2008 ..... The year that passed - Neil

The year that passed ….

2008 I believe was a year where the Lord has been doing a lot of maintenance in my life. Honestly I feel I haven’t done much but if I am going to base my year on the things I do physically (no wonder I’m growing in size) then I’ve missed the point on what God has been doing internally.

Unlike 2007, we didn’t travel much but like I said, MAINTENACE!

It has been challenging as a musician, a leader and a discipler but I believe it’s for the good for the year 2009.

Musicianship – I believe there has been growth in 3 areas. First is my songwriting/arrangement abilities. I remember praying to God about really bringing me to the next level in terms of my writing. I struggled as I worked my way through in writing not just worship songs but mainstream song where at the end of the day I wrote more than I expected this year. I’ve been also listening to a lot of today’s music, just to know what’s in and out. With that, I’ve been open to a bit of Jazz and classical music which so broaden my creativity. There has been so much soul searching adding depth to what I write so yeah….Praise God!

2^nd and 3^rd, my vocals … hmmm… became better, rockier according to Daniel and my guitar skills… well I bought an Electric Guitar (GRECO 79’) so that should answer my abilities. I still play rhythm though.

Leadership – Wow…. I had to step up a lot in situations I felt needed the most. You have to understand that I’ve always labeled myself as the “Laid Back Leader”, just chillin’. I’ve been reading a leadership book where what struck me was that “A leader is one that steps into the uncertain. You as a leader can afford to be uncertain but cannot afford to be unclear in terms of moving forward.”

Personally, I feel I’ve used my brain so much this year in terms of thoughts, thinking of a clear direction. I may not know the outcome but so far there has always been a direction with a positive outcome. And even if it didn’t turn out right, it gave room to grow and learn. This goes out in all the areas I lead may it be as an assistant to Kelvin in terms of our 1a.m. ministry at church, the main band whenever Kel and PC is not around on tour, the youth band(Relent), Creative life, Discipleship etc.

Discipleship – Well I didn’t reach my faith goal in this area but I’m happy that the people I follow up grew the next level whether it’s their walk with God or serving. I had an additional friend added up in the group and he’s been doing great so far!

To see them serve in more than their natural ability is a blessing. I am determine to raise leaders who does not serve where they find comfort but push them to areas where I believe will help them grow and even so determine to raise people who loves God, fueling their passion to serve.

Relationship with the opposite sex – FAILED! Hahaha. Let’s see what 2009 has in-stored! I guess I’m still searching. I saw one but I maybe looking at the wrong one. I don’t know. Well whoever it may be, I hope she’s looking out as well. Bottom line is, what I feel, should be from God.

Enough said.

Overall God has been great in my life. He filled every void that needs to be filled with love and poured so much grace even when I don’t deserve them.

What do I mean by that?

Well being foreigner and living in Malaysia away from my family (miss you guys. Dad take-care of yourself, praying for you! I’ll see you guys soon) and friends I grew up with can be tough. It’s not like I can pay a few hundreds to go back home, I would need a few thousands for the flight and that’s a lot so I really thank God for being there always and giving me friends here to grow with.

Grace? How truly sweet the sound of grace is! I am not perfect as a worker at the office, a minister in or out of church, a friend. I mean I didn’t graduate as a business man, a good communicator, a super talented guitarist. At times I really feel inadequate with what I do. To be honest there are times I feel I am not the smartest, on top of that I have my challenges. But again, Praise God for it is Him who sustains me, in my weakness He strengthens me and pours out that sufficient grace, that amazing grace I so need everyday in my life.

Serving God, serving the church, serving the people has been a pleasure. I find no regrets.

I’m excited for next year. Everything that took place personally in my life was so that I can step into a bigger picture that God painted for 2009. I know its going to be bigger, better and greater. All for His glory and I know that YOU all are in it!

RELENT is coming soon. Don’t know what I’m talking about?… stay tune!

The year that was 2008 - Jude

Since joining 1a.m. on the 17th Feb 08 ( YES EXACT DATE.. )

My journey has been a most exciting one though its only a short amount of time. I remember being exposed to the different fields of work, like managing an entire academy, to overseeing the whole musical department as music director in training, things I'm not good at, but which 1a.m. had the confidence (or audacity) to entrust me with. But it is by God's grace the academy and music team is still surviving! (insert laughter here)

But really, journeying together with 1a.m. has really broaden my view towards God, from God only being my comfort and provider, to God being BIGGER THAN ALL MY PROBLEMS, and seeing him in a bigger worth. Being my 1st time away from home, often times I go to God for a "home security", which is good cos I i believe he wants us to go to him as often as we are able to.

But as God slowly reveals to me himself more and more, I felt God saying "MY PRESENCE IS BETTER THAN ANY HOME ON EARTH". So kinda like God became bigger than any castle mansion made. God has been so gracious even before I joined 1a.m. and I realized that often times I only acknowledge Him whenever He provides, intervenes in my problems, or when he delivers me from my grief.

