Faith

Faith comes from God.  God grants us faith to believe in the miraculous.  When the eye do not see, God is actively at work in the challenges we find ourself in.  He is indescribable.  Everything in the natural seems to be chaotic but God is telling us to trust Him.  He opens our eyes to see.  He opens our hearts to understand.  He grants us faith to go deeper.  We are not satisfied with the ankle deep water.  We are not satisfied with the knee deep water.  We are not satisfied with the waist deep water.  We want to swim in the river of God.  We want to see signs and wonders.  We long to hear His whispers of love.  We long for the courts of the Lord.  We want to see Him in His glory and His grace.  Let Your sweet anointment fall upon us.  Fill us with the power of Your spirit.  Fill us through and through.  You are all we ever needed.

One Step at a Time

One step at a time

Leaning on Jesus

Living His promises

Learning to trust Him

One step at a time

When life gets out of control

You hold us in Your hands

You sustain us by Your grace

You surround us with Your love

All we know

Is to take

One step at a time

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Us

When the Spirit of the Lord

Is upon us

We arise with a new boldness

When the Spirit of the Lord

Is upon us

We arise with fresh hope

When the Spirit of the Lord

Is upon us

We arise with renewed strength

Spirit of the living God

Fall afresh on us

We receive Your anointing

To love

And to serve

Have Mercy on Us

Take away our pain

Take away sorrow

Take away despair

Fill our hearts 

With hope

Courage

Strength

And grace

Pour Your spirit on us

Shower Your mercy on us

Lead us through the fire

Lord, we call on You

We lean on You 

We trust in You alone

The Fire of His Love

Serving God brings us tremendous joy and fulfillment.  God's call has brought us to an amazing journey to His heart. 

We hear His heart beat and follow Him with no reservation. There is no higher calling than to worship and honour the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  

His love compels to love and serve Him and His people. He graces us to share the love of Christ.

Faith and adventure are pathways of the Lord. We can only go as far as the Lord leads. There are seasons of abundance and seasons of lack. 

We lean on Him and allow Him to see us through every season. We continue to soldier on in full assurance of His goodness and greatness. We depend completely on the Lord's care, love and providence. Our Redeemer lives!

We experience the fire of God's love. This fire burns brighter and stronger as the day goes by.  

The Lord sets our heart ablazed with His love. For the sake of knowing Christ, we step into the great unknown. We thread on unconventional pathways. We go where others shun. We leave our comfort zones. The Lord honours our faith.

He is ever faithful. Calvary's love propels us to take another step; to walk another mile. We see hope and possibilities in face of the daunting challenges and hardship.  

God pours His mercy and grace and opens our eyes to see His love at work. The ministry that God has entrusted to us is never a burden. It is a delight. It is a joy.  It is an honour to serve the everliving God.

God is so Good

Monte and I were married on 20 March 1999.  We thank God for blessing us with eighteen years of marriage.  We are grateful to the Lord for bringing us together and holding us in His loving hands all these years.  Monte is a wonderful and loving husband who constantly loves, cares, believes and supports me.  He sacrificed and gave of his best to me.  I am blessed.

God sustains us daily.  Each day, we are reminded that the Lord is in control and we can rely on Him completely.  We have tasted God's goodness and grace.  We have seen wonders and miracles.  The Lord shows us that there is absolutely nothing He cannot do.  We have experienced His miraculous provision.  We have experienced His abiding presence in the midst of raging storms.  Even at this moment, we are not out of the woods.  What keeps us going on is God's hand of love, His faithfulness and sustaining grace.  We desire to live in the center of His will.  As we posture our hearts to seek the Lord, we find strength for each new day. He is the reason for our being.  God unfolds His plans and purposes and fill our hearts with faith and hope.  We would not have made it apart from His mercy and grace.  We bow in humble adoration at the foot of the cross and declare that He is Lord.

We are thankful for family and friends who have journeyed with us all these years.  Many people have stood by us and encouraged us in our journey.  We appreciate each of you and pray for God's abundant blessings on you.

