SPEAK TO THE BONES AND RESTORE YOUR MARRIAGE

1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and placed me in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. 2 He made me walk all around among them. I realized there were a great many bones in the valley and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said to him, "Sovereign Lord, you know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and tell them: 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 

(Ezekiel 37:1-4)

I am reminded of some couples that Pastor Grace and I have counseled. Many of their marriages were like dry bones. They were so brittle that they could break at any point of crisis.

Many of these couples had survived through very tough time together but their relationships did not improve. Some of them were even planning to separate and ultimately divorce.

However, because they were willing to let God be the Master of their marriage and submit to His will, the Lord intervened and spoke life to their relationships.

Through forgiveness, patience, love, wisdom and understanding, the love between the couples has grown and flourished.

Many still have to make daily adjustments as the Lord brings correction into their lives. The good thing is that the couples have learned how to speak life into their marriage and stir up the Agape love that God has blessed them with since the beginning of their relationship.

They no longer consider divorce as an option. They now know that they belong to each other and most importantly they belong to God. They have learned to draw strength and love from the Lord so as to love and cherish each other better.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Albert Kang

Not Everything Under My Control

I have this constant fear about giving the impression that as a pastor, I have everything under control. I am afraid that those who hear me preached might think that I have such a connection to heaven so much so that I have all the answers. Nothing is further from the truth. 

There are days when my faith got shaken. Time and time again, I am placed in a waiting mode that I wonder what God is going to do. Yes, I do get impatient with God and if I had my way, I would have taken off running. But I have learned that it would be absolutely foolish and futile if I were to do that. 

Like every child of God, I am making my fair shares of mistakes, using my fair shares of doubt, and letting the Lord down more regularly than I like. However, one thing I lean heavily upon, in spite of my weakness, is the abundance of God's grace and mercy. His hands of restoration are always there to put me back on my feet whenever I cry out to Him. I am forever grateful that when I am weak, I have One who is strong. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me, in spite of me. 

Pastor Albert Kang

The Tears of the Father

The father in the story of the prodigal son suffered much.  He saw his younger son leave, knowing the disappointments, rejections and abuses facing him.  He saw his older son become angry and bitter, and was unable to offer him affection and support.  

A large part of the father's life has been waiting.  He could not force his younger son to come home or his older son to let go of his resentments.  Only they themselves could take the initiative to return.

During these long years of waiting the father cried many tears and died many deaths.  He was emptied out by suffering.  But that emptiness had created a place of welcome for his sons when the time of their return came.  We are called to become like that father. 

Henri Nouwen

Living the Moment to the Fullest

Click on the picture of the bears to see them in action

Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of a conflict. 

Patience is not a waiting passivity until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. 

When we are impatient we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later and somewhere else. 

Let's be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand.

Henri Nouwen

The Challenge of Aging

Waiting patiently in expectation does not necessarily get easier as we become older. On the contrary, as we grow in age we are tempted to settle down in a routine way of living and say: "Well, I have seen it all. ... There is nothing new under the sun. ... I am just going to take it easy and take the days as they come." But in this way our lives lose their creative tension. We no longer expect something really new to happen. We become cynical or self-satisfied or simply bored. 

The challenge of aging is waiting with an ever-greater patience and an ever- stronger expectation. It is living with an eager hope. It is trusting that through Christ "we have been admitted into God's favour ... and look forward exultantly to God's glory" (Romans 5:2)

Henri Nouwen