Being with 1a.m. has open my eyes in worshipping Him, and honoring him EVEN WHEN HE SEEMS TO BE QUIET, or when things doesn't go MY WAY. God is always in control of everything regardless of different situations that we face. My heart has always been music, playing music, and anything to do with music, and when God gets involved in the music it just makes it even better. I've always wanted to play better, improve in my skills, learn everything possible, JUST so that I can equip myself. But...slowly God change me, as I journey with 1a.m. I now realized doing all the work, practicing 100 hours a day, trying to play faster than that speeding bullet, became secondary as MY HEART WAS MORE IMPORTANT ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE.

God changed me from WANTING TO BE ABLE TO PLAY EVERYTHING TO EQUIP MYSELF to WANTING TO IMPROVE MYSELF SO THAT I'M ABLE TO SERVE HIM BETTER.

This year has been awesome, 1 year flew by without me noticing the red light.

Throughout the year I met many a challenge, most of them made me feel extremely inadequate. I specially remember one of them where my playing styles completely differ from the current band members.. ( I grew up listening to classical, jazz and Prog Metal and music like Japanese pop...yes, worlds apart... ) Everyone was either...rock...or...not-classical-not-jazz-not-metal kinda thing... So a lot of times it was extremely hard for me to gel with them, to play skillfully up to an expectation, ( everyone thought highly of my musicality's apparently ) and being a musician it's hard to change instantly and suck in your pride. But I thank GOD for THE AWESOME journey He hooked me up in '08, for being such an AWESOME GOD, for BEING SO REAL, and walking me me thru all the moments where I felt I'm inadequate, cos that's where i feel him the most. Of course God is slowly changing me as well musically, at least now know jazz is not the band's thing :) ....

I look forward for '09 to come, cos I know God has in store for me MORE AWESOME THINGS that He wants me to experience.

It's been good being a guitarist for God, I regret nothing...

Philippines Tour Day 5

Malaysia's Independence

The independence of Malaysia is different from much of the independence of other countries. What makes it so different? It is a peaceful independence achieved by holding talks with the British. No other country has ever done that before Malaysia. Addtionally, the Malaysian independence was realised by three people with different culture and religion. It is amazing how independence was gained that way. On the glorious day of 31 August 1957, Allahyarham Tunku Abdul Rahman proudly declared the independence of Malaya (now Malaysia) by shouting out "Merdeka" seven times at the Merdeka Stadium.

1a.m. is proud to be Malaysians and we believe that God has great plans for our nation. Please pray for us as we declare our 51st independence day.

Please go to our 1a.m youtube website to view our song “Malaysia Shout Your Praise” and you can download the song for free also at our website at www.1am.com.my .



God bless

1a.m. team

Malaysia Shouts Your Praise - Music Video/ Testimony

Here is 1a.m's new music video

This just came out last week. A collection of pictures showing what Malaysia's all about. A reminder that we should love our country. God Bless Malaysia!



Testimony of Malaysia Shouts Your Praise

Are YOU Fresh?

Are YOU Fresh?

Are you Fresh? Ok, lets rephrase that into “do we keep ourselves fresh” or “what keeps us fresh?” or “ what refreshes us?”

This blog was meant to be out a fews months back during one of our church worship team practice. So this is what happened.

We had our band practice with the 3^rd team where every week we practice on how to “move prophetically” in the spirit during songs. We aren’t there yet but have seen and heard a lot of improvements over the months of just “moving in faith” in this area.

Well I can’t really explain much of how and what we do during practice but I can tell you testimonies where people (musicians and singers) during our practice are just “refreshed” after a long day of work through worship.

It was a confirmation for what God has placed in my heart after hearing every ones heart through a prophetic song or a word (testimony)

It was when we were singing “Majesty” by Delirious? that I began to sing words such as “Humbled by your grace so free, humbled by your love so free, humbled by your power, awesomeness… etc…” These are words that we normally hear or read of everyday, every week through times when you have your devotion on your own or fellowship with your friends, and you know what? Though we’ve heard them over and over again, it never fails to amaze us, strengthen us, encourage us, rebuke us, build us, refresh us.

We can read the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation and read the whole thing again from cover to cover and still get something new out of it. Why? Coz His words are alive, It never fails to amaze us!

I was reminded of a story in the book of John which spoke about Nathanael’s encounter with Jesus :-

48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that."

Nathanael was "blown away" during his encounter with Jesus.

What is it that God amazes you? What "Blows" your mind?What is it that God has “told” you today through His word, His Love? There maybe a lot of things that He may have told you that had left you standing amazed but let me tell you this… “You’ve not seen anything yet”

Just like Jesus Said "You shall see greater things than that".

For now…. I encourage you to hear from God and allow yourselves to be amazed by Him.

Neil1am

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

A new year, a new start. We have no idea what the year has in stored but we know God does.

We'll make sure that we'll keep you updated in whatever God has been doing in our lives,devotion, ministry, tours, etc.

We're excited. Hope you are too!

1a.m.

The Greatest Gift Testimony

This is a testimony for "the Greatest Gift" song
_______________________________________
The Greatest Gift Testimony

First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone. I assume everyone is having an awesome time together with Friends, Family, Spiritual Family etc...

Well I'm alright. Christmas day can be pretty pressuring especially when it comes to buying gifts. I couldn't breathe when I was buying gifts. I had a list with my friends of the people who had blessed us this year and man, every time we would shop for someone, a "name" would pop up and the list kept growing and growing and our cash kept decreasing and decreasing. Wahahahha!!!!! Guess what, I just realized I still missed some people out.

