Three Fears

TITLE: THREE FEARS
SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:1
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: November 21st, 2013

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

I use GMail a lot. Not only is it increasingly popular among many users, it is eloquently speedy and is widely compatible with a host of browsers. One of the best features by this Google product is the spam filter. There was a time in which mails selling all sorts of products, propagating all kinds of messages, and spewing out all kinds of garbage which made reading emails a chore. In came GMail and the rest is history. Occasionally, a few legitimate mails get caught in the spam folder, but that is a small price to pay in order to get a cleaner InBox.

Many of these spam mails hardly deserve any reading or action. Sometimes, the quickest fix is to simply hit the DELETE button and voila! There goes the thorn that threatens to irritate and frustrate. Sometimes, people do send out other kinds of mail that border upon hate mail. Whatever the message within that spam, there is a general pattern. First, there is a title that grabs attention. It can be based on a famous personality that screams out: "Obama lies!" and so on. Like tabloids that sells based on sensational headlines, spam mails market themselves in order to win clicks to their products and services, the more sensational the title is, the more likely it is going to get people to click on it. Second, it is usually based on a famous name, company, or a nearly legitimate name. After all, putting "Miley Cyrus" or "Tom Cruise" in the headlines will grab attention. Third, it masquerades itself as the real deal. It pretends to be written by some famous or highly qualified individual to authenticate the email. That way, it hopes to have a label of authenticity so that readers will read them with more attentiveness. Fourth, there is usually a product, a service, or a message to spread. The goal is to spread it far, spread it wide, and to spread it fast.

This week, I want to reflect on the three modern fears strangling society today, and to argue that we cannot live on the basis of fear. We need to live on the basis of faith. Fear pushes people down for the sake of self. Faith lifts people up for the sake of Christ.

Will Jesus Use Facebook?

TITLE: WILL JESUS USE FACEBOOK?
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:16-20
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 30 Mar 2012

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:16-20)

There is one lingering question that is becoming more fascinating by the day. "Will Jesus use Facebook?" For Christians, this question typically triggers at least two kinds of responses. The first group deplores any technological association (branded the world) with a sacred figure. The second group embraces the use of anything as long as Christ is preached.  My reflection this week will touch on the impact of online media on society, with a particular interest in what it means as far as Christian witness is concerned.


A) Technological Luddites

In the 19th Century in the UK, due to the perceived threats of technology on their jobs, many workers revolted against factories that implemented modern machinery. Instigated by a person called General Ned  Ludd, a movement arose between 1811-1816 that emboldened ordinary wage earners against anything that threatened their livelihood, namely, technology innovations. Workers burned, broke, and banished the machinery in a widespread protest against technological devices. The term 'Luddism' is now used to describe people who sense a fear of the downside of technology and seek to fight against the use of certain technologies or engineering innovation. Such a fear reared its head again during the Industrial Revolution where machines increasingly dominate workplaces. I remember a time when my fellow workers were complaining about their duties being replaced by a robot. Sure enough. After a few quarters, the company laid off people in order to cut costs.

At the turn of the century, technology has appeared more frequently via a new name: The Internet. Like Newton's law, whenever there is a change, there will also be an equal and opposite reaction. Cultural critics like Neil Postman have since argued against the downsides of technology, saying that:

"Technology always has unforeseen consequences, and it is not always clear, at the beginning, who or what will win, and who or what will lose." (Neil Postman, in a speech here, given in Stuttgart)

Others like Sherry Turkle, a long time observer of human-machine interactions bemoans the way people are isolating themselves as they allow technology to get in the way. Nicholas Carr goes farther to warn people about how technologies like Google are changing our brains and the way we think and live. In an insightful book called The Shallows, Carr argues that as people praise the glories of modern technology and gadgets, many users tend to be blind to the side effects of technology.

