A Sabbathical Year

It is not a coincidence that I am doing a short course with Mercy on The Father Heart of God by Floyd McClung Junior, and even more amazing on the first sermon since April back to Paradise of God by Pastor Rachel on Nehemiah “Wired for Community” that i believe i am preparing for an extended sabbathical year that will radically move my christian walk to a relational one. Pray with me as i am asking for confirmation on going to DTS next year and before that, i seek for His providence for my current debt and the fee for DTS in Jan 2010 for 6 months or more in Hong Kong.

I am currently undergoing a re-wiring operation, to move the engine for running my life from the brain to the heart, and relating to the Father’s heart. One picture that is constantly coming back to me, is that God is not in the storm, nor the earthquakes, nor the flood, or the fire, but is in the soft whisper in my heart. He is not in the big and macro perspective of life, but He above all awesome aspects that daunts everything else in life, choose to relate to me in the inner confines of me, in the deepest sanctum of my heart where He has choose to dwell. That cannot be explained by theology, but simply from the love of a personal Father.

A little longer

A little longer by Jenn Johnson.

Who I am

The heartcry of everyone in life is to answer the question “Who I am?” and a reflection of God’s unconditional love to each and everyone of us, that goes beyond any human understanding.

Sight of need

I was on the bus back and at the bus stop at Geylang, while the bus was moving off, i saw an old lady dressed shabbily sitting and crying. I felt my heart broke into a thousand pieces. No one even with what they did or had done, all deserved the mercy and grace of God and more, His Love.I was sharing with a friend about what I want to do, and my passion in life is being a missionary. It is about telling people who had no hope, hope in Christ. I uttered a prayer for her.

To love, starts from now

No one is perfect, at least that is the truth that is hitting in my soul daily. Why am I then looking for the perfect church to go to, or looking for the best Christian community to hang out with; I realized these are the wrong questions to ask. It is not what the Church can do for me, it is what I can do for the church.

One of the key messages over the weekend was the story Pastor Isaiah preached on Sunday, about this award ceremony or a fund raising party where throngs of people were in the hall and people reading out Psalms 23, there came this man who narrated Psalms 23 flawlessly and everyone was making a din, until the last speaker, an old preacher of 70? came up on the stage and stammering out Psalms 23, but instead of hearing the jeers and noise, everyone was quiet and a cloud of awe and wonder descended on the place. The host has to hastily close the ceremony because of the awkward silence. At the door, when asked why there is a difference between the two speakers on the Psalms 23, the man who narrated beautifully said. While everyone can narrate Psalms 23, this old preacher LIVED it.

That statement resounded in my spirit and soul from then on, because it is something I have failed, while i studied the scriptures, or read the Word, and widely read on all Christian literatures, but i have not lived it. From now onwards i will seek to live Psalms 23, or Psalms 1, or the scriptures i have read so i will not be found being a hypocrite.

Good reminder

Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping to pick them up

This is so good!

When people call good evil, and evil good.

What a generation we have today when people call good evil, and evil good. I left a comment on the facebook for Mr George Yeo, thanking him for honouring his parents especially today Father’s Day. And someone left a message on Exodus 20 where we are commanded to honour our parents, and guess what, we have two jokers coming in to ridicule that comment. Indeed, this generation is wicked and violent and no love for the truth. I was just thinking what is wrong even when someone quoted the bible on something that is SO right? No, it is not the truth they are ridiculing, but the Bible. Perhaps it is ignorance or just pure wickedness of their heart? I believe that it is a sign of the generation of Noah, where it points to the end of the Age to usher the coming of Christ.

Why God allow trials?

I don’t think you need to be afraid of life. Our hearts are very
frail, and there are places where the road is very steep and very
lonely, but we have a wonderful God. And, as Paul puts it, “What
can separate us from his love? Not death,” he writes immediately.
No, not death, for standing in the roaring of the Jordan, cold with
its dreadful chill and very conscious of its terror, of its
rushing, I, too, like Hopeful in Pilgrim’s Progress, can call back
to you who one day in your turn will have to cross it, “Be of good
cheer, my brother, for I feel the bottom and it is sound. – Dr. Arthur John Gossip

The same message is played over and over again for the last few days is that such trials, the hardship that seems dauntless, God is reminding me again and again, it is of great worth. One might not see it now but at the end of the road, like Dr Arthur John Gossip, he can say it is sound, even there, Christ is in control, and we can be assured that God is in sovereign. Perhaps no other single doctrine in life that is more difficult to understand than the sovereignty of God. Perhaps it is not too late then, to start.

