Disappointments, love and wishes

There were 2 disappointing events this week. The first came on wednesday, when I was supposed to meet my cousin on wednesday for a movie “The empress and his warriors”, but it turned out he couldn’t make it at the last minute due to the emergence of a meeting. The movie plan was postphoned to friday. Then on friday, which is today, we finally watched it but it turned out to be really a flop – we kept laughing at Kelly Chen for her unnatural facial expressions in the show. The story was very badly written as well.

On this day, I talked to this friend about “love”. I asked him: “ What is love to you?” He said its a feeling. I questioned him and asked: ” There must be actions which led to the feelings right, and what are those actions to you?” His answer was: ” I have not really felt love before, so since I never really felt love how could I possibly know what brings love?” 

Love, has been explicitly spelt out in the bible in 1 corinthian 13 which is a well known chapter. Let’s just take the first description – love is patient. Lets say when we are being taught by a teacher on a subject, and the teacher raised his frustrated voice at us when we couldn’t answer his questions or contrary, the teacher patiently guided us to the correct answer, which is love? An act of patience is an act of love which will produce loving feelings. Think about it – the description in 1 corinthian 13 are acts which creates love as a feeling. Is love around in your cell group? Is your cell group filled with actions of love that the love aroma suffuse and saturate the cell?

Lastly, I received an sms from a youth in church, she asked - if you had 3 wishes what would they be? For me, they are – To be healthy, to enjoy living the life I was given by God and lastly to be able to glorify God with this life. What are your wishes then?

Two Five

Two, 2 and five, 5. What does twenty-five or 25 reminds you of?

Whatever significance or inconsequentiality this number may be, it’s today’s date don’t you remember? The 25th of march, for me, reminded me of a hero Gianfranco Zola of my favourite football club Chelsea. He held this number for his jersey.

This week which contained this magic number, however seemed so listless. I felt lethargic. Even at the start of the working week, some people call this the monday blues. Then I was praying to God for a great day before I step foot into my office and in came all the surprises and blessings. Suddenly, everyone seems to treat me additionally good today. Firstly, my manager became exceptionally patient with me when she was revising with me on one of the topics of my work – she used to go into interrogation when I couldn’t answer her questions; my male colleague, who was usually irritable suddenly became friendly too.

Then I realized I didn’t have to be on call for tonight and tomorrow’s so I can really sleep in peace.

On top of all these, today’s payday. And it was my first full pay. I’m glad with two five.  

The believers’ lifestyle

For many young people of my age, being a full-fledged graduate would mean stepping out into the society to look for a job and start earning your keep. Following this, there would be a drastic change in the lifestyle when you stepped out to work. Recently, I had been in touch with a friend who had just started working in a new company and she savoured the opportunity to fly overseas instantaneously to work. 

For the past few months, I have found myself attending a Senior youth cell group where many of this category of young adults are gathering and meeting once a week. Apart from the regularity of meeting, there isn’t much thing excitement and support; active devotion to God’s words, sharing our lives, possessions, and most importantly interceding for the each and everyone through prayer. I knew that must be something being mentioned in the Book of ACTS about living together as a believers and so I came to ACTS 2:42-47.

When I read this passage, I see that the meeting of the believers was very spontaneous and natural. It didn’t require much coordinating and attendance taking, seeing who’s present and who’s not, no hassle to find someone to lead the bible study, and so definitely no trouble for the person to start to pray or sing praises to God. It was an activity so imbued into each and everyone of the believers that they found joy in doing so, everyday, and overtime, it became a “lifestyle”.

I first associate cell group gathering with “lifestyle” when I took on my new job; then I had to adapt to a new environment. From a 9-6pm idyllic period at home, now I had to undertake tasks from my boss at work; from a peaceful sleep at night, now I had to anticipate calls and rush off to hospitals in the middle of the night. It was a siege, an arduous thing that could happen. To find respite and comfort from work, I started going to my aunt’s place regularly for homecooked food and prayer after that. When situations are tough and not to our liking, the first thing that we usually stop is prayer, so when you are not wanting to pray, all the more you will need someone to pray for you.

Eventually, this became a “lifestyle”. Now, I look forward to going to my aunt’s place every week after work to eat my most favourite home-cooked foods. Afterwards, we’ll pray together. I looked forward to it. What is your “lifestyle” like? Maybe it’s going home after work to face a computer again playing some stimulation game, or it may be reading a book enjoying the thrill of the suspense the writer has provided. Whatever it is, I see that activity as something that is so incorporated into your life that it is your ”lifestyle” or “style of life”.

And what about the believers then? They loved to meet up, to the extent, everyday. They meet up in the houses of other believers, devoting themselves to the apostles’ teachings - how I wish the thing we craved today is the preaching and hearing of God’s words and applying it to our lives! And also the fellowship. To the breaking of bread and to prayer. How many of us dread going to prayer meeting or have a regular prayer life that we intercede for people other than ourselves? The believers became so knitted that my possessions are not mine but yours too. We share. And thank our Father for his favour on us.

The Lord added to their numbers daily those we were being saved, and many others soon had this “lifestyle”. Has the meeting together with other believers become your “lifestyle”?

Sharings on prayers (Part 2)

During the whole period at Japan, I continued to intercede, and my intercession, which started from Jan 12 finally was finally truncated by a serious flu caught when we went down from Hokkaido to Tokyo – the date – 12 february, which was exactly 1 month from the date 12 january which I started intercession.

