I was born (again) while studying in university in UK and when I returned after graduating, I was still a babe (in Christ) and was adopted (spiritually) by Renewal Christian Church. In this big family, I grew up under the love and care of many older brothers and sisters as well as the companionship (fellowship) of peers. I learned to talk (ie pray), walk (in God's ways), read (the Bible), and even teach (and mentor) others who joined the family after I did.
Under the watchful eyes of my family members and with much encouragement and support from them, I got to try out new ideas and embark on many adventurous projects. In the process, I grew stronger (in faith) and more confident of my (God-given) talents and abilities.
More than 20 years later, I have become a mature adult (spiritually). So the head of the family (senior pastor) match-made me with New Horizon Church and sent me out to stand on my own feet. But I will never forget the home where I grew up and was groomed for the work that God has purposed for me to do.
After all, it's a mean blow to try and brainwash our impressionable kids with the gay agenda using an innocent fairy tale movie. Or is it? Are the artists on the opposite side the only ones guilty of manipulating the audience by subtly infiltrating works that are marketed as harmless frivolity with insinuating values and beliefs?
Honestly, how many times have we pretended to invite friends to a performance by XXX (insert celebrity's name) knowing full well that they will be bombarded with the gospel? What about the much-loved Veggietales which claims to promote 'Sunday Morning Values' with 'Saturday Morning Fun'? We play these videos over and over again to teach (some would say indoctrinate) our children the values and beliefs which we feel they should have.
Pot calling the kettle black, perhaps? Should we therefore take a step back and allow the other side to speak? Ok, I'm playing devil's advocate here but don't stone me yet for this is purely for the sake of discussion - comments are most welcome!
I have to put a caveat though - as a parent, I would still advise those with young children who are not yet mature enough to discern to put off watching the movie. And those with older ones, please do engage with them before and after watching and help them to process what they see. Other than gay identity, there are many other issues which I can think of for you to analyse and evaluate together, eg anger management, power and control, abusive relationships, feminism, chivalry vs chauvinism. So yes, it's fine to enjoy a bit of Disney entertainment, but keep your eyes open for opportunities to chat with your older kids too!
So apparently La La Land is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but the only time it made me laugh was when I heard about the fiasco at the Oscars. In fact, I was cringing throughout the whole movie and I kept screaming (in my head),"There are so many talented actors and actresses who can actually sing and dance (like those in the opening sequence), why did they have to choose these two?!?!" Well, the answer's pretty obvious, isn't it? They needed these pretty faces with BIG NAMES to sell the show! But if that was all there is to it, then I wouldn't be offended. The real problem was that they were also trying to sell something else! Various other writers have already said their piece about the movie: here, here and here. So I'm not going to repeat the same points. I'm just going to unload my own grouse about it. I am offended because the film tries to sell us real art (authentic, unadulterated jazz and improv theatre) using the vehicle of a banal musical-wannabe where neither is the music soulful nor the acting convincing. To me, that is as offensive as trying to sell golf using sex. True art does not need a patronising nod from the commercial, shallow world of entertainment to prove its value. I'm also offended because it sells the idea that living (and consequently sleeping) together is to be expected once you fall in love. There was no discussion or hesitation, no questions asked! You love each other, so you live together, then you can conveniently have sex whenever you want. But I must be fair, La La Land isn't the only movie that promotes this way of thinking. It's only one in a whole plethora of films and stories that are changing cultural norms for the worse (in my opinion). Finally, I'm offended that it sells the idea that breaking up is easy to do. It's never easy and always painful, even years and sometimes decades later. It sets the stage for young people who launch into relationships without thinking of the possible consequences, when they should be thinking twice about whether they are ready for long-term commitment and whether the potential partner is the right one for them. (I've written about being equally yoked some time back.) Ok, that's enough complaining for now. All this is giving me indigestion but I'm glad I got it out and hopefully I don't have to keep brooding on it anymore.
Aimee wanted to go to the prayer meeting in church last night cos there's no school today. On the way there, she started telling me a very interesting story.
Her classmate had told her about a neighbour who had a very precious treasure. This classmate had been shown the treasure before and it was very beautiful and very precious. Apparently it had been passed down from their great-great-great-(x 20 or so)...great-grandfather, and was very precious!
One day when the family was out, a burglar broke into their home and stole this treasure. When they got home, they couldn't find it anywhere and they were very very sad cos it was very precious...
Aimee then commented, 'Do you know we are God's treasure?'
After some prompting from me, she concluded that unlike the family who lost their treasure, God will never take His eyes off His treasure and He will watch over and protect His treasure from being stolen by the thief Satan!
Did you know you are God's treasure and that you are very very precious to Him? <3
Was reminded of the song 'God of Justice' this morning. Just scrolled through my blog and found an entry I posted years ago about it! This topic has been on my mind again recently. And here's my reflection for the past few weeks...
Jesus spent most of his time with and ministering to the poor, the sick, the needy and of course the sinners (eg prostitutes, tax-collectors). And His heart is still with them today. If we say we love the Lord and love to spend time with Him, then we ought to go look for Him among the poor, sick, needy and oppressed cos He's right there! In fact, He spoke to me once when I was in an orphanage in India that He had brought me there to be with Him because He loves me and wants me by His side! What a privilege it is to be able to serve alongside my Beloved.
Also, if we say that we are Christ's disciples, then our aim should be to copy what He does and our ultimate goal is to be become just like Him. So since He chose to get His hands grubby by mixing with the lowliest of the lowliest, so should we. And seeing as He didn't count the costs and sacrificed His own life for those He loves, shouldn't we then also be willing to give up everything to continue His work?
