The Covenant Community Methodist Church Magazine

By Popular Demand: Terry Ng’s Roast Beef and Gravy Recipes

SPIRITUAL EDUCATION –

WHOSE RESPONSIBILTY

IS IT?

sing in HARMOnY witH YOuR teens

THE WAY TO CONNECTSUNDAY CHURCH TO WEEKDAY LIFE

WORKING MUMS SHARE

How to Better Manage Time

MICA (P) No: 104/03/2013

LOAVES + FISHES APRIL/JUNE 2013

Joy is a Flag Flown High: Praise Pennant Craft

CHURCH NEWS BITESBRAND NEW COlUMN:

Saturday, 7 September 2013Officiating ministers:

Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup Rev John Benedict Foo and Rev Khoo Kay Huat

Each time you see this page

PRAY FOR CHRASS CHURCH

gOD'S viSiOn AnD WiSDOm FOR PAStOR PHiRUn

UnitY AnD DeDiCAtiOn FOR CHRASS CHURCH leADeRS

gODlY entHUSiASm in tHe CHRASS YOUtH

tHAt CHRASS CHURCH Will Be tHe ligHt OF CHRiSt

ClAim tHe CHilDRen OF CHRASS FOR JeSUS

CHRASS CHURCH DeDiCAtiOn SeRviCe

CCMC Family Movie NightSaturday, 28 Sept 2013 * MGS AuditoriumDinner: 6.30pm sharp * Movie: 7.15pmFree admission & dinner

Register with Sherlyn Yeung at lantana@starhub.net.sggiving the number attending and having dinner

GIFteD hANDSCUBA GOODING JR

The true story of the world’s pioneering neurosurgeon.

his mother gave him courage,his faith helped him believe, his brillance gave him the power to change lives.

Academy Awards Winner

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CONTENTSFROM CHENNAITO CLEMENTITO CCMCA family witness6

FROM SUNDAY CHRISTIANITY TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP?Connecting Sundays with Weekdays

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HELP! I HAVE NO TIME!Time management truths22

HEART OF WORSHIPMatt Redman

When the music fades And all is stripped away And I simply come Longing just to bring Something that's of worth That will bless your heart

I'll bring You more than a song For a song in itself Is not what You have required You search much deeper within Through the ways things appear You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship And it's all about You All about You, Jesus I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it When it's all about You It's all about You Jesus

King of endless worth No one could express How much You deserve Though I'm weak and poor All I have is Yours Every single breath

MOMS & DAUGHTERSSINGING IN HARMONYFor dads and sons too

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STEV

EN R

OLL

AND

BY

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Its all about you Jesus

UNEXPECTED MARRIAGE STRESSMemories & child care9

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Loaves + Fishes is published quarterly by Covenant Community Methodist Church

Level 4, Methodist Girls’ School11, Blackmore DriveSingapore 599986Tel: 64669652 Fax: 64667470Email: admin@ccmc.org.sgwww.ccmc.org.sg

MICA (P) No: 104/03/2013Printed by Oxford Graphic Printers Pte Ltd

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

EditorRev John Benedict Foo

Editorial AdvisorEddie Koh

Managing EditorGoh Eck Kheng

MembersChong Cheh HoonLester Ng

ContributorsBenny BongPaul HawkinsMarlene KohLee Yin SiauSusan LimLeslie QuaheRobert SamuelTan Buck ChyeYap Kian Seng

ON THE COVER (from left)Kevin, Nicole and Jason Tong

Averyone matters here at Covenant Community Methodist Church! Regardless of your age or gender, you are always welcome to have fellowship with us

as a community of covenant-keepers. More importantly, you are specially invited to journey together with us as we heed the call to walk the path of discipleship. Our heart’s desire is to trust God to grow us towards higher spiritual maturity and greater love for Him and others.

We are passionate about helping every person enter into an intimate and dynamic relationship with God. There will always be times in our lives when we need others to come alongside us to help support and build us up. There will also be times for us to encourage and affirm others in their time of need. Per-haps this and subsequent issues of Loaves + Fishes can become a staple encourager in your life as well.

Things matter in communities. Here at CCMC, we value your heart for the Lord. We value your desire to make a difference in your own family, in our church family, in your social circle, and at your workplace or school. God has gifted our church family with a whole plethora of spiritual gifts. This is evident in the recent Holy Week and Aldersgate services where we thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the worship services with members coming forward to use their gifts for the glory of God. Let us all continue to roll up our sleeves and put our hands to the plow.

You have in your hands a magazine that is filled with articles that are reflective, relevant and personal. Enjoy the gamut of thought-provoking and fascinating topics covered in this issue! May God bless your reading as He unveils to you a unique cov-enant community here in CCMC.

Rev John Benedict Foo

EVERYONE MATTERS!

REGULARS

Ask Abigail 39Crafts for Kids (pull out)Crumbs 48Good Things 44Kitchen 47Manga Hero 32News 35SOAP 26Songs & Singers 38Food for Thought 34To the Point 17

MOMS AT WORKTwo CCMC moms share40

EDUCATING OUR CHILDRENfor today and tomorrow

28PROMPTNESS BAROMETER

Here's how we fared in punctuality on average for eight services from 7 April to 26 May.

There's much room for improvment.

Practise these tips regularly, especially on Sundays, so we can honour God with the time He has given us.

1. Make a commitment to arrive slightly ahead of time.

2. Plan for real world delays and give your-self time to spare.

3. Find creative ways to use pockets of time created by being early.

100% Please wait for the

doors to open!

80% I think there are some

seats up front.

60% Someone is in my

regular seat.

40% Looks like the faithful

remnant are here.

20% Am I at the right place?

••9 AM 48%11 AM 52%

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CALLED TOgETHER FOR HIS MINISTRY

One evening, I had gone to the northern part of Chennai (previously known as Madras) to purchase something. I was riding a motorbike then. When I was about to start the bike, I felt strongly that I should take another route back home instead of the shorter route I usually take. I had a friend, Dr. Prosper, who stayed along this longer route and I thought that I would just stop by and say “hello” to him. Dr. Prosper is a medical doctor and a businessman too.

We were talking for some time and suddenly Dr. Prosper went to the phone (there were no handphones then in 1991) and called Vibha’s father and asked if he was interested in meeting a God-fearing Christian person, who could be a match for his second daughter. After some discussion (which I could not hear), he told me that he had set up an informal ‘meet-up’ with

the Thacker family at St. George’s Cathedral where Vibha’s family used to go.

God had showed me in a dream what my wife would look like, and when I first saw Vibha at St. George’s Cathedral, God confirmed that she was the one since I had already seen her face in the dream. There was no turning back from then.

SET APART BY HIS CALLINg

God had opened a miraculous door for us to re-locate to Singapore as a family through the posting by a Belgian multinational company in India. This was amidst the peak of the Global Financial Crisis of 1997.

Before we moved to Singapore, there were many prophecies over us that there would be many

A WITNESS AS A FAMILY OF gOD’S dIRECTIoN, pRovISIoN, ANd goodNESS upoN ouR LIvES.

BY ROBERT SAMUEL

FROM CHENNAI TO CLEMENTITO CCMC

difficulties and hardships initially in our life but if we cling on, the Lord God will lift us up step by step and will establish and bless us in Singapore. We were reminded of Abraham and God’s calling upon his life and decided as a family to follow the path God has set apart for us.

When we came to Singapore, because of the economic crisis, companies that had placed orders with the Belgian company I worked for cancelled orders and the business done that year was way below the target. My immediate manager wanted me to go back to India. However, because God’s word had already prepared us for the situation, we were encouraged to look at Him rather than the circumstances. We clung on. The Belgian company acquired an American company whose products were already popular in South East Asia and I was able to get the required business.

When we look back now, we can testify of God’s goodness and His faithfulness in guiding us step by step in our lives – settling

(( WHEN WE LOOK BACK NoW, WE CAN TESTIFY oF god'S gOODNESS AND HIS FAITHFULNESS IN gUIDINg US STEP BY STEP IN OUR LIVES. ))

Facing (from left): Rovik, Vibha, Rovina, Robert and Ronak.

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my young family (eldest son was then just 4 years old and second son only 8 months old) with His security, provision and guidance in a land where we then had no family, friends or support to getting permanent residents status to become citizens of Singapore. All glory to the Lord Jesus! There has been no looking back since then...

ROOTED FOR HIS KINgDOM

We were worshipping in Bethesda Cathedral at Bedok since we were living in the east. When we moved to the west, we were looking for a family-oriented church where our children could settle and grow in God’s word and leading. We decided to try CCMC since a few friends had recommended it.

The warmth and the fellowship of the members during our first day at CCMC pleasantly surprised us. Our children also wanted to continue coming to CCMC. Of course, the spacious car park was another big attraction. We have been attending CCMC for four years now and we are blessed week after week.

There is only looking forward to: more of God's direction and leading in our lives for our family.

Rovik, Robert and vibha’s elder son, is a co-founder of THE HIDDEN gOOD with Leon Heng, a personal initiative by these two NSmen. Here, he tells what it's about and why it was started.

"The Hidden Good started from a conversation I had with Leon Heng in the MRT.

"It was about how people are apprehensive about sitting on the reserved seat even when the train is empty out of a culture of fear of being STOMPed or how people are so inclined to cap-ture the negative aspect of Singaporeans and post it online.

"It would cause a self-fulfilling prophecy of us being a lousy society. Truth is, we've witnessed and seen so many amazing acts of kindness and goodwill out there and there's very little celebration of that aspect of our society.

"We decided that we would unveil this hidden good in Singapore and agreed that setting up scenarios would help establish a watchable video series people would enjoy, learn something from, and most importantly, share.

We have two sub-series: 'The Singaporean' sets up situa-tions for people to respond to and to prove that Singaporeans are not the busy, self-centred people we assume ourselves to be. 'The Great Hood Giveaway' aims to dispel the feeling that people would think you're weird if you did something good for them.

"The Hood Factory will upload bi-weekly episodes in a two-year timeline. Our goals are simple:

1) Get Singapore to celebrate and appreciate the good that exists, 2) Add to the conversation on what it means to be a Singaporean and part of our society. "It's been amazingly fun and exciting to see Singaporeans in

action. It's affected how we respond to people in need as well – we're more acute of opportunities to step up.

"We have a core team of 4 to 5, including our Creative Director, Jay Teo, who manages the technical side of things. Our regular videographers include Jonathan Tan Zhon Hao and Ser Joon Sin. The pool of people who volunteer their time and skills goes up to 20-30 people. Filming is done on weekends. Prepara-tion and planning are done over the weekdays.

"We also plan to have workshops/outreach sessions in schools and organisations to convey our message."

bY bEnnY bonG

‘Forgive, yes. Forget…’

MARRIAGE STRESS

How often have we heard the expression, “I can forgive, but I cannot forget”? Perhaps we too have said this on an occasion or two, and there is some truth in this sentiment. Forgiving is an act of the will, whilst forgetting is not within our control. You cannot will yourself to forget.

Unexpected

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However, some marriages are impacted in a negative way with the arrival of a baby. Husbands complain of being displaced as the centre of their wife’s attention.

Couples exhausted by the constant tending to the needs of a vulnerable, helpless child may have little time and energy for each other, even less for themselves. In such circumstances, how can a couple prevent their marriage from slipping into the doldrums?

Firstly, it is important to keep remembering that the basis of strength in a family is the strength of the couple’s bond. This bond will help weather the stress and strain of disrupted sleep every night to feed the baby. How effective they are at being effective parents is dependent on how well they synergise their role as father and mother.