"Our focus on a medium's content can blind us to these deep effects. We're too busy being dazzled or disturbed by the programming to notice what's going on inside our heads. In the end, we come to pretend that the technology itself doesn't matter. It's how we use it that matters, we tell ourselves." (Nicholas Carr, The Shallows, New York, NY: W W Norton, 2010, 3)

Not to be left behind, we have Kevin Kelly, in a provocative book, "What Technology Wants," that pushes the envelope even more, saying that the new technological world is not about what man wants from technology, but about what technology wants from people. On the pervasive use of smartphones, one contributor to the Economist appeals to us to remove our enslavement.

Neo-Luddites! You may accuse them.

B) On the Other Hand

Then there are those who champion technologies. The bookstores are full of those in praise of Google, the Internet and the use of technology. Just talk to any man in the street and you will realize that they spend more time connecting online than relating offline. Christians have also adopted the use of computer terminology in their writings. Neil Cole, a church planter even uses computer software versions to tell Church History. He calls the New Testament Church in the early centuries "Church 1.0." The 16th Century Reformation is called "Church 2.0," and our modern era represents the evolution of a new version called "Church 3.0!" Popular speakers Tami Heim and Toni Birdsong have combined their expertise to urge Christians to go online and to learn to share our faith in the Internet world. As I read their latest book, '@StickyJesus,' I get a feeling that the Great Commission can be read as:

".... Go ye therefore and make digital disciples of all online communities. . . ."

Acts 1:8 can be partially re-written as:

". . . . you will be my witnesses on Google, and in all Twitter and Facebook, and to the ends of the social media world."

Again, those are not their words. They are conjured up as a result of reading how passionate Heim and Birdsong have been. They argue:

"For you, a Christ follower, the discussion around technology and its impact for good cannot be left to chance. It's a conversation that must be an ongoing priority. It must become part of the writings, readings, and teachings that communicate faith to this and future generations. And if businesses, motivated by profitability and survival, continue to generate effective content marketing solutions and new ways to engage the public, the body of Christ should be alert - and teachable - to use those same strategies." (Toni Birdsong and Tami Heim, @StickyJesus, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2010, 7)

C) My Take

My personal reading of it all is that we need to learn to use technologies well, but also critically. We need to periodically take a step back and ponder why we are doing what we are doing. We need to pause to reflect upon the ways of social media, the pros and cons, and to draw the line often by saying:

"Social Media. You shall have no hold on my life."

I thank God for cultural critics like Postman, Turkle, Carr, and others. They help many of us who tend to use technological gadgets uncritically sit up and think. We are pressed with questions like:

• Is there a better way to communicate than using the Internet?
• How do I know if I am addicted to Facebook?
• Am I missing out opportunities offline when I am hooked online most of the time?
• Why do I need so many 'friends' on Facebook?
• Am I using social media, or is social media using me?

The human problem is not technological. The human problem is still sin. Before the rise of the Internet, parents worry about their kids spending too much time watching TV or playing games on the computer. Society gets worried about the drug problem or gang recruitment activities in their neighbourhood. Pornography was a big concern a number of years ago.

Not anymore. Now, people have shifted to social media, and we hear news of Internet predators posing as innocent 'friends' to try to manipulate young minds to meet them at a physical location. The threat is real. Policing the Internet is becoming more and more challenging as privacy structures become more sophisticated. Sin masquerades itself in any media, any platform, through any channel. Christian, beware!

D) Will Jesus use Facebook? 

As I read the gospels, I believe it is likely that Jesus will meet us where we are. Just like the Samaritan woman in John 4, Jesus meets her at the well at odd hours during the day. Like Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector in Luke 19, Jesus offers to meet him at his house. Like the lame man in John 5, Jesus sees him at the Sheep Gate in Bethesda. The interesting thing is that Jesus did not remain at the well. Neither did he stick around in the house of Zacchaeus. He did not linger all the time at the Sheep Gate in Bethesda. After the witnessing for God, and the demonstration of signs, Jesus moved on! Even if Jesus has a Facebook account, He will not linger around in cyberspace. Neither will he be hooked online so many hours that he fails to pray and seek God's face first thing each day.

