Category: christianity

christianity, culture, faith, love, psychology, relationship

From A Dollar To Hundred Times Fold!

chicpencil

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 06:38 NIV

It is unknown to many that our third sibling battled cancer for the last two years. When our mother passed away last January, she casually told the rest of the siblings that she will will be next. It never occurred to my mind that her statement will happen. And so, be told.

In the hubris of our youth, death is a black mark that we don’t spoke of.  And to grieve is a parcel that all of us will receive. Death is part of life and the subject of grief normally caused numbness in the brain; a subject most people will deny.

As we succumb to the black hole with the passing of loved ones, hard as it may seem, God has always been there overseeing the process and ensuring that we will overcome the loneliness, anguish, and confusion.

It took a while before I realized and recall how God helped our family during the passing of our third sibling.

One benefit of compartmentalization is your ability not to cry nor show sadness to your customer as you receive the Facebook messages that your sibling passed away. I was in the middle of customer systems setup and testing when I learned about my sister’s passing. I hold on to my composure and waited few hours; burst my tears as soon as I reached the hotel.

A day after, I traveled back to Singapore. In the flight, I was seated with Caucasian married couple. There was a flight delayed due to one passenger who checked in with luggage and decided not to take the flight. The budget airline flight stewardess started to offer the drinks to us but it came with a fee.  The wife, who was having tough time understanding the Malaysian accent, mistakenly thought the drinks come free so she ordered coffee. The husband was asleep at that time. As the flight stewardess asked for payment, the wife was astounded. The husband awoke and started to look for Malaysian Ringgit only to find out that they were short of currency. Alternatively, the flight stewardess advised them that they can pay with Singapore Dollars. As they started to look for another set of currency, they started to panic. They were only a dollar short.

I spoke to the stewardess and handed her a dollar. The sheepish couple started their argument until I told them not to think about it. It’s part of traveling to foreign countries. Some practices we’re not used to; we will pick it up along the way.

The couple’s name was Dave and Misti, both Americans but relocated to Italy due to Dave’s work. As we’ve started our descend to Singapore, the three of us started to talk about so many topics. They wanted to treat me at Starbucks Coffee, but I have to declined as my husband will be waiting for me at Changi Airport. We had very good discussions and laughter; an experience I’m grateful as it let my mind off from grieving.

Couple of days later, we had our Moriah AG caregroup scheduled. I decided not to attend and have requested our caregroup to pray for my sister’s eternal repose. It’s better to isolate and seek God; a moment grieving people need the most. My sister’s passing was painful to us but the deep cut went to her family – her husband and her children some of them are still in primary school. My brother in law supported my sister all through out and battling cancer back home can immediately wipe out savings and assets if you’re not covered with proper insurance. My brother in law’s properties were mostly gone and our siblings can’t help much in the interment as we’re just recovering financially from our mother’s hospitalization and interment expenses.

The following day me and my husband Gnex attended our church service with Moriah AG. To my surprised, one of our caregroup brothers talked to me and handed me a white envelope with our caregroup’s condolence money for my sister’s family. Flabbergasted with teary eyes, I thanked my caregroup for being there. It meant so much for my sister’s family; not only for the interment finances but also to the kid’s allowances as they’re still schooling.

In the end, God proved His faithfulness and showed His mercy to our family during difficult times.

Ever grateful. Ever thine. Ever loved.

From a dollar to hundred times fold.

Til next time. Au revoir.

christianity, culture, faith, life, relationship, society

Life Or Death Or Exodus: Christians at the Middle East

chicpencil

A call to public!

A benevolent tears from fellow Christians!

A call for prayers.

