Building the Body – through spiritual training “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things,” noted the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:25. The sportspersons among us can attest to this – regular training, proper nourishment, and good technique are mainstays of any athletic training programme, allowing them to build the right muscles and skill sets […]
“Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” These words eloquently summarise the central message of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s influential book, The Cost of Discipleship, first published in 1937. This book began life as a series of lectures about the Sermon on the Mount, delivered […]
“I’m going on a short mission trip to Chiangmai.” The usual response to this is, “Cool place!” Sadly, not anymore, as de-forestation has affected the climate of this northern Thai city. Vineyard Methodist School (VMS) in Chiangmai was set up by the Methodist Missions Society (MMS). The school’s mission is to be an innovative learning […]
“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.” (Isaiah 43:10, NIV) There are three surprises in Isaiah 43:10. Surprise number one: Instead of saying “You are my witnesses and my servants”, the LORD uses a […]
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17-18 (NIV) In 2014, Madam Zhou […]
Would you pay $1,000 for a bundle of firewood? In 2015, a video clip titled ‘Maker Series: Artisanal Firewood’ began making the rounds on social media. It profiled Smoke & Flame, “a Vancouver artisanal firewood company that is selling bundles of kindling for $1,000”. The video shows the firewood craftsmen labouring over each log – […]
An article in the papers caught my eye some weeks ago. It was interesting because it seemed to say something different about marriage – something that, intuitively, I agreed with. Much of what is written about marriage these days is geared towards helping readers improve it and make it “great”. The notion seems to […]
Amazing cave in deep forest with beautiful waterfalls background at Haew Suwat Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park Thailand In the hymn ‘Channels Only’ by Mary E. Maxwell, the lyrics of its last verse are as follows: Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit Hearts that full surrender know; That the streams of living water From […]
As we were about to end our tea conversation, my friend made an unexpected proposal. She had clearly thought about it for some time and felt the need to broach it carefully. She paused, cleared her throat and asked me not to take what she was about to say in the “wrong way”. She then […]
Alvin Tan is the new Chairman of the Methodist Missions Society (MMS) with effect from 1 Jan 2017. We reprint with permission an interview conducted with him by Harvest Force, the MMS publication. Harvest Force (HF): Welcome, Alvin! Tell us a little about yourself. Alvin: We are a very blessed family of five, with […]
