We Are All The Same!

I am actually going to sleep because my cold is still not getting any better but after reading the news articles on the Channel NewsAsia website, I thought I just jot my thoughts down first.

There has been the recent hype on the Miss Singapore World, Ris Low - first for her English proficiency and second for her two-year probation related to a credit-card fraud.

Singaporeans have been making so much hoohah about them that I feel every one is simply HYPOCRITES! Come on, every one, before we pass judgments on others, do not forget that we are no different from those who have been convicted of a crime committed. Just consider ourselves 'lucky' that we are not caught for our wrongdoings, that's all! And please do not tell me you have not committed anything wrong.

Still insistent that you are upright?! Then ask yourselves whether you have committed the followings:-

1) When tearing the carpark coupons, you added a few more minutes to the actual timings you were supposed to reflect;

2) When your carpark coupons have expired, you decided not to add on new ones;

3) When in Malaysia or other parts of the world, you bought pirated DVDs;

4) When online, you downloaded illegal music MP3 or movie files;

5) When the traffic light turned red, you just zoomed passed it;

6) When you decided to wash your car, you used the public taps;

7) When using the public toilets, you decided not to pay the 10 cents or 20 cents required as entrance fee;

8) When in office, you photostated documents for personal usage;

9) When the company supplied stationeries, you brought them home;

10) When someone paid you more in change, you kept quiet instead of returning the extra;

11) When you were supposed to use the pedestrian crossings, you jaywalked;

12) When you were taking an examination, you had a peek or two on someone else's paper;

13) When you boarded the bus, you tapped your card but way before reaching your destination, you tapped again so that you need not pay more;

14) When you have completed your 'O' or 'A' Level examinations, you still used your student-card to enjoy the various concessions;

15) When you knew you were underage to watch certain adult movies, you decided to use someone else's identity card;

16) When you saw something you liked but did not have the money to buy it, you decided to steal;

17) When you were in an aircraft on your way to a holiday destination or when you were in a hotel, you decided to help yourself to the items (towels, hangars, fork and spoon, etc) provided;

18) When you are in the public and your wi-fi function is on and you saw a few unsecured accesses of other people's internet accounts, you decided to tap on one of them;

19) When you knew your maid needed a rest and it was already late, you still insisted that she continues with her work and the following morning, you woke her up very early and the vicious cycle carried on;

20) When you found someone's wallet, you decided to help yourself to the contents in it rather than making an effort to locate the owner with the justification that it is a case of "finder's keepers."

Well, the above-mentioned are just some examples. At least once in our lives, we would have committed a crime except that we were fortunate not to get caught. Are we then different from those who have been caught and charged? WE ARE THE SAME! You might not have been caught but the action you did was as wrong as those who were nabbed. Whether the wrongdoing is big or small, a sin is a sin is a sin!

So please next time when you read a news report similar to that of Ris Low's, do not be too quick to judge and let us say this together, "WE ARE ALL THE SAME!"

As for her English, let us also not be too quick to conclude that her proficiency in the language is bad when ours are no better than hers. All of us also speak broken English. Next time before we comment on someone's language, ask ourselves whether the motive is to correct the usage or simply to criticise. If it is the latter, then please shut up. You are no better, I say again!

Okay, I have released the hot steam in me.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." He also told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Luke 6:37-42

Working Out The Physical And Spiritual Body

Today has been a day of working out. Not in the park, not in the gym, but right in my own home.

After I woke up, I bathed my doggy, Sasha and my birdie, the Peach-Face Lovebird. So far no name after more than a year. We just conveniently called it "Bird-Bird." Anyway, it can be a handful giving these two creatures a bath - one would try to fly away and the other would want to catch it. Then when the furry one got a bath, not only it would get wet but the one bathing it as well. Sometimes I wonder why I ever bothered to take these two as my pets. Haha.

Anyway, after that I washed all the stand-fans in my home; cleaned the air-con filters; removed the dust off the furnitures and electrical appliances; swept the floor; mopped the floor; and swept the floor again! Man, where do all these dust come from?! In all, it was a 4-hour work-out. It felt good but of course tiring.

When I was done with the house-work, I washed up and went to Borders and Kinokuniya Bookstores to check out the photography magazines and also shopped around Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City and also Suntec City. Yes, up to Marina area as I was lured to the Harvey Norman "Help Clear the Store" sale. Surprisingly I did not buy anything except an Auntie Anne's cinnamon-sugar pretzel while I was on my way to the store.

Oh yah, before all the window-shopping, I detoured to the florist in Thomson Road to drop off the unity candles for a wedding I am coordinating this Saturday. I just wanted to get that over and done with.

Praise God yesterday's worship-leading went pretty okay. Missed one or two notes but such things happen. In the midst of leading the praise and worship, suddenly there was a tinge of sadness when I looked into the eyes of the people in the congregation. I do not know why I felt that way but I sensed something was missing in the worship - that something got to do with the hearts of my brothers and sisters-in-Christ. I felt that many are paying lip service.

