The crisis of our faith

The crisis of our faith today lies not in threats without but threats within.

Inside the secret corners of our heart, when we think we stand, we fall.

I write this to remind myself too.

This year has been a very fruitful year but yet a most heartbreaking one.

When faith becomes, "God, You will bless me in this, this and that. Because You love me, You will give me this, this and that."

God, You are my Santa Claus.

Honestly that's what I sense all around if God had not brought certain friends in my life to wake me up.

This is not what Jesus died on the cross for.

We even brought this prosperity "Gospel" to developing countries. We think money solves all problems. We are best in giving money, slack in training people to learn to fish for themselves.

It takes so much to empower and enable people in developing countries to create with their hands, work with their brain to get out of the poverty cycle.

Just give money. Easy, saves time and effort, makes us feel good instantaneously.

Pride. Our greatest enemy.

Even to write this takes effort.

To follow Christ is really hard. To invest time and effort in people is tiring because we do get hurt.

To obey God is the hardest because it is contrary to our flesh.

No one warned me it is this hard.

No one prepare me that my heart will break for people who don't even bother, for embryos, for the unborn, for the teens, for the Church, for our nation.

I thank God for exposing me to all these.

Because it is His heart that must take over.

Protect baby Jesus, protect our babies!

25th December is NOT the actual date of birth of our Lord Jesus Christ but hey, He was definitely born one day, 2,000 years ago, in a manger that symbolizes the messy world we live in today.

The birth of Jesus in a stable gives us great comfort. That means you and I who are not rich by the world's standards, are deeply understood by God who knows poverty. Poverty that surpasses material things but of the spirit.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5)

This year, I learnt more about Joseph, Jesus' earthly father and His earthly mother Mary. One saved Jesus from being killed by King Herod, another protected Him in her womb.

And so on that outreach to kids aged 6-14 years old, I told some of them, "You must protect the younger kids and those in the womb, ok?"

Our kids learn to protect the environment since young.
It is time, never too late, to teach them to protect their brothers and sisters. May we be found faithful in speaking up for those in oppression, in protecting the most vulnerable members of our society: our children.

Remember Jesus, remember His beloved! ❤
Go love our family!

Our Daily Bread: Gift of Grace

Lots of people are sharing about how depression caused the death of SHINee's Jonghyun's death.
I shall be thick-skinned to share again and again my story of life and hope against the curse of suicide!

1. Depression need not lead to suicide.

Through sufferings, we can grow and be more resilient. But I will be honest with you. Without God, recovery can be temporal and superficial. Because without God, we would be depending on our limited strength and we would depend on people with equally limited strength.

2. Please DO NOT say that it's courageous to commit suicide. It is MORE courageous to LIVE than to have a premature exit. It is hurting to a family who lost a loved one through the violence of suicide.

3. Depression is not a condition of aliens. It is as common as flu, yet it is real and you can't just snap out of it. God is the Healer, even as medicine gives temporal relief.

4. There's no beauty in melancholy. In my university days, I started being melancholic with a peer. It seemed beautiful to dig deep into the soul. That was the foothold to depression. Beauty is in the light of Jesus Christ.

https://www.facebook.com/ourdailybread/videos/10155675875690673/?hc_ref=ARQOVeuW82-lS0Dzev14_Hn18viK6pcaz4vxiWGs5RWVp1hJlw0NNHfOdjcJUzeh_gg

https://ourdailybread.org/no-one-is-useless/