At the end of the day, it's the thought that counts. If I spent, I spent to bless. Which is a good thing cause I was and still am pretty much a receiver than a giver.

Anyway, what did you get for Christmas? If you look back and think of the gifts you've received all the years of your life during Christmas, what would be the best gift?

I haven't received the best yet but the Greatest Gift I have.

I wrote a song a few months back called "the Greatest Gift". The song talks about Jesus being the Greatest Gift. If you ask me what was my Greatest Gift, it would be Jesus. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I sound religious and all but seriously He is.

Oh yea, though our production was called "the Gift", the song was never written for the event but we used it anyway . Kelvin added the second verse of the song and now sounds complete.

You see I was going through a time where I felt I was useless. Not good enough to serve in the ministry God called me in. Surprised? Well I guess its just one of those days the enemy tries to lure you down. You have to understand that when I was a teenager, there was a time I asked myself that "What am I gonna do when I become an adult in the working world (This was before I knew Christ). I was never good enough in the things that I do or studied. What I've started, I've never ended. There was one thing though that stayed and had seen improvements and that's the area of music. I've noticed that through out the boy-band era of my life, my ability to write songs, sing and play the guitar has improved. Accepting Jesus in the next few years changed my life and made me want to serve Him with the talents and gifting He gave. If you noticed in some of my mails that I've written, I mentioned "I know nothing but to serve". That is an honest statement because the truth is I really don't know anything else but to serve Him with what I got which is music.

That night when I went back home from one of the worst worship session I led, I came before God asking "am I ever good enough? Do I have anything that's good and am good at?" I was in my bed thinking and in silence I heard God speak that "I have Jesus and the music given to me is what He is gonna use through me". I wrote the song that day and in a week the song " the Greatest Gift" was written. Quiet long to finish a song but I wanted to make sure that this song spoke strong.

You must be wondering why I received the Greatest Gift and not yet the Best Gift. What is the difference? You see, I remember PC(Pastor Cathryn) mentioned that the best gift she received are those that she can't get but given to her and so the same for me. I'm still waiting and that gift is salvation for my family.

To watch the video, click on the link provided below http://carolyong.multiply.com/journal/item/352/The_Gift_-_a_song._You_HAVE_to_see_this

Greatest Gift

Verse 1

I'll sing to the one
who is worthy to receive all blessing, honor and power
I'll sing to the one
who sent His one and only son
The greatest gift, the greatest gift of all

Chorus

I'll sing about the love
about the love I didn't deserve
I'll sing about a Father God
A Father I ignored
Coz now I've learned to love because you love
You showed it on the cross for all
Your the Greatest Gift, the greatest gift of all

Verse 2

When I was weak you gave me Strength
You gave me Hope when all seems lost
Why do you love?
Why do you care for me?
You pick me up each time I fall
You never given up on me
You are my friend
The greatest friend of all

Bridge

Forever Jesus
Lord Jesus
Here I am, Forever I will worship
Lord Jesus
My Jesus
Here I am, Forever I will worship you

1a.m. 2007

Teenstreet

Six days spent within a community of hundreds of teens from various parts of the globe was truly a great experience…and it was truly a privilege and great honor to be used by God to inspire worship to this group of people.

It was a picturesque moment witnessing these kids letting go off and denying themselves in worship. In the eyes of any human being it was like the usual hysterical moment at any other concerts, but in His eyes it was the kind of a heart-melting show that He is well pleased with.

Every evening our showmanship was jeopardized as we ushered the young crowd to experience genuine worship. It was not just mere music that connects people we were playing; it was a melodic symphony that unites us with the Creator.

In between songs as several challenges were made, seas of teens were seen making commitments to pick up their own cross and carry the call to live a purposefully contagious life especially among their immediate sphere of friends and families. Some were also convicted to get out of their comfort zones to exist as sold out ambassadors for God…leaving behind their old self and starting enthusiastically afresh.

Above all, many of these young lives were liberated and set free during the expressive and yet intimate moment spent with God in worship. It was never about us…not even them…but truly about Him and Him only. For most, the entire experience was totally something fresh. For us…it’s one of the only things we knew what to do best.

Sabah Trip

As a full-time worship ‘minister’, it doesn’t take too much before certain things begin to feel a little dry. Suddenly trying to stir people’s hearts in the presence of the Lord becomes something it should never be; nothing more than a duty, a responsibility that you bear the burden to carry. Even as you get more skilled at playing the songs, or more accustomed to building the environment with your instrument, there is still a stark difference that shows and comes through when you’re not there yourself for God, not tuned in to worship yourself. It’s something that can’t be explained.

Our first concert in Sabah went pretty well by technical standards, hardly any mistakes, the flow went down smoothly, a ‘performance’ by any means in which you’d expect a roaring uplifting of great enthusiasm from the congregation. However, sadly the reality was they didn’t sound much more than polite claps, it didn’t look as if they were ministered to very much if at all. There was something missing that night; it was the tangibility of the Holy Spirit. If there was one thing I learnt this trip, it’s the most important component to any worship service. Too many times we over emphasize the importance of skill, playing the right notes at the right time, and while nevertheless important, we forget the most important part, the part that makes the biggest difference; the Holy Spirit.You could visibly see the difference in environment when it came to our second concert. This time we took the time to prepare our hearts, internally and externally, to make it a point to worship him ourselves, and repented for not doing so in the concerts we did not. Most important of all, we humbled ourselves, that despite all we’ve been through, we still needed God to do anything at all.