You Are More Than Enough

You are with us

Your hand of love is on us

Your Spirit leads us

That is all we ask

You are more than enough

All we ever needed is found in You

We put our trust in You

We cry out to You in desperation

We call on Your mighty name

We proclaim Your majesty

You are more than enough 

The cattle on the thousand hills are Yours

All creatures look to You for their food

We trust You in every season

We trust You in every storm

We trust You alone

Faithful God

As Monte leaves for the States, this morning.  Our hearts are overflowing with God's goodness and faithfulness.  His miraculous provision blew our minds.  We serve a God who has endless supply and resources.  We know that there is absolutely nothing He cannot do.

Monte's first stop after transit in LAX is Nashville, Tennessee, where he will spend a few days with Ekaputra Tupamahu (PhD student at Vanderbilt University) and his wife Jenny and kids. Then he and Ekaputra will drive up to St Louis, Missouri, to again participate and present a paper in the annual conference of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (9 -11 March).  We are grateful to God that He has orchestrated Monte's involvement in this global impacting conference for six consecutive years.  On 12 March, Monte will be off to California (Clovis/Fresno; central California) to visit our beloved family.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation for family and friends who have made this trip possible.  Some have blessed us financially,  others have encouraged and prayed for us. We pray for God's bountiful blessings on each one of you.

We journey with the Lord with joy, hope and expectancy.  We know we cannot do anything apart from the Lord.  He is boundless, limitless and matchless.  God is ever faithful, merciful and gracious.  We see the miraculous, life, hope and endless possibilities in Christ.

Miraculous Provision

Monte and I have been praying for God’s supernatural supply for his upcoming 2017 Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) Meeting (9–11 March) This meeting will be held at Urshan College / Urshan Graduate School of Theology, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The theme is “Pentecostalism and Culture,” my topic is, “Towards a Pentecostal Conscientizing Praxis of Mass Culture Engagement.” Recognizing the role Pentecostalism plays towards shaping culture, he will be suggesting from the wells of pentecostal theology, constructive ways for doing so, in dialogue with Roman Catholic approaches. This will be his fifth presented paper in six consecutive SPS annual meetings.

Last night, Monte bought his air ticket. We thank God for His miraculous provision. We marvel at His greatness and goodness. His has endless supply. We find our sufficiency in Christ. We purpose in our hearts to pursue Him at all cost.

Our hearts go out to our family and friends who have supported us financially towards this ministry. We appreciate many who have prayed for us. Many have also encouraged us in this journey.

Our God is a prayer answering God. When we cry to Him, He extends His hand of love to us in His mercy and grace. He pours His blessings on all who call on His great name. We the redeemed stand amazed in His presence. We declare our everlasting love for Him. We bow in humble adoration at His throne of grace.

Fall Afresh on us

Lord, grant us a fresh impartation of faith. We want to see through Your eyes, we want to hear through Your ears. We want to feel Your heart cry. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us this day. Let Your anointing fall on us as we pray in faith believing You for the many miracles we need. Extend Your hand of mercy and love. Teach us to walk by faith and not by sight. Flood our hearts with Your sure hope and assurance. Pour Your grace on us as we reach out to You with our desperate plea. Do a deep and a lasting work in us. We desire to live in Your will. Unfold Your purposes to us as we seek Your face. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us.

Dream Maker

By the power of God’s spirit, dreams are born in our hearts. God does not only birth dreams in us, He brings them to pass in His time.

 

God consumes us totally, He speaks into our hearts. We learn to lean on Him completely. 

We step out in faith. We hearken unto His voice and follow hard after our maker and redeemer. 

God displays His awesome power and strength through our weaknesses and  vulnerability. 

He is alive; He comes into our chaotic world and brings peace that passes understanding. He brings hope in our utter despair. 

He is our miracle working. He is our prayer answering God. How great is our God!

The dreams that God birthed in our hearts speak of His awesome goodness and greatness. He abides in us. He brings renewed strength. His purpose and hope burn strongly. 

