Her lungs burns like they are on fire. She struggles to gasp for her breath while the worried faces of family, relatives and friends express concern for what is happening to her.
“Is… is he here?” The old lady gazes into the eyes of her beautiful daughter.
“I… I will call him.” Her teary eyes daughter replies. She proceeds to dial a number to contact her one and only son, the favorite grandson of the dying old lady before her.
“Ruth, don’t.” The old lady choked up her answer in pain. “Jonah ought to put the work of God first before… cough… before me.”
My name is Jonah Wong. I am an evangelist from the country of China. I was born in Beijing, to a small Christian family, in the midst of a country that is communist and atheistic in nature. Today, many people ask me for the success to my evangelism ministry. They want to know the secret of my power, the secret of my success with God. They come up with all kinds of theories for my success.
Theory one declares that it is due to the way I speak before people. I have mastered my voice to such a level, that I am able to psychologically brainwash the people to believe in everything I say. Theory two states that it is because of my godly character, which explains why God chooses to use me. I am honest, righteous, brave and yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit of God. I have my own theory, theory three, of why I am so successful.
The crowd of the Indian population that overflows from the stadium is a sight for me to behold. The number of people who turns up surprises me. It will be one successful harvest for the Lord, today.
“Dear Lord, give me the strength to minister to the hungry souls that are looking for you. May they see and notice you and not me.” It is my custom to pray before I go up to preach. My handphone rings just when I finish my simple prayer.
“I am sorry… I cannot answer your call, now, mum, I am about to minister on stage to millions of people.”
“Jonah, this is urgent. Your grandmother is dead.”
“What!” The shock is great.
“Your grandmother is dead. Respiration failure. A hole in her lungs.”
“I will… go back this very minute.” My grandmother loves me the best. If it is not for her, I will not be who I am today. How can I bring myself to preach to a crowd of million people when my own grandmother, the person who means the most to me in my life, has just died?
“No, Jonah, don’t. Your grandmother told me before she went back to Jesus to tell you this, ‘Ruth, when I am gone, I know Jonah will surely want to come back to see me for the last time. Before he does so, please tell this, my dear child, to him, In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.’ Jonah, Granny wanted you to preach the Word of God and not abandoned the responsibility which God had entrusted to you.”
That night, India experiences her greatest revival in history. They think that I am responsible for the revival that comes to their country. I just want to cry. Alone by myself. Away from the crowd. In my hotel room. In memory of an unsung hero. My grandmother.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Short Story: Sweet, baked eggs!
Shu Mei tiptoed across the kitchen, careful to pass by the door to her parents’ room, the toilet, into the kitchen without making a single sound. It was the time of night where the moon was at her greatest height, where the surrounding areas to the bungalow house situated near a tiny road in Singapore, were extremely silent.
It was the time when everybody was asleep, but the tiny little girl was still wide awake. Her keen and eager eyes were the signs that this 7 years old girl would most likely not be in bed anytime, soon.
“I am not a naughty girl, God; I just want to give my mummy a surprise.” Shu Mei uttered when she noticed that the face of a crucified Jesus was staring sternly out of a picture-frame carefully placed on one of the wall that led to the kitchen area at her. He seemed to be reproving her, questioning why the little girl was out at bed so late at night.
“Mummy loves eggs.” Shu Mei smiled as she carefully took out two eggs from a near-by basket. “I shall give mummy a surprise.”Mrs. Chen aroused from her sleep by a nightmare which she had of being pursued by a robber, who was out to rob her of all her money.
“I had a nightmare,” Mrs. Chen mumbled to herself. The woman was about to go back to sleep when she noticed that the light outside her bedroom was not switched off. Opening her bedroom’s door, Mrs. Chen noticed that the door to her daughter’s room was not shut, and the light of the kitchen was being switched on.What could that trouble-maker be up to, Mrs. Chen thought to herself in anger, as she walked to the kitchen.
“What are you doing!” The woman shouted at the little girl as she smelt the odor of burnt eggs arising from out of the oven in her kitchen area. Mrs. Chen hurried to the kitchen and found two eggs being placed inside the oven, and they were burnt.
“You naughty girl!” Mrs. Chen shouted in anger as she slapped the hand of her young daughter and proceeded to shut down the oven. “What do you think you are doing! This is not funny and this is not a game!”
Little Shu Mei burst into tears, frightened by the outburst of her mother’s anger and sad that her kind intentions were being treated so harshly by her own mother.
“I am only trying to bake some eggs for you,” the little girl replied, in the midst of her sobs.
