Love Is The Solution

Today is one of those mornings when I was anticipating a great day ahead but it turned out to be totally the opposite. Sigh.

When I left my bed for the kitchen, mum told me that grandma is throwing her tantrums again and that the latter is accusing the former for not giving her her monthly allowance again. As usual when such incidents happened, one would rake up the past and then all the grudges would surface again. It could have been resolved easily if one gives way but for my family's case, it was not to be. One must win the other to be satisfied.

I tried to find out from grandma what happened but she kept quiet. I decided to leave her alone as it was no point forcing her to say anything. I advised her to keep her cool and reminded her that all these while, she has been receiving her allowances as they are all in this little box which I gave her so that she knows where she keeps her money.

The situation was made worse when my brother intervened. He started raising his voice at every one. I do not blame him for being angry when he witnesses such incidents because this has been going on for as long as we were born into the family. He and I are very fed-up with this constant bickering.

Anyway, this led to both of us losing our cool and we ended up quarreling with each other.

I am not ashamed to share that out of the five of us in the family, four are Christians. My brother is not. As much as it is perceived that Christians should be able to handle the above situation with a cool head, sometimes it is not to be because Christians are humans too.

As humans, we are all fallen nature hence this is still happening in my family. I am not using this as an excuse but what I want to share next is my prayer for the family (including myself) and it is something I trust that God will teach my family and I - to learn to love as He loves; to forgive as He forgives; and to surrender the past hurts and let God heal us in the present. Unless this can be practised, the problem will persist. Unless we love one another as God loves us, we still do not know God fully. I have to admit it is tough for me to practice even but I will keep pressing on.

I am now in church as I needed to get out of the house to catch a breather. I had wanted to stay home initially to spend time with my family but in this current situation, giving each other space to breathe is a better option.

Though the above-mentioned has dampened my day, I pray that I will remain focused and carry on with what I need to do for today. God be my help.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4:7-21

Great Commission Christians

Since Tuesday I have been sniffing and blowing my nose till it feels like dropping off again... well, I used "again" because I have been down three times in a span of one month and that is no joke. I do not know why my immune system is so low lately. I am praying this will be the last time I fall sick as in the months ahead I have a lot of things to deal with.

Anyway, praise the Lord for the rest I had though I have a couple of things to handle the past few days and awaiting a busy weekend ahead.

Though it would be hectic, I am looking forward to them all - tomorrow I have to attend the Worship Team rehearsal as I am playing the drums after taking a break for a real long time. I have decided to commit to this once a month; Saturday morning I have to prepare for the NDP rehearsal; then I will excuse myself in the afternoon to head for church to attend the "A Day of Prayer for Missions" organised by the Missions Committee on a quarterly basis; after that it is back to The Padang for the National Education Show.

Sunday morning it would be the continuation for the "Each One Give One" Bible Donation Drive (two more weeks!) where the Missions Committee is encouraging the church to donate Khmer Bibles to the Khmer-Christians who cannot afford to buy one as their monthly income are just so low. This is part of the Church's Anniversary Celebration where we want to bless others what God has blest us with especially in paying up all the debts for the Redevelopment Project. It is also part of the Missions Committee's objective in discipling this "unreached people group" we have adopted.

Next will be playing the drums at the 11.15am service and in the afternoon I have to facilitate the missions training for the Youth Ministry's Mission Team who will be going to Cambodia in December.

Well, typing the above three paragraphs is already breathless for me but I am trusting God who is my strength to pull me through them all. I know I am going to enjoy every moment of the events listed. :)

Oh yah, this Sunday is Missions Emphasis Sunday. On Tuesday I was in church compiling, printing and collating the Missions Ministry's Prayer Booklets - all 650 of them. One church staff asked me whether it was worth the effort doing all these. I understood the angle she was coming from as we all know not all will even flip through the first page of the booklet and many will leave them on the pews and chairs after the services but I told my dear sister-in-Christ this - so long as one person flips through the pages and prays for the items listed, all thanks and praise to God because those needs are covered and will be answered in the name of Jesus!!! That is worth all the effort!!! :)

It is just so important for Christians to intercede for the work of missions overseas and locally especially for those who have answered God's call to be missionaries in a land where they are totally new to. I wonder how many Christians back here in Singapore would understand the struggles and loneliness these servants of God are and how much they need to be covered in prayers.

Well, not all may be in the mission fields overseas but every one can play a part for missions at least in doing one thing - going down on our knees and cry for the mercy and grace of God to be upon the missionaries and the many lives still lost. Who knows? That may just be a spark to encourage more to go and make disciples of all nations and cause millions of hearts to turn to God and to be politically correct, without being forced to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour but out from their own free will!

Missions is also right at our door-steps especially in Singapore where there are so many foreign workers employed in all sectors of the economy. If every one (Christian) can reach one, many will go back to their own homelands and share the love of Christ to their loved ones and countrymen.

It is not an easy task but the God I worship is an Almighty God and He can do things which are impossible. All we need is to avail ourselves and He will do the rest. :)

Okie, I have said enough. Time for me to go blow my nose AGAIN and then rest!!!

