The reflecting theologian

Moving on from Christmas, this is the time to start reflecting on the past year and start planning for the upcoming year. So what will my resolutions for 2012 be? And how have I performed for 2011? I guess you will find out on New Year day itself. Would really like to spend the countdown at airport but see how lah...

I never thought Straits Times would publish such stories, but I am impressed that they did. Yet I wonder how many people really read them and ponder on the real meaning of Christmas rather than thinking Christmas as just a merry day of feasting and giving? Moved by God's love after fall Chinese national Liu Chengyu, who works as an electrician here, is celebrating his first Christmas because of a spinal fracture from a bad fall in July. The former atheist, who found God through the ordeal of his injury, said: 'I used to think Christmas had something to do with Santa Claus but the day had no meaning for me until now.' Tonight, the 44-year-old from Jiangsu province will stand before a 500-strong audience at the Fairfield Methodist Church Chinese Christmas service in Tanjong Pagar Road to share his conversion. His injury happened when his then employer asked him to repair a light at the workers' dormitory in Punggol where he lived. He lost his balance on an unstable lad...

For to us a child is born To us a son is given... - Isaiah 9:6a Entering into Christmas, it is intriguing to see people wishing Jesus 'happy birthday' on Facebook and Twitter. But the more I think about it, the more inaccurate I feel. I was just musing, how can it be that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus? Technically speaking, Christmas is not the birthday of Jesus, because the son is not born, He is given. He has existed eternally. Remember that the Word is with God, and the Word is God? Now, if Jesus is eternal, can someone tell me why are we celebrating His birthday? Isn't birthday a celebration of creation? Yet, I think there are reasons to continue to celebrate if we mean the arrival of the God incarnate on Earth. All in all, at this stage, I just find it weird to celebrate Christmas as the birthday of God. It just doesn't sound right.

And so I served my last time as a stage guitarist for Uni-YA. For those who are wondering, I did not opt to step down because I am facing problems and issues. Neither is it because of my lack of spiritual life. It is also not because of my lack in skill. In fact, I felt that over time, my own skill has improved a lot and my musical acumen has grown over the past year in serving. It is also interesting to note that I am beginning to be able to fully express myself in worship when I am playing the guitar for praise and worship. As I reflect through the past one year or so, it has been short but it has been exciting for me, as a worshipper of God. Tiring as it may be due to the need to go for practice and reach service venue early, as well staying back late for evaluation, the price for serving on stage has never been too great as the joy I experience by serving on stage. It is like Eric Liddell who told his sister that when he ran, he felt God's pleasure. It is as if for me, when...

Just testing some functions in Google.

I was in the Celebrate Africa event earlier this evening, and during praise and worship, the worship leader mentioned something along the line to ask us to remember how God has brought us through all these years. I thought it was interesting, because it was right at Nexus 6 years ago on 10 Dec that I began my journey with the Lord. How funny is it that 6 years on and I was standing there in Nexus listening about the mission works currently being done in Africa. But yet, as we continue to pray and fast for the season, I think it is an apt time for us to give thanks to the Lord, for who He is, for He is good and His love endures forever.  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” - Exodus 3:14 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. - Psalm 118:1 If there are nothing else we can give thanks to God for, we give thanks to Him for He is good, His love endures forever. That is the lov...

看了这部电影，还真的让俺感触几深一下。 想起那些年，高中暗恋的女生。。。 那些年，高中在教室里踢的足球。。。 那些年，学校胡闹的日子。。。 那些年，当兵吃蛇的日子。。。 那些年，在路上看过，在网路上聊过的女生。。。 那些年，打的电动。。。 那些年，在大学留在教室念书的日子 那些年，在大学捡到的ち，养过的猫。。。 等等。。。等等。。。 也有几句话说的不错，例如男人在喜欢的女孩子面前，其实是很胆小的。我现在还是在喜欢的女孩子面前一样胆小。。。 虽然已没像当年那么幼稚，但是比以往更笨，更白痴。。。我是指在喜欢的女孩子面前的时候。。。 回味。。。 那些年

It just so happens that this week is a time of reflecting and evaluating my own walk with God. It is a good time to do so too, especially when all the events confluence together to make it a special time to do so. I will hope to elaborate more on this on Saturday. But as I was reflecting, I was reminded of Psalm 78: My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust ...

It was very ironic. I was happily running my marathon somewhere towards the 25km mark (I think) and suddenly I found my muscle rub cream missing. As a result I decided to slow down and started walking instead. Halfway walking towards MCE, I was looking at the sea, and thought to myself... I don't like the sea and ocean after my STM (I think I was having that thought or somewhere along the line of making sense of my feelings towards the sea). Perhaps God has a sense of humor which no one can comprehend. Just then, my MP3 was playing the song - Oceans will part. I guess God has a way to make us slow down so that He can meet with us and speaks to us. How ironic, when we are singing Oceans will part, oceans parted and destroyed life, and I wonder if people really know what they are singing about, when they ask God to show them the work of His hands, when it is not going to accept the answer. I guess I am still in the midst of making sense of what I saw in Japan. But followin...

When I watched this video on Chris Tomlin narrating the process of recording the world edition of 'How great is our God', I just felt the same way as I did in my previous post. God deserves to be honored in every languages and tongues. Feel like leading a multi-language PnW now...

I was on my way back home when I was thinking of the world edition of Chris Tomlin's How Great is Our God. Something touched me deep within on the bus. It is the fact that God is and can be praised and worshipped in all tongues and languages - a fact that should make it worthwhile for us to go the effort to witness His gospel. And this by itself testifies His greatness. How great is our God All will sing How great is our God All will see How great, how great is our God 我神真伟大 歌颂你圣名，真伟大 全地都看见 我神真伟大 Besarlah Tuhan Puji Dia Besarlah Tuhan S'luruh semesta ajaib Besarlah Tuhan なんて偉大な 我らの主あなたわ 全地わ知る 偉大な神 (Sorry, only able to provide the translations in languages which I understand... to ensure a certain degree of accuracy over what I took from the internet) And John said in Revelations that he looked and 'there before him was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and b...