Blazing with Rach!

My last week of the year 2014 would be from 22 -28 December.  I have been a home-body this week. Got all dressed up on 24 December to attend church service and the taxi-driver couldn't pick me up at the last minute.   His story:  the police up the road had detained him and were taking their time looking at his papers.   My thought:   "Poor guy, I hope he makes it home early enough to celebrate with his extended family.  You see, he had planned a Christmas Eve dinner with his family". My own reaction about not being able to participate in church service:  Disappointment which turned quickly to acceptance.  No worries. 25 December was really quiet - just me, God and a whole lot of peace.  That's what God promised when one accepts His Son, Jesus (romans 5: 1).  With the peace, there was a whole lot of joy.  Inevitable isn't it - joy in His Presence (Psalm 16:11).  My house in Honduras has nothing Christmassy about it -...

My helper Noella invited me to her church last Sunday.  Iglesia de Dios Olympica was re-dedicating herself to the Lord.  What a celebration it was!  The children, youths and adults celebrated with only one thing on their minds:  Sumergeme En Tu Gloria! Immerse me in Your Glory! It was a long taxi ride for me but I am glad that I accepted this invitation.  This church which still needed some paint was packed.  Everybody worked to make things happen.  The pastor was very humble. I was impressed with their children's ministry - they had a children's worship team and began the service; a seven-year-old was the intercessor and a five-year-old decked in a suit preached from Acts 2: 17 with authority and power!   Acts 2:  17  And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dr...

Thanksgiving is really an American holiday.  And I have too many American friends and non-American friends who celebrate Thanksgiving.  So, here's wishing you all a season of blessedness. Increasingly though, and even in Honduras, the season of commercialized Christmas seems to have superseded the Thanksgiving turkey in all its roasted glory.  I am once again reminded of this season through an overdrive of American retail marketing, the number of likes and re-posts on Facebook.  Don't get me wrong.  I think Americans have a stronger reason to celebrate Thanksgiving than Halloween and it's a great time to reflect on God's goodness. So, how do I, a non-American, respond to this special holiday in a foreign calendar? And this is my way of giving thanks to God Almighty - yes, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: 1.  Take a breather - chill, sit in my most comfortable chair with my Bible in hand.  And let my mind reflect o...

I thought I would try making some tortillas today.  Well, I might as well get used to the food that my Honduran friends are accustomed too. So, I invested in the masa de maiz .  Added some hot water and got to making the dough.  All good now.  Let it rest. Thirty minutes later as my stomach growled "lunch...grrr", I started making little balls of dough.  My helper, 72 year-old Noella said, "Hmmm, I think the dough needs to be softer".  Oh well...added some more water. And she helped me shape four balls of dough into true, off-white tortillas.  The new iron skillet was super-hot.  The shaped dough was thrown on it and it came out in great tortilla character. Served it with frijoles I had attempted yesterday, crema from the store and scrambled-omelette.  I passed my own test.  Noella seconded it. Loving the experience in Honduras and Dios es bueno todo el tiempo! Rachel

People often associate Christians with good moral values.  We are the do-gooders, the prim and proper, the uptight conservatives.  True? I don't think so.  I think true followers of Christ value good morals, give sacrificially to others and know how to have good, clean fun!  But I tell you, this 'morality' thing is bugging me.  I spent a week thinking about this word. I mean, I see and read about daily assaults on Christians and their moral values!   So, how do I respond under the grace of God?  Hey, feel free to stop reading anytime.  The power of choice that God gives us:-) Right and Wrong, Good and Bad The major dictionaries define morality as "a particular system of values and principles of conduct", "principles concerning the distinctions of right and wrong, the good and bad behaviors".  These days, it seems, liberality and deception has distorted the distinctions of right and good behavior.  Then again, it's an age-o...

These verses got me thinking about my non-Christian parents (still living in Singapore).   Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. 9 They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. A long time ago. . . . My dad taught me to: 1. live within my means. 2. to owe no one no debt (I had to borrow some money from him for my studies, tho') 3. to honor elders 4. to be respectful to guests. 5. to do my best. 6. to speak my mind. 7. to take it easy. My mum taught me to: 1. to serve elders. 2. to be respectful to especially elders. 3. to be polite to all guests. 3. to never talk back to elders (lasted for awhile, then it became debatable discussions as I grew older). 4. to eat all food on my plate (no questions asked). 5. to behave myself...(oh dear!). 6. to cook rice the traditional way when I was ten years old. 7. to tell the truth (or face the cane). ...

I f you read reports regarding Central American nations, it can sometimes be depressing as the media highlights the negative news - corruption, murders, rapes, trafficking and so on.   Are you telling me that first world nations are clean of these unrighteousness?  Unrighteousness, wickedness as well as some good happens in the world around. We are as safe as can be any where in the world, provided the government cares enough about their people.   There is a better, safer place:  to be safe in the knowledge of who we are in Christ, safe in knowing that God goes before us.  Even when something bad happens, we believe Romans 8: 28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."   How can we then find our windows of peace amidst chaos and disorder?  I don't think anyone needs to be in an idyllic environment to see the beauty in God's creation. ...

The sun and the rain, mountains and sea, hospitable friends and helpful Hondurans greeted me. I thought Dios es bueno todo el tiempo and I saw on a truck  Si Dios es por nosotros, quién contra nosotros? Meanwhile  thousands of kilometers away my sisters were at the hospital attending to my dad. I did the inevitable, prayed and mobilized prayer. Prayer rose up from different parts of the world. Afew hours later, I saw a text message. Hallelujah! The 'hero' is fine. I think Dios es bueno todo el tiempo. Powerful prayers. Concerted prayers. To an Almighty God in Jesus' Name, Name above all names. I think of an answered prayer when God honored  our request for healing a teenager in ICU. I think Dios es bueno todo el tiempo. Si Dios es por nosotros, quién contra nosotros? As I blog now, I am on the road heading to another Honduran city. It is pouring sky juice in abundanc...

