11 Aug: taxi ride

Well, it looks like I’ve failed to jot down the thanksgivings. Nevertheless, I’ll try my best.

Today, while taking a cab, the cab driver passed me a flyer about the prince of peace. I told him I was already a believer, so it’s ok.

He started chatting to find out more like how I got to know Christ and what does my cell group normally do.

Near the end of the ride, he started asking me how do I (we) apply God’s word into our lives. He voiced that it seems hard to really upkeep and apply and it seems like a tall order. He questioned why we would pick a faith with so many restrictions. Well, I hoped my reply helps or reassure him that the faith is not one of restrictions. I explained that it is one of transformation. Indeed, there are times when we might lose control and forget and at the end of the day, we can ask God for forgiveness. It might not be easy initially and one will need to remind oneself constantly and read the Word. It will take practice too. As you learn to apply, you will slowly be transformed. He still asked me how and it still seems difficult after I said things along this thread (hope my delivery was on), and I just ended it off saying we can prayer. Pray to God to lead and guide us; prayer is important and ask God for help to transform us. Well, something along that line.

I guess I should give thanks for being able to share, albeit to a fellow believer and hopefully encourage him in his faith. Come to think of it, I could answer it with reference to transformation partly because of Sunday’s sermon that talked about transformation in the last days – the rapture not being “transportation” but “transformation”.

25 July: Saturday survey

Well, on this particular Saturday, there was a meet customer session and I had to go round to do a survey with the public. Fortunately, the people I interviewed were friendly and helpful, even though a couple of them declined.
I’m very shy and don’t really like and you can even say afraid of approaching people, so thank God I overcome that a little during this time and nothing adverse happened.

24 July: TGIF

It turned out to be quite a smooth sailing day last Friday and I was quite happy and sprightly for the day.
First off, I really dislike doing presentations and I had to lead a tour that day. However, it turned out to be quite a good session as the audience (small group of about 8 people) was quite responsive and I actually felt quite at ease and cheery with them.
Then, my colleague and I were given a lunch treat by my supervisor.
In the afternoon, a feedback case resolved on its own without me needing to speak to the person. I really hate dealing with customer feedback as some have made me quite disillusioned.
After that, I was able to submit a tracking report upon request, which I had been preparing on my own, so not much extra effort needed.
Finally, I went for cell group energetic, even though I was feeling very tired on my way to work.
Praise the Lord for sustaining me through the day and giving me strength and a smooth day.

23 July: Thursday reminder

As I start my thanksgiving series, let me kick off with a past dream or what I believe, a calling forgotten. From my last full post. I was reflecting on how to get in touch with music again, of which as you can see from the long lapse, I did not do anything much about.

However, last Thursday, a friend from this arts group I’m in made a call for people interested to commit to a 3-part songwriting session series. I knew I had to take the part. I could recall the dream I had to minister through simple songs of worship and to get back into song making. I may not be great, but I believe I can serve, through a prophetic word shared on me years ago.

I thank God for this opportunity to ignite this aspect of my life, and to take a step back from work to do something else. In the beginning of this year, God had told me to learn to “rest” and not to spend all my time working, but to take time to reflect and renew myself and of course to spend more time with Him. I’m still struggling with this, but this call has provided a window for me. I really hope I will be inspired to produce more songs. My last song was in 2008?

Church-going as a privilege

I’ve been feeling tired lately, and my right eyelid has been twitching for the past 2 weeks, probably as a result of insufficient sleep (really need to catch up on that). Anyway, was having a chat with some colleagues yesterday and was kind of expressing my relief that it was going to be Saturday, which is usually the only day I can sleep in till late morning (like at least 10am if I can). Then one of them said that I still had Sunday of which I replied that I need to go to church on Sunday morning. She commented something in the line of “wow, so 乖 (obedient/religious)”. It isn’t really something of a ritual or chore, but rather, I view it as a privilege.

You see, it wasn’t easy getting here, this privilege of going to church service regularly without persecution. Well, I can’t say I’m heavily persecuted like others’ testimonies have spoken, but it is very major to me. Early on when I first became a Christian in my university days, I didn’t go to church that much due to my parents’ disapproval. I’m embarrassed to admit that you could probably count on one hand the number of times I attended service within a year, and most times secretly. But over the years, I have built up the faith and finally expressed to them my desire to attend church regularly since it was my own decision to make. Furthermore, I’m already grown up as an adult and it was time I took that step of faith and obedience. It was a breakthrough when though displeased, they didn’t stop me and I went to church every week from then on, initially by bus/MRT. And nowadays, my parents actually drop me off at church before they go do their own stuff! Praise the Lord! The progress might have been slow, but I believe there will be more breakthroughs in future.

So there you have it, being able to go attend church service is not something to be taken for granted. It represents and reminds me of GOD’s promises and blessings. It is where we are edified as a body of Christ and community of believers. I’m not saying that going to church religiously every Sunday necessarily mean one is being a good Christian, especially not when one treats it as just a ritual without the heart, and end up being just a Sunday Christian. The same that we know that GOD is not confined to just a Sunday service but is a part of our lives everyday. But one mustn’t take it for granted. It is a privilege to come into the house of GOD and worship him together, and listen to the Word.