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What is Advent?

Advent (“adventus” in Latin means “coming” or “arrival”). It is the 4 Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to Christmas.

Advent invites us to reflect on the love of God for us by sending His Son Jesus Christ into this world for us. It is also a time of intentional prayers, reading the Scriptures and waiting for Jesus’ promised return to establish God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven.

The four candles of the Advent wreath symbolise: Hope (purple), Peace (purple), Joy (pink) , and Love (purple).

The fifth candle, symbolises Jesus Christ, will be lit on Christmas Day.

May we experience the hope, peace, joy and love of God this Advent season. đŸ™đŸŒ

A prayer for those affected by the devastating fire in Tai Po, Hong Kong:

Gracious God,
You are our help in ages past and our hope for years to come. In the midst of fires, floods, or natural disasters, we trust in Your steadfast love.

Comfort those who have lost homes or loved ones and those who are yet to know the whereabouts of their family members. Fill them with Your peace and comfort their weary hearts with Your gentle presence.

Bless and protect the front liners: the firefighters, the police officers, the search and rescue teams, the medical personnels, the social workers, and the volunteers. Grant them wisdom, courage, and compassion, that through their rescue efforts, Your love and healing grace will be known to the world.

We pray for the leaders and the people of Hong Kong to be resilient as they rebuild the city. May they respond to the cries of the victims with generosity, protect the vulnerable, and show the love of Christ through their words and deeds.

We pray all these in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Written on the Palm of His Hand

What a beautiful promise that God has engraved (not written, which can be erased) our names on His palm. Just as engraving something means sealing something permanently, God is committed to His people.

This is an assurance that God cares for us, He watches over us, He loves us and He will not forget us.


He knows us by name – He knows us individually. He creates each of us with so much love and care.

Whatever you are going through right now, He cares for you. He is right there with you.

John Wesley on Health and Wellness

John Wesley had a strong interest in health and wellness. He believed that God is a God who wants to give us inward and outward health. God is the one who heals the body and the soul. In 1747, he wrote a book entitled, ‘Primitive Physic: An Easy and Natural Method of Curing Most Diseases’ to help the poor access healthcare without relying on expensive physicians. Shaped in the 18th century, some of his health advices may not be accurate today, but many of his health principles still offer relevant wisdom for us in the 21st century.

Wesley believed in caring for the whole of the person: body, mind and spirit. For Wesley, health and wellness wasn’t just about the absence of illness—it was about living a life of balance, discipline, purpose, and service in accordance to God’s will. Wellness is a form of holiness, as we care for both the body and the soul which God has entrusted to us.

 Wesley paid attention to rest, exercise and diet. Self-discipline is needed to achieve a holistic lifestyle.

Rest:

Wesley’s understanding of health is a unity of both physical and spiritual aspects. His advice was to go to bed early and rise early by keeping regular sleep habits. We are to work diligently but are to avoid overworking.

Rest and recreation are part of honouring God, and not self-indulgence.

Apart from physical rest, we find true rest in God our Creator. True rest and healing begin in a relationship with Jesus, not in remedies. Finding rest in God means trusting Him in all circumstances and being thankful. Let’s spend time with God and enjoying Him through prayers, worship and reading His Word.  

“Give me a calm and thankful heart, From every murmur free; The blessings of Thy grace impart, And make me live to Thee.” (Hymn by Charles Wesley)

Application: Let us find rest in Jesus. Let Jesus restore you from the inside out.

Exercise:

Wesley believed in honouring the body through small, daily actions. He recommended doing daily physical activity, breathing fresh air and drinking clean water. To him, walking is the best exercise with sunlight and fresh air.

“A due degree of exercise is indispensably necessary to health and long life.” – John Wesley

Application: Make one intentional choice today to honour your body.

Diet:

Wesley recommended simple diet for good digestion. Eat moderately and avoid overeating, abstaining from highly seasoned food and excessive drinking. Our physical health enables us to serve God and others more fully and with joy.

Application: Choose to take something nourishing for your body.

Emotional Wellness:

Wesley recognized that anger, bitterness, fear, and anxiety could damage both body and soul. He encouraged believers to seek emotional healing through: Confessing of sins to God and to pray to God, to practise forgiveness to others, and to have accountability with fellow Christians. To find satisfaction in God rather than on materialistic things.

