The Inspirational Story of Dr Richard Teo

The \Late Dr Richard Teo

The late Dr Richard Teo, a 40-year-old millionaire and cosmetic surgeon died from stage 4 cancer 18 October 2012.  The following is the transcript of a talk he gave to the D1 class (medical students) on 19 Jan 2012.

“Hi good morning to all of you.  My voice is a bit hoarse, so please bear with me. I thought I'll just introduce myself.  My name is Richard, I'm a medical doctor.  And I thought I'll just share some thoughts of my life.  It's my pleasure to be invited by prof. Hopefully, it can get you thinking about how... as you pursue this.. embarking on your training to become dental surgeons, to think about other things as well.

Since young, I am a typical product of today's society.  Relatively successful product that society requires..  From young, I came from a below average family. I was told by the media... and people around me that happiness is about success. And that success is about being wealthy.  With this mind-set, I've always be extremely competitive, since I was young.

Not only do I need to go to the top school, I need to have success in all fields. Uniform groups, track, everything.  I needed to get trophies, needed to be successful, I needed to have colours award, national colours award, everything. So I was highly competitive since young. I went on to medical school, graduated as a doctor.  Some of you may know that within the medical faculty, ophthalmology is one of the most highly sought after specialities. So I went after that as well.  I was given a traineeship in ophthalmology, I was also given a research scholarship by NUS to develop lasers to treat the eye.

So in the process, I was given 2 patents, one for the medical devices, and another for the lasers.  And you know what, all this academic achievements did not bring me any wealth.  So once I completed my bond with MOH, I decided that this is taking too long, the training in eye surgery is just taking too long. And there's lots of money to be made in the private sector.  If you're aware, in the last few years, there is this rise in aesthetic medicine. Tons of money to be made there. So I decided, well, enough of staying in institution, it's time to leave.  So I quit my training halfway and I went on to set up my aesthetic clinic... in town, together with a day surgery centre.

You know the irony is that people do not make heroes out average GP (general practitioner), family physicians. They don't.  They make heroes out of people who are rich and famous. People who are not happy to pay $20 to see a GP, the same person have no qualms paying ten thousand dollars for a liposuction, 15 thousand dollars for a breast augmentation, and so on and so forth. So it's a no brainer isn't?  Why do you want to be a gp? Become an aesthetic physician. So instead of healing the sick and ill, I decided that I'll become a glorified beautician. So, business was good, very good.  It started off with waiting of one week, then became 3weeks, then one month, then 2 months, then 3 months.  I was overwhelmed; there were just too many patients.  Vanities are fantastic business. I employed one doctor, the second doctor, the 3rd doctor, the 4th doctor.  And within the 1st year, we're already raking in millions. Just the 1st year.  But never is enough because I was so obsessed with it.  I started to expand into Indonesia to get all the rich Indonesian tai-tais who wouldn't blink an eye to have a procedure done.  So life was really good.

So what do I do with the spare cash. How do I spend my weekends? Typically, I'll have car club gatherings. I take out my track car, with spare cash I got myself a track car. We have car club gatherings. We'll go up to Sepang in Malaysia. We'll go for car racing. And it was my life. With other spare cash, what do i do? I get myself a Ferrari. At that time, the 458 wasn't out, it's just a spider convertible, 430. This is a friend of mine, a schoolmate who is a forex trader, a banker. So he got a red one, he was wanting all along a red one, I was getting the silver one.

So what do I do after getting a car?  It's time to buy a house, to build our own bungalows.  So we go around looking for a land to build our own bungalows, we went around hunting. So how do i live my life?  Well, we all think we have to mix around with the rich and famous. This is one of the Miss Universe.  So we hang around with the beautiful, rich and famous. This by the way is an internet founder.  So this is how we spend our lives, with dining and all the restaurants and Michelin Chefs you know.

So I reach a point in life that I got everything for my life. I was at the pinnacle of my career and all. That's me one year ago in the gym and I thought I was like, having everything under control and reaching the pinnacle.

Well, I was wrong.  I didn't have everything under control.  About last year March, I started to develop backache in the middle of nowhere. I thought maybe it was all the heavy squats I was doing.  So I went to SGH, saw my classmate to do an MRI, to make sure it's not a slipped disc or anything. And that evening, he called me up and said that we found bone marrow replacement in your spine. I said, sorry what does that mean?  I mean I know what it means, but I couldn't accept that. I was like “Are you serious?” I was still running around going to the gym you know. But we had more scans the next day, PET scans - positrons emission scans, they found that actually I have stage 4 terminal lung cancer.  I was like "Whoa where did that come from?” It has already spread to the brain, the spine, the liver and the adrenals. And you know one moment I was there, totally thinking that I have everything under control, thinking that I've reached the pinnacle of my life.  But the next moment, I have just lost it.

