God and God alone

I accepted the Lord in 1980 and embarked on an amazing journey with Him that I have never regretted right from the beginning. Soldiering on bravely by the power and strength of His spirit, I can only stand amazed at His goodness and grace.

In our walk with God, we soon discover that we have not arrived. Our journey has just begun. We will explore and discover more with the ticking of the clock. At the breaking of a new day, we purpose in our hearts to pursue the lover of our soul with our whole being. The love of God consumes every part of us as we abandon ourselves to Him with reservation. Only God and God alone can satisfy our deepest longing. He has the answer to our problems. He knows our thoughts before we could speak them out. How great and awesome is the privilege to worship and honour the God of this universe.

Always with us

He carries the world upon His shoulders; there is nothing He cannot do. The daily grind of life, the burdens, the heaviness of heart, the pain in the body, the distress in seemingly difficult circumstances glare loudly at our faces. But they will never overcome us as long as we fix our eyes on Jesus. He helps us to persevere and press on because He opens our eyes to see light at the end of the tunnel. Hope and faith burn brighter as we near the end of the race. Nothing can separate us from His love. We rest secure and safe in the arms of our loving God. He is always with us. We have peace that passes understanding and hope that never diminish. We live each day by the grace and power of God.

He has a soft Spot for them

Years ago while we were in the Philippines, one time Monte preached at a mountain church. We had such a wonderful time of ministry to the villages. The people were so warm and kind. They may be poor but they were full of the joy of the Lord. The Lord always has a soft spot for the poor and the needy. As we ministered among the poor in the land, God’s power and grace flowed from His throne to touch those precious and needy people. After the service had ended, they served us chicken with rice for lunch. Chicken was a delicacy for these poor villages. Our hearts warmed up by their hospitality and kindness. They served us their best portions and for that, we received with immense gratitude.

So Proud of Him

I am very thankful for the privilege to conduct an oral communication class to primary four students at a school in Jurong from 15 - 19 March 2010. In the class, there was an autistic boy and I shall call him ‘John’. John was at times a little inattentive but otherwise he was coming along. At the end of the programme, I asked the kids to make an oral presentation individually in front of the class. When it was John’s turn, he willingly stood up and started with his presentation. I was so proud of him. It was not easy for him to stand before so many of his classmates to speak. What I like about my training job is that I am encouraged to see precious children excelling, improving and most of all growing in confidence.

Living in His Glory and Grace

One day, Monte and I were walking by the roadside when we saw these beautiful flowers shown in this post. Very often, we bypass God’s beautiful creation in the hustle and bustle of daily living. The Lord beckons us to look to Him. His loving, gentle nudge, His reassuring and life giving word, His abiding and awesome presence lure us deeper into loving Him. He consumes our total being completely. His life and light penetrate deep into our heart and spirit so that we can live in His glory and grace.

The Power of a Transparent Life

Men and women of God who made great impact on people for the cause of the gospel took enormous amount of risks. For some it is leaving their comfort zone, while others had to endure hardship, physical harm and danger. There is yet another type of risk and that is the risk of vulnerability. The Lord allows them to share some of their life experiences transparently to testify of His unwavering faithfulness. These sharing and testimonies not only challenge our faith but ultimately God’s great name is glorified and magnified.

By living a transparent life, nothing is hidden except for God’s grace and glory, which shine through gloriously. As I reflect, most of the people whom I receive ministry from are people who are open and transparent in life and ministry. Things may not be always rosy but the amazing grace and power of God emanates through them. The enduring love and faithfulness of our unfailing God never cease.

Rebuilding our Shattered Lives

Monte and I have been keeping plants for some years now. Monte is the one with the green fingers. Our money plant is durable and easy to maintain. However, occasionally, infectious diseases come on it and the leaves will turn yellow. At least on two separate occasions in the past, we had brought it down to ground zero. Everything above the soil had to go and with time, new green shoots emerge. These new plants are luscious, green and healthy.

