Dear LPC Folks,

The past few weeks have been very encouraging for me. As I pray and reflect over how various individuals in the Church are taking initiatives to care for one another, and to share burdens together, I am seeing glimpses of the New Testament Church coming together at LPC. The Spirit is moving. From the Board to the Men's Fellowship, from the Sunday duties to the willingness in individuals to go the extra mile to visit the sick or the down, I am encouraged that the spirit of love and brotherhood/sisterhood is well and alive. Some of us are tired. Others are feeling down for whatever reasons. Yet, together, there is hope. Just today, as Autumn approaches, it is common to feel the cold if one remains indoors. Each time I step out to the sun, I feel the ray of warmth from the sunshine. That is a remarkable lesson I learned.

Proverbs 11:25 reads, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

Every time we remain inside of our own comfort zones or cocoons, we tend to feel cold and impersonal. The moment we step outside to feel the sunlight, we get the warmth, and we are able to start sharing the warmth and love of Christ more effectively. Take time regularly to soak in the Son of God, through the Word, that we may be able to share the goodness of God with our brothers and sisters, and our neighbours.

Keep it up, my brothers and sisters. You are growing well.

Your brother in Christ,

Conrade

Title: Rebuilding Our Spiritual Life

Written by: Conrade Yap

Date: 25 February 2011

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” (Nehemiah 2:4-5)

Those of us hockey fans in Canada, and especially Vancouver will be enjoying the current surge of the home team. The Vancouver Canucks as of today (25 Feb 2011) is the best team in the National Hockey League. They sit prettily on top of the world's most intense hockey league that comprises 30 highly competitive teams, laden with world-class players from all over the ice-hockey world. It is no coincidence that Vancouver's achievement comes about with great contribution from all four lines, and from every team player. Despite the recent injuries to the defense line, the team continues to stay at the top of the table. No easy feat. Is this an overnight occurrence?  Definitely not.

Just last week, another Canadian team, the highly inconsistent Toronto Maple Leafs engages in a few trades, and labels their strategy as a ‘rebuilding’ phase. They are gearing themselves up for the future, by investing in young promising players. Looking at our team in Vancouver this year, it is important to recognize that the Canucks will not be where they are this year, without similar rebuilding programs in previous years. Behind every success lies a significant phase of rebuilding.

What about our spiritual lives? If it takes a couple of years to rebuild and fine-tune a hockey team, how much more our spiritual lives? Something as important as spiritual disciplining rarely occurs overnight. Behind every summit achievement lies multiple stories of perseverance and rebuilding efforts. Ask the skilled mountain climber, and he will tell you the months, even years of training needed even before making the first climb.

TITLE: DO NOT FEAR
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 15 March 2011

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7, NAS)

There is a sense of fear in the world right now. Since the tsunami on Friday, the media has been feeding us one bad news after another. How can anybody not be frightened? In the old days, we used to get our daily news digest mainly on workday mornings or evenings after office hours. With the ubiquitous smartphones and mobile gadgets in our hands and pockets, we get up to the minute news flashes, 24 hours a day. It has been said that fear is like a darkroom that develop negatives. True. When we let fear dominates, we unwittingly diminishes God from our lives.

The old adage: “No news is good news” seems to be conveniently set aside. After all, technology has empowered us to have news on the go, regardless of the negative sentiments and fear it tends to amplify. Hawking fear is a highly profitable enterprise. Think 9/11. Think earthquakes. Think big disasters that affect stock markets. Think Tsunami. All of these headlines draw viewers and millions of website clicks. All of these lead to bigger profits for the content providers like TV, Internet news sites, radio, and talk shows. Bad news sells. Fear sells.