 

When me and my husband were on our way back to Singapore from my Penang consulting assignment, I decided to get a Time magazine for April 21, 2014 issue. In the flight I was digesting the reason why I bought the magazine:

                                                                          Credits: Time Magazine: http://www.time.com

 I immediately flicked my fingers to the article that caught my attention. And sure enough, I can’t help not to be teary when I started to read the article. Our Christian brothers and sisters in northern Syria are on utmost distress. Faith, which is supposed to give comfort to the human soul are now tormenting them. For them, being a Christian would require paying 650 Syrian pounds as protection (Baker 2014). It can only be equivalent to USD 4, but when there is no stable economic resources, even this can be tantamount to huge amount for people living in the war zone. If they cannot pay, it can only mean conversion to Islam or face the consequences through the sword (Ibid.). While a number of Christian population have fled the region, those who were left behind are facing the fear of giving their lives or an ‘exodus’ of their faith when the economic tides are low. I often ponder,

Just how deep is our Christian faith that we’re willing to give our lives and die for Christianity?

How far would you go?

photo 1                                                                      Credits: Time Magazine: http://www.time.com

Here’s a call for prayers. A call for all denominations of Christianity. Roman Catholics. Eastern and Oriental Orthodox. Protestants. Anglicans. Pentecostals. Independent Churches. And all other denominations that I haven’t name due to my limited knowledge of Christian study and history.

Let’s pray for our Syrian Christian brothers and sisters. Let’s pray for all our brothers and sisters in the Middle East facing the crossroads of retaining their lives or die in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That God would defend them from the hands of corrupt Muslims and Islam extremist.

Islam is a religion of peace. It’s only when human take matters into their hands through a twisted ideology and hunger for power comes the extreme group which aims to justify the use of violent Jihad. Requesting our Muslim friends to help us pray that Christian lives in Syria would be spared from monetary obligations and tyranny.

 

Reference article from Time Magazine dated April 21, 2014 – Unholy Choices by Aryn Baker.

 

Til next time.

Au revoir.

 

 

 

 

christianity, culture, faith, life, love, photography, relationship, singapore, society

Walk by Faith. Walk by Moriah.

chicpencil

We often wondered the existence of God.

How spiritual are we?

How can our emotions linked to our spirituality?

Why is it that positive people have the most fruits and happiness? While the opposite lives on angst and depression?

Why does our decision and judgement affects not only our lives but also of others?

Why do our lives intertwine?

Like a child, we asked humongous questions until we see ourselves in that breaking-free ultimate question,

WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?

At first, I thought of correlating faith with Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. And that religion will only play role on a person’s love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization phases of life. Until I proven myself wrong.

In this walk of journey I’ve seen a lot of wealthy, career, and successful business people who still feels empty. Some achieved success in their younger years; while others passed their mid-life and still on ‘catch 22’ in building their dreams. While the irony of all is that people living below the middle-class possess more happiness. They are more grateful for small gestures that they receive.

One thing we can’t deny is the linkage of spirituality to God’s existence. Happy people at most keep constantly thanking God for all the blessing He bestowed upon them. While struggling people still awaits for their experience with God. Waiting that God will awe them in wonders. While others does not believe in God’s existence.

Interestingly, Pew Research Center on Religion reported approximately 84% of the world’s population in 2010 believes in God based on their religious affiliations. The remaining population on the other hand have either neglect the idea that there is God and others have decided to abandon the notion and turn up to irreligion.

One admiration I have for Singapore is the freedom to express religion or faith due to its cultural diversity. Here in Singapore the common religions are: Christians, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist. On another perspective it attracts the foreigners – immigrants mentality to move to a country where their religion is openly spoken. It gives them the sense of belonging.

I started attending Moriah Assembly of God (one of the Christian churches of Singapore) early 2012 while me and husband were still dating. A small community of Christians where the walk of faith is rather intimate. The community knows each other and the essence of  caregroups give more intimacy to the faith. My husband and I believes we all belong to a church. It’s just a matter of time to find your church. And we both felt it; we both belong to Moriah.

With our busy schedules, we do our best to attend the church service; caregroup, and other means of fellowships. Needless to say, Moriah church played a big role to our marriage and now our married life. I reborn my Christian faith in Moriah; and during our wedding ceremony, our Moriah family helped us and our Pastor Simon officiated our wedding.