Secondly, even though their personal and couple needs may not be at the top of the list of priorities, they cannot be deferred indefinitely. Some couples may agree to postpone it temporarily, for example, till the child is off pampers or till he finishes PSLE, before they can expect to enjoy, on a regular basis, their own personal space and couple togetherness. This is assuming that the couple has only one child. If they have more, the period of their sacrifice for their children would be a longer stretch.

But doting parents in Singapore who feel the kiasuism of giving their children the best possible education, tuition and enrichment programmes to be one up on the Tans next door will extend their time for parenting responsibilities right up to O-levels or beyond. By that time, their couple togetherness has become a hazy memory of their courtship days or early married life before the kids came. The sooner they learn to let

go of their children, the better it is for their relationship as a couple and as parents who can provide a loving, harmonious home for their children to grow up in.

Thirdly, learn to agree on how to raise your child. Parenting will uncover a myriad of differences in nurturing your child’s potential and moral values, ways to enforce discipline, allowing grandmother to indulge, etc. Parenting is a good test to see if you can compromise and agree on the upbringing of someone who means so much to each of you.

The patter of little feet may bring a couple closer in their common goal to raise a child they can be proud of, or it could swing the other way, and rent the marriage apart when their frequent squabbles over the child’s behaviour or school performance start to erode the love they had for each other that had led to their exchange of marriage vows.

Benny Bong, a member of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, is a family and marital therapist.

that she will not discuss or ask any questions about his extra-marital affair. After all, did she not offer her forgiveness?

As a family and marital therapist, I believe that forgiveness and memory should be handled appropriately. Forgiveness allows relationships to recover. Forgiveness is the surrendering of our right to be angry and our right for recompense. Its focus is not on the past but on the future; not on our feelings but on the importance of our relationship with those who have hurt us.

Memory is the conscious effort we make to acknowledge the importance of the event, no matter how painful it might be. Memories allow us to learn difficult lessons. However, when the memory serves no more useful purpose, we need to let it go. We do this by refusing to dwell on it. We do this by having and remembering happier memories.

*

'LEt no mAn Put ASunDEr.'

With these solemn words, we are reminded that no man should be allowed to come between a husband and wife. Whilst most couples do their utmost to guard against this, the invaders that ultimately undermine a marriage can take shapes and forms that we least expect.

I want to focus on a disruption of marital harmony which comes in a rather innocent package. For most people, the arrival of a baby heralds the relationship moving to a new level. It can be another point of connection for the couple and a fulfilment of hopes and dreams. In some instances, it may even breathe fresh life to a stale relationship.

For many, forgetfulness is an inconvenience, such as when we forget a name, telephone number or where we left our keys. But for a few, not being able to forget is a curse. This is true for the wife who complained that her husband would question her relentlessly and continually about her previous sexual encounters with her boyfriends. The fact that she has strenuously denied them, the fact that these were relationships before their marriage, and the fact that this was about alleged events more than 30 years ago, all had not stopped her husband from repeating these groundless allegations.

Such memories have a corrosive effect on those who hold them. They may be recycled, recalled back to the present and in such instances, be re-lived. If the memory is painful, remembering them can be re-traumatising. Some memories can also be hurtful to others. They form part of the lens through which we view others. Thus, for the husband mentioned earlier, his regular accusations paints his wife as a loose woman in his eyes. His memory, not of an incident but of an accusation, repeated and repeated, begins to take a life and reality all of its own and threatens to tear his marriage apart.

How do we as believers deal with difficult memories? Is it consistent for us to say, “I can forgive you but I cannot forget what you did” to someone who may have wronged us?

I recall here the many Christian couples who struggle with infidelity and where the aggrieved spouse is faced with the difficult task to forgive. In some instances, when the unfaithful spouse confesses his infidelity, he expects his wife to forgive him. He also expects her forgiveness to mean

(( COUPLES EXHAUSTED BY THE CONSTANT TENDINg TO THE NEEDS OF A vuLNERABLE, HELPLESS CHILD MAY HAVE LITTLE TIME AND ENERgY FoR EACH oTHER, EVEN LESS FOR THEMSELVES.

))

(( FORgIVENESS ALLOWS RELATIONSHIPS To RECovER. FORgIVENESS IS THE SURRENDERINg OF OUR RIgHT TO BE ANgRY AND OUR RIgHT FOR RECOMPENSE.

))

ALL

PHO

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2.0

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among Christians as they move from Sunday to Monday. Their desire to marry faith and work is a noble one. The thinking is that as we make our faith more relevant to our work, our work becomes a better testimony of faith. As our work becomes a better testimony of faith, we will bring glory to the God of Creation.

Unfortunately, articles like Preece’s tend to be understood more in terms of evangelism and outreach, and less in terms of what holistic faith is all about. Some call it friendship evangelism. Others call it workplace evangelism, or whatever. The trouble is, it reduces weekly faith into something like Christian marketing on the outside, after a weekend charging of one’s spiritual batteries on the inside. It is still a form of dichotomy. Like Nash and McLennan, for all good intentions, the Christian faith has become streamlined into some kind of an evangelistic outfit dressed in office attire. Here lies the problem: Our cluelessness about worship affects our understanding of our role in the world.

In this article, I want to explore how cluelessness impacts our Christian life. If we are clueless about the meaning of Sundays, the purpose of the other six days, and the understanding of God’s will for all our days, we will remain clueless for many days to come. Clueless about Sunday Christianity; clueless about Christian discipleship; clueless about what it means to be a Christian in the first place. The key to it all is not the how-to, but the why. It is not the what, but the who. It is not the grasping and grabbing, but the giving and releasing that will lead us through the fog of cluelessness. Unless we are clear about worship, our words remain blurred.

A) Clueless The biggest problem in any organ-izational or personal life is this: Lack of Clarity. On 9 September 1923, an armada of US destroyers

ne of the most common struggles many Christians face is aptly described in the title of the book by Laura Nash

and Scotty McLennan: Church on Sunday, Work on Monday1. The authors bewail the dichotomy of faith and work, where people observe religious duties each Sunday, only to revert to a secular lifestyle from Monday. The cycle then repeats itself every week, where many a professed Christian hardly intersects with Wall Street or Main Street, let alone home base. This leaves many Christian believers a sense of discomfort and confusion about why their faith is largely disconnected from the real world.

The book by Nash and McLennan is itself a sharp critique of the Church. They accuse the clergy of playing minimal or no role to help equip fellow laypeople with tools and resources to address this very dichotomy. Worse, based on their surveys, the Church does not seem to have any clue on how to help members in this regard. Maybe they have too many religious responsibilities. Maybe they believe their members already know best about what to do. Maybe, they do not have a clue how to connect Sunday to Monday in the first place. If that is the case, why should anyone be surprised if laypersons themselves are clueless?

The presumed solution must be something that leads to a deeper sense of connection between worship and work. The presumed method is thus about learning the 'how.' The desire for ‘how’ gets louder each time anyone talks about the Sunday-Monday dichotomy. This call is a common one. In writing about work and faith, Gordon Preece2 concurs with both Nash and McLennan, arguing that the Church in general ought to 'shift its pastoral and mission priorities toward Monday.'

Like Nash and McLennan, Preece observes in a similar way that there is a “disintegration of work and faith”

was coasting down south from San Francisco to San Diego. All was going well until they encountered thick fog. Despite the poor vision, the captain of the lead destroyer maintained a fast speed of 20 knots, trusting in the skills and techniques of the highly talented navigator crews, as well as the familiarity of the Californian coastline. The USS Delphy led the way, with several other destroyers following the exact orders by the captain of the squadron. Soon, the lead ship crashed into the rocks of Point Arguello. The strong metallic hull of the great destroyer was no match for the rocks of nature. The USS Delphy’s hull split into two. Six other destroyers ran aground. Many sailors died. In one day, the US Navy lost more ships than all of World War I. All because of a lack of clarity.

This reminds me literally of the King James translation of Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Likewise, management gurus often teach, “If we aim at nothing, we will probably hit it.”

If we are clueless about Christian discipleship, or what it means to go to Church, we will most likely be clueless about what it means to be a Christian Disciple.

B) Clueless About Connecting Sunday to MondayThe symptoms of cluelessness are many. After all the flurry of religious activism, and the spiritual food that people get, the week subsequently knocks the heavenly Christian back to existential reality. What on earth does it mean to be a Christian in the workplace? What happened to all the Sunday highs? The flurry of questions includes:

• How do I relate the Eschatological hope of heaven with the practical challenges of reality?• What did the Apostle Paul say about being a good engineer?• Is there anything that Luke the

OFROM SUNDAY CHRISTIANITY TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP?

FRUSTRATED ABOUT THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN SUNDAY CHURCH AND WEEKDAY LIFE? LOOKINg FOR THE PERFECT PULPIT TO gIvE ENougH JuICE To PROPEL YOU TO NEXT SUNDAY? HERE IS A SUPRISINgLY SIMPLE ANSWER.

ABIG

AIL

GO

H

BY YAP KIAN SENG

Yap Kian Seng is husband to Mary, and father to three teenagers. An engineer by training, he has wide interest in theology and spirituality, and has studied at Regent College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. His doctoral thesis is on Sabbath Keeping. Currently, he serves as an associate pastor in a local Church in Vancouver, BC.

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problem to the indoctrination of marketing ideas into the Church since the 1970s. Such ideas include:

• We have to make Church more relevant to society. • We need to draw up attractive programs to bring in the masses. • We need to reach out, even though it may mean dumbing down some traditional rituals that come across as archaic, boring, and irrelevant. • The ‘how-to’s are more important than the ‘who’s and the ‘why’s.

If that is so, it is not surprising that people feel a sense of emptiness even on Sundays. The thinking is simple: If they do not have all the right fuel on Sundays, how then are they to drive on Mondays?

This leads to a host of unhealthy expectations for all. The clergy is expected to feed the spiritual appetite of the masses. The laity expects their churches to help them meet the demands of the heavy workweek. The world demands more of the Christian worker, knowing his/her strong work ethic. This turns Church into a giant spiritual battery charging station, so that one can have enough power to last the grueling workweek.

E) Bringing Clarity to Sundays and the RestDawn thinks otherwise. Worship on Sundays is much more.

“Knowing that Christians are saved totally by God’s grace and not by any efforts on our part, the Church throughout the ages has understood that its task as an institution is to provide opportunities for the worship and praise of God and the educating and forming of its people for a life of caring for others in response to that grace. We might compare these two tasks to the two great commandments – to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to become the kind of people who will love our neighbors as ourselves.”

Now, that is clarity. Love God.

Love people. Serve Others.Sundays is about loving God,

loving people, and serving all. The same applies to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and the next week.

It then circles back to the same message: Love God, love people, serve others.

This one message will blow away the fog of cluelessness.

If we are clear about what Sunday means for us, our minds will be clear about the question of faith and work. We will recognize that there is no dichotomy between Sundays and the rest of the week. We will know that there is not one rule for Church and another rule outside of Church.

I am always fascinated with methods and techniques. After all, I am an engineer by profession, and one who works all the time with technology and electronic gadgets. Even my books and reading material are increasingly either online or on my computing devices. I love it when things work. I beam with pride when I fix things well. I often dream about how to solve computing problems with maximum efficiency and minimum effort.

