Thanksgiving

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;for his steadfast love endures forever! "

1 Chronicles 16:34

"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. "

Psalm 9:1

"giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Ephesians 5:20

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:17

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

As you can see from the few verses that I've quoted above (all verses from the ESV-English Standard Version), I really wanna give thanks to our mighty, awesome, gracious, just and steadfast God :)

I woke up Sat morning feeling fine. However, by Sat afternoon I uncharacteristically had no appetite for lunch. (anyone who knows me well enough would be surprised :p). But I still attempted to eat something and accompanied Mum for lunch at the foodcourt near our house (she wasn't feeling too good too and stayed home to rest). I picked at 4 dumplings and told Mum that I couldn't take another bite... though I didn't wanna worry her in saying that I was feeling a little nauseous too. The cat got out of the bag though when on the short walk home, I had to do a "merlion" (vomiting to the uninitiated :p) twice. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Getting home, I knew I needed sleep. My head was throbbing and I felt a little chilly. The only catch was that I was only halfway through preparing for that afternoon's Bible Study with the Young Adults and we were venturing into the theological minefield of 1 Cor 14 that day. What was on my mind too was my music practice that same evening for my Worship Service Chairing on Sunday morning. Mum told me not to go for Bible Study and to stay home and rest but I told her that I'll see how things went. I popped 1 panadol and drifted into sleep. Woke up 2 hours later (didn't plan to sleep so long!) feeling slightly better but not all that great. However, I was determined to make it through the BS & practice. I said a short prayer and left for BS... all the while feeling a little guilty that I never really finished preparing for BS as well as I wanted.

The BS went off pretty OK though I still felt that I could have been better prepared (lesson to myself: prepare BS way, way in advance!) The unfortunate thing was that as the BS wore on, I was starting to have a fever and by the time BS ended (6pm++), I estimated that I was experiencing a 38degrees++ fever. Thank goodness Chee Ling(aka Sarah) had panadol with her (I foolishly forgot to bring some with me) and I popped 2 before going for dinner. I also felt encouraged greatly when both Jan and herself prayed for me.

Once again, I had no appetite for dinner and I just sat there while the others ate. Didn't have energy to talk too. On the way back to church for my music practice, Simon saw me in my most unflattering of moments as I "merlioned" 3 times. However, I immediately felt better after that and music practice went on pretty well. That night as I lay on my bed before retiring for the night, I prayed this prayer...

"Heavenly Father, you know I need the rest so please grant me a good night's sleep. I don't know why this sudden ailment has come upon me but I know most of all that You have allowed it. Please sustain me through tomorrow's chairing as I know you would... for finding a replacement at this last, last minute might only seek to disrupt tomorrow's service. Honour my service to you and may it be pleasing in your sight. Amen."

With that, I slept.

Woke up early Sunday morning doing my pre-Chairing practice of prayer, scripture-reading and mental rehearsals. I was feeling ok dispite the fact that I puked once that morning too. After which, I took some anti-vomitting medication and took 2 'pao's for breakfast. With that, I thanked the Lord that He brought down my fever, committed the day to Him in prayer and left for church.

In God's wonderful mercy, I felt good throughout the service (albeit the slight feeling of lethargy) and most of all, he sustained me throughout the whole day! For lunch, I was able to finish a whole bowl of fishball 'mee-kia' and for dinner, another whole bowl of macaroni soup :) and all this without any medication at all! And when I woke up this morning, the uneasy feeling in my stomach was gone... though I am gonna stay off milk for a couple more days.

At the end of it all, this was indeed God's healing at work. My humble opinion is that when we have a job to do for God, stick with it all the way. More often than not, we back out at the first sign of suffering and trouble. However, dear friends, perservere and our God will work miraculously and wonderfully :) And after everything, never fail to give thanks and to use these testimonies to encourage others as I hope that this experience of mine will :)

Hallelujah!

Quote of the Day

"It's better to burn out than rust out for Christ"

A simple pleasure in life

I don't know about you, but I love going to the barber. Its kinda... theraputic and relaxing for me :p

Hehe... why? Well, I just find sitting in a comfy chair, closing my eyes (with my 700+ degrees for both eyes, there's no difference even if I opened them!) and letting someone do all the work somewhat pamapering :) Yes, call me wierd but I also enjoy the gentle humms of the electric shavers, the lightning-fast snipping of the scissors and the smell of the icy-cold shaving cream wafting through the air :p At the tail-end of the hair cut, I anticipate with glee the 10sec or so of hot air from the hair-drier, coupled with the barber running a brush through my hair whilst massaging my scalp.

For that short 20min, stress just ebbs away...

Wierd? I call it a simple pleasure in life ;)

Sentimentalism

Are you a sentimental person? I know I am.

'Sentimental', as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is:
1a. "marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism" and
1b. "resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought"

I first thought about this when I was reading a friend's blog... and I was thinking about how the Cross of Calvary is often sentimenalised. About how its dramatized into a overwhelmingly rich and powerful self-sacrificial love story that overstimulates our senses and pulls at our heartstrings.

I'm not implying in any way that the Cross isn't about love and I'll be the first to shout out that the love of God has touched me deeply in ways that my limited vocabulary cannot express. The Cross IS about love. However, I will also be the first to shout out that its more than that.

Sadly, sentimentalism has numbed our zeal for true knowledge and reduced us to people who react only to the latest fad or experience.

Paul the apostle recognised this danger of over-sentimentalism and therefore prayed this prayer in Philippians 1:9-11...
"⁹And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Paul prayed that the Philippian's love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment. He didn't want the Philippian's love for one another to just be the sentimental, love-ballad, romeo-and-juliet kinda love. He wanted their love to be the original 1 Corinthians 13 kinda love (sad that 1 Cor 13 is often reduced to a sentimental passage to be read during weddings... sheesh..) As stated here, their love was to be bolstered and reinforced by knowledge and discernment. Don't just feel... think! This isn't to say that Paul was a cold, hearless human being. On the contrary, Philippians is the most heartfelt and personal letters that Paul ever wrote! (and personally, that's one of the reasons why its one of my favourite books in the bible... now you know why I'm a sentimental person :p) And why the need for this love? So that they might do what's excellant, to be pure and blameless till the day of Christ (v10).

Besides the Cross and Love, Fellowship has often been sentimentalised too. How? I won't elaborate but ultimately, true fellowship sources from partnership in the gospel. And being partners in the gospel is often more about work than enjoyment. Its about labouring on despite the tough circumstances, its about the self-sacrificial support that you need to provide for your brothers and sisters, its about suffering for the sake of Christ. Blood, sweat and tears... that's partnership in the gospel.

So is there any room for sentimentalism? Of course there is... Being sentimental is what gives that spark in a romance, its often the thing that puts that smile on our faces. But sentimentalism doesn't give rise to love... nor does it lead to joy.

