Who in their right mind would ever volunteer to be stricken by cancer or a disorder that won’t respond to treatment? Who is ever prepared for unprovoked attacks or freak accidents? But when they happen (to us or someone close), we come face to face with our own frailty and mortality. Our response determines how quickly we descend into the rabbit hole of despair. 

BEINREACH MINISTRY WAS LAUNCHED IN SINGAPORE in a most uncertain time during a global pandemic lockdown. Its mission is to reach some people so they would not give up on their faith when their lives fell under the weight of the most synchronised lockdown in history. Forced to isolate, technology made it possible for people to come together in new ways. Across the globe, people sought a different kind of connection: apart yet together. Virtual groups of all kinds sprang up overnight and gained rapid traction; from pilates workouts to wine parties, classrooms, celebrations and movie nights. While conventional thinkers decried this as a fad, realists were quick to wake up to a new normal and recognise that things had changed quickly and irreversibly.

ANYTHING WE DO OUT OF SELF-PRESERVATION will invariably involve minimizing personal pain and discomfort. On the other hand, there are people who will not let tragedy numb their emotions, pain to silence their voices, or disappointment to discolour their hope in Christ. These are people who know that they live for something larger than their own existence. They see their lives as threads handpicked by God Himself and weaved into the interconnectivity of life in the body of Christ, and they recognise the effect of personal choices on their shared destiny with others. They have a resilience that doesn't give them permission to give up easily even when they experience great distress because they know that their individual action can leave permanent marks in the fabric of their communities.

Book titles, song titles, movie titles, programme titles and even sermon titles are simply introductions: they don’t tell the entire story. Nobody reads a book title and says they have read the book. Or seen a movie title and say they have seen the whole movie. 

It is unfortunate that Christianity is widely perceived as a rules-based religion that prioritizes group conformity over a genuine relationship with God. It doesn’t help that many believers also lack the ability to discern the difference when they face conflicting loyalties, and choose to keep up a unified front instead of doing what is right with God.

Doctors rely on blood analyses to make medical diagnoses and decide on the best treatments for their patients. Like it or not, our bloodworks reveal scientific truths about our health that we can either confirm or deny. But what will reveal our spiritual health everyday?

People everywhere bear visible distinguishing marks that others can readily recognise, especially when they travel away from home. These distinguishing marks can be dressing, language, food culture, social behaviour and mannerisms and even physical appearance. In addition, there are non-physical traits like what the apostle Paul and also our Lord Jesus Himself are known for: being risk-takers, strong leaders, strategic thinkers, and also, controversial figures. 

ARE YOU AFRAID TO GO DEEP? In conversations,  do you stick to safe topics to avoid bringing up personal opinions and feelings. Do you prefer surface-level interactions, sharing general updates without saying much about yourself. Are you constantly busy and occupied, yet lack relationships with real depth?

VALLEYS are low-lying areas situated between elevated landforms like hills and mountains, distinguished by a river or stream flowing through them. Scenically beautiful, they can also be symbolic of difficult circumstances. It's mentioned in Psalms 23:4, assuring us of God’s presence with us in that “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

People generally have a pretty standard assumption that messy situations always lead to bad outcomes. But consider the childbirth experience – lengthy involuntary contractions, the intense pain and the amount of blood in the picture. What appears chaotic produces the much-anticipated birth of a child. Or picture surgery of any kind: the living body is not made of neat compartments but overlapping parts constantly reacting to what is being done on any part. The operating theatre is not a place of beauty and order but where precision, time and patient safety are prioritized over appearances. Finally, step into a busy restaurant kitchen: nothing resembles the beautifully plated dishes that is capable of producing.

The last month of the year can be a time of ambivalence to many. December marks the end of a calendar year and the beginning of another. It is a time that triggers powerful memories of personal milestones, as well as moments, people, or seasons of life gone, and mistakes made. With a mix of gratitude and regret, we recall what went well, what was lost, and what never happened, and quietly resolve to “do better” next year. Except that without the right self-reflection and taking deliberate steps for change, next year becomes pretty much the same (if not a worse) version of the current one.

In every major city, elaborate Christmas trees decked out with expensive ornaments, lights, gold and glitter draw huge crowds and encourage festive spending. Meanwhile, overhead speakers supply an unbroken soundtrack of Christmassy songs of silver bells and dreams of a white Christmas. Businesses and social media influencers create a world of make-believe – snow in tropical climates, picture-perfect relationships, and the ‘magic of Christmas’ replaces the meaning of Christmas. People rush from store to store searching for the “perfect gift” as if joy could be bought, wrapped, and placed neatly under a tree.

Hitting the wall is an idiom for describing a point when we encounter a barrier that halts progress where further advancement is not possible. In life, we hit the wall when we face the hard moments that test our ability to persevere. The only way to avoid hitting the wall is to move in repetitive circles that makes no progress. In trying too hard to avoid pain or failure, we also avoid growth: we may never crash, but we also don’t evolve or improve either.

When our emotional age does not match our physical age, we will act in childish ways to cover up a myriad of struggles. We recognize childish adult behaviour when someone lacks the ability to negotiate and talk through issues and instead make demands and throw tantrums when they don’t get their way. Or they are habitually so self-focused that they are unable to empathize with another person’s experience of realities. In relationships, childish adults may put themselves in groups but like toddlers, they do not share anything personal or engage with people on any deep level. 

STRIVING FOR PERFECTION may make our efforts appear noble but being faithful to God is not about how flawless and faultless we appear to Him. In truth, human perfection does not exist and to reject this is to reject our humanity – with all its imperfections and failings.

ALL OF US have met people who  appeared in the most ordinary moments of our lives and did something so unexpected and thoughtful that set them apart from others. They seem to possess a certain ability to perceive and respond spontaneously to human needs without ministry platforms, programmes or personal acclaim. This ability comes naturally to some who are more intuitive in making human connections that make a difference. For the majority of us, it is a skill we gradually acquire over time.

True greatness of faith is not measured by how much we know, but by how completely yielded we are to God. It is ironic that we have more faith in a $20 electric toaster to produce brown and crispy toasts without fail than we have faith in Jesus to do what He does best – creating miracles and moving mountains! Yet, when it comes to facing life and relational challenges, our faith in God fluctuates like a roller-coaster! 

Pastor Lai Keat Keong laid out four types of faith that Jesus considered great.

When four men brought a paralytic into full view before Jesus, everyone took one look at the man’s physical handicap and thought they knew exactly what he lacked and what he needed. Often, that’s how we sum up each other’s struggles, strengths and successes – by drawing inferences from their present situations and presenting symptoms. We rely on visual cues instead of making deeper connections.

We all like to know how a story, a situation or an event ends. By nature, we are both curious and have a deep need to bring things to a close. We expect things to always fall into place without prolonged uncertainty. That’s why we gravitate towards streaming platforms to see how human dramas unfold (even if based on fiction). And that’s why we ask each other for updates about things we are not even remotely involved in. After all, a good ending gives meaning to everything that came before it.

All relationships involve rights, responsibilities and risks for the parties involved. In terms of rights, we can all expect respect, honesty and concern from each other, while upholding the mutual responsibility to be truthful, transparent and thoughtful. However, relationships also run the risk of being one-sided where one person’s preferences and needs are prioritized over the other, leading to alienation and  hurt. God is acutely aware of all the threats that can lead to relational breakdown. It is why Jesus made this the first and greatest command for all believers: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And for the second most important command, He emphasized, “Love your neighbour as yourself.