My Red Hot Love Affair


You sweat, sniff, tear, the world seem to be spinning and you reach out desperately for cold water - no, I'm not talking about falling in love. But a similar experience nonetheless - eating Chilli.

Chilli, the King of Spice. The most frequently used seasoning in the world next to salt and the love of my culinary life. If some like it hot then the rest certainly don't know what they are missing.

I sometimes tell people that if I ever got crucified on a cross and a roman soldier pieced my sides with a spear, out of it will flow Coffee and Chilli. My love for and semi-addiction to these two substances is known among my friends. However it is to the latter that I dedicate this entry to.

From the Nonya Sambal Balachan to Chicken Rice Garlic Chilli, the Thai Chilli Padi to the humble cut chilli with light soya sauce of my favourite prawn mee soup, my most well-worn request at eatries is 'Uncle, Jia Lal'. Hardly a meal goes by without the generous involvement of the Wonder Spice.

My not-so-secret love affair with the tongue-scorching fruit with its many culinary manifestations dates back the day at the tender age of 5 when I sacred my 2nd Auntie silly after licking clean my fourth plate of Chicken Rice Chilli at Marine Parade Hawker Center. The sheer enjoyment from both the chilli's fiery taste and the priceless look of horror on my Aunty's face ignited a lifelong passion which still burns today. Literally.

The Chilli Appreciation Society International (yes, there's one) likens the aroma of good chilli to 'the rapture of a love's kiss.' Capsaicin is the chemical ingredient that gives chilli its fiery bite. It triggers the brain to release endorphins which are natural painkillers that promotes a sense of relief, pleasure and a feeling of a 'natural high'. (Ask any chilli lover.) Apparently cooking doesn't lessen capsaicin's intensity, so removing the pith and seed is the best way to reduce its heat although why anyone would want to do that frankly beats the heck out of me.

HURTS SO GOOD

Fiery sensations, pure pleasure and a taste of heaven aside, Chilli is actually good for you. I found out that it contains antioxidants Vitamin A and E. It also a good source of iron, calcium, potassium, folic acid and beta carotene. Chilli is good for digestion, reduces asthma and wipes out cholesterol and free radicals that causes heart diseases. It is even know to reduce the risk of colon cancer. And if that doesn't make you want to run out now for some indian food, do you know fresh chilli contain 7 times more Vitamin C than orange and they're also fat and cholesterol-free.

So the next time you're about to ask someone to go easy on the chilli, stop and think about the immense good you are actually depriving him or her.

And then repent.



THE ART OF CHILLI EATING

So whether you are a air-sucking, drink-grabbing beginner or a hot-blooded tongue-numbed veteran, here's a quick guide to enjoying this sensational spice:


1. Size matters. The larger the chilli, the weaker it is. Small chillies because proportionally, they contain more seeds and veins than larger ones are generally more fiery. (The same seem to apply with people.) When you slice the chilli, the more small circles you see, the more power it is. Larger circles....well, they would make good garnishing.


2. Drinking cold water, beer or coke doesn't douse the oral inferno after a chillified meal - in fact, all it does is spread the fire all over your mouth.


3. The best antidote is anything dairy, like milk, yogurt, butter etc. Terik Tareh or milk tea works as well. But my advise is to take it like a man/woman because...


4. Eating chilli comes with practice. It will feel like hot coals in your mouth the first time, but the more you eat, the more you will used to it - and enjoying its spiciness. As a good catholic, I liken it to purgatory before the bliss of heaven. So go for it, dig in, it can only get better, trust me. As they say. "No pain, No gain."




So allow me to end with this question:

Qn: What do the following have in common?

Chicken Rice, Crab, Prawns, Otak, Mussels, Wanton Mee, CharKuayTiao, SteamBoats, Prata, Pizza, Rendang, Fish, Beef, Weddings, Frog Legs, Thosai, Laska, Fried Rice, Seafood EE Mee, Cheekuay, Hokkein Mee, French Fries, Nasi Briyani, Fishball Noodle, MeeSiam, Curry Puff, Eggs, Prawn Fritters, BBQ StingRay, BBQ Sotong, Duck Rice, Kang-Kong, Masala Chicken, Tom Yam Soup, Nasi-Lemark, Mee Goreng, Ramen, MeeRebus, Life.


Ans: Unimaginable without Chilli!


So a big Hallelujah..(oops, lent..) to the Good Lord for creating those spleen-splitting, incendiary, tongue-scorching, appetite-firing little zingers, for without which my life, not to mention meals, would ever be the same.

"Taste and see that the Lord is Good."

Now hand me that glass of water.

Leo

(If there are Chilli Lovers out there reading this, hey! Do drop a comment and share the love!)


Thanks to Cheryl Chia from www.bakerwhocooks.blogspot.com for photos.