Love comes from knowing our Heavenly Father. Not an intellecutual stimulatation, but an intimate knowledge of his character. Joy comes from seeing fruit that results from the fellowship of believers participating in the work of gospel, united in proclaiming the name of Christ... till He comes again.

sub specie aeternitatis

Righteousness

During the sermon yesterday, I was embarrassed to say that I had no idea how the Mandarin character above is read :p (though to those who know me well, it doesn't come as a surprise at all ;p in fact, it would come as a greater surprise if I did know how to read the word!)

Anyway, the mandarin word above means 'Righteouness' and from the diagram above, it further consists of 2 words--Lamb & I. In summary, the Mandarin character for righteousness suggests that righteousness isn't really about doing what's "right". Ultimately, righteousness is submitting and surrendering to the Lamb--Jesus Christ :)

Intersting yeah? ;)

^"20But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- ²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ²⁶Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and give no opportunity to the devil. ²⁸Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Ephesians 4:20-32 (ESV)

Now, if you have noticed, I have not revealed how the Mandarin character in question is read ;) Hehe... well, 'Righteousness' in Mandarin is read as... *drumroll*... yì :)


Now, be honest here, how many of us knew how the word is read before explanation? ;p

Dear God...

Not sure how many of you received, via email, this reel of pictures containing what kids would write to God about... And I must say that some of them are indeed hilarious! Kids really say the darnest things! ;) Below are some of my favourites... enjoy!

Dear God...

"... I went to this wedding and they kissed right in front of the church. Is that okay?"
-Neil

"... thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy"
-Joyce

"... please put another holiday-- between Christmas and Easter. There's nothing good in there now"
-Ginny

"... maybe Cain and Abel wouldn't kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother."
-Larry

"... I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big but not with so much hair all over"
-Sam

"... We read that Edison made light but in Sunday School they said you did it. So I bet he stole your idea."
-Donna

"... I bet it is very hard to love all of everyone in the world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it."
-Nan

Purity (Ruth 3)

See the cute animal on the left? Its called an Ermine. Part of the weasel family.

And legend has a very interesting tale about this cute animal.
The ermine isn't usually white but it turns that colour in the winter to better camouflage itself in the temperate climates where it lives. When white however, the ermine treasures its coat so much that it'll rather die than see itself soiled. Hunters used this characteristic of the ermine to better hunt it down. They would dirty the entrance of the ermine's burrow with soil, dirt and the like. Therefore, when the ermine races back to its burrow to seek refuge and safety, it'll stop short at the entrance, stand there stunned at its dirty home and refuse to enter. That's when hunters swoop in to make the kill.

This legend (no real scientific record of it being totally true) made the ermine a symbl of purity in the 15th & 16th century.

This quality of purity is vast lacking in the world today. And I'm referring purity in all senses of the word, not only in the sexual sense (though this aspect of purity is most often abused). I mean, with movies like the 40 year-old virgin and a slogan like "Better Late Than Never", it does display about how the world view sex and purity. And if you're saving your virginity for your marriage, well... that's being viewed as cutely naive.

The Bible's view on purity is of course totally different. And both Ruth and Boaz display this quality in their interaction in Ruth 3. Personally, Boaz displayed tremendous righteousness when he literally pushed away a lady who "came on to him". This might not be the main theme of Ruth, but it was something that I was really reminded about.

How we as Christians should learn to be pure in all that we do. We've been bought at a price. And by that, we're now righteous in God's eyes. Will we belittle the work of the Cross by choosing temporary ecstasy than eternal purity? (and this applies to both mind and actions). I end of with this famous and well-used passage:

^"7Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come... ¹¹Command and teach these things. ¹²Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. "

1 Timothy 4:7-8, 11-12

23 years of God's faithfulness

23 years of God's faithfulness. Thank you dear Father :)

And... I love this song...

The Birthday Song
Corrine May

Don't worry about that extra line
That's creeping up upon your face
It's just a part of nature's way to say you've grown a little more
Trees have rings and thicker branches
Kids shoes get a little tighter
Every year we're getting closer to who we're gonna be
It's time to celebrate the story of how you've come to be

Happy Birthday, my friend
Here's to all the years we've shared together
All the fun we've had
You're such a blessing
Such a joy in my life
May the good Lord bless you
And may all your dreams come true

So light a candle on your cake
For every smile you've helped create
For every heart and every soul you've helped to grow
A little more
A few more pounds, a little more grey
Don't count the years, just count the way
It takes a little time to go from water into wine
Don't ever lose the wonder of that child within your eyes

Happy Birthday, my friend
Here's to all the years we've shared together
All the fun we've had
You're such a blessing
Such a joy in my life
May the good Lord bless you
And may all your dreams come true

P.S. if you didn't get the link above, you can click here to listen to her entire 2nd album online. Enjoy :)

Ruth 2

The story of Ruth just gets better and better… if you count the number of times that “chance” comes into the picture, then Ruth is kinda like the “queen of TOTO” :p

First off, Ruth 2:3… “So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz,”. “…happened to come…”?? Come on! In all the fields of Israel, Ruth just happened to stumble by accident into the field of Boaz?? *eyes rolling*

Secondly, Ruth 2:3b… “… belonging to Boaz, who was the clan of Elimelech”. Wow, this Boaz, whose field Ruth “happened to stumble into”, was a relative of Elimelech, Ruth’s Father-in-law. Absolutely amazing…

Thirdly, Ruth 2: 4a… “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem…” This kinda gives you the impression of a magic trick of sorts… ‘And behold, I shall now make this rabbit disappear!” Similarly, “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem”. Come on… Boaz just so happened to come back from a trip to Bethlehem on the exact same day that Ruth “accidentally” happened to stumble upon his field?

With “luck” like that, Ruth should really have just bought TOTO, won $10mil and lived happily ever after with Naomi.

All these coincidences finally got through to Naomi and she finally understood what was going on. This was her response after Ruth told her of the day’s events…“And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" [Ruth 2:20] Contrast this with the Naomi of Chapter 1. Naomi finally looked past her past and saw instead the goodness of her God, Yahweh. Not to say that God’s goodness comes only in the positive things in life, but I think Naomi better realized the sovereignty of God and his providence to all His people.

This is the same sovereignty that permeates to every nook and cranny of my life. The sovereignty that chose me to be His child and knows the day and hour of my final breath. Also, this is the same providence that not only works at the level of the miraculous, but also in the very mundance routines of life. A "veiled" providence so to speak.

The response that comes from knowing such a God? Total and Absolute worship. A God whom we should run to, that we might take refuge under His wings. Hallelujah :)

Quote of the Day

"When we're hurting deeply, so often what we need is not so much an explanation from God, but a Revelation of God"

Ruth 1

I’ve been studying Ruth in BSF, a book that I haven’t really studied in depth before. BSF lessons, coupled with online sermons from Chris Chia & John Stott, really taught me a lot… and I’m only at Ruth 1! Waiting in anticipation for what God wants me to learn from the next the 3 chapters :)

On a more serious note however, there is a lesson from Ruth 1 that spoke to me more directly.

