We had our usual weekly cell group meeting this morning. And what a great time of fellowship we had, studying of the Word of God and praying together. Our thoughts were focused on a certain passage of Scripture and there was plenty of time for everyone to contribute.
We prayed for the Middle East particularly for Syria and the countries in the vicinity. The alledged attack by the Syrian Government on their own people using chemical weapons changes the already horrific civil war from the national to an international super crisis war.
Yesterday at our Prayer meeting held at Territorial Headquarters we made the same prayer.
Interesting to note that the film on Jesus is widely circulated in eight Syrian languages. A film about Paul, produced by Syrians in Syria is watched by many people including Muslims. Syrian Christians are free to live and express their faith. There are 1.6 million faithful and godly Christians living in this nation living in this troubled nation.
We thank God that there are many small groups meeting for prayer, Bible study and fellowship all over Singapore. These groups form the church. We thank God for the privilege of hosting one every Friday at our home. We've been blessed every week.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
I'll not turn back
I am still thinking and praying for the cadets, young and not so young, but all have a future. While in training in many ways they will be more protected as there are seniors who are there to mentor them. But the day will come when they will be thrown to the wolves to battle on their own. How easy it is to turn back. They will have to rely completely on the Lord for spiritual sustenance.
Sixty years is a long time. O what battles we have fought. There have been times when we felt like throwing in the towel, but what has kept me and my wife going - that sense of calling to save souls, grow saints and serve suffering humanity.
We were commissioned on 25th October 1954. That same week on a Thursday, I packed all my belongings in two suitcases and a small carton of books (Yes, all my earthly possessions)and taken to the bus terminus at Beach Road. The journey took six hours to reach my destination Malacca (Melaka) as there was no expressway in those days. We had to cross two ferries one at Batu Pahat and one at Muar. For three years, I was on my own - no mentor, no senior officers to encourage or reprimand me. I did my own thing!
My Corps (church) upstairs of wine shop! We were filled with the Spirit upstairs, downstairs they were selling wine and spirits and sometimes people were getting drunk! Two signboards the top one had the words "THE SALVATION ARMY" in three languages, Chinese, English amd Malay; just below it was the sign "CHOP SEE SOON, WINE AND SPIRIT MERCHANTS" Glory be to God many souls were saved in that humble hall. The church is not in buildings, but a community of believers!
Yes there were crosses, but by His grace I have not turned back! Praise the Lord for His goodness.
I'll not turn back
If crosses come, if it should cost me dearly,
To be the servant of my Servant Lord,
If darkness falls around the path of duty.
And men despise the Saviour I've adored.
I'll not turn back, whatever it may cost,
I'm called to live, to love and save the lost,
I'll not turn back, whatever it may cost,....
I'm called to live, to love and save the lost.
If doors should close then other doors will open,
The word of God can never be contained.
His love cannot be finally frustrated,
By narrow minds or prison bars restrained.
If tears should fall, if I am called to suffer,
If all I love men should deface, defame,
I'll not deny the One that I have followed,
Nor be ashamed to bear my Master's name. (John Gowans)
Even in retirement, we still have our ministry. There are still crosses, but for me and my wife, we have each other and we have the Lord. WE'LL NOT TURN BACK! We are on our last lap of our journey and we know one day one of us will go first but the other one will still not turn back.
God has not promised us a journey without storms, but safe arrival at our destination - the house of the Lord where we will be with Him for ever. His grace has sustained us through the years will continue to sse us through to eternity.
"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"
Psalm 23:6
Sixty years is a long time. O what battles we have fought. There have been times when we felt like throwing in the towel, but what has kept me and my wife going - that sense of calling to save souls, grow saints and serve suffering humanity.
We were commissioned on 25th October 1954. That same week on a Thursday, I packed all my belongings in two suitcases and a small carton of books (Yes, all my earthly possessions)and taken to the bus terminus at Beach Road. The journey took six hours to reach my destination Malacca (Melaka) as there was no expressway in those days. We had to cross two ferries one at Batu Pahat and one at Muar. For three years, I was on my own - no mentor, no senior officers to encourage or reprimand me. I did my own thing!
My Corps (church) upstairs of wine shop! We were filled with the Spirit upstairs, downstairs they were selling wine and spirits and sometimes people were getting drunk! Two signboards the top one had the words "THE SALVATION ARMY" in three languages, Chinese, English amd Malay; just below it was the sign "CHOP SEE SOON, WINE AND SPIRIT MERCHANTS" Glory be to God many souls were saved in that humble hall. The church is not in buildings, but a community of believers!
