Shofar, So Good!
Last Friday, Jews in Israel and around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the start of a New Year on the Jewish calendar. The festival marks the beginning of a very special and holy time known as the High Holy Days: Rosh HaShanah (also called Yom Teruah – Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles or Booths). These feasts and fasts are called ‘moadim’ in Hebrew, meaning appointed times. The Book of Leviticus in the Torah specifies the reason for […]
A Homeless God?
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, He said, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Luke 9:58 How ironic when Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe who entered this world in flesh – and who not only made all things, but for whom all things were made – Himself said He had nowhere on earth to lay His head. From Genesis to Revelations, God has wanted a ‘house’ – a place […]
Adrift
‘Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away…’ Hebrews 2:1 When I was a teenager, our family rented a camp (our version of a chalet) on a lake for a week. I took the rowboat out fishing one afternoon and, when I came back, I nonchalantly tied a knot, mooring it to the dock. A violent storm ensued that night while we slept, and in the morning the boat was […]
What’s In Your Kindness Box?
While fetching my boy from school, a big colourful box with the words ‘Our Kindness Box’ in his classroom caught my attention. It brought back memories of Singa the Kindness Lion that was launched as our National Courtesy Campaign’s mascot back in 1982. Its slogan went ‘Courtesy is part of our tradition, it’s so nice to be courteous.’ The campaign later became part of the Singapore Kindness Movement as a call for Singaporeans to become a more gracious society. In […]
The Ideal Community
One great myth of church life is that community is something we stumble upon. In an ideal world, community is simply out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered like lost treasure on a map, or the elusive ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ pot of gold. All you have to do is find the right people, join the right group, or become involved with the right ministry. That’s why so many go from relationship to relationship, cell group to cell group, or […]
<strong>We’re On The Same Team! </strong>
The New Testament uses many metaphors to depict the Church – a body, bride, family, one new man, vineyard, army, etc. What do these have in common? They’re all living entities! One reason why multiple imageries are used is because the Church is too comprehensive and rich to be represented by a single description. And, if she’s living and healthy, growth is a natural by-product – both internally (spiritually) and externally (numerically). The Body of Christ is called to display […]
<strong>Who</strong>’<strong>s Calling?</strong>
I was in a delightful dinner conversation with a young and gifted worship leader from Nashville last week when I decided to steer the topic towards her dating history. As she was recounting her reasons for breaking up with the last guy, she casually quoted something her pastor had mentioned in church – and I was immediately arrested. This is what he said, “Your calling is a Person, and He will give you your assignments.” The profundity of this simple […]
Idle Talk
Paul, the greatest apostle the world has ever known, was a man of action. As a result, he simply could not stomach people who were full of bluster. His letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, exhorted him to ‘Have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths’ (1 Timothy 4:7). Peter, too, warned us to stand clear of people who bragged about themselves with empty foolish boasting, describing them as dried-up springs, mists blown away in the wind, incapable of […]
Into The Fray
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” Matthew 12:30 Christianity is not for spectators. For the believer, there simply is no such thing as taking a neutral stand. There are no passive observers or ones who teeter on the fence. When Jesus encounters people, He does not give them multiple options to choose from. If He says, “Follow Me”, either you do or you don’t. Your feet move, […]
The Apple Of His Eye
The idiom, ‘The apple of my eye’, is often used to express how precious a person is to us. The Hebrew translation says, ‘The little man of the eye’. Try looking into someone’s eye – you’ll see yourself reflected in the pupil of their eyeball. The eye is also the most vulnerable part of your body. You protect it by blinking or turning your face away from a ball whizzing your way, or if an opponent sends you a ‘knuckle sandwich’ (also known […]
