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Pastor Sinon posted this in Others on July 30th, 2010
After the forum, I had the chance to chat with Mr. Chan at the lobby. ” I started running when I was 45 years old.” he said. ” I was a smoker, a drinker and a nightclubber.” he added. As he shrugged his shoulders I know it was a past he took no pride and honor. ” But I was determined to change my lifestyle,” his face shined,” The first time I stepped on the running track, I can’t run. Nevertheless, I decided to run. And now, I can’t stop running.” By his determination, at the age of 56, he ran his first marathon in Malaysia and clocked below 4 hours. Like a tiger that tasted blood first time, he became more determined and obssessed to run for marathons in the succeeding years. His change was remarkable, even dramatic. In like manner, spiritual change needs a no non-sense determination. Many had noble spiritual intentions. They desire to read and pray regularly. They want to set aside a time for God everyday. However, without determination to say “no” to the promptings of the flesh and overcome every obstructions, the spiritual change desired will never happen. There is no gain without pain. Battles are not won without a fight. Similarly, spiritual change involves fighting our battles with the flesh daily. Related post Pastor Sinon posted this in training on July 29th, 2010
I’m refering to Mr Chan Meng Hui. He’s the oldest Singapore marathoner. His last run was last year’s Standard Chartered sponsored marathon. He clocked 8 hours and 15 minutes for the 42.195 km. run. When I heard him speak as a guest in a ” Knee and Shoulder Pain” forum the other week at Gleneagles, I was electrified by his sheer physical discipline. He ran 7 kilometers everyday to keep himself fit. And on Sunday mornings, he runs 25 kms. with his friends at McRitchies Reservoir. When I think of 1Tim 4:18, physical exercise is placed in a right perspective. Paul said,” For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” The practice of godliness is more profitable. Where bodily exercise focus only of the temporal life, spiritual exercise has eternity in view. Appropriately, we must not only be mindful of our bodies but also for our spiritual lives. Let us not allow any form of sin like bitterness, anger, unforgiveness and lust that make our souls sick and unhealthy. We must be disciplined to “walk in the Spirit” everyday( Gal 5:16). Afterall, a healthy spiritual relationship with God is more preferrable. Paul testified, ” Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”(2 Cor 4:6) Pastor Sinon posted this in Wisdom on July 28th, 2010
His Mom, in the kitchen, did not believe him. She was so sure the room’s door was unlocked. She went over to find what the problem was. She smiled on what she saw. ” Son, can you spell the word written on the door?”, she asked gently. ” P…U….L…L!”, he grinned exposing his lack of two front teeth. Somehow, we exhibit that there is still that “toddler” in us. We push and push until we get tired. We get upset and become sour. There is no point of pushing doors when the instruction says you have to pull. Just as the carpenter of the door installed it in a specific way, so is our heavenly carpenter designs things to work in certain definite ways. The problem is we don’t read the writing on the door. Like the toddler, our back is against it. The precepts of the Lord are absolute. What are stipulated as right and wrong could not be amended. The designer of life has the say. Let’s cooperate with Him. When he say, push, let’s move forward. However, when he say pause, we better stop pushing. Pastor Sinon posted this in Wisdom on July 27th, 2010
Max Lucado, a famous Christian Pastor and author, wrote an amazing and fantastic experience. One time, he played basketball and one pair of his contact lens fell. Everyone scoured the hard court as one looking for a needle in a haystack. When they were almost to give up, he saw a shiny glitter on one’s arm – his contact lens! How it stuck there without falling while the guy was jumping and running all the time is mind boggling. Simply spectacular and inexplainable. For an experience like that, we are always drawn to think how wonderful our God is. God is inscrutable. However, I believe there is more spectacular than the afore mentioned. It is when one plays a basketball and his contact lens did not fall. Why? It’s because he’s not wearing any contact lens at all. It’s more amazing to have a 20/20 vision though one is advancing in years. Let’s not wait for the spectacular experiences to see God. He is always present in the “ordinary” experiences. When we cross the street and nothing harm happens. When we play sports and we did not fall and stumble. When we swim the pool and we did not drown. When we retire at night soundly and wake up in the morning. When we breath and we are not gasping for lack of oxygen. We tend to look these as ordinary when they are not. They are the most spectacular. They are gifts from God. Pastor Sinon posted this in church on July 26th, 2010
We exchanged notes. I just met him for the first time. And I was so interested to know what God is doing in his ministry. “Our vision and mission is to bring the church to the people,” he grinned, ” And, not the other way around.” His wide smile, I believed, mirrored how big hearted he was. No wonder, in a difficult place like Thailand, he has a thriving ministry. I am talking about a Filipino missionary serving in Thailand for ten years now. A friend from Batam introduced me to him. He and his family were on their way back to Bangkok from Batam. However, they decided to spend one weekend in Singapore to attend our church services. We had a wonderful time of fellowship. What he said poked a question in my mind. Are we a church that goes to the people? Is not the church supposed to be proactive. Are we not going to build bridges to the people rather than walls to separate them from us? Should not the church be like Jesus going around doing good, seeking and saving the lost? Jesus assured us that the the gates of hell even can’t prevail against his kingdom (Matt 16:18). As God assured Joshua that every place they stepped upon is already given to His people, the Jews, so Jesus also assured us that He has authority in every place ( Matt 28:18). So, today, as a member of His body, start to believe that you are a plank of the bridge, not a brick of a wall. Start to believe that God can use you to reach out your friends and family to Christ. Will you? They had four children, aged 12, 11, 3 and 6 months old, respectively. She and her husband of 12 years went here in