Hard Love

Saw/heard this about 1 month back:
"Suppose 2 persons get to know 1000 persons on average in a lifetime, the chances of meeting each other is 1 in 100,000. So what are the chances of them falling for each other?? Perhaps we have never seriously thought how hard it is for two persons to be in love... and for two persons to stay committed for life is even harder to come by."

Church is now doing a series on 1 John. I was reminded that the mark of God's believers is the test of love. It was not surprising to keep hearing Pastor C emphasizing on loving your brothers.. loving people, for most parts of this year. Having the knowledge of the truth and God's word, the most difficult part is for us to live it out in our lives.

To love - easier said than done. How often do we only look out for our own self interest and gain? How do we treat our loved ones? Do you regard yourself better than others? How often do we think others have wronged us whilst we have been angels to them? Do we only love those who are lovable?

The Lovables
Isn't baby D cute? Who won't melt at seeing him? Its easy to love someone as cute as baby D, easy to love nice people, good-looking people, people who are fun to be with.

I am guilty of not loving the unlovables. Someone I know and dislike, has passed away from a heart attack a few days ago. His death was quite an irony (but I shall not elaborate further lest I disclose his identity). Some were not saddened by his sudden demise, but some others were sad that it happened so suddenly for someone who was not that old. I was shocked and had a few seconds of disbelief when I saw the obituary on the papers. Although I don't like him, I was still very surprised by his sudden death.

Honestly I was not the only one who found it difficult to love this man. I know its too late but now that he is not around, I wonder how I could have been more loving. I am not close to him enough to love him in the romantic ways or even show him any acts of love. But I suppose by not complaining to others about him could have been one way of being loving... and that has to begin with the heart of loving.

There are many examples of people whom I can quote that I find them difficult to love. I don't declare to be able to love them all from this instant moment. But I pray that I can begin bit by bit to be loving. I too, a sinner, but God loved me so much. If I truly understood the gospel, I must pass the love test.

In Our Relationships
Pastor specifically mentioned the marriage relationship. When we find it difficult to love our spouses "He/she is so... (fill in a negative word), how can I possibly live with him/her? How can I love him/her?" Like the quote at the beginning of this entry, it is becoming more difficult for people to stay in their marriages and not calling it quits. Do we then give up loving our spouses, seek a divorce and look for someone else to love? Chances are, we will also find it difficult to love the next person in other ways.

In Christian marriages, we do not "move on" to find someone better but we "hold on"... just as the marriage vow "for better or for worse, till death do us part".

In our relationships with each other, do we put the other person before ourselves, putting the other's needs above ours? Do we go our way out to "love until we bleed"? If our love is not reciprocated/appreciated, we still carrying on loving risking our own interests?

Only Jesus has demonstrated that love perfectly. We can only model after his love and trusting that we can give that love, not by our own but with His strength and His love.

Ministerial Love
I have also been recipient by others' of acts of love. M has been cooking yummy-licious dinner for the DG for the past 3 weeks and there's more to come. Time and effort put in to cook enough to feed 8-10 hungry people each week.

R also opened up his house and his wife cooked us a simple yet delicious 4-course lunch for my music team. Their humility and love has blessed the team as we fellowship and get to know one another on top of the time that we usually spent practising music and serving at Sunday services.

Food is not the only avenue that people do to show their love. I am also greatly encouraged by people who have been using their cars to minister to others without cars - going all the way out to ferry people from one location to another. I am also blessed by my "Transport Minister" after DG ends late at night :)

Loving God
John reminds us in 1 John 2, that we are to say no to the world and its ways. "Do not love the world or anything in the world" (2:15) We are to say "yes" to God and to continue to believe in Jesus Christ. We are to reject the antichrists (2:18-23) who distract us from God and tempts us with another gospel or anything more than the gospel.

We are reminded to remain in Christ, in the word that we first believe - the gospel, so that nothing can make us insecure abotu Christ. We cannot love the world and love God together at the same time. Love for God and love for the world are mutually exclusive. We have to choose - love God or love the world (world meaning worldliness - cravings of sinful man, lust of this eyes and boasting of what he has)?

LOVE - a word easy to spell but not easy to act on. Remembering how God first loved us and by His grace, may we continue to love...

Taxi Talk

Early this morning, I took a cab from home to church. The morning, not-fully-awake syndrome left me half dazed. I am thinking how to perk myself up to backup sing for service and how I should sing the song item...

For a Sunday hazy morning, Taxi Uncle was very chirpy. "Good morning! Where do you want to go?" I told him where I was heading and the instructions for the route (being a driver myself, I know the best, fastest and cheapest way to get to your destination :p). Taxi Uncle replied me with a happy and delightful-sounding "Sure mdm! No problem!"

(After some distance) Taxi Uncle: 你这么早，去church吗？
Me: 是的
(I returned to my half-awake mood, thoughts drifting away...)
(Some time later, 3 minutes to my destination, uncle asked me for the exact road that I wanted to take to my destination.) Taxi Uncle: 我很熟这里
Me: 你住靠近这里？
Taxi Uncle: 哦，没有啦。我住East.
(A few seconds of pause)
Taxi Uncle: 我的孩子叫我去他们的church.今天他们的church 有xxx(name of Taiwanese singer) 和 xxx (name of Tainanese DJ working in Singapore)去那里。
Me: Uncle, 你是基督徒吗？
Taxi Uncle: 我? 我不是.我是free thinker.

