AIMS: The Book of Philippians

Thought this would be appropriate since we've been studying the book.. Come if you can, I'm sure it'll be a good complement to what we've been doing.

Carers

Hey cell! ^_^ I must say its and intriguing feeling to be part of a cell.And a very pleasant intriguing feeling at that ^_^ Anyway, just want to comment about an observation i had recently.



Last Sunday, on my way to church, i saw this woman gripping another, much older, woman as they boarded the bus some stops after mine. What attracted my attention (i normally just stone on bus trips and look at nothing in particular) was that the younger woman was constantly repeating actions for the other woman to follow. Like "step up", "put the coins in (the coin slot)", with every action repeated many times. Then i realise the older woman was moving very slowly not because her motor ability was impaired, but because she simply does not know what to do next, and even after being told the next step, had to be reminded within a few seconds because she had forgotten. I shall not try to conjecture the nature of the affliction because there are just too many cognitive degeneration which i am highly under qualified to pronounce, and it is not the main point.



What amazed me was the consistent patience with which the older woman was regarded.



Despite how tedious the repetitions may be, the tone had no hint of impatience (no i'm not kidding). Far from it. The enunciation were not even monotonous (as some repetitions end up being) but with gentle smiles and full of care, and if i may be romantic, even great compassion and love. People, it is easy to be patient for a few hours! A whole day may start to take its toll on us. But to do it consistently, with the knowledge that it will be this way for years to come, well..! I felt so humbled. At that point, a part of me wanted to go up and thank the younger woman for being such a joyful carer. Another reason is that everyone knows how tiring it is to be a care-giver, and how easy it would be to just give up. Although support groups for care-givers are available, i think there will be a greater boost in morale if people on the streets also understand and appreciate their efforts. But the more sane part of me realised that we were seated rather far apart; it would seem rather odd. And what would the older woman feel?



2 days ago, i saw the two of them again. This time the younger woman was helping the older woman up the stairs from Westmall. At first i couldn't believe I'd see them again, and so soon. Then i wondered if God gave me this chance because He knows i regretted not thanking the woman the last time. But i took too long to think. They walked past me as doubts about my own reaction start to surface. Should i have just thanked her? Was i thinking too much? :x



Anyway, even if i missed those opportunity, i shall make amends. I dedicate this entry to all of you who have to take care of others (which makes almost everyone actually XD). Hold on! I know its really tiring.. If you feel worn out, PLEASE talk to somebody or call for help. I quote an advertisement for care-givers (publicity really can be more -.-"): "Just because you care, doesn't mean you have to care alone." Sometimes just talking about it and seeing someone else understands what you are going through can take a huge load off your chest (a burden shared is a burden divided!) At other times, when the going gets even tougher, there are professional assistance available to be rendered UPON REQUEST. Ask and you'll receive. Or.. If you just want someone to talk to, can post a comment on this blog. I'll see how i can help. Tho i must warn that of cause i'm not 24hrs, unlike some of the care-givers association. And i cant promise to make things better (duh! I'm entirely untrained, and far from being God), but i'll try^_^ and there are many others in this cell who will be happy to help. Hehe.. Hope you guys don't mind me pulling you in :p

Announcements!

This is a happening week.. so get ready!!

Maundy Thursday (20 Mar 08)
Be in church by 8.15pm this Thursday, where we'll experience the Last Supper together, and our pastor will explain its true significance to us.

Fun @ ZM's
After "supper", we'll then proceed to watch movies, mess up, disturb the neighbours and crash (sleep over) at ZM's house... whoo!! So bring your PJs & sleeping bags. Joy will organize the snacks & DVDs to bring.

Cell Lunch this Sunday (23 Mar 08)!
We'll be heading to Bishan's Cafe Cartel this Sunday for lunch... Free bread!! Well, I'm not that great a fan, but you all seem to be. Heh.. anyway, gather at the foyer after service and we can head there together ya. Cyrus, meanwhile you might want to prepare your acc of your experiences in the US.

Memory Verse
Yes.. to mark the completion of the Book of Philippians, we've decided to take with us at least, a verse(s) from the book if nothing else. For those who weren't there, we've decided on:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

- Phil 3:13,14 -

So, yes... memorize!! We'll test each other at cell lunch.. hohoho.. Till we meet again.

The Trip Thus Far

Dear Cell,

Greetings from San Francisco! This is my 5th day in US. I have taken 5 planes in that time and I realise that I hate to fly. haha. I also realised that I cannot tell Caucasian and African American faces apart, and I often don't understand what they are saying. :D

I spent the first 3 days in Baltimore, Maryland, where Johns Hopkins University is. I was supposed to meet a friend somewhere but the hotel front desk got the place wrong and sent me to another location. So I ended up spending a day in Inner Harbor alone and visited a few places of interest. For those of you who don't know (myself included... :P) Baltimore has a very rich maritime tradition. There are ships there that look like they came out from the Pirates of the Carribean, like this chap here:

The USS Constellation

Pretty neat, huh? :) The JHU was spectacular in architecture. Very pretty place indeed. However, the school is situated in a rather downtrodden neighborhood. The student community there is quite heavily involved in doing good works, giving back to the society, which is a really good thing. I am quite impressed by their commitment, and may serioiusly consider the school.

