Eirene

It’s Beautiful World

Earth Day. The many pictures on social media on this day do remind us that we live in a beautiful world indeed.

Picturesque sunset at Pantai Tusan Bekanu, Miri, Sarawak.

Psalm 146 (New International Version)

¹Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

²I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
⁴When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
⁵Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

⁶He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
⁷He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
⁸    the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

¹⁰The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

The Light

The fluorescent tube in the kitchen is not working. The sun is setting. Mum needs to prepare dinner.

Dad climbs on the stool and hooks a light bulb to the wires. This provides light until we can go to the store to get a new fluorescent tube.

Without light, mum can not cook in the kitchen. Without the Light of the world, we will be moving about in darkness. Praise the Lord, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'” (John 8:12)

Every morning, the sun gives light to the earth. Plants grow because the receive sunlight. The morning sun is good for our skin as it nourishes us with Vitamin D. During night time, the stars and the moon give light to the earth. Without light, there is darkness. We can’t see in the dark.

Jesus came to give us light. He shines in us and convicts us of our sins. When we truly repent, He forgives us and remembers our sins no more. We are no longer bound by the heavy chains of sins but we live in hope, peace, joy and freedom.

MCO Self-Care Checklist

Today is the 36th day of the 44 days of Movement Control Order. During MCO, we are to stay at home. No social gatherings, no parties, no group activities, no church small groups, no working out at the gym. We go out only when necessary to get essential items such as groceries or to buy food. This is to flatten the curve so that the virus will be under control.

For the past 36 days, I have been staying at home and enjoying the company of my parents. Below are the things which I have been doing:

1.Rest

Before MCO, I think I was at the edge of burnt-out. I am so grateful to have this break to slow down, to reflect on the meaning of life, read God’s Word, as well as enjoy the garden my dad is tending every day.

2.Read

Now that I have more time, I am reading different genres of books: autobiographies, Christian spirituality, prayer, health, travel, graphic novels and so on. Currently, I am reading “The Meaning of Marriage” by Tim Keller.

I use this app called, Scribd, which offers a 30-day free access to its library of over one million e-books, audio-books and magazines. I am currently reading Dr Jason Fung’s “The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss” and Lori Gottlieb’s “May be You Should Talk to Someone” on this app.

3.Eat Better

Generally, I have been eating better: no fast food, no McDonald’s, no pizzas, no bubble tea (my absolute favourite). My mum cooks the most delicious food and I am so spoiled! But, I also realised that I have also been snacking more than I normally do before MCO. The choice of snacks? Cookies.

Homecooked curry and chicken soup

4.Reconnect with Loved Ones

Good friends do wonders for our souls. This is the time to reconnect with family, old friends, keeping in touch as well as checking in with our closest friends. Zoom sessions with my gal pals are often bring laughters and are very much enjoyed. Zoom, Facebook, WhatsApp, phone calls, etc are wonderful ways to keep in touch.

5.Exercise

Now that activities in a group is not recommended, my best friend + walking buddy sent me a workout video which she follows as a part of her daily workout.

My go-to exercise channel on YouTube is Blogilates.

6.Pick Up New Hobbies

Now is the time to revive my blog. If you look at my older blogs, they were written at the end 2018.

I also aim to enjoy my guitar for 30 minutes every day.

7. Skin Care

Face masks, replenish my face with hydration and vitamins which is suitable for my skin type.

8. Spend Time with My Parents

I live alone. With the MCO, I moved back to live at my parents. I do treasure our bonding time together so much. We worship the Lord and sing praises to God every day. We grew closer as a family.

May it be that we echo the words of Joshua in the Old Testament, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15b, NIV).

These are what I have been doing. Of course, the other waking hours including church ministries, keeping in touch with church members, teaching, which are all done online now.

What are your activities during MCO?

Practicing Kindness, Patience and Love

Going to the supermarket during the Movement Control Order can be quite wearisome.

I made weekly trips to the supermarket. Upon entering, there will be a staff who makes sure each of us is using a face mask, watches us as we line up to wash our hands with hand soap at a sink near the entrance. After that, he will motion us to him, and takes our body temperature.

Once we are inside the supermarket, the shoppers, including myself, are scurrying around with a shopping list, aiming to get what we need while staying a meter away from anyone. It certainly is a different atmosphere than what is used to be. The atmosphere is tense. We don’t smile at each other like we used to do. I don’t see people giving way to one another. We are less gracious than we used to be.

