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.

Do Singaporeans in general have patience and a humble attitude?

Many of us had watched or read Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally 2008 speech on 17 August 08. PM Lee talked about gracious living and measures the government had taken, such as service excellence and courtesy campaigns, to "make people aware of their behaviour and conscious of the impact on others". I wonder if the majority of fellow Singaporeans resonate my sentiment that Singaporeans are not getting any more gracious towards one another, especially towards foreign workers amongst us.

Take a very recent observation. My wife lamented to me that on one of her shopping trips to Parkway Parade, while trying on a pair of Charles & Keith shoes, a lady was shouting and humiliating a native mainland Chinese sales girl because of the latter's poor grapse of the English language (or Singlish). Surely better understanding and empathy could be extended to the poor sales girl, instead of openly calling her names and challenging her to return to her motherland.

Lord, I pray that Singaporeans can be more gracious towards foreign workers and accept them openly. Because they are also created by You, we are to respect and love them regardless of their backgrounds. Give us a heart of humbleness and patience in our daily encounters with one another. In Jesus' name I pray and give thanks, amen.

Let your kids fail sometimes

Let's face it. Who doesn't want our kids to be successful or have a headstart in life? When the kids are in their pre-teens, we tend to fix their problems and attend to their needs every step of their ways. I've seen parents doing that even when their kids reach adolescence!

Dr James Dobson reminded us that teens desperately want to be thought of and treated as adults ("The New Dare to Discipline", Dr James Dobson, OMF Literature Inc., reprinted 2004, pp. 72-73). Chip Ingram emphasized the importance of letting our teenage and adolescent kids face up to their own consequences in order to foster responsibility, confidence and success ("Let Your Kids Fail", Chip Ingram, Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson, April 2007, pp. 18-20). In other words, let our kids fail sometimes. We could try to give advice or opinions but ultimately we need to let them make their own decisions and grow up to be responsible adults. I like what Ingram said about the parent's role: "A parent's job is not to make sure a child has a smooth or comfortable life. Our role is to put safeguards around them when they're young to keep them from ultimate harm; to gradually widen those safeguards as they mature; and to help them to grow into the person God wants them to be."

Dear heavenly Father, I know each child is unique as they are wonderfully made by Your hands. I pray that I would be able to let my kids flourish in their own ways and not hamper their maturing process. May You guide me in the nurturing of my children according to Your ways instead of overly protective of them when they reach adolescence. Teach me to be a good listener and counsellor to my children when they need advice and guidance. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Making personal prayers through scriptures

Do you have a prayer for some one but do not know which scripture you could draw upon to bless this person? It happens to me quite often!

I was reading the past issue of "Discipleship Journal" (Issue 120 Nov/Dec 2000) and stumbled upon an article "Making Scripture Personal", contributed by a reader, Sue Skalicky. Instead of ruminating on scriptures , Sue's advise was to find a scripture and apply a personal touch to it in our prayer for the person we wish to pray for. This could be done by inserting blanks where we could write the person's name into the appropriate place in the verse. She gave Jeremiah 29:11-13 as an example:

"Father, You know the plans You have for ___________. Your perfect plan is to give ________ hope and a future. If _________ will call upon You and come and pray, You promise to listen and hear. I pray God that ____________ will seek You. For You will be found when ___________ seeks You with all his/her heart."

Thanks, Sue for the wonderful tip.

Unconditional Love

Yesterday's baptism service at Touch Centre was a very touching moment for me. Pastor Paul Lee delivered the sermon on God's unconditional love, with verses from 1 John 4:7-12.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

It brought back memories of how I came to know Christ and faced parental objections when I wanted to be baptised in church about 12 years ago. My baptism was postponed twice as a result of that. I thank God that I made it through after finally obtaining my parents' blessings, even though they did not attend my baptism service then.

Satan will never be able to dislodge us from God's plan and blessing unless we ourselves gave them up. It is the right given to us by God that we need to lay claim to. We are the justified children of God when we exercise our right to the sonship of God.