Singapore, supposed to have a 4 day holiday. However, it ended up a nightmare for her. When she related her story to me and my wife, I shook my head in disbelief as to what he did to her and the kids. During the first day, her husband left her alone. He brought her passport. He didn’t leave a single cent. She was penniless and hungry. Her husband was untraceable. She survived the next 3 days because a hotel janitor gave her food until she was able to contact for help from the Philippine embassy. Why can a man do such horrible act? If he was planning to leave her, why leave her here on the guise of having holiday? Why leave her without money and passport? Did he not pity his 4 kids left without a mother? Cruel and brutish. Like an unconscientious boy throwing away his old toy, this man abandoned her and the kids. . The man may not come to such state overnight. The wife recognized her fault. Many years back, she knew her husband had became dubious yet she took it for granted. She knew he was fooling around with other women. Her tolerance ended in the inevitable, id est, leaving her and the kids. That little drop of rain from a leak unattended may cause someday the entire roof to come down. That little itch unattended may become a gangrene. Solomon described the danger of tolerating seemingly harmless little foxes to spoil our vines. (Song of Sol. 2:15). A few days ago, she went back home to begin the fight for the father’s sustenance to the kids. The damage is done. I pray she will be strong to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. Pastor Sinon posted this in compassion on July 24th, 2010
It was a wonderful discussion in our discipleship group one Sunday afternoon. In fact, we spent one and a half hours of sharing but we seemed not to notice it. I had to decide to politely end up our discussion and share our prayer requests. ” I want to join the Philippine Evangelistic Team.”, one brother expressed his desire, ” However, I don’t have the money. Please pray that I can join.” I understood him. He was retrenched five months ago and could not still find a job here. ” He wanted to provide for my Phillipine trip should I go.” he added pointing to the guy sitted beside me, ” But, I don’t want to burden him anymore.” I understood his feelings, too. For the past five months without a job he stayed with him in his house. For free, I believed. Before I could say anything, this guy next to me blurted, ” Actually, Pastor, I desire to go but because I can’t leave my pregnant wife alone, I will pay instead his expenses for Philippines.” I knew for certain he has joy of helping our needy brother. No reluctance. No second thoughts. No feeling of being burdened. His joy was to involve in the Evangelistic Campaign even in supporting our brother to go. Joy flooded in my heart. I saw love. I saw genuine compassion. Is not this what discipleship is all about? Yes, our time of sharing was encouraging but the time of prayer was even more. 1Jn 3:17,18.
But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. Pastor Sinon posted this in God's Word on July 23rd, 2010
Recently I went to an NKF Health Screening Program. It was my turn to have my blood pressure check when my friend, in his mid 50′s, stepped in. ” Can I have another try?”, he requested the nurse to check his bp once more. He was saddenned that the reading was even higher than the previous one. There was a disbelief in his countenance. In the Canteen, I happened to have breakfast with him after the check up. He expressed his doubts. He was normal in all his previous checkups. He questioned the accuracy of the digital sphygmometer among others. How often we follow our feelings more than the naked truth. We cast doubts to God’s Word. We prefer to trust our perceptions than His precepts. Could this be the reason why strokes happen? When hypertensive patients refuse to take medicines and eat restricted food because they feel better? Don’t feel the truth. The Word of God is true irregardless of our feelings. What God says that settles it. We’re enjoined to trust God with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding (Prov.3:5). Honestly, at first, I felt the same as my friend do. However, I’ve got to accept that the instrument did not lie. It was my heart that lied. Let us remember that our hearts are deceitful. (Jer 17:9). Pastor Jason posted this in Wisdom on July 22nd, 2010
PALO ALTO (USA) – THERE’S been much focus on the dangers of driving while using a cell phone, but experts say pedestrians are also suffering the consequences of mobile distraction. They’re tripping on curbs, walking into traffic, even stepping into manholes as they chat or type while walking. Now, technology companies are stepping in to help these sidewalk stumblers step out more safely. The tools include earpieces that allow users to talk their text messages and applications that make a screen transparent. Still, some experts warn the mental distraction will not go away despite the technological advances. Clifford Nass, a communications professor at Stanford University, says the fundamental problem is our brains cannot concentrate on so many things at once. — AP I learn that: 1. We must have priorities in life- we will stumble if there are too many distractions 2. The greatest distractions are not what is around us, but what is in us- mental distractions. What are you distracted with today? Redeem the time, for the days are evil. Pastor Jason posted this in Wisdom on July 21st, 2010
EVEN the best can be better, that is a motto that Ritz-Carlton Millenia lives by, and this is the spirit that Minister in Prime Minister’s Office Lim Swee Say wants the service industry to embrace. The five-star hotel is the latest organisation to jump on board the Customer Centric Initiative (CCI), one of the programmes under the national drive to improve service, Gems Up. Ritz Carlton’s general manager Peter Mainguy said the reason for joining CCI was a no-brainer because they ‘can never be good enough’, adding that consistency and staying a step ahead of the competition is vital. The hotel, which topped the national Customer Satisfaction Index, said it will not rest on its laurels but will strive hard to keep its top position.
The Best can be Better. This is quite a Christian motto too! Paul said in Phi 3:13,14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” We should always press on to be better. Better in our relationship with the Lord. Better in our service towards Him. Better in who we are. Better in our roles as husbands, wives, children, employees. Yes, the best can be better. Never rest on your laurels. |
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