[20] She said to them, (the whole town) “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. [21] I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back me empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?

Ruth 1:20,21 (ESV)

Firstly, something positive about Naomi— despite all that negativity she voiced out, she still recognized the sovereignty of God and addressed Him as Shaddai or Almighty. Tough times or good, let us never forget that God is GOD. He is worthy of ALL worship and forever sovereign. It’s HIS will that matters, and He’ll see to it that things go HIS way.

Back to Naomi… no doubt about it, her life in Moab was terrible, hopeless, a dead end. She lost her husband and 2 sons. All she had left were 2 daughters-in-law. What happened was tragic to say the least and yes, she needed her space to mourn for the death of her beloved. But when she was back in Israel, back to her God Yahweh, her eyes weren’t focused at what lay ahead. She was still pre-occupied with what she lost. A new hope (pardon the borrowed term from Star Wars :p) was set before her by God’s grace and instead of looking to see what God had in plan for her, she moped about what God took away.

And that was when I sat up and took notice. We’ve all dealt with loss before—in all its forms. And one thing’s for sure, its never easy. But Naomi’s attitude was based on self-centeredness instead of being grounded in godliness. The question of the moment: Was/Am I having this same attitude?

When God deals us a “bad hand”, do we mope and cry foul? Do we refuse to lift our eyes from the temporal because we want to wallow in our own filth and self-pity? Do we still look within instead of looking up to heaven, to eternity, to the gospel? Haven’t we learnt that it’s all grace? God disciplines because He loves (Heb 12:6), He judges to save us from condemnation (1 Cor 11:32). All is due to His unending grace.

Life is about learning. Change isn’t automatic for we’re still sinners. However, even as we grow a little older every year, let us learn to grow in wisdom too. Wisdom to know that the past is to mould, the present is to apply and the future is to hope.

Propitation

I used a big word yesterday--Propitiation.

Yes, say it with me.... prO-"pi-shE-'A-sh&n :p Anyway, I didn't say that it was a big word, pastor did. His sermon was from 1 Jn 1:5-2:2 and I was leading the Singspiration part of the Worship Service. My theme was simply this: Jesus Christ, the propitiation for our sins taken from the last verse of his sermon passage, 1 Jn 2:2.

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world".

1 Jn 2:2 (ESV)

I also meditated on Rom 3:23-26 during my preparation.
"[23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. [26] It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

And here, I wanna give a short explanation on why I prefer to use the word 'Propitiation' (used in the ESV & NASB) instead of the one used in the NIV--'Atoning Sacrifice', or the one in the RSV--'Expiation'.

Definitions: (quoted from the Oxford Dictionary of Current English)
Atonement -- make amends (for a wrong)
Expiation -- pay the penalty for or make amends for (wrong doing)
Propitiation -- appease (an offended person)
[appease--to satisfy]

The first 2 words, 'atonement' & 'expiation' basically mean that someone has to make amends or to pay the price for something that someone did wrong. That's fine and dandy but if you notice, nothing in both words really describes well what that wrong doing was. In the NIV, 'sacrifice' is added to 'atoning' to indicate that something valuable and precious had to be given up to make ammends.

Which brings us to 'propitiation'. This word is different as compared to the other two. Simply spelt out, it speaks of mending the relationship with that someone who's angry by something you did. This brings out a new dimension that someone, somewhere is angry. And in the context of the Bible, 'propitiation' paints a clear picture that God is angry with us. Why? Sin. Sin absolutely repulses God. Sin absolutely disgraces God's holy name. In fact, from Rom 3:23 (look above), sin is to "fall short of God's glory". Therefore, angry is too... mild a word to begin describing God's attitude toward sin. Rather, the word 'Wrath' is used to describe this strong, holy, divine anger that God has toward sin.

Therefore, 'Propitiation' brings forth the point that God's wrath is against all man because of how they have desecrated his glory. And God's holiness, justice and righteousness disallows sin to be let off scot-free. (I mean, come on... if God lets sin pass by patting your knee and saying to you, "It's all right, I'm sure you won't do it the next time..." or "You didn't mean it right?", what kind of God will He be? Surely not a god that demands our total allegiance and worship) So, the wrath of God which was toward all man had to be averted. And this aversion is found in the death of Jesus Christ.

In a nutshell, this is propitiation: God averting his wrath toward man through the death of His Son.

Lessons from "The Chronicles of Narnia"

I've been reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S.Lewis as casual reading and boy does it bring different insights this time round...

For those who are not sure what I'm talking about, "The Chronicles of Narnia" is a series of 7 fantasy books which C.S.Lewis wrote specifically for children. Incorporated in these 7 books are many allusions to Christian ideas and aspects of Christian living. But instead of calling them allegorical, C.S.Lewis prefers to address the Christians aspects of these books as "suppositional". Whatever the case, as a Christian reading these books after many years, I was indeed refreshed by both the mystical and wonderful world of Narnia, as well as the lessons learnt from each individual book.

If you haven't read the books before, I suggest starting out with "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" first. Why? 2 reasons... (1) Disney is releasing the movie version this December, and (2) C.S.Lewis intended it to be read as the first book as it introduces the most important aspect of the world of Narnia... and ours as ell.

Anyway, I'm now at the "Silver Chair" and the plot, in a nutshell, is about 2 children on a task to save a prince under the spell of an evil witch.

Without overspiritualising anything, I think I've picked up on one of the aspects of Christian living that C.S.Lewis wrote about. In the book, Aslan (an image of Christ) sent Jill Pole on the mission with these words: "But, first, remember, remember, rememeber the Signs. Say them to yourself when you wake up in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the Signs. " The Signs were 4 guiding points that Aslan gave Jill to help her in the quest of searching for the lost Prince of Narnia. (the heir to the throne) Predictably however, Jill lost the habit of repeating these Signs to herself. (due largely to both her personal pride and the many distractions on her journey) One of those distractions was simply the temptation of creature comforts, namely warm beds and hot soup. (this was a real temptation as their journey was filled with bland food and hard ground where they slept on)

Isn't Jill a lot like us? Where the guiding points in life are all mentioned in the Word of God, the Bible, and instead of meditating on it day and night (as we all must do) we forget and grow lazy. Coming up with excuses like, "Oh, due to mitigating circumstances.... blah, blah, blah..." Yes, we know that the Christian Walk is not an easy one but Christ, in all His grace and sovereignty, has already given us his word that He is always with us (Matt 28:20) and his word of instruction, the Bible.

So...

"[9] How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.

[10] With my whole heart I seek you;

let me not wander from your commandments!

[11] I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

[12] Blessed are you, O LORD;

teach me your statutes!

[13] With my lips I declare

all the rules of your mouth.

[14] In the way of your testimonies I delight

as much as in all riches.

[15] I will meditate on your precepts

and fix my eyes on your ways.

