I miss the moments when I sleep in your lap as you tell me about Bible stories...
I miss the moments when I see you casting nets...
I miss the moments when we had so much fun at the roof-top planting vegetables...
I miss the moments when we had so many time together at the Airport...
I miss the moments when you told me that I am your precious son...
I miss the moments when you forgiven me and tell me it is okay when I did wrong, you loved me...
I miss the moments when we went out to fish in the middle of the night...
I miss the moments when the many visits to Jack's place, talking, bouncing ideas on life and God...
I miss the moments when I went to visit you at SGH...
I miss the moments a lot, because it is with you that really matters...
I miss the moments, but i miss you more than anything else...
Moments and memories are meant to be created and treasured and never erased...
Thank you O Lord for moments and memories...that we can remembered of Your Great Faithfulness and Love...
Monday, June 15, 2009
The measure of an hour!!!
How do you know that your pastor is not there to clock the hours? I suppose this question, many people would ask, many pastors have sometimes fall into the trap of going to office each day, to just clock the hours. I believe that this can be extended to our daily life, in our ministry that we are so-called actively serving, when we are helping others in terms of acts of kindness. When we are doing our work, working on our assignments, essays, serving in the army, many times, we fail to give off our all to what we are entrusted to do.
Many a times, I myself feel this way as well! Recently, I have been reflecting and thinking, will there be a time when the pastor goes to hospital to visit his members just for clocking the hours there? There are so many things that demands a pastor's time, would he just go through the motion and just do it like what Nike strongly advocate for! Just do it?! Or do it with the right motivation and heart? One can just do it, but unwilling! The other can really do it with the right attitude and perspective.
The question of motivation, the heart of the pastor comes into the picture.
Recently, I knows of a pastor who I dearly respect and loved, I went with him to a hospital to visit a critical ill person. The pastor only allows himself to visit the person for one hour, for there is much more things to do in his to-do list. I thought to myself on the way there, why only spend 1 hour there, would it be better for us to stay a little longer there and minister to him?
I witnessed and fall into tears in my heart when I heard the conversation of the pastor and the man, I realized that one hour is sufficient, for the man was very tired due to the illness. He is constantly fighting for his survival, to take one more breath, to spend some more time with his family, and of course, his dear wife, who is recovering from a critical illness as well. This couple dearly loved each other, which makes departing even more difficult.
But what was amazing, there was a great friendship and respect between the pastor and the man!
The pastor was not just there to clock the hour, but he went all out for the man, to ask him to surrender all to God. Whether he is alive and dead, it belongs to God and therefore pray together with him as the pastor held firmly on his hand, a personally touch that totally changed my perspective of the 1 hour! And definitely, the yardstick of time can never measured with the quantity of hours, but the quality of the hour spend itself! The pastor must have spend many moments building this very deep relationship with the man, for he spoke of the greatest and most challenging topic a critical man would not want to talk on, death.
Surely, this is not a pastor who just spend one hour to clock his time, but fully maximized his many 1 hour(s) with all that he had with his people. Quality vs Quantity.
This pastor went with all out with a personal touch, with very strong relationship with his members, a pastor who sincerely love his people, for you can tell if one is there to clock the hour.
A quote from my bible study leader in church, whom I greatly respected after Playmax on Friday and Saturday, Meng Kim talking to his daugther as fetching me back, "Darling, there are many people work, but only a few worked. And those who work are going home."
With this, many of us can do things for the sake of doing, but if we put everything in perspective, we are serving the Living God! So the pastor really ministered from his heart, not clocking the hours. The man and his wife spend countless hours of quality time that touch many couples, but also makes separation harder, but this is their extent of love - quality time! Meng Kim surely did not just clock the hour, he gave all that he had for the ministry that he love and was entrusted to him.
Commitment! Love! All! HEART!
O Lord, teach me to committed to relationship with a pastoral heart, to love your people like the couple who loved each other dearly, to give my all to your entrusted ministry.
Many a times, I myself feel this way as well! Recently, I have been reflecting and thinking, will there be a time when the pastor goes to hospital to visit his members just for clocking the hours there? There are so many things that demands a pastor's time, would he just go through the motion and just do it like what Nike strongly advocate for! Just do it?! Or do it with the right motivation and heart? One can just do it, but unwilling! The other can really do it with the right attitude and perspective.
The question of motivation, the heart of the pastor comes into the picture.
Recently, I knows of a pastor who I dearly respect and loved, I went with him to a hospital to visit a critical ill person. The pastor only allows himself to visit the person for one hour, for there is much more things to do in his to-do list. I thought to myself on the way there, why only spend 1 hour there, would it be better for us to stay a little longer there and minister to him?