Yes there were crosses, but by His grace I have not turned back! Praise the Lord for His goodness.
I'll not turn back
If crosses come, if it should cost me dearly,
To be the servant of my Servant Lord,
If darkness falls around the path of duty.
And men despise the Saviour I've adored.
I'll not turn back, whatever it may cost,
I'm called to live, to love and save the lost,
I'll not turn back, whatever it may cost,....
I'm called to live, to love and save the lost.
If doors should close then other doors will open,
The word of God can never be contained.
His love cannot be finally frustrated,
By narrow minds or prison bars restrained.
If tears should fall, if I am called to suffer,
If all I love men should deface, defame,
I'll not deny the One that I have followed,
Nor be ashamed to bear my Master's name. (John Gowans)
Even in retirement, we still have our ministry. There are still crosses, but for me and my wife, we have each other and we have the Lord. WE'LL NOT TURN BACK! We are on our last lap of our journey and we know one day one of us will go first but the other one will still not turn back.
God has not promised us a journey without storms, but safe arrival at our destination - the house of the Lord where we will be with Him for ever. His grace has sustained us through the years will continue to sse us through to eternity.
"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"
Psalm 23:6
Monday, August 26, 2013
This is my story - 84 Philippines
84 – Our visit to Baguio to oversee relief operations
By August 1990 Salvation Army Relief Operations were still continuing in Baguio and nearby districts severely affected by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, earthquake and landslides. Many residents were still not able to return to their homes for fear that their dwelling units might totally collapse with after-shocks of intensity 4-5.
At the Baguio Park and in other open spaces, families put up tents made of blankets and whatever material they could find to protect themselves from the rain and cold climate at night time. It was not surprising that many especially children and elderly suffered from cough and colds. They did not have enough to keep themselves warm and quite a number succumbed to death.
In other towns in the Pangasinang area, families were staying in temporary shelters made up of old plastic sheets, blankets, old cartons and anything they could lay their hands on. And when rains came the make-shift shelters were often destroyed.
With more funds flowing in from overseas territories, The Salvation Army was able to provide tents, blankets, utensils and other essential things. Clothing and food parcels were distributed.
Every where our relief teams went, they were swarmed by crowds; some had walked miles to get to our distributing centres. It was most pitiful to see the elderly sick, mothers with babies struggling to get to us. Some places were inaccessible to vehicles carrying relief items for the people and our workers had to use whatever transport they could get, like bicycles, tricycles, trishaws to ferry the relief items to areas of need.
As more funds became available, The Army was able to acquire farming tools, fishing nets and even boats for the people; plus medicine for the sick. By August The Army had assisted three to four thousand families, thanks to the international support coming from far and near.
One hot dusty day in Manila found us heading north by plane and in forty minutes we arrived in Baguio where it was lovely and cool. It was our first visit to this resort city fully ‘air conditioned.’ Normally by car it would take about eight hours but due to the conditions prevailing at that time, we enjoyed the luxury of flying there. In our subsequent visits we always travelled by road so that we could visit more than one centre. We always tried to maximise our time in our visits to the various centres. Most of the time we travelled by road for economic reasons. In any case many of the roads to Baguio were inaccessible because of landslides.
We were met by the Corps Officer Captain Jessie Barayoga and taken by taxi to the Hostel where we were billeted. Next to the Corps (church) in the same compound was the Students’ Hostel. (Baguio is a University City).
Fortunately our properties suffered relatively little damage and there were no casualties among our officers and staff. One reason was that our buildings were well built and maintained.
The Army’s Advisory Board comprised some very prominent people. The Chairman at that time was none other than the Governor of Baguio City Dr. Bugnosan, a very humble man who arrived in a taxi to welcome us. He had loaned his car to a friend. There was no fanfare and escorts and security guards as was the custom with dignitaries who needed to travel. When I welcomed him to The Salvation Army, his response was “Delighted to be here; we are part of the family.” After the meal he went round chatting with the students. He even obliged the students when they requested him to sing a solo. He was a good soloist.
We give thanks to God for the many people who are great supporters of The Salvation Army. We certainly have a great responsibility to do our best with God’s help to live up to the peoples’ trust in us.
By August 1990 Salvation Army Relief Operations were still continuing in Baguio and nearby districts severely affected by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, earthquake and landslides. Many residents were still not able to return to their homes for fear that their dwelling units might totally collapse with after-shocks of intensity 4-5.