This is a CT scan of the lungs itself.  If you look at it, every single dot there is a tumour. We call this miliaries tumour.  And in fact, I have tens of thousands of them in the lungs.  So, I was told that even with chemotherapy, that I'll have about 3-4months at most. Did my life come crushing on, of course it did, who wouldn't?  I went into depression, of course, severe depression and I thought I had everything.

See the irony is that all these things that I have, the success, the trophies, my cars, my house and all. I thought that brought me happiness.  But i was feeling really down, having severe depression. Having all these thoughts of my possessions, they brought me no joy.  The thought of You know, I can hug my Ferrari to sleep, no...No, it is not going to happen. It brought not a single comfort during my last ten months.  And I thought they were, but they were not true happiness.  But it wasn't.  What really brought me joy in the last ten months was interaction with people, my loved ones, friends, people who genuinely care about me, they laugh and cry with me, and they are able to identify the pain and suffering I was going through. That brought joy to me, happiness. None of the things I have, all the possessions, and I thought those were supposed to bring me happiness. But it didn't, because if it did, I would have felt happy think about it, when I was feeling most down..

You know the classical Chinese New Year that is coming up. In the past, what do I do?  Well, I will usually drive my flashy car to do my rounds, visit my relatives, to show it off to my friends. And I thought that was joy, you know.  I thought that was really joy.  But do you really think that my relatives and friends, whom some of them have difficulty trying to make ends meet, that will truly share the joy with me?  Seeing me driving my flashy car and showing off to them?  No, no way. They won’t be sharing joy with me.  They were having problems trying to make ends meet, taking public transport.  In fact i think, what I have done is more like you know, making them envious, jealous of all I have.  In fact, sometimes even hatred.

Those are what we call objects of envy.  I have them, I show them off to them and I feel it can fill my own pride and ego. That didn't bring any joy to these people, to my friends and relatives, and I thought they were real joy.

Well, let me just share another story with you.  You know when I was about your age, I stayed in king Edward VII hall.  I had this friend whom I thought was strange. Her name is Jennifer, we're still good friends.  And as I walk along the path, she would, if she sees a snail, she would actually pick up the snail and put it along the grass patch. I was like why do you need to do that?  Why dirty your hands?  It’s just a snail.  The truth is she could feel for the snail. The thought of being crushed to death is real to her, but to me it's just a snail.  If you can't get out of the pathway of humans then you deserve to be crushed, it’s part of evolution isn't it? What an irony isn't it?

There I was being trained as a doctor, to be compassionate, to be able to empathise; but I couldn't.  As a house officer, I graduated from medical school, posted to the oncology department at NUH.  And, every day, every other day I witness death in the cancer department.  When I see how they suffered, I see all the pain they went through. I see all the morphine they have to press every few minutes just to relieve their pain.  I see them struggling with their oxygen breathing their last breath and all. But it was just a job.  When I went to clinic every day, to the wards every day, take blood, give the medication but was the patient real to me?  They weren't real to me. It was just a job, I do it, I get out of the ward, I can't wait to get home, I do my own stuff.

Was the pain, was the suffering the patients went through real?  No. Of course I know all the medical terms to describe how they feel, all the suffering they went through.  But in truth, I did not know how they feel, not until I became a patient. It is until now; I truly understand how they feel. And, if you ask me, would I have been a very different doctor if I were to re-live my life now, I can tell you yes I will. Because I truly understand how the patients feel now.  And sometimes, you have to learn it the hard way.

Even as you start just your first year, and you embark this journey to become dental surgeons, let me just challenge you on two fronts.

Inevitably, all of you here will start to go into private practice.  You will start to accumulate wealth.  I can guarantee you. Just doing an implant can bring you thousands of dollars, it's fantastic money.  And actually there is nothing wrong with being successful, with being rich or wealthy, absolutely nothing wrong.  The only trouble is that a lot of us like myself couldn't handle it.

Why do I say that? Because when I start to accumulate, the more I have, the more I want.  The more I wanted, the more obsessed I became. Like what I showed you earlier on, all I can was basically to get more possessions, to reach the pinnacle of what society did to us, of what society wants us to be.  I became so obsessed that nothing else really mattered to me.  Patients were just a source of income, and I tried to squeeze every single cent out of these patients.

