Reflections From Care-Cell (Contributed by Valerie)

Nasi Lemak Dinner before CC

Topic: it’s not about me: perceiving others’ realities
Lesson #12: Called to Care (Isaiah 61: 1-3)

Jesus is truly altruistic. Humans, being self centered at times, judgmental and capable of being cynical of others’ intentions, can never fully measure up to his standards. This does not mean that we can use such innate nature of being human to justify our reasons of not being able to care for others wholeheartedly. Instead, if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, God can purify our hearts and mould us into being more Christ like, to put others before self, to be sympathetic and to love others like He loves us.

Throughout Isaiah 61: 1-3, these versus illustrate to us how Jesus was such a ray of hope, a beacon of light in the darkness and a symbol of optimism for those who grieve. We are called to be called ‘oaks of righteousness’ and this description itself illustrates the challenge for all of us sinners that the truth of the matter is that this is a challenging and long process that does not produce changes overnight.

During our sharing session, a question was posed to us with two options. Should we contemplate on helping someone or should we just do it? Perhaps, we should not intellectualize this caring process too much. Instead, as mentioned, we should pray about it, asking God to change our hearts and make it anew. This reminds me of a Christian song that would be familiar to all of you:

Change my heart O God.
Make it ever new.
Change my heart O God
May I be like you.
You are the potter I am the clay.
Mould me and change me. This is what I pray.

Caring for others means to step out of our comfort zones and extend our helping hand to others around. Everyone is called for a different purpose. Some are called to help on a larger scale like on mission trips. However if we do not hear that kind of calling, perhaps we could help on a smaller scale such as caring for your family, friends and community or even volunteering locally in local homes for needy people. We should also care for our fellow Christian brothers and sisters like God told us to. (Romans 12:13 ‘share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.’). Sometimes we think to ourselves that God does not seem to call us to any specific area and that we do not feel a need to help others. Perhaps it would be a good time to quieten down our hearts and hear God speaking to us.

Let us all pray for God to give us a heart that will burden us to be sensitive and caring for others around us so that we can shine for Jesus and be the salt and light of the earth, a display of His splendor. It is stated in Matthew 5: 16, ‘in the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.’ What sets Christianity apart from other religions in terms of doing good deeds is not solely for self gratification and to show how charitable and noble we are to men but rather it is a display of Jesus’ selfless love for those around us. As a Christian, we must bear in mind that whenever we care for others, ‘the self’ fades off into the background and the true selfless love of Christ shines through our actions and words to others. In Ephesians 2: 8-9, ‘For it is by grace you have been saved ….. Not by works, so that no one can boast.’

There are so many hypothetical questions we can generate to ask ourselves if we would help given a certain scenario. Such as, ‘should I give a beggar money if he approaches me?’ and ‘ should I seek out others whom I suspect might need help instead of just waiting for someone to approach me for help?’

As always, if we pray for God to give us a burdensome heart to care for others and the wisdom of discernment, He will grant us our heart’s desires. God always places us in situations so that we could help others and it is always for a reason. When we ask seek and knock, all will be given unto us. Now the question is: Are you ready?

Whose View of History? (posted by Joseph)

Something I came across...printed on page 3 of 'Today' newspaper, 24 Jul 06 .

William PFAFF - Whose Meaning of History?
http://www.williampfaff.com

Underlying nearly everything said or written about history – in the West, at least – is a belief that history has a meaning. The thought is intolerable that it might not have a meaning, and that all the suffering and cruelty of existence is vain.

This is why modern western thought has been obsessed with ideology, providing a secular substitute for the interpretation of human existence previously provided by biblical religion. European thought concluded in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that it was unreasonable to believe that God exists or that human existence is in some meaningful way connected to a divine intelligence.

Thus human reason must discern the purpose of history, a notion that produced the ephemeral existence in revolutionary France of a cult of Reason, with a ceremonial which was an emulation (or caricature) of Catholic ritual. The cult disappeared, but the belief did not. If we do not exist within a divine structure, which is the opinion of most western intellectuals today, humans must find their own way to think about history, and must themselves affirm a personal goal or system of values by which to live.

The alternative of a life without values – nihilism, absolute egoism, a stoic acceptance of the arbitrary (which was more or less the “existentialism” of post-world war two philosophy in Europe) is difficult if not intolerable. Thus a vague “scientific” atheism is undoubtedly the default belief of most people today who think about these things. This resembles a religion because it usually is linked to an equally vague faith in secular progress, supposed to be produced by science.

There has been plenty of progress in science, technology and human organization and institutions since the presumed death of God more than two hundred years ago, but the years since have given us ideological totalitarianism, the two world wars and many savage smaller wars, genocide in Europe, Africa and Asia, and the war “between civilizations” that George W. Bush is now pleased to call the “long war” against global terror and tyranny.

This is the recent record of human progress through reason; although some would object that it is no worse than much that preceded it. But the age of reason was supposed to be better. Reason and science were supposed to move steadily towards solution of the great problems of history. Instead, post-Enlightenment Europe had recourse to secular philosophies of history, or “stories” of why man exists, to substitute for religion.