[16] I will delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word."

Psalm 119:9-16 (ESV)

sub specie aeternitatis (in the light of eternity)

I would like to use this entry to summarise the past months.

I was hurt badly. Not a physical hurt but a deep emotional and somewhat spiritual hurt.

On hindsight, it has been a rocky road... a very rocky road. But I know that ultimately, that's what God wanted for me. He knows me infinitely well to know that only a path of emotional turmoil and hardship would wake me up from my slumber. I'm NOT on the road to recovery. Nope. It would be more accurate in saying that I'm on the road of maturity. My experiences have opened my eyes to the ways of this world and to the ways of God. Not that I know a lot more, but that I've grown. And not that I've grown in mere intellectual knowledge, but that I've grown as person--a sinner saved by grace. And I've experienced it all firsthand, and thus am able to assist a fellow brother or sister who might fall into a similar situation.

I disagree with the phrase "Time heals all wounds". For to me, time merely covers them up. I had to learn this the hard way too. There were too many days where the solution to dispelling thoughts and actions was to merely distract myself with other less personal, less soul-piercing thoughts. But that's not healing. And though my ignorant mind understood this, my foolish heart still managed to tangle itself with these... complications. Healing, I learnt, also didn't involve pouring out your feelings and thoughts to others. Not that that wasn't helpful, but I first approached it with a wrong focus. I poured out these feelings and thoughts in the hope of releasing "psychological & emotional stress". Yeah, I know... that sounded so stupid and silly. But God knew that for me to truely learn, I had to take the high and bumpy road. Certain lessons in life are best learnt by living it rather than by being taught it. And I've finally learnt some of these lessons, with both my mind and my heart, as to what healing is about.

Healing begins with surrender. Surrender to the infinite God... Surrender begins with the realisation that its NOT about us finding/searching/looking for our purpose in life...

Surrender begins with discovering who God is.

It then continues with aligning oneself to God, to Christ, to the gospel.

It's not as easy as it sounds, for we're all still imperfect, striving to be Christ-like. Even now, I still feel the pain from the past. But this pain now acts as a reminder of what I've learnt, a reminder of things things I've experienced, a reminder of God's grace to me. And I'm profoundly grateful to Him for that.

I was once again reminded of a proper focus in life when I was studying 1 Cor 9 for Bible Study last Saturday. I end of with a quote from the 1 Corinthians portion of the "Bible Speaks Today" Commentary series... in the hope that we might learn from Paul's example, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1):

"He(Paul) was living his daily life sub specie aeternitatis (ie. in the light of eternity), and that meant:

evangelism with integrity,
relationships with adaptability, and
personal holiness with single-mindedness."

sub specie aeternitatis

Give to God what is God's

Went for a talk last Thursday. It was titled "When life has lost its focus" and the speaker was Ravi Zacharias.

He pointed to a famous passage in the Bible--the issue of paying taxes to Caesar found in Mark 12:13-17 (ESV)

Here, one can see that the focus of the Pharisees & Herodians was to trap Jesus (v.13) and not to sincerely inquire of the issue of taxes. And after this plan was orchestrared... oh the flattery! "you are true... not swayed by appearances... teach the way of God" (v.14) This wasn't praise at all! The hideousity of hypocrisy reared its ugly head.

And here, Ravi highlighted to us the profoundness of Jesus' response...

Christ asked the rhetorical question of who's likeness/portrait was on the coin? The wisdom of Jesus came in his next statement, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" (v.17 NIV)

One wonders why the Pharisees didn't follow up with the question of "What is God's?" till I understood what Jesus really meant. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's. The denarius reflected the likeness of Caesar; and to God what is God's. So on a similar note, what in this world reflects the likeness of God? When Ravi posed that question, he paused and there was silence all around the hall. The answer to that was understood.

Man reflects the likeness of God.

"...Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Gen 1:26

When I understood what Jesus was implying in his reply to the Pharisees' question, I knew why they were left speechless. It was a perfect 1-2 knockout punch.

And yet, their hearts were hardened. They suffered from a symptom that our society today suffers from as well--self-centredness. Man's value has clouded what is of real value--God's value. Jesus doesn't need us; we as sinners need Him! Caesar needed the money, the taxes, but God doesn't need us. In fact, he's estranged from us cos of all our sins! Then why did he mention "... to God what is God's"?

Grace.

"Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God."

John Piper (The Pleasures of God)

Jesus Christ brought divine grace into this world of sinners through the gospel. For He is the centre of this gospel and the exaltation of His glory is its driving force.

So, give to God what is God's... not because He needs it, but because glorifying Him is our privilege.

Hallelujah :)

Time

Simple Riddle:

What's the one thing every person in the world has in equal share?
Ans: 24hrs in a day

Corny question, I know. But I think this question gives us a little insight into Man's pre-occupation with trying to "extend" and maximise that which everyone has in equal share--time.

In a world where "Time is Money" & "The early bird catches the worm", the people who can best squeeze out the most in 24hrs wins. Productivity and efficiency is a key word in any organisation--both secular and church. Technology is obsessed with speed--the faster, the better. And this is supposedly with the aim of helping businessess & consumers save time; though it doesn't really. "We live in an INSTANT society" was first thought up and used in the early 90s, though in the Spore of today and beyond, it might as well be changed to "We live in an INSTANTANEOUSLY-CONNECTED society" instead.

I havn't been blogging for close to 2 mths now and I praise God for all who were concerned for me and asked me how I was. Your care was an encouragement. The "sabbatical" that I took from blogging was a time for me to think about things. To think about the past, the present and the future. And I must say that it has been painful. However, it was a necessary step. To rethink, evaluate, reflect on Ministry, Emotions, People and Life.

I won't be able to share on all the words of Truth & encouragement that various people have shared with me. But I hope to highlight the famous passage in Ecclesiastes 3. I havn't read it in a while and it reminded me... take the necessary time to think. It's not "time out" or "time off"... its "time to grow". The passage once again made me rethink what Time really is--Oppurtunites to fear the Lord, to obey his commands (Eccl 12:13). "For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" Eccl 12:14

That's what gospel-living is about. Christlikeness doesn't come in a day, a week or even a month. It's a long term process that sees us going through ups and downs. Times of discipline, times of mourning, tims of rejoicing.

As Full-time Christians, our primary concept of time shouldn't be that its a resourse which enables us to complete tasks and uphold 'deadlines'. No! Time should be viewed through the lenses of eternity, of the second-coming of Christ (concepts that time doesn't have a hold of). Its a gift; oppurtunities for us all to do what's right... to grow into maturity.

To end this blog (don't want it to be too long!), may these words from 1 Peter (a book that a dear friend pointed me to) encourage you and spur you on in Living for God and being Stewards of his Grace

"[1]Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, [2]so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. [3]The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do...
[7]The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. [8]Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. [9]Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. [10]As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: [11]whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

1 Pet 4:1-3, 7-11

A shroud of loneliness and despair envelope my senses.
My God and Lord, why does Thou seem so far away?
Why does Thy Word not refresh?
Why so downcast O my soul?