Yes, Jesus if he is walking the streets today, he will not simply disregard the technological gadgets we have on our hands. Instead, he may be asking us what we are doing, or why are we Tweeting what we are tweeting, or writing stuff on Facebook.

What will you do, if Jesus asks you: "Will you be my friend?" Certainly, Jesus will not simply want to be a 'friend' on your lists of Facebook friends. He wants to be more. Much more.  Will you let Him? Will you lead others to Him? Let me close with the following set of tips from Birdsong and Heim, which I hope can help us be more intentional and godly in our social media interactions.

• "I am on my face before God before I get on Facebook and seek Him before I tweet.
  
• I ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance and discernment before I enter into social media platforms.
  
• I am deliberate about preparing my heart to go online and devoted to the larger, eternal mission.
  
• I am others-focused and enter online communities with a desire to serve.
  
• I am intentional about checking my heart for conceit, superiority, prejudice, and judgment.
  
• I am fully present to people when I engage.
  
• I acknowledge that God values every person I encounter online and that beating hearts are behind every picture and post.
  
• I choose to be digitally generous. I retweet, post comments to blogs, follow up on emails promptly, and help promote worthy causes online."

(Toni Birdsong and Tami Heim, @StickyJesus, Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2010, 175)


THOUGHT: "It is questionable if all the mechanical inventions yet made have lightened the day's toil of any human being." (John Stuart Mill)


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Copyright by SabbathWalk. This devotional is sent to you free of charge. If you feel blessed or ministered to by SabbathWalk weekly devotionals, feel free to forward to friends, or to invite them to subscribe online at http://blog.sabbathwalk.org . You can also send me an email at cyap@sabbathwalk.org for comments or enquiries.

Feeling Jaded About Church?

Title: Feeling Jaded about Church?
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 10 October 2011

“Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.” (Songs of Solomon 2:5)

Credit: furallover.com

One Christian leader I know recently laments to me that Church attendance is declining at all levels. The numbers at Sunday services have dropped. The already small young people group has shrunk even more. Even Bible study group attendance has fallen. What is happening? This week we tackle the issue of Jaded Christianity and that the cause of it is due less to church programs and popularity but more because of broken and non-existent spiritual friendships. It is not about programs, preachers, or prizes. It's relationship or the lack of it!

A) Changing Climate

George Barna and Mark Hatch has predicted a general decline of Church attendance through the Millenium since 2001. From a high Church attendance of 49% in 1991, to 40% in 2000, and to a low of 35% in 2010. Worse, it is still declining. The statistics are grim:

(Statistics adapted from George Barna and Mark Hatch, Boiling Point – How Coming Cultural Shifts Will Change Your Life, Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2001, p213)

Looking at the numbers can be depressing. Apart from small group growth, which is holding relatively well, all the other numbers are dropping across the board. In North America, small churches are getting smaller. Those who leave their churches flock to Megachurches. Growth is hardly due to new converts but believers moving through revolving doors from one church to another. What do we make of this changing climate? Is it due to a jaded sense of religion, or is it simply a sign of the church unable to change with times? Angela Kiesling consolidates some of the reasons why people are leaving churches. Let me highlight three.

B) Reason #1 – Consumerist Mindset

The first reason is a consumerist mindset a typical Church attendee brings to the Church. Such a consumer Christian wants:

• Lots of choices in Church programs, options that are catered to one’s personal preferences
• Church to provide a product/service while members return a 'favour' by their attendance
• No connection to the community interests except for one’s personal spiritual needs
• When one does not feels the Church is meeting one’s needs, off they go.
• Deny openly but practice a form of “Ask not what I can do for the church, but what the Church can do for me.”

If we are honest ourselves, we will see some of their consumerist tendencies pluck a sensitive string in our consumerist heart. That is not all.

