Words To Nourish The Mind

‘Clutter is the physical manifestation of chaos in the mind’ – Patrice Washington It is a tradition in the Chinese culture that we clear out the clutter in our houses and give them a deep clean before the New Year. I don’t consider myself as a hoarder but I still managed to accumulate a load of stuff that to some degree prevented me from enjoying my space because the house felt disorganised and busy.  It was hard to part with stuff especially if things hold a sentimental value so a happy compromise is streamlining my memories to fit into one or two boxes that are more manageable than a house full of stuff. In clearing out my stuff I found some books that I had double copies of so I started a book group with my friend and hopefully this will encourage me to read my hoard rather leaving it to gather dust. I also donated stuff to charity and made use of some forgotten / pre-loved things that incidentally I needed but couldn’t find or had forgotten about.  It ...

As the year draws to a close, I started to reflect on what was in the year just about to pass and what could be for the year ahead. Typically everyone gets very upbeat during the holiday break, only to go back to same old, same old in January. I am not immune to this either so I was deep in thought. It is estimated that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the end of the first month. Incidentally, I listened to a message by North Point Community Church by Andy Stanley. I share the below excerpt which struck a chord with me and follows on from my previous book review on disappointment:  ‘Dissatisfaction with what we have and what we can afford can lead to discontentment. We live in a culture that tells us newer and shinier is better. So, what do you do when you’re no longer content with what you wear, drive, or live in?’  I suspect the above is true for most, if not all of us. We are constantly surrounded by commercials and culture so that it’s almost ingrained ...

This is the concluding part of a book review on the book, “Dealing with Disappointment” by John Hindley.  Life is, in fact, a disappointment, and has been starting from when sin entered the world. It re-created what God created which was a perfect world that is fully connected to God through worship and obedience. The unity was broken by sin and now we gravitate more towards earthly things rather than God himself. The things of this world only give us temporary comforts; hence most people are never fully satisfied. This couldn't be further from the gift that Christ wants to give us, which is an eternal life that fills us up with love, comfort and purpose enduring all seasons of life. The answer to life’s disappointment is God as He is love, love that endures all when nothing else will. Being loving and being loved won’t stop the disappointments but it means we don’t have to escape, as discussed in the previous post. Perhaps, it might stop us from buying stuff tha...