The latest of these to gain international significance was, of course, the Bush “freedom doctrine,” saying that everyone everywhere wants American-style democracy, and that when they have it, history will have reached its goal (or the world will come to an end, the religious interpretation of Bush’s foreign policy made by some of his – and Israel’s - Evangelical Protestant supporters).

The Bush doctrine is a naïve version of the most important of the post-Enlightenment stories about history. Marxism was a secular religion in the guise of a scientific interpretation of history, finding in history a “story” of class struggles that would eventually produce the perfection of human society, a secular heaven on earth. It took nearly a century for this belief to collapse of its own untruth, and because of the cruelty and inhumanity of the methods used to impose it.

Marxism was the most important modern secular religion, with millions of believers, many of them highly intelligent, and it endured from the mid- nineteenth century to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. It still has a nominal existence, devoid of intellectual content, in China, and a half-life on some western university campuses, but otherwise it has vanished, and nothing has taken its place.

Fascism was its only real rival in the twentieth century, but fascism has always been intimately connected with nationalism, which automatically limits its international appeal. Nonetheless, Mussolini’s blend of nationalism with socialism in Italy was influential in many other countries until the defeat of the fascist powers in 1945, and evidence of the crimes they had committed, seemed to discredit the doctrine for good (although on that, we will wait and see.)

Fascism also possessed an intellectual and political style with permanent appeal to certain intellectuals, including some contemporary Americans, and to many politicians. This style consists in aggressive and expansionist use of military power for national aggrandizement and “glory,” elitism and belief in elite power and privilege, the dehumanization and degradation of enemies, and unscrupulous use of demagogy and propaganda.

These undoubtedly will not be the last secular religions that will appear in the guise of political ideologies or world-historical schemes. Such are needed to mobilize people for struggle -- and as we are plausibly told by Washington, the world is only at the start of the “long war” against Evil (itself a theological reinterpretation of a political effort to control the Middle East).

As for my own view, I do not think that God is dead, and I think that only he knows the meaning of history. The problems arise when men and women try to substitute their own for the divine intelligence - an endeavor which can be relied upon to continue, to the general misfortune.

I Can Sleep When The Wind Blows

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.

Jan's Stag Nite (Part 2)

Heh, by popular demand, I now present to you, Jan's stag nite..Part Deux! This was what really happened.. The Impromptu's met Jan for dinner at Grapevine on Thursday..and promptly proceeded to church for our 'secret' practice..the 'stag nite' was just a ruse to throw Sarah off the scent that her groom was preparing his surprise for her..

Jan practises with Mr Percussion (Bingjun) and Tenor 3 (James)..

while Adrian (Tenor 2) seeks help from Mr MusicMan (Benjamin)

We practised long and hard while Ben struggled at the soundbox to make us sound decent enough..the final result? Well, let's just say the groom wow-ed his guests..and I believe, his bride too :p If you really want to hear us during practice..well, try not to laugh when u watch the following clips..

Oh, by the way, for those who are still wondering about the 'I paid for the chicks' comment, Bingjun was referring to the 'chix wings' we had at Grapevine!! Heh, moral of the story: always take things in context :)

Anyway, on the Big Day, after everyone was long gone, 4 brudders were left behind in church to take care of the little knicknacks..here's a posed picture.

Heh, no, the situation wasn't as pitiful as it looks..one of our tasks was..to finish up the chicken rice lunch!

It was a good chance for us to catch up and fei-lou-ship amongst ourselves..whilst we talked about anything and everything under the sun..(or moon in this case). Ok, sorry for the long post, I shall end here now..enjoy the pics and vids!

Jan's Stag Nite (Part 1)

Heh, for those of you who missed Jan's stag nite with the brudders, here are some pictures of what we did..

James looking a little blue in the face..

We had military presence in the form of 3SG Ow

How can we forget the man of the moment? Jan enjoying his meal of 1 chicken wing..

The Brudders..excluding Ben who was behind the camera
For those of you who find the place familiar, it should come as no surprise to you that these photos were taken at Grapevine, the café off Upper Serangoon Road. Stag Nite started with a good dinner and some male bonding..nope, there was no flour nor M&Ms on the table, guys don't do that :p At the end of the dinner, someone suddenly said.."Oh, I paid for the chicks"..and, well, the programme for the rest of the night would be covered in Part 2..

*Building bridges – architects & engineers in discussion…

Here’s a "short" recap of the discussions & exchange of opinions during the last cell group meeting at Joseph & Linda’s, a very engaging & delightful spontaneous session; where which we wrapped up at (or about) 1900hrs. certainly, 1 of the longest sessions we’ve had in awhile

Its evident that in today’s context, many people of the world subscribe to their own beliefs & “faiths”, not because they really have a grip of the situation, but more so lost & with that strong vacuum & desire for longing, to be recognized & be part of something/ a corps/ a group/ a community, to be identified with and/or among others.

