Above all else

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to a friend I recently got to know.  He's from China so I try my best to communicate with him in Mandarin.  If you know me, then you know this is the beginning of a *FAIL* moment! I got to know this new friend on one of our walkabouts in Marine Parade where we do our community service (and yes, because my friend is not Singaporean and can't vote, you can guess that our community service has nothing to do with the upcoming General Election!). I was inviting him to join my church small group meeting, and I had cleverly (pat on the back) figured out how to type in Chinese on my handphone.  He quickly replied and said he would be happy to join us, so I passed the message to my wife that we would have to pick him up that evening.  But oddly, a couple of hours later, he sent another message, explaining that he couldn't join us, because he had to return to China the very next morning.  I didn't quite understand why his plans had c

Awful things happen all the time.  The newspapers are full of bad news.  Perhaps that's what sells.  Or perhaps the world really is pretty awful place. The Bangkok bombing.  The Sabah earthquake.  The Ebola outbreak.  MH370.  Disease.  Famine.  Poverty.  Divorce.  Job loss.  Death of a loved one. So the question is, if there is a God, and a good God, then why on earth is there suffering? To answer that question, it makes sense to start with the nature of God and the intent of His plan.  Who is this God who permits suffering, and why is He allowing it?  The Bible explains that God created the heavens and the earth, and that He created man, in His own image.  This last bit is critical. Imagine - God, awesome creator of the heavens and the earth - made you, in His image.  So we too, like God, can create.  Make choices.  We are not slaves to animal instinct.  We have freedom to choose. And unfortunately, freedom of choice can be used for good or bad.  When used for bad... w

As I sat thinking about what I should write for our Golden Jubilee National Day, I was reminded of an episode from my student past.  Just over 25 years ago, I wrote an article called "Pride in the Past, Faith in the Future" which was published in the Rafflesian Times (the school newsletter).  Raffles Institution was moving from Grange Road to Bishan, and as is often the case with change, there was much hand-wringing over whether the Rafflesian Spirit and other treasured traditions would be lost forever. Amongst other things, I mentioned that while we had much to be proud about, the virtue of humility was an inseparable part of those treasured traditions.  Just recently, the RI Headmaster was quoted in the news, to much consternation, about his warning that RI should be wary of elitism.  Entirely warranted.  But let's face it, not a new concern.  And not more reason for alarmists to scream "SEE HOW BAD THINGS HAVE BECOME SINCE THE GOOD OLD DAYS???"  Even a