One of the images that has stayed with me in these past 3 years (nearly) of ministry in church is that of mountain climbing. Serving God through working in church has always reminded me of climbing up a steep, rocky mountain. And you know what? I’ve tried mountain climbing, albeit only on Kota Kinabalu, and…
Posts by Ps. Tan Hui Ru
A common description of Singaporeans is that we are a very pragmatic and task-oriented people, concerned more about outcomes than about reasons. After all, all the good intentions in the world will not feed you. And what does it matter why your boss wants something done? You’re not being paid to understand but to do!…
In John 13:34-35, Jesus tells his disciples “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” What does loving one another look like? Perhaps an immediate answer is what…
Hospitality is one of the things that we find most challenging as a society. It’s somehow really ingrained in us to leave others alone unless they ask to be approached. And in church, that means that we are content to sit in the same area as the same people for many years without ever knowing…
About a month ago, I joined the ranks of the 60% in Singapore who have caught COVID-19. And in the past month, I have been learning once again what it means to slow down, what it means to rest, and what it means to rely on God and trust Him even as plans go awry.…
As a school teacher in the past, June and December have always been important to me as times of rest and reflection. They served as fallow periods, as time for me to consider where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing, as well as to pray and consider where God is calling me to grow in next.
One of the glorious things about God’s people is that we are made up of people of many different backgrounds, people who think in many different ways, people who have radically dissimilar personalities, people who are interested and passionate about a plethora of different things. At her best, the church looks like a beautiful mosaic…
Have you ever noticed that whenever the Bible talks about believers, it uses metaphors that talk about Christians as a whole community, rather than as individuals? We need to be connected to the true Vine (John 15:1-8) We are one Body (Rom 12:4-5, 1 Cor 1:12-27, Eph 5:23) We are a chosen people, a royal…
It’s been about 18 years since I first stepped into this church. And it occursto me that the reason why I was initially comfortable in this church is thesame as one of the reasons why I left for a season. We don’t look out fornewcomers and jump on him/her trying to be welcoming. We don’t…