I would like to share a bit of my experience of praying when I was sick. Previously, in one of my posts, I shared that I had a fever and was praying in my bed – I felt a strong presence of God and after resting, my fever was gone. However, this time, I couldn’t pray at all even when I tried very hard to concentrate. The flu was so bad that I had to keep lying down. My aunt, who was a christian, had to lay both her hands on me to pray for me.

After coming back from Japan, I had to nurse the flu, at the same time, start on a new job at a local hospital as a coordinater.

The whole episode of intercession, disciplined, focused and targetted at different groups of people, had ended but it was very rewarding. I am still paying my premiums everyday – would either pray with my christian aunt on the phone or have dinner at her place and afterwards we’ll pray.

Going back to the sermon preached by my pastor, which was on the 2nd of march, there were three main points derived from the book of Acts 4:23-31.

1. The presence of God is perceived
2. The power of God is received
3. The purpose of God is achieved

I have shared on the presence of God being present, signified by the shaking of the ground. The power of God was received when the believers was filled with the Holy Spirit and the purpose of God achieved when they spoke the word boldly.

I hope I can start another bout of intercession soon, and this time, let it be more enduring!

Sharing on prayers (Part 1)

The sermon preached by my pastor today was on prayer (Acts 4:23-31) - “when the church prays”, so i think it was the opportune time for me to write a post to revise on the things which I had learnt from the book the intercessory prayer by Dutch Sheets, share my experience in my journey in intercessory prayer for more than a month, and also share a few important pointers on what my pastor has shared today. It would have a part 1 and 2.Ok. To revise on the three chapters on intercessory prayer, I would summarize into 3 main points.

The first I believe is the importance of persistance in intercessory prayer. This is because God is really into marinating while we are into microwaving. The parable of the persistent widow clearly teaches us this (Luke 18:1-8). While we are into marinating, our faith increases to the point where we claims the promises of God.

The second is seeing ourselves as important in the involvement of the works of God on earth. This was illustrated in Ezek 22:30,31 where God searched for a man to stand in the gap but found no one. It was depressing. Therefore, we are representatives of God to fulfill his works on earth. And intercession is part of that work we can do.

Thirdly and lastly, there’s an intercessor for us in heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, and by his name we can bring our requests to God (1 Tim 2:5). All our intercession would be futile if not for Christ. 

February has passed in a flash, as you may know, I went on a holiday trip to Japan from 6 Feb to 15 feb. And I started on learning intercessory prayer on 12 Jan. On the first day of the Japan trip, when we touched down at Tokyo Narita Airport, we proceeded to take a train which travelled overnight to bring us to Hokkaido. In my learning on intercessory prayer, I have been praying for my cousin Yingwei, because she is a backsliden christian and to say sheepishly, I have not maintained a good relationship with her all these while to see the possibility of inviting her back to the church. On this first day, by grace of God, I managed to rebuild my relationship with her. We had a good conversation and laughs while consuming a night snack at a restaurant on the train (it occupied one cabin) with other relatives.

At night, I was thanking God for breaking the ice between us and helping me to build a bridge to her. This would opened up doors for me in the future to invite her back to church. At the same time, I was interceding for my family as well as relatives, going through my usual routine of intercessory prayer for different groups of people. When i finished the prayer and said “Amen”; incidentally, the train shook. It had stopped perennially at a stopover station – the eminent presence of God.

In the sermon preached today by my pastor, in Acts 4:31, the place where the believers were meeting shook after they prayed. The shaking signified the presence of God. It was very coincidental that the train shook at the exact moment I said “Amen”. I wouldn’t be reading too much into this but what I would believe is this - this prayer had shaken situations in the spiritual realms. End of part 1.. Look out for part 2.  

Ouch, Ouch !!!

Yesterday marked the end of my first acupunture experience which lasted 10 complete days from 21 feb to 1 march 08, a 10-sessioned Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy. It cost me a hefty $30 per session.

I’m a staunch believer of TCM. Essentially, TCM advocates the use of natural ways to heal, the theory is much complicated though. Practically, TCM practitioners use cups and fire, needles, their own knuckles and hands to heal. I am a qualified foot reflexologist. I was so absorbed into foot reflexology one time that it became my idol; I have repented since. I sprained and injured my left wrist twice while administering this therapy to customers during the stint of working as a foot reflexologist for about three months; the repercussions being a chronic wrist pain starting from my left wrist now extending also to my right wrist due to poor posture while using the pc.

Comparing acupuncture(A) and foot reflexology(B) …

A is a more torturous process than B. B can be very pleasurable if the pressure is controlled well throughout the 40 min or 60 min standard process.

However, I can say A sees results faster, and is less labour intensive method than B. I can attest to the effectiveness of A in reducing the discomfort of my chronic sinus very soon in the 10-day period. See, B can easily harm the practitioner if you have not enough experience and the furniture did not give you good ergonomics.

Overall the experience of acupuncture was one of ouch, ouch. I feared it. But I couldn’t deny its effectiveness and mystification (a few needles can stimulate your nerves and in turn curing your conditions, cool isn’t it). But needles do prick. Ouch, ouch. I still opt for B if the need doesn’t arise for A.