A lot of times we forget, whom we are supposed to be serving.  We become so lost that we serve nobody else but just ourselves.  That was what happened to me.  Whether it is in the medical, the dental fraternity, I can tell you, right now in the private practice, sometimes we just advise patients on treatment that is not indicated. Grey areas.  And even though it is not necessary, we kind of advocate it. Even at this point, I know who are my friends and who genuinely cared for me and who are the ones who try to make money out of me by selling me "hope". We kind of lose our moral compass along the way. Because we just want to make money.

Worse, I can tell you, over the last few years, we bad mouth our fellow colleagues, our fellow competitors in the industry.  We have no qualms about it. So if we can put them down to give ourselves an advantage, we do it. And that's what happening right now, medical, dental everywhere.  My challenge to you is not to lose that moral compass.  I learnt it the hard way,  I hope you don't ever have to do it.

Secondly, a lot of us will start to get numb to our patients as we start to practise. Whether is it government hospitals, private practice, I can tell you when I was in the hospital, with stacks of patient folders, I can't wait to get rid of those folders as soon as possible; I can't wait to get patients out of my consultation room as soon as possible because there is just so many, and that's a reality.  Because it becomes a job, a very routine job.  And this is just part of it. Do I truly know how the patient feels back then? No, I don't. The fears and anxiety and all, do I truly understand what they are going through?  I don't, not until when this happens to me and I think that is one of the biggest flaws in our system.

We’re being trained to be healthcare providers, professional, and all and yet we don't know how exactly they feel.  I'm not asking you to get involved emotionally, I don't think that is professional but do we actually make a real effort to understand their pain and all? Most of us won’t, alright, I can assure you. So don't lose it, my challenge to you is to always be able to put yourself in your patient's shoes.

Because the pain, the anxiety, the fear are very real even though it's not real to you, it's real to them. So don't lose it and you know, right now I'm in the midst of my 5th cycle of my chemotherapy. I can tell you it’s a terrible feeling. Chemotherapy is one of those things that you don't wish even your enemies to go through because it's just suffering, lousy feeling, throwing out, you don't even know if you can retain your meals or not. Terrible feeling! And even with whatever little energy now I have, I try to reach out to other cancer patients because I truly understand what pain and suffering is like. But it's kind of little too late and too little.

You guys have a bright future ahead of you with all the resource and energy, so I’m going to challenge you to go beyond your immediate patients.  To understand that there are people out there who are truly in pain, truly in hardship.  Don’t get the idea that only poor people suffer.  It is not true.  A lot of these poor people do not have much in the first place, they are easily contented. for all you know they are happier than you and me but there are out there, people who are suffering mentally, physically, hardship, emotionally, financially and so on and so forth, and they are real.  We choose to ignore them or we just don't want to know that they exist.

So do think about it alright, even as you go on to become professionals and dental surgeons and all.  That you can reach out to these people who are in need. Whatever you do can make a large difference to them.  I'm now at the receiving end so I know how it feels, someone who genuinely care for you, encourage and all. It makes a lot of difference to me. That’s what happens after treatment. I had a treatment recently, but I’ll leave this for another day.  A lot of things happened along the way, that's why I am still able to talk to you today.

I'll just end of with this quote here, it's from this book called Tuesdays with Morris, and some of you may have read it.  Everyone knows that they are going to die; every one of us knows that.  The truth is, none of us believe it because if we did, we will do things differently. When I faced death, when I had to, I stripped myself off all stuff totally and I focused only on what is essential.  The irony is that a lot of times, only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. I know it sounds very morbid for this morning but it's the truth, this is what I’m going through.

Don’t let society tell you how to live.  Don’t let the media tell you what you're supposed to do. Those things happened to me. And I led this life thinking that these are going to bring me happiness.  I hope that you will think about it and decide for yourself how you want to live your own life. Not according to what other people tell you to do, and you have to decide whether you want to serve yourself, whether you are going to make a difference in somebody else's life. Because true happiness doesn't come from serving yourself. I thought it was but it didn't turn out that way.  With that I thank you, if you have any questions you have for me, please feel free.  Thank you.”

Our Provider

Our precious black three-seater sofa

Our current beige three-seater sofa

The Lord is our provider.  In the first year of our marriage in 1999, some friends of ours gave us a black sofa set which lasted all the way till 2012.  Over the years, the inevitable wear and tear took place and we needed to replace them.  Last month, my family was clearing their beige three-seater sofa set and we gladly agree to take them on.  