C) Two Other Reasons – Era & New Communities

The second reason is based on which era we are born. If we are born before 1940, chances are we tend to be loyal in Church attendance. More often, we give structures and people in leadership the benefit of the doubt. If we are part of the Boomer generation born between 1940-1960, we tend to be more open to stay in traditional religion. If we are the Busters (1960-1984), we stay on the fence, waiting to see whether something is relevant to us or not, before deciding on change. Sometimes, these parents will simply choose church going on the basis of their children's needs. Those born after 1984 (Gen X) are more impatient and apt to change at the slightest disappointment. If these findings are correct, it more than verifies and explains the declining level of church attendance. In other words, we have a problem of archaic church structures that is increasingly unable to adjust to the changing population mix. For example, how can a Boomer-church make sense to a congregation filled with more Busters and Gen X? Is it then any surprise that pre-Boomer-style churches attract pre-Boomer and some Boomer people only?

The third reason is because of a more complex and sophisticated need that churches are not responding soon enough. While some churches are declining, others are growing. It is a decline of the old, but growth of a new. While the young tends to shy away from traditional religion, that does not mean that they are discarding the faith altogether. In other words, the decline is only for ‘traditional churches’ and NOT new forms of church. This explains the rise of new emergent churches that are full of young people and apparently meets the needs of ‘consumerist’ people as well as a changing landscape. Nate Krupp writes of three new types of ‘wine skins’ namely, the open Church, cell church and house church, where these people believes that the church is a community of believers gathered in the name of Jesus. Unfortunately, one church's gain is another church's loss. What is also not helpful is the increase of members who prefer individualized religion rather than community.

Kiesling warns of a 'Lone Ranger' Christian.

"Inherent dangers lurk anytime believers try to live a Lone Ranger existence, apart from other Christ-followers. We need each other." (Angela Kiesling, Jaded, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004, p124)

How then do we respond to a consumerist, a cultural age gap, and an individualized kind of faith?

D) Refreshment and Renewal

It is important that when we read statistics like these, and the attempts to analyze them, we do not lose sight of the presence of faithful sheep among us. For every one person who leaves a Church, there is also a responsibility to take care of those who are still attending. For both, who faithfully come, or are not coming, it is also important to note that BOTH groups need refreshment and renewal. The faithful attendee needs to be refreshed in the Lord, to have their faith in God renewed week after week. We cannot presume that people who leave the Church automatically leave the faith as well. No! Instead of criticizing their decisions, we need to understand them. When we understand the reasons for their leaving, not only can we learn, we share Christlikeness of love and understanding with them.

Most crucially, our desire for refreshment and renewal must stem from LOVE. We need to be careful of two errors we make when trying to woo back the sheep or to fast-forward our spiritual recovery.

Firstly, do not focus on programs. It looks too commercial. It is tempting to try to renew people’s interest by throwing in better programs. This makes the Church look more like a spiritual station dishing out religious variety shows.

Secondly, do not depend on a powerful preacher. It breeds a cult culture. It is also tempting to throw in a charismatic speaker to inspire people. Unfortunately, this makes the Church become like a one-man-operated motivational speaker circuit. No. We come to Church to worship God, and not to meet our needs, though the latter can happen when the Spirit leads. Richard Foster reminds us about what worship leads to.

"To worship is to chance. As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of modern life." (Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins, 1978, p173)

In other words, we do not come to God to change God to fit our needs. We come to let God change us to befit His glory. For that, we need help.

E) The Gift of Friends

Let me suggest that the key to recovery from jaded Christianity remains 'relational.' In a nutshell, a Christlike relationship has 3 components.

"Draw close to God. Let God draw you closer. Together, let God draw others closer through you."

Such a relationship cannot be done on our own strength, simply because our moods fluctuate from time to time. We need a community called the gift of friends to help one another link up.