I witnessed and fall into tears in my heart when I heard the conversation of the pastor and the man, I realized that one hour is sufficient, for the man was very tired due to the illness. He is constantly fighting for his survival, to take one more breath, to spend some more time with his family, and of course, his dear wife, who is recovering from a critical illness as well. This couple dearly loved each other, which makes departing even more difficult.
But what was amazing, there was a great friendship and respect between the pastor and the man!
The pastor was not just there to clock the hour, but he went all out for the man, to ask him to surrender all to God. Whether he is alive and dead, it belongs to God and therefore pray together with him as the pastor held firmly on his hand, a personally touch that totally changed my perspective of the 1 hour! And definitely, the yardstick of time can never measured with the quantity of hours, but the quality of the hour spend itself! The pastor must have spend many moments building this very deep relationship with the man, for he spoke of the greatest and most challenging topic a critical man would not want to talk on, death.
Surely, this is not a pastor who just spend one hour to clock his time, but fully maximized his many 1 hour(s) with all that he had with his people. Quality vs Quantity.
This pastor went with all out with a personal touch, with very strong relationship with his members, a pastor who sincerely love his people, for you can tell if one is there to clock the hour.
A quote from my bible study leader in church, whom I greatly respected after Playmax on Friday and Saturday, Meng Kim talking to his daugther as fetching me back, "Darling, there are many people work, but only a few worked. And those who work are going home."
With this, many of us can do things for the sake of doing, but if we put everything in perspective, we are serving the Living God! So the pastor really ministered from his heart, not clocking the hours. The man and his wife spend countless hours of quality time that touch many couples, but also makes separation harder, but this is their extent of love - quality time! Meng Kim surely did not just clock the hour, he gave all that he had for the ministry that he love and was entrusted to him.
Commitment! Love! All! HEART!
O Lord, teach me to committed to relationship with a pastoral heart, to love your people like the couple who loved each other dearly, to give my all to your entrusted ministry.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Quote of the day...
"If you read history you will find out that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next." - C. S. Lewis
"Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection." - Watchman Nee
"Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection." - Watchman Nee
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
"Enjoy your bible too as you prepare."
I m preparing a message on "overcoming rebellion," this framework is taken from Neil Anderson's book, Restored. This will leads to submission, pride and surrendering to the Lordship of Christ. I m very anxious, yet excited to speak on this topic, but i realized that submission and pride has also been my constant challenge for my own spiritual life. When i accept this preaching 1 week ago, never did i know, i was in for a ride of my own.
realized that before i could think, write or even prepare, i did not have any peace of God. went to my favorite place, Coffee Bean at Sing Post at Paya Lebar, as i m writing on my journal and i was encouraged by this sms, "Enjoy your bible too as you prepare." I was in the midst of writing down my thoughts of asking how i find it hard to prepare for this message. I saw the late entry of my journal, it was one month ago!
Then i understood by this phrase as i pray to understand this phrase, "Enjoy your bible as you prepare." I guess it was the longest time since i really enjoy reading, processing, reflecting the bible in depth as i journal. digging deep down, realized the month of May was a crazy month for me, writing so many papers, which i enjoy as well, but i was left without time to journal my QTs.
"Enjoy your Bible as you prepare"...what a quote! what a moment of refreshment, as i write down my thoughts about the passage that i want to speak on. Digging was the best part of journaling, to think, to circle and play with the words, thinking about application along the way, thinking about what is the main idea of the text, to understand what the author desires to portray and to teach its readers.
Conclusion of tonight's preparation, "Enjoy your Bible as you prepare!" When was the last time you really enjoy your bible as you prepare the word of God for correcting, rebuking, teaching and admonishing in love?
realized that before i could think, write or even prepare, i did not have any peace of God. went to my favorite place, Coffee Bean at Sing Post at Paya Lebar, as i m writing on my journal and i was encouraged by this sms, "Enjoy your bible too as you prepare." I was in the midst of writing down my thoughts of asking how i find it hard to prepare for this message. I saw the late entry of my journal, it was one month ago!
Then i understood by this phrase as i pray to understand this phrase, "Enjoy your bible as you prepare." I guess it was the longest time since i really enjoy reading, processing, reflecting the bible in depth as i journal. digging deep down, realized the month of May was a crazy month for me, writing so many papers, which i enjoy as well, but i was left without time to journal my QTs.
"Enjoy your Bible as you prepare"...what a quote! what a moment of refreshment, as i write down my thoughts about the passage that i want to speak on. Digging was the best part of journaling, to think, to circle and play with the words, thinking about application along the way, thinking about what is the main idea of the text, to understand what the author desires to portray and to teach its readers.
Conclusion of tonight's preparation, "Enjoy your Bible as you prepare!" When was the last time you really enjoy your bible as you prepare the word of God for correcting, rebuking, teaching and admonishing in love?
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