All Things Beautiful

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

- Ecclesiastes 3:11

Leading up to Easter, this has been a week of apt reminders regarding the hope I profess to have, starting with Case for Christ (by Lee Strobel) which adopts an investigative journalistic approach in assessing the evidence for Jesus and the case for faith. Referencing the debate behind Jesus' resurrection, something he shared struck a chord within me:

"In a profound sense, Christianity without the resurrection is not simply Christianity without its final chapter. It is not Christianity at all."
- Gerald O'Collins, The Easter Jesus

Indeed, this is the basis of our Christian hope and the life that we now have in Him. Must confess, it is easy to forget this fundamental truth or even fully appreciate the significance of His death and resurrection.

Subsequently, had an opportunity to listen to Andrew Yeo, a pastor at City Church who openly shared about his transformational life story of how God has impacted his life. It was an extremely encouraging session and an apt reminder that we all can be used by God, no matter how far short we feel or how far we have fallen.

Andrew’s Story

Andrew grew up in a family in which quarrels and fights were common scenes in the home. His father was an avid gambler and drunkard, and his mother was the sole breadwinner of the family. Many a time, due to the pressures and heavy responsibilities she was shouldering, she had threatened to attempt suicide and abandon the children.

Andrew’s youth was one of hurt and rejection; he found life meaningless and questioned his existence. He sought comfort in friends, in drinking, smoking and glue-sniffing. In spite of all these, there was still a void in his heart.

At the age of 15, one of Andrew’s friends invited him to church. His initial response was to provoke and mock his friend. However, he went. That was a significant day for Andrew. As the singing started, a voice spoke to him saying, “You will be like the guy on stage one day.” He was alarmed and yet there was a sense of peace that he had never experienced before. That morning, Andrew invited Jesus into his heart and his life has never been the same again.

While this was an account peppered with many humourous stories including his initial reason in visiting his friend's church (Reason: there are chio xiao mei mei) to his desire to be used by God which has brought this self proclaimed Ah Beng to where he is today, a worship leader with a heart for youths.

For me, it was a reminder to go back to basics, make God my focus and continue to seek Him in all His ways. The song below never fails to tug at my heart. Unfortunately, couldn't find any youtube video. If you are wondering how this sounds, I will be glad to sing for you. =)

To You - Andrew Yeo

Verse:
Lord of the heavens
Maker of the earth
Your mercy endures forever
Blessed Redeemer
Ancient of Days
We choose to walk in Your ways

Chorus:
To You
We lift up our hands
Bowing before You
For You’re the great I Am
Jesus be magnified
In this holy place
We’ll join with the angels
To sing of Your praise

Bridge:
Hal-le-lu-jah
Glory to You alone