“Bake some eggs?”
“It is mother’s day, tomorrow, and you said that you love to eat eggs.” The little girl explained as she wiped off the tears from her eyes.Mrs. Chen burst into laughter.
“You don’t bake an egg, silly girl. You cook it, boil it or fry it. But you don’t bake it.”
”You don’t?”
“Yes, you don’t. No one ever bakes an egg.”
“But you bake a cake.”
“That is different.” The mother said, as she drew her little girl close to her side.
“I am sorry, mummy. I want to give you a surprise.” The little girl’s head was looking at the ground.
“It is all right, darling. I love your baked eggs. Mummy is sorry for scolding you.” Mrs. Chen gently stroked the hair of her little girl.
“But you can’t eat them,” said the little girl, sadly.
“Yes, I can. And they taste wonderful.” Mrs. Chen replied, lightly tapping at the heart of her little girl.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” Shu Mei said, with a smile.
It was the time when everybody was asleep, but the tiny little girl was still wide awake. Her keen and eager eyes were the signs that this 7 years old girl would most likely not be in bed anytime, soon.
“I am not a naughty girl, God; I just want to give my mummy a surprise.” Shu Mei uttered when she noticed that the face of a crucified Jesus was staring sternly out of a picture-frame carefully placed on one of the wall that led to the kitchen area at her. He seemed to be reproving her, questioning why the little girl was out at bed so late at night.
“Mummy loves eggs.” Shu Mei smiled as she carefully took out two eggs from a near-by basket. “I shall give mummy a surprise.”Mrs. Chen aroused from her sleep by a nightmare which she had of being pursued by a robber, who was out to rob her of all her money.
“I had a nightmare,” Mrs. Chen mumbled to herself. The woman was about to go back to sleep when she noticed that the light outside her bedroom was not switched off. Opening her bedroom’s door, Mrs. Chen noticed that the door to her daughter’s room was not shut, and the light of the kitchen was being switched on.What could that trouble-maker be up to, Mrs. Chen thought to herself in anger, as she walked to the kitchen.
“What are you doing!” The woman shouted at the little girl as she smelt the odor of burnt eggs arising from out of the oven in her kitchen area. Mrs. Chen hurried to the kitchen and found two eggs being placed inside the oven, and they were burnt.
“You naughty girl!” Mrs. Chen shouted in anger as she slapped the hand of her young daughter and proceeded to shut down the oven. “What do you think you are doing! This is not funny and this is not a game!”
Little Shu Mei burst into tears, frightened by the outburst of her mother’s anger and sad that her kind intentions were being treated so harshly by her own mother.
“I am only trying to bake some eggs for you,” the little girl replied, in the midst of her sobs.
“Bake some eggs?”
“It is mother’s day, tomorrow, and you said that you love to eat eggs.” The little girl explained as she wiped off the tears from her eyes.Mrs. Chen burst into laughter.
“You don’t bake an egg, silly girl. You cook it, boil it or fry it. But you don’t bake it.”
”You don’t?”
“Yes, you don’t. No one ever bakes an egg.”
“But you bake a cake.”
“That is different.” The mother said, as she drew her little girl close to her side.
“I am sorry, mummy. I want to give you a surprise.” The little girl’s head was looking at the ground.
“It is all right, darling. I love your baked eggs. Mummy is sorry for scolding you.” Mrs. Chen gently stroked the hair of her little girl.
“But you can’t eat them,” said the little girl, sadly.
“Yes, I can. And they taste wonderful.” Mrs. Chen replied, lightly tapping at the heart of her little girl.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” Shu Mei said, with a smile.
Short Story: The One Talent He Gives Her
East Coast Park was the place she loved to go to. Evening was her best friend. She always visited East Coast Park with him. It was when he was doing his round that East Coast Park always had a bench that no one would sit in.There, sitting quietly alone, she would gently reflect about life and spent her time together with God.
Today was her birthday. But no one remembered it. No one bothered to.
She was not a popular girl. She was never a popular girl.
She was not a pretty girl. She was never pretty.
She was not a wise girl. She was never wise.
She was not a talented girl.
God is good, she was absolutely sure He is so, but somehow, in making her, He must have accidentally forgotten to give her a talent.
“Nobody remembered my birthday, Lord.” Xiao Hui uttered sadly, in sorrow.
She could feel the Lord just sitting beside her on the bench as they watched the sunset together.
“Not me. I remember.” It was a gentle whisper.
“Thank you,” replied Xiao Hui with a smile, a forced kind of smile.