However, when it comes to spiritual matters, such a mentality must grind to a screeching halt. Something else takes over. James K. A. Smith4 describes worship as 'imagining the kingdom.' In a recent book, Smith writes about the centrality of worshiping God for every believer, how that one mood of worship impacts the rest. At the end of worship is the sending out of the believer. It basically means that the work of the worshipper begins immediately after the service. According to James, 'the end of worship comes with a responsibility.'

What this means is that there is no such thing as a Sunday-Monday dichotomy, as long as we all understand the link between the two ends of the Sunday worship service. Our mission to the world

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(( IF WE ARE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT SUNDAY MEANS FoR uS, OUR MINDS WILL BE CLEAR ABOUT THE QUESTION OF FAITH AND WORK. WE WILL RECOgNISE THAT THERE IS NO DICHOTOMY BETWEEN SUNDAYS AND THE REST OF THE WEEK. ))

Physician has to say about being a good medical doctor?• What did the preacher say yesterday morning?• Oh brother! Why did I sleep through the sermon yesterday?

Without a proper understanding of what Sunday means, our Mondays will be blurry. The assumption is that the pastor shares the Word on Sunday, the Spirit moves the people, and the people go into the world of work after that. Sadly, this is more difficult than what many of us think. The problem is, worship is not about us getting to do what we want to do. It is about getting a bigger sense of God in everything we do.

C) Blaming the Clergy: Clueless About MondaysThe clergy is to blame! So says Harvard and Stanford professors, Laura Nash and Scotty McLennan. In calling for greater involvement of the clergy beyond Sundays, Nash and McLennan propose dialogue and engagement throughout the week. They ask for clergy to be more involved and more interested in the working lives of the members. They ask the Church and religious staff to learn to see their ministries beyond the Church walls on Sundays. They implore them to venture into the offices, the workplaces, and the outside world, instead of cocooning themselves within the sacred walls of Church. Support the people. Engage with them. Help them. These are the pleas from the authors to the clergy, on behalf of a massive lay population, for help.

• Help us connect our faith with our work.• Help us reconnect our understanding of God’s will for our lives.• Help us live boldly in this world as one integrated whole.

People need help because they themselves are clueless about any

link between Sundays and Mondays. They believe there is. The problem is, they do not know how to connect them.

d) Blaming the people: Clueless About SundaysThe people must share the blame! After all, if Sunday worship is about the people of God coming together to break bread, to sing praises, and to hear the Word together, working well is also a communal responsibility. We have a responsibility to pray for one another. We have a responsibility to exercise our gifts for the Church, our talents in the world, and our best for God.

Maybe, it is the pastor praying and the layperson sowing. Maybe, it is the Spirit working hand in hand with each person obeying step by step. Maybe, it is simply being faithful to one’s work responsibilities are listed in the employment contract and executed according to the principles listed in the spiritual covenant. That still leaves a gaping hole on what it means to worship on Sundays.

So what is Sunday all about? Let me offer some ways to clarify our thinking about worship.

My professor, Dr Marva Dawn3, gives two brilliant insights with regards to worship. Firstly, worship is not about maximizing our time during a worship service. It is about 'wasting time' in God. In other words, don’t rush God to fit into our own schedules. Learn to take pleasure in letting God show us what it means to enjoy His presence. Stop the clock. Remove the watch. Just enjoy the presence of God. Worship Him!

Secondly, Dawn is particularly concerned about the introduction of the 'how-to' thinking into Church and worship. Instead of Sundays being a day for worshipping God alone, it has become another work-day for Christians. In simple terms, six days you shall work in secular grounds, on the seventh day, you shall work on sacred ground. Dawn traces the

(( WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT US gETTINg TO DO WHAT WE WANT To do. IT IS ABouT gETTINg A BIggER SENSE OF gOD IN EVERYTHINg WE do. ))

1 Laura nash and Scotty mcLennan, Church on Sunday, Work on Monday, Jossey-Bass, 2001.2 Gordon Preece, Work, in The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity, edited by Robert Banks and r Paul Stevens, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1997), p1129.3 Marva Dawn, Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, (Grand rapids, mI: Eerdmans, 1995), p8.4 James K. A. Smith, Imagining the Kingdom, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013).

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Worship is our greatest love expression to God. It is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is, and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we do and say and the way we live.

WHO WE WORSHIP

You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve. Luke 4:8

WHO SHOULD WORSHIP

All people and creation… Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his com-mand they were created, Psalm 148: 1-13

Worship togetherI will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Psalm 22:22a

In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.Hebrews 2:12

SOME FORMS OF WORSHIP

MusicPraise him with the sound-ing of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals,praise him with resounding cymbals. Psalm 150: 3-5

Prostrate Moses quickly bowed to the ground and prostrated him-self in worship. Ex 39:8

Bow and kneelO come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95: 6

Sincerity, Fidelity, Humility, puritylet us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and hav-ing our bodies washed with pure water.Hebrews 10:22

By doing goodThrough Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrific-es God is pleasedHebrews 13: 15-16

Worship

To The Point

ATTITUDES OF WORSHIP

Heartfelt"This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" Mark 7:6

Spirit and truthBut the hour is coming, and now is, when true worship-pers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4: 23, 24

Fear and aweI will worship toward and at Your holy temple in reverent fear and awe of You. Psalm 5: 7

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WORSHIP AND PROCLAMATION

Give praise to the Lord, pro-claim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.1 Chron 16:8-9

GOD IS PRESENT WHEN WE WORSHIP

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.Psalm 22:3

WHY WE WORSHIP

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Psalm 150:2

DanceDavid, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might2 Samuel 6:14

Lift handsI lift up my hands toward your most holy Place.Psalm 28:2b

all people, regardless of language, ethnicity, religious persuasions, or any other human differences. We are to engage the world in faith, through sharing wisdom with all, maintaining solidarity as fellow human people, and publicly engaging the world in order to bring about positive change and common good.

A disciple of Christ will surely be excited about all of these propositions. It will all flow naturally from this simple truth: Love God; Love People; Serve Others.

In summary, the reason for disconnected spiritualities is because of our mistaken belief that puts the cart of 'how-to' before the horse of 'love-to.' If we know the 'why,' we will do our level best to look for the 'how.' If we truly know God, we will naturally know what to do next.

Life is not meant to be complicated. If there is a fog of cluelessness, slow down and stop if necessary. Then let the breeze of the simple truth to 'Love God; Love People; Serve Others' help us navigate through the often treacherous seas of life. There is no need to rush rapidly ahead. When our vision is blurred, it is important to pause or slow down, and stop when necessary to clarify our thoughts and our directions. Just having all the techniques and the knowhow does not necessarily mean we must use them straightaway.

Finally, I know that there are some readers who will say to me: “Yeah! We have heard these two commandments before. There is nothing new. Tell me something new.”

To that, I will reply: “If you have already heard it, memorized it, or analyzed it, there is one more thing you need to do. Do it.”

Let me close with this thought by Andrew Murray, which sums up nicely what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

“Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.”

Amen.

(( HOW THEN DO WE MOVE FROM SUNDAY CHRISTIANITY TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP? THE TRuTH IS: WE doN'T.

))

begins immediately after the worship service.

This is where the power of Mother Teresa’s ministry lies: the ministry of prayer. Each day, her Sisters of Charity wake up faithfully at 3-4 am to pray together before the beginning of a busy day. That is their formal point of worship. They practise the same simple truth: Love God (demonstrated in prayer); Love one another (praying together); serve others (serving all).

F) Clarity about Religion and the Secular WorldHow then do we move from Sunday Christianity to Christian Discipleship? The truth is this: We don’t. Whether it is Sunday or any other day, the same truth applies to each and every day of the week: Love God; Love People; Serve Others.

If we are clear about what worshipping God is all about, we will automatically want to worship God through loving one another, and serving all others. At the risk of oversimplification, let me put it even more bluntly. We love God and worship God at each worship service together (Sunday Christianity). We love one another by living together in the ways of Christ (Christian Discipleship). We serve all others by upholding the truth of Christ everywhere we go (Christian Discipleship).

Miroslav Volf, Croatian Protestant theologian, laments the state of religion in the secular world, and tries to make sense of why religions are getting such a bad public rap nowadays. He notes that Christians are rightly to be blamed for some of the 'malfunctions of faith'. He writes that, “the Christian faith has sometimes failed to live up to its standards as a prophetic religion.”

For Volf, one of the major purposes of the Christian is to shape the lives of people in their communities. In order to do this, he proposes an ethic of doing good to

TRUE WORSHIP

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Rom 12: 1

20 21

mom is like the orchestra conductor in the symphony of her daughter's life. Mom, if you tap your baron to the

sheet music of Scripture, some amazing things can happen in your daughter's heart.

moms have a profound influ-ence on us – for good, or not. Both of us feel grateful for mothers who cared for and influenced our lives in amazing ways. Our mothers' in-fluence gave us a heart for serving others and the confidence to lead.

Doreen: I am grateful that God's divine plan purposed that I would be raised by a godly mother. I car-ried her simple words of wisdom into the lives of my own two daugh-ters and now I'm beginning to see them passed on to my granddaugh-ters. We establish traditions by the things we speak to the next gener-ation (once again we see the power of our words).

Pam: My mom would get a high mother rating because she provided a beat for my life that I could dance to. The resounding mantras of my mother's words echo in my heart: take the high road, be part of the solution, and search for God until you find Him. Her efforts matched her words that still echo in my heart each day as I rise to lead: "You can do this thing, Pam. Do it well."

my mother is the first to point out her shortcomings, though. You also might feel inadequate in your motherhood role for some reason, but that's what is so wonderful about God. He takes our best ef-forts and adds Himself to the mix, in spite of any inadequacies we feel as a parent or any imperfections in our environment.

As the maestro of your daugh-ter's life, what are the main chords God would like you to play in her heart so that someday she can live

(( MY MoTHER'S WORDS ECHO IN MY HEART: TAKE THE HIgH RoAd, BE PART OF THE SoLuTIoN, ANd SEARCH FOR gOD UNTIL YOU FIND HIM.

))

a life that is a series of beautiful notes? The traits your daughter needs to see in you are:

SecurityIndustry Nobility Generosity

These are the same traits to be-gin weaving into her own life so she can live out God's song for her.

SECURITYWe know that teen girls today

face tough decisions. Your daughter needs to feel secure and safe in her relationship with you.

Doreen: First and foremost, I believe there must be the ele-ment of trust between mother and daughter. As our daughters begin to develop physically, it generally comes with a growing spirit of in-dependence.

Peer pressure often adds to this new spirit of wanting to see and try things differently. I am talking about small things – like the way they dress, speak, comb their hair, and so on. I am not referring to choices that endanger their lives.

Demonstrating your trust in your daughter is the greatest gift you can give her at this stage of her life. Allow her to begin making

Moms + Daughters*SINGING INHARMONY

by Pam Farrel & Doreen Hanna

ALL

PHO

TOG

TRAP

HS:

YAN

SO

NG

BY

CC2.

0

* For Dads + sons too.

A

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automatically mean monetary gifts, though that can be a blessing to oth-ers.

You can be generous with your time. Do you give to missions or charity organizations? Even if you give a small amount, caring for the less fortunate teaches your daugh-ter that helping others – even in different countries – should be a priority to her.

Presently, you have the high call-ing to be a role model to your teen-age daughter, with a desire to create a bond that will last a lifetime.

Pam: One of the skills I teach parents to do when raising a teen (and especially when dealing with a prodigal child) is to parent ‘by faith and not fear.’ It is always better to influence from a place of faith – not fear:

Fear says, "Don't get pregnant before you are married."

Faith says, "I know you will make wise relationship choices."