At the Baguio Park and in other open spaces, families put up tents made of blankets and whatever material they could find to protect themselves from the rain and cold climate at night time. It was not surprising that many especially children and elderly suffered from cough and colds. They did not have enough to keep themselves warm and quite a number succumbed to death.
In other towns in the Pangasinang area, families were staying in temporary shelters made up of old plastic sheets, blankets, old cartons and anything they could lay their hands on. And when rains came the make-shift shelters were often destroyed.
With more funds flowing in from overseas territories, The Salvation Army was able to provide tents, blankets, utensils and other essential things. Clothing and food parcels were distributed.
Every where our relief teams went, they were swarmed by crowds; some had walked miles to get to our distributing centres. It was most pitiful to see the elderly sick, mothers with babies struggling to get to us. Some places were inaccessible to vehicles carrying relief items for the people and our workers had to use whatever transport they could get, like bicycles, tricycles, trishaws to ferry the relief items to areas of need.
As more funds became available, The Army was able to acquire farming tools, fishing nets and even boats for the people; plus medicine for the sick. By August The Army had assisted three to four thousand families, thanks to the international support coming from far and near.
One hot dusty day in Manila found us heading north by plane and in forty minutes we arrived in Baguio where it was lovely and cool. It was our first visit to this resort city fully ‘air conditioned.’ Normally by car it would take about eight hours but due to the conditions prevailing at that time, we enjoyed the luxury of flying there. In our subsequent visits we always travelled by road so that we could visit more than one centre. We always tried to maximise our time in our visits to the various centres. Most of the time we travelled by road for economic reasons. In any case many of the roads to Baguio were inaccessible because of landslides.
We were met by the Corps Officer Captain Jessie Barayoga and taken by taxi to the Hostel where we were billeted. Next to the Corps (church) in the same compound was the Students’ Hostel. (Baguio is a University City).
Fortunately our properties suffered relatively little damage and there were no casualties among our officers and staff. One reason was that our buildings were well built and maintained.
The Army’s Advisory Board comprised some very prominent people. The Chairman at that time was none other than the Governor of Baguio City Dr. Bugnosan, a very humble man who arrived in a taxi to welcome us. He had loaned his car to a friend. There was no fanfare and escorts and security guards as was the custom with dignitaries who needed to travel. When I welcomed him to The Salvation Army, his response was “Delighted to be here; we are part of the family.” After the meal he went round chatting with the students. He even obliged the students when they requested him to sing a solo. He was a good soloist.
We give thanks to God for the many people who are great supporters of The Salvation Army. We certainly have a great responsibility to do our best with God’s help to live up to the peoples’ trust in us.
"Heralds of Grace" cadets' welcome
What a joy it was to welcome six new cadets of the "Heralds of Grace" session. This truly is an answer to prayer. It is the first time this territory is having what is termed "Flexible Training." The cadets are appointed to Corps where they work under experienced officers. They attend lectures at local Bible Colleges. The four Singapore cadets attend the Trinity Theological College to study Bible and theology.
They will meet regularly at our own own Salvation Army School for Officer Training for lectures on other subjects like preaching, homiletics, leadership, management etc. A comprehensive programme has been drawn up. The cadets will be kept busy. They will also have spiritual days at our own School at regular intervals.
The Cadets from Singapore are
Cadets Tan Bee Yit and Bee Geok from Central Corps are appointed to Changi Corps for training under the supervision of Major Lim Chee Kwee.
Cadets Tan Wee Keong and Joyce from Chinese Corps are appointed to Balestier Corps for training under the supervision of Captain Hary.
The two Malaysian cadets are
Cadet Carmen Ng from Ipoh Corps is appointed to Melaka for training under the supervision of Major Kamala.
Cadet Kayathrih from Banting is appointed to Penang for training under the supervision of Major Tan Guat Hai.They will attend non-Army Theologial and Bible Colleges in Seremban and Penang.
Saturday evening was the welcome dinner where the cadets' families or close friends were invited. We were privileged to be invited by two of the Singapore cadets.
Sunday afternoon, there was a combined meeting to officially welcome the cadets. The United Central and William Booth Band played a march and the flag bearers marched in following by the cadets.
We were reminded of our welcome sixty years ago at the Central Corps Hall, Clemenceau Avenue. In that "Shepherds' Session" in 1954 there were only four of us. It was the first session after the war. We had no Training Principal or Staff, so the Officer Commanding Lieut. Colonel Frederick W Harvey took on the additional responsibility as the Acting Training Principal. The original plan was for the General Secretary, Major William Price to be the Training Principal, but he and his wife farewelled and returned to the United Kingdom just before the session commenced. History repeats itself. (In those days the Salvation Army in Simgapore and Malaysia formed one Command, hence we had Officer Commanding instead of Territorial Commander, General Secrretary instead of Chief Secretary.)