It is a timely opportunity to practice love, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control and love. These will be helpful to ease the fears, frustrations and tension in us and around us.

The New Normal

Since the country is in a lockdown thirty-three days ago, life has a “new normal”.

Ministry are all online now: online prayer meetings, online meetings, online fellowships, online Sunday services… these are now the new normal.

In my social circle, it is easier now to have a catch-up session with friends. Everyone is at home. In the past, it takes two years to plan a dinner with a group of my girl friends – – – our timetables were always clashing with each others’. Now that everybody is home, it is easier to re-connect.

How are you coping with life when a significant amount of activities we used to do are now being carried out online?

Found a pair of unused earphones. They are useful as I have been using online video apps such as Zoom to communicate with friends and church members.

Time Tracking

At one point, I was tracking all my activities with Google Calendar. I use different colours for different parts of my life. At a glance, I knew where time was going.

I no longer do this, as I am familiar with the rhythm of life and ministry, knowing which hour of which day goes to which activity.

Recently, I downloaded an app called “Forest”. It is listed as one of the Top Productivity app in Google store. This app aims to help the user to “stay focused” and “be present”.

Forest app applies the Pomodoro technique: set the timer for 25 minutes, you work on your task. After that, you take a 5 minutes break. After 4 sets of 25 minutes of work, you will get a longer break.

When you first install the app, it will guide you through some instructions. I think the default minutes of Forest app is 25 minutes, but you can adjust it.

What I like about this app is that I can’t up pick my phone for mindless Facebook/Instagram scrolling when I have something to finish up. If I am disciplined enough (not picking up my phone), I can plant virtual trees and earn coins, which can be saved up and used to help plant real trees in Africa: Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda and Tanzania.

As I am writing this blog post, I have this 25 minutes timer on. I get to finish this blog post as well as preparing for a short devotion for the meeting this afternoon.

The message I got after picking up the phone 25 minutes later, “I’ve stayed focused for 25 mins without touching my phone! #forestapp”

The coins I got

Planted a virtual tree today

My forest looks like this

Spiritual Lessons from Manna

Something so small and yet so impactful.

Manna was a provision for the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness when they were on their way to the Promised Land— a land flowing with milk and honey which God had promised them (Exodus 3:17).

During these 40 years, God was teaching them and preparing them to be His people, a holy nation He had set apart which would bless the other nations of the world.

‘5“I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. 6“You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the LORD your God.”’ (Deuteronomy 29:5-6).

In my last post, I talked about God being our Provider. He knows our every need. To the Israelites in the wilderness, manna was one of the provisions from the Lord, and He had specific rules for them. They were to gather it daily, except on the Sabbath day (no manna could be seen on the Sabbath day, as it is a day of rest, and so on the day before Sabbath, the Israelites were to gather the portion they needed for the Sabbath). If the Israelites gathered more than they needed, it would rot.

For us as believers, we are to pray for our daily bread as our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to pray (Matthew 6:11). However, we can get so busy wanting more and more that we can fall into the temptations of whining, complaining and coveting for the things we do not need but want. This is hard for me too, because I am always yearning and wanting the shiniest and newest things. If I look back at my purchase history, I have wasted a lot on things I want but not necessarily beneficial for me.

In his letter to Timothy, Apostle Paul wrote, “7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Timothy 6:7-10)

God does provide for our daily needs. We do not need to be over-anxious. At the same time, we are to be wise stewards of all that He has given to us: time, money, talents and gifts.

The providence of manna reminds me to:

Be grateful with all that I have
Do not hoard things but share with those in need. Be generous!
Be a good steward of God’s gifts
Rest in God, trust in His goodness and plans for me

May the providence from the Lord brings us joy!

Be Satisfied

In the wilderness, God had supplied the Israelites with all that they had needed. He was with them: in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night to give them light so they could travel by day or night (Exodus 13:21). Their clothes and sandals never worn out (Deuteronomy 29:5).

In the wilderness, they did not have lands to plant vegetables for food. God then provided food for them, manna, which He rained down from Heaven. Manna in Hebrew means “what is it?!”.

^“4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days” (Exodus 16:4-5).

As time passed, the Israelites were sick of having manna every meal. They began to get upset and frustration got a hold of them. they began to wail, whine and complained that they had lost their appetite because they had (eaten and seen) too much manna.

“⁴The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. ⁶But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6)

They were making comparisons with their old life in Egypt. They would rather be working as slaves in Egypt under the cruel task masters and had fish, and other types of food to eat, than being in freedom with God as their loving Provider. Being in the wilderness meant they had to trust God like never before.

