Let’s Move On …

Let’s Move On …

There is a time for everything, the Teacher in Ecclesiastes 3 says, and by ‘everything’ I believe that there is a time to ‘stay on’ and ‘move on’ also.

Some of us like to stay in status quo, but others may feel the need to change. That’s why we move from house to house, from job to job, and maybe even from relationship to relationship to find one that is better or suit us best.

There is definitely a virtue in “staying” and be contented with what we have, but sometimes we really need to “move on”. When do we need to move on?

There was a Catholic priest who was with his apprentice. As they were about to wade across a river, there was a young lady who wants to cross the river also. The priest then offered to carry the lady across and the lady concurred. The apprentice was dumbfounded, for he was thought by the priest not to touch females. After they waded through the river, the priests and the lady went their separate ways. The young priest’s faced was sour, and after two hours walking, he finally blurted out. “why did you touch the young lady, and did not do as you preach?!” The old priest looked at him and said, ”brother, I have put her down two hours ago, why are you still holding on to her?”*

Brothers and sisters in Christ. All of us have done mistakes in the past. None of us are without fault. However, with regards to faults and mistakes, it is highly recommended that we should move on.

For us who committed the sins. Let us move on, and try to be a better person. Do not dwell and feel sorry about the mistakes done. What is done cannot be undone.

For us who witnessed the sins. Let us confront it and move on. Give the person a chance to move on too. What is the benefit of binding the person with the chains that Christ has already broken?

King David said in Psalms 51: “Against you only have I sinned” It is the Lord who is the offended party, not us. Why do we hold grudges over our erring brothers and sisters in Christ?

There is a time for everything, and now is time to move on, my friends.


*story adapted popular folklore

How to Clean Leafy Greens - for my wifey

Green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard, collards and mustard greens are rich in vitamins C and A and also fiber and antioxidants. They are tasty and nutritious. Don't let the cleaning process stop you from purchasing and cooking these healthy vegetables. It may take a little work, but once you clean and cook them you'll be pleased with the results.

Instruction

1. • Remove the greens from the stalk. Green leafy vegetables usually come on stalks where much of the dirt and grit hide. Removing the leaves makes it easier to clean them.

   • Fill the sink with cold water. Don't use warm water because it begins to cook the vegetables. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach react quickly to heat.

   • Place all greens into the sink. If you purchased a large batch of greens, you might not be able to fit them all in the sink at once. Fit as much as you can and let them soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Swish them around periodically to dislodge any dirt or sand tucked in the leaves.

   • Drain the water and feel the bottom of the sink for sand and grit. If there is a lot of dirt or grit, clean out the sink and repeat the process. Continue the process until the bottom of the sink is free from debris.

   • Check the greens for dirt one more time. Once you are comfortable they are clean, dry them and prepare your favorite recipe.

Tips & Warnings

• Some fruit and vegetable washes on the market purportedly remove pesticides from the vegetable. Research any claims thoroughly before use.

• Many vegetables are sold as "pre-washed." Although they may remove the majority of the dirt, wash them at least once to make sure all of the dirt is gone.

• Fresh vegetables from a farmer's market tend to have more dirt or grit than vegetables from a grocery store.

Chinese New Year and God’s Blessings

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, soon the year of Tiger will pass and the year of Rabbit will be ushered in. Hey… wait a minute, why is Pastor writing about Chinese Zodiac? Shouldn‟t we Christian leave all those behind?
Please do not get me wrong.

I do not believe in horoscope, whether it is western or eastern horoscope. To me, the Chinese zodiac system is just one way to calculate and compare how old or young we are. If you are using the zodiac in this manner, it is no problem at all. After all, Chinese zodiac is something very deeply rooted in our culture and community.

However, if you start to read those predictions about which zodiac will be better or worse off in the new Rabbit year; and/or what should you do in order to be better or to avoid some mishaps; what is your lucky number, lucky color, etc., then it is definitely a wrong thing to do.

As Christians, our source of blessing is God and our greatest gift is the life bought by the blood of Christ. Rather than putting our trusts in those far-fetched predictions of some unproven geomancer, we should put our trusts in God‟s word which grants us eternal life.
As we celebrate the Chinese New Year, others may wish us a new year full of good luck, prosperity and wealth. Let us wish them a blessed new year where they may be truly blessed by the only true God. Let us pray that we will be used as the instrument to tell them the good news – the Gospel of Life!

