Blessed Steps

As Christmas draws near, Christmas trees are up, presents wrapped, celebrations planned... Then, the flood hits, omicron spikes, death toll rises.  I wonder,  Should we still go ahead with our celebration in the midst of calamity?  What kind of person are we to continue popping champagnes and confetti, when just down the road 27 bodies were found amidst the flood?  Some say, the church should cancel Christmas services, and go down to the street to help the affected families instead;  Some say, is it still appropriate to plan for a big celebratory type of Christmas service amidst all of these;  Some say, that could have been us, the flooded cars, the flooded houses, the destroyed homes... that could have been us. I ask myself, Should we carry on with our celebration in the midst of calamity? Or essentially, what are we celebrating? Christmas is a time of hope, that Christ the hope is born into a world of chaos, Christ the light shone a path in the midst of d...

As we live in this liminal space, the interim between the past norm and the new future... In this in-between space... How shall we live? Where shall we go? What shall we do? Here's a poem from John O'Donohue, "To Bless the Space Between Us" painting out the feelings of a sojourner in the interim. Enjoy the reflection! // For the Interim Time  When near the end of day, life has drained Out of light, and it is too soon For the mind of night to have darkened things, No place looks like itself, loss of outline Makes everything look strangely in-between, Unsure of what has been, or what might come. In this wan light, even trees seem groundless. In a while it will be night, but nothing Here seems to believe the relief of darkness. You are in this time of the interim Where everything seems withheld. The path you took to get here has washed out; The way forward is still concealed from you. "The old is not old enough to have died away; The new i...

Understanding (A Sieger Koder Reflection) this image that is titled “Understanding”, depicting the two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus and then they met Jesus and suddenly they understood everything…  Have you felt let down by God before?   On the road to Emmaus, these two disciples felt that God had let them down  They thought that Jesus of Nazareth was the chosen one, They thought that by following him, their lives would be transformed, They thought that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel But yet, Jesus of Nazareth was sentenced to death, he was crucified and he died.  And Now they are fearful and disillusioned They are making their way back to their village Emmaus, away from Jerusalem, away from their friends, away from their past.  What’s the point of all these? It was all an illusion, all a bluff, all a defeat “As we journey into life, we carry the memory of the events that touch us most. We walk the ...

Hi guys, It might be the first time for some of us to record videos from home! Here are some Easy Tips that are Replicable! Hope that it's helpful during times like this! What to take note of when recording video from home?  1. Put your phone on "flight mode" 2. Put a phone nearer to you for better audio pick up, while the other phone further away for video so that you can frame it nicely (Rmb to click "Record" on BOTH!) 3. DIY a phone stand for yourself (see youtube "DIY phone stand") 4. Use a ladder to put your phone on stand 5. Find a place with natural lighting (Try to film during day time) 6. Frame yourself first before starting the recording 7. Speak faster than usual (Helps to retain audience attention!) 8. Shorten the video (less than 20min, otherwise they are going to be bored!) 9. Encourage interaction on screen (e.g. click "like" if you agree with what i'm saying!) 10. Treat it like a ...

Most of us don't like to wait. Especially when it concerns moving forward our very own agenda. I personally like to get things done, I enjoy checking things off my list, so that when it's done it won't linger in my mind anymore. But after being in ministry for a while I realized that sometimes it is very necessary to wait on things before making a decision, Especially since ministry concerns people.. Many different people with many different opinions It is hard to move things forward when two parties' wills are not aligned. But it is also true that When man has unified will with God, they will have unified will with each other. I asked myself then, Why should I wait when I already have a decision? Why be so inefficient? Then I realised that... Waiting... is giving God space to work. When I go ahead and make decisions, a lot of times there isn't space for God to drop me notes or nudge me or speak to me. But when I wait....

John 11:45-57 Why did the pharisees think that if Jesus goes on performing miracles, people will believe in him then the Romans will come and take away their place and their nation? There's 2 strands of thoughts here:  A .  Jesus goes on performing miracles, people will believe in him B .  Romans come and take away the chief priest and pharisees' place and nation How do they link?  The chief priests' positions are given to them because they are the religious leaders. So if people believe in Jesus, Jesus becomes the religious leader and Jesus will be given the title instead. Is it that simple? Then why would the nation be taken away as well?  Because the chief priests believe that they hold the entire Judaism and Israel with the structure that they currently have. The priestly structure. It's given by God. In their mind, the structure has to be in place then only the religion and the nation can function.  But this one man who doesn't represent...

Author Anne Ortlund in her reflection upon the passage of the women who broke her alabaster jar draws this comparison: "Christian file into church on a Sunday morning one by one they march in  - like separate alabaster vases. Contained. Self-sufficient. Encased. Individually complete. Contents undisclosed. No perfume emitting at all. Their vases aren’t bad looking. In fact some of them are the beautiful people and they become vase-conscious: conscious of their own vases and of another’s. They are aware of clothes, of personalities, of positions in this world. They are concerned with the exteriors. And so before and after church (maybe even during) they are apt to talk vase-talk. This woman broke her vase. Broke it? How shocking. How controversial. (Perhaps some even considered it scandalous) Was everyone doing it? Was she at some vase-breaking party? No she just did it all by herself. What happened then? The obvious: all the contents were forever rele...

