Matthew and Rebecca's Church Wedding

Ma SK and Kah Wee at the wedding lunch reception

Still feeling a bit lethargic from the past 4 days' overseas business trip, I was glad to be able to make it to the church wedding of John Seow's daughter, Rebecca at Foochow Methodist Church. The exhortation was incredibly light-hearted, with snippets of humour relieving much of my sluggishness.

It was also great to catch up with Ma SK and Kah Wee at the lunch reception.

May the Lord bless Matthew and Rebecca's marriage and fill their household with His love and peace.

His Grace is Beautiful (Cantonese Worship)

I love this beautiful cantonese worship song, which speaks of God's love and His commission for us to respond to Him.

Manga Bible - a great evangelistic tool for the youth

Not many pre-believers, especially the youth, would sit through bible study classes or read through the New Testament with vigor and zest.

NEXT, Inc. has published a series of manga biblical books to target today's youth, who are greatly influenced by worldly views and cultures. Introduced by a church friend, we bought a copy of "Manga Messiah" out of curiosity. I compared it with my comics bible which I bought many years ago and found the manga version much more interesting and compelling to read.

Indeed, the Lord has begun to work among the youth to redeem our younger generations from the works of the devil within the media and entertainment industry. My prayer goes to the youth, that God's wisdom and discernment be planted in their hearts, so that any ungodly strongholds and bondages be broken in their lives. Lord, fill my children's hearts with Your love, peace and joy. I pray that they will proclaim their desire to be pure and holy before You, so that they will not be clouded by the desires of this world. In Jesus' most precious name I commit this prayer, amen.

What is FAITH?

Faith is "Full Assurance In The High", according to Nick Vujicic. In close to an hour's special message for FCBC and pre-believers last Sunday, Nick underscored the importance of putting our faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ despite all the circumstances around us.

The opposite of faith is fear, where the latter is "false evidence appearing real" and for us not knowing the future (uncertainty). Satan has put fear in us but we need to defeat the devil by arming ourselves with the sword of truth by hearing the Word of God on a daily basis. No matter how many times the devil tries to belittle us in things that we have done sinfully or not up to others' expectations, Nick advised us to get a second opinion (from God). "When we go disable, God is able!". Well said.

And Nick is right, nothing beats knowing our Lord and Saviour when we are still breathing on earth. We are thankful for the miracle of knowing Him!

Amen to that!

Nick Vujicic at FCBC this Sunday, 9 Nov 08

Nick Vujicic will be back to share his personal victory and testimony at FCBC this coming Sunday! Geraldine has been talking about his testimony to our kids and they are enthused about meeting him this Sunday (well, I guess they will skip Sunday School this week with our blessings!).

For those who doesn't know Nick, Nick is born limbless. Instead of blaming God and others, he chooses to overcome life's obstacles with the power of God's love.

Go share this date with your friends who will definitely see lives differently after listening to Nick's powerful personal testimony!

Euthanasia or mercy killing

I am following the debate on euthanasia in Singapore with keen interest. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan has recently touched on this sensitive topic and it could mean that the Singapore government may consider amending the Advance Medical Directive or living will. (This is an age-old debate: I remember writing an essay on Euthanasia during my JC1 General Paper class almost 20 years ago!)

It is very heartening to know that just last week, the Catholic Church in Singapore had openly condemned euthanasia, citing the violation of medical ethics from such practices (see Straits Times article). The National Council of Churches later issued a public statement through TODAY (see article). It cautions against "euthanasia mentality", where euthanasia may be perceived as a solution to pain and suffering.

God is in control of every one of our lives and we are called to be stewards of our own lives and others under our charge. Call it "peace dying" or "personal freedom of choice", but it clearly runs contrary to what God has intended us to live out our fruitful and meaningful lives. I pray that the day will not come when Singapore goes down the slippery road of euthanasia.

Discover Ur

Just this morning while I was flipping through an old edition of TIME magazine before rushing off to church service, I was fascinated by the article "The Royal Game of Ur" (William Green, TIME, June 30-July 7, 2008, pp. 74-75).

It was discovered that the Royal Game of Ur dated about 4,600 years ago and was perhaps the oldest board gaming equipment ever found. The author alleged that the Royal Game of Ur would have matched in its popularity and glamour, the likes of PlayStation of modern civilisation. Its origin traces back to ancient Mesopotamia, an ancient city of Sumeria called Ur.

Ur? Doesn't it sound familiar to some of us? Of course! The city of Ur, as mentioned in the bible, was the birthplace of Abraham (Gen 11:31)! The bible says that Abraham came from "Ur of the Chaldeans", whom some biblical scholars refer to as northern Mesopotamia and not the famous Ur (southern Mesopotamia). Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know that just may be, Abraham and his generations would have an occasional Royal Game of Ur.

Wedding Banquet

Congratulations, Xavier and Annabelle on your wedding day (27 Oct 08). May the Lord Jesus bless you with His kindness and joy and that your household be filled with great faith and trust.

Pan Ying's Personal Testimony

FCBC is privileged to have popular xinyao singer Pan Ying at the Hokkien/Cantonese church service last Saturday (11 Oct 2008) evening, to share her personal testimony of faith and victory over depression.

Both my wife and I are fans of xinyao and her songs brought back many fond memories of our schooling days.

I was deeply touched by her conviction in sharing God's message of love and salvation to the inmates at the Changi Prison. Her unwaivering servanthood for others has been inspiring for many church-goers who are merely seat-warmers and not servants for those outside the saving knowledge of Christ. Let this message be a reminder for all of us, that we will be used by God to fulfill His purposes for us.