When Christians lack wisdom

The Sedition Trial involving 2 Christians in Singapore, who stood before the Court of justice, accused of handing out tracts to muslims on charges of attempt to undermine and erode the delicate fabric of racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

A few cases in the short 6 months in Singapore, we saw two high profiled public incidents that involved Christians, or should I say, Christians who lacked the wisdom in dealing with the world. The words of Jesus to exhort the disciples to be show wisdom in handling matters of the secular world and yet maintain the purity and innocence of our faith, is often ignored or marginalized for the sake of religious fervents.

I am at the same time wondering if there is a better way to be fired up about our Faith, perhaps by the lifestyle we all portrayed, that Jesus is better represented than going around giving tracks that could bring mockery to our Lord Jesus? Jesus never ever make offensive remarks about someone in how he deals with sin, or unbeliefs, but instead He showed them the truth in a manner of love and grace.

My heartcry

Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens, give me a willing heart to bear the burdens of others, give me a believing heart to cast all burdens upon thee, o Lord. – john baillie

The solace of writing

Nothing calms me more than lying down on my bed and typing whatever comes into my mind, as if the sudden rush of thoughts that gushing out seeking release or some sort of process of moving on. I felt the reassuring of life’s uncertainty is no more than a pitstop waiting for the turn of the red lights to green where it shall embarks on another chapter in life.

There are many minor experiences in the last six months while Mercy was away in Hong Kong, that i believe through them, i have grown. Whether it is professionally in the area of work, also emotional, spiritual and even mentally. Through my involvement in the various aspects of my professional life be it with the government agencies, companies and even peers, i felt that there is a distinct gap and how different i am. 10 more days before Mercy gets back and i believe life ahead with her will not be easy, but at the same time if we were to trust God, nothing will be impossible or too daunting. Faith after all is believing in something unseen, or rather believing in an invisible God to bring what He hath said to completion, which is my goal in heavenward. I have looked past the comfort of material wealth, but i shall seek the richness of knowing God.

The battle against temptation and sin, is never too hard when it is a war which God is involved in. How difficult is it when i have God on my side? I feel really good writing again, and knowing the heavy burden of leaving another group of family which i have been with for about a year or two, now i just need to look for another group of family, to know the faces of whom its passion pursued for God. The images of their faces are etched on the memory of the crowd who has gone before me, in their walk of faith, i felt has been a great encouragement.

The two faces of America

Naive Americans have made their gentle but surely descent down the wide and beautiful slope thinking that the stones shall mark the historical event where the first non-white president is elected. The hope that such will fire up the decadence of Americanism to another era of historic dominance in the world’s playstage.

How right can they be, the first 100 days of Obama’s presidency show that there is nothing is new in in this world, despite fiery promises of a better life for the Americans, better employment opportunities in the aftermath of the subprime crisis, america is inherently unchanged. He still struggles to find the door out of the economic trouble, the debacle at guantanamo bay issue, and foreign policies that still centred over the uncertainty of Iraq, afghanistan, and recent north Korea.

Now what has all these gotta do with the christian faith? Simple. America heralded the era where christian faith was exemplified with the founding principles of the nation and has till the end of world war 2, stood as the pillar of great courage to justice especially against the tyranny of Hitler in Europe. The change is subtle. Today Obama represent the change and the process to convert America to Islam. Where the fundamental freedom to proclaim one’s faith is prohibited in public schools, and Muslim are being exhalted in the halls of the government through Obama the prophet of Islamic faith of which American have failed to see.

Obama’s policy to divide Israel and Jerusalem is but the first step to a global war, and economic trouble at home will bring him to a position of bringing false peace to the region and ending in a betrayal to his allies and Israel. To which I know the end is very near.