Soulmates in Jesus.

Giving testimonies about our victories and blessings - is wonderful. Not being able to open and share confidently about my struggles, mistakes, failures and defeats to my small group is a shame - the absence of a true community?
My heart grieved so much when I hear of someone telling me that it will be shameful to return to a small group to share about a defeat after sharing about a victory some months back. A true community can only truly happen when there is a safe place for vulnerability and honesty.
Striving to build a real, honest, authentic, transparent, transformational community of God lovers must be an ongoing quest for FCC.
We do not want a plastic, artificial, phony, veneered, respectable crowd where every person tries to look good to outshine one another of how blessed they are with God on their side.
Today people are looking for truth, real & honest relationships, real spirituality, authentic God-encounters. They are fedup with entertainment, celebrity preachers, programmes and endless activities - they want real, genuine, transformational encounters with God and fellow-men.
The church must be a safe place that we can bare our souls, our pain, our struggles and find others who also baring their souls holding our hands and walking together on the road of grace and transformation.

Qong Xi Fart Xai

The Chinese New Year offer to us an excellent opportunity to catch up or patch up with "old relationships". Even for "uncertain status of relationship" we are usually warmly greeted for our visit - with the oranges and cookies or sausages.
Of course the people that are really "fart Xai-ing" are the unmarried ones collecting the angpows. Heh ! - remember to tithe your angpow, ok?
When I spoke to Emmanuel on New Year Eve - I really felt sad that he is alone in Sydney during this time. This is the first time [ in his 23 years ] he is not with us for CNY. Spoke to him again today - he sounded ok. He was happy. Someone gave him a car when they left to go home to Hong Kong.God is good - taking care of him very well.This is his second year of study at CCC - school of ministry, Sydney.

Show off Jesus's Love. Love one another

"This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples - when they see the love you have for each other" - John 13:35.
If the world see how we treat one another in the Body of Christ - what would they see?
Would they see us labelling one another - with our finger pointing. Would they see us carry each other's burden or putting more burden on one another by our self-righteous attitude.
Would they see us nursing each other's wound or see us wounding each other.Are we willing to sacrifice for each other, or are we sacrificing each other.
Can we show off our love for each other?
Do we dare to boast to the world to come and watch our "relationship" with one anopther.

How spiritual is eating - together?

Let us serve lunch to our friends as an act of love:-The call was given. So on Christmas Sunday FCC set the pews aside, lay out the tables with nice cutleries from our homes and waited on our friends with starters, apple wine, main course and desserts - together with songs, drama and testimonies. It was our humble incarnation of the Christmas story - God so love the world that He gave:" He love so He gave. He came to serve and not to be served." I was so blessed to see love, unity and servanthood in action. Elizabeth expressed how much fun it was to be "serving and waiting" [ She was back for Christmas from school in Kuantan and she enjoyed herself being a waitor! WOW ]
Recently I find myself more intentionally encouraging others to make time and space for community experiences. Basically just calling for small groups to have potbless fellowship dinner and inviting friends to "makan" [eat]. On Saturday morning made date with Aunty Lily, May and Joash for Penang Asam Laksa breakfast in Melawati - it was real chunky kembong fish. "TQ so much hor ; you so busy also take me for breakfast ah!" Aunty Lily said."Yes lo, so busy, so must make time lo" I replied.
Last Saturday we had SJCOMO - Adults - we had friends from other church and a new family sharing food, games, birhtday cake and a simple bible study together. I thought a little bit after the whole event and I think that maybe the bible study was not really necessary to make the event "spiritual". Eating/celebrating together is not "unspiritual" and we might have just shared more by using the bible study time to just converse/talk/chat/open hearts and love and laugh with out new friends.
On Sunday night, I had pre-chinese new year "makan" with a Chinese Cell group in a Jinjang "Choy-yin-ouk" [Vegetable garden house ].Friends and new Christians watch how Christians eat/chat/laugh together - Communion?
Monday night, I cook "Chye - Choy" for the first time. SUCCESS! - brought the dish over to another family for dinner. They like it. I am cooking it again soon before the new year. Any taker?
Did somebody else cook for his friends? : "Oi !!!Peter, James , John - come, come, breakfast ready already lah" Jesus called from the shore. John 21: 9-13.