Contract ended wif TH

Sob... Sob... Sob... My contract is officially ended this Friday but they extend my contract till next month cause I told the Human Resources that it is such a short notice for me to look for another job. But now I don't know what job to work as. Sigh...

2nd year in TH

This coming Friday would be the 2nd year that I have work in Temasek Holding. I don't know if my contract would be renewed for another year or likely to be an on-going job for me. I hope that I could be converted from contract staff to a permanent staff. But I think I would still be a contract staff if I am still continuing to work here as they think that I do not have kids to look after and that I need not support the family that is why I think they will not convert me to perm staff on this aspect. I really don't what to do if I am not working in Temasek Holding anymore and that surely my mum will nag at me again and still she would thought that maybe my performance is not good that is why the company does not want to renewed my contract. She is more anxious then I am. Sigh....

Singapore Bay Run

I really have no idea that there is Singapore Bay Marathon coming up. I got an email from Boon Pin yesterday saying that Toa Payoh SAFRA is having a Singapore Bay Marathon and that I tried to call the person-in-charge but there are nobody answering the phone and so I call them this morning and still nobody answer the phone. And at last there is someone answering the phone and I said I would like to enquire about the Singapore Bay Marathon that is held on the 24 Aug (Sun). I ask them if a wheelchair-user can participate in the marathon and I ask if I can take part in the 21KM but they told me that it is not advisable to have anything that s related to wheels to be on the track. And they said that I can only run the 6KM or 10KM run cause for the 21KM run it is a competitive run whereas for the 6KM and 10KM it is a non-competitive run. Competitive run means to run for the medal and non-competitive isn't getting a medal cause if I run for the 21KM it will be dangerous and they said they will confirm with me if I can run the race. And so in the afternoon the organizer call me back with regard to whether I can take part in the marathon. Hurray... The organizer said that I can take part in the race but I will be the last in line with the rest so as to be safe. Well this is my 2nd time taking part in the marathon. The coming up 4 the next marathon which is the Stand Chart Marathon will be on the 7 Dec. Asian Women's Welfare Association is incorporated with NCSS for the Stand Chart Marathon. If they agreed that wheelchair-user can take part in the race of cause I will be taking part again. But this time maybe I will take part in the 10KM run. Please pray that I am still fit to run for the race.

MagicBox

This article was featured on Monday’s Straits Times:

Everything about Lawrence Khong, from the many hats he wears, right down to his choice of shoes, screams unconventional.

This is a man who does not conform to normal expectations, and his red-rimmed spectacles, red Converse sneakers and stylishly gelled hair are testimony to that.

His appearance is not something you would expect of a 55-year-old, and certainly not of someone who is a senior pastor, social worker, magician, businessman and national athlete all rolled into one very energetic body.

When you compliment him on his trendy appearance, he replies with a boisterous laughs: “I’m just a lao hiao.”

The Hokkien term means old vainpot.

“We shouldn’t be afraid of who are. Flamboyance is not wrong and it depends on how I use it. I can use it to flirt around and be immoral or I can use it to just add colour to an occasion.”

Still, it is hard to reconcile the image of a God-fearing man delivering a heartfelt sermon with that of an illusionist who has performed magic as shocking as “decapitating” his daughter and walking down into the audience, holding her head.

“The young people love it. It is our version of a horror movie,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes.

Pastor Khong may not be a household name but his resume is so long it can be an article in itself.

He is the senior pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church (FCBC), which he started in 1986. One of the megachurches in Singapore, it has a congregation of about 10,000 and holds services at the Singapore Expo’s Max Pavilion.

He is the founder and chairman of Touch Community Services, a non-profit welfare organization which has 18 centres in Singapore helping the under-privileged and the needy.

He is a magician and has performed in sell-out shows to more than 200,000 people in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and the United States.

He is a businessman, the creative brains behind his production house, Gateway Entertainment, which produces magic shows and makes drama feature films and television movies.

To top it off, he is also a national polo player who won a silver medal with his team at last year’s South-east Asia Games.

“I’m someone who cannot sit still,” he says. “When I was doing my master’s in theology, I would be working on three papers at the same time.”

He demonstrates his yen for multitasking by pretending to type furiously on the table, then suddenly turning his attention to something on his right and then thumbing an imaginary stack of papers.

He adds: “I can think of nothing worse than a beach holiday where I do nothing.

“When I go on a skiing trip, I find out what time the ski resort opens and I will be the first in line, and the whole day will be packed with activities.”

It goes without saying then that the past few months have been pure bliss, as he squeezes daily rehearsals into his already packed schedule.

From Saturday till July 20, he and his 27-year-old daughter Priscilla will be performing in a magical theatre show called MagicBox at the Esplanade.

