2019 Chinese New Year Gathering

Important of Family

I grew up in Georgetown, Penang in an average household that never went hungry, but struggled at times.  We did not have much and you always thought about the things you did not have.   Instead of appreciating the meals you got to eat every day, you always though about what others are having.

I have had a colourful life.  I can't say it had been smooth sailing, but still, better than most people.   I am blessed with loving and caring people around me.  It is not easy crossing the line to go to the next half a century of your life.  You start to look back and there are so many years to look back!  From now on, there will be less years ahead of me, and more behind.   It is like a train approaching its destination; soon it has to stop on reaching its final destination.   The scenery left behind is like memories of yesteryear.

I thank God for a good and proper family.  Family is the basic unit of society.  It is a social institution that provides the framework for spiritual, emotional and physical support for a child's [person] growth and development.

It is within the family that character is developed and moral as well as behavioural attitudes are formed. Strong cultural values and norms such as love, compassion and filial piety are imparted and inculcated in the family.

The family is not an institution designed by man. It was created by God for the benefit of man, and man has been given stewardship over it

F.A.M.I.L.Y.   -     Father  And  Mother  I  Love  You

When God created humans, he designed us to live in families.  Family relationships are important to God.  Even the church, the universal body of believers, is called the family of God.  When we receive God's Spirit at salvation, we are adopted into his family. - Mary Fairchild

Pearl Wedding Anniversary

In this current world of easy divorces, broken relationships and same-sex marriages, some may wonder if the original institution of marriage that brings a man and a woman together can really withstand the test of time.

Every relationship is unique.  Bringing two different people - probably also two families - together is a challenge in itself.

But when I look again at the marriage vows my wife and I took, I am reminded that it is indeed about staying together "for better, for worse", "for richer, for poorer", "in sickness and in health" and "to love and to cherish, till death do us part".

Today I celebrate 30 years of being married to a woman I have known for 33 years.  It dawned on me that though I may not be her Valentine who publicly declares my love for her with lavish gifts or celebrate with candle-light dinner, she is never envious of others who do. 

A portion of this time, she has been alongside me in my struggle, in pain, and for a good number of years with me as drawing little or no income (poorer).

On the flipside, in happy times, in times of good health, and in times of plenty, we have never taken our love for granted.

Only when we are in good times will we able to love in tough times.

Now that is one lesson about marriage I love to pass on to all who intend to tie the knot one day.
Our faith in God has deepened in a way that only suffering and trusting in God can bring about.

Promises are divided into two kinds.  One is the kind where you don't intend to keep.  Another the serious kind, and people should not make them unless they mean to keep it.

Wedding is just a day, the marriage is forever.

Son

Chinese New Year gathering 2015

A long awaited Chinese New Year family reunion dinner at Evergreen Laurel Hotel Penang.

A Privilege of a Parent

For the many years of my life, this is the first time that I celebrated Father's Day alone.  My spouse is away on a Mission trip to China while my son is travelling back to Labuan due to work commitment, where as my daughter in still stuck in Singapore, finishing up her graduating reports and assignments.

Today I have the privilege to spend some quality time in building up the relationship with my Father in heaven, and also a time reflecting the grace, love and mercy of the heavenly Father.

We use our time wisely when we combine the appropriate 'stop' with the proper 'steps'. According to Solomon, there is a time for all of God's purposes to be accomplished (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Missionary J.Robertson McQuilkin said, "God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical, but the strength and beauty of old age is spriitual."

Because God remains the same, we can rely on Him through the shifting seasons of life.  His presence is always with us (Psalm 46:1), His peace has the power to guard our hearts (Phillipians 4:7), and His love provides security for our souls (Romans 8:39).

Family Discipleship

Family discipleship is valuable for the sake of passing down the faith to our children and grandchildren.  Here are three reasons why devotions are vital for the spiritual health of the whole family :-

Firstly, leading family devotions encourages timely repentance and growth in humility.  There is no better way to keep short accounts with God and with our families than by leading family worship on a regular basis.  Without confession and repentance, we have little integrity to lead our families spiritually, so if family worship is to be an ongoing feature of our lives, we must be quick to confess and repent.

