Each One Reach One

I am feeling super-full now after a heavy dinner with the MacRitchie Running Fellowship members at Bugis Junction Foodcourt. I had seafood pasta, afterwhich a bowl of durain, mango and pomelo dessert when we adjourned to a dessert place near the shopping centre. I shall try not to stuff myself so much in future - not too good. :(

Anyway, I had a great time with the gang after being absent for a while, having to take care of mum's health and handling home matters. Praise God for the fellowship. I also had a great time catching up with my God-son whom I was told missed me since I have not seen him for about a month.

I praise God for guiding me when I led in worship this morning at the contemporary service. It has been months since I last led. Though I felt rusty, I told God, since the start of last week, to lead me accordingly. I also reminded myself that I need not be too conscious of how I sing or what people would think of my leading because all those are not important. What matters is how I let God use me as an instrument to bring the people into His presence - basically to worship Him in spirit and in truth!

As I was soaked in worship as I stood on the chancel, there were several times when I just broke down as I praised God. It was a great time of refreshment for me and I thank God for

Today is Missions Emphasis Sunday - there was a video presentation on Operation Connect: Missions where the content was to challenge the church to see themselves as Great Commission Christians and that the work of missions is for all and not some. I was touched when I viewed the testimonies shared by some of the Children's Ministry's Team members who went on the mission trip last year. I trust that God has spoken to many hearts today!

The Assistant Pastor preached on the same subject where he mentioned that the church should be involved in a ministry of interruptions where our lives should not be so focused on ourselves, our busyness, our personal commitments that we forget to see the people who pass us by every day, be it at work or in school or in the public places. He challenged the church to bring blessings into the lives of strangers whom we come across who may be in need. Though it may inconvenient us and may cost us to part some of our material wealth, if each one can reach one, I think it is all worth the sacrifice.

God reminded me of the people whom I have come across as the pastor was preaching the above sermon - some of the intellectually handicapped working in the Coffee Bean joints, the girl in a wheelchair who sings as she wheels herself through the hawker centre in Old Airport Road, a man who goes around Plaza Singapura telling people he has lost his wallet and asked passers-by for some loose change, the aunty who sells tissue papers in the middle of a busy pedestrian crossing between Bugis Junction and Bugis Flea Market, a Malay lady standing at the NTUC Building opposite Singapore Management University offering to sell her child, the prostitutes lingering around a hawker centre in Chinatown soliciting for a sex business with some of the elderly men, the aunty selling tissue papers outside Paragon Shopping Centre, the uncle playing the er-hu in the underpass where it links Orchard MRT to Shaw Towers, etc.

I am certain if I can mention so many examples of people whom I can bless, surely there are many more whom other of my siblings-in-Christ have come across. If each one can reach one, then many of these lives will be saved. I am not even talking about sharing Christ to these individuals. Just simple acts shown to them is sufficient to let them see Christ in our lives and if they so choose God to be in their lives too, then all thanks and praise to Him!

Doing missions is not about just going overseas. There is a mission field where we are here in this island-nation. Are we doing the harvesting where it is plentiful and the workers few?

Well, I pray God can use me despite of my inadequacies and shortcomings. I will start from this moment on. Do join me! ;)

Time to sleep now. A hectic week God has seen me through, a new week I now look forward to! :)

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade." Acts 3:1-11

God's Wisdom

I am very tired now but I am at the same time excited. I decided to jot down my thoughts first before I sleep. In my blog I wrote at the beginning of the week, I mentioned that I would be busy. Well, now as I look back, the week is coming to an end and God has seen me through each day of my busyness. Hallelujah!

I came back not too long ago from the Worship Team rehearsal. The whole morning and afternoon I was troubled as to whether my choice of songs were off. As I was playing the guitar to just have a feel of the flow, it did not really go well especially during the transitions of songs.

I prayed about it but still had no peace. I even reached a point of just overhauling all the songs and have a new list in place. Again I prayed and sought the Lord. My sensing then was to let them be and trust that He will guide.

Before I entered the Worship Hall, I committed everything and everyone to God. Man, He really showed me how He can make all things well regardless of how my human wisdom thought otherwise. I shared with the team my concerns. We prayed. We tried and everything went well! All thanks and praise to God for that!

Though it was a time of practice, for me it was a time of worship as I just sang my heart out - simply in awe of Him.

Well, it feels good to be back worship-leading again. I am looking forward to praising God with the rest of my siblings-in-Christ on Sunday and to just soak ourselves in the presence of Him!

One more confession I had was how I allowed my insecurity of the songs I chose to affect my mood and in turn stumbled my God-sister who was with me in church doing her revisions. This is one area I need to repent from and I pray God will give me the desire and courage to change.

Time to end here. I hope the clothes in my washing machine are cleaned. I shall sleep once I have finished hanging up the laundry.

To God be the glory! :)

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." 1 Corinthians 2:4-6

Busy? Rest!