We are thankful for the Lord's providence.  So often, we tell ourselves that even if we plan things out, God is always one step ahead of us.  In our simple living, we find joy and hope in our faithful and true God who never fails to meet our needs.

Endearing Love

They may be poor but they are so in love.  They have tasted the bitterness of life but now they are drinking in the sweet love of their marriage.  Yesterday, I read an article in the Chinese evening paper.  The story is about a Chinese 58-year-old Mr Wu Zheng Zhen, a rag and bone man’s deep love for his wife, Mdm Xie Gui Zhi.  Mdm Xie had the dream of owning a piano for many years.  Her husband kept her desire in his heart and worked hard to save the money to make the purchase.  He was determined to fulfill his wife’s dream.  It took him 16 long years to save the money.  He went a long way to pursue the one who meant so much to him.

The heartwarming story of this amazing love brings out the beauty of sacrifice for love.  A love between a couple that is so rich and endearing.  We can sacrifice without loving someone, but love always involves sacrifice.  In their poverty, their love for each other shines brightly to warm the hearts of people throughout the world.

Mickey in Deep Thought

Mickey is about six now.  He seems to be in deep thought most of the time.  Our whole family loves him dearly.

The Mountains of Our Life

Monte at Half Dome

Carabiners

I have been collecting carabiners for some time now.  I was first exposed  to them because Monte was into rock climbing in his younger days.  He made a few climbs up to half dome in Yosemite.

A carabiner is a basic tool used by a climber to link ropes, harnesses and anchors together.  It plays a big role in enabling the climber to conquer mountains.

It is significant for me to collect carabiners.  Daily, I renew my quest and desire to climb the mountains of our life.  God grants us strength, resilience and capabilities to conquer every mountain through His empowerment and grace.  Sometimes, the climb may be treacherous and challenging but we need not waver in fear because the Lord is with us.  When we feel weak and hopeless, all we need to do is to allow God to lead us on.  His persevering love prods us on to greater depths in Him.  We have no reason to despair for the Lord is our banner of victory.  In our darkest hour of anguish and pain, the love of shines into our hearts and drive away all discouragements, disappointments and disillusionments.  When we focus on the Rock of our salvation, everything on earth appears strangely deem.  God speaks into our lives and our situations as He fills us with undying hope and tenacity.

Surrender to Love

“Transformation through love is not therefore, as individualistic a manner as we tend to assume.  When love draws me from isolation into community, your life touches mine – your pain touches me, your afflictions touch me, your anxieties touch me.  In short you become a part of me.  My solidarity and with all human beings expands the boundaries of what I experiences myself."

In his autobiography LongWalk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela says that as a young man he came to understand that his freedom was inseparably tied up with that of his South African people.  He found himself unable to enjoy the limited freedom he was allowed as an attorney with the privileges of education when he knew his people were not free.  “Freedom is indivisible” he argues, “the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chain on all my people were the chains on me.”

David G. Benner, Surrender To Love

Surrender to Love

“Genuine transformation requires vulnerability.  It is not the fact of being loved unconditionally that is life changing.  It is the risky experience of allowing myself to be loved unconditionally.

Paradoxically, no one can change until they first accept themselves as they are.  Self-deceptions and an absence of real vulnerability block any meaningful transformation.  It is only when I accept who I am that I dare to show you that self in all its vulnerability and nakedness.  Only then do I have the opportunity to receive your love in a manner that makes a genuine difference.”

David G. Benner, Surrender To Love

Thank You, Lord

I was looking out of my window at home this morning.  Thanking God for a brand new day. Thanking God for His hand of love.

Lovely Singapore Quarry

Last Saturday afternoon, Monte and I had a good time at the Singapore Quarry.

Journeying with Our Maker

The pursuit of God drives us to press on and embrace everything God has for us. Our merciful God shapes us daily.  

He pulled us out from the miry clay and gave us life eternal. He speaks to us daily. He transforms us powerfully. The life and light of Christ comes shining through us. 

Collectively, we become a mighty beacon for the Lord. We shine forth God's glorious light. We bring hope to people in despair and desolation. 

The richness of God's grace and His tender mercies spur us on. He grants us strength and tenacity. We can only go as far as He allows to venture.  

As we journey through perilous pathways, we are fearless because He is with us. 

He unfolds His purposes and plans to us. We walk in love and submission to our maker. He who began a work in us will bring it to completion. We serve a faithful God.