Application: Identify one emotion that you have been carrying. Surrender it honestly to God in prayers.

Preventive:

Our bodies are gifts from God and therefore we ought to take extra care of it.  Wesley emphasized that we should take preventive measures through cultivating good habits, rather than doing something about it only when illness strikes. Good habits include taking care of personal hygiene, cleanliness and exercise can help to prevent illnesses.

If our lifestyle is not intentionally managed, it can cause physical illness and also spiritual weakness. Wellness, according to Wesley, is not about living a self-indulgent lifestyle but it is about living with discipline for the glory of God. Wesley cared for his health so that he could care for others. When we are healthy and well, we are more able to love and help others.

“19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NIV).

By taking care of our body, we are honouring God and showing him gratitude for the excellent gift He has blessed us with.

“Use all the means which God has put into your hands for the preservation of your health.” – Wesley, Primitive Physic

Application: Make one change to protect your long-term health (limit sugary foods, take a break from screens).

Wesley’s vision of health wellness is about faithful stewardship, intentional living, and loving service to others. Through small daily habits, we can cultivate a life that is vibrant, healthy, holy, and God-honouring.

Reference:

  1. Rev. Joe Iovino, “Wesley and Physical Health: Practicing What He Preached,” ResourceUMC, July 2016, accessed October 22, 2025, https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/wesley-and-physical-health-practicing-what-he-preached.
  2. North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, “Taking Care of Yourself in the Way of John Wesley,” news article, January 29, 2019, accessed October 22, 2025, https://ntcumc.org/news/taking-care-of-yourself-in-the-way-of-john-wesley.

God’s Word is unchanging

I am preparing a wedding sermon for this coming Saturday morning.


I the past, I felt inadequate doing pre-marital counselling and preaching at weddings because I am single – – – I felt I had no life experiences to share with the couple regarding marital issues.


When I was sharing this frustration with someone, this person adviced me to share from God’s Word because God’s Word never changes. I do not need to feel inadequate if I am preaching God’s word and exhort them using biblical principles.

God’s Word does not sway to and fro basing on cultures, ideas or the latest trends. We can rely on God’s Word as our spiritual compass and direction in life.

God’s unchanging Word also reminds us of His nature: that He is faithful, eternal, consistent and trustworthy. 💕

How do you relate to God,  knowing that He and His Word and promises are unchanging?

Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ

Our Christian faith is not about standing still at where we are. It’s about growing: growing deeper in grace, richer in knowledge, and closer to Jesus Christ day by day.
Growth takes time. Spirituality is a journey. Step by step, we walk with Jesus. We learn more about Him and find delight in His presence each day.
May God lead us and guide us to know Him more.

Questions for reflection:

  1. What does “growing in grace” look like in your life right now?
  2. How are you actively seeking to know Jesus more deeply?
  3. What areas of your life are you still rely on your strength instead of His grace?
  4. Is there something which is keeping you from growing in your faith?
  5. How can you let God shape your heart daily?

Trusting in God for He cares for us

Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

    How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;

    my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,

    for he has been good to me.

If you can ask God any question, what would you ask Him? There are many things going on in the news. The things we read make us worried, make us fearful and make us lose hope in the human race and make us reflect on our own lives.

One of the most common question people ask about God is: “why does God allow suffering if He is good?”

Barna‑style survey reported via Christian Today Australia reveals that in a national survey, the top question people wanted to ask God was “Why He allows pain and suffering in this world?”

Apologetic literature, Lifeway Research lists “If God is good, why is there suffering?” as one of the most frequently asked questions by non‑believers.

According to Issues in Perspective, the #1 most‑Googled question in America about God is “Who created God?”, closely followed by “Why does God allow suffering?”

Even as Christians, this is the question we want to ask God too. Why are there tragedies if God is good? Why is He turning His face away? Why God allows evil if He is holy?

The psalmist also wrestles with this question. He experienced moments when he felt God was so far away from him. That he feels that God has abandoned him. Being abandoned and forsaken is not a good feeling. And sometimes being a human means at times in our lives God seems so far away. We feel we are in a pit with problems and difficulties without the success and blessings from God. We pray but our prayers do not seem to reach God’s ears.  

