People are creatures of habit. Some habits, such as a habit of saving, serve us well. Others, like broken records, churn out the same tunes with annoying repetition. Some interpersonal conflicts resemble broken records. Although we see the futility of engaging in them, we seem powerless to resist the urge to be drawn into them.
Susanna Wesley was the mother of John and Charles Wesley. 20 January 2019 was the 350th anniversary of her birth. Upon visiting the home of the Wesleys in Epworth, England, I was struck by the way Susanna Wesley challenged her husband who wanted her to stop preaching. By being assertive, Susanna eventually enhanced the role […]
“Tradition” is a word that is often disparaged as representing what is passé, old-fashioned, impractical, intransigent or rigid. To some, it even connotes superstition, and handing down a tradition is often deemed regressive and propounding of obsoletes. Some even consider all traditional beliefs to be bad and at odds with Christianity and the gospel. God […]
If you judged him by his appearance, you might never guess Josephus Tan’s actual profession. You might think him a model for hair products with his long silky locks (he is now trying out Shiseido), or a creative, art director archetype who rules with his hipster tumbler from Starbucks. But no, the man is a […]
On Good Friday about 2,000 years ago, Christ demonstrated the perfect example of love and humility by giving Himself to save His people. In Philippians 2:3–4, Paul exhorts believers to emulate Christ’s example, to “count others more significant than [ourselves]”, and “look to the interests of others”. David and Magdalene Luo, both 29, are parents […]
Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2018. To give thanks for God’s faithfulness, three songs were penned and subsequently recorded in our 40th anniversary DVD album.1 We also embarked on an ambitious virtual choir project. We challenged our congregation over a 4-month period to B.L.E.S.S.2 the people around us. This culminated […]
The season between Epiphany Sunday (6 Jan) and Ash Wednesday (6 March) is called “Ordinary Time”. The word “ordinary” connotes the ordinal numbers used to designate the Sundays: for example, first, second, third Sunday after Epiphany. The readings assigned at this time would include: the presentation of Jesus at the temple, the baptism of Jesus and […]
For 26 years, the beautiful island of Sri Lanka has been torn apart by brutal ethnic conflict that has claimed approximately 100,000 lives. Although the war ended in 2009, the deep physical, emotional and psychological wounds from the war still linger in the people. Consequently, the war left behind about 40,000 widows in the north. […]
GLORIA! Celebrating the Christmas Story was an aural event that showcased a playlist of well-known hymns across languages and cultures, from Germanic to African—after all, God’s salvation is for everyone—to retell the familiar Advent story. The concert, organised by Methodist School of Music (MSM), opened with a solo organ performance of “We Sing Now of […]
The Lunar New Year (LNY) brings with it family gatherings, delicious goodies and the excuse to indulge, as well as questions about how Christians may celebrate without compromising our faith commitment to Jesus. In considering such questions, let us Chinese Christians remember that God birthed us as Chinese, so there is nothing wrong with appreciating […]