Shadows loom around, they threaten to darken whatever little light that's still glowing.
My hands and feet hurt from chains that bind me. Chains that seem destined to bind me for life.
The burden on my back grows heavier and heavier--sadly, it doesn't seem to be cross-shaped.

What little strength I have ebbs away...

Someone once said I was an extremely emotional person. Too emotional. Another said I'm a person alive with passion. Whatever the case, the zest for life, for living, for running this race wanes... I end up going through the motions, the systems set out before me. Keeping busy for the sake of it. The crop of genuine smiles grows thin. Enthusiasm's boosted by the need for it, not something that stems from joy.

The Cross, the mighty Cross... I have disappointed my Lord.

This blog was an area where I hope I could encourage others. It was an area where my honest feelings and lessons learnt was shared. Now, as I know little of how to encourage... entries will cease to exist...

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Easter

For those who read the Sunday Time's comics religiously (like I do), you'd have come across the Foxtrot comic strip. For those who didn't manage to read it, click here.

Chuckling at the strip and humourous as it was, it kinda reminded me of the urgent need for good, faithful, straightforward Bible teaching. This is a comic strip no doubt, but may our answers to those who ask us questions never be "The Bible came first" :p

"[4]Pray that I may proclaim it (the gospel) clearly, as I should. [5]Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. [6]Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Col 4:4-6[NIV]

Also, its sad to some extent that Jason knows more about Obi-Wan Kenobi & Star Wars (I'm a fan myself) than the gospel. Exaggerated as it may seem, I personally think that there's its pretty true. Borrowing some terminology from John D.Woodbridge, there are many cultural Christians today and a lot fewer authentic Christians. Jesus himself warned about them in Matthew...

"[21]Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22]On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' [23]And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Matt 7:21-23 [ESV]

I've taken a seemingly grave tone from a mere comic strip but I assure you, I'm not condemning Foxtrot or comics as a whole. In fact, I think comics are an excellant way to destress and to take a step back to laugh at yourself and the world. :)

Rather, may we never be ignorant about the state of our world and rest on our laurels thinking that all is fine and dandy. May we understand that time is indeed of the essence and every oppurtunity that is given to us to share the gospel is indeed a gift and a blessing

Lastly, may we be prepared and equipped to even use Obi-Wan Kenobi as a launching pad to share the gospel

May the Force be with you

Via Dolorosa

Via Dolorosa

Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day

The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street

But the crowd pressed in to see

The Man condemned to die on Calvary

He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back

And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head

And He bore with every step

The scorn of those who cried out for His death

Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering

Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,

But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me.

Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way...

to Calvary.

The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men

Made its way to the heart of Jerusalem.

Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering

Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King

But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me

Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way...

to Calvary.

Visit this site, it has the actual song in audio and a wonderful flash presentation...
http://www.andiesisle.com/viadolorosa-highspeed.html

What does it all mean?

Havn't blogged in a long while... while one reason's cos my com's been giving me immense trouble (continuous trouble for 2 whole weeks--I was tempted to buy a new laptop at IT show but decided to save the$) the main reason is cos I wonder what to blog about.

From the start, I wanted this blog to be a blessing. A place where I can share with others what God has taught me and the lessons I've learnt. And frankly, it seems that the past few weeks have been nothing but depressing.

Its not physicaly depressing. Nope, God has blessed me with enough in that aspect. Rather, I'm kinda down mentally and spiritually. After preaching, I realised that its really, really hard work. I now respect and admire those who do it week in and week out. After just one time, I feel exhausted at all the reading I had to do, all the preparation.

But the worst thing about everything is that... why does everything seem so academic? What has happened to the joy that I had when serving? When reading the Bible meant so much? When the Holy Communion was really a time I spent praying and thanking God with all my heart for what He has done for me. Why does it seem that the more head knowledge I obtain, the less I feel for my ministry. I mean, when I plow through the Bible, read commentaries, etc I feel glad that I'm able to share what I've learnt and read up with everyone else... but why is it that I don't feel joyful at what I'm learning? Is everything that I've learnt just head knowledge? Have I become so critical and cynical at things around me that my heart has turned cold?

But yet, that can't be cos I still feel and experience the different poles of emotions. Great sadness and joy fill my heart over many areas in my life. Though they all seem to lead back to the same road... but I won't dwell on that now. When ministry comes into the picture, it becomes academic and worst of all, I have become critical about everything. Why?? Why??

I really don't know. And though I know, in theory, that this is what the Lord wants me to go through, it doesn't feel that way. Too many negative thoughts, reactions and emotions seem to have clouded the way I see, think and feel.

The question that haunts me now is this: What does the gospel mean to me? I mean really... I don't want the gospel to merely be just a bunch of verses. The gospel should be so much a part f my life that I want to spend my life proclaiming this good news. The gospel should be so intertwined with my human nature and actions that every minute where I'm still breathing, my heart yells "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" But no... I have to say that it's not. It's something that I'm obliged to do... not something I'm compelled and hyped up to do.

The Cross... The Resurrection... this redemption plan... what does it all mean to me?

And why do I feel so lonely?

I've got some major thinking to do...

My first experience at preaching

After a 2-week preparation, I gave my first sermon on Heb 1:1-3 yesterday during the youth service. Upon reflection, I do realise that my sermons leave a lot to be desired. However, I think I did OK. OK in the sense that I know that I was faithful to the gospel, preaching it faithfully, plainly and clearly :) However, what I would need to improve is to come up with more and better illustrations and examples to make my points :)

Really wanna thank God for all the things He has taught me from His Word as I read up on Hebrews :) Hallelujah!


P.S. for the youth who are reading, I would really appreciate the feedback ;) thanks!

Just growing...

Today's the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, and it marks the end of Chinese New Year/Spring celebrations... which equates to no more visiting and hong pau's... oh well ;p There's always next year right? ;) hehe...

Been thinking about these 15 days of 'celebrations'. Nothing really special about them. Just that these days have a natural classification--"the 15 days of the New Year". Easier to remember them this way. And honestly, I encountered with "blogger's block" after last Wednesday. Yes, I know this sounds terribly silly to have "blogger's block" but I just did. I just sat there in front of the white screen and thought that I knew what I wanted to share with everyone. But no satisfactory words came. Hehe... oh well...

So, a whole load of tiny snippets in my life have just been accumulating this past week. But one question remained after it all... what kinda Christian am I? What kinda Christian will I be the next CNY?

Why this question? Well for one, I sat in at a Sunday School class (Kindergarten level) last sunday to see if this ministry was one where I could serve in. (The Sunday School Superintendant approached me and asked me to give it a go) And I must say I enjoyed myself pretty much :) The kids were really adorable and one word comes into mind--innocent. Yes, at that level, they are largely innocent of the world around them. From there, 1 Cor 14:20 came into mind...

"Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature."

1 Cor 14:20.

In the context of 1 Cor 14 and the issue about tongues in the church, this verse was a real standout. In essence, Paul went down to the crux of his faith, what occupied his thoughts and motivated his actions-- The gospel. This, he explained in Chapt 15. And prior to 1 Cor 14, Paul talked about the greatest way in exercising one's gifts in Ministry... Love. (1 Cor 13). So, from 1 Cor 14:20, Paul exorted us to be mature in our thinking, in our understanding of the gospel. Also, he wants us to be infants, not children mind you, infants in evil...

Therefore, I was left thinking again... how am I as a Christian? Am I mature in my understanding of the gospel and do I strive to be like an infant in the area of evil?

I think that I am maturing, (note the continuous tense) in my understanding of the gospel. And I really thank God for all the people He placed in my life to sharpen my understanding. Special thanks to those who were guiding me 2 years ago, a time period that I can say was life-changing... you know who you are, thank you for being faitful in passing the good deposit to me :) Personally, I have A LOT MORE to learn and A LONG, LONG, LONG way more to go in this area of being mature in my thinking and actions but I know that my Lord is faithful, and that He'll lead me all the way.

Infants in evil... an even LONGER way to go. In this area however, I once again thank those who I hold myself accountable to and in giving me firm and wise advise in the different areas of life.

So, how am I as a Christian? I'm a growing one. Not grown, not fully mature... just growing. Also, I pray that I'll also be able to help others grow in their walk with Christ. In the meantime though, as I eagerly wait 30 days for Good Friday, 222 days for my 23rd birthday, 305 days for Christmas, 312 days for 2006, 352 days for CNY and an unknown number of day for the coming of Christ, I wanna grow... for I'm just growing and glowing for my Lord :)

Servanthood

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake."

2 Cor 4:5

As many of my friends have already mentioned in their blogs, this should be the goal for ministry in the Church :)

When I was thinking about the above verse, what moved me more wasn't the first part, but more of the second.. "your servants for Jesus' sake".

Paul the apostle, this great man of God, didn't consider himself superior to both the Jews and the Gentiles. This man, for the sake of the gospel, identified himself as a servant towards the Corinthians. There was none of that, "Hey, I'm the one slogging in the sun out here, could you hurry up with the cup of water already!". He was dedicated to sharing and proclaiming the gospel to all he met... with words, with sweat and blood, with love. Here was a man who didn't just obey Christ for the sake of being faithful... he loved Christ with ALL his heart. And thus, he loved the people with ALL his heart as well. He spared no effort in encouraging his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As John Chapman taught from Acts 20:17-25, here was Paul's efforts in his Ministry...

"with tears and with trials that happened to me" (v.19)

"teaching you in public and from house to house" (v. 20)

"testifying both to Jews and to Greeks" (v. 21)

"for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears" (v. 31)

"these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me" (v. 34)

Paul's strength didn't come from himself. Christ was his all in all. Paul's vision was aimed upwards, and as he mentioned in v. 24, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

"the gospel of the grace of God". This wonderful grace of God, made evident through the life of Christ our Lord... this King himself taught us to wash each other's feet, to serve one another as children of God.

Ministry ain't about leadership, its about proclaiming Christ and being a servant to your fellow Christians.

In my head now is the lyrics of one of my favourite hymns, Servant King. Will end off by typing the lyrics below. May we recognise the wonderful grace of God in our lives, and may we seek to not only constantly obey Him, but to constantly love Him and others as well.

The Servant King

From heaven you came, helpless babe

Entered our world, your glory veiled

Not to be served, but to serve

And give your life that we might live

chorus:

This is our God, the servant King

He calls us now to follow Him

To bring our lives as a daily offering

Of worship to, the servant King

There in the garden of tears

My heavy load He chose to bear

His heart with sorrow was torn

"Yet not my will, but Yours", He said

Come see His hands and His feet

The scars that speak of sacrifice

Hands that flung stars into space

To cruel nails surrendered

So let us learn how to serve

And in our lives enthrone Him

Each other's needs to prefer

For it is Christ we're serving

My tummy's favourite days

Will take a break from sharing about what I've learnt from MM and share from the first few days of CNY (much like everyone else... how boring can I get? :p)

Anyway, due to my stupidity in not bringing a book and the fact that both my grandma's homes "magically" turn into gambling dens every Lunar New Year (the crackling of majong tiles and the shuffling of poker cards is still in my head), I was kinda left with wondering what to do with my time...

In the end, this is what I did for both days of CNY:

(i) watched cheesy and terribley dubbed afternoon Hong Kong movies on Channel 5 & 8 (imagine Jet Li speaking American! Sheesh!)

(ii) imagined myself to be sword-swinging Aragon and bow-wielding Legolas fighting off hideous orcs, trolls, the Witch King and Shelob in Lord Of the Rings:Return of the King on the X-Box (the most enjoyable activity this CNY actually! :p)

(iii) put on fat from all the pineapple tarts, bak kua, kweh bulu, cashewnut cookies, cock-zai, etc.... (no popcorn to accompany the cheesy matinees!)

(iv) collected ang pows (the cantonese have the tradition of giving them in pairs *wink*)

(v) pretended to be a big, bad monster trying to invade my young cousin's "fortress" of pillows and bolsters (I pity the beds...)

Lesson I've learnt from all of this? Bring a good book! And sadly, unless God-willing, CNY might not be the best time, in my extended family, to try to share the gospel as children are trying to "invest" their ang pows in tiles and cards; all in the effort to gain more dividends. Parents then are trying to cover the "losses" of giving out ang pows.

So far, I think my tummy enjoyed CNY the most ;p (not to mention that its growing bigger!)

At the end of the day though.......



I need to start running again... (running kaki anyone?)

Speak the Truth plainly

John Chapman gave this very interesting story during his talk... (i'll try to be as accurate in my recall and interpretation as possible... and if I falter, please correct me. For best accuracy, go buy the cd-recording of his talks :p)

"There was once this evangelistic meeting I (John Chapman) went to and the pastor told me, 'Chappo, we have 25 counsellors ready for all the converts tonight' When I heard that,I was pressured. I mean... Old Bill (Billy Graham) averaged a 10% conversion rate and there were a lot less than 250 people in the room. How was I supposed to live up to that?!"

When I heard that story, I silently nodded. This was so true... we live in a world where results matter the most. Heard the phrase, "By hook or by crook, I want it done"? And I had to admit to myself that this mentality has crept into the Church... oh dear...

Which brings me to the second lesson I learnt...

"But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth, we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God"

2 Cor 4:2 [ESV]

This verse reminded me of what was REALLY important in Christian ministry-- Speak the truth plainly.

