Irene In Christ

There has been quite a bit of heavy stuff here on my blog recently, what with my Paul, Barnabas & Timothy stories and my Kuching God story. 😅  So, here I am, taking a break from my Kuching God story for a bit to share something more light-hearted. And, maybe to some, it may not be significant but I felt led to share about it, nevertheless.  Okay, first the story.  Tuesday afternoon, I brought my daughter for her 2nd dose Covid vaccination. (OK, let's not focus or argue or comment on whether Covid vaccination is necessary. Let's be excited about my parking God story.) So, here are some things that you need to know: The time, it's peak hour. I picked her up from school and drove to the clinic. So, it's lunch hour. The location, it's at city centre. It's congested at normal non-peak hours, so I dare not imagine how heavy traffic will be or how hard it will be to get a parking.  But because of my schedule, I went ahead.  So, of course I prayed.  Firstly, I...

When I first started writing my Kuching God story, I hadn't planned on writing about objects - cup and rubber band and what not. 😂 ( But somehow, under the hand of the Holy Spirit, it just came naturally.) I told of my cup and my rubber band story previously, of how these 2 objects/ analogies described me and my situation so aptly. Or so I thought.  Because, apparently, that was not how God see or think of me.  (If, when you were reading my stories, you felt like you can relate to the cup and rubber band, I am convicted and convinced that that is not how God see and think of you. You will see why.) I am not a cup, neither am I a rubber band.  I am a pipe.  How did this revelation come to me? Well, the Wednesday night after my Sunday breakthrough (the moment where I was able to, from the heart, forgive and reconcile with my mum) was Regional Night.  Note: Regional Night is a bi-monthly night where those who are leading or assisting in a Connect Group (...

I wrote of my  cup story  previously.  I shared about h ow, in my relationship with my mum, I used to be a filled, drained and emptied cup, over and over again.  And the toil it had taken on me.  Without me realising it, I grew bitter, taking offence at my mum's responses, words, intentions.  At the beginning of this year, I found myself struggling more and more. Even when I came before God (to be filled) in prayer before every conversation, instead of being conscious of God's presence and anointing upon me, I felt (and focused) on the weight of the issue at hand.  (Well, fixing our eyes on the problem in prayer is never a wise thing to do. I'm sure you have heard of the saying - 'Don't tell God how big your problem is. Tell your problem how big your God is.') Needless to say, instead of being filled, I started every conversation with my mum, already feeling weighed down. And, unfortunately, a half full cup only gets drained empty at twice the speed. ?...

My family and I recently made a trip back home. (Our first, ever since the pandemic hit in 2020.)  I call this trip my Kuching God story, simply because that is what it was - a(nother) God story.  And to tell this God story, I have to go right to the beginning.  To the heart of the matter.  As much as I had determined in my heart to give God glory and tell (as complete as possible) all the goodness He has showered me with in my life, this is a God story that is raw and hasn't been easy for me to tell. I am still struggling even as I am typing.  But it is exactly because of how bad and hard and ugly and dark things used to be, that it shows me (and you): 1) In Christ, there is good. In Christ, there is ease and grace. In Christ, there is beauty. In Christ, there is light. In fact, in Christ, there is only ease, grace, beauty, light and all things good!  2) In Christ, there is only good things. Because t hat is His nature.  3) No matter how hard, how ugl...

I wrote about my apostle Paul  here .  Although I had never fully recognised his role as my apostle Paul until quite recently, I had always know that he was discipling me.  There were many occasions where what he taught/ spoke/ shared with me sparked a light or resonated greatly in my spirit man.  We have also came to realise another thing - often, we have quite similar view in areas of things of God.  And I found myself repeating this, 'I am, after all, your disciple.'  But more than just that, I've also realised that, as I abide myself under this discipleship and continue to grow in the Lord, my hunger and ability to grasp the deep things of God increased.  Just taking one example in the area of the writings of mighty men of God. My apostle Paul recommended teachings and writings of great man of God, such as John G Lake and Smith Wigglesworth, to me back when my family was still in Kerteh. (In fact, he has never stopped introducing and recommending g...

And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. (Acts 9:26-28) Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts 11:25-26) I wrote about my  P . Today, let's look at the B, my Barnabases.  Someone once advised me that I need to find my Barnabases.  You can read about it  here .  And because I felt that my story would be incomplete if I do not retell it from the beginning, let's go back ...

I'm sorry for the long gap between this post and my last post but please know that this long gap has been a good and fruitful gap.  Though that will be another God story for another day.  For now, let's get back to our PBT.  (OK, now, if you're wondering what PBT is, nope, it's not Peanut Butter Toast. 😅) I wrote about P (Paul) B (Barnabas) T (Timothy) in my earlier post.  You can r efresh your memory   here   if you would like to. 😁 Today, I would like to speak about my Paul.  Let us first take a look at the opening address of the 2 epistles from apostle Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.  In 1 Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,  To Timothy, a true son in the faith: In 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, a...