The LORD Bless You

The LORD Bless You

The LORD bless you

And keep you

The LORD make His face

To shine on You

And give you peace

And give you peace

Forever

Book Review - Title: The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith

The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith

- another excellent book to come alongside the Bible to guide us to fall in love with 'the God Jesus knows' - the phrase use in the book. More than often I am lost by too many directives (people and books) on which God to listen to, to follow, to obey and to trust. James with the training and mentorship of several seasoned leaders in Christian spiritual formation, provides a simple yet sufficient push to reconnect us back to our good and beautiful God. 

Our God is humongously humongous and infinite that it is unthinkable to know Him. But in His great mercies and grace, He has revealed Himself to us in many ways. So it is good for our souls to slowly but surely experience God one step at a time. God has given us eternity. And so James provides the framework for our seeking and begins with lesson One - God Is Good. 

After each lesson is a Soul Training section where it is an application part to the lesson to put into practice lessons learnt and journal down notes and also for sharing with a mentor or group as opportunity comes. I have enjoyed the Soul Training sections because they really get us to sit back and reflect and reconnect ourselves to our soul and to God. 

As we read and practice the book, may we find the effort worthwhile experiencing our God and conclude He is indeed Good and Beautiful. 

This book is one of three in the Apprentice Series so we may move forward to find out more from the second and third books namely, The Good and Beautiful Life and The Good and Beautiful Community. 

He Restores My Soul

The Lord is my Shepherd

I shall not be in want

He makes me lie down

In green pastures

He leads beside

Quiet waters

He restores my soul

He guides me in paths

Of righteousness

For His name's sake

Even though I walk

Through the valley

Of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil

For You are with me

Your rod and Your staff

They comfort me

You prepare a table before me

In the presence of my enemies

You anoint my head with oil

My cup overflows

Surely goodness and love

Will follow me

All the days of my life

And I will dwell

In the house of the LORD

Forever 

Amen

Book Review - Title: Sundar Singh - Footprints over the Mountains by Janet & Geoff Benge

As I read this book Sundar Singh - Footprints over the Mountain by Janet & Geoff Benge, it simply amazes me how a man, a teen in fact, like Sundar Singh will experience life change when he encounters Christ. It also does not necessarily mean that we should encounter Christ personally in order that we decide to follow Christ. But now through the testimonies of God's Word (the Holy Bible) and of lives like Sadhu Sundar Singh, you and I can by faith follow Christ and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and live victorious lives.

That encounter Sundar had with Christ took a turn of events that had him disowned, almost killed as he was poisoned by his own family members. As he took refuge at a nearby town, he prayed to God and he arose the next day healed, knowing God still has work for him to do, starting from India, Tibet.

His heart for people as his preaching travels brought him to witness to many people, even to Hindu Sadhus who were doing penance to right themselves with God. On another icy mountain journey, he was abandoned by a traveling companion when Sundar decided to rescue a man down at the ravine. As he saved the man, he was kept warm and reached the village safely. But he saw his early traveling companion frozen dead along the trail. A lesson I learnt as we journey over mountainous life challenges, we must journey corporately.

God rescued him in many occasions - his encounter with hunger, with a cobra, with crossing a raging stream, with rescue from a death well, with preaching to bandits and also with temptations. I am also surprised that Sundar Singh came to Singapore to preach and travelled to many parts of the world too. His final journey was in April 1929 when he journeyed to Tibet and was never found.

What Does God's Greatness Lead Us To?

As I think about God's greatness, I wonder of how much His greatness is evident in daily life. In the routine of life, familiar, unfamiliar and strange moments, is He great? Is He really great?

For me going through a tough moment doesn't change the fact God is great; God made the world, God gave and gives life and God was and is real to real people He made like Adam, Eve, Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Twelve tribes and many more people and events we know not of. 

It also doesn't change the fact that God allowed 'not so good' events to happen, for His good purpose and pleasure and glory. He is sovereign still. He is God. He knows all things and in His immeasurable wisdom and power, I in my finiteness may not understand why these trying moments, only to realize later that they were intended to grow me and build me up to be stronger, wiser, patient, kind, compassionate, faithful, caring - to be more like Jesus. 

So what does God's greatness lead us to? May it lead us to worship Him, to walk with Him and to wake many from their slumber. 

Now we can sing ...

How Great Is Our God!

Learning God's Genius In Our Make Up

As we look at the mirror each day, ever wonder why the hair at the eye brow didn't grow as much as those on the head. How will you look like if your nostril hair grows out like those of ladies hair. It is going to look awfully different. 

What's the ingredient in our make up that ensures the hair growth in different parts of our bodies grows out nicely and neatly? What was the formula mixture that made us the way we are and different from the hairy ones in the jungle?

The make up on the penguin kept it warm during winter days while for us we need extra layers to stay warm and alive. 

It is so interestingly interesting for each and every creature on this planet and universe. 

Knowing God our Father As Jesus Taught Us To Pray

Knowing God our Father As Jesus Taught Us To Pray

Read Matthew 6: 9-13

God is present

God is pure

God is powerful

God provides

God pardons

God protects

(outline taken from the book The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith, chapter 2, God Is Trustworthy)

Our Father in heaven exemplified the parenting pattern for fathers on earth. 

Are You A Practising Christian Or A Private-Limited Christian?

Are You A Practising Christian Or A Private-Limited Christian?

We took a moment to find ourselves how to pray in the language of our folks so that they may hear and see us in action how to pray to Jesus. 

This was the advice and word of encouragement from a brother. Our folks need to see and hear us in our Christian walk. 

This caused me thinking - Am I a practising Christian or simply a private-limited Christian?

What is a Practising Christian?

What is a Private-limited Christian?