Words A.L.I.V.E. (ICC Chapter Malaysia): Trains and Gangsters! (October 19, 2014)

Written by Eunice Tan
Edited by Eliza Tan

You're probably thinking, "Why in the world did she put such a crazy title?"
Well, all will be revealed in good time...

Wow! It's our 13th ICC meeting! It felt like our first ICC meeting was just a few days ago. Our meeting started out with Speaker Jern Ling leading us through a fun and enjoyable icebreaker. Everyone found a partner and played scissors-paper-stone with them. The loser will stand at the back of the winner and the winner will compete with someone else, and so it goes on! We found out that we could make very long 'trains' of people in a very short period of time!

Photo by Eliza Tan

Photos by Eliza Tan

Photo by Eliza Tan

Photos by Eliza Tan

Photo by Eliza Tan

At the end of the game, we ended up with a LONG line of laughing and energized people!

Photos by Eliza Tan

Coach Joseph started our teaching session with relating the similarities of football team strategy to our ICC Chapter plan!

v ICC chapter meetings are like football training sessions. This is when we receive teaching on how to become better cultural communicators for Christ.

v Next are the breaks between meetings which represent football matches.
This was the most profound thing to us! It wasn't the big tournament within ICC that was the big match. It was the times when we are in the real outside world: when we get to communicate to the person sitting next to us in the bus or the owner of a restaurant where we're eating dinner.

The big matches are when we get to put in practice what we learned and spent time on in the ICC meetings.

Photo by Eliza Tan

Hmm... I like football! Good analogy, Coach Joseph!

v Thirdly, we have our ICC retreat! It resembles a boot camp and a time of friendly competition!

v Last, but not least, we have the ICC Impact Conference, the time when we get to compete with other ICC Chapters which are in Singapore! This is like an intense training course where we get to share our experiences with other ICC Chapters!

Whoa! That really surprised us! This put what we are doing in proper perspective. It also reminded us that events like the ICC retreat and ICC Impact Conference were sooner than we thought! Aiyo! Why time go by so fast?? (Malaysian English) :P

After the fantastic football analogy, we had our 'The God Question' presentations! This was when every YSG speaker presented the interview that they conducted with a relative or friend! We sure did get some interesting answers about their worldview and thoughts about an ultimate authority in their lives.

Photo by Eliza Tan

Speaker Ranen did his interview with a restaurant owner who is a free thinker nearby his house. Her ultimate authority was herself. The answers were very intriguing and included indications to a 'interior moral compass.' Doesn't that sound a bit like the moral law that God instilled in us?

Photo by Nathanael Chong

Next, Ian presented his God Question interview which he conducted with his aunt. In the interview, his aunt said that the ultimate authority in her life was herself.

Photo by Eliza Tan

Speaker Charis then presented her God Question interview which she conducted with her friend, a 15 year old boy who is a non-believer. In the interview, he said that the ultimate authority in his life are his parents, and he had to obey them in order to continue seeing the light of day. xD

Photo by Nathanael Chong

Next came my sister, yay! :D She conducted her interview with our aunt who is a Buddhist. Her ultimate authority was her family and religious beliefs.

Photo by Eliza Tan

Lastly, I presented my God Question interview which I conducted with my piano teacher who claims to be a Buddhist. Her ultimate authority was herself.

It does not surprise me that so many people's ultimate authorities are themselves. Just think about it. If there really was no God, and we were just left to fend by ourselves, then who will we look to when we are in trouble and don't know what to do? Ourselves? No, it's we who don't know what to do, right? This shows how impossible it is to live a safe and truly happy life without God to depend on or look to for help when we are in need.

What makes me sad is that these people got it partially right (eg. a sense of morality), but they missed the most important piece of the puzzle, the one that joins everything together: their need for a Savior! Many people think that just by works they can live a happy life, but they don't recognize the truth, which is that without Jesus Christ, we are nothing!

"For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

not a result of works, so that no one may boast"

(Ephesians 2:8-9).

Next, we had our platform speeches! Yay!

Photo by Eliza Tan

Coach Alfred introducing the platform speeches.

Photo by Eliza Tan

Firstly, Speaker Jaeriel presented his platform speech! His topic was Malaysian English and Culture. His platform speech was hilarious and was delivered confidently!

Walau eh! Good job lah! (Malaysian English) :P

Photo by Nathanael Chong

Next Ranen presented his platform speech about different types of honey! It included a container which had a frozen honeycomb with frozen bees in it! :O

In fact, Ranen's speech had such an effect on us that my dad, Coach Joseph, absentmindedly ordered a honey drink at dinner that day!

Here is a snippet of our ICC Words Alive chat group:

Coach Joseph:

Photo by Joseph Tan (Coach)

Coach Joseph: @Ranen- I ordered this drink for dinner and without knowing it, I just naturally asked for "honey." Inadvertently, I think I was subconsciously affected by Ranen's presentation!

Ranen (through dad's whatsapp): Success!

Photo by Eliza Tan

Finally, Nathanael did his platform speech on his favorite memory verse. He spoke with conviction and belief. Good job, Nathanael!

After these fantastic platform speeches, we had our homework announcement! Or should I say... the showing of the unknown gangster within Coach Joseph?

Photo by Eliza Tan

Now, to reveal my well concealed identity...

Photo by Eliza Tan

canggih leh...

Photo by Eliza Tan

I trying not to smile lahh... can stop laughing or not?

Photo by Nathanael Chong

Pose for camera first...

Photo by Eliza Tan

Now, let's get real!

Photo by Eliza Tan

Your homework for next ICC meeting is to tell me why the Bible is true, OK? I will seat you down on this chair, and you will be interrogated by me (pretending to be an atheist). You got only one minute!