Grateful for Window of Providence

We are grateful to God for His providence in supplying a three-day corporate training opportunity for me to return to Malaysia last week during the seminary fall break. The only setback was that I came home alone and had to leave my wife and daughter behind in Charlotte. On the other hand, it was also a wonderful journey for me to "cari makan" (find food) and stock up memories of mesmerizing meals before heading back to the books here in the US!

It was good to connect with people in the marketplace and although it was not direct Gospel preaching, I thoroughly enjoyed communicating truth principles in matters of communication, engagement and relationship. Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them". God's sovereignty is such a reassuring truth that as I come to Him in my present moment, I can worship Him in perfect confidence that He knows what He is doing and has a plan at work. God is more actively involved in your life than you know! May we walk holding the Hand of Him who is already prepared beforehand.

Please pray for us
Thanks for praying for Eunice's SAT - she was happy with her US-experience. The next milestone is visiting several prospective universities and deciding the "good work" which the Lord had prepared for her. May we be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance for Eunice.

This second part of the Fall Semester is filled with exams and research papers submission! Please pray for my wife and I as we prepare towards it. Time management and the discipline to study in a systematic and focused way is certainly needful.

Thank you for partnering with us in this journey of joy.

Joseph, Debra & Eunice.

From Theology to Doxology

In the midst of quizzes, exams and research papers, it is easy to focus on completion rather than contemplation, work rather than worship. Am I stretched with the academic load here in RTS? Of course! However, the deeper question is - Are my studies leading me to a closer relationship with what I am studying or with Who I am studying? There is the temptation that since what I am reading is largely theological in nature, then I should be in good spiritual shape, right? Wrong.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord .. (Psalm 1:2). In your presence, there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Recently, I sense a real tug in my heart to begin delighting in the presence of my Creator, my Savior, my Comforter. Yes, there are the deadlines and assignments but am I operating from a position of rested joyfulness or restless juggling? When delight gives way to duty, then the books will feel heavy indeed. I am thankful that the professors here in RTS do make a conscientious effort to ask the "so what?" question and remind us about the WHO behind the what we are studying. Oh, how I need to regular remind myself about the state of my heart before the Lord and the temptation to run on empty, relying on my own strength and effort.

During the weekend, we love to hunt for a place where we can brunch and then spend hours at the table catching up with our studies. We are in this amazing season in our lives where three of us are all students at the same time (and we enjoy the fellowship of this "suffering"). Of course, coffee, tea and regular snacks along the way helps too :-)

Please pray for us
Next week signals the start of the mid-term exams and also the start of research paper submission deadlines. Please pray that we will diligently steward the hours of the day and study systematically to cover the required essentials. Writing theological research papers is a new experience for me but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Eunice's SAT is next Saturday 5th Oct - please pray for her to be in good health and mental clarity. Please also pray for a new tenant for our house in Bandar Utama - we had an unreliable tenant who just moved out this month and we need a new one as soon as possible in order to lighten the load of our living expenses here in the US. Do let me know should you have anyone interested.

Thank you for partnering with us in this journey of joy.

Joseph, Debra & Eunice.