As we grow, age, and continue our walk of life, we need a church. We need a church family that will walk with us in growing our faith and experience God in our lives. Experience God, experience Jesus, experience the Holy Spirit.

Last June 2013 I attended my very first church camp through Moriah in Phuket Thailand. With God’s financial blessings, me and my husband able to listen and further grown our faith through the church.

Our Moriah family. Church camp 2013 in Phuket, Thailand

My husband with our youth Amanda

While the kids were busy admiring the beauty of nature..

The camp is very active.

And the kids are attentive to the game masters..

We were divided to teams where camaraderie starts to kick in!

Excellent service! Where we held our camp…

Our Moriah Youths graced us with their talents for dancing…

The fun and laughter where all generation gaps were forgotten..

And here’s another one..

Our youths happy faces..

A game is a competition regardless of age.. Uncle Alan showing off with his moves..

The church camp may have last only for few days but what we’ve learned and experienced was a leap of faith. Science cannot disprove God’s existence. The more we resist spirituality, the more unhappy we become.

Leading back to our question, What is your purpose in life? It’s simply being happy. But we dragged ourselves in societal norms and rat-race competition that we wined up living a complicated and overstretch life. We forget to appreciate the beauty of nature and the people surrounding us. We stopped growing personally and spiritually.

If you want to be happy, start putting smile in your face when you wake up each morning. Paired it up with a silent gesture of giving ‘Thanks!’. I always believe that we could have just died in our sleep but God gave us another morning to be with our loved ones. Accept that you cannot control life and you need God to be with you. If you have a Christian friend whom you have constantly rejected the invitation, why not give it a chance?

If you’re a fellow Christian and feels hungry for God’s words, you can always open your stashed and dusty Bible in your home. Alternatively, through smart phones, electronic Bible are in various digital application stores –> the word of God is always within reach.

As for me and my husband, our faith, like our lives… is a constant journey. We’re walking by faith. And we’re walking by Moriah.

As we wanted to share it to everyone, if you feel the need to be connected to a church, feel free to join us in our worship every Sunday in Golden Village Cinema, Vivo City, Harbourfront Singapore from 10AM – 12PM.

Til next time. Au revoir.

christianity, culture, faith, life, love, relationship

“God will provide”

chicpencil

Disclaimer: This article is a living testimony of how God provides as we put our faith and trust in Him. This article do not insinuate negativity towards the entities mentioned in this blog.

My hubby Gnex and I just attended our caregroup session (Moriah Assembly of God) last saturday. We had a very interesting discussion.

Faith in God leads to trust and obedience. Three key words complementing each: Faith, trust, and obedience towards God.

We’ve shared our own testimony which happened recently:

After my hubby and I got married on my birthday, it is to our hearts intent to stay in my husband’s workplace. Teen Challenge has been an instrument for us to meet, started our dating, and later on settled down. My hubby Gnex has a biggest bond with Teen Challenge, God’s ministry close to his heart. It is where he started anew, it is where God touched his heart and reformed, it is where we had our Christian wedding ceremony.

We professed our intention to be living staff to Teen Challenge; that I can stay with my husband while he’s serving the ministry. We prayed that our heart’s desire will be granted. After series of conversation in different forms, we finally had the response. Our request to stay in Teen Challenge was declined. We were never informed of the reason. Our hearts were crushed.

Christmas of 2012 came. With our low morale, we decided to accept things as they are and searched for our rental space. We took it as a message that ‘This is what God wants. And so be it Lord.’

Christmas is all about giving and sharing our blessings. Instead of lingering towards what happened, we decided to serve God and shared our blessings to the residents of Teen Challenge. My husband’s passion is to serve the people. We had the Christmas pot-luck, thanks to other fellow staffs who contributed and the residents experienced their exchange-gifts. We felt happy and fulfilled in the end. I remember telling my husband, “This Christmas I missed my family; but the emptiness was fulfilled by seeing the residents happy.”

