20170826 : Where Roads Become Rivers - Hurricane Harvey Hits Houston Hard

25/8/17 Fri⇨ 26/8/17 Sat

27/8/2017 (Sun)  Houston

Ever wondered if our roads can become rivers?

Ever imagined if canoes are preferred to cars?

Interestingly , my sister sent this to me on 27/8/17 Sun, Spore time:

Why is it Always "26" ?
26 Dec 1861 Earthquake in Egion, Yunani
26 Mar 1872 Earthquake in Owens Valley, USA
26 Aug 1896 Earthquake in Skeid, Land, Islandia
26 Nov 1902 Earthquake in Bohemia, sekarang Czech Republic
26 Nov 1930 Earthquake in Izu
26 Sep 1932 Earthquake in Ierissos, Yunani
26 Nov 1943 Earthquake in Tosya Ladik, Turki
26 Dec 1949 Earthquake in Imaichi, Jepun
26 Mei 1957 Earthquake in Bolu Abant, Turki
26 Mar 1963, Earthquake in Wakasa Bay, Jepang
26 Jul 1967 Earthquake in Pulumur, Turki
26 Sep 1970 Earthquake in Bahia Solano, Colombia
26 Jul 1971 Earthquake in Solomon Island
26 Apr 1972 Earthquake in Ezine, Turki
26 Mei 1975 Earthquake in N. Atlantic
26 Mar 1977 Earthquake in Palu, Turki
26 Dec 1979 Earthquake in Carlisle, Inggris
26 Apr 1981 Earthquake in Westmorland, USA
26 Mei 1983 Earthquake in Nihonkai, Chubu, Jepang
26 Jan 1985 Earthquake in Mendoza, Argentina
26 Jan 1986 Earthquake in Tres Pinos, USA
26 Apr 1992 Earthquake in Cape Mendocino, California, USA
26 Okt 1997 Earthquake in Italia
26 dec 2004 Tsunami aceh
26-05-2006  Jogja Quake
26-06-2010 Tasik, Jawa Barat Quake
26-10-2010 Mount Merapi Eruption
26 Okt 2013 Haiyan Typhoon, Phillipines
26-04-2015 Nepal Earthquake

And so the apps ended with Haggai 2:6 " This is what the LORD Almighty says :' In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.'"

And so came 26/8/17, Hurricane Harvey hits hard on Houston too. Unprecedented flooding with catastrophic results on this 4th largest city in the States.  Looks like it was worse that Katrina 12 years back.

But such tropical storms are not just affecting America.  In fact Mumbai in India is also facing the brunt of the monsoons with huge flooding too. Floods have killed more than 1000 people in India, Nepal and Bangladesh in recent weeks and forced millions from their homes! 

City states had been paralysed. Incessant rain. Evacuation. Displacement. Stranded. Homelessness. No sanitation .No Light . Power failure. Down Communications. 

Reflections
As I laid in bed last nite and looking out through the window at the red-sky (rain threatening!), I uttered my little prayer for those affected in Houston. I thanked the Lord for keeping me dry as I cuddled myself to sleep.

My own memories of how I was rescued from my fall in the rushing waters of the drain (Longkang as we called) when I was about 13 years old. On the way to school, I waded along Lowland Road (funny name "Low Land"- no wonder it was flooded!), and I just literally walked into the drain and was kind of swept off by the rushing waters! Thank God I was pulled up to safety by the owner of the provision shop! All wet!

So I can imagine what it was like for those Houstonians and the Mumbians.

Swimming is fun. But not in muddy flood waters!

When roads become rivers, it is no fun!

When whirlwinds and hurricanes made their landfall, it is also no fun!

Reading Nahum:-
Nahum, a prophet around 660BC. Nineveh was given the grace of knowing the one true God.  Through Jonah's reluctant preaching, Nineveh repented and was saved. God's grace stayed His judgement call on this city.  However, Nahum- 100 years later, prophesied the downfall of this same city!
Well, whirlwind (hurricane) & storm were mentioned in Nahum.