They have also teamed up for the popular magic musical, Magic Of Love, which debuted at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2001 and has since toured over 15 cities.

Pastor Khong, who has been performing magic since he was 13, has a well rehearsed answer when asked if there is a disparity between his roles as a pastor and as a magician, since some Christians frown upon magic as it is deemed to be demonic.

He says: “Yes, I’ve always been asked this question. ‘Pastors are supposed to tell the truth, and here you are bluffing me’.

“Actually, the most honest person in this world is a magician because I tell you I am bluffing you and then proceed to deceive you. I’ve warned you.

“There are some people who deceive you without warning you at all.”

His kids can do magic, too

THIS interview is conducted over two days, first at his office in Serangoon North, then over lunch at the Singapore Polo Club a few days later.

Charismatic and forthcoming, he is the sort of person whom you will never feel bored being around as he is, in the words of his wife Nina, “full of surprises”.

Dr Khong, 55, who gave up her medical practice six years ago to help him run his production house, says: “He’s not the kind to be contented with the status quo, doing the same thing day in, day out.”

Besides Priscilla, they have three other children, who can all perform magic: Anthony, 26, works in the IT industry; Michelle, 25, is pursuing a degree in architecture at the National University of Singapore and Daniel, 21, is doing his national service. They live in a condominium in Serangoon.

Describing her husband as a very easy-going man who never sulks, she adds: “Lawrence lives life on the cutting edge and brings a lot of fun into our family life.”

For example, when he turned 40, he decided that he wanted to learn how to ride a horse and promptly enrolled the entire family in riding school.

Six years ago, he developed a passion for snow skiing and, of course, everyone in the family ended up loving the sport too.

He brings a lot of fun to this interview too, as he has all sorts of tricks up his sleeve – literally.

One moment, he is telling you about the two horses he owns, Indio and Sandy, and then the next, he is coolly switching coins surreptitiously from one palm to the next as you watch on, wide-mouthed.

He can be munching hungrily on a hot bun with his left hand, and before you realize what is happening, he is already producing one card after another using his right hand, seemingly from thin air.

“These are all tricks. Everyone can do what I do. It’s not like you need some spiritual powers,” he says almost nonchalantly.

Then, in a more serious tone, he adds that he sees the art of magic as “just a medium to communicate good messages of love and family”. He says: “This is why I feel very integrated. As a pastor, I want my members to value family. As a social worker, I realize that (the lack of love) is an issue behind most social problems.

“As a magician, if I can have a great piece of entertainment that makes money for me, puts me onto the path of success and yet allows me to do something very valuable for society, why not?”

That last part refers to Project Smile (Sharing Magic In Love Everywhere), a programme which he pioneered and conceptualized in 2002. It trains youths and adults in magic, and they then entertain the under-privileged in hospitals, day-care centres and homes.

That, along with his gentle persistence, constant dialogue and explanation and growing success in the positive aspects”, has helped him gain more acceptance from his church members about his love for magic.

But he acknowledges that there are people who find that this is something they cannot reconcile with and have left to join other churches. “Given my profile, there will always be people who don’t like me.

“It’s okay. Don’t make life so difficult for yourself, go find something that you like. I’m not the only pastor in town.”

From riches to rags

THE son of a successful businessman and a housewife, he has a younger sister and a younger brother. Phyllis, 53, is an executive secretary and Kin Mun, 51, is a bank.

His father, a general commodities wholesaler who came from Guangdong province in China, has another family in Hong Kong with four children, but married the pastor’s mother when he came to Singapore before World War II broke out.

As a boy, Pastor Khong was naughty and had the worst conduct in class when he studied at Catholic High School. His mother had to transfer him to St Michael’s Primary when he was in Primary 4.

“I was one of those hyperactive kids. I would stand up in the middle of a lesson and walk around or I would suddenly push my classmate for no reason,” he recalls.

At home, he was always running into trouble and getting caned for things such as jumping down from the tallest cabinet.

“My mother used to say: ‘When I gave birth to you, I was in a lot of pain. Now, you’re still giving me so much pain’.”

When he was 10, his sheltered life was over. His father died, sparking a bitter fight over the inheritance from his family in Hong Kong. His mother was left with little and was forced to work as a seamstress.

Overnight, he went from being a pampered rich boy who traveled to school in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz to a poor kid who had to learn how to take the bus for the first time in his life.

Life became hard as his mother developed high blood pressure and started blaming him for it. She would say things such as “If I die tonight, it will be because of you”, prompting him to wake up in the middle of the night to check if she was still alive.

He also remembers how, when he was about to take his O levels, his frail mother told him: “The future of the whole family depends on your exam results. Our fate lies in your hands. If you fail, I will kill myself.”

He says: “I was an angry child back then and I was very angry with my mother.”

He says he has long since gotten over his anger and his 83-year-old mother now lives with his sister.

But at the time, he found support and peace in his church. Grace Baptist Church in Silat Road, which he joined in Secondary 1. He also found solace in magic – he had a pack of cards with him all the time – which he taught himself by reading books.

“I’m motivated by levels of difficulty. The more difficult the trick, the more I loved to do it,” he says. “Anyone can collect stamps. But how many people can make things disappear?”

Fortunately, he did very well in secondary school at St Joseph’s Institution and went on to National Junior College, where he met his wife, Nina.

But he turned rebellious in the army and became a chain smoker, lighting up three packs a day. He also stopped going to church.

But he cleaned up his act when he had a spiritual awakening at vacation time during his first year as a business administration undergraduate in the University of Singapore.

He had followed Nina to a church camp in Port Dickson, Malaysia, where a boy drowned on the second day. That shook him up and he “felt a calling” to become a pastor.

Focused and goal-driven

AFTER graduating from university, he worked as an intern pastor in his church. And three weeks after he and Nina tied the knot, they left for Texas in the United States so that he could study for a master’s degree in the Dallas Theological Seminary.

About five years later, he returned to serve in his church, then set up FCBC. It has 10,000 members today and it was at one point the biggest church here, although other megachurches such as City Harvest Church, New Creation Church and Lighthouse Evangelism (Singapore) have since overtaken it.

Reverend Kong Hee, 44, of City Harvest Church, which has a congregation of 24,000, has worked with Pastor Khong on a couple of inter-church religious events.

“I know him to be someone who is passionate in whatever he does and he has helped many people through his community service,” says Reverend Kong.

Indeed, Pastor Khong’s most significant contribution – and one that he is most proud of – is setting up Touch Community Services in 1992.

With 132 full-time staff and 800 volunteers, the non-religious charitable group has helped more than 100,000 people through activities and programmes.

Among other things, it provides free meals, offers counselling services and conducts health screenings for children from low-income or single-parent families, people with special needs and the frail elderly.

He admits that with their Christian roots, he and his colleagues were greeted with suspicion initially. Now, he says they have established themselves as a genuine welfare group “with no strings attached”.

Touch won the Outstanding Non-profit Organisation Award from the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre last year.

“I’m a very focused and goal-driven person. Some people see this as arrogance. So in the church, you either love or hate me,” he says.

“But this is me. The other day, Priscilla fell from a height during a rehearsal and the first thing I asked was: ‘Did you damaged the prop?’”

Mr Eugene Seow, 52, executive director of Touch, says Pastor Khong is a leader who is open to new ideas and gives people the freedom to try out different things.

“He’s also a very transparent and honest person. He shares things about his personal life so that people can understand him better,” he adds.

One of the very personal things that he volunteers to Life! without any prompting is that Priscilla is a single mother, with a five-year-old son born out of wedlock.

“I’m not ashamed of talking about it. In fact, I told my church members when it happened,” he says.

But he says it broke his heart when he first knew that she was pregnant and he was so mad that he wanted her to leave the family home.

However, his wife talked to him and he forgave Priscilla. His grandson Isaac is now the apple of his eye and he sends the boy to school every day.

“I don’t hold grudges. Whatever you’ve done, whether you’ve taken drugs or committed a crime, if you say ‘I’m wrong, please help me’, I will bend backwards to help you,” he says with quiet resolve.

“This is my job. But if you continue to sleep around or beat up your wife, then I’ll say, leave my church. I will not help you, but I will help your wife to get a divorce.”