All we need is found in God and God alone. He who began the good work in us will bring it to  completion. 

He bring wholeness, healing and strength to our broken bodies.

Lord, we call out to You, this day. Come Holy Spirit, come in Your might. Come and abide in us. Let Your glory fill the earth as the water covers the sea. Let us see Your dreams come true in our lifetime.

Miracle Working God

Monte and I have been serving the Lord together since 1999.  God has been faithfully leading and guiding us to love and serve Him in ways that we could never imagined.  God has place the PHD aspiration in Monte's heart for the past three decades.  

The following is a write up on this aspiration:
"Dear Friends, and Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Through the Spirit of God who proclaims the healing of Jesus to all creation— grace, peace, and joy be yours in increasing fullness! 

MOVING FORWARD 2017
 ·         March 2017 USA trip for SPS paper presentation.
·         PhD proposal approved / invitation to application process

PhD proposal approved for Centre of Pentecostal & Charismatic Studies (Bangor University, Wales) / Invitation to application process / Aspiring to start in 2017.
·         Prayer requests / how you can help.
·         My vision and passion.
·         Conclusion. 

As most of you may be thinking, this email is marking a yearly pattern.  To those who have prayed or generously helped over the past few years, please know again: Jee Fong and I are indebted to you.  Once again let me say: at the very least, what we seek is from a posture of gratefulness before God and you who have helped us in the past— faithfulness to His Word over us.  Faithfulness to God’s Word, as we discern His will, moving forward from now to the future.
So again I write that I may enlist your prayer and involvement via however God prompts you— for the up-building of the Church, the coming Kingdom, and the greater glory of God.

MARCH 2017 USA TRIP FOR SPS PAPER PRESENTATION

2017 Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) Meeting (9–11 March)
Please read this point in context of the following discussion (Bangor PhD programme).  SPS has again approved my paper proposal for the 2017 SPS conference.  This meeting will be held at Urshan College / Urshan Graduate School of Theology, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.  You can learn more about this by visiting the SPS website (http://www.sps-usa.org). 
As next year’s theme is “Pentecostalism and Culture,” my topic is, “Towards a Pentecostal Conscientizing Praxis of Mass Culture Engagement.”  Recognising the role Pentecostalism plays towards shaping culture, I will be suggesting from the wells of pentecostal theology, constructive ways for doing so, in dialogue with Roman Catholic approaches.  God willing, this will be my fifth presented paper in six consecutive SPS annual meetings.  Through four points, let me further share on the aims of my role in the 2016 SPS meeting:

Through four points, let me share the aims of my role in the 2016 SPS meeting:

1.    Shaping world Pentecostal theology and spirituality
Through this global-influencing platform, I am again participating in the shaping of world Pentecostal theology.  

2.    Ecumenical dialogue on relations between Pentecostalism and culture
This will be my third year of involvement with the Ecumenical Interest Group, which involves representatives from varied Christian traditions, including Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and other Protestant traditions.  These conversations help foster bridge building between Pentecostalism and other traditions.

3.    Linking our local setting to important global conversations
I am linking my setting (here in Singapore and Southeast Asia), to conversations occurring amongst this international fellowship of ministry leaders, pastors, theologians, and scholars, on the role of Pentecostalism towards shaping local and global culture.

4.    Meeting the doctoral supervisor for beginning the targeted 2017 PhD programme.
Let me clarify this in the next section.

PhD PROPOSAL APPROVED / INVITATION TO APPLICATION PROCESS

PhD proposal approved for Centre of Pentecostal & Charismatic Studies (Bangor University, Wales)
Last July through prayer, discerning confirmation, and encouraging counsel to resolutely move forward— I formally proposed a PhD research proposal to Rev Dr. Frank Macchia, one of the Directors for the Centre of Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies at Bangor University School of Theology and Religious Studies (Wales, UK).  I did so, stating I am to begin in 2017. 

