For years John had been somewhat of an irritant at church He was bad-tempered demanding and often rude He complained constantly about not being ldquo served rdquo well and about volunteers and staff not doing their job He was honestly hard to love So when I heard that he rsquo d been diagnosed with cancer I found it difficult to pray for him Memories of his harsh words and unpleasant character filled my mind But remembering Jesus rsquo call to love I was drawn to say a simple prayer for John each day A few days later I found myself [... more]

Growing up Sean knew little about what it meant to have a family His mother had died and his father was hardly home He often felt lonely and abandoned A couple who lived nearby however reached out to him They took him into their home and got their children to be ldquo big brother rdquo and ldquo big sister rdquo to him which gave him assurance that he was loved They also took him to church where Sean now a confident young man is a youth leader today Although this couple played such a key role in turning a young [... more]

Perhaps I shouldn rsquo t have agreed to join Brian on a run I was in a foreign country and I had no idea where or how far we would go or what the terrain would be like Plus he was a fast runner Would I twist an ankle trying to keep up with him What could I do but trust Brian because he knew the way As we started I got even more worried The trail was rough winding through a thick forest on uneven ground Thankfully Brian kept turning around to check on me and warn me of [... more]

Louise was a lively playful girl who brought smiles to all she met At the age of five she tragically succumbed to a rare disease Her sudden passing was a shock to her parents Day Day and Peter and to all of us who worked with them We grieved along with them Yet Day Day and Peter have found the strength to keep going When I asked Day Day how they were coping she said they drew strength from focusing on where Louise was mdash in Jesus rsquo loving arms ldquo We rejoice for our daughter whose time is up [... more]

Watching the morning crowd pour onto the train I felt the Monday blues kick in From the sleepy grumpy faces of those in the jam-packed cabin I could tell no one looked forward to going to work Frowns broke out as some jostled for space and more tried to squeeze in Here we go again another mundane day at the office Then it struck me that just a year before the trains would have been empty because COVID- lockdowns had thrown our daily routines into disarray We couldn rsquo t even go out for a meal and some actually missed [... more]

The introductory lesson on aikido a traditional Japanese form of martial arts was an eye-opener The sensei or teacher told us that when faced with an attacker our first response should be to ldquo run away rdquo ldquo Only if you can rsquo t run away then you fight rdquo he said seriously Run away I was taken aback Why was this highly-skilled self-defense instructor telling us to run away from a fight It seemed counterintuitive mdash until he explained that the best form of self-defense is to avoid fighting in the first place Of course When several men came [... more]

As a child Tenny felt insecure He sought approval from his father but he never received it It seemed that whatever he did whether in school or at home it was never good enough Even when he entered adulthood the insecurity remained He continually wondered Am I good enough Only when Tenny received Jesus as his Savior did he find the security and approval he rsquo d long yearned for He learned that God mdash having created him mdash loved and cherished him as His son Tenny finally could live with the confidence that he was truly valued and appreciated [... more]

While my classmates and I used to skip the occasional lecture in university everyone always made sure to attend Professor Chris rsquo lecture the week before the year-end exams That was when he would unfailingly drop big hints about the exam questions he rsquo d set I always wondered why he did that until I realized that Prof Chris genuinely wanted us to do well He had high standards but he would help us meet them All we had to do was turn up and listen so we could prepare properly It struck me that God is like that too [... more]

A group of workers were cutting ice out of a frozen lake and storing it in an icehouse when one of them realized he rsquo d lost his watch in the windowless building He and his friends searched for it in vain nbsp After they gave up a young boy who rsquo d seen them exit went into the building Soon he emerged with the watch Asked how he rsquo d found it he replied ldquo I just sat down and kept quiet and soon I could hear it ticking rdquo nbsp The Bible talks much about the value of [... more]