Home Coming 2011

What is home actually? Home is not simply a house where you can come in and rest from the day’s work. Home is not simply a shelter for you to hide from the storms of the world. Home is where your heart is.

I used to think that Home-Coming is a concept that is widely embraced by the Chinese or Asians only. That is why every year we see millions of Chinese nationals travels across thousands of miles in order to get back to their hometown. This year, it is expected that 700 million Chinese nationals will be travelling during this Spring Festival to get home for a moment of reunion with their family.

The concept of home during the Chinese New Year is truly felt during this period of time. The movie “HomeComing” tells about what it really means to go home, and one can expect a lot of laughter from that New Year Comedy.

But is homecoming is always about laughter? Or does 落叶归根simply means you got to go back and rest in peace at your birthplace? This short story below may help you to see things in the right perspective.

After serving for decades, a couple of old missionaries finally returned home. They were on board the same flight with a sport star who has just won a gold medal. While walking through the red carpet the sportsman received deafening applause. The old couple received none and was saddened. After years of laboring for the Lord, they were not even welcomed home. As they look up to the clear blue sky, their eyes were brighten. They smiled and realized the truth.

They were not home yet.

Moving

I hate moving. There are so many things that you have to do, packing, unpacking and all the dusts involved… my nose is extremely sensitive to the dust and before long the sinus infection will kick in.

Like hermit crabs, we move to bigger and better houses as we grow older, or sometimes we move into smaller houses because we are forced to (by bigger and stronger crabs). We move from one job to another that pays more. We may move from one relationship to another relationship to find one that can give us more. We live in a society and time that moving has become a necessity for most if not all.

There are many reasons behind the decision to move, but regardless of whether it is house, career, or relationship moving, one thing remains the same: there is something that you leave behind.

Did you leave behind tons of rubbish waiting for the next occupant to clean them up? Did you leave wonderful legacy for others to follow? Did you leave sweet memories for the people cherish? Will people remember you as a godly person, or simply a kind person, or will the very thought of you bring forth a nightmare?

Brothers and sisters, if moving is a thing that we must do, let us be a good testimony wherever we stay, so that when we move, the footsteps we leave behind will bring glory, praise and honor to God and not otherwise.

Pain – The Body’s Natural Alarm

Most normal people do not like to be in pain. Pain, however, can be regarded as one of the gifts from God, not in a negative sense. In his book, “The Gift of Pain”, Philip Yancey and co-author Dr. Paul Brand discussed at length about the function of pain in our body.

Having read the book years ago, now I fully understand what Yancey and Dr. Brand explained, not just in theory, but in real life experience.

About 3 months ago, I started to feel pain on my left heel. The pain did not go away, and I have to wear sandals with soft insoles even in the house. Recently, I got a brochure for free body pain analysis, and after emptying my wallet and bringing only my EZ-Link card and my IC (to avoid signing up for something that I will regret later), I went to get the free service.

The analysis was quite simple and logical. The physiotherapist took my pictures: front, back, left, right, in front of a wall with square brackets. The result was astounding. Under my ‘normal’ standing position, my whole body was (is) slanted to the right. As a result, my right feet arc collapses, right knee misaligned, right hipbones and right shoulder are significantly lower than left.

I remembered my sermon last month: “what we are familiar with may not be correct” I said. I always carry my bags on my right side, and perhaps the way I sit, I stand and I sleep is wrong, but because I was familiar or used to the same “incorrect” posture, slowly but surely, damage started to appear.

I thank God for allowing the pain in my heel as an alarm to me. I have signed up for Pilate in a CC, and pray to God that through it my problem can be resolved.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, is there anything that you have been doing in your life that is equally “normal”, but may not be exactly right with God? or are you “hurting” in certain kind of relationship, but do not know why, because you simply do the things that you always do? Those are perhaps alarm for you to get a “check up.”

My advice: Dial Up to God. He is available 24/7. You can use Direct-Call (prayer) to reach Him or alternatively you can contact Him through FaithBook (the Bible). If you still feel unsure, the pastoral contact details are available in page 5 of this bulletin. We are here for you.