To be frank, the 2^nd concert wasn’t that much different in how well we played. However, it was how we worshipped, and how we brought worship. The congregation went crazy, they lifted their hands, some bowed, some cried. The difference? It wasn’t us, it was presence of God.It teaches me that you can’t depend on yourself to make a difference in worship.

Make a prayer to God when you minister, we need Him.TJ1am

August 07 Onwards

Wow...

A lot of things has been happening and this section hasn't been updated. Sorry for the delayed updates in a lot of things. Will try to update everything as fast as I can.

Heres whats been happening (in short) and what to expect :-

1) The band has toured around East Malaysia, Kuching and Saba. Did a couple of concerts in Kuala Lumpur. The most recent one is @ EFC,PJ. We're gathering up testimonies from the team to be posted up here in the blog soon. Bangkok Jazz testimony will be up as soon as I'm done with this.

2) Win an IPOD promo is out. 80 Gb guys so who knows, if GOd is willing, YOU might get it. Plus loads of other cool prizes to be won like Ipod Nano's, etc,etc...

3) Indieheaven Momentum Award 08 is up so Vote for 1a.m. Oh by the way, the song "Always in your heart" is up so go to FanFaves and vote the song to climb up the charts. www. indieheaven.com

4) 1a.m is in the process of releasing its 3rd album. This will be different as the youth will be taking over. An EP album is planned to be released early next year before the main album so stay tune. Previews, V-blogs will be up in a few weeks so be excited ;)

5) 1a.m future tour dates 08 will be up soon. Please email us early if your local church or some event (regardless of whatever nation) wants to invite us .We will need to plan and arrange dates so that it doesn't clash with what our local church(ECF) is up to.

Thats it for now,so keep logging in.

SOLD OUT

Neil1am

Day 14 and 15

Date : 14 May

Day : Monday

Event : Breakfast - then the guys came over from Alf’s place to Pastor John’s place which is just 5 minutes from each other. That’s pretty cool. The plan for the day was to go to the beach, which isn’t very far away as Auckland is pretty much near the sea. That was really nice. Pictures again? ;p

Lisa didn’t’ join us because she wasn’t feeling that well but on the other hand, she got to bond with Kelly and Cindy.

Blessings : Cindy cooked Bak Kut Teh for us! That is sooooooo yummy! We are so very blessed!

It was sooo good that we saved the soup and then bought more meat so that Kelly could cook another meal with it. Mmmmmmmm

That night, we had the core worship team over. This time it was like a forum and there were many things shared. PC and Kel shared about how the structure of 1 a.m. is like and how it is run, how we grew and the history of the ministry. They also fielded questions from the worship team and you could sense that they really want to move to the next level of worship. They also shared their concerns and what they want to achieve for their worship. It’s really humbling to see all this and to be grateful that we have such visionary and great leaders.

Date : 15 May

Day : Tuesday

Event : Shopping! Buying souvenirs in town! Visiting Parachute. We were so privileged to meet with the Parachute Marketing Director. Parachute is such a big name and they hold a concert every year which draws about 20,000 people. The great thing is that they are looking for true worshipers and not just great musicians. (We think alike!) We left our CD with him and pray that the door will be opened, all in God’s will and timing. It also got TJ thinking about his deferment and calling, ha ha ha! However, we all know that our lives are in God’s hands and we need to know what He wants and obey. His plans are always better than ours, always.

R & R : Then we went shopping with Alf. We also got to go to the city of Auckland. We got more souvenirs! Ha ha ha!

PC however, had a meeting with one of the leaders doing the ZEAL program for youths in Auckland and is currently doing very well in the high schools. It’s also recognized by the government. God is really doing something in the midst of all that is going on in NZ. The country is facing much onslaught from the enemy; the new PM is passing laws i.e making prostitution legal, possibly even making it a subject taught and acceptable in school, passing a bill where parents can’t smack their kids, legalizing gambling, legalizing the marriages of gays and lesbians; claiming to be a liberal country but going against the principles of good and the Bible. However, we believe that God is raising people in that country, young people to be a standard against the enemy. It reminds me of that scripture “when the enemy comes in like a flood, God’s Spirit will raise up a standard against it”.

Event : Pot luck dinner at a church sister’s home with the worship team. We were asked to share a few things that we learnt while being in NZ.

It was nice to see so many people. We made a lot of friends i.e. Sale, Ulu, Daphne, Sisela, Samantha, Ola, Joe, such great and talented people. We really enjoyed their company, exchanged gifts, e-mails, etc. It was kind of emotional at the end. However, I was already homesick…..!

Tonight, it’s time to pack though, we leave the next day.

Day 13

Date : 13 May

Day : Sunday

Event : Morning to set up and sound check at Northside (Pastor Ken Dew’s church), Rosmini College. That day was the celebration of Mother’s Day. This place is quite big and very nice and could fit about 300-400 people? We were a bit slow on the sound check so we started about 5 minutes late.

