Visiting Guat

Guat was having headaches and then she was vomitting consecutively for a few days end of June. She went for a scan and was found to have a tumour in her brain. She has had two successful brain ops and the tumour is cleared. However, it was found that there was some growth in the pelvic area that had to be removed. It was removed on 28 July and now she is home resting.

Some thoughts:
1. God is a faithful God. He's been looking after Guat, protecting her. Likewise, God is holding us in the palm of His hands. Everything happens for the good of those who love Him.
2. Life is fragile. Are we living life to the fullest? Are we victors and overcomers? Or are we just being complacent and busy with routine and accumulating material wealth?
3. God says to "bear" one another's burdens and to edify one another. Are we doing enough of it?

New job scope: Attending weddings...

Betty and Chee Kiat's wedding on 27 Dec 2008

Weiming's wedding on 17 May 2009

Eileen's church wedding on 31 May and dinner on 1 Jun 2009

A teacher's job is never done... attending students' weddings is all part of the job :)

It's a great feeling to be able to witness the wedding of my students whom I have seen grow up, to be part of their joy.

The spate of wedding attendance started with Betty and Chee Kiat's end of last year. They have known each other since secondary school days and they have finally tied the knot. Both of them belong to the last form class I took before moving on to the polytechnic.

Then it was Weiming's wedding. I don't know Geraldine but she sure is a lucky girl. Weiming was my drum major when I was in charge of the band and I still remember him as a little boy wearing shorts... and now he's a husband!

The most recent wedding was Eileen's and Matthew's. Eileen was my very first class rep when I joined the polytechnic. She is very forthright and candid and I remember her for that and even in her wedding gown, she still looks and behaves the same.

And there is more to come...

Pentecost & How much?

Pentecost comes from the Greek word "pentekoste" which means "50th". It refers to the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which Greek-speaking Jews called the Day of Pentecost (Acts 21:1). Pentecost also commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the followers of Jesus (Acts 2). The liturgical colour is red which symbolises the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blood of the martyrs which the seed of the Church.

Today's sermon is entitled "How much?" by Rev Melvin Huang. I record some of my thoughts based on the sermon below.

A question was asked if one who goes kayaking would put one foot in one kayak and the other foot in another. Of course not, right? Who in the right mind would?

But do you know that as Christians, we do? We have one foot in God's Kingdom and one foot in the world, and we end up being tossed about. And if we are "double-minded and unstable in every way", we "must not expect to receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:6-8).

God has a rightful place in our heart and life. Do we surrender all that we have to Him? Our family, our work, our finances, our leisure, even our food? If we seek first God's Kingdom, all the other parts will fall in place.

Where is my treasure? (Matthew 6:21)

Do I press on to the goal, forgetting what lies behind? (Phil 3:13-14)

Do I surrender ALL THAT I HAVE? (Matthew 13:44-46)

If God is not the Lord of all,
He is not the Lord at all

Hymn of Dedication - The Kingdom of God
(lyrics written by Rev Melvin Huang, sung to the tune of Foundation, UMH 529)

The Kingdom of God is why Jesus was sent
The gospel for all who in Jesus believe
It's living and knowing God, Father and Son
Be born from above and God's Kingdom receive

Live His life in this age and the age to come
Righteousness, peace, joy in the Spirit of God
Choose God as your treasure, His Kingdom seek first
Your heart sure will follow, be right with the Lord

Whatever you treasure your heart there will be
So seek first God's Kingdom, His righteousness, too
Like field hidden treasure, will cost all you have
But all in God's Kingdom are added to you

Phoebe turns 5!

The little girl has turned 5 - she is really adorable and is sometimes rather cheeky.

Pictured here is her choice of a 3D mermaid birthday cake and her K1 friends at her birthday party.

Public Service Walk - Southern Ridges

Synthia initiated joining the Public Service Walk and a few of us were game for it. Finally, Katherine, Jean, Vivienne, Synthia and I made it for the walk.

We started out at the Marang Trail near Vivocity at 730am and made our way up the 24-storey gradual elevation before reaching the top for an awesome view at Mt Faber, near the Jewel Box. we went on the Forest Walk and the Henderson Waves and ended up at Hort Park.

The whole walk was awesome and wholesome. Good for body and soul.... :)

Much Ado about Nothing

Went to Fort Canning and watch SRT's remake of Much Ado about Nothing with Adrian Pang as Benedick.