16th Feb S.O.A.P

Scripture
"May my meditation be pleasing to Him as I rejoice in the Lord" Ps 104:34


Observations
1. God cares about what I think not just what I do. "You desire truth in the innermost parts." Ps. 51. You can't get more 'innermost' than thoughts.

2. He is pleased or displeased by what I think about.

3. God knows and hears my thoughts. Sometimes I think that just because others can't hear them, God can't also.

4. If I make God the source of my joy, I will think thoughts that are pleasing to Him.

5. God is pleased with Faith. Thoughts that reflect faith is pleasing to Him.


Application
I will think about what I think about. I will choose the thoughts I allow to stew in my mind. I will stop when i drift into thoughts that are impure or negative. I want my thoughts to be full of Faith, hope, optimism and love.


Prayer
Lord Jesus, from this day, help me to guard my thoughts. Extent the gift of self-control to the realm of my thinking. May even what I think about please you. Amen.

300


The bible's version of 300 -


Gideon got up early the next morning, all his troops right there with him. They set up camp at Harod's Spring. The camp of Midian was in the plain, north of them near the Hill of Moreh.

God said to Gideon, "You have too large an army with you. I can't turn Midian over to them like this—they'll take all the credit, saying, 'I did it all myself,' and forget about me. Make a public announcement: 'Anyone afraid, anyone who has any qualms at all, may leave Mount Gilead now and go home.'" Twenty-two companies headed for home. Ten companies were left.

God said to Gideon: "There are still too many. Take them down to the stream and I'll make a final cut. When I say, 'This one goes with you,' he'll go. When I say, 'This one doesn't go,' he won't go." So Gideon took the troops down to the stream.

God said to Gideon: "Everyone who laps with his tongue, the way a dog laps, set on one side. And everyone who kneels to drink, drinking with his face to the water, set to the other side." Three hundred lapped with their tongues from their cupped hands. All the rest knelt to drink.

God said to Gideon: "I'll use the three hundred men who lapped at the stream to save you and give Midian into your hands. All the rest may go home."

After Gideon took all their provisions and trumpets, he sent all the Israelites home. He took up his position with the three hundred. The camp of Midian stretched out below him in the valley.

That night, God told Gideon: "Get up and go down to the camp. I've given it to you. If you have any doubts about going down, go down with Purah your armor bearer; when you hear what they're saying, you'll be bold and confident." He and his armor bearer Purah went down near the place where sentries were posted. Midian and Amalek, all the easterners, were spread out on the plain like a swarm of locusts. And their camels! Past counting, like grains of sand on the seashore!

Gideon arrived just in time to hear a man tell his friend a dream. He said, "I had this dream: A loaf of barley bread tumbled into the Midianite camp. It came to the tent and hit it so hard it collapsed. The tent fell!"

His friend said, "This has to be the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite! God has turned Midian—the whole camp!—over to him."

When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he went to his knees before God in prayer. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, "Get up and get going! God has just given us the Midianite army!"

He divided the three hundred men into three companies. He gave each man a trumpet and an empty jar, with a torch in the jar. He said, "Watch me and do what I do. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly what I do. When I and those with me blow the trumpets, you also, all around the camp, blow your trumpets and shout, 'For God and for Gideon!'"

Gideon and his hundred men got to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the sentries had been posted. They blew the trumpets, at the same time smashing the jars they carried. All three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands, ready to blow, and shouted, "A sword for God and for Gideon!" They were stationed all around the camp, each man at his post. The whole Midianite camp jumped to its feet. They yelled and fled. When the three hundred blew the trumpets, God aimed each Midianite's sword against his companion, all over the camp. They ran for their lives—to Beth Shittah, toward Zererah, to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

Judges 7

Fields of Amplify

Last Tuesday night, we had a Senior's Leaders meeting. As always, we took a bird's eye view of the community to get a sense of where we are now and where we are going, taking stock of all our activities.

I remember leaving the meeting feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the number of things the community is doing and building at the same time. I am very happy of course, with the opportunities, graces and people He has sent our way - we have done nothing to deserve it. Yet it can feel quite scary and whelming at times.

So wednesday morning I took it to prayer before the Lord and just told Him how I feel and asked Him for help. As I did, when I closed my eyes, I saw in my mind a vision of a large plantation field.

As I looked, the field was divided into many smaller plots each with its own type of crop growing. No plot was quite the same. Some were full grown plants, some were bare, some had trees and other short saplings.




As I looked at the field, I sensed I was looking at a representation of our Amplify Community. Each plot represented something we are building. i saw something like this picture:





I saw us going among the field, working in the plots (like farmers), each plot requiring different kind of works according to its stage and type. Some were left bare. Some were having seeds planted. Some required pruning. Some had to be watered. Some were experiencing harvest and people were needed to collect it.

As I looked at the field, i sensed God telling me that different things have to be done for different plots according to each need :


1. Allow some plots to Fellow (untouched) - Not time yet, don't do anything except pray over it.


2. Plants seeds - Cast vision for it.


3. Tilt the soil - Bring up the matter. Discuss about it. Stir people's hearts.


4. Water the plot - Laying theological or scriptural foundations for it. Teach.


5. Tend to the Sapling - Problem-solve the teething stages, nurture and protect it.


6. Fertilize - encourage, provide resources, give it influence


7. Release workers - train people to lead and tend to the plants


8. Harvest - reap and celebrate the changed lives


Yup. That is what I got in prayer. It sort of put things into perspective for me and challenged me to think about each plot differently and clearly. Thank god, I don't feel so overwhelmed. Just take it a plot at a time, do what we can and trust God to bring growth.

"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." 1 cor 3:5-7

Thot I just share this will you. Praise God for His Love!


Leo

A Vision for our Future.



I would like to share my vision for Amplify and CSC. The reason why I am so optimistic about dreaming big because I know we have a Big God and great people in Amplify. I know if we put our shared efforts, experience and enthusiasm, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

We need to create environments that are relevant and attractive to Young people. Make inroads to their hearts before so we can later share God with them.


This entry is a re-post of an entry I did in May 2006. Its has been coming one year already and much in Amplify has changed since then, Praise the Lord!


I am glad we have changed our prayer meeting to fridays. It has been a wonderful arrangement with endless possiblilities and potential, especially when it also mean that our entire Saturdays are free. It's truly Double Happiness.



Thank God It's Friday!

Imagine.

CSC is such an quaint old place. Which means it has an incredible charm about it if we can spruce it up.

Think 'CHIJMES. '

A beautifully restored place that blends the modern and the old resulting in an environment of absolute wonder and charm. In CSC, fix up colored spotlights on trees, light them up with electric pink, smooth blue and lively green. Wash stairs and walls with a touch of color. Darken the place and release an array of lights and color, sights and sounds. Irresistable.


A beautiful balcony we have that overlooks the field. Can it not become a site for a Cafe? Serving up designer coffee enjoyed with chill out furniture, a blend of conversation and a touch of pool and cues. A tea light on every table, cane chairs, a solo guitarist and whiffs of cookie and cream. A charming setting patroned from 6pm to midnight? The young and old can hang out before prayer meeting and chill out after that? Amplify partners adorn aprons, serving in cheerful labour. Why not?


How about wireless internet? X-boxes? Manicure. Board games. Why just settle for a prayer meet? Make it an experience. Get young people down and half the battle is won. Provide an alternative to clubbing and other unsavoury places. A night of Praise and Worship, lively relevant talks, video presentations, Dance and Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. A place where God meets real life.


I imagine a huge crowd of young people gathering at the ghrotto, praying the rosary before meeting starts. Our talks recorded and podcasted on the internet. I see young people hanging out and bringing their friends and colleagues.


"I didn't know church could be like that."

It can. If we make it happen.







Saturday Surprise!

Saturday, awash in daylight brings myraid possibilites. CSC transforms into a youth Centre. The cafe business still opens. Leadership Meetings can be held at dawn. Ministry training can happen at noon. Band practices or cell groups.

Nothing new. Think further.

But what about a tution centre? Can the massive wood tables we have be converted into a study corner? Can those of us, with higher education offering free tution? Maths, Chinese, Econs etc. What about All-nighters? Man the Cafe through the night, offering fresh hot brews to students cramming for their exams?

And if Coffee is not enough to boost confidence, the Adoration Room is always open for last minute supplications!


What about screening movies or a monthly flea market?


What about football matches? We have a wonderfully big field for all our sporting needs. Interchurch soccer? Paintball?


What about a Speaker's Club? A Christian Toastmaster's Club to help young people build confidence in public speaking and raise more youth speakers.


What about a counselling centre where youths can talk about their problems in an open and friendly environment? Can more of us be able to get ourselves trained in counselling?


Worship workshops, baking classes, leadership conferences. Poetry Recite, Art explosions, guitar classes. What can't we do?


What about a Day where youths can spend the whole day with host of activities to enjoy and partake? Or a launching place for missions and acts of justice?


Imgaine the friendships can we form and the influence we can have with young people to lead them slowly to Jesus who inspires us to make all these happen?



There is so much we can do to reach out to young people. We need to look beyond simply the platform and prayer meetings. I know not all of us are called to be a speaker or a worship leader or an event planner, but surely we can put on an apron and a smile on your face to serve coffee? What about a Pool ministry or an X-box ministry? Tution ministry? Sports?

Any inroads to the hearts of young people, we can create, let's do it.

Amplify's Vision is make CSC an Epicenter of Youth Spiritual Awakening. And it starts with us making inroads. "Become all things to all men to save some." The possibilites are endless. We need more people to come forward with fresh ideas and make them happen. Rise up, initiate and take lead and make dreams come true.

Anyone want to join me?


leo