Secondly, if we are quick to confess and repent of sin, regular family devotions also open up the door for loving discipline on a daily basis, not just when the junk hits the fan.  In this sense, sins and other issues can be nipped in the bud and worked on as a family and not just in solitude.

Finally, regular family devotions reminds us that ultimately Jesus is the center of all things, including the family, not Dad, not Mom, and not the kids.  When Jesus is at the center, everything else finds its proper place and life begins to find a rhythm and order that brings glory and honor to our Lord and God, Jesus Chrst.  Trials and temptations may come, but if we remain anchored in Christ, we have a deep well of grace to draw from.

[Extracted from LIVING Life - September 2013 page 37] 

Family First

Familities today are under attack in many different forms.  Satan seek to destroy and divide families as much as possible through divorce and abuse.  As a result, many people have grown up in broken homes.  But, this is not the way familities were originally intended to be.

Family was originally intended to be a picture of our relationship with God.  J.C.Ryle writes, "The son of an earthly parent naturally looks to his father for affection, support, provision, and education.  There is a home always open to him.  There is love which, generally speaking, no amount of bad behavior can completely extinguish ...  Think then how great is the privilege of that poor sinner of mankind who can say of God, 'He is my Father.'" 

As a potter molds clay to form a beautiful creation, so does the strong bond of family and good values.  Family bonds are a link to our beginning and a guide to our future. Early influences are fundamental to our individual development.

We all want to "belong" and feel accepted.  A sense of belonging is derived from the strong bond of family.  Family is where our roots take hold and from there we grow.  We are molded within a unit, which prepares us for what we will experience in the world and how we react to those experiences.  Values are taught at an early age and are carried with us throughout our life.

A close family bond is like a safe harbor where we find refuge.  From trusting that someone will pick us up when we fall, as a toddler, to someone being there for us as we experience the storms in life - family bonds help to instill trust and hope in the world around us and belief in ourselves.  Rituals of bedtime stories, hugs, holidays and daily meals shared together, provide a sense of warmth, structure and safety.  These rituals and traditions, not only create memories and leave a family legacy, but create our first path in life - one that is positive.

Our very spirit can either blossom or wither within the family unit.  When we don't have the security and influence of strong family bonds early in life, the ground work is laid for an emptiness, that is often sought to be filled, through destructive venues.  If one isn't loved as a child, they may later seek love and acceptance in a way that brings them harm.  There is a deep yearning to fill that hollowness, residing in the heart and soul, from never knowing what it's like to be loved, accepted and appreciated for "being".
 

The benefits of keeping family first :-

A) an unwavering trust in God's love and wisdom.
b) steadfast, endurance, courage, patience and hope for eternity
c) the Holy Spirit enables us to produce living fruits such as love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; (Gal. 5:22-23)

CHILDREN'S EARS MAY BE CLOSED TO ADVICE, BUT THEIR EYES ARE OPEN TO EXAMPLE. 

A  RIGHT  ATTITUDE  WITH  YOUR  FAMILY  BEGINS  WITH  A  RIGHT  ATTITUDE TOWARDS  GOD

Beginning of a new chapter

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.  (Ecclesiastes 3:1-14)

t Penang International Airport

Time for the FAMILY

F.A.M.I.L.Y. denotes Father And Mother I Love You.

Deuteronomy 5:16 says "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Although we are a Christian, it does not change the tradition of going home or gathering at home to celebrate Chinese New Year. Hours before the big day, relatives near and far file in for the reunion dinner - the most important event of the celebration. A sumptuous meal lies on the dining table, a tribute to a year well-lived and the opportunities that lie ahead.

I wish all our Chinese readers Gong Xi Gong Xi and extend my best wishes to you and your family. May your Chinese New Year celebration be filled with love, joy and peace. May the year 2009 bring you overflowing joy and happiness always.

During this time of great challenges, I pray that the favour and blessing of the Almighty God be upon you always. For us who are Christians, may this seasonal celebration brings a deeper meaning of "Xin Nian", "新年", a new year, as it represents a new year of new challenges, opportunities, hope and joy to serve and glorify God so that He can draw all men unto Him.
1 Corinthians 10 : 31 reminded us - "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. "

Let us rejoice and offer praise and thanks to God for this blessed season as there are much goodies and cookies to eat during this occasion.