Had a lovely time with old friends, Siew Lian and Hwee Lian, as we picnicked under the open skies and caught up with one another.

Mothers' Day in church

Corporate Prayer for Mothers
For our mothers who have given us life and love, that we may show them reverence and love, we pray to the Lord...

For mothers who have lost a child through death, that their faith may give them hope, and their family and friends support and console them, we pray to the Lord...

For women, though without children of their own, who like mothers have nurtured and cared for us, we pray to the Lord...

For mothers, who have been unable to be a source of strength, who have not responded to their children and have not sustained their families, we pray to the Lord...

Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so You watch over Your Church. Bless these women, that their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honour them always with a spirit of profound respect.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Example of a mother in the Bible: Jochebed (Exodus 6:20)
"And when she could hide him no longer she took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the river's brink. And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children. ... And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, "Because I drew him out of the water." (Exodus 2:3-6,10 RSV)

My learning points
1. It was a difficult and challenging situation with the Pharoah wanting to kill all male Hebrew infants. But what was Jochebed's response? She entrusted God despite the situation with her child in a water-tight basket on a river.

2. And God honoured Jochebed and showed that He is in charge. He allowed the Pharoah's daughter to find the child and adopt him and in addition, allowed Jochebed to be appointed as the nurse for the child. God gave Jochebed more than what she had asked for as she entrusted the situation to God.

3. What was Jochebed's response when God gave her three children to nurture? She taught them well - to fear and honour God and her children, Moses, Miriam and Aaron, grew up to honour God and to serve Him mightily. Moses brought the Israelites out from Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, Aaron was appointed High Priest and Miriam, a prophetess.

4. My key learning point - What is my response when put in a difficult situation? Do I trust in God or depend on myself? Also, when given people to nurture, do I teach them well in the ways of the Lord? What is the legacy I'm leaving behind?

An excerpt of the lyrics from the hymn "Find Us Faithful" sums up my thoughts ...
May those who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprint that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Help me, Lord....

OCP to PKH Cambodia 19 - 26 Apr

My task was to facilitate the learning experience of 14 students at Project Khmer Hope in Cambodia on an Overseas Community Project trip. Their main task was to teach English and to organise a Games Day for the Cambodian youths.

I thank God that the students were responsible and executed their tasks well. The Cambodian youths enjoyed their lessons and the games and the interaction with the Singaporeans.

The Singaporean youths on the other hand had plenty to learn from the Cambodians.

This OCP trip was both memorable and an experience of a lifetime for all of us. In the beginning, some of us did not know one another, then towards the middle of the trip, we slowly warmed up to everyone, and towards the end, as we had all been through thick and thin together for the past 8 days, it felt as if we had known one another for a long time.

During these 8 days, we have not only made new TP friends, but new Cambodian friends as well. The Cambodian students and staff treated us like their own family and friends. We were overwhelmed with the hospitality everyone showered on us with over there.

We went to Cambodia, hoping to bring fun and joy to the students, but they brought more enjoyment and tears of joy to us instead. We went to Cambodia, supposedly to teach and pass knowledge to the students, but we learnt more from them instead.


"The most important thing that I learnt would have to be not to take anything for granted. The students that we befriended at PKH made do with so few luxuries of the modern world." - Rachelle"

The most significant moment for me on the trip was the video presentation as I was very touched looking at the photos we had taken with the students and how well we interacted with them. I learnt that we must cherish the family ties, friendship that I have and always remember how fortunate I am in Singapore." - Melissa

"OCP Cambodia really left a great impression of community service for me. At first, I thought I will suffer in the horrible conditions in Cambodia, but in the end, it turned out otherwise. After this trip, I learnt that community service might be something I want to do next time." - Phyllis

"After this trip, I learnt to treasure the things around me and it also made me feel that community service can be meaningful and fun. I plan to do community service if I have the free time in future." - Hong Soon

I am glad to be able to serve Cambodia in this manner on my 4th trip there.

Trip to North America 27Mar - 10Apr (IV) - Washington D.C.

When I booked the land tour for Washington D.C., all we wanted was a decent hotel near a subway. We got to stay at the Hilton near the Dupont Circle station. The Dupont Circle is pretty far underground and it's a loooong escalator ride up or down.

