Christina Siew is a God-seeker and blogger who writes about family and baby matters. I got to know her through blogging. Interestingly, I have gotten to know many acquaintances (some became friends) through this ministry of writing. Occasionally, as a guest preacher, I would meet some appreciative Christians who have been reading my blog posts. I have always been surprised that the Lord has used my writing to bless and edify the body of Christ. My articles are not particularly thorough or interesting. They are an editor’s nightmare. I simply plod on despite this because people seem to like them and the search engine has been partial and merciful to me. Christina runs two websites, one of which about travel, family and baby: go HERE. The other one has an interesting blog title: “Shema-rhema” (shema=hear/rhema=spoken word), which together means hearing the spoken word of the Lord. This is a lovely rhyming and memorable name for a website about spiritual growth and insights. Once she had the idea of including interviews with people on her website. She asked if I was willing. I said, Sure, pass me the questions. Bloggers are an endangered breed and should support each other! The questions motivated me to reflect on what’s been happening to me and proved to be a fruitful exercise for me. The result is HERE, a lovely interview titled “RETIRED SENIOR PASTOR, NOW RE-TYRED” thanks to her skilful editing. Visit her blog and be blessed by this and her other posts.
It was a young man Zephaniah, who suggested to me that I try doing Instagram reels. Successful reels focus on a niche subject. I told him I would prayerfully consider his suggestion. As I prayed about it over a few weeks, I noticed an increase in faith and courage, an increase in desire and peace. Even inspiration and ideas were formed spontaneously.
I thought the one minute limitation for reels is actually so limiting. What can you say in one minute? Nothing substantial I’m sure. But this is a generation conditioned by Tik Tok to receive byte-sized content. People generally do not have patience for long talks. They are used to receiving content in brief, one minute sound bites. Usually it’s amusing or informative or seductive. I find these impossible to create. I am not humourous, nor detailed, and am not well-endowed!!
What can I talk about in one minute? – I do 40 minutes sermons! What niche subject do I talk about – I have no idea! I have set myself up for failure, with no end in mind, even before I have begun.
How do you make these reels? I thought I could begin it by faith, to begin small. If I use whatever skills and content I have, I will grow. It’s like if I start with five loaves and two fish, and put it in God’s hands, God can multiply it and feed the multitude. I’ll just do whatever and start with wherever I am. Talk about whatever I desire, or whatever I sense, or whatever inspirational insights that pop up.
I decided to start. I cannot figure out a lot of technical stuff, like how to embed Instagram reels into my blog site. Therefore, here is a sample of my feeble, amateurish start in this reel link HERE. Please do support me by liking, subscribing, and commenting. Most of all, pray for the reels I create to cheer up, build up, and stir up God’s people. Thank you so much.
It was pleasant to meet up with blogging friends of yesteryears. I have been blogging a long time and in the course of these years I have met some fellow bloggers and chatted with them. Well it so happens I met with a few of them in recent months.
With one of them, Terence Yeo, we planned morning ride to the Jurong Lake Gardens, culminating with a brunch at Taman Jurong Food Centre. The day was cloudy and pleasant. The weather prediction was that it would rain but thankfully he was already on the way when I informed him of my wet weather plans. Too late. But as it turned out, it hardly rained.
We talked about a range of different things. Terence has always been well informed and has intelligent views on all kinds of information and news whether biblical, extra-biblical, or current news and events. Of course, we also caught up on personal matters and talked about what we have been up to and about our families over a meal of the famous bak chor mee of Taman Jurong.
A fortnight later I met up with Jeffrey Teo and pastor Joshua Lye, two acquaintances from long ago. We met at the Republic food court at Westgate and caught up after a period of about a decade. I was very apologetic because I had forgotten an earlier appointment with them.
Big changes have taken place since I last met them. Jeffrey Yeo who is one of those serious runners who travel overseas to do races, had moved to an Assembly of God church, and Joshua had planted a church, which meant he was a bi-vocational pastor for several years, until he recently answered God’s call, “left his nets” and went into Singapore Bible College’s Master’s program. I shared with them some of the things happening in the church and I was happy to hear that both of them are still very much involved and interested in the church at large, and what’s going on today in the world.
Joshua was a participant in a revival among the members of the Lutheran Church of our Redeemer at Duke’s Road. I asked if he minded if I linked him to Galven Lee and Sina who are collecting Singapore revival stories, and he did not mind. I thought such a story is worthy of retelling over and over again, recorded for posterity to read and be inspired at what the Lord can do when hearts are open to him. Just think about it, the Lutheran Church experienced some form of renewal among some of its members the extent of which I am unsure. Evidently it did not spread as widely in the denomination as the renewal that spread in the Anglican denomination.
I have referred quite a few of these pockets of revival in schools and churches to Galven and Sina and they are very earnest and diligent in seeking such stories so if you know of any let me know in the comment box, and I can pass the tip to them.