We all know that it takes more than the main actors and the movie director to get a movie from an idea to a finished product. Do you belong to the group of people who stay behind after a movie ends to read the credit roll and see the names of all the people involved? Or do you make a quick exit, thinking and talking only about what you see on the big screen?

An avatar is a graphic representation of our persona – real or fantasized. They invoke our imaginations about our realities and maybe even some super-power we would like to have to help us overcome our weaknesses. Some pick dog avatars for the unconditional loyalty they are known for; birds for the freedom they represent; snails for their ability to retreat into their shells and hide when they are uncomfortable; chameleons for their adaptability in the face of threats; butterflies for symbolizing transformation; or tortoises for being slow and steady in enduring long distances.

To say that something lasts a lifetime only describes the duration of a condition. Many things are seen to be beneficial if they last a lifetime such as product and service warranty, marriage, wealth or a passion for learning. But how about a lifetime of regrets, illnesses, relational deficits, loneliness, and broken dreams? How about the eternity that all of us will step into at the end of our human life? What kind of eternity are you preparing yourself for?

How do I live life? You may think that this question is reserved for people who struggle to see that tomorrow will be a better day, but it is really a question for all believers. Whether we are cruising along safe shores or hurled into the stormy seas, we can be just as distracted by life itself and forget how to truly live.

Counterfeits are fake impressions, things or identities that are like real. The trick is to be believable. Cybercriminals operate on making people believe that the text message or email they send asking for cash is from a legitimate source. Illegal businesses produce and sell knock-offs of branded products at knock-down prices. But do you know that there are also counterfeit Christians? It’s hard to spot them because they act and sound so much like true believers that even they are convinced that they are authentic!

Think of the last time you told people you were embarking on a new life direction, or starting a new job, or relocating to a different country. You likely received all kinds of well wishes - Godspeed, all the best, good luck, bon voyage – as you stepped into a future full of promises, confident that you could sidestep any problems and perils that might remotely emerge. Or so you thought.

With Christmas round the corner, a question returns each year: so what’s new about it? The usual biblical plot will be replayed with characters that both Christians and non-Christians are familiar with - Mary, Joseph, the Magi (the group of wise men), the shepherds and the owner of the barn where Jesus was born. Apart from living in the same epoch and appearing in the same bible story, what else did they have in common?

IT’S HARD TO FOCUS when we have difficulty keeping still. We’re not talking about personalities here but about our attitude – the ability to keep our anxieties in check in order to find God in times of uncertainty. To be sure, modern technology and smart devices today have become both a boon and a bane: while they allow us to access information at our fingertips, they also condition us with an unhealthy fear of missing out (FOMO) that underlie an obsession with the need for certainty.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” These words from 2 Timothy 4:7 were penned by the apostle Paul when he was facing his own imminent demise. In the preceding verse, he wrote, “and the time for my departure is near.” (v6). Here, the word ‘departure’ depicts a boat due to set out from the harbor; or soldiers breaking camp ready to be deployed somewhere for battle and possibly not return ever.

Are you one of those people who study the manufacturers' instructions on cleaning products, read instructions for appliance use or garment care, and follow the step-by-step guide for furniture assembly? Most of us tend to chuck instructional guides aside until something breaks down or malfunctions. As a result, we often run the risk of product misuse, product damage and even personal injury that is preventable because of our flagrant neglect of the instructions that are provided for our good.

Most commentaries about 1 Samuel 9 (the first book of Samuel, chapter 9) focus on the introduction of Saul as a good looker who stood out for his height and handsome looks, and how God revealed to Samuel that he would become Israel’s first king. By all accounts, it is one of those Bible stories which starts with an ordinary event (Saul on a donkey recovery mission) before it turns into a life-changing experience for the main protagonist (Saul).

We have all heard that knowledge is power. This idea was popularized by French philosopher, Michel Foucault, and has become a fact in today’s knowledge-driven societies. In fact, the human need for knowledge often surpasses the need for God because people have the impression that with greater knowledge, there’s greater certainty and control than waiting on God to change things. Humanly speaking, we all prefer certainty over the unexpected. Yet, greater access to knowledge has not made human life more predictable or certain. Bad news still dominate headlines and knock on the doors of our lives.

Christians are not often associated with being modern, open-minded, progressive or even sociable people. They are often accused of being resistant to change and for acting as though that God’s salvation gives them moral superiority. Admittedly, Christians are themselves conflicted between modernity and spirituality: how does one live a modern life while remaining faithful to God?