And when I booked the tour, I didn't even know that it was to be the Cherry Blossoms Festival then. So God blessed us with something we didn't ask for, something that tourists would specially plan for. We took in the sight of the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin along with the throngs of visitors through various means - via a river cruise, a guided trolley tour and a duck tour.

While in Washington D.C., we saw many of the iconic buildings, including the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Union Station and the National Cathedral in Georgetown.

We went to the one and only Spy Museum in the world and we also went to Madame Tussauds and met Obama in wax :) and also the Postal Museum.

Lesson learnt: God gives good gifts

God loves us and He wants to give us good gifts. On this visit to Washington D.C, i realised that once again, God gave us more than what we asked for.

For example, the hotel that we stayed at is near the Embassy Row and we walked around the area by foot, we found a farmer's market near the Dupont Circle Station and had Morton's of Chicago's steak and ate the famous Potbelly sandwiches and we also went to church on Palm Sunday - the St Margaret's Anglican Church near the hotel!

And the event that capped it all at Washington D.C. is missing our scheduled duck tour by a few minutes due to the bad traffic conditions caused by the crowds and we were sorely disappointed.

The next day, we happened to be at the Main Office of the Duck Tour Company and I explained to the lady on duty how we missed our duck tour the previous day and she told me that they had just opened a new tour at 4pm that day and asked if we would like to be on it. And we were the first two passengers booked for that tour! What can I say?

God is really good!

Trip to North America 27 Mar-10 Apr (III)- Toronto

The original intention of this trip was to visit Cindy in Toronto but in all I spent only 3 nights with her. Despite the short time, it was a good trip to meet up with a special friend, a mentor.

Cindy specially took leave on Thu 2 Apr and drove us to Waterloo where we met Melody for dinner. Enroute we stopped by a mall and I bought a pair of Levi's jeans, a pair of Liz Clairborne pants and a pair of Naturalizer shoes. We also stopped by a quaint Memmonite town, St Jacobs.

Key lesson learnt: Surrender

On 3 Apr, our second and final day in Toronto, as Cindy had to work, we met Felicia's friend, Julie, who was supposed to take us around Toronto. As she was inappropriately dressed for the wet weather with her young son in tow, she invited us to her apartment instead. I must confess that I was rather reluctant to do that in my heart as I was set on visiting Casa Loma. However, as I knew that God had ordered our steps for the day, I surrendered my will to His will and our visit ministered greatly to Julie. And God still blessed us with a visit to Casa Loma.

Trip to North America 27 Mar-10 Apr (II) - Niagara Falls

From NYC we took the Amtrak from Penn Station to Niagara Falls, Ontario.

After we got off the train we walked to our B & B place, Always Inn - a quaint little Victorian-style house that is more than a hundred years old. We stayed in a lovely pink room and the hostess, Sharon, ensured that our stay was cosy.

Niagara Falls is the highlight of this entire trip - I just couldn't get enough of its awesomeness. God's creation is absolutely marvellous.

Before I even caught sight of it the first evening we arrived. I could see some smoke-like thing in the distance - it's the mist created by the waters roaring down. And the first sight of the falls in the golden evening sun is beyond description.

And as it was early Spring, there wasn't many people around and it felt like I owned the falls. I saw it from a distance, from behind it, from above it...

Lessons learnt:

1. To be available

On the 9-hour train ride, I got to know this lady of Jamaican origin - Shirley. We made friends and I found out that she was actually brooding over the fact that she had just visited her elder sister who is stricken by stroke in Philly. She said she was glad that she had someone to talk to and it seemed that God had sent me to her. In my heart, I was thinking - Wow! I was an instrument used by God to cheer a stranger up.

2. To see God in nature and marvel at His works and His love for us

You have to see the Niagara Falls for yourself. God is amazing - the Niagara Falls is just one of God's many creations. It can't happen by chance. Something as gorgeous as this must have a creator. And the incredible thing about the Falls is that it still thunders through the seasons and even though it's really extremely cold and there's ice.

I'm reminded of Psalm 8:3-4a and how God must really love us...

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that you are mindful of him, ...

Trip to North America 27 Mar - 10 Apr (I) - NYC

It's really interesting how this trip came about.

I've been thinking of visiting Cindy in Toronto and was looking for a travelling companion and I was thinking if I were to travel to Toronto, I'd like to make a trip to New York. And I did ask a few people but the timing was not good for them.

I happened to meet Beng Geok at one of our gatherings and I mentioned my travelling plans to her and guess what? She said that she was hoping to visit her friend, Pearly, in New York and wouldn't mind going to Toronto and that she was praying for a travelling companion. And ... her schedule fitted mine perfectly and so off we went!

We did the usual touristy things - visited the Metropolitan Museum, Guggenheim, Central Park, shopped at Macy's, watched a broadway musical - Mary Poppins, went to Times Square, Rockfeller Centre, Wall Street, saw Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty...

But God is good and His fatihfulness was evident in New York ...

(1) during the first weekend we were in NYC, He led us to the Park Avenue United Methodist Church. We were wondering where we could find a church to attend Sunday service and we literally walked right into one, just a minute or so before the service... and I was greatly encouraged to find out about the missions work they are doing in Chile.

(2) and during the last few days of the trip when we returned to NYC, He knew my heart's desire and caused it to snow lightly for maybe a minute or two near Ground Zero though it's was already the first week of April and it didn't even snow in Toronto. :)

Eastertide

The Easter season, also known as the Great Fifty Days, begins at sunset Easter eve and continues through the Day of Pentecost. It is the most joyous celebrative season of the Christian year. It foucses on Christ's resurrection, ascension and on the givings of the Holy Spirit on the first Easter (John 20:22-23) and the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

The ancient Christian name of the festival "Pasch", derived from the Hebrew "pesah" (deliverance pr passover), thus connecting the Resurrection to the Exodus. The origin of the English word "Easter" is disputed but may have come from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eastre and her festival.

The liturgical colour for this season is while - symbolising purity and celebration.

God of Grace - Choir Anthem

God of grace, amazing wonder
Irresistible and free
O the miracle of mercy
Jesus reaches down to me.

God of grace, I stand in wonder
As my God restores my soul.
His own blood has paid my ransom
Awesome cost to make me whole.

God of grace, who loved and knew me
Long before the world began;
Sent my Saviour down from heaven,
Perfect God and perfect man.

God of grace, I trust in Jesus,
I'm accepted as His own.
Everyday His grace sustains me as I lean on Him alone.

God of grace I stand astounded,
Cleansed, forgiven and secure,
All my fears are now confounded,
And my hope is ever sure.

God of grace, now crowned in glory,
Where one day I'll see Your face
And forever I'll adore in Your everlasting grace

Lent

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts 40 days, not counting Sundays and ends of Holy Saturday.

This year's Ash Wednesday is on 25 Feb and Holy Saturday is on 11 Apr.

Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'lecten' which means 'spring'. The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then it became a time of penance by all Christians. Becasue Sundays are always little Easters, the penitential spirit of Lent should be tempered with joyful expectation of the Resurrection.

Sombre colours such as purple or ash grey are used.

Transfiguration Sunday

The last Sunday Sunday of Ordinary Time is Transfiguration Sunday and the the liturgical colour is white while the rest of the sundays is green, symbolising growth and spring.

WMC 124th Anniversary

Wesley celebrated its 124th anniversary and the wind ensemble was decked in black with a gold sash. Check out how Becca and I look with our signature black and gold instruments too. :)

What struck me even more was the sermon that was delivered by the Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup based on Col 1:9-14 entitled "Not lost in translation". The words in the scripture passage in bold below jumped out at me and again I was reminded that God's kingdom is also here and now and we must seek to be aligned with God's will, to increase in the knowledge of God and to live a life that is worthy of Him, being fruitful in every good work. It seems like a tall order - God help me and Holy Spirit, please take over...

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Valentine's Day 2009

Love is in the air ... so we brought flowers... to All Saints' columbarium... and remembered the day Grandma went home to be with the Lord 5 years ago.

I was reminded that when we remember someone we remember all the good things and the happy memories and not the moments when the person was sick and frail.

We have many happy memories of grandma and remember her love for us and how she really enjoyed life and food (am sure she would have enjoyed the lunch at Putien which we adjourned to :P). We thank God for her and for the fact that she is in the house of the Lord now.

It makes me wonder about the legacy I leave behind...

Graduating caregroup

Met this final year caregroup of mine in Oct 2008 and we didn't really get off on a good start.

Am glad that I got to know each of them better throughout the sememster and found that they are a fun-loving close-knit bunch.

They come from different backgrounds and each has his/her own aspirations. They'll be off to NS, work or further studies - I wish them all the best!

An Ox-picious Year

26 Jan ushers in the year of the Ox (also known as a castrated bull :P)




Mum and I went to JB for pre-CNY shopping and here's mum with Clifford at Tesco.

We had Treasure Pot in addition to steamboat for reunion dinner. Yummy!

And then we're off doing our usual visiting...

Church Directions for 2009 -2011: What on earth? (is)

Rev Melvin Huang preached on the Kingdom of God today and announced the directions for 2009 and 2011.

The Kingdom of God (2009)

• emphasis on a major biblical theme and the official title of the gospel
• raise understanding and awareness of Biblical teaching of the Kingdom of God/heaven in the OT and NT
• preaching series on Biblical Theology on the Kingdom
• encourage SGs to do a study series on the Kingdom
• teaching events/programmes on the Sermon on the Mount, Parables and Eschatology

The Body of Christ (2010)

• emphasis on the major Biblical metaphor for the Church
• raise awareness of the church as a spiritual organism (vis-a-vis human institution)
• preaching series on Biblical Theology of the Church
• teaching events/programmes on Spiritual Giftings (espeically Network), Christain Community
• Studies on other Biblical Metaphors for the Church, e.g. Family, Army, Bride

The Work of the Holy Spirit (2011)

• emphasis on the Biblical Theology of person and work of the Holy Spirit
• promote a clearer understanding of the Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Godhead and His role in the Gift of the believer and the Church
• preaching series on Biblical teaching of the Holy Spirit
• Teaching events/programmes on spiritual formation, disciplines, Christian Character (Fruit of the Spirit)
• Studies on Wesleyan "Spreading Scriptural Holiness"

The key verse for this year's theme is from Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

It is once again a good reminder to attend to what matters most to God and not to what matters most to us.

Ordinary Time and Epiphany

The Season after Epiphany (6 January) is the season of Ordinary Time, which includes four to nine Sundays, depending on the date of Easter. It is ordinary in that it stands between the two great christological cycles of Advent-Christmas-Epiphany and Lent-Easter-Pentecost and has no central theme. This is a season when we celebrate Jesus Christ 'shown forth' or 'manifested' (epiphanised) to all humankind as Saviour of the World. The focus is on the stories of Jesus' early life, the visit of the wise men, the baptism and the wedding feast at Cana. The liturgical colour is white for the first Sunday, symbolising the baptism of the Lord, and last Sunday (Transfiguration Sunday), followed by green the subsequent Sundays, symbolisng growth and spring.

A musical start to the year

Watched two musicals over the last weekend.

Firstly it was a chinese musical - "Wild, Wild Rose" at the Victoria Theatre on 2 Jan, Fri. It's based on an old movie and the music are all familiar tunes (from Carmen and M Butterfly) made popular by Ge Lan. Generally a pleasant experience with Syn and Teng. The props could have been better though.

Then it was Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Esplanade on 4 Jan, Sun with Lay Li. Although it's a familiar tale, the entire experience was pretty magical. Lea Salonga didn't fail to impress. :)

Growing in Prayer

The sermon on "Growing in Prayer" by Rev Lillian Ang left a deep impact on me when she last preached on 7 Dec. Her sermon was based on 1 Thess 3:9-13.

She started with the story of a George McCluskey who spent one hour daily in prayer for his family. This prayer extended to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Many of his famly members committed their lives to God in full-time service and even though one of his great-grandsons, Dr James Dobson, did not go into full-time service but chose to be a psychologist, his ministry has reached millions around the world through Focus on the Family. This shows the power of prayer and also that our prayers should be much more than just about ourselves but about what is best for God's people.

She presented two guidelines for prayer: 1. thankfulness to God and 2. increase in our love for others.

I'm reminded to pray with thanksgiving as it shows gratitude to God and is a testimony through which we share with others the reality of God's love and concern. When things are going well, our prayers of thanksgiving remind us from Whom the blessings come and when things are not going well, our prayers contain a hope that God who is faithful will act. (Life application: think of someone whom you can thank God for - instead of complaining and finding fault, thank God for the good points we find in others)

I'm also reminded to pray for others with genuine love and not be self-centred as the source of love is the Lord. William Temple once said, "The Church is the only society on earth that exists for the benfit of non-members." My prayers for others must be translated into love in action.

As the new year begins, I must endeavour to grow as a praying person. So, help me Lord... Holy Spirit, take over....