I was out at Sentosa the whole afternoon doing a photography session with a few students. It was a hot and humid day. At one point I almost died of dehydration but thanks to a 500ml bottle of ice-cold H2O, it kept me alive to be able to blog this down.
The theme of the photo-shoot we had was on "Fun" and every one of us had to capture anything related to this one word. It was not easy especially when it involved people. Some were okay with having a stranger taking shots of their activities but there were others who were not very pleased.
Anyway, in the end all had fun. When we were done with the task, we discussed certain pitfalls to avoid by sharing our photos with one another.
We left the island at around 5pm and it was off to Bedok Methodist Church for the TRACkers' Graduation Service where 7 siblings-in-Christ from my church participated in the missions programme, organised by the Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC), where they were sent to countries like Cambodia, Thailand and India. I was touched when I watched their video presentations and also the sharing of testimonies from a representative of each mission team. Praise the Lord for His protection upon every of the 39 youths who went, even though one had to be hospitalised.
The Pastor-in-Charge of the TRACkers' programme (who is also a dear friend of mine) challenged the youths to consider what is their next step now that the two-month stint is over. Though it was a challenge to these my younger siblings-in-Christ, I was also ministered to consider my own life as in are there idols that I need to release in me; whether I dare to stand out like a sore thumb in this world where it is easier to go with the norms than to be different; whether there are hidden sins which I am not willing to repent from; whether I want to have a daily devotion with God; etc.
The Pastor also reminded every one present in the hall that it is easy to live a holy and godly lifestyle when we are with like-minded people. The struggle comes when a Christian goes into the world alone and that is when the true test comes to light.
Though it is a fact that being away from the fellowship of believers can cause one to compromise and be complacent in the faith, I was also challenged that it is possible to survive. Technologies have developed so well that though physically Christians may be apart from one another, it is still possible for us to account our lives to others via the phone (sms or call), the internet (email or MSN or ICQ) and even making time to meet (of course this is not so easy but it still can be done if one makes an effort).
Many times we tend to give excuses like "I have no choice - every one is doing it!" when we succumbed to the temptations and practices of the world. The question is - do we really have no choice? I think we do - it is either we say yes or no to the dilemma we are presented with and if our heart is for God, then we will say "yes" to godliness and holiness and "no" to sin!
Well, thanks be to God for the reminder.
Before I end, I have this to say after making a couple of observations when I was in Sentosa - the next time when we go on a holiday, let us not act ourselves as if we are the kings and queens of the world or that we begin to misbehave by mishandling the things and people available in the host country. Show some respect!
I was at an eatery when I noticed these two tourists demanding for things which are not even available on the menu, citing reasons that their son could not eat the stuff available. What do you expect the staff to do? Go grocery-shopping just to meet the needs of the two individuals? Yes, restaurants are part of the service industry and yes, there is this saying about customers always being right. Come on, please wake up our ideas and be fair to those who are part of this industry when absurd requests like the above-mentioned are being made.
If your son cannot eat the food which are offered in the menu of that particular cafe, then go to another place where they serve the right kind of food. If still not possible, then next time prepare and pack the food from home or hotel.
I really pity the waitress as she was stumped as to what else to say to this couple.
The next encounter was when I was in the train on my way from the Beach Station in Sentosa to Vivocity. There was this group of three tourists who obviously just left the beach. Their shorts were damp and guess what? They sat on the seats! On top of that, they left sand particles all over the train. The only lady in the group was not even properly dressed as her cleavage was showing.
I could not take it anymore and decided to sound my thoughts off to them. Of course one of them was not happy but it did not bother me at all. What needed to be said has to be said.
Well, of course it is my prayer that I will be careful in the way I carry myself the next time I visit a country.
Alright, time for me to stop here! The weekend is here! Yay! :)
"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:14-15
The theme of the photo-shoot we had was on "Fun" and every one of us had to capture anything related to this one word. It was not easy especially when it involved people. Some were okay with having a stranger taking shots of their activities but there were others who were not very pleased.
Anyway, in the end all had fun. When we were done with the task, we discussed certain pitfalls to avoid by sharing our photos with one another.
We left the island at around 5pm and it was off to Bedok Methodist Church for the TRACkers' Graduation Service where 7 siblings-in-Christ from my church participated in the missions programme, organised by the Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC), where they were sent to countries like Cambodia, Thailand and India. I was touched when I watched their video presentations and also the sharing of testimonies from a representative of each mission team. Praise the Lord for His protection upon every of the 39 youths who went, even though one had to be hospitalised.
The Pastor-in-Charge of the TRACkers' programme (who is also a dear friend of mine) challenged the youths to consider what is their next step now that the two-month stint is over. Though it was a challenge to these my younger siblings-in-Christ, I was also ministered to consider my own life as in are there idols that I need to release in me; whether I dare to stand out like a sore thumb in this world where it is easier to go with the norms than to be different; whether there are hidden sins which I am not willing to repent from; whether I want to have a daily devotion with God; etc.
The Pastor also reminded every one present in the hall that it is easy to live a holy and godly lifestyle when we are with like-minded people. The struggle comes when a Christian goes into the world alone and that is when the true test comes to light.
Though it is a fact that being away from the fellowship of believers can cause one to compromise and be complacent in the faith, I was also challenged that it is possible to survive. Technologies have developed so well that though physically Christians may be apart from one another, it is still possible for us to account our lives to others via the phone (sms or call), the internet (email or MSN or ICQ) and even making time to meet (of course this is not so easy but it still can be done if one makes an effort).
Many times we tend to give excuses like "I have no choice - every one is doing it!" when we succumbed to the temptations and practices of the world. The question is - do we really have no choice? I think we do - it is either we say yes or no to the dilemma we are presented with and if our heart is for God, then we will say "yes" to godliness and holiness and "no" to sin!
Well, thanks be to God for the reminder.
Before I end, I have this to say after making a couple of observations when I was in Sentosa - the next time when we go on a holiday, let us not act ourselves as if we are the kings and queens of the world or that we begin to misbehave by mishandling the things and people available in the host country. Show some respect!
I was at an eatery when I noticed these two tourists demanding for things which are not even available on the menu, citing reasons that their son could not eat the stuff available. What do you expect the staff to do? Go grocery-shopping just to meet the needs of the two individuals? Yes, restaurants are part of the service industry and yes, there is this saying about customers always being right. Come on, please wake up our ideas and be fair to those who are part of this industry when absurd requests like the above-mentioned are being made.
If your son cannot eat the food which are offered in the menu of that particular cafe, then go to another place where they serve the right kind of food. If still not possible, then next time prepare and pack the food from home or hotel.
I really pity the waitress as she was stumped as to what else to say to this couple.
The next encounter was when I was in the train on my way from the Beach Station in Sentosa to Vivocity. There was this group of three tourists who obviously just left the beach. Their shorts were damp and guess what? They sat on the seats! On top of that, they left sand particles all over the train. The only lady in the group was not even properly dressed as her cleavage was showing.
I could not take it anymore and decided to sound my thoughts off to them. Of course one of them was not happy but it did not bother me at all. What needed to be said has to be said.
Well, of course it is my prayer that I will be careful in the way I carry myself the next time I visit a country.
Alright, time for me to stop here! The weekend is here! Yay! :)
"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:14-15
No comments:
Post a Comment