And if we say that He is our Lord, then we should show that He is indeed our Lord and Master by obeying His word. This is what He said:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matt 25:34-40
Finally, if we say that we have faith in God, then if the faith we claim to have is truly a genuine, saving faith, it would naturally and should be expected to be accompanied by deeds:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:14-16
But to most of us, including myself, this is a tall order. It requires us to put aside our own needs and sometimes even our family's too, in order to meet someone else's needs. It requires an everflowing stream of love, patience, strength, wisdom and even creativity in order to keep doing it despite difficulties, setbacks and challenges.
But let us not forget that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared us in advance to do.
Eph 2:10
He has given each of us a set of gifts and talents which we are meant to use for good works (and not for our own glory or rewards, mind you). Not only that, He has given us good and perfect blessings in our lives which we are supposed to pass on to bless others (and not to store up for ourselves - look what happened to the guy who did that in Luke 12:16-21!) All we need to do is to lean on God's understanding and trust that He has the best plan in store for us. As long as we are willing, He will enable and empower us to do the work He has prepared for us to do.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
The week before Christmas, I was busy producing not one but TWO Christmas videos! One of them was a personal greeting for one of our lecturers by a group of friends from bible college and the second was our family's annual Christmas video (this one below...)
For both productions, I had to compile a selection of photos and video clips into one continuous video while adding captions and background music. AND I had limited time for both - just about 2 days each (more accurate to say 2 nights cos I still had my regular work and motherly duties in the daytime.)
So anyway, in both cases due to the lack of time, I simply put in the first piece of music I could think of that suited the theme/purpose without much thought to the duration and whether I would be able to fit in all the photos and video clips. I figured I would just fade it out if it was too long and find another piece of music to lengthen it if it was too short. But as I started placing the photos, video clips and captions, somehow everything just fell into place and the duration of the music was just right - for BOTH!
[Hold on! Some of you may be thinking, 'But there's a different piece of music at the end of the family Christmas video!' That was intentional cos the greeting at the end is separate from the silent movie segment. ;) But good observation if you noticed!]
Well, as I thought about how amazing it was, almost miraculous, for the music duration to be just enough twice in a row, I realised that for the whole of the past year, God had never failed to provide just enough and just in time for our family too, just as He had promised He would!
At the end of the year before (2015), we had just returned to Singapore from further studies in the UK and were down to the last bits of our savings. We had no idea what we were going to do but God showed me that if we were willing to trust Him with the last of our 'flour and oil', He would provide miraculously for us just like He did for Elijah and the widow of Zarephath and her son (1 Kings 17:7-16.) In Jan, things started to happen which led to jobs for both my husband and I within a few months (plus we're doing what we love!) And in between, before our income had stabilised, He provided for our children's educational needs through other means (including scholarships and bursaries.)
Other than finances, He also provided just enough wisdom, creativity and resources just in time so we could accomplish all that He wanted us to do. During our recent mission trip, we had to conduct worship training and a youth workshop, as well as put up an outreach performance. We didn't have time to prepare for any of it before we left as we had work to clear. But during the trip, He opened up pockets of time, which we hadn't expected/planned, for us to make the necessary preparations. Furthermore, the worship and youth training had to be conducted in Chinese and I had no idea how I would be able to carry it off! But at both events, the words just came out of my mouth and when I got stuck, He had made sure that there was at least one participant there who could help to translate!!
I could go on listing all that He provided just in time so we would have just enough, but that might take till next year! Haha! So I'll just end with this - when I was reflecting on the year 2016 and giving thanks, I felt really moved by His faithfulness throughout the year. He kept His promise and always gave us just enough, not too much that we become complacent or greedy, nor too little that we start to worry or become anxious.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
P.S. Here's a little New Year treat for you - our family Christmas videos from the past few years. Hope you enjoy watching them! :)
Warning: This is an authentic, sincere Auntie post! You've been warned... he he! Btw, in case you haven't noticed, the above image has obviously been photoshopped cos you can't possibly play more than one track simultaneously on Spotify!!
I must admit I'm pretty backward cos I only got onto Spotify a couple of months ago. Hard to believe but true! Haha!! Being a noob, I'm still exploring the different things it can do, like recommending the top acts in Singapore for me to listen to. Well, with Nathan Hartono's recent conquest (almost) of Sing! China, it's not surprising to find his photo representing this playlist. But as I scrolled down the list, I discovered that I actually recognised a few of the artists' names and that they had been through the doors of Destiny Music!! In fact, other than these names spotted on Spotify, there are also many other Destiny alumni who have become Youtube stars, taken part in national and international competitions and won or done very well, performed at all kinds of events all over the world, produced recordings and staged their own concerts and more!
For those of you who don't know, my husband and I co-founded and ran a music ministry for youth where we trained them and provided opportunities for them to perform and share their faith through music. Our aim was to raise up a generation of young people that would glorify God through their God-given talents in music and the arts. We weren't out to train worship leaders, mind you. Instead we wanted to see the light of Christ shine in the commercial music industry.
When the time came for us to wind up the ministry, there was quite a bit of reluctance on our part as well as among the young men and women who had grown up with us. (Some of them had joined us when they were just 12 or 13 years old.) At the time, we felt that we had already achieved what we set out to do - together with these more than a hundred young volunteers, we had reached out to tens of thousands of people with their songs and dances, through live performances and online videos. Not only that, many of these young musicians had also caught the vision of using their God-given talents for the glory of God.
However, as I look at what many of them are doing now, I realise that what we had achieved was much more than that, we had actually planted a seed in these youth that has continued to grow and bloom and bear fruit over the years.What a privilege it is to have partnered with God in the work that He's doing in these young people's lives! And I continue to pray and hope that they will keep that passion for God burning in them no matter how high or how far they go.
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