The Songs of Solomon tell of a joyful and loving connection between a lover and his beloved. Bible scholars have long taken these songs to be the love poems of a man and a woman, or more specifically, King Solomon and his lover. A few other scholars have allegorized this as a conversation between God and human beings. I prefer to see it plainly as a man and a woman. There is no need for precise programming. There is no motivational speeches or clever remarks, save the deep emotional desire for each other. It is love. Renewal and refreshment must begin in LOVE. Love grows in the crucible of a relationship. This is the key theme in the Song of Solomon. The relationship is expressed through words of desire, hope, and love for each other.

SS 2:5 shows us that it is the LOVE that drives the beloved to long for the lover. She pleads for raisins to sustain her physical longing. She asks for apples to spread over her pining. It is not the raisins or the apple that is the key point. It is the LOVE that drives the cry for raisins and apples. Much like our modern worship. Do we let our desire for programs (raisin), and a yearning for apples (feel good) dictate our Church going? Or do we let our relationship with the Lord lead us to worship REGARDLESS of the building, the church programming, the facilities or all the external offerings? In other words, isn’t the Lord Jesus’ presence reason enough for us to go to Church?

I know some readers will argue back: “I love Jesus. I just need help to love him more.” Yes. I understand. Help is never from within ourselves, but always from outside. It is from the Lord, and the Lord often chooses to use community of believers. There is a third party in the lovely conversation between the Lover and the Beloved in the Song of Songs. Friends. The unspecified friends join in the chorus to affirm the desire of the beloved damsel for the Lover.

“We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.” (SS 1:4b)

They mirror the excitement of the woman for the man, in such a way that the woman is encouraged. They also praise the woman for who she is, encouraging her for her work, and her search for her lover.

“If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.” (SS 1:8)

We need friends to encourage us in our spiritual journeys. We need friends to encourage us in our relationship with God. We need people to understand where we are, and also to understand others when they need us. Perhaps, when we are jaded about Church, it is not about the poor church programs, or mediocre sermons. It is probably not because there is a lack of desire to go to Church. It is more to do with a lukewarm faith. Such lukewarm faith can usually be traced back to a lack of spiritual friends.

Thought: “ . . . you could be a solitary wanderer, but you can’t be a solitary Christian.” (Eugene Peterson, The Wisdom of Each Other, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998, p25)

When all things fail, try love. Love never fails. Perhaps, you can try to remember a friend. Pray. Then call up that friend to say: "Hello. I thought and I prayed for you today. Want to catch up sometime?"


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Copyright by SabbathWalk. This devotional is sent to you free of charge. If you feel blessed or ministered to by SabbathWalk weekly devotionals, feel free to forward to friends, or to invite them to subscribe online at http://blog.sabbathwalk.org . You can also send me an email at cyap@sabbathwalk.org for comments or enquiries.

On Loneliness

TITLE: On Loneliness
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 27 July 2011

TEXT: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matt 11:28)

Last week, I preached on Solitude and Community, at the gracious invitation of a pastor friend. It gave me an opportunity to revisit one of my favourite topics on the Christian life: the art of being rather than doing. As ‘solitude’ and ‘community’ are huge individual topics by themselves, I like to devote the next few weeks of SabbathWalk to Solitude and Community. Key to my meditation on ‘solitude’ is to recognize with our whole being, that God loves us as we are, not as per what we have done. This week, I deal with the issue of loneliness.

1) Loneliness a Natural Condition

There is no shame in being alone. Loneliness is a condition that exists in all groups of people. One can try to hide it, but over time, it reveals itself. In our world, loneliness is detested, and resisted like a plague. Why? Why are people afraid of being lonely?

The Gift of Friendship

TITLE: The Gift of Friendship
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 21 Sep 2010

MAIN POINT: We are made to need friends. Each act of friendship is an opportunity to exercise 2 benefits: In loving others, we become more love-able ourselves.