Do I practice cunning ways and tamper with God's word? Unfortunately... I think I have. You know how music soothes the soul? Well, it's true as psychologically speaking, music reaches out to Man on a sub-conscience level. And in a hands of a master, one could easily hypnotise a group to accept an ideology, simply by having conducive music in the background and communicating that ideology in a soothing "DJ" sorta voice. Emotions can be controlled by the person who has power over what is being played over the PA. And I have been guilty of doing that. (not that I have a "DJ" sorta voice :p)

However, this is not to say that music should be banned. Rather, music should be used to help propel the message of the gospel even further and to make it even clearer to all. The problem however, is that music can and has been used instead to cloud people's judgement on what the gospel really means. Intentionally or unintentionally.

John Chapman shared another story about how John Stott was preaching in India and in the middle of his preaching, he could feel that there was an emotional wave flowing through all who were present and listening. Stott then stopped, told everyone to stand up and stretch awhile before he continued.

John Stott broke the 'moment'. This can be described as one of the 'deadly sins' of a public speaker--to break the 'moment'. However, John Stott did it. Why? Cos he didn't want people to accept and understand the gospel on the backdrop of an emotional high. It wouldn't do them any good.

I feel that this all boils down to the fact that we all get so caught up and worried about HOW TO communicate the gospel that we don't realise that the power of the gospel, is the GOSPEL ITSELF. By trying so hard in fine-tuning the vehicle that is gonna carry the gospel, we fail to focus our attentions to fine-tuning our UNDERSTANDING OF the gospel. And in doing so, harsh as it may sound, we have already turned to disgraceful and underhanded ways...

I personally have tampered with God's Word by thinking that if the gospel is not presented in so and so a way, nobody will pay it any attention. This here is the foolishness of Man's thinking: that his wisdom is greater than God's wisdom-the gospel. What's more, we are not just told to merely avoid or stop all these disgraceful and underhand ways... we're told to renounce it.

Lesson I learnt? Strive to speak the truth (the gospel) plainly and clearly.

Now on a lighter note, please go and check out Yifen's blog. She has provided a real neat summary of some things she has learnt at MM, and I must say this... She is A LOT BETTER at summarizing things than me! :p

One more thing though... I've tried to be as clear as I can in as short a blog as possible and I really would tresure any feedback on my blogs ;)

Anyway, this here's another story that I'll leave everyone with and its about another pastor saying these words to John Chapman before he was to speak to his congregation...

"Preach Jesus Chappo, Preach Jesus."

Don't lose heart

Life has kinda gone full circle in a sense. I wrote my first blog on last year's Project Timothy Bible Conference and now, I'm writing this entry, 45 posts and 11,000 words later, on this year's Project Timothy Ministry Matters Bible Conference ;)

It's interesting to note that the passage that encouraged and taught me the last Bible Conference was from 1 Cor. This time, one of the the passages was from 2 Cor ;p And it was taught by a very good and faithful Bible teacher/preacher, John Chapman. God sure has an interesting sense of humour ;)

In the days to come, I'll slowly outline the lessons I've learnt from the conference in the hope that it'll encourage anyone who reads this blog. For the first lesson though...

"Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lost heart."

2 Cor 4:1 [ESV]

This verse came in at a very, very apt time for me. Discouragement in service is an easy thing to fall into. Personally, there were times where I felt alone. Alone in minisry, in service, in life. "Why, why, why?!" was the repeated question I shot up to God. However, God in all his grace and mercy, kept me sane through His Word and godly friends checking up on me. Despite all this, I guess deep down, I still felt lonely. And I definitely was losing steam in serving...

When John Chapman shared from this verse, I just sat in my seat stunned and speechless. I stared at my Bible, at this verse for a fairly long period of time. Though I was listening to what Chappo (his nickname) was preaching, this verse kept drumming through my mind... "having this minstry by the mercy of God..."

Mercy... the fact that I'm saved, that God chose me to me his servant, his instrument... thank you Lord Jesus, thank you. Thank you that despite all my terrible wrongdoings, my sin, my evil, you chose me. Christ, in all his goodness, WANTS to involve me in his ministry! Hallelujah! What a miracle! Why? To me, there's no logical explanation. I mean, God can do his work himself--he's powerful enough. But yet, He chose me to get involved. And Paul the apostle says there in that verse... "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we DO NOT LOST HEART" Yes, though its only human to feel down and in the dumps, but we do not lost heart cos God saved us. God's gospel redeemed us from the pit of sin and death. And in the light of all that, we... DO NOT LOST HEART. (this set against the backdrop that Paul had every reason possible to lose heart... to know what he went through, read this).

God has given me this gospel. Saved me through it. And "his light shines in my heart to give me the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ"(2 Cor 4:6). And as a response...

"[7]But we have this treaure (look above) in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. [8]We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9]persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [10]always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."

2 Cor 4:7-10 [ESV]

Amen.

Quote for the day

Looking forward to this weekend's Ministry Matters conference... thus, I'll be absent for church service Sunday morning. May the Lord also grant me wisdom to share what I'll learn from the conference

Memorable quote for the day:

"Grace isn't a license to sin, it's a license to repent"

Did Jesus rise from the dead?

I just finished reading "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel. Excellant book, for both Christian and non-Christian alike.

And well, this excerpt is the bit that touched me the most. In context, Lee was interviewing Gary Habermas, PH.D, D.D. one of the world's leading theologians in the area of the Resurrection. Lee asked Gary about what he thought was the importance of the Resurrection of Christ and this was Gary's answer... (this may be a bit long, but it's really worth reading)

"I sat on our porch," he (Gary) began, looking off to the side at nothing in particular. He sighed deeply, then went on. "My wife was upstairs dying. Except for a few weeks, she was home through it all. It was an awful time. This was the worst thing that could possibly happen."

He turned and looked straight at me (Lee). "But do you know what was amazing? My students would call me--not just one but several of them-- and say, 'At a time like this, aren't you glad about the Resurrection?' As sober as those circumstances were, I had to smile for two reasons. First, my students were trying to cheer me up with my own teachin. And second, it worked.

"As I would sit there, I'd picture Job, who went though all that terrible stuff and asked questions of God, but then God turned the tables and asked him a few questions.

"I knew if God were to come to me, I'd ask only one question: 'Lord, why is Debbie up there in bed?' And I think God would respond by asking gently, 'Gary, did I raise my Son from the dead?'

"I'd say, 'Come on Lord, I've written several books on that topic! Of course he was raised from the dead. But I want to know about Debbie!"

"I'd think he'd keep coming back to the same question-- 'Did I raise my Son from the dead?' 'Did I raise my Son from the dead?'-- until I got his point: the Resurrection says that if Jesus was rasied two thousand years ago, there's an answer to Debbie's death in 1995. And do you know what? It worked for me while I was sitting on the porch, and it still works today.

"It was a horrible emotional time for me, but I couldn't get around the fact that the Resurrection is the answer for her suffering. I still worried; I still wondered what I'd do raising four kids alone. But there wasn't a time when that truth didn't comfort me.