Psalm 145: 8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 10 All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you. 11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. +++ It's a quiet Sunday morning in Texas. I am taking time to remember God's goodness throughout my last three weeks of staying the course through some Asian countries. Stop 1 - Seoul, Korea (I lived here for a short time a few years ago) How good God has been to my friends despite life challenges.  It was pure joy to meet my South Korean and Canadian friends.   At one lunch meeting at a popular Korean restaurant, a ...

Stopping by Seoul to visit with friends was a really good decision.  I don't know when I might see them again.  Breaking the journey to Singapore helped with my jet-lag.  After all that eating,talking, praying, it was time to dash to Incheon airport.  I decided to check-in early. That was another good decision. While waiting, I witnessed the 'King' and his 'Royal family' walk around the terminal with their entourage in tow.  Wow, so many passengers stopped to photograph this 'family' in their royal outfits.  This was Incheon Airport's way of showcasing Korean culture.   I was thinking, "What interest and fanfare for a fake 'king'!" The 'King's family' at Incheon Airport    Psalm 135:5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. How do you think people will respond to the True King of Kings?  Would people be curious, gather in large crowds?   I waited around my boarding...

One of my friends nominated me to share three things that would make me be grateful for the next five days.  It's a Facebook challenge that has been in circulation for some time.  It's a good challenge.  There are so many people and things to appreciate.  How do I narrow it down to just three heart revelations?  In current times where I am challenged with persecution of Christians, repeated injustice, worldly values, it takes courage for anyone to mouth the words, "I am thankful for. . .". 1 Thessalonians 5:18  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you . Glorious Belief I am thankful that I believe in an Almighty Triune God.  Too many miracles have happened in my life but this one miracle of crossing over from eternal death to eternal life through faith in my Lord Jesus Christ tops them all.  This belief is not nonsense.  It is truth.  It is God's Glory.  This Truth does not bi...

So far away from you, my Singapore. I have missed every birthday since you turned 35. Still without fail, My heart stirs in pride every August 9th, As you, my dear, celebrate another year of accomplishments, achievements, and agonies of a restless people. Yet when National Day comes,  We the citizens of Singapore  pledge ourselves to be One Nation, One People. I wish National Day would be everyday, just for unity sake. Credits to Jerome Lim 10 years ago, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: Indeed, when I am stationed overseas, I am mindful. Mindful that I am an islander, a red-dotter; Mindful that I have high hopes and big dreams; Mindful that I have a Can-do or a Never-say-die spirit; Mindful that 10 years onward, I have seen a part of this future; But most of all I am mindful that without God's wonderful grace, I could never be known as a Singaporean. See, I could have been born elsewhere where as a Christian child, ...

I sit here in the quietness of a Sunday evening.  The dishwasher is whirring, the television is switched off.  I have just had a homemade Greek dinner.  My soul is restless and in times like these, I try to find out why I feel restless. Inevitably, my mind wanders to Christ, the Lover of my soul. I think of my journey with Christ.  I don't really walk.  I dance.  I love dancing.  The beat of Latin American music gets me most.   So, there I go - dancing with Christ as my partner to the song "Eres todo poderoso". https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i9vhkyLZG2s He leads me besides still waters (Psalm 23:2) even when the rhythm of life beats faster, and faster.   At times, my steps quicken as I am led across the dance-hall of life events.  And at times, I waltz with the Lover of my soul.  And yes, we tango through life in perfect understanding.  I follow my Leader. But it is when my Partner swirls and turns me...

It would be nice to be back in Singapore where it's the 29th of July 2014.         A photo taken 4 years ago with Pa It's my Appa's  (father's) birthday.  Happy birthday, Pa!!  It's going to be a great day!! One thing I know of my Appa is that he worked hard to put my sisters and I through school.  He would pack an egg sandwich everyday to save some money.  He liked to play carom but he doesn't do that now.  He was a footballer and body-builder in his very much younger days.  Guess our liking for sports comes from Pa. And if there is one person who is current with the news, it's got to be Pa. He still reads the local newspapers from page to page, every morning.  And guess my sisters and I got our reading habit from him. Here's cheering Appa on towards another year of blessedness. Loving Appa together with my sisters, Rachel                ...

In Africa, the little ones are not too heavy.  The other little ones carry their brother or sister.  I have witnessed the other little ones carry their sibling for more than four hours on their little back.  And when the other little ones are given some food, I saw them untie the piece of cloth that secures the toddler to their back, put the toddler down and feed them first before eating what was given to them.   The beauty of this whole scene is that the other little ones carry their sibling without any complaints. I was also attracted to the eyes of the other little ones.  What were they trying to say?  Do they know their own worth as a little person, as a child of God?     Do we do that for our brother or sister?  Do we do this within the Christian community?  Who would you carry today? Psalm 119: 73 Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. 74 Those wh...

 My homestay with my 'family' in Ghana was an interesting experience.  I had my own room but my host family shared their entire family with me.  One Sunday night, my host and brother-in-Christ Mark invited me to his care group's dawn meeting the following day.    This was just the beginning of my morning enjoyment of worship, prayer and being blessed with the Word with other Ghanaians. Just before light, we sit around our minds stayed on Christ our hearts filled with love for a God whose mercies are new each moment, each day. As light breaks we remember the dawn just passed and know the God in whom our faith lasts. We remain blessed so that others, we may bless! I was so privileged to be invited trice to exhort this family and friends.  They met faithfully at 5am from Mondays - Thursdays.  They met to dedicate their life and deeds for the day to God Almighty.  They met to pray for each other. They called themselves the General...