I felt a little discouraged but had to go on leading. I was also convicted myself during the time of praise. I was prompted to look deeper into my own worship lifestyle - basically the challenge to spend more time daily to worship God.

After the service I spent some moments talking to a family about missions. I praise God that they are interested to play a bigger part in this area of ministry. :) I just hope more like them will come forward and respond to the Great Commission God has given to all who believe in Him.

I also felt quite burdened for the Youth Ministry Mission Team - after yesterday's session, there would be a break of about 7 weeks as it is exam period for every one in the team. I do not know how the past 11 weeks have prepared these young lives for the trip - not so in the activities we will be doing but the attitude and motive in going. As much as we should enjoy ourselves in preparations and also during the trip, it is my prayer that every team member knows that it is lives that they will be dealing with and how this should not be taken too lightly.

Well, I guess as the mentor to the group, I just have to pray for every single person in the team and trust that God will use these lives to be instruments of peace in where God will be bringing them to.

Anyway, yesterday when I was in the car of one of the MacRitchie Running Fellowship members, on our way to Zion Road Hawker Centre, we witnessed an accident involving a car driven by a lady and a motorcyclist. The left side of the car banged into the motorcycle and the man on it was flung quite far from his bike. He was still moving but could not get up and we could also see the lady-driver walking to the man. There was a shock look on her and by the car, we could see her husband carrying their child.

Myy friend slowed down his car so that every vehicle behind would also do likewise, This is to prevent someone from running over the motorcyclist should he or she is not alert to the accident. Anyway, we did not stop as there were people from the bus-stop rendering assistance. As we drove away, I prayed with every one else in the car for the injured man and the terrified lady.

Well, I guess that is all for this blog. I am quite tired - shall just relax after this. :)

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:22-27

Have You Noticed The Poor And Oppressed?

The past few days I have been pondering on the sermon outline given to me by my church's assistant pastor on God's compassion for the poor and oppressed. The more I gave thought to this, the more my eyes are opened to the needs of many individuals whom we sometimes fail to notice or, if I may put it truthfully, choose not to notice.

If we do the latter then it would probably mean we have to do something about it. Many times, for the sake of convenience, we would rather ignore than let God's prompting in our hearts to do something good for the poor and oppressed.

This is not just happening when we are walking in the streets, even in church we choose to turn a blind eye to the needs of members and friends.

I am guilty of the above-mentioned and it is something I pray God will help me change my attitude.

I was running around town area looking for candles which I need to buy for a couple whose wedding I am coordinating next week. When I was at Paragon Shopping Centre, I saw an old lady who is a familiar face in that vicinity, walking towards the bus-stop in front of Lucky Plaza after a day of selling packets of tissue papers. She was totally hunched and needed a walking stick to aid her movement. I have seen this lady for more than a year already and there was something on her which I noticed have deteriorated - the lump on her has grown considerably. I suspect it could be cancerous.

I decided to pace her to the bus-stop as there was a road ahead. The thing about her crossing the road is that she never stopped to look at oncoming traffic. She basically just crossed. As I noticed a couple of cars coming her way, I decided to do something which I know may have irked the drivers - I basically became a traffic warden and stopped the vehicles.

I thanked God the drivers were patient enough to let the lady trod slowly to the bus-stop. When she sat down on one of the concrete seats, I asked the lady which bus she was waiting for. She said she needed to take service 7. I looked at the electronic signboard which indicated the estimated time of arrival of buses, I noticed it would take another 7 minutes for that particular bus to arrive. I decided to wait with her.

After a while, the bus came. I assisted the lady as she boarded the bus. As the bus rode away, I prayed for God to have mercy on that aunty especially for that lump on her forehead.

During times when I chose to ignore rather than help, the main reason is that it will be a great hassle for me. If I may challenge myself and all who are reading this blog, let us begin to change our mindset - helping someone usually brings joy and satisfaction because we know a need was met. That was what I experienced today and during those times when I was aware of the needs of the people I come across.

Let us try one person at a time and if that little action can make someone's day. praise the Lord! :) Showing compassion to the poor and oppressed is definitely one responsibility a Christian cannot avoid.

Well, I guess today's encounter should aid me in my worship-leading preparation for Sunday. I have just been informed that the drummer scheduled for this Sunday has to go for an operation and will not be able to play. As much as I know it is alright not to have the drums, I also am struggling for the fact that it will change the dynamics of the songs which I have chosen. Hopefully the coordinator will be able to find a replacement. Even if he cannot, the worship still goes on and prayerfully God will make good of this new arrangement.