There are 3 parts in this psalm (Complaints to God/Ask God for help/Praise God)

  • Lament / Complaint (Verses 1–2)

Have you ever felt that God is so far away? How can He be a personal God when He seems so far?

Have you felt God is not listening to your prayers? You have been praying and praying and it seems that God is not listening. Nothing is happening. 

Have you felt God has forgotten about you? At one point or another in our life, we experienced so.

People in Thailand and Cambodia. Majority of them do not know God but so do. They are now living in fear because of the war that is going on in their countries. Surely they cried out to God or any powers they know for relief and for help.

People are living in worry in countries that may be affected by tsunami after the 8.8 earthquake in Russia. Where is God?

The psalmist David expresses that he feels God has abandoned him. He feels God has not even heard his prayers. And he is emotionally stressed and sad because God has seemingly forgotten about him.

“How long, O LORD?” is repeated four times in these 2 verses. He is desperately crying out to God for relief. He is in despair. He must have been waiting and waiting upon God for help but God is not there to rescue him, so he is holding on.  

And this is his complaint to God.  

Christians have a misconception that we have to use our words carefully and only show our good side to God. But as the psalmist has shown us, we can bring all our emotions to God, even emotions such as:

-frustration

-anger

-sadness

-despair

-hopelessness

-helplessness

-worried

-feeling defeated

We can bring all these to God. God already knows everything. He wants us to be honest with Him and tell Him how we feel, even if He seems so far away.

God loves us. Before we know who He is, He has sent His only Son Jesus to die for us, so that we can be reconciled with Him and be His children. He does not want us to be separated from Him.   

There is nothing about us that is shocking to God. Nowadays with social media, we have been wired to put only the good side of us for everyone to see. Sometimes the things we post on social media is not the real us but we just want to tell others how good we are or how we have everything in life in control. We don’t want to appear weak or failing in life. It is easy to pretend to be someone we are not in our social media.

A friend of mine went traveling a couple of weeks ago. She posted really nice photos of her trip. When she came back, we met up, she admitted that the tourist spot is not what it seems. It is easy to look perfect for the camera and hide our insecurities.

But not with God. God knows what we are going through. He sees what we are going through. He wants our honesty as we come before Him. It is a comfort to know we can come to Him just as we are.

David is being transparent with God, asking God not to hide anymore. He has been ruminating, his mind goes on and on and repeat itself, he is wrestling with his mind. And his enemy is triumphant. It is like pouring vinegar over his wound.  

I read somewhere that God’s love is like the sun. Like the sun it is always there, sometimes the cloud will hide the sun, but we know the sun is there giving us sunlight. We don’t always see God but He is there.

  • Petition / Prayer for Help (Verses 3–4)

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

David prays that God will respond and intervene in his situation. He requests for God to “Look,” “Answer,” and “Give light to my eyes.”

David asks God to enlighten his eyes, it can be asking God to give him understanding. It can also mean that David asking God’s presence to be with him through the long journey of night, and through the valley of fear and tears.

 He loves God. He knows God is almighty. That is why to him, it does not make sense if enemies do not see God’s great power. How ridiculous it is when enemies have victory over the Almighty and everlasting God.

I have chronic dizziness. I have a lot of friends who do not yet know God. I am the first pastor they know. I pray to God, You are powerful, You are everlasting, You are God the healer and why won’t You heal me so that those who do not know you will know You are a Great God? 

  • Trust and Praise (Verses 5–6)

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;

    my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,

    for he has been good to me.

Despite feeling that God is so far away and having enemies around him, feeling despaired, the psalmist still trusts in God. He does not understand the circumstances around him, yet he know for sure that God’s love is unfailing. Despite being surrounded and defeated by the enemies, he knows for sure and without fail, that God will come to rescue him. He knows that God will save him from the enemies.

Why? Because he trusts in God. He is a friend of God. How do we be friends of God? By spending time with Him. That is how we get to know someone, by spending time with that person. David spends time with God, in prayers in worshipping God, in being genuine before God, no pretense.

That is why we see his shift: from hopelessness to hope. From despair to confidence.

Yes, terrible things are happening to him. Yes, he faces dangers and enemies are around him but he will still sing the Lord’s praise. He can still say God is good because he counts his blessings. May be sometimes we think God has to answer us in a certain way. But if we count our blessings, we know He is always here with us.