One thing that really cheers my heart up is when I take my time reading the newsletter I receive monthly from my friends all around the world.  Who would have thought that by going to Texas, I will bump into fellow future missionaries, evangelists and ministers and become one myself.  The friendships that I have made in Texas don't just stop the moment I leave that land. 5 years down the road, I am still rejoicing at how God is working through the lives of these people all around the world. The challenges they face in life are unlike those I have here back home. The culture, the people, the context are entirely different but yet we still could relate to what each other is doing because we are all serving the same God.  Now I understand what Paul meant when he wrote these to the Ephesians...  " For this reason,  because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,   I  do not cease to give thanks for you...

What we call 'being in love' is a glorious state, and, in several ways, good for us. It helps to make us generous and courageous, it opens our eyes not only to the beauty of the beloved but to all beauty, and it subordinates (especially at first) our merely animal sexuality; in that sense,  love is the great conqueror of lust.   No one in his senses would deny that being in love is far better than either common sensuality or cold self-centredness. But, as I said before, 'the most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of our own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all costs'.  Being in love  is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it.  You cannot make it the basis of a whole life.  It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling.  Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all.  Knowledge can l...

“The rule for all of us is perfectly simple.  Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did.  As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets.  When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him…  There is, indeed, one exception.  If you do him a good turn,  not to please God and obey the law of charity, but to show him what a fine forgiving chap you are,  and to put him in your debt,  and then sit down to wait for his ‘gratitude’,  you will probably be disappointed.”  Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

耶稣基督， 你是我的全部。你真的是我的一切。有了你，我并不缺乏。 On hindsight.... "When I look back on this road i've traveled. i've seen so many times you've carried me through and if there's one thing that i've learnt in my life is my redeemer is faithful and true. My redeemer is faithful and true. everything he has said, he will do. every morning his mercies are new my redeemer is faithful and true Jesus is faithful and true." On hindsight... Only then that I realized, I've been through quite a few episodes in my life I have broken up I have left my job I have migrated countries I have changed and restructured so many perspectives in my life and it still remains true that MY REDEEMER IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE EVERYTHING HE HAS SAID HE WILL DO He is always trustworthy. He has never left me. I can forever trust in Him. AMEN. Click on the link below to allow God to minister to you as you reflect upon the lyrics: My Redeemer is Faithful and True - St...

《炼我愈精》 你若不壓橄欖成渣，它就不能成油； 若不投葡萄入醡，它就不能變成酒； 你若不煉哪噠成膏，它就不流芬芳； 主，我這人是否也要受你許可的創傷？ 你是否要鼓我心絃，發出你的音樂？ 是否要使音樂甘甜，須有你愛來苦虐？ 是否當我下倒之時，才能识「愛」的心？ 我是不怕任何損失，若你讓我來相親。 主，我慚愧因我感覺，總是保留自己， 雖我也曾受你雕削，我卻感覺受強逼。 主，你能不照你喜樂，沒有顧忌去行， 不顧我的感覺如何，只是要求你歡欣 如果你我所有苦樂，不能完全相同， 要你喜樂，須我负轭 ，我就願意多苦痛； 主，我全心求你喜悅，不惜任何代價； 你若喜悅，並得榮耀，我背任何十字架。 我要讚美，再要讚美，讚美何等甘甜； 雖我邊讚美邊流淚，甘甜比前更加添； 能有甚麼比你更好？ 比你喜悅可寶？ 主，我只有一個禱告：你能加增我減少。 （副歌） 每次的打擊，都是真利益，如果你收去的東西，你以自己來代替。 ---------------------------------- 主啊，难道没有更简单的路吗？ 难道真的要倒下后才能识爱吗？ 难道保留自己也是有错吗？ 你的雕削我又不是没有经历过， 可我现在真的觉得受强迫。 我自问：难道我有报名加入这痛苦之路吗？ 我起初的意念好像不是如此耶， 我只不过要更认识耶稣，好让我能更爱耶稣； 我好像没有如此的意念要成为牧者。 然后我心自我反驳： “佳乐，是你自己报上的名。” 我回想起了， 的确是。 是我自己报上的名； 报名情景还刻骨铭心呢。 为什么之前那么容易报上名呢？ 我还不了解真正背起十架的代价。 反而现在了解了后， 退缩好像已太迟了。 因我也了解了神的呼召， 那不可否认， 明显刻骨的呼召。 “佳乐，你已尝试到了我的甘甜，大爱，与真实， 你是否愿意把这些好消息分享给他们？ 好让他们也能真正尝试到我的甜美？ 把他们指引到我的方向来。他们迷失了的羊群，我所爱的羊群。” 我总结了， "如果我们和他一同受苦，也必和他一同得荣耀。 我想，现在的苦楚若比起将来要显于我们的荣耀，就不足介意了。” 罗马书8：17b-18

This has been a prayer I pray before leading worship or preaching or serving in any ways that may consciously or subconsciously boost my pride and steal God's glory. "Dear God,  May I be a mirror, reflecting all Your Glory back to You.  In Jesus' Name I pray,  Amen." A plane mirror. Such that I keep NO Glory of His at all.