Fear says, "Don't drive drunk! Don't do drugs!"

Faith says, "l know I will hear a great report about you from the parents and leaders when I see them tomorrow."

Fear says to a daughter, "I don't trust you." This makes her think, “My parents already think I’m going to do it, so I will try it. (Whatever sin "it" is.)

Faith says just the opposite, "I trust you. I trust that you will honor God. I trust that you will honor our family. I trust that you will honor your friendship circle. I trust you will honor yourself and your inner core values."

This isn't to say that she won't make mistakes along the way. Part of the growing process (for all of us) is learning from our mistakes. The key is to consistently be a source of love, trust and truth for her.

Remember the simple acrostic SInG and soon you will enjoy see-

ing your daughter dance to the song God placed into her heart and into the bright future He has for her.

WHO’S IN THE CHOIR? Since we're talking about sing-

ing, now is a good time to point out that it takes many voices to move a young woman forward in her life; her mom, her dad, and her mentors create a choir of wisdom that sur-rounds her life and help her sing the song God intended for her. Let's take a closer look at mentor/mom relationships.

A mentor is often a mother's best advocate!

At times, a mentor will confirm things that you have said numerous times to that precious young girl of yours, but which have not previous-ly sunk in! She'll return home and share her new revelation with you! Oh, those moments when we moth-ers must join in our children's en-thusiasm and rejoice that they had such an epiphany without saying a word or rolling our eyes!

Pray, all three of you – mom, mentor, and daughter – trusting God together for the growth, wis-dom, and strength that every young woman needs in order to forge a fantastic foundation for life and love. Your daughter will feel loved and valued as she sees you both spend your precious time on her behalf.

It takes a choir around a soloist to really highlight her voice; in the same way, loving adults surround-ing a modern-Day Princess will make her life SInG!

(( YOU HAVE THE HIgH CALLINg TO BE A ROLE MODEL TO YOUR TEENAgE dAugHTER, WITH A DESIRE TO CREATE A BOND THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME.

))

Excerpted from Raising a Modern-Day Princess, Pam Farrel and Doreen Hanna, a Focus on the Family book. Copyright ©2009, Pam Farrel and Doreen Hanna. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

decisions about relatively small things that may be different from the choices you would make for her. Ask her first to present the alterna-tives with their pros and cons. Then ask her to explain her decision and the reasoning behind it. Share your perspective and recommendations when she asks for them.

There will be times when you must stand firm for what you know protects her integrity or her fu-ture. At times, you prove your love by saying ‘no’. God will hold us ac-countable for the manner in which we do that.

INDUSTRY Being a mom, you KnoW how

much work life takes. Your daugh-ter needs you to model and build into her a strong work ethic. Take a look at Proverbs 31 and note all the verbs from parts of the chapter below about the virtuous woman:

She brings, she selects, she gets up, she considers, she sets about her work vigorously, she sees that her trading is profit-able, and her lamp does not go out at night.

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Reward your daughter’s hard work as creatively as you can.

NOBILITY Your daughter needs to see you

as a woman who respects herself, and she needs to learn how to have self-respect so she can value herself as God values her. In a world fraught with pressure and societal expecta-tions, it can be a challenge to help a young lady see herself from God's vantage point and make choices that reflect that viewpoint.

You demonstrate trust by ver-balizing your encouragement and challenging your daughter to make her own healthy choices. You show your respect for her by remaining silent when she makes choices you might not agree with and you allow her to experience the consequenc-es, either good or bad, accordingly. While you have been entrusted by God to protect and nurture your daughter, there will be times she needs to make her own decisions.

There may also be times you must confront her unhealthy behav-iors or choices. Pray for wisdom in this area. If necessary, seek advice from other women you trust and respect. Keep in mind that instill-ing nobility in your daughter also requires addressing her sexual pu-rity. Generations X and Y have been equipped with many wonderful books, seminars, and DVDs on this subject for teenage girls and their parents.

The recommendation is that you establish some quality time to be spent taking advantage of one of these resources. Success will de-pend on your own and your daugh-ter's comfort level (keeping in mind that it is sometimes necessary to move beyond comfort to address what is important).

We are blessed to serve a God who redeems our brokenness. If your daughter has made wrong choices in this area, remind her that God forgives and honors her re-pentant heart. Talk freely about the importance of making the choice, regardless of past mistakes, to move forward with a determination to view her sexuality as a precious gift, meant only to be shared with the future husband God has for her.

gENEROSITYEquip your daughter to be gen-

erous and kind. One way of doing this is by your own example. Are you generous? Generosity doesn't

(( YOUR DAUgHTER NEEDS TO SEE YOU AS A WOMAN WHO RESpECTS HERSELF, AND SHE NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO HAvE SELF-RESpECT SO SHE CAN VALUE HERSELF AS gOD VALUES HER.

))

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ecently an old CCMC friend who migrated to Australia a few years ago came back for a holiday with his

family. I met them several times during the week, catching up, chat-ting about old times and eating his favourite hawker fare. Just before he left, I asked if he still misses Sin-gapore as home. He nodded slightly but said our lifestyle here is too hectic. I retorted half in jest, ‘sure, go back and watch the grass grow.’

Much as we may be defensive, we have to admit that the general perception of friends residing in other countries is that our quality of life in Singapore is compromised by the hurried pace, and time is at a premium and in general shortage. Yet, busy as we may be, prime time television still finds its way into most households, and our numer-ous golf courses are usually filled with busy executives.

The truth is that all of us, regardless of lifestyle, will always find time to do the things we like. After work, sleep and daily rou-tines, there will always be some discretionary free time, and more on weekends, where we have a choice on how we expend it. The Bible says, ‘For where your treas-ure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matthew 6:21). This is also true with time, as we love what we find time to do.

Truth #1: You will always find time for things you like or feel are important enough.

Time management is a misno-mer that Albert Einstein under-stood as an oxymoron, as time is a constant that cannot be managed. Everyone has the same amount of time and it cannot be saved or stored. It is also a great leveler in that, eventually, time will catch up with everyone. The only instance in history where time stood still was when God delayed the sun going down for about a full day to let

Joshua defeat the five kings of the Amorites (Joshua 10:13).

Instead of trying to manage time, what we can do is to improve our self-management so as to make better use of time, as the Apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesians: ‘be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise.’ (Ephe-sians 5:15). And as the Psalmist prayed, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12).

John Maxwell said we choose our life by how we spend time. In-deed, that is so, and how we spend our time is the sum total of choic-es we make based on values and attitudes we carry, and principles we live by. To improve our steward-ship of time, we need a closer self examination so as to improve self management.

Truth #2: You cannot manage time; you can only manage your-self.

the late Peter Drucker, revered as the father of modern manage-ment and a respected Christian leader, had advocated strongly that to be effective is to ‘do the right things well’. Good self manage-ment then is not about being more disciplined in working harder and efficiently in getting things done faster, but in recognizing and doing the right things well.

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesi-astes 10:10 that ‘If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.’ We need to sharpen and work smarter, not just harder. To this end, an important lesson can be drawn from what our Lord Jesus told busy Martha, that only one thing was needed at that time. To be effective, we need to focus on important things to pursue as priorities.

Everything on our plates to be done can be segregated into four categories as shown in the diagram

(( WE CHOOSE OUR LIFE BY HOW WE SpENd TIME. INdEEd, THAT IS So, ANd HoW WE SPEND OUR TIME IS THE SUM TOTAL OF CHOICES WE MAKE BASED ON VALUES AND ATTITUDES WE CARRY, ANd PRINCIPLES WE LIVE BY.

))

HELP! I HAVE NO TIME!

ABIG

AIL

GOH

Three Time Management Truths You Need to Know

BY TAN BUCK CHYE

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Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)

Since I was born again in Christ some 12 years ago, I have always sought to put Him first in my life. I can attest to the fact, as most of you will agree, that God is a debtor to no man and His arm is not too short for anything. As we honour Him, our God will meet all our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).

2. Develop & Maintain SAFE Margins.When we live life on the edge,

we risk squeezing God as well as other important ‘big rocks’ out when we get too busy. The unex-pected can often be expected in life, and wisdom calls for margins to be built and developed to insure a good balance in our body, mind, soul and emotional well being.

Spiritual margin is built in our devotional life with God; ability margin in not biting more than we can chew, keeping one’s health in check with a regular exercise regime and moderate eating; financial margin is living below our means and staying out of debt; and emotional margin is gained by spending adequate time with fam-ily, friends and having ‘me’ time.

3. Enjoy Your JourneyLife is not a race towards our

graves to cross into eternity. Take time to smell the roses, as they say. For me, I find it useful to schedule regular buffer periods in each week. This allows me the slack to accommodate spill-over work, unexpected tasks such as writing this article for you, and time I can devote to thinking, reading and mediating on God in solitude.

When we eventually meet our Maker, I don’t think He will be ask-ing how we had spent our time. We are called to be fruitful here on earth, to be His salt and light shining for Jesus. Only a life lived for Him will be fruitful for eternity. That is why it is a privilege for us to be able to serve Him.

It is my prayer that more brothers and sisters in Christ will be led to want to give more precious time to serve Jesus and to stand up for Him. If God has burned this desire in you, I look forward to hearing from you. no matter how much time you have or which season of life you are in, God will honour your desire. The little boy on the plains had just five loaves and two fishes. In the hands of our master, five thousand were fed.

Give your best and God will do the rest.

Tan Buck Chye and his family has been worshipping in CCMC since 1999. He is currently the church's Lay Leader, Chairman of PPRSC, as well as a Local Lay Preacher. He is active in marketplace and men’s ministries.

M A R G I N S

Spiritual margin

Ability margin

Financial margin

Emotional margin

(( LIFE IS NOT A RACE TOWARDS OUR gRAVES TO CROSS INTO ETERNITY… FoR ME, I FINd IT USEFUL TO SCHEDULE REgULAR BUFFER PERIODS DURINg EACH WEEK.

))

just above.We will naturally attend to the

important and urgent matters in category 1 first. After that, time should be allocated to important matters in category 2, instead of being dominated by the tyranny of the urgent in category 3. unfortu-nately, we often unwisely neglect the important matters in category 2 which may not appear urgent.

These are what Stephen Covey in his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People called the big rocks in our life, such as our health and rela-tionships. We will not drop dead even if we do not exercise, and our loved ones will not disown us even if we do not spend time with them. Over a sustained period though, category 2 matters will eventually migrate into category 1. We get into stress and crisis when we get too many matters in the urgent and important category to juggle.

Effective people will recognize priorities and proactively allocate more time to make sure these are attended to.

Truth #3: Vital few and trivial many; life will clutter if you allow it.

For most of my adult life, I have adopted a four-pronged approach to self management in recognition of the three truths shared above; expressed in the acronym below on how I PASS my time:

I pursue priorities proactively and set goals regularly to galvanize action plans, and avoid procrasti-nation. My activities and tasks are scheduled yearly and monthly in advance, and also weekly and daily in constant adjustments.

Above all, self discipline is

needed to follow through. Most of us tend to prefer avoid-

ing the pain of discipline. It is often easier to laze around and perhaps watch some TV instead of going for a sweaty workout. To stay focused on set priorities, we need to recog-nize the tradeoffs: in this instance, avoiding the short term pain of exercise will lead to a longer term pain of regrets when our health be-comes an issue. We need this clear perspective to keep motivated in effective self management.

THREE SUCCESS SECRETS

1. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.Jesus said in Matthew 6:32-33

that we should seek first His King-dom and His righteousness, and all other things we need will be given as well.