God bless the cadets and their families!
They will meet regularly at our own own Salvation Army School for Officer Training for lectures on other subjects like preaching, homiletics, leadership, management etc. A comprehensive programme has been drawn up. The cadets will be kept busy. They will also have spiritual days at our own School at regular intervals.
The Cadets from Singapore are
Cadets Tan Bee Yit and Bee Geok from Central Corps are appointed to Changi Corps for training under the supervision of Major Lim Chee Kwee.
Cadets Tan Wee Keong and Joyce from Chinese Corps are appointed to Balestier Corps for training under the supervision of Captain Hary.
The two Malaysian cadets are
Cadet Carmen Ng from Ipoh Corps is appointed to Melaka for training under the supervision of Major Kamala.
Cadet Kayathrih from Banting is appointed to Penang for training under the supervision of Major Tan Guat Hai.They will attend non-Army Theologial and Bible Colleges in Seremban and Penang.
Saturday evening was the welcome dinner where the cadets' families or close friends were invited. We were privileged to be invited by two of the Singapore cadets.
Sunday afternoon, there was a combined meeting to officially welcome the cadets. The United Central and William Booth Band played a march and the flag bearers marched in following by the cadets.
We were reminded of our welcome sixty years ago at the Central Corps Hall, Clemenceau Avenue. In that "Shepherds' Session" in 1954 there were only four of us. It was the first session after the war. We had no Training Principal or Staff, so the Officer Commanding Lieut. Colonel Frederick W Harvey took on the additional responsibility as the Acting Training Principal. The original plan was for the General Secretary, Major William Price to be the Training Principal, but he and his wife farewelled and returned to the United Kingdom just before the session commenced. History repeats itself. (In those days the Salvation Army in Simgapore and Malaysia formed one Command, hence we had Officer Commanding instead of Territorial Commander, General Secrretary instead of Chief Secretary.)
God bless the cadets and their families!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Faith - Living progression
Some people seem to equate faith with faithfulness. It is good to be faithful like faithfully attending church, faithfully teaching at Sunday School, or faithfully engaging in some activity. Isn't there a tendency to just 'keep on doing the same old thing, going the same old way' even if we forgotten why we do certain things, or take a certain direction. Faith is a living thing, or living progression. We want our faith in God to grow stronger and deeper in day.
W L Watkinson puts it this way, "Faith means vision - the constant sense of things unseen and eternal. Faith means trust - daily confidence in the faithful Creator, the loving Redeemer. Faith means expectation - the anticipation of the recompense of the reward. Faith is the root, hope is the blossom, charity is the flower of true religion. Let me beware of the technical, the tangible, the formal in my religious life; let me keep intact the ethereal cords which bind me to the upper universe, and which bring into my life the spiritual electricity on which everything depends."
That's why we need the discipline of setting aside time for prayer and meditation on God's word. In this pressurised society when we are so pressed for time (retirees feel it too) it is so easy to lose out. We can keep on doing the same things over and over again, but our faith remains static. We need a living faith which grows stronger and deeper.
My prayer is found in the song by Cornelie Booth. The chorus says,
O for a deeper, O for a greater.
O for a perfect trust in the Lord!
A deeper, stronger faith in God Almighty.
W L Watkinson puts it this way, "Faith means vision - the constant sense of things unseen and eternal. Faith means trust - daily confidence in the faithful Creator, the loving Redeemer. Faith means expectation - the anticipation of the recompense of the reward. Faith is the root, hope is the blossom, charity is the flower of true religion. Let me beware of the technical, the tangible, the formal in my religious life; let me keep intact the ethereal cords which bind me to the upper universe, and which bring into my life the spiritual electricity on which everything depends."
That's why we need the discipline of setting aside time for prayer and meditation on God's word. In this pressurised society when we are so pressed for time (retirees feel it too) it is so easy to lose out. We can keep on doing the same things over and over again, but our faith remains static. We need a living faith which grows stronger and deeper.
My prayer is found in the song by Cornelie Booth. The chorus says,
O for a deeper, O for a greater.
O for a perfect trust in the Lord!
A deeper, stronger faith in God Almighty.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Collateral Blessing Desired
"The Church should be a 'movement of prayer' which creates 'collateral blessing', the Archbishop of Canterbury said..... He was speaking at New Wine, a charismatic Evangelical festival in Somerset.