After Christmas we were busy hunting for our own rental space. As the Singapore property market is a big boom, the rental space has tremendously increased as well. We were faced with the challenge of finding the fund for the first set of cash out – the deposit, the advance, the agent’s fee. We have to be practical, we have just got married; most of our cash flows were out. I saw my husband spending late nights to scout for affordable room rental which will fit our budget while I was busy with work as we were on year end closing for 2012. We didn’t manage to find a room rent. We grew tired and weary; and so we leave it all to God. We took a break and rested.

Out of no-where a miracle happened. God blessed and provided us with a room-rental which we considered to be affordable as compared to others. And God blessed and provided us with the fund as well to pay for everything – the deposit, the advance, and the agent’s fee. Very unexpected, truly a blessing.

True enough, God see and help us through. No matter what circumstances it is, God is always there to help and guide us.

Our friends, we hope that our simple testimony will provide enlightenment to your life. It maybe simple but the most important point is your truly reliance to God in everything that you do.

In the upcoming days, we will be settled to our rental place.

And now, whenever we feel doubt, we always give the affirmation that ‘No worries, as long as our hearts are in-lined with God; God will provide and God will see and help us through.’

After truly relying to God, obeyed, strengthen our trust and faith, we started to see God’s blessings in uncountable ways.

Til next time..Au revoir..

christianity, culture, faith, life, love, relationship

Of Faith. Of Hope. Of Love.

chicpencil

I started drafting this article last February 14, 2012. I’d like to talk love as suits the occasion of Valentine’s day. I’m always mesmerized of my parents love story. So my Valentine’s day is always dedicated to my parents. Second to the fact that it also falls on my mother’s natal day.

February 14th is a scheduled date with Gnex. Sadly, he fell sick. We barely knew each other that time. However, there is an attraction and chemistry. That we can’t deny.

I tried to finish the article.. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t able to. Like any artist, I wasn’t inspired. I didn’t have my muse.

Life went on as usual. I was succumb to the mundane of life and busy schedule. Gladly, Gnex stayed. We started to get to know each other better. And we didn’t stop. We decided to have faith. We decided to place God in the midst.

Love as they say is as perennial as the grass. That’s according to my favorite Poem – Desiderata.

Love grows in unexpected places…

love is always a surprise….

its a treasure to be found..

it’s a gift to embrace…

~ Chic Pencil

I held on to my faith. I held on to God I know. I followed where I was leading to.

Gnex surprised me. He did surprise me a lot. It started as a friendship, getting to know each other, dates,  and it grew… We followed where God is bracing us to… We never questioned, we were always grateful and appreciative.

As we walk on to the next road of our relationship, we have our hands clasps together. There will always be winds that will try to change the course. However, we have God that will calm the sea during its storm.

And finally, I can finish this article. With tears of joy in my eyes, I can publish it and share it with family and friends.

It all started with FAITH by placing God in the midst.. Relying to God’s hands and believing His will.

It’s followed with HOPE. And to never giving up.

And it ended up with LOVE…

Of faith. Of hope. and Of Love.

Love is patient love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 corinthians 13:4-7

And lastly… to the love of my life…

I love you Gnex…

A Blessed Lenten season to my fellow Catholics and Christians in faith…

Til next time. Au revoir.

christianity, faith, life, relationship, singapore, society

A Visit to Teen Challenge Singapore

chicpencil

Singapore has been known as the fast-moving cosmopolitan in South East Asia. High rise buildings, non-stop trains and buses, and people hurrying up to report to work in the mornings are but the usual scene.

Aside from Singapore’s reputation for being the cleanest city, the country is also famous for security where crime rates are very minimal.

It is not surprising to see Singapore in the 2nd Rank of Global Competitiveness Report from World Economic Forum. From the last year’s 3rd place, the country has overtook Sweden. Though there are a lot of criteria for the said competitiveness rankings; as a resident in Singapore, what’s visible in the naked eye is the country’s initiatives in making Singapore an attractive habitat for the best talents.