Monte has penned some lyrics to a song entitled The Love of God is Overflowing

The love of God, is overflowing

It reaches to, the deepest sea.

The love of God, is overflowing

It rises up, for you and me

The love of God is overflowing

Like a fount, that's pure and free

The love of God, is overflowing

It's flowing down, for you and me

I put in a simple melody and we used it at the end of January this year when Monte was preaching at His Sanctuary.  The Lord granted a wonderful time of ministry that day.

We enjoy ministering together.

The little that we offer to the Lord may seem small in our own eyes but the Lord can use what we have in our hands.  Serving the Lord reaps bountiful blessings and joy.  We can only abandon ourselves completely to the Master in love and total submission.  God is so good.

Eliska, My Beautiful Niece

My mother with Eliska

Eliska

Eliska

Servants of the Lord

Last Sunday, Monte was preaching at His Sanctuary.  We had a wonderful time of ministry.  Our hearts are overwhelmed by God's goodness.  

We minister at the church twice yearly.  Every time we are there, some warm and cheerful elderly ushers would welcome us.  We love seeing them.  Their love, enthusiasm and loving service is heartwarming.  God has given each of us talents, gifts and abilities for service.  Long ago, I read about an individual who would faithfully prepare and wash communion cups in church.  What may seem small in the eyes of man means a lot to God.  Everything that we do with a sincere and grateful heart reaps boundless blessings from on high.  God sees our hearts, He empowers us to love and serve because we are all servants of the Lord.

El Shaddai

El Shaddai


How can we ever fathom how God can dwell in us, mortal earthen vessels that are prone to fall and fail.  God almighty came into our lives and shine His glorious light in us to reveal His glory and splendour.  When we focus on the greatness and awesomeness of God, all our earthly challenges melt at His feet.  He has raised His banner of victory for us.  He is the glory and lifter of our heads.  We extol our great King who reigns for all eternity.

EL SHADDAI

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonia

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

Erkamka na Adonai

We will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

Through your love and through the ram

You saved the son of Abraham

Through the power of your hand

Turned the sea into dry land

To the outcast on her knees

You were the God who really sees

And by Your might

You set Your children free

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonia

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

Erkamka na Adonai

We will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

Through the years You've made it clear

That the time of Christ was near

Though the people couldn't see

What Messiah ought to be

Though Your Word contained the plan

They just could not understand

Your most awesome work was done

Through the frailty of Your Son

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonai

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai,

Erkamka na Adonai

I will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonai

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

Erkamka na Adonai

I will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

Courage to Press On

Someone once said that tough times do not diminish the presence of God. 

The harsh realities and the stresses of life will not hinder us from pursuing the Lord. God has given us a fighting spirit. He has given us supernatural strength to overcome.

He beckons us to journey with Him. He reveals His love to us. He is with us. He bears our burden. He gives us strength and hope to persevere. He gives us courage to press on.  

He opens our eyes to endless opportunities and possibilities. He brings hope in our despair. He sustains us by His amazing grace. He pours His love on us unceasingly.

In our limited capacity, we can never fully comprehend the full extent His love. Love so deep and intense. Love so pure and rich. Love that overflows. Love personified. Love crucified.

His Divine Providence

A few days ago, we received word from the Society of Pentecostal Studies that Monte’s paper has been accepted for its 42nd Annual Meeting in conjunction with the Wesleyan Theological Society, hosted by Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, March 21-23, 2013.   (http://www.sps-usa.org/meetings.html)

The Conference Theme is "Holiness".  The title of Monte's paper is “Patterning the Pentecostal Via Salutis to the Classical ‘Three Ways’ of Spiritual Formation: An Ecumenical Model for Developmental Sanctification”.

Our hearts are filled with great joy because this honour and privilege is not something we take for granted.  Memories of how God providentially met us last year when He opened the door for Monte to present his paper in Virginia, USA came rushing into our hearts and spirit.  We experienced first hand how the Lord miraculously provided for every cent necessary to make the trip.  This time round, the joy is inexpressible.  We can only stand in amazement because He is simply awesome and great. We believe in His divine provision.  We know that He has all the resources we needed.  We are thankful and we know that He is more than enough for us.  We are grateful for the opportunity to see God work on our behalf and we are mindful that the Lord is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can imagine and hope.  We see His hand of love.

Journeying with the Lord is amazing.  We do not want to embark on any other journey except for the one that God leads us on.  We persevere in love and hope because He speaks His strength, grace, and love into the depth of our hearts.  We bow in humble adoration to our great God who is faithful and true.

