The Glorious Unfolding

This past week has been an amazing week of thanksgiving. After months of waiting, it seems as if so many prayers have been answered in an almost unimaginable way - better than hoped for or imagined. Besides, passing my California driving test (the second time around), i got accepted into a doctoral program, likely to be supervised by at least one renowned professor in the field of literacy and early intervention, and possibly receiving funding for it.

It seems now so clear that the Lord is leading me to this path, even though the way ahead is by no means easy. To think that i had almost not applied for this program, and that it was kind of a "last minute" decision, as i was weighing out the pros and cons. Finally decided to apply only after a conversation with my parents.

It's really one of those times when my heart is bursting with thankfulness and wonder at the way the Lord is working in my own life.

Meanwhile, my heart is also full with many prayer requests from those around, especially in my small group. Since i've been in SF, i've really been diligently journaling some of these prayer requests and answers, and it is good to look back and see how the Lord is working. I don't think the phrase "the Lord works in mysterious ways" is actually in the Bible, but it sure seems that way.

SCC's title track from his latest album kinda sums it up. Here's the chorus:

This is going to be a glorious unfolding
Just you wait and see and you will be amazed
You’ve just got to believe the story is so far from over
So hold on to every promise God has made to us
And watch this glorious unfolding

No matter what trials come our way, this is not the end of the story. Let's press on together, friends.

Reflections on books

Was a good time catching up with family and friends back home over the two weeks we were back, and also spending time with Jon and his family in Sydney. The only downside to flying Scoot to Sydney was the lack of entertainment on the 7-8 hour flight. But that also meant that i was able to read on the plane!

1) I finished reading The Winter of Our Disconnect by Susan Maushart, introduced by Chris. - About a family with three tweens/teens who went without their computers and smartphones for six months, and their experience. Very interesting read, and definitely makes one think about the effect of technology on our every day life, and especially on relationships. I have no doubt that technology is here to stay - our young people have not known a world without such technology! And it can be very effective not just for advertising and convenience, but even lifestyle evangelism and mutual encouragement, as evident from our Whatsapp group chats. Yet it can also harm how we relate to one another if not carefully checked. Definitely a difficult time for believers of today in general, and for parents especially i feel.

2) On the way to Sydney i read the short and easy-to-read book Heaven Is Fr Real by Ps. Todd Burpo about his then 4-year-old son's near death experience, and visit to heaven. Pretty amazing stuff. The son was able to relate things about people he had never met before, and Biblical facts he wouldn't have learnt before. What a comfort to know that Jesus is the first face we will see when we get there.

3) The book i read on the flight back from Sydney was from Jon and small enough to fit in my  handbag - In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon. A real inspiring read about how change can be realised when some disciples put into practice the answer to the question "What would Jesus do?" in their daily lives.

4) At my parents' place i managed to skim through John Stott's book The Radical Disciple, where near the end of his pilgrimage on earth he reflects on 8 characteristics of Christian disciples that are often neglected, including Nonconformity, Creation care, Simplicity, and Dependence. What a privilege to be able to glean reflections from such a forerunner. Much to ponder upon and apply.

Now, back in SF and trying to get into the routine of things once more.. Working on my grad school applications and getting more involved in my volunteering. So much time to read. Yet as Ps. Ed always says, how true that Truth alone doesn't change lives; only Truth Applied changes lives. Oh for the strength and wisdom to Apply!

Love and Joy

Sang this beautiful hymn at church on Sunday, with a very funky tune, much faster than the original version. The lyrics are beautiful and meaningful to me, especially verses 1 and 3.

 

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

 

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

 

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

 

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

 

By George Mattheson

Trying to learn what it means to pray continually

Thinking of loved ones back home and their very real prayer needs..

Had a nice long weekend with old and new friends in Seattle, and started on Ravi Zecharias' book Cries of the Heart. Definitely some good pointers to think about. But what most struck me in the first two chapters was the story about John Wesley, who in his eighties was still serving the Lord fervently, and at the age of eighty-six wrote in his journal, "Laziness is slowly creeping in. There is an increasing tendency to stay in bed after five-thirty in the morning."

!!

I can only conclude:
What passion.
What a man.
What a God he knows and loves.

Every second counts

It seems that this month has passed by even more quickly than others.. And these few weeks and days it seems there is a constant reminder that this world is not our home and we shouldn't get too comfortable in it. News of terminal illness and sudden death all remind me of the urgency of the times and the need to keep the main thing the main thing. Praying for all my dear sisters and brothers - we are in this together.

Happy Birthday Singapore

I don't think i've ever considered myself "patriotic". For some reason, despite having lived in Hong Kong, Vancouver, Sheffield, Perth, and now California, for various periods of time, i still would not really deliberate on calling anywhere else on this earth "home". Maybe it does seem hypocritical of me to say so since i am so far away right now and have had so many opportunities to live overseas. Definitely there's a lot that could be improved back home, especially in terms of cost of living, the over-crowdedness, hectic pace of life, and the weather, or even the scene in terms of the education system. But no place on this earth is ever going to be perfect. I am thankful for many things in Singapore, and will continue to pray for the leadership in the nation. Surely we each have a part to play to make that change that we long for. And maybe, just maybe, the common longing for a better quality of life is actually the yearning for something more than this world can offer.

Community and Ministry

Following Christ's example, we are to start with the discipline of solitude and communion with God in prayer, before moving on to recognizing and gathering together in community, and then to ministry or compassion in the world.

Very apt thought even as i now look for a community to share and minister with others.

And what is ministry?

"Ministry is recognizing and receiving the gifts of others." It involves both gratitude and compassion. And interestingly, Nouwen discusses the issue of downward mobility and voluntary displacement. It is undeniable that the world tells us the only way to go is up. Yet there are so many examples of those who have chosen to humble themselves and work with the downtrodden and forgotten. What a challenge.