"Losing my wife was the most painful experience I've ever had to face, but if the Resurrection could get me through that, it can get me through anything. It was good for 30 A.D., its good for 1995, its good for 1998, and its good beyond that."

Habermas locked eyes with mine. "That's not some sermon," he said quietly. "I believe that with all my heart. If there's a resurrection, there's a heaven. If Jesus was raised, Debbie was raised. And I will be someday too.

"Then I'll see them both."

Strobel, L. 1998, The Case for Christ, pp 326-327, Zondervan, Michigan.

Another touching scene of "goodbyes" in the Bible... notice that despite the grave situation, what Paul's last words to the Ephesian Elders were...

Acts 20:17-38

Goodbyes

I'm lousy at goodbyes. Period.

To me, there's never a right way to do them. Is the "turn-around-and-never-look-back" approach the best way to contain the floodgates? Or is the "talk-and-share-till-the-cows-come-home" method better? (the one where you share with each other what the other person means to you, how much you'll miss him/her, etc... and at the end of the day, you have to be dragged apart) Or should the tackless, but highly effective, "Last-call-and-I-really-need-to-go-in-now...I'll-call-when-I-get-there" kind of goodbye be employed to save tissues.

I've experienced all the 3 approaches above and lemme tell you... I don't like all of them. Then again, I never liked goodbyes in the first place. Especially the kind which involves someone/s whom you really cherish and love.

All that pondering reminded me of Paul's (the apostle) experience of goodbyes. I flipped to an epistle I just studied-- 1 Thessalonians, and there lay words that spoke of Paul's deep affection for the Thessalonians and the anguish he felt when he had to leave them.

"But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought) out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you."

1 Thess 2:17 [NIV]

From here, Paul used really strong words to describe how he felt about his parting with the Thessalonians. They were very dear to him and Paul treated them like like they were his children. (1 Thess 2:11,12) In fact, Paul described them as being his hope, glory, joy and crown of boasting! (1 Thes 2: 19,20) However, what mattered to Paul in the end wasn't the physical distance between him and the Thessalonians. What mattered most to Paul was their faith and spiritual growth. And though he couldn't go visit them personally to encourage them, he sent another close brother-in-Christ, Timothy... and this was what Paul said when Timothy came back with a good report...

"[7]Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. [8]For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord."

1 Thess 3:7,8 [NIV]

Wow...

So finally, to whoever may be finding parting and goodbyes difficult, take heart! Its normal to feel sad ;) However, may we be focused on the right things in life. Though the physical distance apart will stretch the friendship a little, we're all united in Christ! :) And what's important is that we keep the other person in prayer, to pray for what's important:

"[12]May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. [13]May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

1 Thess 3:12-13 [NIV]

P.S. don't think pam has my blog addy... can phy or sam forward this blog entry to her? i hope it can encourage her :)

Where was God?

Read this article by Andy Ho in the Straits Times on Sat. Though I don't quite agree with his last 2 lines, thank goodness for writers like him...

Jan 22, 2005
Where God was when the tsunami struck
By Andy Ho
Senior Writer

IT HAS been said that the most serious challenge to the belief in God was, is, and will continue to be the problem of evil, a question that has been bandied around quite a lot in the secular media after the Boxing Day tsunami. Some religious folks have tied themselves up in knots of self-doubt over this conundrum, called the problem of 'theodicy'.

Coined by German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) from two Greek words - theos for God, and dike for justice - theodicy posits the question thus: If the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God controls all of creation, he must also be the author of, and oversees, all evil too. Yet how can a good God permit evil?

The question engaged Leibniz so much that the first and the last book he ever penned, The Philosopher's Confession, written in 1672 at age 26, and The Theodicy, written in 1709, seven years before he died, both grappled with precisely that issue.

Leibniz argued that God was morally bound to create 'the best of all possible worlds'. But since evil exists, God must have seen that this was the best of all possible worlds to create.

My colleague, Chua Mui Hoong, writing in The Sunday Times ('Where was God when the tsunamis hit?', Jan 16), resolved it even more simply by declaring that God may well be omniscient and omnipresent, 'but I no longer think he is omnipotent'.

For her, God is limited by, first, man's free will and, secondly, by natural laws, such as those which decreed that when tectonic plates shift far enough in the right places, tsunamis inevitably follow.

Many incensed and obviously religious readers and colleagues have clamoured for a rebuttal. It was clear to many that, if ever there were a contest, surely God's will must override man's - or else he is a feckless deity not worth my time. It was also clear to many that if God put all natural laws in place, he could also suspend them at will - unless he is a weakling restrained by something he instituted.

Yet that is precisely why Mui Hoong says her God is less than all powerful. However, an imperfect God is not just a contradiction in terms, but also one who deserves no attention, though Mui Hoong still believes in him because she needs to, and because she 'see(s) God in my daily life'.

This is a mistake but she is in good company: Even Leibniz got it wrong when he said that God was morally bound to create the best out of a range of possible worlds, each one also good, so this one must be the best possible, warts and all.

Here, Leibniz put the cart before the horse: God did not choose this world because it is the best. Instead, it is the best just because God chose it.

Then there was David Hume (1711-76), the boldly sceptical Scottish philosopher, who argued that the pervasiveness of evil argues against the very existence of a benevolent God.

But even if Hume had unproblematically defined 'good', 'evil', and 'benevolent' - he didn't - the inference that a benevolent God will prevent all evil doesn't follow.

Hume assumed that a benevolent deity must, by definition, be benevolent to everything in his creation - every inanimate and animate thing, but especially each and every human being.

Must he?

Humeian logic betrays a man-centred view of things that is pervasive today even among religionists. But there is an equally good case for a God- centred view, that he makes all things work together for good, not for all his creatures, but only some whom he chooses so his will is worked out.

In this argument, it is God who decrees and brings to pass everything according to his will, for his own purpose and glory. If that makes God sound selfish and self-centred, think about a god who brings everything to pass for someone else's purpose and glory rather than his: That someone is necessarily a creature, like man, which would make that god an idolater who worships creatures. That cannot be.

In a view that everything is primarily about God - not man - the very existence of evil poses no insuperable problem to the believer. When the waves struck, God was where he always is - on his throne, working out his will, perfectly.

A hard saying, to be sure, but the unbeliever can choose not to deal with such a God.

For the believer, though, this is the God with whom he has to do.

Sentimental fool

I'm a dupe for soppy songs, call me a sentimental fool for loving this one...

That's What Friends Are For

And I never thought I'd feel this way
And as far as I'm concerned
I'm glad I got the chance to say
That I do believe I love you

And if I should ever go away
Well then close your eyes and try
To feel the way we do today
And then if you can remember

Chorus:
Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

Well you came in loving me
And now there's so much more to see
And so by the way I thank you

Oh and then for the times when we're apart
Well then close your eyes and know
The words are coming from my heart
And then if you can remember

{Chorus}

Dionne Warwick