least RM10k. But for our case, Esther didn’t really have so much heavy major expenses. Plus most of the things were given by many people, and again we didn’t have to spend that much on so many other accessories. Lol..

Breaking News : Well, this is basically a follow up from yesterday when I wanted to complete this post. What actually happened was that, after the Internet was ok after a long day of fighting with it. Then all of a sudden black out -_-” It was from 6pm till 8pm. Was thinking of bringing Deluxe out for dinner. But apparently, we had a candlelight dinner instead. So it’s all good. Just got a call from Telekom to follow up on my case, quite surprise they have the time to follow up.

   Considering the fact that now is not a peak season, business here is a bit slow. But I guess by next month it would start to pick up again since school holidays are near. But I believe God does have his purpose in anything and everything. Just have to continue to trust Him in regardless of the situation. As for the past few weeks, despite not being a slow season for business here at Main Bazaar. But God has been making sure by sending the right people here, and things really is not that bad. So I praise God for everything He has been secretly working even though I don’t notice it. And for those who are going through difficult time now, just to let you know, “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” hehehe.. Thought this song might be appropriate to encourage you guys to stay strong, and positive. ;) Have a nice day..

Great, just when I’m about to post it the Internet suddenly become cacat again.. Haiz.. Oh well.. Life goes on :)


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For The Love Of God

Ok this is a response to Paran’s facebook which I thought it was interesting and funny. Turns out pretty cool.. Hahaha.. Anyway, not tagging anyone, if you interested to do one, do leave a comment and I’ll LOVE to check it out.. Hahaha…

RULES:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag 25 friends.
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
6. Have Fun!

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY?
To Da River – Fighting Temptation

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
I Started A Joke – Bee Gees

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Zombie – Cranberries ( X_X )

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I’m Not A Girl – Britney Spears (Man, I should have taken out these songs)

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Always With Me, Always With You – Joe Satriani

6. WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
I’m Going Home – Chris Daughtry

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
I’m My Own Grandpa – The Stupids

8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Let It Be – The Beatles

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Cinderella – Steven Curtis Chapman

10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Windy – The Association

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
You Give Love A Bad Name – Bon Jovi (Lol.. Sorry man, not my fault ya..)

12. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Pretty Fly For A White Guy – The Offspring

13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Dancing Queen – Abba (What the….)

14. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Na Shi Wa Wu Chi Pak Ban (If I have a million dollars) – Freddy Huang

15. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Numb – Linkin Park

16. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Oh Happy Day – Sister Act 2 ( X_X )

17. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Booyaka 619 – POD ( Lol.. Close enough)

18. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Mary Had A Little Lamb – Stevie Ray Vaughan

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Sephia – Sheila On 7 ( I’m so getting in trouble for this. Lol )

20. WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW
Change The World – Eric Clapton (Aiseh. Seriously)

21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Original Soundtrack TMNT

22. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
For The Love of God – Steve Vai
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One Act of random Kindness

Was at Maybank this morning to withdraw some cash for the week. Suddenly there was a man inside there started shouting and yelling for no apparent reason, and started to sing Rasa Sayang. Poor guy must be frustrated or stress.

Would like to thank my eldest brother as well for giving Esther a stroller as a present. Thanks again bro!

   I just got back from the post office not long ago, whereby to go and renew the car road tax. Despite having to wait for 45 minutes, I got to witness something beautiful and heart warming.

   While waiting to get my insurance renewed, 2 blind people came in and apparently they wanted to withdraw money from their savings account. Unlike other people, they do not need to get a queue ticket and was attended to immediately. And the best part was, those people who were sitting at the customer service table quickly got up and gave their seats to these 2 blind folks. And one of them who was standing them actually helped them to sit down. Probably this may be a small little gesture of kindness and not expecting anything in return. But it goes to show that, despite being in a city where you think people don’t care. But there are people that still do, which could pretty much change the world. As how in the movie Evan Almighty, and I quote :-

God: How do we change the world?
Evan Baxter: One single act of random kindness at a time.
God: [spoken while writing A-R-K on ground with a stick] One Act, of, Random, Kindness.

   Just a few days ago, Deluxe and I was talking about one close friend of Deluxe who went to Mecca. From what I understand from her is that, it’s one of the Five Pillars of Islam. And she went on to say about the rich people in Indonesia always pay their Zakat, in order to help the poor people of Indonesia. There was an incident whereby one rich person in Indonesia went and give out RP30,000 (about RM10) to everyone during their Hari Raya celebration. Because there are a lot of poor people there, you could imagine the long queue people were waiting just to get that RP30,000. And during the long wait, there were people who fainted, got stepped on and died on the spot because people were pushing to get that money. And during Hari Raya Qurban, the rich would normally buy goats and cows meat to be given to the poor. Again people would line up in long queue, and would be there even the day before the actual giving of the meat. And because the poor people over there maybe would only able to taste meat 2 times a year. So if you think you’re life pretty much sucks, then you should compare yourself to the poor. And prolly by then you begin to realized how blessed you are in life.

   Despite the economy is not doing so well for this year, we might not feel it but the people who are less fortunate may find difficulty in surviving. No doubt fuel has drop but unfortunately our daily necessities have still yet to drop as well. So maybe this year, apart from helping out in Breakthrough, prolly I would be doing something out of the blue. Anyway, if you want to change the world. Then do “One single act of random kindness at a time.” Have a nice day.
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Blogging Story Return

Bo Lang Bo Juak Talk
    Ok, I’ve been trying to blog about basically, and guess what.. Streamyx was acting up again. Getting disconnected all the time, and plus wasn’t able to surf for a few mins. Argh. Just when I started to get semangat on blogging again. And things like this happens.

    Anyway, think will be heading back to bloggin again more often, and more ads :P Anyway, will talk about about the reason of blogging at Holan’s Site. But for now, trying to blog as many things at a day is pretty much tough. Plus some more with PPP now can write up to 3 Ads again.. So it’s a good thing.. But the bad thing is that, I was having a difficult time on what to write. Plus it’s taking way too much of time as well.. Lol….
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