It was such a joy to have our elder, Joe Chong, speak to the Lifespring family. Joe has been and continues to be one of the greatest leaders I have ever served under. A man who doesn’t just tell you to seek the Lord but shows you how. Thank you, Joe, for loving God and loving this family. We are so blessed to have you as an elder of this church.
As Joe was speaking, one of the many gems that I caught was God’s guidance to Joe on how to mature and how to love: Be Patient. Be Kind.
His testimonies of receiving patience and kindness from Aunty Gracie and giving patience and kindness to others like Andrew reminded me how different the Kingdom of God is from this world. This world demands immediate results and toughness. Yet God guides us to be patient and to be kind. An upside-down Kingdom on display again.
Last week as our pastoral team sat down for lunch, I looked across from me and saw a 20-year-old Abigail Soon who started as an intern 2 years ago. When we discussed that most jobs give 2 weeks vacation, she first thought that meant that people were entitled to 14 days off! I thought to myself, “this might be a long internship”.
Beside Abby sat a man, Ryan Seow, who I have known my entire life. A man who took 6 years to complete University, 3 years to complete a Master of Divinity, and is now entering his 12th year as a PhD candidate. I thought to myself, “this guy with his almost PHD is most likely the highest educated person in this food court”.
Beside me, sat a guy, Andrew Pubalasingam, who came to intercession smelling like illegal in his youth. A man who openly admitted that he was terrible at school, and a man who in 2 months will have completed his course load and is on his way to being a Registered Psychotherapist. I thought to myself, “this guy when he speaks will have a ‘professional opinion’ “.
Then there was me. So lost. But found. Causing pain everywhere I went, making my mom and dad cry over and over, and risking everything for cheap thrills in life. I thought to myself, “God is a funny one”.
Here we were, 4/6 of the pastoral team (Jerry and Eric are away), beneficiaries of great patience and great kindness. Countless people that have given us chances to make mistakes and grow. We are still not perfect, but I think that’s why God chose us to help lead this church family.
What is Love? Love is patient, Love is kind. The LifeSpring family has been recipients of great love. We must extend that love to others, like the way Aunty Gracie showed it to Joe, the way Joe showed it to Andrew, and the way Andrew shows it to Wildfire. Let us keep the story going.
Kingdom Family: Genuine Love for God and Genuine Care for Others. Be Patient. Be Kind.