Thank God for Pokok Pintu

Pokok Pintu = Door Tree = Daughtry.

Geddit? ;-P

They are simply amazing. Both Daughtry and the Power of Prayer. It took me weeks of SMSing and telephoning radio stations (Hitz.fm) and TV stations (8TV) for tickets to watch Daughtry perform live at 1 Utama. There was no other way to get the tickets besides buying a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone or their music accessories. I went like, Whhhhhaaaat?! I would have been willing to BUY a ticket the NORMAL way, thank you very much.

But all my effort was to no avail. So I kept praying. And believe it or not, deep down, a little voice told me I would get the tickets somehow. But it whittled down to only 1 more day and still no signs of the ticket. I was about to give up hope when out of the blue an old old pal called me up and offered me FREE TICKETS to watch Daughtry! (Thanks, Su Sern!)

And they were no ordinary tickets: they were VIP tickets. See, when you ask God for something and when you don't get it immediately, it's because He has got something even better in store! When He gives, He gives abundantly and exceedingly.



To cut the whole story short, Daughtry was simply EXPLOSIVELY amazing! The VIP tickets were Godsent because it drizzled - and the pavillion sheltered us from the rain. And there was free food and drinks. And I was surrounded by wonderful friends. I could not have asked for more.

So this is my testimony to the awesome Power of Prayer.

~Thank you God!~

Speed

I just discovered I was born to be a racecar driver. Just the other day I had to drive a few friends to the Subang airport and they were already late for their flight. I found myself weaving in and out of traffic as I floored the accelerator till my poor 1.1cc Kia Picanto (nicknamed Orange) groaned in protest. I loved the thrill and the adrenaline rush as we zoomed towards our destination, with the clock ticking away. There were also times when certain skills were required to manoeuvre bumps and bends at high speed, and to squeeze in between huge lumbering lorries and I must say I did pretty good.

I lurched into a stop when we arrived at Terminal 3. I could almost hear Orange sigh in relief. Or was it my friends? Speaking of those poor kiddos, they jumped out of the car with their bags and rushed into the airport as if they were in the Amazing Race and it was the last leg. Or maybe they were just in a hurry to get as far away from the car as possible.

They were already 5 min past the closing time for check-ins, but still managed to get through. Phew… I gave my Orange a pat for a job well done and drove home in a much saner speed.

Too bad Keanu didn’t jump in for the ride.

Home

Statement # 1: The Purpose Driven Life is a really insightful book. I believe I grew up a lot spiritually reading that book in the 40 days as was recommended.

Statement # 2: Home by Daughtry is a damn good song. The words keep morphing into different significances since I first heard it last year.

So what do The Purpose Driven Life and Home have in common?

#1
Here is a summary from Chapter 6 of the book: “What on Earth Am I Here For?” We are here on Earth only as ambassadors. This world is not our ultimate home. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

We may experience hardship, sadness, and rejection in this world. Some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. But this is not the end of the story of our life. We are not home yet. At death, we won’t leave home – we’ll go home. Home that is of a heavenly kind, where we can expect God’s promised reward in eternity for those who are faithful to Him.

#2
Which brings us to Daughtry. When Home came out last year, I thought it was such a beautiful song. It was so inspiring that it stuck in my mind as I made my way up Mount Kinabalu, determined to reach the top at all cost. (It must have been the words: “The miles are getting longer it seems, the closer I get to you.”)

And I always sing it whenever I miss my family back in Penang. Then there is also that aspect of a loved one who has strayed too far and coming back home. (“I’ve not always been the best man or friend for you, but your love remains true and I don’t know why, You always seem to give me another try.”)

#1 + #2:
So when I read The Purpose Driven Life a couple of months ago, the lyrics of the song leapt into my mind, but in a slightly different sense. (Home! Our eternal home!)

I’m going to the place where love
And feeling good don’t ever cost a thing,
And the pain you feel’s a different kind of pain.

Chorus: I’m going home, Back to the place where I belong, And where your love has always been enough for me.


Gosh, this sure gives a different meaning to the song, doesn’t it? I'd always thought Daughtry rocks! Now he rocks in a whole different sense as well.

Anyhoo, I've learnt that if life is getting you down, just remember to focus on God. Your time on earth is not the complete story. You must wait until home/heaven for the rest of the chapters. And like another Daughtry single: It’s Not Over!