Hurting others.

The majority of people to a certain extent, like to be in control. Good to have the ability to take charge, to be in command of our situation and the ability to organize and plan. These are leadership qualities worthy of acquiring and strengthening.

Strength in leadership can also be a weakness if not properly managed affecting family relationships. The closest people are the ones to get hurt first. It also affects our business, social and church relationships.

The child or youth in the family is afraid to speak up, refuses to speak for fear of being reprimanded in the presence of others. The elderly more often slower to express themselves keep silent for fear of being embarrassed. They sit around the family table feeling tense and uncomfortable and endure in silence waiting for the lunch or dinner fellowship to be over.

Control addicts usually are people who are themselves insecure inside them despite the aggressive front they put on. This may have been caused by some hurt in the past that has not been dealt with. We all need to seek the Lord and ask Him to search our hearts and help us to see ourselves.

If we find we have wounded anyone today, it is time to search our hearts and pray this prayer.

If I have wounded any soul today,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have walked in my own willful way,
Dear Lord, forgive!

If I have uttered idle words or vain,
If I have turned aside from want or pain,
Lest I myself shall suffer through the strain,
Dear Lord, forgive!

If I have been perverse or hard, or cold,
If I have longed for shelter in Thy fold,
When Thou hast given me some fort to hold,
Dear Lord, forgive!

Forgive the sins I have confessed to Thee;
Forgive the secret sins I do not see;
O guide me, love me and my keeper be,
Dear Lord, Amen.  (C Maude Battersby)

---

 

We need the church

After more than ten years of leading the cell group, I felt it was time for me to relinquish this responsibility. I really felt very tired last Friday.

At the end of the session, a lady said, "I really look forward to coming to cell group every Friday. It's the highlight of the week! I always feel very blessed."
What an encouragement for me to keep going.

Another lady then added, "The older I get,  the more I need the church. I need the fellowship of my church friends. My children and grandchildren as they get older,  have their own programmes and  I see less and less of them. So coming to cell on a Friday morning and church on Sunday help me a lot."

Encouraging words like that keep us going!

Be still and trust our Heavenly Father

Another day is drawing to a close and my thoughts turn this beautiful hymn, one of my favourites. It is my prayer on this Saturday evening.

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm. (John Greenleaf Whittier)

Commissioner Robin Dunster and Colonel Edna Williams

This afternoon we had our good friends for a cup of tea at our place prior to their departure for UK. They have been very busy touring Singapore and we've been very busy with funeral, memorial, visits to Hospitals, etc. The time just went by.

We've never been stationed together with them and met them for the first time when they came to the Zonal Conference a few years ago. Yet in this short period we have shared some wonderful moments together. The Commissioner was Territorial Commander for the Philippines, so we have much in common to talk about. The Colonel also worked in the Philippines especially with training and women's ministries.

We have been much blessed by their friendship and we look forward to their next visit. God has blessed us with many good friends.

International Leaders' Conference 2014

We had a great time at the welcome meeting to the General and the International Leaders held at the Central Corps on Sunday 20th July. It would be superfluous for me to describe the meeting as you can see it for yourselves. Just google "Salvation Army International Leaders' Conference 2014" and you and watch the video of the whole meeting. Turn to the General's Facebook page and see the pictures he posted. Great meeting!

Our two grandchildren David and Rachel played in the band. Andrew our youngest grandchild managed to have his picture taken with the General and Commissioner Silvia Cox.

Jesus conquered death

"O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory?"
I'm glad I came to know the Risen Christ early in life. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

Last Saturday we attended a Memorial Service at Balestier. It was held to remember the husband of Janet Ong whom we have known for many years. She emigrated to Canada, got married to Dr. Wong Keet Ping and had two children.

Dr. Wong was called Home to with the Lord on 4th June.The funeral was held in Canada. But the family here in Malaysia and Singapore wanted a service to celebrated the life of the doctor. They requested Captain Hary Harn to conduct the Memorial Service for friends and relatives in Singapore and Malaysia.

We were among the invited friends to join in this service.

Today Monday, we attended the funeral of the mother-in-law of Dr Anne Goh our niece. We were at the Singapore Casket at 10.00 a.m. to be with the family, then travelled with them to Mandai Crematorium for the Cremation.

Death is unavoidable - everyone has to die one day. Some see death as a great adventure into the unknown. Others think of death as the grim reaper. But the Christian, death is to be with Jesus.

Worship

To worship is
to quicken the conscience with the holiness of God,
to feed the mind with the truth of God,
to purge the imagination by the beauty of God,
to open the heart to the love of God,
to devote the will to the purpose of God.  William Temple.

Worship is human response to Divine initiative.... worship is our responding to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father.  Richard Foster.

I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God.
Brother Lawrence

Let us not confine worship to Sundays only. We need to worship daily.

Good relationship

Every Thursday morning my wife and I join our friends at Territorial Headquarters of The Salvation Army to have prayers. It lasts for one hour. We are part of the global prayer chain.

