Photos that moved me to tears - In memory of 5 June 2015 Earthquake victims

How to love Thy Enemies

When it comes to our enemies, it is hard to consider what we should do as Christians. To love our enemies is such an unworldly thing to do, it is so out of this world to love your enemies ! Nobody does that in real life, surely ? The most one can do is to keep silence about their enemies, be mum about it and no one supposed to know who our enemies are. Its a dirty secret of our soul. Buried alive in our hearts, hoping that the emotions will not burst out one day at an untimely point. Just hoping. 

We know the Bible Teaching on to love our enemies, if we do not love the people we can see, how can we love the God that we cannot see ? Ok, people here refers to brothers, is it not strange that frequently, the people who hurt us the most and likely candidates as our enemies are also our "brothers" and "sisters", the ones who are close to us ! 

Here is a short note I have taken on a sermon preached by Pastor Renny Khoo on 1 February 2015 to BCCM KK(English) 7:30 am morning service on the topic of "Reclaiming Love" and the sermon title was "Loving Your Enemy".

We know the power of our thought life. If we feed on the thoughts of dislike or avoidance, it will grow. Jesus asked us to love our enemies, not to change them. Radical love demonstrated love towards our enemies. Love must be articulated. We need to do unto others what God has done to us and not do unto others what we want others do unto us. 

How do we begin to love our enemies ? 

Do good instead of do evil 

Do not retaliate in deed back to the one who did evil or harm to you. If it is possible, as much as possible, live peaceable with all. Often we have the irge to let out of our system. How can ? How can this be possible ? The verse has implied that very often it is impossible to live at peace with everyone.

Bless instead of curse

Do not retaliate in word. Bless means "good words" in Greek. Be careful not to fume the situations with angry words. As they said, our IQ is zero when we are angry until we lose it !

Pray to God instead of talk to man

Do not retaliate in spirit. The effect of prayer is not our responsibility. We are asked to bring our petition and cry to our God, the results and effect of our prayer is in His hands. He alone to decide. 

My reflection on this :-

We know what we are supposed to do and it is a tall order from the Lord as we are the salts and lights of this world, we are to be different. But to put our feelings down and make our emotions to obey to this teaching from the Lord is hard work. But it is the only healthy choice for our life. 

A Song that speaks to my heart - REFUGE

A Song that speaks to my heart - REFUGE by City Harvest Church Singapore

This is one song that the Holy Spirit ministered to my soul few years back when I was really down spiritually, I did not know then, but looking back, this was one song that really spoke my heart cry to the Lord then, perhaps it did pull me through one of the darker patch of my life. It was around the year 2008.

Life as a whole was good then, on the outside, from observers who looked into my life then, it was a bliss, I got a loving husband, a household of kids, a steady job, a great supporting families and friends who would drop everything to come to my aid and listened to my grievances and cries. I seemed to have it all, on the outside, but from the outside they could not see my heart turmoils, my pains, my doubts on God's faithfulness, my anger, my problems, my failures and my sins.

Early one morning as I was taking a walk at the Likas Lake, I did not even have earphone, I just played this song (as it was the only few songs I could download into that first generation of smart phone, my favourite Nokia E72), I up the volume and placed it near my ear. As I walked, in that quiet morning with very few people around, I listened to the lyrics and found that it penned down my sorrows, my cries, my feelings. I weeped softly as I continued to walk, hurriedly so that no one could catch up with me. It was a moment alone with God.

The song has been my favourite since that day, I often go back to listen to it when I needed time out alone with God. In the quietness and stillness, I could hear myself sobbing and weeping, singing this song to God to affirm who He is in my life. There is really no place to run from His Love, There is really nothing I cannot do without Him. He is my constant refuge and my guide !

Even when things seem to be back to the normal, I could still hear this song is for me, for my life.


Here is the song, Refuge

ref·u·gee

ˌrefyo͝oˈjē/

noun

1. a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

   "tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes"

   synonyms:

   émigré, fugitive, exile, displaced person, asylum seeker; boat people "collecting blankets for the refugees"

Like a Refuge, God knows me intimately well enough to know that I needed him as my Refuge at that point in my life.

REFUGE by City Harvest Church Singapore

I sing a love song to You Lord
Every day, every night
Tell of Your goodness and mercy
Tell the world how You rescued me
Picked me up, from sin and shame
Your breath gives me new life

Where can I go from Your presence
Under Your wings I take refuge
Your Spirit lives within my heart
I know, we'll never be apart

Everyday, I draw closer to You Lord
I long to see Your face
And hide in Your embrace
All my life, dwelling in Your holy place
My heart O Lord You've changed
I'll never be the same

I found the Chinese translated version (words translated) of REFUGE on You Tube, unfortunately the song is not sung in Chinese but the lyrics translated into Chinese :-

演唱：City Harvest Church
歌名：避難所 Refuge

我向祢唱首愛的歌
Wo Xiang Ni Chang Shou Ai De Ge
I sing a love song to You Lord

每一天 每一夜
Mei Yi Tian Mei Yi Ye
Every day, every night

宣揚祢恩典與憐憫
Xuan Yang Ni En Dian Yu Lian Min
Tell of Your goodness and mercy

讓世界知道祢拯救我
Rang Shi Jie Zhi Dao Ni Zheng Jiu Wo
Tell the world how You rescued me

擦去我羞愧過去
Ca Qu Wo Xiu Hui Guo Qu
Picked me up from sin and shame

賜給我新生命
Ci Gei Wo Xin Sheng Ming
Your breath gives me new life


主我永遠不離開祢
Zhu Wo Yong Yuan Bu Li Kai Ni
Where can I go from Your presence

唯有祢是我避難所
Wei You Ni Shi Wo Bi Nan Suo
Under Your wings I take refuge

祢的聖靈居住在我心
Ni De Sheng Ling Ji Zhu Zai Wo Xin
Your Spirit lives within my heart

一生要緊緊跟隨祢
Yi Sheng Yao Jin Jin Gen Sui Ni
I know, we'll never be apart

※每一天我要更多親近祢
Mei Yi Tian Wo Yao Geng Duo Qin Jin Ni
Every day I draw closer to You Lord

渴望能見祢面 依偎在祢懷裡
Ke Wang Neng Jian Ni Mian Yi Wei Zai Ni Huai Li
I long to see Your face
And hide in Your embrace


我一生永不離開祢同在
Wo Yi Sheng Yong Bu Li Kai Ni Tong Zai
All my life
dwelling in Your holy place

我心因祢改變
Wo Xin Yin Ni Gai Bian
My heart O Lord you've changed

我不再像從前(X2)
Wo Bu Zai Xiang Cong Qian
I'll never be the same (X2)

.....................................

但我要歌頌你的力量，早晨要高唱你的慈愛；
因為你作過我的高臺，在我急難的日子作過我的避難所。
詩篇59:16

But I will make songs of your power;
yes, I will give cries of joy for your mercy
in the morning;
because you have been my strengthand
my high tower in the day of my trouble.
Psalms59:16


若有人在基督裡，他就是新造的人，
舊事已過，都變成新的了。
林後5:17


So if any man is in Christ,
he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end;
they have truly become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

影片製作：Priscilla

Mountain Kinabalu after 5 June 2015

In memory of our Mt Kinabalu before the quake :-

This video is entitled "Epic Mt Kinabalu Climb Via Ferrata Low's Peak Circuit with Aerial Footage on 19 May 2014" taken by a local professional videographer. 

If there is anything that I can be truly proud of, this the Mountain of my birthplace. Tall and majestic, every view takes your breath away. 

This video has the most details of the Mount Kinabalu Climb, the names of the pondok, waterfalls and places. Its a magical feeling to watch how others scaled the mountain. Such joyous triumphant of achievement ! 

^^^^^^^^ Mt Kinabalu before  5 June 2015 ^^^^^^^

Majestic and mysterious
Out stretched to the sky
Utterly wonderful piece of creation
Nothing compares to the beauty
Tall and magnificent
Absolutely inviting
Irresistible to leave
Nothing less than awesome

Kinabalu our prized trophy
Immersed in glorious beauty
Nothing can hide you forever
Aki Nabalu the resting place
Beacon of the people who live here
Aki Nabalu the souls' haven
Laid in eternal rest
Undeniably a profound mystery

This is one of the last few videos on YouTube before the Quake about the Mount Kinabalu Climb using GeoPro by a group from West Malaysia published on 27 March 2015.

******* Mt Kinabalu after the 5 June 2015 *******

Movement of fault lines 

Over fifteen tiny seconds 

Under a clear blue sky

Nothing prepare us for it

Tempest roared and shook the mountain

Aki Nabulu was shaken

In a while, the mountain was rocking

Never again the same

Kinabalu was awaken from her deep sleep

Inside the earth turmoils boiled 

Nothing like this ever told

Aki Nabalu was in great distress 

Bare earth has fallen mountain is scarred

Awaken with many nightmares untold

Lives so precious gone too soon

Unimaginable sorrows fill the land


In memory of our Mt Kinabalu before the quake :-

A Tribute to all those lost their lives on 5 June 2015.

Holy Spirit the Ultimate Google

A poem inspired by a sermon on the above title by Preacher Lo Yi Ping on 5 July 2015 when she explored on the topic of Revival.

Holy Spirit God Divine
One with God, Three in One
Loving us from the start
You alone our ultimate Google

Searching spiritual things of depth
Preparing the way of the Lord
Influencing us to live as child of God
Repentance of our sins
Into God's grace and mercy
Transformed from glory to glory


Written during sermon at 7:30 am English Service.