Knuckle and Beer

Had a great time with my SMU buds, catching up over dinner and beer at Paulaner. Only downside was that there was just too much Pork Knuckle and we felt really porky after awhile haha. Was good catching up and reminiscing on the old days.

Horses & Breakfast

Had the opportunity to have breakfast with Jean at Rider's on Tues to celebrate 2 months. It was a nice lazy morning with good food, a laidback vibe and wonderful conversation. A memorable experience indeed.

Amazed

This pic kinda captures abit of what happens in our relationship - amazement haha! I'm constantly amazed about the stuff we're learning about each other and ourselves. It's really a journey of discovery and there are times when it gets challenging and times when it all feels so right.

Sapped

Today Ma was being really tough and stubborn and resisted everything that I was trying to do for her own good. I tried in vain to rationalise and explain to her that going for therapy and all is for her own good and all she did was get frustrated and stubborn. It was difficult at that moment to continue being patient and loving but somehow deep within there was a strong desire to keep loving through it all.

Guess God is showing me how far I've come and the work He has done in my life, from doing acts out of duty and obligation to doing so from a heart of love and what a difference. Today even as I struggle in my life, I trust and put my faith in a "new" Christ and fiath, in whom I've known more and more through the Spirit's teaching of His word. It has helped me to have a living relationship with God and I realise the things I do, I do because of our relationship rather than mere obedience. Truly I see the law of the Spirit of Christ at work in me as opposed to the law of sin and death.

To Fight the Good Fight

Lately I've become contented with the life I'm living and the strife within me is dissipating gradually. This year is such a stark contrast from the previous year's busyness. I struggled with my significance and achievements and God has been reminding me that He is working in me so that He can work through me. It's a hard lesson for a guy to learn, given that we find our identity in our accomplishments and things we succeed in.

Through this season of taking care of Mom, God has taught me what it means to love. I've seen myself progressed from being very detached in supporting her, to really loving her well. It's truly God's way of experiential learning, and that obedience is first learnt then taught. I'm not very involved in ministry this year and it's a good opportunity to build the substructure of my inner life, to allow God to shape, mold and form my character, which is almost never an easy process. I've seen really ugly sides of me as the Spirit reveals and deals with and it makes me groan like Paul that "What a wretched man I am!" haha.

As I was preparing 1 Timothy for the guys mentoring, I was able to understand Paul's charge to Timothy to "fight the good fight" better. As Timothy was faced with a difficult time in having to correct the problems in the Ephesian Church leadership, Paul reminded Timothy of his responsibility and to persevere in both his ministry and life, of which there is no distinction. The phrase translated literally means to "war the good warfare" and it is really of a soldier fighting well to emerge victorious in a war, not just a single fight. Metaphorically, it is a reminder that we need to endure hardship and difficulties in this life of constant spiritual conflict and to stay true to our calling. I think it was Paul's way of slapping Timothy on his back and urging him to fight on with all he had as a good soldier. It is a great encouragement to me, to press on likewise and to give all I got in the service of my Lord.