Time to end here. :)

"This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. "What do you see, Amos?" he asked. "A basket of ripe fruit," I answered. Then the LORD said to me, "The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. "In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD, "the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!" Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?" — skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done. "Will not the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn? The whole land will rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of Egypt. "In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land — not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. "In that day "the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst. They who swear by the shame of Samaria, or say, 'As surely as your god lives, O Dan,' or, 'As surely as the god of Beersheba lives' — they will fall, never to rise again." Amos 8:1-14

The Fist

The title of today's blog sounds like an upcoming movie involving Jackie Chan but sorry to disappoint all fans of his, it is not. I will elaborate further on this title as I write on.

I had wanted to blog since coming back from the Young Methodist Leaders' Conference (YMLC) on Monday but I could not. It took me two days to recover from the 4-day Conference. Haha. Spiritually I was refreshed but physically I was drained. I was also having a slight flu which thank God by Thursday I was well. :)

After coming back I had to run some errands for the family. I also had to prepare for two dear friends' wedding. Yesterday and the earlier half of today, I had to help at a fair at Loewen Road where two brothers and I had a stall selling children's clothings and quilts from Cheeky Monkey, a social enterprise which we decide to commit ourselves to.

The sale for the whole of yesterday (from 9.30am to 6.00pm) was dismal but still thanks be to God for the four dresses and one quilt sold. Though today's was from 9.30am to 2.00pm, the response from the expat community was overwhelming where 30 dresses and 2 quilts were sold. All glory to God for prompting us to press on and believing that He will send the customers.

In fact one of the brothers and I were considering whether to open the stall today as we were quite discouraged from yesterday's experience but we decided to go ahead and it was something we did not regret since. :)

Towards the middle of the fair this morning, we targetted to sell 30 dresses. Just before closing we sold only 28. We were still happy though. Then as we were packing up and doing stock-check, a lady came and browse the dresses which were still on the rack and guess what? She bought two and that hit the target we set. Hallelujah!

God is indeed good. :)

Anyway, back to the title of the blog. On the second morning of the conference, the youth leaders, Pastors and mentors met for a time of prayer at 6.30am. After a time of praise and short devotion, we were divided into smaller groups and we were challenged to pray for the person on our right based on what the Lord has instilled upon our heart.

The person who interceded for me was a pastor. He said while he was asking God what message He has for me, the pastor was given a vision of a fist. The fist was a sign that I am trying to penetrate into the lives of others; to punch through injustices and struggles of people. When that prayer was said for me, I just broke down as I knew that was what God wanted to confirm in something which I have been wrestling for a few months already - the consideration to serve in the mission field.

Well, I guess I will act upon it with the counsel of some leaders and older siblings-in-Christ of my church and see how God leads me from there.

That morning was such a moment of refreshing for me.

I also had a great time fellowshipping with the group I was mentoring. Though not much time was allocated for longer sharing, I still praise God for allowing me to know 8 new siblings-in-Christ from different churches. I also managed to catch up with a few other siblings-in-Christ whom I already know. I enjoyed a particular one where I had a good chat with a sister about missions.

I am already looking forward to the next YMLC. It is a commitment I have made to be a mentor for three years. Next year would be the last instalment of the three-year cycle.

Well, time for me to stop here and just rest after standing almost throughout the two days at the fair.

Tomorrow is my church's 53rd Anniversary. Looking forward to it already! :)

Find Solace In Places Of Joy And Sorrow

On Monday, my sister and I happened to walk past the Istana Park. I told her that dad used to bring me there when I was a small boy. It was then that there were flashes of the good memories I had. I was also prompted to share this because there seems to be a message God is trying to speak to me which I think may be applicable in the lives of others too. I will try my best to share this as clear as possible.

Now that I am much older, I have to confess my relationship with dad is not as close as before. There were several conflicts I had with him which caused the rift to widen.

Anyway, this morning I decided to visit the park again. I sat where I remembered where dad always brought me to. There used to be a pond but it is no longer there now. We went there often because of Plaza Singapura where Yaohan used to be located in and also Cathay Cinema where almost twice a month dad would bring me to go watch movies.

Now as I reflect on those good times, I missed them a lot.

As I sat on one of the seats, I told the Lord my desire to draw closer to dad again and of course mum and grandma too. I confess that sometimes I find them a burden because I have to take care of all their needs (and it is very tiring) but I also know it is my turn to take up this responsibility as they used to do that when they had to take care of my growing up needs.

Anyway, I shared with God that in the remaining years that my parents and grandma have here, I want to make them as happy as possible. I also jotted down what were some of the causes of our conflicts and submitted them to God - asking Him to make right what went wrong.

The one hour I spent at the park, though not long, brought a lot of healing in me.

I want to share this because I know there are many out there who are experiencing the same struggles with their loved ones. When I walked past the park on Monday, I felt God prompting me to visit all the happy and sad places which I had been to involving my family and to reflect on why we were so happy then and not much now and what are some of the things which are causing us to drift away from each other.

I found solace this morning. Praise the Lord!

The above-mentioned worked for me and I pray it will for you too.

I am blogging this in the library now. I decided to come here to get some work done.

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." Psalm 34:14