Her heart was comforted by the Lord's love for her, but it was still sad over the fact that no human being remembered her birthday.
“See, I make you a birthday cake.” The same gentle whisper.
The cloud in the sky did appear to look like the shape of a cake.
Xiao Hui laughed, “Too bad I can't eat it, Lord.”
She could feel the Lord laughed together with her.
“You can, one day, when you come home to me. I guarantee you it will be the tastiest cake you will have ever eaten.” The Lord spoke in an assuring manner.
“I will love to taste it, dear Lord when I get home,” replied Xiao Hui.
She knew her Lord will never lie to her.She could feel the Lord smiling with joy even as she said that. Her faith in Him was what always pleased Him most.
“I was not selected for the mission team, my Lord,” Xiao Hui said, sadly.
“They said I had asthma.”
“I know,” the Lord replied, gently.
“I was also not selected for the church's choir, my voice was not in harmony with the rest of the team,” said Xiao Hui with a sigh.
“I did my best to fit in.”
“I know,” said the Lord, gently.
He was a good listener. There was the best thing about Him. He always listened before He spoke. He was very patient.
“The ushers' team had too many people, so it did not want me, either.” A tear fell down the eye of Xiao Hui.
“I know,” said the Lord, quietly. He placed an arm of His around the sorrowful girl.“Nobody wanted me,” said Xiao Hui in a sad tone.
“Not me. I wanted you,” said the Lord, gently, still as patiently as ever.
Xiao Hui smiled, “Thank you, Lord.”It was getting dark. The sun was almost nowhere to be seen.
“My Lord, I feel so much better, now. Thank you so much for being here with me,” said Xiao Hui with sincerity. The Lord smiled. Not many people remembered to thank Him for what He had done.
Xiao Hui got off her bench, walked to a quiet spot where no one was watching and fell on her knees. There, she began to pray profusely for God to help her church in every endeavor it was in, for God to look at the needs of the lonely and unwanted in society and for her entire nation Singapore to come to know the Lord, one day.
The Lord smiled as His hands prepared to move.
Today was her birthday. But no one remembered it. No one bothered to.
She was not a popular girl. She was never a popular girl.
She was not a pretty girl. She was never pretty.
She was not a wise girl. She was never wise.
She was not a talented girl.
God is good, she was absolutely sure He is so, but somehow, in making her, He must have accidentally forgotten to give her a talent.
“Nobody remembered my birthday, Lord.” Xiao Hui uttered sadly, in sorrow.
She could feel the Lord just sitting beside her on the bench as they watched the sunset together.
“Not me. I remember.” It was a gentle whisper.
“Thank you,” replied Xiao Hui with a smile, a forced kind of smile.
Her heart was comforted by the Lord's love for her, but it was still sad over the fact that no human being remembered her birthday.
“See, I make you a birthday cake.” The same gentle whisper.
The cloud in the sky did appear to look like the shape of a cake.
Xiao Hui laughed, “Too bad I can't eat it, Lord.”
She could feel the Lord laughed together with her.
“You can, one day, when you come home to me. I guarantee you it will be the tastiest cake you will have ever eaten.” The Lord spoke in an assuring manner.
“I will love to taste it, dear Lord when I get home,” replied Xiao Hui.
She knew her Lord will never lie to her.She could feel the Lord smiling with joy even as she said that. Her faith in Him was what always pleased Him most.
“I was not selected for the mission team, my Lord,” Xiao Hui said, sadly.
“They said I had asthma.”
“I know,” the Lord replied, gently.
“I was also not selected for the church's choir, my voice was not in harmony with the rest of the team,” said Xiao Hui with a sigh.
“I did my best to fit in.”
“I know,” said the Lord, gently.
He was a good listener. There was the best thing about Him. He always listened before He spoke. He was very patient.
“The ushers' team had too many people, so it did not want me, either.” A tear fell down the eye of Xiao Hui.
“I know,” said the Lord, quietly. He placed an arm of His around the sorrowful girl.“Nobody wanted me,” said Xiao Hui in a sad tone.
“Not me. I wanted you,” said the Lord, gently, still as patiently as ever.
Xiao Hui smiled, “Thank you, Lord.”It was getting dark. The sun was almost nowhere to be seen.
“My Lord, I feel so much better, now. Thank you so much for being here with me,” said Xiao Hui with sincerity. The Lord smiled. Not many people remembered to thank Him for what He had done.