In Nahum 1 :3 " The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet"
And In Nahum 1:8 " But with an overrunning flood, he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies"

What made Nineveh fall was her great ungodliness. Her weak fortresses and leadership as seen in Nahum chapter 3.  Short book of only 3 chapters.
And so Nineveh fell to the Babylonians subsequently.

As we see the numerous heart wrenching photos of how Houston's devastation is like with this tropical storm and floods, it can be scary.  We just witnessed the historic solar eclipse seen all across America about a week back on 21/8/17.  The sun and the moon - kind of merged on this day.  Happen in 90 years.  The Lord of the creation - He who created the sun and 400x its size of the moon and distance - He is also the Judge of all the nations.  He also holds the power over whirlwinds and floods.  Noah experienced that great flood over 40 days.  Houston had it only for a few days.  Whichever, there was devastation of the land thereafter.  Rebuilding would take much time.

However, in the midst of such tragedy, perhaps something good would still come out of this.  Apart from the heart wrenching photos of massive flooding destruction, we also witness numerous accounts of the human heart of love,  warmth & unity in spirit of helping one another during this process.  

Many lost not only their homes and possessions and even loved ones and pets too.  Swept away in a twinkling of an eye in the whirlwind! The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Can we still declare that even so, Blessed is the name of the Lord?  Can faith arise in stormy challenges? For those who do not know Him, will it be a blame game or one that will pause and submit to the Creator God who is great in power and yet slow to anger - granting a fresh window of grace to knowing Him and Him only? When mobiles and internet is down, whom can we call for HELP? SOS! Save our souls?

Ps 46:10 Be still and know that He is God

Ps46:1 God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble.

v2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea

v3 though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

v4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

v5 God is within her, she will not fall,

God will help her at break of day.

v6 Nations are in uproar (NK just flew the missile over Japan!),

kingdoms fall ;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

v7 The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

.................

V11 The LORD Almighty is with us.

INDEED. ALWAYS. 

20170809-NDP52 & Mandai Bike connector & Rainbows!

29/7/17 Sat Rehearsal outing - before the actual 9/8/17- Nation 52

Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my Heart!

Watching the flypast of the planes and choppers

Sun setting at about 6pm past

Satay By the Gardens

The Highlight of this NDP52 - not the fireworks but the drones formation!

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On 9/8/17 National Day - we decided to try out this new biking route from Lower Seletar Reservoir to Woodlands via the Mandai Park connector.

 Drove to Lower Seletar car park at about 9am  Set off at 9:30am

Got lost around Mandai Road after the Zoo....went past Kranji War Memorial & Sungei Buloh Wetlands......

Landed at Kranji MRT station at about 1 pm for lunch:( 

And then made our way back using the PCN brown signs from Causeway Point...



Back at 4:30pm!

What a long ride! Exhausted!

Fortunately had a beer and some wings at this prawn fishing place before calling it a day!

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The best collection this NDP52?

The awesome rainbows sighted on 9/8/17 evening and 11/8/17 morning across cityhall!

Top Left : Compliments from S - captured from floating platform

Top Right : Compliments from C - Captured from plane coming into Red Dot

(above same rainbow from ground and above...)

Bottom Left : Compliments from YC - While daydreaming from his office window in the morning!

Rainbows - His Covenant of Love.

Even when we are faithless, He is faithful

2 Tim 2:13 "If we believe not, yet he abides faithful, he cannot deny himself"

Reflections of the Day

At this writing of the blog 18/8/17, we just witnessed the bashing in Charlottesville , Virginia of white nationalists.  Will red dot be spared of this kind of event happening in the future?  We too boast of the creed in our flag - "regardless of race, language and religion..." But ironically, there was a change in constitution that now called for a reserved Presidency that is only meant for Malay.  Worst still, the incumbent one chosen by the present party seemed to be dividing our little red dot even further due to the 'race' issue of Indian and Malay.

So much confusion even in the presidential identity.  Who is she? Who are we?

So much to ponder what exactly is race?

So much to comprehend where does language originate?

So much to think what exactly is a religion and the faith we belong?