The Line up of the songs were The Anthem, singing & Living, Take It All, Dive In, Secret Place, My Father and Sold Out.

This was the praise and worship session that we ministered. As we ministered to God, the presence of God was also evident in the hall. We did the same flow but PC didn’t share the Word this time but instead we sang and flowed prophetically. Again, we got to do Dive In, and you could tell that not only the youth but the whole church were into it. It was fantastic! All glory to God again.

We were so blessed with all the encouraging words that came from Pastor Renee (Pastor Ken Dew’s wife), the leaders and all the people. One of the Pastor’s wife went up on the stage to actually promote a women seminar but she kept on raving about how she enjoyed our worship songs because she felt the tangible presence of God. It’s humbling, because we know that it’s not us that did it, but God’s anointing. Without God, we’re nothing.

God moment : We were not meant to get a collection of the offering for that day but we did. Pastor Ken Dew called Pastor Richard from the States to instruct him to do that. That was totally divine. That was God. Isn’t that all the more evident that God really moves, even without us asking. He knows and that’s so cool. ;p

Fun : After that, the church celebrated Mother’s Day. That was very sweet. There was a “Mother of the Year” contest. You get a foot massager. That’s cool! A treat for tired, worn out mothers, ha ha ha!

R & R : That afternoon, we were given a tour or Mission Bay by Calvin, a Malaysian who’s now migrated to NZ. We went for another bout of fish & chips and this time, a bunch of the other Malaysians came with us, together with a few of the locals. It was great! We also took a lot of photos at the bay….hmmmm posing again!

Calvin is a very generous guy as he opened his home to us. We had a great time getting to know him and the people. It was nice as we even went for Spiderman 3 (which was a disappointing movie for us). Lisa went out with Samantha and Oka They are all such great gals, especially Ola. She’s so sweet, she actually wants to audition for 1.a.m. ;p Awesome! They bonded big time!

While we were doing all that, PC , Kel and Calvin went to Pastor Renee’s home for dinner.

After all that, we got back and talked a bit about what we would do the next day i.e. Pastor John wanted to spend time with the band. ;p

Sad moment : Charlene was leaving for home. Work commitments. We’re so blessed to have her though. Love her. .

Day 11 and 12

Date : 11 May

Day : Friday

Event : Morning devotion – we got together to pray for the people of Auckland. We wanted to do what God wanted us to do here. We prayed for the acoustic session for the night’s street evangelism. We also found out that day we didn’t have drums. What a challenge! We haven’t had that experience before. Well, there’s a first for everything! We were doing this by faith.

Felt that God wanted to test us and wanted us to grow in our faith. It will be to see whether we will come forth as gold. Word 1 Peter 1:7 and Job 23:10

We practiced and the line up : My God Is So Big, Secret Place, Singing & Living, My Father, All I Wanna Do and Sold Out. It was the first time we’ve ever done street evangelism. We had the pre-event prayer where everyone gathered round to pray for the city and the people of the city.

Felt that God really wants to reign in this city and the country; we needed to pray for God’s presence to be strong in the people and the city, to declare Jesus’ name high in this land. That God wants to raise great leaders in the nation to do something, to rise up.

Event : That night, the band that was on before us was very skilful in every way and it was very intimidating for the guys. They also had people coming up to testify about what God did in their lives. It’s powerful and challenging. It’s different for us because we can’t do this in Malaysia.

We got off to a shaky start because we couldn’t get the sound right. It’s a bit awkward as well as this was our first time doing anything like this in a city, out in the open. But despite the rocky start, despite the cold and despite the rain, we were able to get into worship and everything changed from there. Then PC started to sing and prophesy to the city of Auckland and you could see that it was powerful as the presence of God was there and you could see that people, strangers were engaged and “locked on”! God was doing something great and Kel started to pray over the city and declare over the city that God reigns .

God moment : pastors who headed this ministry came up to PC and talked about the anointing that was of God when we ministered. It was very encouraging to hear that and this is another confirmation that God can use anybody, despite our level of skills, despite us not having any drums, to reach people.

Fun fact : We didn’t even have drums! We only had a toy box (a yellow Sesame Street toy box) as our drums and a funny looking shaker. It was a fruitful night. God is glorified ;p

Date : 12 May

Day : Saturday

Event : Gathered together to discuss the workshops because we didn’t do a good job the last time in Christchurch. We talked about what to share to the people as they are so skilful and the best way to go is that we shared our own testimony, intimacy with God, the flow of the HS and worshiping with our instruments.

The workshop was supposed to start at 2 pm but we started at 3 pm due to the traffic. We shared :-

1. being a contagious worshiper
2. the 3 H’s
3. shared testimonies
4. worshiping with our instruments
5. Word – not being too familiar with worship

God moment : Again, we had technical difficulties. No instruments to show dynamics but we shared from our heart and our experiences. It was fruitful.

After the workshop, we fellowshipped and had pizza for dinner. It seems like we’re having a lot of pizza lately? ;p It was great, we got to talk to some people and got to know them a bit better.

