Season of Lent: Ash Wednesday
ASH WEDNESDAY
Today I wear the mark of the cross on my forehead,
visible black cross reminder of righteousness aforesaid.
Stained mark from last year’s burnt palm leaves,
black on white, opportunity for repentance gives.
Repentance done for repentance needed in words and deeds,
unconfessed sins unconfessed, sin and more sins will breed.
Repentance for grace undeserved, begins the season of Lent,
undeserved, unbidden, unexpected salvation was sent.
Darkness is my heart where selfishness sings evermore,
ego and pride above goodness and holiness soar.
Come, Holy Spirit, come breath of God, to my sorry plight,
Cleanse me, mold me, straighten me, to make me right.
Above text is penned by Dr Alex Tang, EAST Adjunct Faculty.
Graphics is designed by Blessed Ong.
Frontline Healthcare Professionals
Photo: Graceworks
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
Once again those of us in healthcare are at the frontline of a major health challenge. Again, the long hours, constantly updated circumstances and, though we are the ones who have to follow the strictest protective protocols, there is no running away from the fact that many of us are the ones closest to those who are ill. We remember the fatalities of the SARS epidemic, and the ultimate price paid by some of our colleagues in Wuhan. Surely this is at the back of our minds, when we have the energy and time to think. We have to decide how we should live to minimise risk and fear for those closest to us. This is a challenging time. A few things to bear in mind.
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For the full article, click here. It is authored by Dr Tan Soo Inn, Chaplain of the Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship, Singapore.
Fear, Faith, and Coronavirus
Photo: Yahoo! News Singapore (LightRocket via Getty Images)
There is a state of fear in people of many countries – countries which are far from the epicentre of the 2019-nCoV epidemic (also known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19) in Wuhan and Hubei Province, China. People scan the news media frequently (sometimes every few minutes) to see the latest tally of infected cases and death – as though one was following the Olympics medals tally. Fear is visceral and irrational, and some would rather believe the latest rumours or fake news than follow reputable websites or official announcements. Fear leads to mass hysteria, like hoarding of food and even toilet papers!
To deal with our fear of the outbreak, let us ask ourselves a few questions.
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To read the entire article by Dr Alex Tang, EAST Adjunct Faculty, click here. Thank you.
God is Our Deliverer
A song based on Psalm 91 to remind us TODAY that the Lord is our only refuge, our tower of strength, and our safety amidst this challenging season.
To hear the song, click the picture below.
Design by Blessed Ong.
What is Love?
There’s a lot of confusion about the meaning of love these days. In some recent weddings, I’ve heard couples close their vows with the phrase, “as long as we both shall love.” That’s quite a shift from “as long as we both shall live.” Such a change moves marital commitments away from decisions of the will to decisions of the heart.
By defining love in almost exclusively emotional terms, popular culture has tended to ignore or even exclude any elements of truth, righteousness, and volition. This is dangerous for many reasons, first and foremost, because according to 1 John 4:8, God’s very essence is love. To misunderstand love, then, is to misunderstand God.
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