Xiao Hui got off her bench, walked to a quiet spot where no one was watching and fell on her knees. There, she began to pray profusely for God to help her church in every endeavor it was in, for God to look at the needs of the lonely and unwanted in society and for her entire nation Singapore to come to know the Lord, one day.
The Lord smiled as His hands prepared to move.
Important Copyright Notice
The true author and writer of all the stories in this blog is The Holy Spirit of God.
The human vessel He uses is me.
The true author is perfect. The human vessel is not.
Every perfect portion of the stories come from Him. Every imperfect portion from me.
The true copyright of all the stories belong to God.
The representative copyright of the stories, for dealing in this secular world, is handled by me. In heaven, He owns the copyright. On earth, I will handle the copyright for Him, since most people on earth cannot see Him.
Copyright usage:
You are free to "share" this story with anyone you want who is within your circle of friends, as long as the "sharing" is of a non-commercial nature, and it is for a purpose that glorifies God in some manners or ways.
If it glorifies God, and if it is non-commercial in nature, you are free to publish it on your website, newsletter, Christmas card you personally made for your friends, church bulletin, without having to ask me for permission. It must be non-commercial in nature.
If you are a non-profit Christian organization, you are allowed to use the stories to raise fund for your ministries without seeking me for permission. As long as the usage of the story is for the glory of His kingdom, you don't have to ask me for permission. :)
A credit link back to this blog is deeply appreciated, but not compulsory, for usage of the stories in a non-commercial manner.
If you want to use the stories for commercial purposes, you can contact me by checking for my e-mail at my profile. Tell me the details of how you intend to use the stories.
Blog Link:
My stories are mainly written for Christians in Singapore. Therefore, if you are a Christian in Singapore, I will appreciate it deeply if you place a link to my blog from your blog. The purpose of my stories is to glorify God, convey important messages to Christians in Singapore, and allow Christians in Singapore to enjoy free, Christian stories online. The stories will reach more people if more people place a link back to my blog.
If you are not from Singapore, and the stories touch you one way or another, do place link to my blog from your blog. Thank you.
Final Note:
That is all for copyright information. :) Enjoy the stories, and remember, if they touch you, praise His name. My gifts and talents really come from Him.
To Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit be all glories, and may God bless Singapore, always.
If You Want To Be A Christian
If you want to get right with God, and be saved, here is a sample prayer. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. Prayer is simply talking to God. So, say out loud the following words and mean them from the bottom of your heart: “God, I know that I have committed wrong acts in my life and sinned against You. I deserve fully your punishment of eternal hell. Yet, You love me so much that you sent Jesus Christ down to take the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I accept Jesus into my life as my Saviour and trust You, oh God for my salvation. Thank you for saving me.”
Had you meant what you said? Congratulation, you now belong to the family of God, and is a Christian.
1. Make sure you understand salvation.
1 John 5:13 tells us, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”
God wants us to know more about our salvation. He wants us to know that we have eternal life. He wants us to have the confidence to know that we are saved.
Briefly, let’s go over the key points of salvation:
(a) We have done things that are bad in God’s eyes. (Romans 3:23)
(b) Because of our sin, we deserve to go to hell. (Romans 6:23)
(c) Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins (Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus died in our place, taking the punishment that we deserved so that we might receive the life He deserved. Jesus’ resurrection proved that His death was sufficient to pay for our sins.
(d) God grants forgiveness and salvation to all those who place their trust in Jesus—believing that He died to pay for our sons. (John 3:16, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1)
That is the message of salvation!
2. Set aside time each day to focus on God.
It is very important for us to spend time each day focusing on God. Some people call this a “quiet time
(a) Prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. Talk to God about your concerns and problems. Ask God to give you wisdom and guidance in your life. Ask God to provide for all your needs. Tell God how much you love Him and be thankful to Him for all that He does for you. That is what prayer is all about. If you really need help with praying, check out Matthew 6:9-12.
(b) Bible Reading. You need to be reading the Bible for yourself. The Bible is essentially God’s instruction manual for how to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him and satisfying to us. God promises that our ways will be prosperous and our lives successful if we read His Word. (Joshua 1:8)
3. Find believers who love Jesus to help you grow in your walk with God;
Don’t think of the church as a building. The church is the people. It is very important that believers in Jesus Christ fellowship with one another.
Find a good surrounding of believers who loves Jesus and fellowship with them. It is important not to neglect to meet with fellow believers! (Hebrews 10:25)
How do you know if a church or surrounding of believers love Jesus or not? By looking at their lives and actions! We can know if a believer loves Jesus or not by looking at his or her fruit. (John 15:2)
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