I had some problems getting to my friend's place at San Francisco. Basically, he was a little late, my luggage came out late so I wasn't at curbside when he drove past, he parked his car too far away, got onto a wrong train, and his phone went flat. I waited in the airport for about 2 hours, and was just about to buy some internet credit (there is NO free internet access in ANY of the airports I've been to!) just to get in contact with him. It didn't help that I didn't have his number! :P You can imagine how scary it is to be in that position, in unfamiliar surroundings and largely uncontactable. Thank God that my friend appeared, just SECONDS before I spent 10USD for a ONE DAY internet access. Haha.

Well so I am now rather adjusted for the time zone but not the temperature. Remember how I always complain about places being too hot, and say that I prefer the cold? Well turns out that I don't quite like the cold either. Hehe.

Well that's all for now. My itenerary is still not set yet for the next 2 days, but I will be visiting Stanford University at some point. Keep me in prayer (especially for safety). I hope all is well back home. Miss going to church! :(

Cyrus

Creation Seminar - 26 Apr 08 Saturday, 7pm

I encourage all of you to attend this seminar... not just you, but your friends as well. Great opportunity to invite people who have qns or are just plain curious. Spread the word!!

If you wanna know more: http://creationontheweb.com/

Sola...

There are 2 concepts that came out of the reformation of the church in the 1500s (notably led by Martin Luther). One is Sola Fide. The other is Sola Scriptura. Basically, the first means "Faith alone" (with reference to Salvation). The second means "Bible alone" with reference to authority. Unfortunately, this had been a cause of conflict the Protestant church and the Roman Catholic church..

I have my own views of these 2 concept actually..

The issue regarding faith had been quite well talked about during our sermons on the book of James. Basically, Salvation is really Sola Fide, by Faith in Chirst alone. We talked about the Paul - James controversy, how Paul suggests that Salvation is only by Faith and how James talks about how Faith without works is dead. Then we reconciled it by saying that Paul is talking about the "roots" of salvation while James is talking about the "Fruits" of salvation. That is, it is only by Faith in Christ alone that saves - for it is purely by the work of Christ that we are saved. But as a result of this salvation, our salvation would be evident by the things we do. As such, if we do not have "works", then perhaps our "faith" is really non existent in the first place. In that sense, it is dead faith. CS Lewis says that he does not know how exactly it works out, but he knows that those who insists that Salvation is by Faith alone, would also insist that you do good works; while those who believe that you have to do good works, will also insist that you have faith. Somehow, both components are present and necessary.

The other issue is talked about less in church - that of authority. Now, for us as Protestants, we may not really understand what this "Traditions" is when the Catholics (and perhaps the Anglicans) talk about it. If I am not wrong, it is the church practices that are passed down, in a sense, orally, and not necessarily in scriptures. Please don't be too quick to reject that - all churches practice it in some extent or another. That is why we do similar things every week (praise and worship, announcements, communion, sermon), which may deviate from other churches. Another example will probably be the celebration of Christmas, which is of course, not found in scripture. Catholics do have a more extensive and structured tradition, safeguarded by Vatican(if I am not wrong), headed by the Pope. But the difference lies (I think) more in extent than practice.

And that is my stand on it. All Christians should have 3 sources of Spiritual authority. The First is the scriptures. The second is the leading of the Holy Spirit. And the third is the "Traditions" of the church (or the church authorities). And the guiding principle is that they must never contradict each other (won't it be strange?). For this reason, I think the clearest and probably most reliable is the scriptures, because the Written Word does not change (there may be interpretation issues, but these are less controversial than the other 2. Furthermore, interpretation issues actually pose less of a problem than widely thought of - I think). Yet, this is not to reject the other 2. Without the Holy Spirit's leading, we would find it hard to have a "relationship" with God. And without "Traditions", we are left to decide on our own what to do. These should be held in balance..

...

Well.. these are mainly opinions (not facts) la.. But anyway.. yup :)

AWTY

Maybe a short explanation about why AWTY... If you know, the previous cell blog which cyrus & I headed, which eventually became the cell group name was People in Transit (PIT). Guess it's a natural progression to ask "Are we there yet?" (like the annoying Donkey in Shrek).. Well, No! we're not there yet. I think we'd know if we were there, and wouldn't need blogs with silly names. Heh..

Anyway, I'm really pleased to be getting the opportunity to get to know all of you better and pray that our experiences together will be rich and full of life.. that when we do get "there" we'd be just like a real family. Cheers!!

Material stuff

They will eat but not have enough;
they will engage in prostitution but not increase,
because they have deserted the LORD...

Hosea 4:10 (NIV)

Such a terrible thing. We might as well have the sun rise up, and it be dark; or the water we drink to make us thirsty; or the friends we have that make us sad; or the work we do that make us poorer..

All because we do not put the Lord first.

Muse

Some systems are highly rigid.. Where people in it can decide what they want to do.. to a minimal extent. Supposedly that makes things more efficient. Doesn't it? When everyone does things with one purpose, then things get done.. But strangely, it doesn't work that way.. There are still much inefficiency.. Machines work this way better, because they are not thinking parts, they have no autonomy.. Program what you want, and they will do exactly as you command (assuming perfect commands la).

But humans.. I don't like such systems. Maybe its a personal dislike.. but autonomy is always nice to have.. I am quite glad the church emphasizes "unity" not uniformity.

Oh wells. Its a duty after all..

Yos

Yo yo yo to people ;) Hehe :) I am out for now until Saturday to collect results. So, just to say hi first :P

Peace to you