The past few weeks have been rough for me. Just over a couple of weeks, I get to experience the extremities of human emotions. From a high of enjoying a rare beautiful holiday cruise to Alaska, to an emotional low of losing my father. If anyone suspects that God has a unique sense of humour, I suppose this is the evidence to prove it. However, anyone who stops the story right there, and blame God, it will bring grave injustice to our Heavenly Father. The promise I have held since becoming a Christian is the assurance that God is always with me. After all, He is my Shepherd. The weeks of mourning and grieving ushered in an amazing grace of friendship, of people who have taken the trouble and time to walk with me. Such grace is absolutely heartwarming and beautiful. In the midst of sorrow and death, there is joy and hope. Friends and family play a huge role in all of these. God is at work. He works through friends.

A) Don't Miss the Arrival Hall Moment

Friends lift me up during those moments. I remember a dear brother in Christ who went to the airport just to give me a warm greeting after a long 20 hour plane ride. That feeling was priceless. I remember saying things like

"Hey! You do not have to come all the way the airport. Transport is already taken care of."

That will be utilitarian-thinking. Friendship is beyond providing transport, silly me. Am I in the right frame of mind at that time? Am I jet-lagged or am I simply trying to act cool in a hot and humid climate? I guess at that time, I as in no position to judge. After a brief chat and a goodbye, I was on the way home to see the body of my father lying in a casket at home. As the car I was in zips through highway on a 'cool' early morning air, I remember that there is a certain happiness and joy anybody has at the airport. I remember a movie (I forgot the title) that made that exact description of what happens at arrival halls of airports. It is nearly always the case at airports, that people feel that sense of happiness and joy to see loved ones. Any exceptions are few and far between. I observe at people coming out of airport gates. This is what I call the "Arrival Hall Moment."

• Mothers hug their children;
• Wives smother their husbands with kisses;
• Children surround their parents gleefully albeit with expectations of goodies;
• Family members let loose tears of joy;
• Friends release squeals of delight as they jump and celebrate the happy occasion.
• Even the most stoic of people has to surrender a smile or two at some point.

Do not miss the 'Arrival Hall' moment. The King James Bible has a phrase in 1 Peter 1:8: Joy unspeakable.

If there is one word to describe the arrival hall environment, it will be the word 'beautiful.' How else can I paint the human emotions going on during that precious few minutes of seeing one another? I must admit. Even under the most depressing climate of losing a loved one, the joy of meeting family and friends at airports is truly 'joy unspeakable.'  Sometimes, denying others an opportunity to help can be plain selfishness.

How silly of me to miss that. Thanks KM.

B)  Of Friends Despite Busyness
Online, friends quickly share their condolences with me. God bless their souls. Almost immediately when I publish my dad's passing on Facebook, a few faithful friends will write their condolences online. Every word means so much. Strangely, in times like this, one is tempted to expect all of their online friends to say something. That is downright silly. The world does not revolve around me. People have their own lives. They have their own problems. I have my own burden of mourning to carry. Not everyone likes funerals, so I should not even expect anyone to come to such sad events.

Yet, friends are absolutely essential. I may bravely deny it but they mean so much. On the last day of the wake, my dear friends from my small group brave terrible jams at the border to come and share that moment of comfort. (You know who you are.) Gathering together as an entourage, they come in droves, one after another. It is a small happy gathering in a sombre atmosphere of grief and loss. However, every presence, every smile, every hug and every word of comfort alleviates and assures me that God cares for me.  At that moment, there is camaraderie. There is unity. There is love. There is God present in the midst.

C) Gift of Friends and Food
Friends continue to hang on to me, even when am tempted to drown in self-pity and utter sadness. Grieving is a long journey, arduous and painful. I remember crying every morning. With understanding and care, friends walk with me. They talk with me. They embrace me like an ordinary person. I needed that. One memorable moment was a feast when I was staying with a dear family in Christ. My poor appetite at that time does a great injustice over the almost 9 superbly designed and lovingly prepared dishes. The spread is most healthy (Steamed fish with chicken essence). There is local delight, (Hainanese chicken). There is fibre (mixed vegetables). Then there is the food for the occasion: Mooncakes galore.