Blessed to be a Blessing

Because of God’s great love, His heart beats constantly for people.  He ministers to people through each of us.  Sometimes, He prompts us to contact someone.  We make a phone call; send an email, a card or a letter.  At other times, He puts certain individuals on our hearts and gives us the privilege to pray for these people.  When God sensitizes our hearts, we become a vessel that carries His love to people who are desperately in need of the touch of God upon their lives.  They may be facing a catastrophic disaster, depression, overwhelming circumstances, spiritual attacks or a crisis.  Despite of our inadequacy and limitations, the Lord opens our eyes to see what He can do through our willingness to share, love and care.  We have tasted His goodness, we have seen His glory; we have been blessed to be a blessing. As we cry out to the Lord, we offer everything within us to the master in total abandonment.  We offer our lives back to our life giver.

Come Out of Our Comfort Zone

God calls us out of our comfort zone. He draws us to Himself. He calls us out to shape and mould us. He wants us to hear His heartbeat. He wants us to taste His goodness.

And our heart’s cry is “Lord! Make me pliable in Your hands.” The greatest work that God does in our lives is in times of greatest anguish. We are compelled to confront our pain, fears, and anxiety head on. The Lord begins to speak into our lives. He speaks hope and courage into our hearts.

He begins to restore hope in our bleakest moments. The peace and presence of the Lord cushion us from life’s harshest blow. 

The psalmist found the inner strength to sing and declare the praises of the Lord in his darkest hour. God comes in His love and power to embrace him.

 

God’s clarion call for each of us is a call to intimacy. The embrace of God brings us great comfort and solace. This is a call back to the heart of God. 

In His presence, He gives us peace and  tranquility. He floods us with hope and strength. He brings wholeness and restoration. Our hearts leap with unspeakable joy because His love is better than life.

Open Door of Ministry

Monte posted this on Facebook last night

"Tomorrow morning I am away 18 – 21 June 2012 on my first mission venture to Vietnam. There I will deliver for some believers in an emerging work there, a series on "Missions in the book of Acts." What the Lord has now given me to share from Luke-Acts is, a trinitarian shaped theology / model of ministry:
1. Ministry in the way of Jesus – Imitatio Dei.
2. Ministry in the Mission of God – Missio Dei.
3. Ministry in the power of the Spirit – Virtutis Dei.

For the healing of all nations—
In all upper rooms; on all tongues—
Breathe fresh winds;
Let fire fall.
In our hearts, send flames of love.
With visions of the Kingdom—
To all creation— may healing flow.
In the name of Jesus— let healing flow."

Monte has arrived in Vietnam. We thank God for the open door to minister. Serving and loving God and His people takes on new significance when we see the smallness of our strength and the greatness of God's power. It is an awesome privilege to be part of what God is doing in the hearts and lives of broken people. The Lord pours forth His spirit on us, His sons and daughters, and He declares His everlasting love for all who call on the name of the Lord.

His Awesome Presence

The presence of the Lord is the safest place in this whole wide world. For it is a place of tranquility, serenity and peace. In today’s fast-paced living of deadlines, targets and quotas, many are suffocating in stressful environments and conditions. It perpetually leaves very little time for us to rest let alone time for family, friends, hobbies and recreation. Many competing demands require our endless attention. Yet in the midst of all that is happening in and around our lives, we hear the Lord beckoning us to enter into His rest.

His presence drowns out all other competing voices and demands. In His awesome presence, He brings us comfort and strength, hope and joy, restoration and wholeness. Our sole desire is to hear the voice of the Lord, the voice that assures, affirms and builds us up to excellence and greatness. His presence strengthens us to persevere in the face of unimaginable trials and tribulations.

The Lord calls us to deeper commitments in loving and serving Him, He pours Himself into us so that what flows out of us reaches the deepest needs of people. In times of our greatest desperation and need, a miracle takes place and we find grace to love and serve without reservation. The love of God compels us to do the impossible. The love of God motivates us to go another mile all for His glory.

Amazing Mickey

He Meets Our Needs

We moved into our existing flat in Sengkang in August 2001.  My friend contacted me to say that her sister had bought a new refrigerator and asked if we would like to take over the existing one.  We were more than happy to do so.  The refrigerator is still in good working condition up to today.  It has not broken down once all these years.  We are grateful for the Lord’s providence.  We are also thankful to my friend and her sister.