God is sovereign, divine and supernatural. Putting God first in our equation of life will keep us in His perfect and pleasing will. He is the Rock we should focus on and on which to build our foundation in life. He is our refuge and deliver-er, and will bring all things to pass in His good time.

Some years ago, I met regularly with a small group of marketplace Christians for weekly early break-fast devotion. One of them is a regional Chief Executive of a large mnC and we were wondering how he managed to join us regularly de-spite his busy travelling schedule. His reply was that his work and life were so hectic that he just could not cope without Jesus; and that was why praying and sharing with a group of brothers was so impor-tant that he would not skip it.

Why labor and sweat in our fallen self when Jesus wants to car-ry us in His arms? He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

URGENT

I M P O R T A N T

1

2

3

4

◀◀

T I M E

Prioritise

Act on plans

Schedule daily

Self discipline

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RAYMOND TONgHarmony

S: Rom 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

O: Do I live in harmony with the people around me? Am I too proud to associate with those who society deems of a lower position? Am I conceited?

A: This verse holds many remind-ers for me. Firstly, the call to live in harmony is an important one. From the driver who cuts into my path without signaling, to the client with unreasonable demands, God’s command is pretty clear. Be they fellow brothers or sisters in Christ, we are to live in harmony with them all, however difficult it may be. Secondly, do we smile and greet the cleaners and security guards we see? Or are those smiles reserved for important clients and business associates? Yet another reminder that God loves everyone equally and that we as Christians, are to do the same.

P: Lord, help me to live as Christ did, in harmony with everyone

S O A P

A YEAR OF SOAP BY LAU SHI MEI

READINg THE BIBLE once through AND enjoying it. Check.What’s on your checklist of 'to do' things for the year ahead? For me, reading the Bible once through was rarely on my list. After all, previous attempts were either forgettable (I struggled through) or utter failures (I gave up halfway).

And so for many years, my quiet time diet consisted of devotionals. My Utmost for His Highest, Our Daily Journey and Our Daily Bread were my faithful companions. It was a wonderful season of hearing from God through these trusted guides. I loved the variety and relevance of the messages. God spoke, and often it was powerful.

In March last year, I was introduced to the world of S.O.A.P. – Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Just four sim-ple steps to conquer the entire Bible. Armed with these tools, my Bible, journal and reading plan, I dived right into it. And I haven’t looked back since.

Suddenly, the huge 'task' of reading the entire Bible in one year was made magically simple. Just focus on ONE thing that speaks to you each day. I was freed from the pressure of having to absorb everything at one go. Instead, I could pick out one verse (or a few) that really spoke to me, and meditate on those. S.O.A.P. helped me digest the Bible one tasty morsel at a time. No more biting off more than I can chew and suffering indigestion.

Journalling down my thoughts also brought clarity and fo-cus to what I was learning. It helped cement what I sensed God was saying to me. God is speaking to us, every day! My S.O.A.P. journals remind me of that.

My spiritual muscles have grown too. I learnt to persevere through difficult passages in the Bible to uncover the ONE thing that God was saying to me. I learnt to think for myself – to draw my own observations and applications. Verses were read in context – making my understanding of the Bible richer and deeper.

In the past year, the Bible has come alive in an amazing way for me. I am proud to say that I have read the Bible once through, AND enjoyed it!

KEVIN TONgWhat Shapes Love

S: 1 tim 1:5-6 the goal of this com-mand is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have de-parted from these and have turned to meaningless talk.

o: The command probably was Paul's instructions to timothy to stay in Ephesus to minister to the

people there. When we read this verse, we find out that the goal of Timothy's mission is love. This stems from three things: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. How do these three things add up to love? Verse 6 says that those who wander away from these things will have meaningless talk. Therefore, we must assume that these things bring meaning to whatever is said.

A: How can I have love in my life? I need to embody these three important values that join together to form love. We must remember that the ultimate goal is love; that means it is the end point, the target which we want to fulfil.

p: Dear Lord, help me to have love in my life. Help me to have a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith in order to achieve the goal which is love. Amen.

NICOLE TONgChildlike Faith

S: Matt 18:4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

o: Jesus told the disciples that whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

A: We must humble ourselves, be teachable and have faith that is unchangeable, that is there forever, real faith, like a child, an innocent child, to totally believe in Jesus Christ. That is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

p: Dear God, please help me have this childlike faith, this real faith, this innocent childlike faith so that I can glorify you in all things that I do. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

LYNN LoW (ToNg)god's Amazing grace

S: Romans 3:22-24 This righteous-ness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

o: All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Yet God, with loving kindness and abounding grace, through His Son Jesus Christ, made us right before Him. This righteousness which God has graciously given us comes through simple faith in Jesus Christ.

A: All of us, whether male or female, young or old, poor or rich, good or bad, kind or unkind, are totally undeserving of God's grace. Yet God, through His abundant love and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, delivered us from the con-sequences of our sin. It is through faith, the belief that Christ Jesus died for our sins and rose again, that we are made right with God and saved from our sins.

p: Dear God, humble me to realise that I am totally undeserving of your grace, and yet through your wonderful love and sacrifice, your grace is available to all. I thank you that it is through your loving grace alone, not by my works or merit, that I am made right before you. unworthy as I am of your grace, there is no sin too great to lessen the abundance of the grace availa-ble to us. Thank you, Lord. Amen!

JASoN ToNgHow He Loves

S: Deut 11: 14-15 to the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.

o: God is all powerful, he does not need to love me, nor do I deserve it. God could have chosen to make my life terrible, laugh at me, tor-ture me, but God is love. He chose to care for each and everyone of us and for that we need to be grateful. We always will have the mighty and powerful God on our side be-cause He first chose to love us.

A: Do I deserve anything I have? no. Do I have any reason to judge or feel superior to another? no. I need to start realising how each of us is the same, undeserving, weak, but loved. Whether or not another one is Christian, I must love him/her and not feel superior or judge, because I am as underserving. I must love them with the love of God.

p: Dear Father, may I marvel at your power and majesty, but most of all, at your LoVE. may I desire to love others the same way as you love each of us. Amen.

IN THIS ISSuE, THE ToNg FAMILY WHO S.o.A.p.S TogETHER, SHARES THEIR dEvoTIoNS WITH uS.

around me, however difficult it may be sometimes. Help me not to be conceited but to treat everyone equally, regardless of whether soci-ety considers them lowly or not.

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very child has an intellect that needs to be challenged and trained, a physical body that

should be kept healthy and built up, emotions that ought to be positively nurtured, a will that requires modulation, and a spirit which must be inspired and elevated. Today’s educators are committed to training the intellect, the body and sometimes help to build boundaries for emotional stability. However, perhaps the most important part of a child’s makeup – his spirit – is frequently neglected. How does one train a child’s spirit through education?

The above leads us into a discussion on the philosophy of education. Many switch off when the word ‘philosophy‘ is used. However, we are all in a sense philosophers because we have a way of seeing ourselves and the world around us. That is our philosophy of life – our worldview – which affects all we do.

In An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education, Dr ralph Kneller of the university of California Los Angeles wrote, “To educate men wisely we must know what we educate them to become. To know this, it is necessary to ask what men live for – what's the purpose of life and what sort of life should it be? In any walk of life we must have a philosophy of our own in order to know where we are going.… We cannot deal adequately with any single subject until we have a working knowledge of what it means to exist, to know, to value, to inquire into things in general.”

the late Dr Derek Prince, Oxford graduate and respected international Bible teacher stated: “One of the most urgent needs of our contemporary culture is to restore the moral foundations of education which have been eroded by a false, humanistic set of values.… To train the intellect, but

PROVERbS 22:6

(( ONE OF THE MOST URgENT NEEDS OF OUR CONTEMPORARY CULTURE IS TO RESTORE THE MORAL FOUNDATION OF EduCATIoN…. To TRAIN THE INTELLECT, BUT MAKE NO PROVISION FOR THE HEART, IS A pRoCESS WHICH CREATES MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SoLvES.))

– dEREK pRINCE

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

for Today and Tomorrow

DR PAUL HAWKINS

30

In today’s world where children have access to seemingly

limitless information on the Internet and all manner of

opinions on the myriad of social media platforms, what

role does education have in the spiritual health of our

children and whose responsibility is it?

ABIG

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START

CHILDREN

OFF

ON THE WAY

THEY

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GO, AND EVEN

WHEN

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OLD

THEY WILL

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NOT

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knowledge getting should be the attainment of an understanding of life as it is. Knowledge consists of knowing who God is, who man is, and what the external world is. God is the completely original and exclusively original personality which serves as the foundation for the meaning of all human predication. Only on this Biblical foundation can a pupil know himself or the world he lives in.”

Equipping our children with knowledge without the moral means of using that knowledge to benefit others, will only serve to reinforce self-centeredness and selfishness we see so evident in the global community today.

How can we accomplish this character development? According to Os Guinness in Time For Truth, "Character was traditionally understood as the inner form that makes anyone or anything what it is... Character was the deep selfhood, the essential stuff a person is made of, the core reality in which thoughts, words, decisions, behavior, and relationships are rooted. As such, character determined behavior just as behavior demonstrated character. Character was who we are when no one sees us – but God,"

One could call this the result of spiritual education.

For years I have always reacted

to the statement, “Parents have the ultimate responsibility for the education of their children.” I didn’t know why that was the case. It seemed to put a heavy weight on my shoulders that I was unable to joyfully bear. Over the years, my wife and I have realized we are not capable of meeting all of our sons’ needs. We have had the privilege of living in a Christian community which has provided a Christian school for our children and I have been involved in its direction and leadership for many years serving as teacher, headmaster and overseer.

During a conference with my associates in the faculty of education where I served as associate dean, this issue came up. Because of the open relationships in the group I was free to say, “Every time one of you says that a parent carries the ultimate responsibility for the education of his children, I react. Can we find out why?”

An intense discussion followed resulting in the following understanding: A parent carries the ultimate accountability for the education of his child, but it is a shared responsibility with the body of Christ. When it was first verbalized my response was, “Yes, that’s it!” I knew we had hit on something that I had been trying to verbalize for years.

The statement freed me from a heavy weight. I understood that the spiritual/character education was my responsibility, but it also required others in the body of Christ to be responsible. In that way, it made me accountable to the body of Christ how I taught and brought up my children.

There is no doubt our children are facing a troubled world and need to be equipped to handle the issues that they will face, many of which we older generations have not faced.

We are required to take a closer look at their needs. Of certainty, one hour a week of religious instruction is no longer sufficient. Home, church and school must function together in a reinforcing balance to prepare this unique generation to face the world most adults have not faced.

If the local church does not fulfill her responsibility to work with the parents and the Christian educator, we will not see God’s purposes fulfilled for this generation. It is not just the responsibility of the parents. It is the responsibility of the whole body of Christ whom parents are accountable to.

Dr Paul Hawkins serves in Youth With A Mission and was formerly dean of the faculty of education in YWAM's Univer-sity of the Nations.

(( EQUIPPING OUR CHILDREN WITH KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT THE MORAL MEANS OF USING THAT KNOWLEDGE TO BENEFIT OTHERS, WILL ONLY SERVE TO rEINFOrCE SELF-CENTEREDNESS AND SELFISHNESS WE SEE SO EVIDENT IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY TODAY. ))

of knowledge. It is a cluster of attitudes, feelings, perceptions, insights, abilities, and skills, of which the ability to think independently and clearly is of the first importance, and the ability to experience life fully and honestly is certainly of no less value.”