In this second-part study of Romans 12, we’ll look at verse 2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” The problem begins when we misread this verse and mistake it as a call to resist changes, reject all new information, and live as a social recluse in order to avoid moral contamination. Doing so can make us out of touch and ineffective.

Ask any Christian: where would you be today if not for God’s love, amazing grace, and salvation for you? In all likelihood, they will supply copious stories of how they experienced God’s timely goodness, intervention, and provision. These are impressive milestones that mark their faith journey. On a daily basis, however, most Christian life rolls back into the humdrum of human existence in which God takes a backseat in human conversations, decisions, and lifestyle choices. He is politely left out of the friendships He has blessed us with. He is not consulted at the jobs He gave us as His divine assignments. Our minds conjure God as one who is happy to step back until another setback emerges in our lives. We imagine that He is always ready to step in to help. Instead of a relationship, we treat God as a recovery and rescue mission.

Christians today have instant and constant access to teachings, interviews and sermons anywhere and anytime. We like sermons that feel less like instructional lectures and are inspiring with more relatable context. We prefer preachers who are eloquent in expressing their thoughts with a good grasp of whatever language they use. We grade sermons according to how they make us feel on any given day. Nothing wrong with these expectations.

As we continue our reflection on Psalm 23, the impression that the writer did not seem to have a shred of ambivalence towards God is hard to ignore.

In fact, the certitude he had about God is admirable, especially when he talked about going through the ups and downs of life. In verses 2-3, he resolutely tells readers, “He lets me…He leads me…He restores my soul…He guides me…”. And in verses 4-5, he addresses God directly with confidence, “for You are with me…Your rod and Your staff…You prepare a table…You have anointed….”

Sure, it’s always easy to talk about God’s goodness when we’re living trouble-free lives, but as soon as a calamity and personal crisis appears, we often start wondering if God has somehow changed His mind towards us. Instead of confidence in Him, we send Him a long list of why don’t You do this or that, and why hasn’t this or that happened for me.   

There’s a time of the year when teams scramble to put together their budget numbers and business goals for the next fiscal year. Workers are rewarded by how well they deliver on their goals. Unless one is living under a rock, we all know that the trajectory to success is one that rewards the ability to embrace change, speed and agility. The pace is intense – everyday.

Our experience of God’s love can be likened to an unending trip and depending on our ability to follow God as our Guide, some can find it unpredictable or beyond our capacity to comprehend. Others, however, see God’s love as steadfast, calming, very present, unconditional, or a love that never fails or changes. Yet, others find that God’s love helps them stay secure in different seasons. Others have encountered God as a loving Father who is forgiving and whose love is unconditional. Picture these keywords as memorials and tokens of hope from our individual journey with God that we leave for others, especially those who feel lonely on a very long and difficult trek.

Indeed, no words can adequately describe the love of God. As echoed in an old hymn, ‘the Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell.’ To be sure, God’s love is not fragmented or available to us only if we get our act together. It’s not something we get more or less of according to our behavior, and although we may hurt God’s feelings when we accuse Him of not caring, nothing we do can ever disappoint God.

If Jesus is a magician, He would work miracles and stunts to ensure that we have a problem-free life. If He is a powerful financier, He would ensure we always have the security of wealth and assets to weather any crisis. If He is the ultimate service provider to all humanity, we would have nothing to complain about because life would be nothing but easy.

We all know these are unbiblical misperceptions of Jesus that lead only to disappointment and disheartenment. However, we can be confident that Jesus is always someone we can talk to in any situation or hardship. Yet most days, especially when we are emotionally and mentally worn out, we would rather have fast solutions from Him than hard conversations with Him. We want to get out of challenges, not get better through them. We know exactly what we need to improve our situations if only God has the same mind about it. We know how to get things done, and if only He listened to us, life would be so much better for us.

Do you find that people these days seem constantly preoccupied with making life as satisfactory as possible rather than learning to live fruitfully with Kingdom-mindedness? The quality of human well-being seems centred around finances, job demands, children’s health and education, and even the next vacation plan. When we assume that living well means quickly resolving anything that brings unease and pain, we fail to become better at unpacking what we can learn through them.

This could explain why Jesus occasionally felt disconnected from His disciples. He often said one thing and they thought another thing. After they had experienced the miracle of feeding over 5000 people with the meagre resource of five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21), you’d think they would have a different conversation with Him when they faced the prospect of feeding another four thousand people. But no, they asked the same question, ‘“Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”’ (Matthew 15:29-38). It was as though they never learnt anything from Jesus.