Today is Father's Day and I wish all fathers and God-fathers a God-blessed Father's Day! :) I made a boo-boo after waking up from a nap just now. What I knew from mum last night was that the family will be having dinner today for a simple celebration for dad. When I got out of bed at around 5 plus, I was told by grandma that there would be no dinner. As my parents were still out, I thought the meal was cancelled at the last minute.

Anyway, I went out after a bath to Plaza Singapura to enquire at the StarHub branch about some functions of my new handphone which I received as a birthday gift. At the same time to have my dinner. As I was still quite full, I did not eat much at the foodcourt. I was walking around the supermarket when I got a call from mum. She asked how come I was not back yet. I explained to her and it was here I realised the dinner plan at home was still on. What grandma told me was the cancellation of dinner for tomorrow.

I quickly rushed back and joined every one for the time of celebration for dad. I bought a cake on my way home. I also apologised for making every one wait. Haha.

As I am typing my thoughts, my mind is now filled with the schedules for this new week. It is going to be busy and I prayed earlier for the Lord to help me pull through it - tomorrow I have to plan the songs for Sunday's contemporary service which I will be leading; Tuesday I have to meet my accountability group in the early morning, bring mum for her medical check-up in the late morning and meet a group of siblings-in-Christ in the evening as they will be celebrating my birthday; Wednesday I have to bring mum for another check-up; Thursday I have the Missions Committee meeting; and Friday I have to be at the Worship Team rehearsal. The only breather I will be having is Saturday which I think by then I would be zonked out!

Well, I am trusting God to pull me through one day at a time.

My God-sister and I brought Sasha to Botanic Gardens for lunch after church. It started to pour as we were heading for our destination. We ate at the shelter and when the rain eased up, we walked the doggy around the park. Sasha's coat was wet and when I got home I had to bathe her.

During the walk, I chanced upon a tortoise which was trying its best to climb out of the pond. For a moment I thought it was going to succeed but after a futile attempt and probably exhausted, it fell back into the pond. Life can be like that sometimes - the question I had as I walked away was whether there should be moments in our lives where we should learn to let go and not keep chasing after certain dreams till we burn out. Yes, many times we tell people not to give up but I think there need to have moments when we should - maybe it is not something God wants us to pursue; that it may not be beneficial to us or the people close to us; that we should seek other avenues - basically to step back and see the bigger picture and not have the frog-in-the-well syndrome.

Anyway, praise God for the above reflection.

Well, time for me to stop here. I shall look forward to the week ahead. ;)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

Spring-Cleaning

It is 10.42pm and I have been spring-cleaning the house since 7.30am! I woke up at 6.35am, bathed the Peach-Faced Lovebird and Sasha. After that it was cleaning and cleaning and cleaning! I may be blogging now but I am not done yet. I am still waiting for my brother to finish his side of the packing so that I can mop the whole house after that. I do not know what time he will be done but it will definitely be into the wee hours of the morning. Ahhh!!!!!!!

You will be shocked at the amount of things we had to throw away and they are scary!!! First of all, the store-room - the one place where I dare not open the door. If I do, I will face an avalanche. Yes! In Potong Pasir there is such a calamity!

I have been enduring the amount of rubbish my parents and brother have been storing up and this morning I told every one I would be throwing a lot of things and a lot we did - 13 big cartons of unwanted stuff which have been kept in the store-room for more than 10 years. Guess what?! I found 4 blenders, two coffee-makers, two ovens and 3 woks!!! They are not old, mind you. New! I was shocked when I opened several boxes labelled appliances!

A few occasions I had to buy new ones to replace those which have broken down, not knowing that there are so many in the store-room. Anyway, I got rid of all of them by giving them to the Salvation Army. If you do see a few Tefal appliances at the Family Shop along Upper Serangoon Road, those would be mine.

I had to also throw away mum's collection of bags. Can you imagine this? More than 50 over bags and more than a third not used. Every bag I planned to throw, she would say she will use it but those bags have been in the cupboard for over 10 years. Hmmm... what's with the "I will use it"? Anyway, those which looked okay I kept but I threw away more than half of them. Likewise for her clothes, dad's and bro's! All to the Salvation Army!

Haha! My neighbours thought that the family is going to move house when they saw the boxes along the corridor but when I told them they are rubbish, they almost fainted!

Well, the house looks like a house again! Air is so much fresher! Less dust flying around and more space for one to walk about. Man!

Anyway, as much as I did the above spring-cleaning of my home, over the weekend I let God did some spring-cleaning of my life. I attended the Youth Ministry's "Encounter '09" Spiritual Retreat at my church. I went as a mentor to my younger siblings-in-Christ but I also needed God to mentor me especially during this difficult period at home.

My life seems to be in a mess with loads of rubbish to repent from. Well, I did not regret attending this three-day get-away from home and I have to say this - I ENCOUNTERED GOD! In fact, all the youths encountered Him! Throughout the three days, we have been given a lot of time to do personal reflections and that really allowed us to be still and know that God is present.