As some of you may know, Dr Macchia is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God (USA), based at Vanguard University in Southern California, and respectfully known across Christian traditions as a world-class Pentecostal theologian.  Many recognise his past work as evidencing a deep passion towards fusing grassroots pentecostal experience, worship, mission, and theologising— into one seamlessly practiced way of life.

After several email exchanges and revisions to the draft, on 23 August Dr Macchia approved the proposal.  He added, “this proposal is good. . . . I believe that you can make a worthy contribution to pentecostal scholarship.”  So to those who prayed for me as I worked on the draft, let me say, thank you.  I have titled the proposal, “Towards a Pentecostal Theological-Aesthetic and Practice of Sacred Time.”  The project will research how “sacred time” is understood, practiced, and being theologically developed within pentecostal spirituality.  So the project will focus on worship and liturgy, recognising that pentecostal liturgy is foremost oral rather than print-based, and that is crucial to its giftedness as a Christian tradition. 

Invitation to application process / Aspiring to start in 2017.

On 25 August I received an email from Dr Eryl W Davies, head of the Bangor, School of Philosophy and Religion.  He mentioned that Dr Macchia had been in touch with him about me, and advised me to now start the application process and forms.  This will be a five year doctoral programme.  Yet as a supervisor-directed pure research programme (no course work), it can be pursued anywhere in the world.  It only requires an on-site meeting with my supervisor (Dr Macchia) once year.  Moving forward, this meeting now becomes a key purpose to my ongoing involvement with the annual SPS conference, at least for the next several years.  What I understand is that this would coincide with the annual SPS meetings, probably with a batch of other Bangor PhD students.  God willing, presuming that the PhD programme miraculously begins, meeting Dr Macchia at the SPS meeting next March will comprise a key purpose to my trip.

PRAYER REQUESTS / HOW YOU CAN HELP

1.    March 2017 USA trip for SPS paper presentation
As in these past years, my attendance next March depends on coming to God in prayer for all necessary expenses (plane fare, hotel accommodations, conference fees, etc).  It remains a big faith venture, wholly dependent on God’s miraculous provision for that which is beyond our present capacity.
Please note the following time-expedient items:
Conference registration fees. 

By 1 November, conference participants are required to have their registration and membership fees covered (which can be done after 1 October).
Airfare. 

It would be best if I could secure airfare soon as possible (September-November), to avoid rising costs/limited seat challenges as we move closer to March 2017.
Your prayer towards these items is appreciated.  And if you are able to financially help, just let me know and we can arrange in ways that get the funds directly to these items.  I do immediately need help in meeting the conference registration fees.

2.    Bangor application process, final approval, and long-term funding.
Application process. 

First, please pray for God’s hand on the application process. 
Long-term tuition funding: Concerning the long-term costs involved, that would take a real big miracle.  Please pray for that miracle. The cost is far beyond our social-economic reach.  So this is the only way it can happen.
Meeting the yearly tuition costs

The basic tuition costs would be about US$8,000 per year; so, about US$40,000 over five years.  This would require access to things like scholarships, grants, and just plain miraculous funding.  A stronger family income would also help. Several months ago, I was linked up to a local scholarship foundation who expressed interest in my potential programme. They advised that once I have an “official acceptance letter” from Bangor, that I should apply for their scholarship.   So once that happens, I will follow through with that.

As I shall stress below, we recognise that to moving forward towards these aims, requires readiness to go forward wherever this may take us, to maximise their purpose and potential outcomes for the good of the global Pentecostal tradition, and the worldwide Church of God.  Therefore, also pray towards:
1. Funding that can initiate this PhD venture.

2. Long-term strategies for meeting the yearly PhD expenses.
3. Any new ministerial, church, organisational, or collaborative relations that may also help towards the short or long-term funding of this venture.