Within the buzzing city of Singapore, is the habitat for the different cluster of citizen. The said cluster are those who need understanding, those who need another hand to continue living, those who were hurt like us, and those who need forgiveness from us.

With a very hectic schedule, I was invited by Gnex to come and visit the church service in Teen Challenge Singapore. It was the very nourishment I need with all the concurrent happenings in my life.

Nothing’s more important than hearing God’s words.

So I agreed and went to visit Teen Challenge. It is located outside the central business district – in Boon Lay district.

Teen Challenge Dare Center is a drug and rehabilitation facility. The mission of the organization is to transform the lives of individuals having been addicted to substance or alcohol and restore them back to being the law-abiding citizen and continue living to Singapore society.

It was quite a distant from the city but it was worth the travel. When I reached the place, the folks (residents, staff, and management) are still playing football in the field. While waiting for Gnex, I decided to take a little tour of the area.

The said facility is a calm and quiet place which gives the individual the opportunity to reflect just about anything. Once a primary school, the facility has been transformed to cater the needs of residents who need the nourishment for the soul.

Front office and waiting area.

Residents of Teen Challenge whether walk ins and those mandatory would undergo a program designed by the organization.

I must say I’m impressed with the facility of Teen Challenge. Staff are warm and friendly. With a smile in the face, I met Mr. Dave Chai, the center director of Teen Challenge.

A snapshot of the center’s programs and activities.

Finally, the church service began. Interestingly enough, the church is located inside the center’s facility.

Prepping for the service.

I was fortunate enough to hear Reverend Jim from Teen Challenge’s headquarter who delivered the service that night.

 Singing praises through the worship songs.

 

Worship songs in Mandarin.

The church service was insightful and reflective. It was a very good experience.

It is often that we get swayed by the mundane aspects of life. To gain a different perspectives of life we have to look at our brothers and sisters who need our understanding and support.

Like any ordinary being, the residents of Teen Challenge have undergone hurt and betrayal too. However it is not our position to judge but rather understand  them by giving them second chances.

All comes from Him and all is through HIM…

 For more information about Teen Challenge, please visit their website:

http://www.teenchallenge.org.sg/

Til next time. Au revoir.

christianity, culture, faith, germany, history, india, life, love, oman, photoblog, photography, relationship, salalah, singapore, society, travelblog

Expressions

chicpencil

Different faces.
Different places.
Different representations.

People I met.
People I treasured.
People I cared for.
People I found.

Some left.
Some stayed.
Some returned.

One thing I won’t forget is they allowed me to see them in the lens of my camera.

Memories.

Expressions.

In my journey in life.

~ Chic Pencil

Few of my snaps from different places, faces, travels and art.

Exposure: 1/3200 sec. F/4.0. Focal 34 mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: Jawohl! My cousin on his dunk moves. Gutersloh, Germany. 2009.

Exposure: 1/25 sec. F/4.5. Focal 70 mm. ISO 800. Nikon D200. Title: ONE. My best buddy and his wife on their wedding ceremony. New Delhi, India. 2009.

Exposure: 1/80 sec. F/4.5. Focal 24mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: Growl. He was playing with me during our road trip to Hamburg, Germany. 2009.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/3.0. Focal 19 mm. ISO 800. Nikon D200. Title: Mood! One of my bestfriends in life. In his dancing mood. New Delhi, India. 2009.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/3.8. Focal 38 mm. ISO 800. Nikon D200. Title: Graceful. I called her my baby sis in India. She dances gracefully. New Delhi, India. 2009.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/4.0. Focal 38 mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: Dad & Son. Gutersloh, Germany. 2009.

Exposure: 1/90 sec. F/4.5. Focal 70 mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: Stunt! Taken at Movie Park, Bottrop Germany. 2009.

Exposure: 1/20 sec. F/4.0. Focal 45 mm. ISO 800. Nikon D200. Title: Nasi Goreng. Singapore, 2009.