Praise is very important. When we sing praises to God, it will shift our focus from our human perspective and limitation to God’s eternal perspective and His infinite wisdom.

“6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,

    for he has been good to me.”

Do you praise God even when it is hard?

No one live a smooth sailing life. Even men and women of God who love God are not exempted from the challenges of this world. Even men and women of God also experienced sickness, discouragement and depression. What did God say to them? “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

It is when we are weak, then we lean upon His power, His grace and mercy. When we are weak, we are strong through Jesus Christ.

In 2003, there is a 13-year-old rising surf star in Hawaii. Her name is Bethany Hamilton. She is a Christian. One morning, she went out for a surf with friends. It was just another beautiful day—until a 14-foot tiger shark attacked her, biting off her entire left arm.

Her life was forever changed.

Many people thought that her surfing career was over. If that happened to you, would you be angry at God? Imagine the fear, the pain, and the question: “God, why would You let this happen? I was using my talent for You!”

But Bethany had strong faith in God. She didn’t let this accident shake her faith and believe in God. She didn’t leave her Christian faith because of this accident. She didn’t forsake God when she lost her arm. With God’s strength, she returned to surfing just one month later, learning to surf with one arm. Imaging being so skillful at something but suddenly you have to relearn everything from scratch. It was not easy.

Despite having to relearn surfing with one hand, she did not give up. She went on to win national titles and became an inspiration to millions—not just because she surfed again, but because of how boldly she trusted God through it all.

She once said: “I don’t need easy. I just need possible—with God.”

Today, she shared her testimony and speak about Jesus and resilience. She showed the world that hope is stronger than fear, and faith is bigger than tragedy.

Some of us might not have lost a limb, but we’ve lost dreams, opportunities, or people we love. Life’s waves hit us hard. Bethany’s story reminds us: God doesn’t promise a life free of pain—but He does promise to walk with us through it. And when we trust Him, even the most broken part of our story can become the most powerful testimony.

Psalm 23:4 is a promise we can hold onto during tough moments: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Whatever your circumstances in life are, trust in God. You may not see hope. You may not see light, but He is with you. Hope will come because He is the God who gives hope. Light will come because He is the light of the world.  

Conclusion:

We don’t live in a perfect world. Some things never make sense on this side. But this is when we have to fully trust in God. Trust that He knows and His ways are almighty and perfect. Trust that He cares for us.

We don’t have to know all the answers. Sometimes, it is not for us to know. God is our Creator. He does not owe us any explanations. He does not have to tell us what. What we are to do is to trust in Him.

From lament, to praise, we praise God because of Who God is. He is merciful and great. He is faithful and He loves us.

Enjoy the meal, not the wrapper

Jeremiah 29:11, ’11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’

This evening, while locking the door of my house to go out, my dog took a food wrapper, thinking it was food. There was no food inside the wrapper.
We would be giving him a delicious. He wouldn’t have to eat a piece of plastic, it wasnt edible.

Seeing him chewing on the wrapper reminded me of myself. Oftentimes I am like this too. God, my Heavenly Father has great plans for me and yet I am stubborn, holding on to something flimsy and refusing to let go and trust in His plan. God is sovereign & almighty. His thoughts and plans for me are the best. They are for my good.

Just as I would not give my dog a wrapper to eat but I would  give him a delicious meal I know he would enjoy because I love him, God has  the best plans for me too because He loves me. I just have to let go of the ‘wrapper’ and trust in Him.

Enjoy the meal, not a plastic wrapper.

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!

The Dragon Boat Festival takes place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar, which is often the end of May or the beginning of June every year.



This festival is associated with Qu Yuan (ć±ˆćŽŸ) , who was a patriotic poet and a beloved minister during the Warring States period. He was falsely accused, which resulted in his exile by Emperor Huai. The next emperor surrendered the country to the rival states, and in his despair, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River.

When the villagers heard what he did, they raced out in boats to recover his body. To keep the fishes from his body, the villagers made rice dumplings and threw them into the river. They also beat drums to frighten off the fish. This has since evolved into a yearly Chinese traditions of eating rice dumplings and dragon boat races on the 5th day of the 5th month in the lunar calendar.