Concert : it was supposed to start at 7 pm. Venue : Rotorua Girls School (Southside) The line-up was the same as Christchurch. PC shared about the prostitute and Simon the Pharisee and I felt that this time around, she was preaching it so much stronger! (way to go PC!) people began to be liberated and especially when we hit Dive In; it was amazing! People were dancing! Again, we were told that was something new and liberating! God is really awesome in His power! All glory to Him. God really showed up that night. When we did My Father, you could almost feel the tangible presence of God – The Spirit of God filling up the place. 2 salvations and about 10 or more pledges to be Sold Out to Jesus! ;p

Lisa’s personal thought : When we were worshiping, I saw the Spirit of God fill up the whole hall like His robe, covering everything, every person and it reminded me of His glory when the train of His robe fills the temple – Isaiah 6:1-3. .

Day 7 and 8

Date : 7 May

Day : Monday

Event : Getting ready to leave for Lake Tekapo. We rented 2 vehicles; 1 was a van, the other was a little hatchback. Neil and Kel were the designated drivers. Kel drove the little car and Neil drove the van. It was exciting and we didn’t know what to expect.

The journey south as we were driving was really beautiful. The land, the hills are so picturesque. So many sheep and cows! We reached the motel at Lake Tekapo. Lake Tekapo town was really small and quaint, with just 1 street of shops, a supermarket and restaurants. There were many tourists so you know that it’s really a tourist attraction/spot.

God Moment : gathering and worshiping by the lake. It’s breathtaking. One cannot help but stand in awe of God’s creativity. His touch of blessing on this country is something that is so very special. We begin to see and understand how great our God is and how great the works of His Hands are. We praise and give thanks and just truly appreciate Him. God’s beauty inspires praise and worship. There were new songs birthed and written here at this place. ;p

There were picture taken by the lake. It really look like we were in postcards. It seems surreal.

We also took time to watch the United DVD. Again, we learn that to do great things, takes a lot of faith and grace. We also had to learn to ration our food. We were on a budget and we needed to eat sensibly.

Date : 8 May

Day : Tuesday

Event : touristy stuff! We would go check out the tourist spots around the Lake and throughout the journey to Queenstown, the most beautiful place in the South Island. That was our next stop and it would also be the point where we would fly to Auckland.

We got up early, had our breakfast, and went to a little church and it looked like a little house by the lake. We took pictures there. (our next album, maybe?)I think 1 a.m. are such a bunch of posers, ha ha ha!

We took a drive up an observatory point. There we found that the land was like Marlboro country. Up on the point, there is a little café where you can look through a power telescope and admire the view or study the stars. The owner is a professional photographer and he had a photo album, with really impressive pictures. We took some more photos and the view? Marvellous!

Hopped into the cars again and off we went. We were on our way but we stopped several times to take pictures (?) we also stopped for fresh salmon – yummy! Save some for later. TJ and I shared our money to buy a pack of salmon. We went on and the further south we went, the more beautiful and awesome the country was. Rolling hills and mountains, clear, blue, streams, green and brown terrain; it was a feast for the eyes.

On our way, we stopped at Puzzling World. That was fun! We (Pc, Kel, Charlene, TJ , Cuz and me) went in though some of the guys didn’t .It was really interesting because the whole place is a big puzzle! My favorite is the room with the following eyes and faces, really cool! The other is the room that explains the technique the directors of the Lord of the Rings used to create the illusion of the different sizes between the hobbits and the humans.

We then headed to Queenstown. We got to the Bumblebee, a bed &breakfast place. Here, again we needed to watch our food. The place was small but cozy. The guys got a room by themselves while the girls had to share.

We went for a little stroll around Queenstown to explore it a little. We looked for a place to have dinner and found a little food court. It was good. We had northern Indian food. It was authentic, too. We all shared our food. We walked to the lakeside and took more photos. The water is so clear, it’s unreal. It’s just to pretty here.

It was getting late and around 8 degrees so we got back and watched a video – The Lord of The Rings. It was nice. It’s my favorite anyway.

Day 5

Date : 5 May 2007

Day : Saturday

Event : Prayer Conference by Pastor Bob Perry

God is taking back the music world by raising more and more Godly musicians. IHOP – Pastor Mike Bickle’s church.

Word : Acts 13:22

Interesting fact : Chris Tomlin’s songs are the most popular songs and most sung in the US.

1. Worship should be vertical – praise the name of the Lord, pray and sing the Psalms and scriptures. It’s not all about the horizontal – what we ask for, what we need, our petitions. The Cross’ vertical line is longer than the horizontal line. ;p We need to give worship and prayers more towards God then we will see God doing His miracles, salvation etc.

God is drawing His people into intimacy with Him; to grow to know Him more, and in knowing Him more, there’s power.

Event : We showed the community video *sigh* there were technical glitches again. However, we were all in good spirits. We wanted to convey the message that there are people out there, that need God’s love and we need to remember them.

During the worship, people were encountering God, getting touched and healed by the Father’s Hands. The Lord wanted to restore the people to Him; He wanted to heal them and their relationships. People were responding.

Lunch : We went to a Chinese Restaurant with Paul and his wife Tina, who’s a great cook. She makes a mean lasagna! Yum! But we were very blessed by the Filipinos that are there. They’re so warm.