We come home and I spend time preparing for our cell meeting on Friday.

At our Friday Cell group meeting we usually begin with coffee or tea, biscuits or whatever the members bring to share. Then we sing a song or hymn and pray. This is followed by the lesson for the day. At the moment we are studying the Book of Job.

We have good fellowship together. Most of us are retirees, some work in shifts. Everyone is welcome. Some attend regularly, others when they are free.

Here are some thoughts of relationships.

A good relationship is when someone accepts your past, supports your present and encourages your future. - Unknown

 

A great relationship is about two things. First, appreciating the similarities, and second, respecting the differences. - Unknown

Most important of all;  in our group we all have this relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Meet together in the name of Jesus. He is your prophet, your shepherd, your bishop, your priest, in the midst of you, to open you, to sanctify you and to feed you with life, and to quicken you with life.
George Fox

A God glorying day

Another busy Sunday for both of us. We attended the Prayer meeting at 9.15 a.m. which ended at 9.40 a.m. Good to begin the day with prayer.

At 9.45 a.m. we had the Adult Bible Class and in the absence of Major Lee Kong Yee, I conducted the study of 2 Samuel 4. Had very interesting discussion. We don't hear these stories from the pulpit. Glad of the opportunity to be the facilitator.

Major Ruth Pascoe is now in Hong Kong to attend the funeral of Major Brenda Tan's father and Major is there to support the family. She should be home tomorrow.

In her absence my wife and I did the meeting. We thank God for the opportunity to lead worship. The subject chosen was "Compassion in Action" based on Luke 5: 11-26. Four men brought the paralytic to Jesus for healing.

We had some international visitors with us. Good to see Commissioner Gillian Downer, International Secretary of South Pacific and East Asia at the meeting. She was our former Territorial Commander. In fact we have known her for many years. She first came to the east as a Captain when we were the Territorial Leaders in the Philippines.

With her was her friend, Lieut. Colonel Jennifer Groves the Regional Commander for Taiwan.

Also in the meeting was Lieut. Colonel Cachelin and his wife.

The weekend's meetings demanded a lot of preparation, but God is good for He always provides guidance and the strength.

"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass and as thy days so thy strength shall be" KJV Deuteronomy 33: 25

"The bolts of your gates shall be iron and bronze and your strength will equal your days" NIV

Founder's Day at Changi

Where has all the time gone? It has been a very busy week and I hardly had time to look at the computer. I think one of the reasons is, my wife and I take longer time to do anything. No complaints - the Lord is good to us and we have had some very blessed moments this whole week.

We were in Changi on Sunday 6th July to conduct Founder's Day meeting. At 9.15 a.m. Danny Tong was here to fetch us to Changi. During the journey we heard his testimony of the Lord's leadings in his life. He now has a lovely family - his wife lovely and supporting wife Siew Kim and four children - Bernice, Eunice, Glennice and Philemon all worshipping at Changi Corps. We were greatly encouraged and blessed as he recalled the Lord's dealings in his life.

We wee glad to meet the folk at Changi. My wife led the meeting, Sister Low Mui Lang prayed and Edwin led the singing of contemporary songs. His wife Clara, a piano teacher by profession graced the keyboard.

I spoke on Isaiah 6 - Vision and Mission. In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord. The three points - In the year of tragedy, when the king died Isaiah
                                            looked upwards and saw God
                                            looked inwards and saw himself.
                                            looked outwards and saw others.

We met two new friends, lovely Christians - Brothers John and Ruth Samuel who brought us home. We stopped at Teck Kee at RailMall and had lunch. We were really blessed as we shared fellowship with these beautiful Christians who truly love the Lord. We were truly blessed by their company.

We went to Changi at the invitation of Major Lim Chee Kwee, to bless the people, but in turn received more blessings. We thank God He still gives us strength to continue ministering and we will carry on till He calls us Home.

Glory be to God!

Blessing friend's new home

One of our newer  members of our cell group which meet on Fridays invited us to bless her HDB unit at Pasir Ris. She has downgraded from her four room flat into this small unit for the elderly. Her husband went home to be with the Lord about four years ago.

We thank God for the facilities the Government has provided for its citizens - for newly weds, for families and for the retirees.

What a privilege to be asked to perform such a duty - blessing someone's home.

40 Day Bible Reading- Jubilee Moment

I've been greatly blessed using the daily devotional reading produced by LOVE SINGAPORE. This issue is called Jubilee Moment. Singapore gears up for a year of celebrations. Our Little Red Dot has big plans for the her.

Our thoughts turn to John the Baptist. He made a significant statement concerning Jesus. "Jesus is the bridegroom, I am just his friend. In John's day the bridegroom's friend had the eminent privilege of presenting the bride to the bridegroom. It was not his place to impress the bride with his fancy clothes and stylish hair. It was not his place to romance the bride"  Then John added "He must increase, I must decrease."

How Christians love the spotlight the place of honour. Let's be humble, learn the lesson of humility from John.

Jesus must take the highest honour! Glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ.