How the "Messiah" was written

One bitterly cold winter of 1741, Handel received a package in his lodging. It contained a text made up of scripture from his friend Charles Jennens.

"Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God...Behold! A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us...and His name shall be calleed Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God..."

Excitedly, he read on. "He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows...I know that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth...King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Hallelujiah!"

Handel rushed to the piano with pencil in hand and began to write the music to the immortal Messiah. For two weeks, he labored incessantly. He saw no one and refused food and sleep.

At last, he finished the great oratorio. Tears were streaming down his face as he said, "I did think i did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself."

The composition was first heard in Dublin where it was an overwhelming success. Then in London, where the King rose to his feet at the great "Hallelujah Chorus," and the audience followed his example. Today, audiences all over the world still rise and remain standing during this Chorus.

Later, George Frederick Handel became poor and blind. But he neber permitted his misfortunes to overcome his spirit.

Bach's Biblical Music

Almost 250 years after he died, Bach's music still lifts the hearts and energizes the soul.

Bach wrote his music for God. Most of his works are explicitly biblical. The famous missionary doctor Albert Schweitzer, who was also an expert on Bach, called him the "Fifth evangelist." Bach's music is undisputably in a league by itself.

Bach set before himself and accomplished the seemingly impossible task of preparing a different cantata for every Sunday for a three year period. And remember that he not onlt had to create the music, but also get it copied for the performers and rehearse with them.

Do not mock God

We take God for granted. We take His grace for granted. We do not take Him seriously.

We only seek Him when we are in trouble. The moment our troubles are resolved, we depart from Him again and indulge in our own interests and only come back to Him when we need help.

God is not to be mocked. Either we are in His grace, or we are in His judgement. His judgement might not come immediately, but it will come if we continue in our own wilful ways and refuse to submit to Him despite the many chances to.

Remember that judgement is not immediate only because God is patient with everyone, giving them time to come to repentance. But there is a limit. Burst it and you can only regret for eternity.

You might not like what i have just posted. But trust me, this post is one which i post with responsibility.
With the responsibility that i do not lead your soul to the wrong end but to the right one.

Would you rather that i keep on encouraging one to drive on and over the cliff to plunge to his/her death? Or should I alert those on the road to deviate away from the path that leads to destruction and onto the narrow path that leads to eternal life?

You don't have to like me. But when it comes to the matters of God, please think twice before you hastily reject Him.

Please consider what your own heart and conscience tells you about God. Listen to yourself. Are you suppressing the truth?

Consider who created this universe? Consider who sustains it? Consider what comes after our temporal lives on earth.

Reflecting on the past week.

Its been a week since Luke was born. I still remember one week ago, i was still waiting outside the operating theatre waiting anxiously for Cat to come out. By God's grace, Cat's bleeding stopped and she soon returned home. There wasn't much subsequent bleeding after that.

I think i have to thank God for the alert doctors who noticed Cat's profuse bleeding and initiated action towards it. It was already a miracle that she got pregnant and further, the entire pregnancy went well without periods of threatening. And finally, Luke was born.

The same goes for Caleb as well. There is just too much to thank for.

Though Luke's jaundice level went up too high and was referred to KKH, after 3 days 2 nights of photo therapy, his jaundice level has stayed consistently in healthy ranges.

I thank God for hearing and answering my pleas to Him to keep my family safe.

The Fragility of Life

The fragility of life

Life is so fragile. 

A baby born to this world, cannot do without the care of her parents to feed her. 

A teenager so often gets himself into car accidents or violent fatal fights. 

A young adult not thinking about the sexual diseases he might get infected with sleeps around.

Cancers, terminal diseases pounce on anyone at any age surprisingly.

Natural calamities claim thousands of lives in a moment.

Life is so fragile.

We are only kept living for the next second by the grace and mercy of God. 

We are only protected from the results of our sinful actions by the loving patience of our God.

Life is fragile. You do not know what are the days God has ordained for you.

Trust in Him now. Do not reject Him.

Turn life's fragility into one like a firm fortress. That though the waves of turmoil sweeps around you, you are firm, because you are standing on a solid foundation of rock. 

Submit your lives to God, that it no longer hinges on the fragility and hopelessness of men, but stands upon this eternal rock, of value, of purpose, of a living hope, of eternal life.

Our rock is the Christ, Son of the living God.

Delivery of Luke

Baby Luke, our second child is finally born into the world. I really have to give thanks for God's mercy in this pregnancy and delivery.

Cat actually has fibroids which would diminish her chances of pregnancy. But by God's grace, I am already a father of two. Our gynae has also warned us of complications during delivery, but my God's grace, both deliveries went well.

During the second delivery, there was a knot found in the umblical cord. This meant that there was a danger that baby would not receive adequate oxygen while in the womb. Also, as Luke was almost 4kg, it was a miracle that he could come out smoothly without suction or caesarean.

What's left is just cat's recovery from her wounds. May God heal her bleeding due to the fibroids.