It’s been over 365 days of job hunting and I am about to crash out. Automated replies are currently clogging my Gmail inbox. The only comfort is that my other pals are also down in the trenches with me.
God has given humanity the gift and mystery of life. From birth, life thrusts on us the need to survive, to overcome and mature, and to live meaningfully. Our separation from God because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3) and what we have subsequently inherited complicates this challenge.
The Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), entrusted to our care. Caring for ourselves is not just about physical health—it is about nurturing our connection with God. Worship helps restore our whole selves and draws us closer to him.
The sentence, “You must be the change you want to see in your life” is often attributed to the late Mahatma Gandhi, the great social activist and strong advocate of personal empowerment. Regardless of who actually wrote this, it reflects a positive change that I do see in my clients from time to time.
My 17-year-old child has gender dysphoria. As my husband and I are Christians, we have tried our best to share with her about what the Bible says about sexuality and at the same time show her love and acceptance. She has pleaded with us to allow her to go for a sex change surgery and because we refused, she has become distraught and engages in self-harm. Our relationship with her has become very strained. We brought her to see a counsellor but the sessions end up as heated arguments because she will not accept our views and feels that we are imposing our Christian beliefs on her. As parents, we are at our wits’ end. It pains us to see her struggle mentally and emotionally. We also struggle with guilt and wonder how things have turned out this way. ~ Help
Chairperson of Methodist Welfare Services’ Board of Governance and a regular volunteer at its nursing homes, Eugene Toh shares a personal reflection from a recent pastoral care visit.
In January 2022, I woke up one morning to find the world a blur. When I could not read the small print on my smartphone, I thought my presbyopia must have deteriorated. Then I could not make out any of the labels and price tags at the supermarket. Frustration truly set in when I could not read any of my documents at work clearly until I enlarged their fonts.
Life is filled with different cues prompting certain actions—the shrill urgency of a bell warning of fire prompts us to run away while the tinkling of a bell signalling the arrival of the ice-cream cart draws us to it. Not unlike the ringing of a bell, the Christian receives a cue every Sunday.
Choe Peng Sum, new ACS BOG chair and veteran hotelier, talks about the new ACS Academy and God at the workplace.