Yesterday was the last day. In the morning we spent the time praising God and also sharing of testimonies on how God has spoken to us. After that we went into more time of praise and that was when the floodgates of heaven opened and every youth in the room began to wept and being ministered by the Holy Spirit. I came across the Asbury Revival which Pastor Barnabas showed the church during the Holy Week service - well, yesterday the same thing happened! We could not stopped praising God. Many youths fell onto their knees in awe of God's presence. Many of them renounced their sins. Many of them were released from the pressure they have been facing in school and at home. Many decided to have a closer relationship with God. Many decided to build a closer tie with the other youths in the ministry. Youths were praying with and for one another. They were hugging each other. They were embracing each other.

The above may sound common especially for churches who have been experiencing this week after week but for the church I am in, it is rare. Hence, yesterday's encounter with God was new to many! I had to pray for some youths and as I touched them, I just wept along with them. It felt as if I could sense what they are going through and that was when I started interceding for them. Words of encouragement poured forth.

All thanks and praise to God for His mercy on my church and on the Youth Ministry. I believer many, if not all, their lives will never be the same again. Another strong evident of the presence of God in the Upper Room where we were in was this boy who did not join the retreat but came to join in the time of praise and worship. Though he did not know what we have been doing but during the time of prayer, he too wept. He too began to praise God. Surely, God was in our midst! Hallelujah!

Well, nothing new came up in my own time of reflection except two passages God reminded me of - Phillippians 4:6-7 and Psalm 46:10.

Though I know these two passages, my eyes opened and my heart refreshed, My mind began to unclog and my body rejuvenated.

God is awesome! He is awesome!

Okie, time to stop here! I am all set to mop the house! ;)

Good night, every one and have a great week of adventure ahead!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10a

Clay Being Moulded

All thanks and praise to God for creating me 37 years ago when I think policemen were still wearing shorts in that era. :) Anyway, last night I did a countdown on my own when the clock hit 12.00am. It was a reflective moment for me.

I was just pondering on the fact that I was once a baby, innocent and not having the slightest worry in the world, and 37 years later I am a man, having fallen into the teachings of the world and having so many things to be concerned about.

What matters to me now is not about dwelling into the shortcomings of my life or regret some of the things I have or have not done. What is vital is basically the need for me to keep close to God and allow Him to continue to mould me to what He wants me to be. Even when I am in my 70s, I am still being shaped.

I give thanks to God for haivng seen me through my pilgrim's journey thus far. It is not perfect. In fact it will never be perfect but as much as I can I will let God continue to shine His light before me so that I will not trod blindly but with a direction.

I am going to make the best of each second God has given me and hopefully I will be a good steward of that precious time. :)

Well, it is not going to be a ra-ra day for me but I will still enjoy it!

"Almighty God, you led me in the past, is still leading in the present and will continue to lead in the future. My life is in Your hands. Use me as you deem appropriate. Amen."

"O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8

Bearing With One Another

I have no qualms sharing this - I am very disappointed with dad. Sometimes I feel like giving up showing my care and concern for his physical well-being.

I admitted the last time when I told him to watch what he drinks (especially fizzy drinks), my tone was a bit condescending but yesterday's incident was far from that.

I do not know whether is it because dad is old hence he does not really bother about his personal hygiene but there are some practices which my brother and I feel that he still needs to watch. Anyway, yesterday I casually asked him to take care of one part of his hygiene. I said it in a nice, casual and friendly tone - the reply I got was the same as the soft-drink incident.

He raised his voice and said that it is his life and if he should suffer, it is his problem and not ours, etc. What I do not like about dad is that he never stops to think first before trying to defend himself and his words can sometimes hurt deeply - yesterday it felt like a sword jabbing into my heart.

What pained me was he did it in front of mum which I felt was insensitive of him. This morning when I took mum's blood pressure and when I told her about the reading, she sighed. I asked her whether she has been thinking a lot and she said yes. I guess she still worries for the family. Anyway, I prayed with her in the presence of dad who was also in the room.

I hardly pray with mum especially on issues of the family but I felt led to do so at that point. I basically asked the Lord to help the members in my family not to treat each other like enemies but to love. I also prayed that He will help us forgive each other of past hurts caused and to let Him heal and united the family.

This is my heart's desire for the family. Yesterday after the incident with dad, I decided to go out and breathe a little. I took a train to Hougang and walked around the area. I reflected and I also spoke with God.

Someone ever told me not to air my dirty laundry on my blog. I do not know on what basis he was telling me not to do it but for me I will continue to do so as it is a real struggle I am experiencing as a Christian and an adult in this life's journey.

I am blogging it not to put anyone down but to basically let others know how I deal with life the human way initially and after that the Christian way (which sometimes is hard to practice as there is this constant battle between human wisdom and Godly wisdom) and eventually how God pulled me through this particular episode of my walk.

Another reason I jot my thoughts down is for readers of my blog, who are Christians, to pray for me.

Anyway, it is so ironic that I actually shared with my accountability group on Wednesday about my struggles at home and how I am trying to deal with it the correct way and when I had to do it the following day, I got such an unpleasant response from someone I love.

Well, my family members are humans too. I guess I will have to bear with them just like I want others to bear with my shortcomings.

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14