eReflections Google Group

Reflections on My Pastor's Retirement

2009-10-02T04:42:43Z

On My Pastor's Retirement
rain water wind blows,
plants fruit,
in the garden of the minds,
single water droplet falls,
pond calm surface calls,
in mind like living waters,
ripple widens,
outward forever flows.
Nicholas Yeo has been pastoring Holy Light Church (English) for 36 years. He was appointed as preacher in the Presbyterian church in 1973 and ordained in 1979. He retired on 1st October 2009.

Deepening Christian Spiituality

2009-08-31T16:50:00Z

Three Russian monks lived on a faraway island. Nobody ever went there,
but one day their bishop decided to make a pastoral visit. When he
arrived, he discovered that the monks didn’t even know the Lord’s
Prayer. So he spent all his time and energy teaching them the “Our
Father” and then left, satisfied with his pastoral work. But when his

Spiritual Discernment and Decision Making

2009-08-24T17:55:47Z

Spiritual Discernment and Decision Making

One day a young fugitive, trying to hide himself from the enemy,
entered a small village. The people were kind to him and offered him a
place to stay. But when the soldiers who sought the fugitive asked
where he was hiding, everyone became very fearful. The soldiers

A Call to Spiritual Formation

2009-08-05T05:30:30Z

A Call to Spiritual Formation

Renovare and Spiritual Formation Alliance, San Antonio, 2009

Christian spiritual formation is the process of being shaped by the
Spirit into the likeness of Christ, filled with love for God and the
world.

God calls us all to become like Jesus. Jesus says, “I have come that

Prayer of the Father of the Bride

2009-07-23T04:45:14Z

The pomp and ceremonies of the wedding are over, the last revelers
have gone home and the young couple has embarked on their honeymoon.
Here am I, O Lord, sitting quietly before you. I wish to thank you for
the privilege of being the father of the bride. My heart is bursting
with gratitude that come from your wonderful generosity. When I first

What is Your Madness?

2009-05-05T15:42:16Z

We do not have to be mad to live in this world but it helps. Passion
is a powerful motivator and sustainer of our lives. Without passion,
we live lives of grayness and drudgery. With passion, we experience
lives of energy and power. To some, those who live their lives with
passion may seem slightly mad.

The Ban

2009-03-25T11:00:47Z

“Oh, my …”

“Stop! Don’t say it” shouted Disciple Ah Kow waving a piece of
parchment in front of Ah Lek’s face. Ah Lek shut his mouth as his
fellow disciple continued reading the Proclamation.

“By the spiritual authority granted to them, the Council of the Abba
has forbidden anyone except its members to use the following words,

How Heavy is a Glass of Water?

2009-03-13T04:42:33Z

This is from a good friend of mine who has given me permission to post
this:

"How heavy is a glass of water?"

"Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

"The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to
hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it

Lamentations in Gaza

2009-01-22T04:30:21Z

A call for prayer and action

Sirs, the gunfire are getting closer,
the screams are getting louder.
Sirs, my sisters and I are cowering,
under our dining table we are shivering.

Sirs, our playground and school are smashed,
as your tanks through them have crashed.
Sirs, you said we fired missiles at your homes,

Walking on Water

2008-12-06T06:33:36Z

One bright sunny morning, Abba Ah Beng was in a small boat on a lake
below the Sow Lin Monastery. In the same boat were his disciples Ah
Lek and Ah Kow, and a visiting monk, Abba Isaac. They were sharing a
Christian meditation on Jesus walking on water (Matt.14: 22-34).

“Why was Jesus walking on water?” asked Abba Ah Beng of his disciples.

A Time to be Doing, A Time to be Still

2008-10-29T07:04:39Z

A Time for All Things

There must be times in your life that you yearn for more of God than
your schedule will allow. We all have. We are tired, stressed by our
jobs, crowded by friends and burdened by obligations. We have abundant
life but are too busy for it! Even good obligations and commitments

Random Acts of Kindness

2008-10-15T02:58:59Z

or The Way to a Man’s Soul is Through his Stomach

Ah Kow found his friend Ah Lek, junior disciple grade three, in the
Sow-lin Monastery refectory. Ah Lek was gobbling down his rice
greedily, shoveling large amount of rice into his mouth with his chop
sticks as fast as he could.

“Whoa, slow down, Ah Lek, before you choke yourself. I have never seen

Disposable People

2008-09-17T06:52:23Z

for your meditation and reflection on
Throw-Away or Disposable People

Then he (Jesus) told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in
his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find
any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, `For three
years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and

We Become What We Practice

2008-09-14T12:57:57Z

“Brother senior disciple Ah Meng is so pious that he will be made Abba
soon,” observed Ah Lek as he continued to knead the dough that will be
made into mooncakes. Every year, the Sow Lin Monastery will make
mooncakes which the monks will distribute to the poor in the
surrounding villages. The mooncakes are eaten to celebrate the Mid-

Some Cats are Forever

2008-08-28T15:52:03Z

Abba Ah Beng bought a kitten to catch the rats that were eating his
loincloth. The kitten was very cute but playful. During chapel
service, she would sneak quietly into the chapel and distract the
young disciples of Sow Lin Monastery from their prayers and
meditation. A sudden touch of warm fur and a perfect purr was enough