As God’s children, we experience the hand of God in everyday living.  He meets our needs.  He protects us from seen and unseen dangers.  He reaches the inner recesses of our hearts and makes us whole and strong.  He nurtures, develops and empowers us.  He gives us undying hope, faith, unspeakable joy and peace that passes understanding.  In Him we live and move and have our being.  We cannot live without the Lord and as we abandon ourselves to His loving embrace, our hearts leap with vibrant joy.  We are thankful to be alive to taste His goodness and His grace.

His Faithful Promises

The glorious rainbow radiates the beauty and glory of the Lord. It captivates our hearts. 

The rainbow in the Bible is a sign of God’s promise, a sign of His covenant with us.  

God uses the rainbow to assure His people that He would never ever destroy the earth with the flood like the one in Noah's day.

The Scriptures remind us of God's faithfulness. We know His goodness and grace. We know His sustaining power and love. 

We have every reason to persevere to the end because He is Immanuel, God with us.  He walks us through the highest mountain and the deepest valley. He assures us of His abiding love and presence.

We serve a covenant making and covenant keeping God. He is faithful till the end. He keeps every promise. 

He spoke the universe into existence. He is the beginning and the end. He holds all things together. He unleashes His power and grace. He saturates us with His presence. 

The great God who commands nature. The great God who split the Red Sea rules and reigns in all eternal. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is the Lord of Hosts. He is our conquering King who reigns forevermore.

The Beauty of the Lord

We see the beauty and glory of God in all the earth.  The blooming flowers, the chirping birds, the graceful swans all speak of the glory of Him.  All creation declares the glory of the risen King.  The shots in this note are photos which I had taken from my home.  I will never find two photos that are similar because the cloud formation and weather change all the time.  I am amazed at the greatness of God just gazing at the sky.  The God who made heaven and the earth, dwells in earthen vessels and chooses to work through us.  He is a God of faithfulness, a God full of loving kindness and tender mercy.  We declare His everlasting love over all and see His love at work in everything we do.

The Lion and the Lamb

“There is a within you a lamb and a lion.  Spiritual maturity is the ability to let lamb and lion lie down together.  Your lion is your adult, aggressive self.  It is your initiative-taking and decision-making self.  But there is also your fearful, vulnerable lamb, the part of you that needs affection, support, affirmation, and nurturing.

When you heed only your lion, you will find yourself overextended and exhausted.  When you take notice of your lamb, you will easily become a victim of your need for other people’s attention.  The art of spiritual living is to fully claim both your lion and your lamb.  Then you can act assertively without denying our own needs.  And you can ask for affection and care without betraying your talent to offer leadership.”

Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love

Within each of us, a lion and a lamb coexist simultaneously.  Sometimes, the lion in us emerges and at other times, the lamb in us spring into action.  We will minister in authority and strength under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  The Lord grants ability to minister powerfully in His anointing.  This awesome strength and might can only come from the throne room of heaven.  The newfound fearlessness and boldness replaced all crippling fear and intimidation.  We now wage a spiritual wage fully armed with God’s powerful armour.

On the other hand, we bring comforting words and gentle love to needy people in dire circumstances and predicaments.  The tenderness of Jesus radiates from us to touch someone.  We may be ministering to a mother grieving over the death of a child, a cancer-stricken man who is at the verge of death or a life ravaged by dark and deep depressive oppression.  The Lord makes us a lion and a lamb. 

The human mind can never comprehend how it is possible for the lion and the lamb to lie side by side.  The lion and the lamb are vastly different in character and temperament but the Lord is able to use both sides within us as long as we are willing and available.

Labour of Love

Two Fridays ago, Monte and I brought a friend over to our place for dinner.  Monte cooked up a storm.  It is long been known that cooking for people is a labour of love.  He prepared pasta and stuffed our faces that evening.  We had a wonderful time with our friend.  As I was very tired, I went to bed right after our friend left.

The next day, I woke up to find all the dishes done.  For your information, that was a lot of dishes to clear.  I thank God for Monte.

The Glory And The Lifter Of Our Heads

The experiences the Lord allows us to go through are purposeful. The pain and struggles are real. The sense of helplessness and despondency drive us to our knees.

God is always with us. He is Immanuel. He lifts us up with hope. He shows us the way out. He helps us to overcome. He fills our hearts with expectancy and hope. 

God leads us to His desired pathways. He leads us to a place of rest. He leads us to a place of wholeness. He speaks strength into us and restores us.

We soldier on with full confidence.The Lord sustains us through the journey. He keeps us safe. He directs our paths and shows us His plans and purposes. 

