1st of January 2023 has come. We’ve bid goodbye to 2022. It’s a new year. How is it that I feel nothing has really changed, yet I also feel that 2022 has come and gone too quickly. Who is the person who determined that the 1st of January is a new year in the first …
“I was once expelled from the hostel I stayed in while attending English College in Johor Bahru because I sneaked out with two friends to eat see ham (cockles) on Lido Beach!” R shared with a bashful smile and a twinkle in his eye. “You didn’t!” I laughed, “Why did you do it?” “The food …
Perhaps you’ve heard the story. Of the violin. At the auction. Bids for it stopped at $25. The auctioneer was about to say “going, going, gone.” But a man interrupted. The man got up. Dusted off the violin. Played it with passion. Everyone heard it. The sound was heavenly. The man sat down. The auctioneer …
As an Asian and a first-generation adult convert, I wasn’t brought up with the traditions of Christmas. I vaguely remember as an adopted child, being brought to my natural parent’s house, and they had carolling there. I remember being baptised on Christmas day 1981, in Faith Lutheran Church, Penang. There was one Christmas when I …
In Lutheran churches, on each of the four Sundays preceding Christmas, an Advent candle is lit. The four candles have names: hope, love, joy, and peace[1]. But where is the Candle of Faith, I wonder? What is faith, I ask? Hebrews 11:1 comes to mind, and it reads: “Now faith is being sure of what we …
The Father of Faith threw his wife under the bus. Twice. Read More »
I sent these three questions to many friends and relatives. Question 1: Are you looking forward to Christmas? Question 2: Can you explain why? Question 3: What do you wish for this Christmas? I got 44 responses. The answers were interesting! Here’s what I learned. Question 1: Are you looking forward to Christmas? 25 persons …
I asked, you answered: Christmas is magic, panic, romantic … Read More »
I feel compelled to give the backstory of the sermon (49:33) I preached yesterday, and to reinforce and summarize it. John Calvin famously said that our hearts are idol-factories. We want God to give us peace, tranquillity, comfort. Therefore, we shape him so. We spiritualize texts. Take for example Psalm 23, the shepherd song. We …
I have a confession to make. When I awake, I immediately reach out for my mobile phone. I start by reading the WhatsApp chats and Google news feeds. Throughout the day I scroll up and down looking at the chats, the reactions, videos, YouTube, social media. The stuff I receive ranges from the newsworthy, banal, …
The Bible, in 2 Samuel 11, records a sordid incident which happened during the height of King David’s reign. What is this sordid incident? Was it a war? Was it an act of treason? No, actually it started off involving 2 individuals. And then it escalated into a national catastrophe. It was springtime and King …
A night of revelry turned into a nightmare in Itaewon, Seoul on Halloween 2022. The cause of death was asphyxiation, from the crowd crush. Simply put, the victims just couldn’t breathe. A normal adult breathes 12 to 20 times per minute[1]. Breathing is an activity which we do naturally, automatically, mostly without thinking. Yet in …