What more can I ask for? That day, I drink and dine with a grateful heart, refusing to let my lack of appetite affect the moments of joy unspeakable. It is a wonderful lesson for me. A simple meal of friendship and love releases me to see God's grace in its fullness: the gift of friendship.

On Sunday, another friend promptly responded to drive me to his church.  God used him and his wife to prepare my heart for worship. That morning, I was able to pour myself out to God to receive comfort from the God of comfort.

D) Friends Who Bless
Two ladies featured prominently during my short time in Singapore. They take on multiple roles. They drive. They cook. They link people up. They ministered to people in their circles of influence, even as they ministered to me. Being able to witness their small little ministry is a blessing in itself. It is a humble demonstration of how God can bless people. through people. In a world where people almost always equate blessings with possessing money and riches, they show me that blessings is not what we receive in terms of possessions, but what we GIVE away in terms of time, care and love. It reminds me of the 'greater' blessing. Far too many people are obsessed with accumulating more things and possessions and label them as God's blessings for them. Haven't they notice that these are but a miserable tip of the iceberg of blessing? The greater blessing is not the greater capacity to receive, but the greater willingness to GIVE and to be CHARITABLE.

For me, I can say that the greater blessing I have received is not the food or the amount of attention. It is the blessing of true friends. It is the blessing of being able to give more than we receive. It is the blessing of being able to bless others much more, to let our personal belongings be utilized by God for the sake of others. Sad are those who keeps their things to themselves and to let them rot at home or in their storerooms. What good is a nice Jaguar or a Lamborghini if they are always locked up in the garage? Exchange them for a few vans that can ferry people around to their fellowships of joy. What good is a fat bank account if they are merely collecting interest for a small family? Convert them into precious resources that others can use. I guess, for me, what good is my knowledge and spiritual wisdom if I were to keep them to myself? Why not share it more regularly and more faithfully each week?

Thanks again my friends. I will continue to blog and write my SabbathWalk commentaries to shine God's glory to all. For this, I have updated my main blog to read as:

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have,
and one of the best things you can be." (Douglas Pagels)

E) The Ride Home

On my way back to the airport, my friend at the Arrival Hall Moment pops up again. This time, he provides the transport. He exemplifies true servanthood, giving all but expecting nothing in return.  He takes the trouble to wake up early to send me to the airport, despite having to run several errands that morning. He prioritizes things in such a way that gives me hope. In our society where busyness seems to be the norm, prioritizing is truly an act of love. I think there is much more. There is friendship unspeakable.

When it comes to true friendship, I learn that true friends are hard to come by. More importantly, it is not the accumulation of the lists of friends that we can boast of. It is the appreciation of who we already have. KM reminds me on that last part of the journey by quoting a saying attributed to Mark Twain:

"It is not what I don't know about the Bible that troubles me, it is what I do know!"

In the same light, it is not the friends that didn't bother to connect with me that 'troubles' me. It is the friends that bother to spend time with me that keeps me grateful. In a nutshell, God has placed specific people at particular times of my life to walk with me. I should not be too concerned about the absence of other people, but the PRESENCE of those who are there for me. These people have their challenges, their problems to deal with, but they choose intentionally to put them aside, and to put their own needs lower than mine. It reminds me of Paul's words:

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4, NAS)

Now, do not get me wrong. Just because I elevate some people does not mean I downgrade others. Relationship is not necessarily a zero-sum game. The point is, I have learned that showing love and care has a double benefit. Firstly, it helps others. Secondly, it helps ourselves by freeing us from our tendency to become self-absorbed. The exercise of friendship is an opportunity to do both.

For everyone else whom I did not get to meet up, you will have the benefit of any doubt. Honest. May the Lord truly bless you and keep you and grant you peace wherever you are, in your respective levels of busyness.  I pray that in your hour of need, the Lord will send friends to walk with you during your moments of struggle, as He has faithfully done for me during my journey through the dark nights.

Thought:  "The spaces between your fingers were created so that another's could fill them in." (Anonymous)


sabbathwalk

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