He prods us on with love. He sees what lies within each of us; a fighting spirit. A warrior who finds strength in God alone.

Faith burns strong and free in our hearts. God's greatness and matchlessness flood our hearts.  

He is the glory and the lifter of our heads. He is the reason why we rise with hope each day. We sing the song of the redeemed. We serve a mighty God. The glory of the risen King shines majestically. Our God reigns!

Missing Eliska

My niece, Eliska, has gone to Mongolia with her maternal grandma for about three months. I am missing Eliska.

God is Actively at Work

We plant a seed in the soil and ensure the soil is moist throughout the germination process. With sufficient light and water, we expect growth in due season. A tiny stem and leaf will soon sprout out. Germination takes time. There are no quick fixes and instant results.

In many ways, the Christian life is like this little seed that goes through germination. Just because we do not see any visible stem or leaf emerging from the soil, it does not mean that growth has not taken place.  

The glaring inactivity of the surface of the soil may cause us to wonder if anything is actually working.

When we go through trying times, we loose focus and faith. We tumble through the maze and spiral into deep despair.  

The reality is God is actively at work in our lives. He orchestrates our circumstances to bless us. We may not see immediate visible signs. We keep persevering by the power of His Spirit. God inspires faith in us to believe Him for the miraculous.

By faith, we know that we are in the safe hands of our maker and He will come through for us. When we do not see any tangible growth and result. We persevere in holding on to the promises of our faithful God. 

God propels us to greater height and depth in Him. He works His purposes through us. The times we spent travailing in prayer are the most awesome times because they build faith.  

The Lord surely makes good use of the germination process to mould and make us to be more like Him.  

We journey on with great expectation in Him. He blesses us beyond our wildest imagination. We wait patiently in persevering love.

To Be Where He Is

The following is an excerpt from Henri Nouwen's book entitled The Inner Voice of Love. 

He said, “This book is my secret journal. It was written during the most difficult period of my life, from December 1987 to June 1988. That was a time of extreme anguish, during which I wondered whether I would be able to hold on to my life. Everything came crashing down – my self esteem, my energy to live and work, my trust in God…everything. Here, I was, a writer about the spiritual life, known as someone who loves God and gives hope to people, flat on the ground and in total darkness...What had happened? I had come face to face with my own nothingness. It was as if all that had given my life meaning was pulled away and I could see nothing in front of me but a bottomless abyss...The strange thing was that this happened shortly after I had found my true home. After many years of life in universities, where I never felt fully at home. I had become a member of L’Arche, a community of men and women with mental disabilities. I had been received with open arms, given all the attention and affection I could ever hope for, and loving place to grow spiritually as well as emotionally. Everything seemed ideal. But precisely at that time I fell apart.”

Nouwen passed on in September 1996. His writings lived on to bless many people all over the world. 

His brokenness and love for the Lord permeated through his life and his writings. Many would have hesitated to share such deep and painful experiences but not Nouwen. 

The Lord uses Nouwen’s life as an open book to show His glory. Especially to those who are in pain. The painful experience, the dark and deep depression that Nouwen went through became a channel for the Lord to shine His light on all who desire to see His face and know His love.

It is just amazing how Nouwen felt so at home at L’Arche. In the natural, L’Arche is the most unlikely place for anyone to like. To some, it is a place of sadness, a place of forgotten people, a place of pain and anguish. 

The Lord led Nouwen to L’Arche and through his time there, he wrote powerful books that are widely read by many today. 

Sometimes, God brings us to the most difficult places and surroundings. We may not fully comprehend the reason. When we are where He wants us to be. He floods our hearts with peace and joy. No matter how hard the ground is, God will help us to flourish.

Thank You, Lord

Monte posted this on Facebook on 7 May 2012. It read: “Jee Fong began today her final ACTA programme titled "Design and Develop a WSQ Facilitated Training Programme." I am proud of her for persevering through the programme, and she is now on her final module. This final module is by far the most intense, but she has already has a plan on going about her final project. Do keep her in prayer!”

I am blessed with a wonderful husband who does everything he can to help me develop not only spiritually but also in other areas such as my vocational life, growing and developing solely by the Lord's grace and enabling. God wants each of us to reach our fullest potential in every area of our life. In all that we do we want to bring glory and honour to His name. He empowers and infuses us with unimaginable capacity and wisdom to achieve results that comes by His empowerment.

(ACTA - Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment)

Cute Little Eliska

My niece, Eliska, is growing up so fast.  She is so adorable.