We certainly would not disagree with Dr Taylor on the need to develop thinking skills but the need for character development is also of utmost importance. Perhaps that is what he meant by “the ability to experience life fully and honestly.”

This is highlighted by John Alexander in Education: A Christian View when he states, “The overriding purpose of a Christian educator (and of a Christian school) is to help people gladly obey the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, to help a person learn to think; to construct good questions, to formulate true answers, to observe carefully, to analyze, to remember, to recall useful information, to employ imagination creatively and constructively, to associate ideas.”

Thus, we must understand the need to educate our children in the whole truth, not selective information or mere knowledge. Dr Cornelius van Til, professor of apologetics at Westminster Seminary in the united States for forty years, wrote: “The end of all

make no provision for the heart, is a process which creates more problems than it solves.”

Even the founders of Harvard university understood this as evidenced by the founding motto of the university: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life, and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning and seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself to prayer in secret to seek it of Him."

Dr Abbott Lawrence Lowell, President of Harvard university (1909-1933) once visited a laboratory in the university where experiments were being done on earthworms to see if their behavior could be affected by outside stimuli. After the visit, he wrote, “[These earthworms] have been changed by this Harvard course, but I can’t say they are any better earthworms for having been at Harvard.” What a straight-forward statement. Are our children better for having been educated?

Dr Harold Taylor, former president of Yale university in Student, Teacher and Values wrote, “Education is… a process of growth and development… the content of education is not a body

Paul went to Macedonia after having a dream of a Macedonian man pleading with him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" (Acts 16:9).

Paul and his friend Silas were impris-oned for casting out a spirit from a slave girl. God caused an earthquake and they escaped (Acts 16:16-34).

On his second missionary journey, Paul saw an altar to 'the unknown god' in Athens and proclaimed to the Athenians that God had been revealed by Jesus Christ (Acts 17:16-34).

On his third missionary journey, Paul preached in Jerusalem and was arrested and sent to Caesarea where he testified before Felix and King Agrippa (Acts 21-25).

Paul claimed trial before Caesar. He was shipwrecked on the way to Rome (Acts 27).

Paul was imprisoned and wrote a number of his letters to the churches while in prison (Acts 27) before he was martyred.

ZZ ZZ

HELP!MACEDONIA

BOOM!

CRASH!

BLAM!

BOOM!

CRASH!

UNKNOWN GOD

BLAM!

CRASH!

BOOM!

PAUL

Manga by GILLIAN GOH

Born in Tarsus, circumcised on the eighth day, an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew and a Pharisee, zealously persecuted the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. (Philippians 3:5-6).

Saul met Jesus in a blinding light on the road to Damascus and was converted (Acts 9:3-7).

In Damascus, Ananias baptised Saul and Saul was healed of his blindness (Acts 9:17-19).

Saul (a Jewish name associated with King Saul) changed his name to the Latin name Paul (which means 'small') (Acts 13:9).

By profession, Paul was a tentmaker (Acts 18:3).

Saul set out on his first missionary journey to Cyprus (Acts 13:4-6).

MEEE?SAAAUL! SAAAUL! WHY YOUUDO

PERSECUUUUTE

THIS WAY TO DAMASCUS

ANTIOCHCYPRUS

SAUL

PAUL

36 37

+ My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. John 6:27

The two most beautiful sounds to my ears are the sound of my wife’s voice and the sound of my children laugh-ing. This would be true for audible sounds that I pick up with my human ears. But I would like to add that the most beautiful sound to my spiritual ears is the sound of god’s voice.

Many have asked me how they would know it is god’s voice and not their imagination. For many years, I struggled to answer that question with credence and not cliché. It is only recently that I realized the an-swer is to be found in spending time in His presence. That is to say, if we spend much time in His presence, we will start to recognize His voice.

I remember watching several shepherds in Israel chatting with one another while their sheep intermin-gled. I wondered how they would sort out which sheep belonged to which shepherd? That question was soon answered when they got up to leave and each shepherd began to call out to his sheep. To my fasci-nation, the sheep separated and followed after their own shepherd even though the shepherds were moving off in different directions and all calling at the same time. Looking at the different brand marks on the sheep, it was obvious none of them

were following the wrong shepherd. We were city folk watching this

phenomenon, but Jesus’ audience would have understood immedi-ately what He was saying. From ‘lambhood’ the sheep would have learned to recognize the voice of the shepherd who had delivered, fed and cared for them. That is why they know his voice and follow Him.

Just as we long to discern god’s voice, I believe He delights in listen-ing in on us. The psalmist has told us that He inhabits the praises of His people. When god listens in on our lives and He hears praise and thanksgiving, He graces us with His presence and He inhabits our praise.

I have often listened in on my wife, Lin, playing with our daugh-ters in their room. There is such an indescribable joy and peace to listen to them particularly when they get animated, and excited chatter is mixed with peals of laughter. As the sound of their joy fills our home and moves my fatherly heart, I can’t help but move to join them.

How much more does our heav-enly Father delight in our joy and praise. Fill your life and being with praise and thanksgiving and soon you will learn to recognise His voice singing and rejoicing with you.

Leslie Quahe is a leader of Bangna Christian Fellowship in Bangkok.

FATHER'S VOICE

Food for Thought

BY LESLIE QUAHERules for Self Discovery:

1. What we want most.2. What we think about most.3. How we use our money.4. What we do with our leisure time.5. The company we enjoy.6. Who and what we admire.7. What we laugh at.

― A.W. Tozer

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We must have unity, not at all costs, but at all risks. A unified Church is the only offering we dare present to the coming Christ, for in it alone will He find room to dwell.

– Charles H. Brent

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Again and again in public and private devotion the Lord's Prayer is taken on hurried lips, and recited at a pace which makes im-possible any realization of its tremendous claims and profound demands.

– Evelyn Underhill

Joy

is the flag

flown high from the

castle of my heart!

*

PRAISE PENNANTS

To MAKE

Fran

cesc

o 'A

rchi

tetto

' rol

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in C

C BY

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38 39

What you need:Scissors, glue, 2 pairs of disposable chopsticks.

What to do:1. Cut out the pennants.2. Cut out the symbols for the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s love, the Holy Spirit, and the Lordship of Christ.3. Paste a symbol on each side of the pennants.4. Apply glue along both sides of the dotted line on each pennant.5. Put one chopstick on the dotted line, fold, and glue.

40 41

News Bites

NEW CHOIR

The new CCMC 11 am choir was formed by God's grace (pun intended).

When the Worship and Music Ministry leaders heard that our new pastor's wife, Grace, has a lovely singing voice and had experience conducting choirs, they asked her to form and lead the 11 am choir, and she agreed.

Grace has proved to be a very able and encouraging conductor. Their son, Benedict, is our pianist, and eldest daughter, Angeline, sings as a soprano. Evangeline, their youngest daughter, helps to set up the chairs for our practices.

The choir practises every Sunday from 9.30 am in the MGS music Elective Programme room. From the word 'go', it has sung at every 11 am service except when there are combined services. For a typical service, the choir sings a choral introit, an anthem during the offering, and a choral benediction.

The choir currrently has 20 members, inclusive of conductor and pianist.

Its first practice was on 21 April 2013, and made its debut, with a couple of reinforcements, at the 11 am service on Mother's Day.

Grace was both speaker and choir conductor that day. The anthem was 'The Blessing Song', adapted for Mother's Day.

Wong Yueh-ti, a soprano in the choir, said, "Although musical excellence is desirable, what is more important to our conductor is our heart attitude – singing the words with sincerity and conviction with the aim of blessing the congregation."

Thus, Grace makes every effort to draw the choir's attention to the meaning of the lyrics of a song by explaining them clearly or by telling the story behind it.

Yueh-ti continued, "The anthem that we are going to sing next month, 'He is no Fool', is based on the quote by the missionary martyr Jim Elliot – He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. When Grace first introduced this song to us, she took the trouble to tell us the story of Jim Elliot's martyrdom for the sake of bringing the Gospel of Christ to the savage Aucas of Ecuador. this is what makes our practices inspiring as they focus beyond technique to include discipleship."

All are welcome to join the 11 am choir. If you are interested, please contact Maureen Wang at maureen.wang@ccmc.org.sg.

ALTAR MINISTRY REVIVED

The post-9 am service prayer ministry was re-started in March. Two teams of usually same-gender prayer partners, drawn from a pool of 14 members – each approved by the pastoral staff – pray with those from the congregation who require prayer support.

CCMC gETS A BOHEMIA BABY gRAND PIANO

When a church member heard that CCMC wanted to replace the electric piano in the chapel with a new electronic instrument, this member generously donated a Bohemia baby grand piano on condition of anonymity. Thus, our church has become the proud owner of a most distinguished, quality instrument.

The Bohemia piano factory began making pianos in 1871. After Word War Two and the nationalization of commerce in Czechoslovakia, the government used the name Petrof for all the countries’ piano factories.

In 1989, the new government began gradually giving back companies to former owners or creating management buyouts in

41

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News BitesNews Bitesthe interest of privatization. Thus, the bohemia Piano Company was formed when its employees became the owners.

Bohemia originally handcrafted just vertical pianos, and its grand piano factory was built only in 2000, with an annual grand piano production of 180 pianos. In 2005, bohemia was purchased by the famous German Bechstein company and Bohemia was once again brought to new heights.

The total Bohemia production today is less than 2000 pianos in capacity, far below world demand. In fact, the 2001 full edition of Larry Fine's Piano Book, did not list any Bohemia piano because there was no bohemia piano in the u.S. for him to review. In subsequent years, Fine consistently ranked Bohemia as a 'Group 2' high performance piano, a category dominated by small, cherished European brands. by comparison, Yamaha, Kawai, and all Korean pianos are ranked as 'Group 3'.

The Bohemia piano line is incredibly lyrical and musical – qualities that have eluded mass-produced pianos.

COVENANT KIDS TEACHERS TRAININg

thirty-five Covenant Kids (CK) teachers met on Saturday, 25 may, at Pines Country Club to officially meet Pastor John Foo and his wife, Grace, and receive his teaching about the Core Truths of our Faith.

In preparation for the training, the sub-committee for Church School curriculum comprising Lee Yin Siau, tjio bee Ann and Goh Eck Kheng had drafted SSOT – Simple Statements of Truth (e.g. God is all powerful; He used his great power in creation) drawn from the core truths. During the training, teachers were asked to choose Bible stories which highlights particular SSOT and core truths. In this way, CK will be better able to teach the core truths more comprehensively no matter what Sunday School curriculum is used.

Pastor John began his talk by saying that he was given an impossible task: teaching the entire truth of the Christian faith in 45 minutes. He however, highlighted some key points that Sunday School teachers often find challenging to communicate. These included the Trinity, and creation in the light of science.

Please continue to pray and join hands with CK teachers as they nurture the spiritual life of your children together with you.

THE BOOK BUS ROARS INTO SFSC

Two weeks' collection of new and pre-loved books in church for the Sembawang Family Service Centre (SFSC) book bus Project made some 500 quality titles available to 25 families in the centre's Kid's Read programme.

The range, which would have warmed any librarian's heart, included books by such respected authors as maurice Sendak, Eric Carle, Roald Dahl, and Dr Seuss – all in good condition.

Thus, a heavily laden Book Bus trundled up to Sembawang on Saturday, 2 June and the books were displayed in SFSC's Students' Care Centre.

