Janice and Malcolm McInnes

We were pleasantly surprised to receive a call from our good friend Sister Yeo Soo Hong last Sunday telling us she would bring two old friends to see us. They were Janice and Malcolm McInnnes originally from New Zealand and now living in Australia. They still consider themselves as Kiwis. But we had a very busy day with tight schedule so could not fit them in. So arrangements were made for them to come to our home last Tuesday 26th April.

These lovely people served with ANZAC in the early 1970's and while in Singapore attended the Singapore Central Corps where my wife and I were the Corps Officers (pastors) for four years. They gave good support at the Corps. They played in the Band, Malcolm on the bass and Janice on tenor horn. They integrated well with local people plus servicemen from UK and Australia.

What a lot to talk about after forty years! Time went very quickly; They had other appointments in the evening and we had to attend the Bible Class at the Corps. Anyway we promised to keep contact and now with modern technology this is made easy.

God has blessed us with many friends - some make regular contacts via e-mail, face book etc. Others nearer home make telephone contacts. Some we hear maybe once a year during Christmas. Families and Friends are God's blessings to us.

Susan Lim Miang Cherng -Promotion to Glory

This wonderful Christian lady went to be with the Lord last Saturday 23rd April from Assisi Hospice. The funeral was held on Sunday at 5.30 p.m at The Salvation .Army William Booth Corps, (church) Upper Bukit Timah Rd. The Cremation was on that same evening at the Mandai Crematorium

We were able to attend the wake on Saturday evening and also the funeral on Sunday.

I refer to my blog on 28th March 2016 "Pleasant Easter Surprise" I mentioned about this gracious lady a good friend of ours for more than 40 years.

As Christians we know death is not the end. She is with the Lord in Heaven and we shall meet her one day never to part.

Outing with friends.

As we get older each day and being far from the city, we seem to be quite comfortable staying home, just the two of us. There are times when friends would invite us to share their outings and visit some tourist spots.

We had an extremely busy and interesting weekend. We had some visitors from Indonesia. The Executive Director decided to take these visitors to spend an evening at Gardens by the Bay and we were included. We had dinner at the Kopitiam selling local dishes and from there proceeded to the see the lights. What an interesting evening and we toured the gardens.

What a thrill to soak in the beautiful experience of lights dancing in the Garden and be dazzled by the sight of our "Supertrees" and listen to the “Garden Rhapsody.” This was the first time we visited the Gardens by the Bay in the evening. 

From there we made our way to see other parts of "the little red dot" called Singapore!
It may be tiny in comparison with our neighbours, but there is much to see and enjoy.

Thank God for friends who care and share our joys and sorrows. We are glad we belong to The Salvation Army. It has been our privilege to serve in so many countries. We have friends all over the world, thanks be to God.

Abide with me fast falls the eventide

Abide with me – A presence at eventide

 Shortly before we left England, on the weekend 3/4^th May 1997, my wife and I visited a small Corps (church) at Brixham, a coastal town in Devon to conduct services. It was in this small town that the hymn ‘Abide with me’ was written.

 The author Henry F Lyte (1793-1847) pastored a poor parish church among the fisher folk in Brixham. He battled with asthma and tuberculosis throughout his life. Despite physical frailty, he laboured diligently and was much loved by the people. When admonished to spare himself, he coined the well known phrase, ‘It is better to wear out than to rust out.’

His health worsened and he was forced to seek for warmer climate in Italy. It was recorded that he almost had to crawl to the pulpit to preach his last sermon in 1847. Shortly before his move, weakened by lung disease and sorrowing to leave his parish, he walked by the sea with a very heavy heart. He watched the setting sun and the thought came to him, his own life was ebbing at the close of ‘life’s little day.’ During those sad moments he pondered the prayer. He returned to his study and wrote the poem “Abide with me.’

Francis Lyte never made it to Italy. He was overtaken by death en route.

The poem was based on Christ’s appearance to His two disciples on the Emmaus Road and their request ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ (Luke 24: 29) The tune was composed in just ten minutes by William Monk (1823-1889) who wrote it while experiencing deep personal sorrow.

 Every believer travels on the road of disappointment and sorrow at times. We get discouraged and ask questions. The risen Lord comes alongside us, sometimes unrecognised. He walks with us, talks with us and opens to us the glowing meaning of His word and His mighty work on our behalf.

 The words of the hymn are essentially about death, hence it is often used at funerals, but we need not confine to such occasions. It can be our daily prayer as we ponder over the ebbing tide of life, the deepening darkness as we read the newspapers and watch the television screen, the fading glories as we think of global warming and consequences for us. The song climaxes with the shadows fleeing before the breaking of heaven’s morning.

As we journey through life, we all need the abiding presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Make this your prayer today.

 ‘I need Thy presence every passing hour;

What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.’ (SASB 670 verse 3)

The way to communicate - simply.

How do we communicate in our speech or written word. Here's an example of pompous language.

 

"A research team proceeded towards the apex of a natural geologic protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement of a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which was unspecified. One member of the team precipitously descended, sustaining severe damage to the upper cranial portion of his anatomical structure; subsequently the second member of the team performed a self rotational translation oriented in the same direction taken by the first team member."

Why not put it simply the nursery rhyme. A child in nursery understands it straightaway.

Jack and Jill went up a hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

Habakkuk 1: 1-4 tells us

I will take my stand at my watchpost

and station myself on the tower,

and look out to see jwhat he will say to me,

and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith

 

And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so he may run who reads it.

  For still lthe vision awaits its appointed time;

it hastens to the end—it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it; 

it will surely come; it will not delay.

 

Preach the word, write the message - simply.