BREAKTHROUGH AT MIDNIGHT
THERE IS A SILENT COUNTDOWN happening in our lives every night. These are the moments before midnight that usually slip out quietly to make way for a new day to arrive. It is a change of order that we are more aware of, especially on the eve of a birthday and New Year’s Day. We want to capture those moments with significant others as we cross over to a new chapter; although chronologically speaking, it is just another hour.
THE PERFECT & IMPERFECT FATHER
Around Father’s Day, the media, and even the church, commonly spread a fetishism about fathers, upholding them as superheroes. In over-glorifying all fathers, all who are irresponsible, absent or who behave badly are forgotten and replaced by images of the perfect father who should be rewarded with gifts and special promotions.
WHO IS GOD?
This week, our guest speaker, Pastor Joyce Lim from Praxeis Church, asked the group, ‘Who is God?’. It is a simple enough question. Older believers might launch an impressive spiel with Bible citations about God with little effort.
BEING SATISFIED IN A DISSATISFIED WORLD
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR LIFE? These days, a lot has been written about the rising trends in job dissatisfaction and quiet quitting, marital unhappiness and silver divorce, the shrinking supply of affordable housing in cities, the loneliness and depression in the digital age, and the list goes on.
WAITING IS NOT WASTING
Singapore is well-known for its queuing culture. In fact, some even say that queuing is a national pastime for Singaporeans, and the longer the waiting lines, the better are the deals ahead!
THE UNSEEN HAND
THINK OF THE PEOPLE who have made a profound and positive difference in your life. How did their presence change the way you experienced a difficult situation? In all likelihood, these were not people in your usual Christian circles.
HONOUR BEGETS HONOUR
Three biblical characters left us indelible stories about honour. First, there was Joseph. From palace to prison to public office, Joseph honoured all whom he served. When he could finally give his brothers what they deserved for putting him through decades of misery, he decided instead to honour them before Pharoah (Genesis 45:8-11, 16-18).
JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION
Suppose you are asked to rate your journey with God so far, how many stars would you give it? You might give it a 5-star rating if you are enjoying a stable income, frequent travels, dining at upscale restaurants, and pursuing any hobby and interest you want without any constraints.
CONNECT. DISCONNECT.
Smart phone applications have become so crucial that we feel handicapped when they are not within reach. These applications enable us to book personal transport before we step out of the house, navigate our drive as we get into the car, have simultaneous conversations with different people, and juggle a million things on the fly without actually speaking or interacting with any person.
LIVING STONES, NOT ROLLING STONES
SINCE HISTORIC TIMES, stones have been used for palaces, homes, places of worship and defensive walls against enemy attacks. As stone engineering advances, stones became the hallmark of architectural prowess from the Roman Empire (civilization before Christ) to the Renaissance (start of the modern world).
HEART & POSTURE OF WORSHIP
Modern technology makes it possible to produce high quality worship in churches. Skilled music arrangement and worship hermeneutic are tools that help worship leaders better engage congregants and elicit their response. Good publicity can increase participation in collective worship. But no matter how deeply satisfying and pleasing to our senses these experiences are, true worship goes beyond the worship atmosphere, music and rituals.
SO WHAT’S NEXT?
What are the chances that when you catch up with someone, you will hear about a recent life event in the family like a wedding, a birth, a death or a graduation? Surely, milestone events like these elevate collective sentiments but they do not determine the meaning and purpose of our lives.
RESURRECT YOUR SPIRITUAL SENSES
Over Good Friday and the Easter holidays, Christians commemorated the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ that are the central tenets of our faith. Believers also took holy communion to observe what Jesus instructed at His final supper with the twelve disciples when He said, ‘Do this in remembrance of Me.’ (Luke 22:19). For believers, remembering the events that led up to Christ’s resurrection ought to also resurrect our spiritual senses of who Jesus is - our Lord, Saviour and King.
GET OUT OF GOD’S WAY
Whether we admit it or not, we all have our opinion about many things. There is no shortage of opinions (or POV) on social media platforms like YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook, where people are talking endlessly about this or that, presenting their narratives on different issues, and floating their persuasions and counter-arguments in various echo chambers. On social media, anyone can become an opinion leader with the power to disseminate information quickly, shape opinions, spark conversations, as well as perpetuate false narratives and fake news.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Domestic violence, alcoholism, grief, pain, abandonment, suicidal thoughts, betrayal, fallout with friends and church people, conflicts, manipulation, trauma, sleepless nights, despair, depression, giving up on being strong, feeling disenchanted, unloved and uncared for… by God
HOLY GOD FOR HOLEY MAN
How do we know if someone among us is an important person? Most of us quickly pick up cues from the other people around – their decorum, dressing, demeanor and the way they respond to the most elevated person in the room who carries substantial influence over the rest.
HOW SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Christians attending churches that are endowed with well-designed facilities and cutting-edge technology can be forgiven for thinking they are on entertainment-laden cruise ships rather than ammunition-loaded warships. Indeed, some churches today appear to operate like entertainment venues with a constant stream of on-site programmes and an obsession with filling up capacity.
WARRIOR OR WORRIER
What keeps you up at night? Some of us may lie awake worrying about our job security, finances, or relationship problems and playing out all sorts of scenarios in our minds. During times of stress, we can also experience a reduction in the quality of our sleep from excessive screen usage and caffeine intake that interfere with rest and exacerbate our state of worry.
FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS
If you had been miraculously saved from a near fatal accident or a deadly disease, would your life not be significantly redefined from that point when God snatched you from the door of death? How is it then that our salvation often turns into a non-event in our lives?