Fun : We went to the city and visited a church, the landmark of Christchurch. The church is very historical, very old and pretty. There, in the middle of the city, you can see the people. We also visited a souvenir shop. Shopping, yay! ;p

Later we went to Ray and Gloria’s place to crash. We got to sleep! Yay! They guys chilled. Then it was time to get to church. We were to meet Pastor Bob Perry at his request. We didn’t know why but we went. PC knew him from long ago, though.

What a great time we had talking to him. we learnt so much just from that chat. We learnt that :-

1. when we obey God, others around us may not understand. He shared about what god wanted him to do and yet people around him did not see or agree.
2. We are pioneering a powerful worship movement – what we’ve done; coming out with an album, going to nations, etc. isn’t heard of in the Every Nation movement.
3. It’s very encouraging to have almost a whole band going full time – many can’t do what we do due to many things for e.g. support financially, support from the leaders, etc. We are so very, very blessed!
4. That prayer & worship is not a new thing but has been done since the old testament. That this is the end time generation, where in the book of revelation the waves of prayer and worship is the wave that we are going to see God move in these last days.

Later after service that night, we were again invited to Jody’s home for Pizza and dinner. We played games and fellowshipped. Jody’s parents are also pretty great. Her dad is a prison warden. We had a great time. For the games (Peckock! Peckock!), the Malaysians won – ahem! ;p

Day 3 and 4

Date : 3 May

Day : Thursday

Event : Morning Devotion together. The band prayed and shared what they heard from God. It’s amazing to see that all the Words that came were related and close. There’s a “new thing” that God wants to do in NZ and it’s going to be something great. God will give “new zeal”, “new life”. Word was Isaiah 42 and 51

Event : Going to UCSA to invite the students to the concert. It’s a bit scary and intimidating at first. But we’re doing this for a cause – this is mission. ;p

We were amazed to learn that all our food was so very well organized. The Kiwis are very organized people. They had everyone scheduled to cook food for us so that we don’t starve. I’m very thankful for that! ;p

They would come to church and lay out a spread for us each mealtime. We are so very blessed. We have home-cooked Kiwi food!

Band Dynamics workshop at night – didn’t go very well

It started late. There was time limitation. We were not organized. Some of us dragged on, some were too short. Conclusion : we needed to be more prepared.

We also began to learn that the Kiwis are very particular about time. No more “Malaysian timing”. Punctuality is good! ;p

Date : 4 May 2007

Day : Friday

Event : Morning Devotion together – PC shared about the prostitute and her attitude of worship. It was a reminder to all of us to have the right attitude/the right posture of worship. We should always remember that God knows our thoughts, our hearts, our intentions; He knows ALL. Even though what we way may not be what we feel inside. In short, we humans can be so deceptive.

Lisa’s personal thoughts: We learn that humility should always be our posture. We should always remember that every time we sing our songs and as we live our lives, we should practice it. It shouldn’t be just a form and worship should always be fresh – KEEP IT REAL!!!

Kel shared again on how God is going to move in this nation; how He’s going to bless New Zealand.

Event : Prayer Conference led by Pastor Bob Perry

Word : Isaiah 61 (sound familiar, guys? ;p)

Interesting fact : Worship and prayer is the next wave of the prayer movement. People nowadays want to have more, they want to know God in a greater measure. This is the cry of this generation! Prayer is also moving by music. David has done it.

Word : Knowing God Revelation 4 & 5 ( doesn’t that sound familiar? That’s the title of our last album) ;p

We ministered to the people with “My Father” leading them to encounter God, the Father. Though the people here are used to the R& B/Israel Houghton style, we feel that God really moved in the midst of the people. He had already begun to do a great work in the people. Many were touched. We also did My God Is So Big and Secret Place.

R & R : Jody took us to Hadley’s Park. That is a very beautiful and scenic park located in the city of Christchurch. It was very nice. We saw a lot of ducks and the little streams are so clean!

We then went to Jody’s home. It is very beautifully and artistically decorated. We got to meet Jade, who is a great girl, a worship leader with a great voice. Unfortunately, she’s got the flu. We also met Alicia, the cute and perky dancer. It’s was like a Girl’s afternoon out, away from the guys. That was nice. ;p

Fun : We went up to a hill, by the sea. The view was breathtaking. We prayed for Christchurch. We took pictures and then it was time to get back to church.

We went back to church later to attend the night conference

Day 1 and 2

Tuesday May 1st

Event:

Departure from church – PC was late! Rushed to the airport. Praise God we reached in time – SQ’s pretty strict…weight – always a problem. Uh-oh 5 kg overweight! Had to transfer a few thing from check-in luggage to hand-carry. Each extra kg is worth RM100?! We were a bit discouraged.

James and I prayed.

Word:

“Don’t let these events dampen your spirits”

Fun:

Charlene and Cuzario were the smallest – they sat at the back and were both squeezing theselves all the way to the airport. They didn’t say a word till they reached KLIA. When they arrived, they said, “ We survived” =)

it’s just the beginning – we should persevere to see what God has in store for us.

Event:

Transit in Singapore. Hung around the lounge in Changi. Had a cup of coffee and muffins – yum! Wrote the notes.