The US Army gave us the expression 'collateral damage', which means 'killing people you did not mean to target,' he said. 'People seeking Christ create collateral blessing. That means changing the world for the better, in ways you could not have predicted.'
Archbishop Welby continued: 'There has never been a renewal of the Church in Western Europe without a renewal of prayer and the life of religious communities. Never. And if we want to see things changed, it starts with prayer.' (Church Times)
In Singapore every Thursday, a number of us meet at our Territorial Headquarters chapel for Prayer meeting from 7.30 a,m to 8.30 a.m. May wife and I are always blest as we pray together with fellow salvationists. We form part of the global prayer chain that encircles the globe.
The poet Tennyson puts it so beautifully,
"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day...
For the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet of God."
For us it means getting up half an hour earlier on Thursday morning, but it has been worth while. We are still able to have our early morning exercise in the compound, have our own private devotions and breakfast before leaving home at 6.45 a.m.
It calls for discipline. And that is good for us.
Prayer does something for us.
Prayer does something in us.
Prayer does something through us.
"Make me a blessing, make me a blessing
Out of my life, may Jesus shine,
Make me a blessing, Saviour I pray.
Make me a blessing to someone today."
"Blessing through me, Lord blessing through me,
Lord send to others some blessing through me;
Living that all men Thy glory shall see,
Lord, send to others, some blessing through me."
The US Army gave us the expression 'collateral damage', which means 'killing people you did not mean to target,' he said. 'People seeking Christ create collateral blessing. That means changing the world for the better, in ways you could not have predicted.'
Archbishop Welby continued: 'There has never been a renewal of the Church in Western Europe without a renewal of prayer and the life of religious communities. Never. And if we want to see things changed, it starts with prayer.' (Church Times)
In Singapore every Thursday, a number of us meet at our Territorial Headquarters chapel for Prayer meeting from 7.30 a,m to 8.30 a.m. May wife and I are always blest as we pray together with fellow salvationists. We form part of the global prayer chain that encircles the globe.
The poet Tennyson puts it so beautifully,
"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day...
For the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet of God."
For us it means getting up half an hour earlier on Thursday morning, but it has been worth while. We are still able to have our early morning exercise in the compound, have our own private devotions and breakfast before leaving home at 6.45 a.m.
It calls for discipline. And that is good for us.
Prayer does something for us.
Prayer does something in us.
Prayer does something through us.
"Make me a blessing, make me a blessing
Out of my life, may Jesus shine,
Make me a blessing, Saviour I pray.
Make me a blessing to someone today."
"Blessing through me, Lord blessing through me,
Lord send to others some blessing through me;
Living that all men Thy glory shall see,
Lord, send to others, some blessing through me."
Monday, August 19, 2013
The Prime Minister's National Day Message
Last night we tuned on to TV channel 5 and listened the Prime Minister's National Day Message. It was an excellent speech which was greeted with much applause by the audience. He is fully aware of the concerns of Singaporeans - the needs of the elderly, the middle aged, the youth and children.
It boils down to him assuring the people that the Government is aware of the peoples' needs. We are not to be unduly anxious, but Government and people can work together to make Singapore prosper.
We do not have a perfect Government. No country has one. But we do have a good Government which addresses the needs of the people. We as citizens must pray for our Government that they be given wisdom and discernment as they rule the country.
I've been thinking - what is one of the outstanding characteristics our people today? I guess it is an overriding anxiety. The elderly worry about aging, ill health, medical bills etc. Parents worry about their children. They want to ensure they get into good schools to prepare them for the future in this competitive world. Take comfort in the words of our Lord.
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Matthew 6: 25-31
Yes, we have a good Government in Singapore. More important we believe in the Sovereignty of God who provides for all our needs when we put our trust in Him
It boils down to him assuring the people that the Government is aware of the peoples' needs. We are not to be unduly anxious, but Government and people can work together to make Singapore prosper.
We do not have a perfect Government. No country has one. But we do have a good Government which addresses the needs of the people. We as citizens must pray for our Government that they be given wisdom and discernment as they rule the country.
I've been thinking - what is one of the outstanding characteristics our people today? I guess it is an overriding anxiety. The elderly worry about aging, ill health, medical bills etc. Parents worry about their children. They want to ensure they get into good schools to prepare them for the future in this competitive world. Take comfort in the words of our Lord.
Do Not Worry
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[?“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Matthew 6: 25-31
Yes, we have a good Government in Singapore. More important we believe in the Sovereignty of God who provides for all our needs when we put our trust in Him
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