MY VISION AND PASSION
As I have stressed in previous updates, let me again frame these endeavours within the vision and passion that I find defining my greater sense of mission as an ecumenically minded Pentecostal: to preach the Gospel for all creation, fostering pentecostal spirituality and its theological tradition worldwide— for the unifying renewal of the global Church.
Let me also again stress, I am pursuing both the March 2017 SPS trip and the Bangor PhD programme, in ecumenical service to the greater global Church.  And as best both my wife Jee Fong and I discern, we are pursuing this with full openness to God and His whole world, willing to go wherever the Lord may send us in convergence to this project’s purpose and outcomes for:

·            The global renewing of pentecostal spirituality.
·            The growing renaissance of this tradition’s theological tradition.
·            In ecumenical service for the unifying renewal of the Church of God worldwide and the greater glory of God.

CONCLUSION
Believing God has both impassions and wills us towards this journey, both Jee Fong and I pray that you may find motive towards aiding these endeavours.  This may be through intentional prayer, financial support, involved strategic planing or networking, or facilitating new ministerial platforms in convergence to this venture. 

May God guide your involvement in these ventures.  May the Lord prosper you with renewed passion for God’s coming kingdom, good health, and overflowing abundance.

The peace of Christ be yours through the power of God’s Spirit,
Monte

monteleerice.wordpress.com
sg.linkedin.com/in/monterice
academia.edu/MonteRice

Curricular Vitae: https://app.box.com/files/0/f/57952994/1/f_554694150
Ministry Profile: https://app.box.com/files/0/f/57952994/1/f_554691848
monterice@gmail.com

For the healing of our Father’s world,
May we of many tongues
Through Pentecost—
Be made one
In Christ.
Before God: Practice mercy, cause justice, heal the world.
Let us tarry for Heaven's surprises
Where in waiting hearts
Hope surprises with
More than enough
Love to pass
On the way
Of faith."

We are thankful for the opportunity for Monte to serve through this platform that the Lord had sovereignly opened. On the other hand, we do not have the funds to do this. Over dinner this evening, I told Monte that God is going to provide for the upcoming SPS conference. God has challenged us to believe even when we do not see with our natural eyes. He has performed one miracle after another. He shows us that nothing is impossible for Him. This trip is not possible in the natural but God will do a supernatural work.

We marvel at His greatness and providence. As we step out in faith to believe, the Lord reminds us that all we have to offer Him is our five loaves and two fishes and He will multiply. He has blown our minds so many times that our hearts would leap with joy. We serve a mighty God. He knows no bounds. He is limitless, matchless and awesome. As God begins to work, we see our vulnerability and frailty in the light of His greatness. The Lord is greatly to be praised.


God has shown us that there is absolutely nothing He cannot do.  We step out in faith only to find out that He has paved the way for us way in advance.  He is a miracle working God.  We can only bow in humble adoration for He is greatly to be praised and worshiped.

Society News | Home | Society for Pentecostal Studies

The 46th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies will be held at Urshan College / Urshan Graduate School of Theology in Florissant (St. Louis), MO, March 9-11, 2017. More Information >

sps-usa.org

Divine Providence

Monte and I were at the Ministers' Institute cum Retreat (MIR) in Malacca, Malaysia, from 21 - 24 November, 2016. Our stay in Holiday Inn was wonderful. 

Our friends, B and M (a christian couple), have graciously paid for me to attend this retreat. I am deeply indebted to their kind generosity and help.

Time and again, God has shown His goodness and faithfulness to Monte and I. We are humbled and thankful for His providence and grace. The Lord's unending mercy is new every morning. His unfailing love never fails. Our hearts rejoice for He is exceedingly good. God has blessed us beyond our wildest imagination.

Great is the Lord

We are limited; we are bound by space and time. Even the smartest among us have their limits. God is limitless, ageless, boundless, matchless and great. When God speaks into the depths of our hearts, things that were once impossible and not achievable suddenly brim with possibility. Our hearts overflow with hope and optimism. Our hearts leap with joy. We cannot contain all that God is doing. The awesomeness and glory of God spur us on to trust God for the impossible. He leads us to tread on uncharted water. From faith to faith, He empowers us to see the miraculous as His glory fills the earth.