Wednesday May 2nd

Event:

Arrival at Christchurch. Wasn’t as cold as we thought it would be. Met by Paul, Chris (Pastor’s son), took us from the airport straight to the church. Met Pastor Bernhard and Pastor John. It’s a new church building. =)

The nation’s population 4 million ~ only 4% Christians (and probably not even active) ~ a great mission field. The impression we get is that it’s very “hard ground”. Relationship take a long time to build…it takes a long time to reach the lost. People are very laid back as well – apathetic, passive.

Met Jody, briefing on how we promote the concert, brainstorming via a survey. Going to the university campus (Canterbury) nearby.

Word:

It’s time for a breakthrough – Isaiah 13.

Fun:

Tea is equivalent to dinner time! Interesting…we had lunch then all of us slept – we were knocked out! Fish & chips – very very yummy and cheap! But not the healthiest.

Event:

Our 1st workshop – led by PC (on worship) and Dan (on sound). The song used – “My Father”. Presence of God was there – PC taught about the awesome power of the POG and how miracles happen through that; how we need to constantly seek God/ turn our face to Him. Kel + PC ministered on God’s love and God as the Father. Felt that God wanted to encourage and restore those that are far away – to restore lost relationship that, He wanted to shower His love.

Word:

Exod 29:42-46

Tour New Zealand

Tour New Zealand

Arriving in Christchurch was an evidently refreshing outlook, even from the moments of leaving the airport; fresh weather, beautiful scenery, and great people; all the prerequisites for a great trip. Rallying the people in a laidback country took slightly a little more effort than we were normally used to; going campuses ourselves to promote our own concert, how often does that happen?

Nevertheless it was an awesome experience chatting to the locals, some foreign students, and definitely some cool campus ministers. Our first workshop went as usual, the ideas came through. It is odd to note, however, that the kiwis down south don't usually worship with contemporary music, but with R n' b.

The folks at Christchurch were really good in their organization and punctuality. Go to bed early, wake up early; a way of life. Our first worship concert took stage; and by God's grace and miracle we actually had the place packed with people. It was definitely encouraging to see students from the campuses we were at usher in excitedly. However, of all the things to note about what occurred, it was the obvious liberation of the people, dancing, laughing, shouts of praise; apparently something that's a little harder to come by in this part of the country. It was great.

We spent the next few days in New Zealand on a road trip further south. We visited what must have been the most beautiful views, Lake Tekapo, Queenstown, and even Puzzle World!

Just a few hundered miles up though, Auckland stands to be an extremely different change of pace; a hustling city with far fewer trees and scenic locations :). That's not necessarily bad, the ‘Aucklanders' are the warmest mix of people; pacific islanders, kiwis, Asians; Auckland seems to have every nation of the world in their church. The most notable hosts were of course though, the homes of whom which we stayed; Alfred, Kelly, Pastor John and Elaine.

We kicked off our Auckland tour with a street concert right in the middle of the city square. Other than the fact we had never played on the streets, and that we had never done an acoustic set before, and that we had no real idea what we were dong, it was something we were totally used to. God came through, we aren't the most skilled, nor the best entertainers, but the city street was definitely awed in worship that night.

The next day followed up with a workshop and our second concert. Of all our expectations, this concert totally rocked! The tangibility of God heightened, lengthened, lifted us powerfully; there aren't really words to describe it when you feel Him all around you and within you. People were awestruck. People got saved, people were on their knees, people were crying. Of the things to remember that night, were the famous words by Pastor John "I now have something extra to add to my favorite things about Malaysia; Nasi Lemak, Mee Goreng, and 1a.m.! Malaysians should be proud.

We finished off our tour with praise and worship at North shore the next morning. Once again the presence of God tore through the roof. It has to be God when leaders down in the congregation start comparing us with Hillsongs :)

New Zealand received new zeal (no pun intended), a ‘Sold Out' message, and a liberation only God can give. We ministered and were greatly ministered to. It is truly nothing short of a miracle to be able to experience God wherever you go in this world, especially in a place so different and so far from home. Of all the things we gave, we can only say that we were grateful we received even more. Beyond all expectations, we did take something home, a contract with the biggest music distributor in New Zealand, world famous Parachute Music. Our albums began distribution nation-wide August 2007. A hallmark in 1a.m.

Statement by Pastor Aljay - Dubai

Statement by Pastor Aljay - Dubai

hi bro,

I'm doing fine now. all i needed was a 2 day sleep. Cant cope up with your fire and energy. All of you were on fire man.,

Here are the summary of the impact you all have made while visiting us.

FAITH: Faith has been stirred up in the hearts of the people in the UAE as we've seen 1a.m. band members so young yet making an impact in the nations.Your voices were heard not just in Dubai, Sharjah, and Jebel Ali but to the many nations represented during our Spirit filled worship concert. The same way the walls of Jericho crumbled in the days of Joshua, i believed that a lot of demonic strongholds went crushing down as you declared the praises and worship of our King Jesus here in the Middle East.

Worship: All of us were inspired by how you worshiped our King. Our worship team have been challenge to bring His worship to the next level. The workshops helped them see the bigger perspective of unity and teamwork.

The message of Sold Out: One can be sold out to anything or anyone but theres nothing like living a life sold out for Jesus. Its not just the songs and the melodies, but your lives spoke the real meaning of Sold Out.

- Pastor Aljay Lumapas,
Every Nation UAE