“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 […]
Of forbidden fruit and …. see ham (cockles) Read More »
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
The violin, Jesus, and I Read More »
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
Dung and hay before frankincense and myrrh Read More »
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
Manifesto thoughts for Christians Read More »
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,
Keep Calm and Stay Safe Read More »
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
Know when to say “No” Read More »
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
Humans are creatures of habit. After many years of doing the same worship style/practices every week, whether is it liturgical, open worship, led worship, or any other kind of worship, we’re bound to reach a point where we ask ourselves, “Why are we doing this?” or “What is the right way to do Sunday Worship”?
Liturgical worship – my journey from copy-paste to practitioner Read More »