The programme that afternoon was in three parts. The children, mainly aged 5-8, were told stories from the Mooty Mouse series by it's author Jessie Wee, who had just a week before been given the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Children's Literature by the Asian Festival of Children's Content organised by the national Book Development Council of Singapore.

Ho Sau Kuen, Director of SFSC, said, "Our children are usually quite active and I was initially a bit concerned about how they would behave. But they were engrossed by Jessie who is such a great story teller."

While the children relished the stories, their parents attended a talk on the importance of reading for leisure at home given by Kenny Leck, the owner of independant bookshop, Books Actually.

Kenny shared candidly about how his life was transformed as a child growing up in toa Payoh by the books his taxi-driver father and housewife mother lavished on him. Kenny was so impressed by the project that he has volunteered to be involved in follow-up sessions.

If you have news and events you would like to share with the church community via Loaves+Fishes, please write to ccmcloavesfishes@gmail.com

The highlight of the afternoon was choosing books to start home libraries. Each family had already received a set of Jessie Wee's books most generously donated by the author and a well-wisher.

Following instructions, each child selected three books to take home; the number was lismited so that the children would make a more considered decision as to which books they really wanted. Parents were then reminded about one main point in Kenny's talk: Allow your children to choose the books that interest them; don't expect them to read books they are not interested in.

Sau Kuen said of the pilot project, "Parents actually see the importance of reading and would like their children to read more but may not know how. Our Book bus Project is the first step and we hope to organise more rounds so that more parents and kids will benefit." thus, the remaining books will be kept for the next session.

Books at home is the light to the opportunities of the world. We sincerely hope to see that happen in the SFSC community.

44 45

dear Abigail,

How do I get my kids to wake up on time for church on Sundays?

get me to the church on time

Dear Get me to the church on time,

Same as when you get them to the airport on time.

Leaving on a jet plane,Abigail

dear Abigail,

I overheard some church members talking about a 5 o'clock service. The perfect one for my family, I thought. Hubby and I can sleep in on Sunday morning, we can take time to organise the kids and go out for brunch. So, last Sunday, we went to the 5 o'clock service and got there well ahead of time (unheard of for us at the 9 am service) but the auditorium was locked. So we went up to the chapel, thinking that the service might be there, but it was locked too. At first we thought we were too early, but at 5.15 there was no one around except for some rowdy people near the school field. If a service is going to be cancelled, it should really have been announced ahead of time.

Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,

I am delighted to know that you and your family are game to try a new service. You are ace! There is, as you said, an advantage to going to church on time, indeed early. Although what happened is no fault on your part, you are advised that the baseline is to check the nature and times of church services well be-forehand. We do have a first service at 9 am, and a second ser-vice at 11. To avoid a double fault, please note that the said 5 o'clock

service relates to the tennis service when CCMC members meet on the court for games. Still, I do invite you and your family to join in this love game. After all tennis is very Biblical. Genesis 41:64 says: Jospeh served in Pharoh's court.

Following through, Abigail

dear Abigail,

My MgS daughter announced yesterday that she no longer wants to go to CCMC. She doesn't want to go to school seven days a week. How can I change her mind?

Mg Mum

Dear MG Mum,

Send her for a lobotomy. Alternatively, tell her that she can do these things in school on Sunday but not on weekdays:(1) Wear her hair down(2) Wear her skirt up(3) Get dropped off in the principal's car park lot.(4) Meet boys(5) ride the lift

Mastering, Growing and Serving – Yours, Abigail

dear Abigail,

The men served such an outstanding breakfast on Mothers' day. Will they prepare breakfast for us the whole year through?

Foodie

Dear Foodie,

I am on diet and you want to send temptation my way? Get thee be-hind me!

Hoping to be svelte,Abigail

ASK ABIGAIL

ABIG

AIL

GOH

One day, Zach Sobiech, a Minnesotan teenager, came home from jogging with a pain in his hip. A trip to the hospital and an MRI later, at 14, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that inflicts most-ly children.

In May 2012, after exhausting all treatment options, he was told by doc-tors that he had a year to live. As a way to say his goodbyes, he penned the song 'Clouds', which was uploaded to YouTube in December 2012

Listening to 'Clouds', you do not hear a teenager resigned to misery and despair. Instead, it starts off with the bright chimes of a glockenspiel before Zach launches into a catchy and folksy melody with a voice Cnn says is, “kind of reminiscent of Jack Johnson’s.”

Well I fell down, down, down Into this dark and lonely hole There was no one there to care about me anymore And I needed a way to climb and grab a hold of the edge You were sitting there holding a rope

And we’ll go up, up, up but I’ll fly a little higher We’ll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer up here my dear It won’t be long now, it won’t be long now

As a song about facing death, 'Clouds' has served to touch millions of people around the world with its expression of bravery, hope and positivity. In a video on SoulPancake’s Youtube channel, Zach is described as “some-one you can trust will always be smiling the next day despite his condition,” and this comes through in his music.

Zach describes his own philosophy as, “It is really simple actually: it’s just try and make people happy.” With this outlook on life, Zach’s aim of spreading his message of making the world a better place is on its way to being accomplished. 'Clouds' reached no. 1 on the itunes Singles Chart in May 2013.

Speaking about the experience of battling cancer with her son, Zach’s mother said, “I think that is actually one of the blessings of cancer – that you kind of come out of denial and so, in doing that, things are better; life is richer, everything means more, beauty is more beautiful.”

Zach's four-year-long battle with cancer ended on 20 May 2013. He had just turned 18 on 3 May. At his funeral, his friend and songwriting partner Sammy Brown shared, “He has taught me to see beauty and joy in everything… Life gave my friend Zach a lot – but life gave us Zach, and we can always be thankful for that.” The funeral ended with the congregation joining together to sing 'Clouds'.

With his passing, Zach leaves behind a legacy of music through songs of love and hope. The lessons from Zach's life are ones that we can learn from. His life is a reminder of what is important in life: cherish the ones you love, be grateful for what you have and learn not to take a single day for granted.

Songs & Singers

CLOUDSZach Sobiech

(( I WANT EVERYONE TO KNoW: You doN'T HAvE TO FIND OUT You'RE dYINg TO START LIvINg. ))

JÖRG

LOHR

ER B

Y CC

2.0

BY LESTER Ng

46 47

ing able to help and encourage peo-ple, and I feel that I should use it fully. And, through the people that I meet and help, I have also gained in terms of perspectives, experiences and personal growth. What are your priorities in work-life harmony?my family comes first, above all my other commitments. I have learned to juggle multiple roles. I have found that a better way, as a working mother, is to be there for my kids as much as I can, and when it matters; and to also allow other caregivers (i.e., grandparents, home helpers, teachers, tutors, coaches) to play a part in helping me raise my kids. After all, it takes a village to raise a child, not just me.

My kids have also learned that while my husband and I are deeply committed to them, we have other family obligations, work and church responsibilities to fulfil. They are proud of our achieve-ments as we are of theirs. They also know the importance of dad and mum needing couple time. For a happy marriage is the pillar of a happy life.

What challenges have you faced in balancing work and family? When our daughter, Rachel, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblas-

tic leukaemia at the end of 2009. It was the saddest point of my life as a mother. The treatments that Ra-chel had to undergo were intensive and harsh; and any mother would know how painful it is to see your own child suffer.

As if this rollercoaster journey with Rachel was not enough, I had to also be there for my father who came down with lung cancer in 2010. It was quite tough having to cope with two major illnesses in the family at the same time. But through it all, our family stayed tightly knitted – the kids learned to be more independent, and to appreciate the little good things that came along.

My husband, David, was and is my greatest supporter, mentor and best friend. We knew we could count on each other no matter what happened. Together, we placed our trust in God, knowing that He would see us through be-

(( I HAVE FOUND THAT A BETTER WAY, AS A WORKINg MoTHER, IS To BE THERE FOR MY KIDS AS MUCH AS I CAN, ANd WHEN IT MATTERS.

))

In 1819, the Malay scholar Munshi Abdullah complained: 'I felt really distressed when I saw that it was women who sold in the market and women who hawked goods…' So, mums at work is as old as the history of modern Singapore itself.

But the choice of occupations outside the home was limited until the education of girls took root, the first school being St margaret's in 1842. With literacy, horizons widened and soon the opportunity of tertiary education gave women like Lee Choo neo and teo Soon Kim the ability to become the first doctor and barrister in Singapore in 1919 and 1929 respectively.

However, this did not signal the start of the phen-omenon of working mums. Most women, once married, resigned from work and took on the twin roles of wife and mother. This was even after the transformation of women's role in society with rapid industrialisation in the 1960s and 1970s, and the expectation that they contribute to the national economy.

the lure of financial and psychological independance happened in the 1990s with significant impact. A survey in 1995 showed that 31 percent of women contributed to half or more of family income in dual-career households. by 2000, 45 percent of Singapore households were dual-income with 675,000 women in the workforce. this figure swelled to 942,000 in 2012.

The challenge of work-life balance of Singaporean women has thus been called 'three Paradoxes' in a 1999 study: the expectation of being both corporate amazon and super mum, facing conflict between work and family, yet still hitting glass ceilings in managerial positions.

MOMS ATWORK

MARLENE KOHBranch Head, SAF Counselling Centre, MINDEFMother of three, aged 17, 13 and 11

Work is a sacred vocation. Is this true for you?Work is not only a sacred voca-tion, but I consider my vocation sacred too. In my job as a counsel-lor, I have the opportunity to help people deal with their struggles, and guide them in making better choices in their lives.

As an SAF counsellor, I counsel service personnel in distress and help them negotiate transitions and downturns in life. I have met many young men who come to me with a variety of problems, such as, difficulties in adjusting to national service, in relationships, and their growing-up pains. I have also met and helped other personnel with ca-reer, marital, and family problems.

Although I have considered stopping work, and have the op-portunity to be a stay-home-mum, I have always felt I should continue working. This is because my work is meaningful and I can make a difference in many people's lives.

God has given me this gift of be-

ABIG

AIL

GOH

48 49

decisions. Joseph and I only got together

when we had days off at the same time or when we took vacation leave together.

When my son was 1 year old, I went back to normal shift duties. When I gave birth to my youngest daughter, I also did permanent night duties for half a year.

As a staff nurse, I only needed to complete my job at work and I could go back home carefree. I could spend time with my children and husband after work. After I progressed to a supervisory role, workload and responsibilities became so much more; I often needed to stay back at work and bring work home. Time for family was reduced. However, Joseph and the children are supportive; they do not complain. We try to make sure that we have a meal together as a family daily. If the situation does not allow it, we try to make it happen the next day. What challenges have you faced in balancing work and family?The challenge I faced was when I saw my juniors progressing so fast while I remained in the same position for so long. But I knew I could not take up a higher position at work as I need to give more time to my family.

It was only when my youngest child was 6 years old that I thought it was time for me to contribute more in my work place. The pro-gression to the supervisor role was spontaneous. Although new tasks and many more responsibilities have been added to my job, I face them with God's daily grace. What practical tips can you share about maintaining work-life harmony?Setting my priorities straight would be the ultimate tip that I follow. First is God, followed by family, work, etc. With that in

mind, time management is key and I make sure that I do not neglect any of these in my daily routine by setting boundaries. nowadays, these lines that we make may seem blurred because of the ease of bringing work-related things home to be done. However, I always try to minimize the amount of work I bring back, so that I have time to do my devotions and spend time with the family. What object best describes you as a working mother? I am like a brick in a wall. I sup-port other bricks to make the wall strong. Working in an or-ganisation, I uphold organisation values, standards and principles. I work as a part of a team. At home, I ensure that I am grounded in biblical principles and disciplines. I provide a loving environment for my family and share my principles with them. I connect and support them with my care, beliefs and values. In the same way, I gain sup-port from my family. They uplift me with their respect, love and trust.

cause He loves us. God showed His love through

His people – we were supported by family, friends and even strangers who were loving, supportive and generous. He provides.