The River of Your Spirit

In the face of a raging storm
We feel Your peace
In the times of testing
We know Your presence
In the place of desolation
We feel Your comfort
In the depth of our pain
We receive Your healing
Who is like unto You
The God of comfort
The one who is with us 
Till the end of the age
Flood us with Your love
Let Your raging river
Wash over us 
As we are carried 
By the river of Your spirit

Grant us Courage

It takes courage to do what God puts on our hearts. It takes courage to step into the water. It takes courage to keep on going on.

God works on our behalf. We see His miraculous work unfold before our eyes. We see miracles. We see His power. We see His glory.

God opens the floodgates of heaven and pours His spirit on us. We begin to see, and hear and understand the heart of God. 

God unleashed His anointing on us. He challenges us to take another step of faith. As we step out in obedience, God empowers and anoints us.

We place our complete trust in Him. We allow the Lord to lead us to places that we never imagined going.

God pours His spirit on us. We set our faces like flint before Him. When we are deeply rooted in Him, no storm can overcome us. 

We declare His faithfulness. Our sovereign God rule and reign. He is matchless. He is unparalleled. He deserves all the praises in our hearts.

God's Holy Call

God is raising God fearing men and women who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  

We are a people who are consumed by the holy call of God upon our lives. We abondon all we have to pursue the Lord.  

We want to see God's purposes and will fulfilled in our lifetime. We lay aside comfort, prestige and  power to embrace all that the Lord desires to do in our broken lives. 

God pours His spirit on us. He empowers us to do what we are incapable to do. All that matters is that all glory and honour will go to Him. All that we see is the loving hands of God. We live to see a sign of His goodness.

Walking by Faith

Lord, teach us to walk by faith and not by sight. When we do not see, when we do not hear, when the obstacles and challenges mount. Teach us to lean and cling to You our eternal rock of salvation. Open our eyes to see, open our ears to hear. Open our hearts to receive You in Your splendour, majesty and grace. Touch our hearts, this day. Pour Your spirit on us, we pray.

Miracle Working God

In August, we received word from the Society of Pentecostal Studies thatMonte's paper has been accepted for the March 2017 Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

As next year’s theme is “Pentecostalism and Culture,” Monte's topic is, “Towards a Pentecostal Conscientizing Praxis of Mass Culture Engagement.” Recognising the role Pentecostalism plays towards shaping culture, he will be suggesting from the wells of pentecostal theology, constructive ways for doing so, in dialogue with Roman Catholic approaches. God willing, this will be his fifth presented paper in six consecutive SPS annual meetings.

We are thankful for the opportunity for Monte to serve through this platform that the Lord had sovereignly opened. On the other hand, we do not have the funds to do this. Over dinner this evening, I told Monte that God is going to provide for the upcoming SPS conference. God has challenged us to believe even when we do not see with our natural eyes. He has performed one miracle after another. He shows us that nothing is impossible for Him. This trip is not possible in the natural but God will do a supernatural work.

We marvel at His greatness and providence. As we step out in faith to believe, the Lord reminds us that all we have to offer Him is our five loaves and two fishes and He will multiply. He has blown our minds so many times that our hearts would leap with joy. We serve a mighty God. He knows no bounds. He is limitless, matchless and awesome. As God begins to work, we see our vulnerability and frailty in the light of His greatness. The Lord is greatly to be praised.

The Power of His Presence

Two days ago, I was experiencing nagging discomfort at the upper portion of my spine.  Yesterday morning, I woke up with a hard lump at the top of my spine.  There is pain when I touch the hard lump.  The amazing thing is I have perfect peace.  In the natural, I could have panicked and worried. 

God is not a figment of our imagination, He is alive, He works in and through us powerfully.  The beauty of the Christian faith is that God gives us peace that passes understanding.  Peace that defies logic.  Peace that conquers fears and anxiety.  We experience peace that the world can never understand.  The power of God’s presence under girds us amazingly.  He is our hope and refuge.  He is our help in times of need.  Our healer, our comforter and strength.