In Berne

Visit http://jeaninberne.wordpress.com for the next four months please.

To Love One Another

A sister from church recently asked me if I was available to sing for church service on the 7th next month. Upon hearing the news that I would leave Singapore on the 4th, I received her reply, “Aiya, wanted to make full use of you before your trip!” *gasp*. I chose not to take offense at what was probably meant to be a casual chide (key word: probably), but the statement definitely stirred up familiar feelings of frustration within me. 

In the brief course of time that I have been involved in serving God, I have often been dismayed with how brothers and sisters in Christ see one another more as resources than as persons. It is now no longer uncommon for me to find myself serving somewhere for a substantial period of time and find that I do not have real friends whom I can have a heart-to-heart talk with. Tasks often take precedence over relationships because we get so busy organizing a buttload of activities only to find ourselves feeling empty and burned out at the end of the day.

To be fair, manpower shortage is a huge problem in many ministries that I have been in. Perhaps it is important for us to take a step back and realign ourselves with the kind of ministry model the Lord has intended for His kingdom. Ministries these days run more like companies, as opposed to the “community” model that the early Church had. Indeed I sometimes feel as though fellow brothers and sisters in the ministry are merely my “colleagues” whom I correspond with only when ministry matters arise. While we’re at that, how has ”ministry” even managed to departmentalize itself as a separate aspect of my life? What is keeping me from integrating it into my lifestyle? Why does it sometimes feel like a chore?

Certainly, our individual attitudes towards serving God is shaped largely by our spiritual walk and relationship with the Lord. That is something we ourselves are accountable to God for. That being said, are we not also accountable to fellow Christians in terms of encouraging and motivating one another in the love of the Lord, and to spur one another on in good works and service (Heb 10:24-25)? Perhaps we need to give deeper thought into what that entails…

It saddens me that some brothers and sisters in Christ only approach and talk to me when they need help for an event or project they are embarking on. It saddens me that 90% of the ”Hey, how are you doing?” from them follows with “Can you come help out for this?”. It requires much patience and understanding (and sometimes even giving the benefit of the doubt) to come to terms with the nature of “fellowship” I share with these people and not to become cynical towards them. It sometimes feels like they’re trying to sell insurance to me!

I take these experiences as good reminders to me to care for the person over the task at hand. Workers of the Lord often face great challenges achieving this as ministry is a very, very busy place. Should I be in a position in future where I often have to recruit helpers for events my ministry is organizing, I hope that when people come and render their assistance, they will find that their spiritual walk is enriched and not hampered, and that they can be assured that I have their best interests at heart in whatever I do. After all, service in ministry is as much an issue of missions as it is one of spiritual growth for the individual. That is God’s two-pronged purpose for ministry: To accomplish His purposes THROUGH us while at the same time doing His work IN us that we may grow into His likeness! We owe it to our fellow brothers and sisters to facilitate them in this process. 

The key lies in loving them – a command so simple in words but so complex in action, so simple to say but so difficult to do. However, one thing I now understand – that my way of loving someone would be to avoid the “insurance agent” syndrome whenever I can. God willing, I will have the capacity and skills to do that, so that instead of wanting to “make full use of someone”, I aim to help the person “make full use of his or her service” to grow in the Lord.

 

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

When’s Miyazaki’s latest one coming to Singapore?

*excited*

Click for movie’s website.

Rent – Seasons of Love

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear
525,600 minutes – how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
In 525,600 minutes – how do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love

525,600 minutes
525,000 journeys to plan
525,600 minutes – how can you measure the life of a woman or man?

In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned, or the way that she died

It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends
Let’s celebrate remember a year in the life of friends
Remember the love
Remember the love
Remember the love
Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love

God’s way of saying ‘Good Morning’

Dear God,

To others it may just be a beautiful sunrise, but when I look at it I am reminded that everything’s going to be ok, just because You are who You are. YOU ARE – yesterday, today and forevermore. Thank You for never hesitating to show Your love in big and small ways. From the little bumble bee to the majestic mountains, from the quickest line at the grocery checkout to the precious gift of Jesus’ blood, You are the only One worthy of praise and worship. Be exalted! \(^o^)/

I suddenly find myself…

The confused owner of a bronze Sony PSP lite.

But.. thanks so much Pa. Now I’ll have LocoRoco and Patapon for company if I get bored in Bern. =)

Interns are people too

An intern. Just like Asok.

Let’s just say that I find cubicles to be a gross violation of human rights. Wilson is right. The irony holds true that the best places for work are usually places that were not designed for work. If anything, this stint will concretize my career path and help me look out for jobs to aim for, and jobs to avoid. The people are real nice, and no, they haven’t been mistreating me. It’s just the physical environment and how I’m far away from any window. Claustrophobia sets in.

Oh wells, they’ve moving to BUONA VISTA (why……..?) in July. Till then, I’ll just have to hang in there, and take walks along the corridor more often. With a mug of Cadbury 3 in 1 hot chocolate.

Kitchen Non-Disaster #2

Made some pasta bolognese for lunch today.

Yeah I used the same large-shell pasta as the last time.. I know this is usually cooked with spaghetti, but cannot finish my pasta what! Very big packet leh. I used ground beef, carrots and Hunt’s diced tomatoes for this dish.

Do you know how “bolognese” is pronounced? It’s not “boh-log-neese“.. It’s pronounced “boh-log-ngie-zeh“.

So now I have two dishes to tide me through my months in Bern. Hopefully I can cook this with red wine when I’m there.

Here’s the wiki entry for the bolognese sauce and it explains its origins and actual ingredients used. They usually simmer the sauce for one hour on very low heat, but fuel is too precious now to waste on a simple lunch, so I made do with 5 minutes. HAHA. It still tasted nice!

BY THE WAY, speaking of food, rice is getting really expensive these days. Singapore’s ample supply is no excuse to waste. So PLEASE, when you eat out, and you know you have a tendency not to finish the large amounts of rice usually served, please ask for less rice. It’s just two words “FAN SHAO”. Not very difficult at all. You may think your effort will not mean a lot, but the aggregate effect of every Singaporean doing this will have a significant impact on a more just rice distribution around the region.

The reason is simple. We eat less, we’ll import less. What is happening now is that exporting countries like Vietnam and Thailand are putting up export bans to ensure self sufficiency. If we can help import less, there will be more exportable rice left for our fellow rice-importing neighbours like the Philippines.

Think about the poor in the slums there, selling their kidneys for cash. The rice price hike has induced a large black market for rice there and many are not able to afford their staple and are starving. Please do your part. Rice is precious and we are very fortunate to have enough to eat. Let’s not abuse this privilege by wasting food.

That’s why I’m cooking pasta.

Totally Ridiculous

My bro bought this hi-chew-ish candy from a bookstore at serangoon central (as usual, we were enticed by cute japanese packaging).

There was a url on the wrapper and it directed us to some ridiculously cute site. It’s just candy?!?! SMU marketing students, watch and LEARN. That’s how they earn money ok! And i fall for things like that!

CLICK ME and be transported to Puccho Paradise!

Berne-Bound

I am going on exchange! To Switzerland’s capital.

Specifically, the University of Bern.

Yayyyyyy.