What practical tips can you share about maintaining work-life harmony?Make time and space for yourself – you need to take care of yourself before you can perform fully, or even think about taking care of others.

Protect your own marriage – make sure you don't neglect your spouse. Our kids are leasehold (they will move out one day); our spouse is freehold (and we will be left with him and grow old togeth-er).

Delegate – you cannot do everything by yourself. Get the kids to take responsibility for some things, and bear the consequences when they fail or forget. The more we do for them, the less they will do for themselves.

Maintain a good balance – we have multiple demands in our lives. We cannot do everything and be everything to everyone. We need to balance our multiple respon-sibilities and yet keep a cheerful outlook in life. Our children will learn how we cope with challenges and maintain a good balance in the important aspects of our life. What object best describes you as a working mother? not so much of an object. I am a juggler, trying to be an expert in juggling the many balls in my life, making sure I don't drop the glass ones (important things), and hoping that even when I do drop a ball, it would be a rubber ball that can bounce back into action again.

SUSAN LIMNurseMother of three, aged 19, 15 and 12

Work is a sacred vocation. Is this true for you?Whether work is a sacred vocation or not depends on how a person looks at it and treats it. I am fortu-nate that nursing is my profession. People regard it as noble and high-ly respected job. Indeed, nurses have lots of opportunities to do good to people because our job is to provide care.

Honestly speaking, when I joined nursing as my career, it was not because I had the passion to care. It was because nursing provided continual study and is a stable job with a decent income. nursing is not like what the media portrays it to be. In fact it is a tough job and it can gross one out.

As I worked and experienced the happiness of seeing patients turn better and recover, the anx-ious and troubled faces of their families transform into calmness after our reassurance, my heart grew day by day. God planted the compassion, the love and the pas-sion to do my best for the patients and their families as I progressed in my work. And I know these acts of love are pleasing to God and it makes my vocation sacred. I truly thank God for giving me this career. What are your priorities in work-life harmony?After I gave birth to my son (my eldest daughter was only 3½ years old then), I changed to permanent night duties for a year. At that time, my domestic helper was new, and the arrangement was that either myself or my husband would be at home to help out and make

(( WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A MEAL TOgETHER AS A FAMILY dAILY. IF THE SITUATION DOES NOT ALLOW IT, WE TRY To MAKE IT HAPPEN THE NEXT DAY.

))

50 51

Good Things

A HAPPY PLACE Happy Willow was created with the vision of giving children and adults a place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and relax and play. An indoor play-ground designed by a world-leader in soft play equipment, it is par-ticularly suitable for children from 9 months to 9 years. While the kids explore the Play Garden and Book Burrow, parents can chill in the Willow lounge over small eats and coffee. It's in Connexis Tower, Fusionopolis. Visit happywillow.com.sg. || Chong Cheh Hoon

HE'S ABLEWhen nick was born in 1984, his his parents, both devout Christians, knew God had a plan, but it was initially a difficult one to accept. today, nick is an international motivational speaker who helps others to stop focusing on prob-lems and deficiencies. His books, Life Without Limits, and Unstop-pable are bestsellers. He has also appeared in the inspiring film, The Butterfly Circus, which is availa-ble on Youtube. best of all, nick is coming to Singapore in September! || Goh Eck Kheng

MuLTI-MEdIA BIBLE The Glo Bible is a rich interactive library to study God's Word in a fresh way. The resources can be accessed through five specific lenses – Bible, Timeline, Atlas, Topical, and Media – which can cross refer with each other. Beautiful, logical, and fairly easy to use, it features five bible translations, over 450 inter-active tours of places, a four-and-a-half hour documentary on the life of Jesus and 7,500 articles. Download premium and free versions from www.globible.com. || Chong Cheh Hoon

A SWEET AROMAA social enterprise cafe at Queenstown Community Centre, S(he)brews is where Florence Lee and her team will always make good food and drink as best as they can. The modest place is where the marginalised and needy are employed and a growing community of like-minded people hangs out, shares and grows. It's a sweet, quiet place for discussions and time alone. || Goh Eck Kheng

Good Things

oLd-FASHIoNEd goodNESStucked away in netheravon Road, Changi, is the cosy Coastal Settlement, the casual-dining restaurant, cafe and drinking hole with an atmosphere steeped in nostalgia. Old favouirites of Bangers and Mash, Chicken Curry and nasi Lemak share space in the menu with pasta, sandwiches and cheesecake. A reason to go East!(www.thecoastalsettlement.com) || Goh Eck Kheng

FATHERS MOVEMENTDads for Life is a national fathers movement that seeks to inspire, mobilise and involve fathers to become good influencers in their children's lives – for life. It has a three-pronged approach which mobilises fathers to ACT:• Be Aware of the importance of their roles as husbands and dads.• Commit to become good fathers and role models to their children.• Spend Time to acquire Tools and bring Transformation to lives.Go to http://dadsforlife.sg for activities and resources.|| Chong Cheh Hoon

SOLID ROCK Chris August successfully marries contemporary pop melodies with lyrics that speak of his rock solid faith. One can almost mistake the catchy tunes as pop music if not for the amazing truths present in every song. At his website (http://www.chrisaugustmusic.com/albums) this Christian singer/songwriter quotes scripture references freely in the introduction to all the songs.

My personal favourite of this amazing album is 'A Little More Jesus'. the lyrics truly reflect what we need; 'the upside of Down' has such clever lyrics that you will smile and nod in agreement as you listen.

'Amen', about how this suffering world that can look forward to

Jesus' second coming and his kingdom, was written because August wanted a song that would take people to Church; with 'Restore', he looks at broken marriages and beseeches couples to put God in the centre of their relationships; in 'I Believe', he shares that although he sometimes doesn't feel Jesus holding on to him, that doesn't change a thing because of his faith.

The songs are a pleasure to listen to, and are insightful and truly inspiring; and the lyrics will minister to you at different points of your life! || Lee Yin Siau

HAVE GOOD THINGS TO SHARE?Send your recommendations to ccmcloavesfishes@gmail.com

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SALAD DRESSING

1 tbsp honey1 tbsp apricot or strawberry jam1 ̷ 3 cup apple cider vinegar½ cup olive oil 1 tsp mixed herbs

Combine and agitate.

Terry Ng’sROAST BEEF

You want a nice, tender cut of beef that isn’t overly-marbled. no need to use wagyu or heavily marbled 200-day-old grain-fed beef. Find a good butcher and take his advice. I used grass-fed new Zealand ribeye with nice marbling on Mother’s Day. For those who like a strip of fat on their meat, choose sirloin. If using tenderloin, roast it with bacon strips on top for easy basting while roasting.

Estimate 200 grams per head with a minimum of eight persons for boneless meat. If you want a bone-in roast, increase weight by one-third per portion.

The quantities below serves ten.

2 kg beef¼ cup red wine SEASonInGFeel free to vary the amount according to your preference

2 tsp garlic powder2 tsp mixed herbs (Masters or McCormick brands are good)3 tsp coarse ground pepper3 tsp sea salt or regular salt 2 sticks of celery, sliced into 1 cm sections 1 large onion cut into eighths with the skin and roots

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Place roasting rack in pan. Scatter celery and onions below rack. Moisten beef with the red wine. Rub in garlic powder, coarse ground pepper and mixed herbs. Let the seasoned meat sit for one hour.

Rub salt all over beef just before roasting so it doesn’t have time to leach the juices out of the meat.

Insert meat thermometer into center of meat. Put the roast on roasting rack, slide onto top rack of oven and turn down the temperature to 130°C. remove

the meat from the oven when the meat thermometer reads 62°C for medium rare, 67°C for medium. It should take about 90 minutes to cook.

If you do not have a meat thermometer, roast for 70 minutes and test for doneness by poking a steel rod or satay stick into the meat. Observe the colour of the juices. If it just oozes red, it’s rare. Freer flowing red means medium-rare. Check periodically till done to your liking.

Remove from oven and let the roast rest for 15 minutes to allow juices to settle before slicing. Discard celery and onions but reserve pan juices for making gravy.Serve with beef gravy.

GRAVY½ litre water1½ Knorr beef bouillon cubes1 yellow onion, chopped finelyButter for sautéing onionsDark soya sauce for colouring1 tsp sugar4 fresh button mushrooms, choppedPinch of mixed herbsTwo heaped tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 10 tablespoons water to make a thickening solutionPan juices from roast Saute onions in butter till translucent and slightly brown. Add water and beef cubes, stirring to dissolve beef cubes. Adjust colour and taste to your liking with dark soya sauce, ½ tsp at a time. Add sugar to heighten flavor.

Include pan juices from roast. Add chopped fresh mushrooms and mixed herbs. Stir for two minutes to amalgamate flavours.

Thicken with cornstarch solution to get the consistency of your liking. I like to see it able to coat the back of a spoon.

COUNTDOWN TO MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST

One week before Mother's Day: Terry preordered the bread and salad.

Day before Mother's Day:Terry roasted the ribeye beef.

8 am on Mother's Day:Buck Chye picked up the 25 loaves of sliced French bread from Cold Storage King Albert Park.He wasn't charged! It was a love gift from the baker!

At the same time Manfred Seah picked up the salad and all the food were assembled on the spot.

Kitchen Kitchen

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Crumbs

TAN PHENg LOOI9 am service, Mary & Martha SG

What is your favourite food and drink?Ice cream and yuzu juice.

What do you appreciate the most in friends?Thankfulness and joy.

What don’t you tolerate in others?Lack of manners.

What is your idea of happiness?Satisfaction.

What is your idea of misery?Dissatisfaction.

What talent do you wish to have?Persuasive speech.

Which Biblical character do you most identify with?naomi.

What do you like most about CCMC?Service to others.

What is your motto?Keep going.

PROVERBS 15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath,but a harsh word stirs up anger.

BEINg MADE READY FOR HEAVEN“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.” ― A.W. tozer

IRON WOKCONTESTNo entry was received for the Iron Wok Contest, but Terry Ng saved the day with his recipes for the delicious roast beef, gravy and salad dressing the men served for breakfast on Mother's day!

go straight to page 47 and then the kitchen.

The Outreach and Social Concerns Ministry and Sembawang Family

Service Centre are jointly organising the annual Befrienders and

Volunteers Training on Saturday, 21 September 2013 at the CCMC

Conference Room from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. This 1-day training

programme aims to familiarise potential befrienders / volunteers with

the needs of the poor and needy families in the heartland community,

as well as to equip them with some basic skills of being a volunteer.

The training will be conducted by trained counsellors and social

workers from SFSC. External trainers may also be invited. The training

has a strong experiential component and participants will have ample

opportunities to participate in role playing and discussion. Skills and

knowledge taught will include befriending skills, interpersonal skills, and

community services.

For I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

I was a stranger and you welcomed me

Matthew 25:35

TO REGISTER, CONTACT RAYMOND.CHOW@CCMC.ORG.SG

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HAvE THINE oWN WAY, LoRd

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!

power, all power, surely is Thine!Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!Hold o’er my being absolute sway!Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall seeChrist only, always, living in me.

Adelaide A pollard

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