Exposure: 1/45 sec. F/8.0. Focal 27.9 mm. ISO 400. Fujifilm FinePix S5500. Title: Two-gether. Taken at New Jersey, USA. 2005.

Exposure: 1/680 sec. F/5.6. Focal 5.7 mm. ISO 64. Fujifilm FinePix S5500. Title: Nation’s Pride, The Petronas Twin Towers. Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, 2006.

Exposure: 1/800. F/4.5. Focal 34 mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: Melanie. My baby sis in Germany. Taken at Cologne, Germany. 2009.

Exposure: 1/60. F/4.5. Focal 50 mm. ISO 640. Title: Innocent Grin. New Delhi, India. 2009.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/4.5. Focal 17 mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: 1001 Meaning. New Delhi, India. 2009.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/3.8. Focal 38 mm. ISO 400. Nikon D200. Title: Lovely smiles. Gutersloh, Germany. 2010.

F/3.2. Focal 4.9 mm. Nokia E71. Title: Comprende? Taken at Movie Park, Bottrop Germany. 2009.

X-res 72 dpi. Y-res 72 dpi. Rim Blackberry 9700. Title: Windy at Jebel Samhan. Salalah Oman. 2010.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/5.6. Focal 78 mm. ISO 400. Nikon D200. Title: Confidence. My eldest brother. Salalah Oman. 2010.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/4.5. Focal 40 mm. ISO 400. Nikon D200. Title: Mother & Son. Gutersloh, Germany. 2009.

 

Exposure: 1/20 sec. F/4.5. Focal 55mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: Her Eyes. New Delhi India. 2009.

Exposure: 1/100sec. F/4.0. Focal 50mm. ISO 800. Nikon D200. Title: Simply happy. A wedding made in India. New Delhi. 2009.

Exposure: 1/4 sec. F/5.6. Focal 120mm. ISO 500. Nikon D200. Title: The Bride’s Makeup. Singapore. 2013.

Exposure: 1/45 sec. F/4.5. Focal 33mm. ISO 1600. Nikon D200. Title: The Bride’s Hair. Singapore. 2013.

Exposure: 1/13 sec. F/5.3. Focal 50mm. ISO 1600. Nikon D200. Title: Surprises. Singapore. 2013.

Exposure: 1/20 sec. F/3.2. Focal 4.9mm. ISO 800. Nikon Coolpix S3000. Title: Attention. Philippines. 2014.

Exposure: 1/8 sec. F/5.6. Focal 12mm. ISO 500. Nikon D200. Title: Gnex & Harini. Singapore. 2013.

Exposure: 1/8 sec. F/5.6. Focal 11mm. ISO 500. Nikon D200. Title: Dad in-law’s birthday gift. Dad in-law’s 65th. Singapore 2013.

Exposure: 1/60 sec. F/3.8. Focal 38mm. ISO 320. Nikon D200. Title: The Innocent Cry. Gutersloh, Germany. 2010.

Exposure: 1/125 sec. F/5.6. Focal 70mm. ISO 400. Nikon D200. Title: Me and the gracious ladies. Salalah, Oman. 2010.

Exposure: 1/8 sec. F/3.0. Focal 21mm. ISO 800. Nikon D200. Title: Sultan Al Qaboos Mosque. Salalah, Oman. 2010.

Exposure: 1/750sec. F/5.0. Focal 50mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: Here they come! A unique brewery! Hamburg, Germany. 2009.

Exposure: 1/15 sec. F/4.5. Focal 17mm. ISO 640. Nikon D200. Title: The Cathedral. Cologne, Germany. 2009.

Exposure: 1/500 sec. F/11. Focal 62mm. ISO 400. Nikon D200. Title: Let’s finish the job. Workers at the ruins of Queen Sheba’s palace (Remember King Solomon in the Bible?). Salalah, Oman. 2010.

Exposure: 1/40 sec. F/3.3. Focal 26mm. ISO 1600. Nikon D200. Title: Family party @ Germany. 2010.

Til next time. Au revoir.