Have a great weekend ahead!!! ;)

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18

World Crap

I am thankful that the World Cup is over - not that I have watched every match hence having a soccer hangover now. In fact it is the opposite - I am proud to say and surprise myself that I did not watch a single match at all. Amazing for a soccer fanatic like me!

The first reason is my decision to boycott the World Cup totally. I find it absurd for two telcos (you know who they are) to fight over the rights of broadcasting the matches that they actually tried out-bidding each other not by the thousands of dollars but millions. Then came FIFA who exploited the whole situation and charged the telcos exorbitant fees.

Well, in the end the two ignorant and childish telcos realised that it was stupid to compete against each other and ended up joining forces to telecast the matches which by then the fees had sky-rocketed!

The chairman of one of the telcos even had the cheek to tell would-be subscribers that it would only cost $1 a match when it could have been much lower if they had thought of doing a joint-venture in the first place. If he made it sound so affordable then provide the service for free! Talk is easy but it showed how foolish they have been.

Next was something I felt very sad, burdened and angry. Instead of watching soccer matches as they are - a game - there were Christians (some who are children of church leaders) who actually succumbed to temptations and placed bets on almost every match. When some lost, they started cursing and swearing, not in private but in public like on Facebook, etc. Do they not feel ashamed especially in front of those who know they are Christians? Where have the months or years of Christian Education in their lives gone to? Writing this reminds me now of a sibling-in-Christ who is in debt because this individual bet more than he/she could afford.

For those who are reading this blog, are you one of the above-mentioned? If you are, please evaluate your actions and testimonies.

The most outrageous of the World Cup saga was placing trust in animals which are of lower being than humans to predict each match winner - one is an octopus named Paul (man, the Apostle Paul must have turned over in his grave for this) and the other was a parrot called Mani. Sigh. Some worshiped them like idols while others want to kill and cook them because the predictions were not likings to their ears and pockets.

It may sound hilarious as one looks back now but it also shows how fallen man is.

World Cup? Nah. World Crap? Yah!

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." Hebrews 12:11-13

God Reigns In My Trials

I was running some errands this afternoon when I received a call from my brother that grandma had a fall in the kitchen. He suspected that her left toes may have been broken or dislocated and her hips affected.

I rushed back home and with the help of my cousin, we drove grandma to the Accident & Emergency Department of Tan Tock Seng Hospital. As usual, there was a long wait for her to be examined and have the X-rays taken.

While waiting, I sent out short messages to some siblings-in-Christ to inform them of the accident and asked them to intercede for grandma.

The X-rays showed a hairline crack on grandma's left toe and hip but I was glad that they were not serious enough for her to be admitted. After collecting the medication, we headed home.

I am thankful that grandma was not seriously injured but her mobility will be a problem for at least the next one month or so. She was told to rest as much as possible and has to use a walking stick should she need to go to the toilet.

I am praying for God to have mercy upon my parents and grandma - in the past one year, their health have taken a turn for the worse with both my parents having a stroke, then with grandma being diagnosed with dementia and now her fall.

I also prayed for God to be gracious to my brother and I as we have been quite drained physically, mentally and emotionally taking care of their needs.

I have been unwell myself for the past three weeks - downed with some viral infection which gave me high fever, flu, cough, headache and sore throat; I had food poisoning this week which brought back the fever. My cough is still persisting and once in a while I keep having this pounding headaches.

If I have to say all these happened at a wrong timing, it is really so. The Missions Committee which I am chairing is working on a relocation project for a church we adopted in Cambodia. Two weeks ago I was supposed to have a meeting with the Committee members but I fell sick badly. It had to be postponed to the following week.

I am supposed to present the project to the church leadership tomorrow and now I do not know whether I can even attend the meeting as I have to make sure things at home are in order first.

On Wednesday I was to meet my Pastor and two Committee members to do the powerpoint slides for the presentation and the day before I was down with food poisoning.

In the afternoon I was informed by a brother-in-Christ that one of my Missions Committee members' sister passed away suddenly on Tuesday due to a serious asthma attack.

I am not trying to link everything to spiritual warfare but I cannot discount the fact that we are engaged in one. As much as I am quite discouraged with all that had happened, I am still fixing my eyes on my God Almighty as I know He will not fail me by leaving me in a lurch. Sometimes I cannot fathom why He allowed certain trials to happen but I will respect His will and trust that they happen for a reason.

I have not been blogging since the beginning of last month as I am simply tired. I have never felt so tired in my life before. I also cannot deny that I have not kept my temper in check lately, especially at home and towards those whom I am closer with. I pray I will continue to press on and find joy in the Lord who will be my strength.

If some of you think that I have decided to stop blogging totally... well, I am not. To those who have affirmed me that you have been blest reading my blogs, a big thank you to you. All praise to God for allowing me to share His goodness through this medium. I will press on but bear with me that I may not be able to blog as oft as I would love to as my human strength is limited.

I am tired now. I shall try to get some rest soon.

The Lord bless and keep you all.

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13