(I recalled Rust's taxi incident with Mr Chua. I turned to look at the name of Taxi Uncle. Coincidentally, his surname is Chua too! Is it the same Mr Chua? There are so many people with the surname of Chua. But Rust took a cab with a "black door". Mine was a blue door ;))

Me: Uncle, 为什么你不要跟你的孩子去他们的church? 跟他们去啦!
Taxi Uncle Chua: 哎呀,我们驾taxi 的,很难说去就去的.
Me: Uncle, 我church的华文团契,今天有一个中秋节庆祝活动. 有月饼吃,还有的猜灯谜. 如果等一下大概九点你有进过这里,不妨来参加?
Taxi Uncle Chua: 很难讲... 看怎么样先... 我的孩子叫我回家载他们去.可是如果我在West, 很难go all the way下去载他们.
Me: 去啦... 回家载他们, 然后跟他们一起去church啦!

For those who don't understand our Mandarin conversation, Taxi Uncle told me that his children invited him to their church today as there were some special guests from Taiwan at their service. I suppose it is an evangelistic service... Uncle says its difficult for taxi drivers like them to decide if they can go because they have to earn a living. I invited him to my church's Mandarin Ministry's outreach event this morning where there are mooncakes, testimony sharing and fellowship but he was non-commital. I later encouraged him to go home to pick his children to send them to their church and he can go along with them too!

I soon arrived at my destination. As I was conversing with Uncle Chua, I prayed for him to have an opportunity to hear the gospel.... pray that his children will share with him and that he will be open to listen and accept Jesus Christ as His personal Saviour. Uncle Chua seems very open to the gospel, except that he was a bit hesitant of how it will affect his life and lifelihood.

One more "Mr Chua" to pray for... I was glad that I was not totally dazed out and had the opportunity to encourage Uncle Chua to attend church so that he can hear and know the gospel. Taxi conversations can be opportunities for us to share and proclaim the good news, isn't it? :)

5 Days Countdown...

... to Mid-Autumn Festival aka Mooncake Festival (中秋节）, which falls on the 6 October this year. The festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calender. Although there is a legendary story of Chang-Er, with her rabbit and the moon, for many of us its just the mooncakes that we enjoy :)

In Singapore, there are many types of mooncakes available. Many Chinese restaurants and big hotels have come up with their specialty mooncakes. Ice cream mooncakes are available from Swenson's or Haagen Dazs. At Ngee Ann City Shopping Centre, there are many stalls selling mooncakes where you can sample from the first stall to the last stall. The amount that you sample can probably make it to one meal of the day! Open the credit card promotion brochures and you will find at least 10 places where you can have discount when you purchase it with your credit card. I think no where else in the world can you find so many types of mooncakes. Would someone please register us for the World Guinness Book of Records?

Just between home and office, I have tried mooncakes from 8 different restaurants/sources in the last one week:

My sister's boyfriend gave us this from Raffles The Plaza Hotel. His company tied up with the hotel for mooncakes and he was given 2 boxes of this. I like the box, which is like a red cheongsam with the chinese buttons. The box opens up where buttons are.

The inscription 莱 on the mini mooncake means that the mooncake is from 莱佛士 (Raffles) 广场大酒店 (Plaza Hotel). This is white lotus paste with one yolk and... some nut (erm, I don't know what nut is that...)

Sis's boyfriend bought another box from 东海 Teochew Restaurant. Imagine a triangle shape that is rounded at the 3 corners.... the mooncakes come in that shape. There are 3 types in it - green tea snow skin with green tea paste, white snow skin with white lotus paste and yellow snow skin with... (the yellow ones are not eaten yet so I don't know what paste it comes with. I have ruled out durian because there is no smell of durian) The unique thing is that in each mooncake, the core is not egg yolk but chocolate!

大中国 is a shop in Chinatown where they specialises in traditional style. Every Chinese New Year, there will be a long queue of people willing to queue up for their barbeque pork. Dad bought a couple to try. I have not tried it but there is only 1 of it left at home now...

I bought one box of white lotus with macadamia nuts (夏果莲蓉）from Tung Lok (同乐）Restaurants. A good friend of mine works in the Group and I got staff discount from her. I like the macadamia nuts in the mooncake. Am gonna get another box of white snow skin with white lotus and single yolk tomorrow. I love white snow skin mooncakes :)



My sister just bought some Hainanese mooncakes （海南月饼）. Being a Hainanese, perhaps its nice to try mooncakes of my origins. The size of the mooncake is slight bigger than other 'normal' ones and they are thinner too. I have not tried any at this moment.

My colleague was given a box of walnut tarts with white lotus seed paste from Harbour City Restaurant (picture on right, right bottom). Although the inside of the mooncake is the same usual white lotus paste, the outer skin of baked skin with walnut gives a different taste to the otherwise-normal mooncake. I like this too!

Others that I have tried but have no photos of... a coffee cheese mooncake, coffee paste and with cheesecake-like paste in the core. It is quite interesting to try. But after a few more bites, I figured that I prefer coffee cheesecake or tiramisu anytime! Some colleagues brought back a box of mooncakes from Shanghai. Erm... let's just say we better stick to those we can find in Singapore ;)

It is better to have mooncakes with some chinsese tea so that you won't feel too rich. Some people have it with pomelo too but I hardly see this nowadays. Well, eat all you can but make sure you exercise to shed all the calories..... ;o