As Christians, it’s a common thing to say that we identify with them, empathize with them, feel for them, but hardly doing enough to make things any better for these lost souls. As it was also written in the passage, we need to be on the same frequency/wavelength of those whom we wish to reach out to. And there are times when abstaining & not mingling among them may not necessarily be the right thing to do.

The bibles says, Everything is Permissible, but not necessarily Beneficial. Hence we have to discern & know when its right or wrong to react, for each situation is a tailored delicate challenge while witnessing to a brother/sister, yet at the risk of stumbling a 3rd party on-looker.

**Be reminded: there's nothing we can do to change whatever negative thoughts the 3rd party on-looker may bear for our actions, but what we do for the 1st party- with whom the intention is to engage with, in service for God, and His glory. Let not the issues of there being on-lookers hinder/deter us from the "call". (...His work be done on Earth as it is in Heaven...)

Talking the talk is never enough for the non-believers, as we’ve probably not put ourselves in their shoes to see what they see, feel what they feel, to understand what justifies their cause of actions/indulgence. Perhaps its time we could consider walking the walk too?

We recognize the fact that there are tons of sinners out there, and like it or not, MUST NOT FORGET that we are SinnerS too. We’re not tasked to be judge over a fellow creations of God, but to love them as we love ourselves. To be stewards in their lives, beacons of light, pillar of strengths, shoulders to cry on, someone whom they can lean on (as its also popularized by the song)… in any event when it matters most.

To be in the world & not of the world is what’s expected of us; just as how lifesavers need to get wet when rescuing a drowning person, like paramedics having to put themselves in risky situations to salvage casualties/victims, like Jesus who mingled amongst sinners in order that they see/hear & learn from his teachings.

to be fishers of men... we need to go out to sea to cast our nets. God never promised the journey to be a breeze, in fact, He promised perils & trials that will break a good sweat.

To be light in darkness! Come out from the comfort zone & fight the good fight… for His Glory, that the world may know, may see, may taste a little bit of Heaven. Souls were not, are not & will never be wooed by words alone… they need to be WON…

…. It may/may not take a lifetime just to win 1 soul for God, but fret not, for He never gave us “sales targets” to hit. ;o)

Sarah's Bridal Shower

Dear Sarah,

We hope you enjoyed your bridal shower last night. Even if you didn't, the group of us gals most certainly did!

Planning began over a week ago masterminded by Linda & Yahui. Other accomplices include Stephanie, Serena & Sri, and your soon to be husband was uh-hum...our internal consultant.

After a short worship lead by Stephanie, we proceeded to TEST you on how well you know our future husband. These questions included 'What is Jan's dominant sleeping position?', 'What size pants does he wear?' and 'Where on the toothpaste does Jan press on?' Jan assured us that the 15 odd questions were probably things you didn't know about him. But to your credit, you answered about 2/3 of them right, and for that you were rewarded with a grape or an M&M.

For the few questions that you were not too successful at, even if you only missed your father's birthday by 2 days, we gave you a free facial!

Poor Sarah, you looked so poor thing that we were afraid Jan would come after us! But you climbed the learning curve fast, and soon you were navigating all that flour with ease : )

We hope you & Jan would like the 'meaningful' gift we (including Julia & Pauline) bought for you. Rest assured that what went on after you opened the mysterious gift will not be told to the guys and we will not blackmail you with the photos & videos taken... as long as we can make a claim on any little Jans & little Sarahs that come after!

Of course, it was not all fun & games lah! Each one of us also blessed you with verses from Scripture & we prayed for each other before we went home for the night.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed your last party as a swinging single and pray that you will experience God's abundant blessings as you move on to a new & exciting chapter of your life!

With love,

your sisters in YAM

Mummy, Why Do Princesses Always Want To Get Married?

After reading 'Princess & The Pea' to Jolene at bedtime, the little girl asked me: "Mummy, why do princesses always want to get married???"

I must admit I was quite stumped by her question. Thinking how insightful her question was, I agreed with her observation that yes, the princesses in stories do always seem to want to get married.

The conversation continued.

J: Mummy, why do people get married?

M: What do you think? Do you think people get married because the girl can feel a pea under 20 mattresses? Would you get married to a man because he can balance an apple on his head?

J: (giggling) No.

M: So, why you think people get married?

J: Because they love each other. Just like you and Daddy.

M: That's true. Is that the most important thing?

J: Yes.

M: Well, that's important. But another important thing is that they must love God as well. Then they will really love each other and want to take care of each other and the family forever. There are many people in the world who get married because they love each other for awhile, and afterawhile, they don't love each other anymore and say bye bye. And the children have no mummies or daddies to look after them (It's generalising I know, but the divorce rates are going up!). If we really love God, He will show us how to really love each other in a family forever.

J: Just like I love my friends! (totally misses the point, sigh)

M: Yes, you're right! God says the 2 most important things are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and to love your friends as yourself.

J: (contemplating)

M: So daddy & mummy always pray that you will grow up to love God and if God plans for you to get married, to prepare for you a man who loves God too.

J: Ok Mummy.