They got what they wanted: meat. God sent them quails but it was not without a price.

It is easy for us to whine and complain. It is easy to find things to complain about. May God have mercy on us. May God help us to see His goodness, mercy, providence, forgiveness and love.

Let us cultivate a heart of thanksgiving. What are the things you can give thanks to God for today? Why not list them down and give thanks to God for His mercy and providence?

Time Management

If I don’t manage my time, other people will manage it for me. Time is one of the wonderful gifts from God, I want to make the most out of each day. Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil“. Apostle Paul talked about “redeeming time”, which means, grabbing every opportunity to live in the light of God’s purposes. We should live carefully and wisely, because we are citizens of Heaven. And this includes the use of time.

Peter Drucker, an American management consultant and author, says, “Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed”.

I am writing this post during the Movement Control Order (MCO), whereby we are to stay home to prevent the spread of Corona virus. It will be somewhat different if this Movement Control is lifted because then I will need to think about the time it will take me to commute to the office.

1. Prioritize

What is most important to you?

I make it a point to look at and reply to text messages only after 8:30am every day because I need to spend time with God before starting the day. In the past, upon waking up, I would be replying to texts I had received from the night before after I had went to bed, or responding to tags on FB. Then I would rush to the office, only giving the “leftover” time for God, instead of reserving the best hour of the day for Him.

Prioritize what is most important and the day will be sorted out well.

2.Schedule No Distractions time

There was a point in my pastoral life where I would need a nap but then, when the phone buzzed, I would hop off my bed to look at and reply messages. A few (many, in fact) minutes went by, and I was robbed out of my nap time; my alarm rang. Had I been more disciplined in the usage of my phone, I would get my nap and would be more energised for ministry in the evening (win-win situation for everybody).

It shocked me when I was rooming with my (pastor) friend during a conference. She would put her phone on the “airplane mode”, so that she could get some quality rest. Since then, I learned not to apologize for needing a nap (after office hours, of course). We all can use a break. Some non-urgent messages can be replied later.

3.Discern

There are many activities clamouring for our attention. It is good to discern which categories each activity belongs to: (1) Non negotiable, (2) important, (3) beneficial, (4) optional, (5) non negotiable necessities.

4. Plan tomorrow, tonight

Before I go to bed each night, I will think about the things I need to do. I will then have a rough idea on what I will be doing the next day. It will be less overwhelming when the sun rises.

On the Monday night of each week, I will take a look at my calendar and see what are the programmes I need to prepare for (Bible studies, Small Group, sermon prepping, etc) and how many (online) visitations/catching up I need to do. I will then put the other categories into empty slots.

5. Set the duration of meetings

Sometimes, I plan meetings back to back. It is my attempt to do similar things in a batch. I will set up my laptop, instead of needing to set it up for every meeting. It is good to remind those at the meeting what is the expected meeting duration, so that we will keep to the time and not get side tracked during the meeting. It is important to have an agenda too, so that everyone will come prepared and during the meeting itself, we will not wander around aimlessly.

6. Time for fun

At one point, I was close to burnt-out because I was so busy and overwhelmed with all that I have to do. Now with the MCO, I have more time to slow down. We can’t go for a walk at the part or play sports, but it is important to schedule in time to have fun for the sake of our sanity.

7. Limit screen time

With the MCO, I work from home. Bible studies, prayer meetings etc are all done online. Sometimes I forgot to look up from the screen and spend time with my parents. Limit screen time and pay attention to our family around us. Make the most out of this MCO period to enjoy our family.

Easter Sunday Reflection

Praise be to our God!
“4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Jesus Has Risen

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
⁵The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
1. Jesus Christ is risen! He had conquered sins and death. Some day, He will be coming back to judge the world. Does my life tell others that I am a follower of Jesus Christ? Is my life filled with hope and joy because He is alive and reigns forever more? Am I living in victory and in freedom in Christ because He has freed me from the bondage of sins and shame? 2. Do not be afraid. Jesus is with me. I have my personal struggles as well. Surrender them to Jesus. He is faithful. Do not be afraid. Jesus has calmed the storm and waves. Jesus will also calm my anxieties and fears.3. Jesus has commissioned His followers to tell others about Him. Why am so I afraid to share about His love to those around me? Jesus says, “Do not be afraid”. May God grant us boldness to live in personal and social holiness as we proclaim the Good News so that we will not stumble others.Christ has risen! Praise the Lord!