Wheel, Walk & Jog

Yesterday at about 6.30am I woke up early to get ready to go Handicaps Welfare Association before 8am cause the last shuttle service at HWA ends at 8am. HWA organised Wheel, Walk and Jog event at Botanic Garden. When we reached there it was so crowded with alot of wheelchair people and volunteers. When I get my T-shirt from the registration counter I wanted to change my church t-shirt into the t-shirt that they give but I was being pushed to the starting line of the walk. I realized that there was no volunteer attached to me. Then I said to myself "Well if there is no volunteer attached to me then I just have to wheel myself." When the bell goes off I just wheel myself but then I realized nobody is moving and I think to myself that since the bell has go off why is everybody not moving. And one of the volunteer said to me I am the first one to step out of the starting line and I said to her I know I am a bit fast but I don't know why is everybody not moving when the bell goes off. And I pushed myself until one of the volunteer saw me that I am wheeling myself alone then she came to help me. But I told her not to push me until I am tired. And so I wheel myself until the slope where I have no strength to push already then someone came to help me cause the slope was very steep. And when it come to a downslope I told the volunteer to let go as she does not know how to slow down. And so I went downslope myself and I was faster then the volunteer that she cannot catch up with me cause I was very fast. And so at about 9 plus we reached to the finishing line and we get our goodies bag. We though the goodies bag can get from the registration counter but they told us to get our goodies bag from the finishing line. And so we mingled around but I don't know where and what should I do. After coming out from the Ladies I wheel and wheel myself and I saw Julie and I told her that "Actually I wanted to come to church but Francis from HWA called me and ask me to come for this event." And she asked me "which service do I attend" and I said "I am attending the Youth service" and I said that "the shuttle service can only send us back to HWA between 12pm to 1pm and that I have no time to go for my service." Then she tell me that she will also go off early then I said if you go off early then I go off early with you. Then we left at 10am and on the way out wanted to get a cab I saw Gladys boyfriend Samuel when I crossed the road and I ask him "Are the two of you going to church later after Gladys have finished the event. Then he said "Yes, we are going then I said maybe I can go with you guys to church. And so I told Julie that I am going to church with Gladys and her boyfriend and I ask her and her boyfriend to go first. Then Samuel and I head back to the Botanic Garden to wait for Gladys to finished. And the whole event finishes at 12pm and I told Samuel that I go to the ladies first. And when I came out I thought of going to the stage area as I thought Gladys and Samuel might be still there. But luckily I saw Samuel and I thought they already left without me. And so we went to church together and we went to the petrol station to get a cab and it was hard to get a cab as the cab are on "Hired" And finally we got a cab and on the way it was drizzling and I said since it is drizzling where do you wanna stop the taxi then I said "we can stop the taxi at the taxi stand where it is sheltered and that it is easier for us too. When we went reached Expo I called Amanda and ask her where they are and she said "She is at Cosmo 4. When I reached Cosmo 4 I am just in time to have cell as they have not started yet. And Pei Ee and Andy was surprised to see me there as I told them that I am not coming as I have an event going on. And when we have finished cell we wheel ourself in for service and that I saw Joanna and I tap on her shoulder and she was surprised that I came for service and she tell me that there is no transport to send me back and I said "it is ok, I will go home myself" then she said "she will try to ask the driver to send me back" And so I went in for service and we started out by singing worship songs and took our communion. When we finished worshiping God with songs then Pastor Eugene invited Pastor Bray to come up on stage. And started singing songs which I don't know what he is singing. Through the whole service I do not understand what Pastor Bray is preaching and that the sermon was so little of things to be copied down. Through the service I felt like sleeping as I was tired cause I woke up at 6.30am. Then when the service ended Tommy came up to me. When I know what Tommy wanted to tell me I alreay know what he is going to said. And so he told me that the driver cannot send me back as he is a person who do not like to send us back. And so I stay in until the service ended and Pei Ee offered to send me back but then she realized that she have Faith's baby stroller with her and that the booth might not have space. And so she wanted to give me money to go home by taxi but I told her I will take MRT but she said I will still need to take a cab from the MRT but I said I still have money. Then I sms Gladys and ask her if she want to walk with me to the MRT but she did not reply me and so I know that her phone is on silent mode and so I called her instead and I ask her where she is and she said she is walking out of the hall and I ask her if she want to go off with me to take MRT and she ask me where am I and I said I am inbetween Hall 8 and Hall 9 and so I told Andy that they can go ahead while I wait for Gladys and Pei Ee said she will wait for Gladys with me. And when Gladys came we went off together and coincidental I saw Ming Chun at the platform and he asked me where I am lighting off and I said I am lighting off at Potong Pasir as there is only taxi stand over there and that Aljunied MRT do not have taxi stand. And so he asked me to think of where to stop as he and his member, David wanted to stop at Eunos cause there is direct bus for him and he ask me to take a cab back from there. But I said I have not eaten my lunch as he said he wanted to go for lunch and so we stop at Aljunied MRT and we went to see where can we eat. And we have found a place to eat and the stall uncle was so kind that he did not charge us for the food and Ming Chun feel bad about it. I am happy that I can eat with Ming Chun again. Hey... Ming Chun, remember to arrange for me, Gladys and Andrew to go makan again hor. Don't forget. Hehe...

Christian One Liners

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a

basket case.



Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their

pews.



Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.



It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.



When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.



People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and

the back of the church.



Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.



Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.



If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.



God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should

you?



Some minds are like concrete thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.



Peace starts with a smile.



I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it

make which one you stay home from?



A lot of church members who are singing 'Standing on the Promises' are just

sitting on the premises.



We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.



Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.



Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.



Don't put a question mark where God put a period.



Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.



Forbidden fruits create many jams.



God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.



God grades on the cross, not the curve.



God loves everyone, but probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious

nuts!'



God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.



He who angers you, controls you!



If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!



Prayer: Don't give God instructions - - just report for duty!



The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.



The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect

you.



We don't change the message, the message changes us.



You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.



The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.