Like the money plant, God has to rebuild, heal, restore and revitalize us when we lose our luster and shine due to our sins, bad decision-making, insubmission or stubbornness. God in His love will never leave nor forsake us. He will painstakingly rebuild our shattered lives because He loved us. He sees the best in us when we despise ourselves. The balm of Gilead soothes our pain, agony and discomfort and pours His oil on us lavishly. God is a God of second chance, a God of faithfulness and goodness. When we abandon our lives completely to Him, He will shine and polish us till we can be put on display for Him again.

Love made them One

One of the things that stood out in my parents-in-law's relationship is their deep love for each other. They loved and cared for each other dearly. My father-in-law and my late mother-in-law set an example for all of us children to pattern after. I believe people who saw them together would immediately see their genuine love and affection for each other. Love bound them together. God is the ultimately the one who cause marriages to flower and flourish because we can only love through His love which is poured out from His heart.

A Tribute to My Mother-In-law, Barbara Jean Ham

My mother-in-law, Barbara Jean Ham went home to be with the Lord in early May this year. She was a wonderful person. She loved the Lord dearly. She was also nice and caring towards people. She was bubbly and cheerful.

For many years, she had to face much health challenges but that did not cause her faith to waver. She remained strong and faithful to the Lord. She persevered to love and serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

My parents-in-law were in Singapore about ten times over the years. We appreciated them for visiting us in Singapore. Making the trip here each time was not easy. Even as our families feel the pain of losing her, we know that one day we will meet her again. The place that we dwell in on this earth is only a temporal place. As we turn our eyes upon Jesus, He empowers us to press on till the very end.

Thankful

We are thankful for the invitation for Monte to preach at His Sanctuary on 17 April, 2010. We extend our thanks to Pastor Luke and his church for the wonderful opportunity to bring the word to their congregation. We are humbled by the grace and goodness of our almighty God.

The word of God is so precious. He leads and directs us through His word. We are mindful that His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. He uses His word to purge us of all uncleanness and filth. He also refreshes us with His life giving word. No wonder the psalmist said that he loved the law of the Lord. For His word brings us life and wholeness.

The Sunrise of Hope

Every sunrise glimmers with hope and optimism. We rise up in bold declaration that our God is great. He invites us to go an awesome journey with Him each new day. We can live triumphantly through the power of His Spirit.

As surely as the sun would rise, sunset will follow. Every sunrise speaks of the faithfulness of our great God. He understands our grief, pain and struggles. His reassuring and abiding presence is more than enough for everyday living. He beckons us on as we fix our eyes on Him. His love compels us to pursue Him wholeheartedly. We serve a God who will never fail us. He is forever faithful and true. He is completely dependable and trustworthy. We live because He gives us the reason to live a new and a glorious day for Him and Him alone.

Vocal Training at Chapel of Christ the Redeemer

I am very thankful for the Lord’s opening for me to conduct vocal training at Chapel of Christ the Redeemer (CCR) over four sessions of training from 17 April to 15 May 2010. I am also appreciative of the leadership of CCR for this wonderful opportunity to go back there to share. I last trained there in 2008. It was a wonderful time of training with people who not only encouraged me by their commitment but also their infectious enthusiasm.

In my final session yesterday, I shared on the importance of continual learning. We will never stop learning, sometimes the source of information and knowledge can spring from the most unexpected places. No one can say that we have arrived because if we are open to learn, we will never leave empty-handed. There are times when people who may have less experience than us can open our eyes to see things we have never seen before.

How Small is our Strength

I enjoy looking at pictures of tiny people set in the big and beautiful creation of the Lord. Our God is so big and He is in absolute control of our life. In the face of trials and tribulations, we see the smallness of our strength. Our weak and feeble knees reveal our limitations and weaknesses. But God in His mercy pours out His strength and grace on all who call upon Him. His ears are inclined to the cries of His desperate children. His arm is never too short to reach us. We serve a great and awesome God who never forsakes us no matter what. He walks with us and He talks with us. He leads us by the hand and shows us His wonders, might and beauty.