HMM...Back to Genesis...In the beginning....Adam and Eve....the human race...the dispersion of man at the towel of Babel...the different babbling tongues of men...children of the world - red  and yellow , black and white (as we sang the children's song that Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world...we are precious in His Sight)

Alas, beneath the different skin pigmentation of all the humans in the face of this earth, the blood that gives each of us life is still RED.  May be O, A, B or AB - positive or negative - it is still RED!

So shall we remember : Heb 9:22 "And according to the Law, one may almost say all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin"

For this reason, we remember Jesus Christ.  Why he had to die on the cross for our sins.

The little cute vertical rainbow captured on our nation's 52 and also the one across our city centre - is a potent reminder of His covenantal love for us.  Nations and tribes .

He rules and will continue to rule over the earth.

The earth is merely His footstool.

Kings and queens, PMs, Ministers and Presidents - are merely the stewards of governance of the countries they are in charged of. And pastors are merely hierlings of His precious flock (Ez34) There will come a time, where ALL - yes ALL- will stand before the Great White Throne to give an account of what is done. Rule justly, in mercy and humility.

Remember the Chief Shepherd.  He is our God. Ez33:31



20170808: Ps 90 'When You Are Old' - William Butler Yeats & Karen Mok : In memory of the passing of Pastor Michael RW

Ps90:10 "The length of our years is 70 years, or 80, if we have the strength, yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away"

On 27/7/17, I lost a missionary pastor whom many loved.  Interestingly, I managed to made an impromptu visit when he was in hospital on 24/7/17 Monday morning as I happened to accompany my SIL to her doc review at the same hospital.  I was initially unsure if Michael was still in the same hospital and so I took a chance to check at the registration counter.  Well, managed to see him and his wife E then for a quick few minutes.  But 3 days later, he passed away to be Home with the Lord.

Michael was 71.  As per Psalms - that was a good old age.  He was one of my first 2 encouragers who penned in this blog when I first started in Jan 2010.  My migration from physical yearly journals to the cloud. And he was also my e- prayer.

There is a Chinese saying that says that man is born to die - either by old age or in sickness. For Michael, perhaps it was a combination of both - ripe age plus cancer.  He had gone back to UK in the last couple of years upon retirement.  But his heart had always been in Asia which perhaps explained his sudden hospitalisation here after he came back for some ministry sharing.  And the Lord took him home from here instead.  He will be greatly missed by many for sure as he had always been a jolly o English fellow! Man of humour and faith!

Some Reflections
My good old church friend, M,  who is now 92 recently shared this with me. "Growing old gracefully is not quite true.  In fact when one ages, the knees no longer hold but give one pain.  The wrinkles on the face is definitely not one of grace to behold"  

There is a kind of truth to the above.  Perhaps spiritually we are told to grow in grace in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  However, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. There are many things we cannot do physically as we age.

 Ps 90:5-6 says that men are like the new grass of the morning, though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.  V10  our life span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass and we fly away.

William B Yeats was an Irish poet - one of his famous poems he wrote ( when he was about 27 , some 120 years ago) was called "When we are old" was used as a Chinese song few years back and popularised by the HK singer Karen Mok.  It was his penning of the imaginary loved one when she got older.  

Here are the words of this poet and the song sang in the video.  Rather heart warming.

When you are old and grey and full of sleep, 

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep……

(当你老了 头发白了

睡意昏沉

当你老了 走不动了

炉火旁打盹 回忆青春)

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When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Final Reflection

Indeed as we age in this pilgrimage on earth, may we remember Ps90. The Lord has been and will be our dwelling place throughout all generations.  Like Yeats had penned 120 years ago.  Nothing had changed much isn't it? The Creator God still turn men back to dust.  It is a 100% fact and probability that all men got to die somehow.  But our times are in His hand.

But prayerfully and hopefully, even as our flesh may give way , that we will always remember our Creator God in the moments of our life.  Be prepared to part from this earth anytime.  Our prayer should always be "Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom" Ps90:11

Let us love our Lord with all our heart , soul, mind and strength !

And remember that the Lord "loved the pilgrim soul in us, and loved the sorrows of our changing face" (Ps73:26) Men may forsake us for external beauty or changing circumstances, but not our Lord. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Only knowing Him will we be assured of the Heavenly Home prepared for us.