Lamenting as an Act of Faith
Photo: Kalie Stier Photography
“When Jeremy Chew’s wife passed away from an aggressive form of cervical cancer in August 2018, his world fell into darkness. … An Old Testament lecturer at the East Asia School of Theology, Chew had been teaching for years about the suffering of characters like Hannah and Job. Yet, it was only in his personal grief that the Biblical stories hit home,” wrote Gracia Lee of Jeremy’s journey of faith.
Read the moving testimony of an EAST alumnus and resident faculty, Dr Jeremy Chew, on the passing of his dear wife and its aftermath. He composes and sings songs in worship of our God through such season of lamenting as acts of renewed faith. He recently cut a Mandarin album with songs on human grief and God’s goodness. Selah.
You may read Gracia’s full article in Salt & Light here.
Season of Lent: Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent which is 46 days away from Easter (or Resurrection) Sunday. In the Bible, the use of ashes symbolized the frailty of humanity, mourning, and repentance (e.g. Genesis 3:19; Job 42:5,6; Matthew 11:21). The season of Lent is a 40-day period, excluding Sundays, as a time of fasting, reflection, and repentance, and capped by celebration on Resurrection Sunday. The 40-day period is significant as it reflects Christ’s wilderness experience, where he fasted and was tempted by Satan. Christians see Lent as intentional setting aside of time for fasting, reflecting on and identifying with the life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Design: Blessed Ong
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.
God’s Faithfulness and Protection
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)
The Lord will never let us down! His love surrounds and overshadows us in this challenging season. He is faithful in protecting us against our enemies.
Design by Blessed Ong.
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