3 CURTAINS

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

PSALMS 75:6

It's Later than We Think

Posted: 30 December 2012

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A subtitle could be "Lets keep pressing on". If anyone had asked me the From Bro Ewald Frank Circular 2012

same time last year when I was admitted into Tan Tock Seng Hospital with a large hydrocele, excessive water retention, water logged legs and chest and weighing close to 90 kg, whether I would be able to see 2012 at all, I would have answered, I leave it in His hands. Yet I was not ready to go that last two days of 2011 because I got some unfinished business, some unconfessed sins one of which had lingered there since 1984. I had lied about myself to a medical doctor and I wanted to clear it and make it good with him. There was no opportunity though I could have created it just by going to see him.

On that day, 30^th Dec. 2011 I have severe urine retention and my bladder was getting too tight and unbearable. He was the first stop as I could drive myself to his clinic nearby. I took the opportunity to clear it with him before he referred me to the major hospital for possible catherisation. He was the kindest of GPs, Dr Wong of Charis Clinic, Tampines and said he can’t even remember the incident but was very reassuring, calling up to check for the respective Endocrinologist, because of my Anti Thyroxin activity resulting in no Thyroxin produced in my body throughout those last few weeks.

I knew I have to be admitted to the “A” class ward to be able to request for the lead consultant. Otherwise, one will be assigned and no request entertained. I did this because the water retention in my chest and body had caused an impediment in my left ventricular ejection, with ratio down to a failing heart level of 17% Volume. The 1^st Cardiologist who did the Echo test insisted that I should be admitted to Mt Elizabeth under his immediate care or I would die and he promised to save me within 3 days.

I knew him through another Cardiologist, an inventor of a medical device but on that day, he feint ignorance of knowing me and was very professional and cold. I refused his advice and he insisted that I signed his legal note disharging him from further respoonsibilities which I obliged. Afterall, it was just my first consultation as Prof Lim, the Cardiologist whom I wanted to see was on holiday and won’t be back in Singapore till January. I won’t go into other details as my intention is not to dwell on past matters, driving ahead looking at the rear view mirror. To cut the story short, the team of doctors in Tan Tock Seng managed my illness proficiently, and my weight dropped down to 74 kg. 3 more additional days in Mt Elizabeth under Prof Lim brought the weight down to 69 kg but with no improvement on the Echo. At least a LV thrombus detected in TTSH disappeard when another Echo was done in Mt. Elizabeth showing that the anti-coagulant therapy probably dissolved the clot and the continual water excreted by the kidneys by the liters, at the 2^nd last day, 15 litres in 20 hours continued to stabilize my condition. In October, 2012 Prof Lim did another Cardiac Echo on me and the result was my Ejection Ratio is 50% (Normal range was 50 to 55%). When I saw him to get my report, the first words he uttered were "Praise the Lord!" Now what can go wrong with a physician like that.

I penned this short poem to remind myself of what I learned when I have more opportunity and time to listen to the prophet’s message.

Life’s on a dual highway with fast wheels and monster trucks
Bends and Curves, your clear vision obstruct
Road blocks, falling trees, accidents and cars are stuck.
Police cars and ambulances with glaring lights in the dark

So if you drive and keep looking at the rear view mirror
What you see cannot help you manouvre but will disappear
Because you have passed these obstacles minutes ago
Thoughts and solutions about them makes you slow

The prophet cautioned that will make you a wreck
If you don't watch ahead and keep looking back.
See ahead, find the narrow way, for straits is the gate
View the horizon, the next destination with great faith.

We pressed towards the mark of the high calling
With God from glory to glory into Life everlasting
Forgetting those things which are behind
In Christ, alone, His pure love so sublime

SHALOM_ PHOENIX.AZ V-22 N-1 SUNDAY_ 64-0119
2      We don't, we're not going to have a rear-view mirror affair. A rear-view mirror only looks back and sees where you have been. We are looking forward to see where we're going, see. That which is in the past, Paul said, "Forgetting those things which are in the past, I press towards the mark of the high calling in Christ." And that's what we want to do. A man, we can look back fifteen, sixteen years ago, when I come to Phoenix the first time, there has been many things happen since then, good and bad, that all goes to the Judgment, in the hands of God. But what I'm looking forward now is what will I do in this coming year, towards inbetterment the Kingdom, doing more, all that I can for the Kingdom of God.

TURN.ON.THE.LIGHT_ PHOENIX.AZ V-22 N-3 SATURDAY_ 64-0125
40    And why the people could not see that, that was... It seems strange to us now, because we are looking back through a rear-view mirror. But did you ever know, if you keep looking back that way, you'll wreck? Let's look what's ahead for us.
41      That's what they were doing. The reason that they did that, because they were living in a glare of another light. There were living in the glare of the light of another day.
42    And that's what I believe is the matter with the world today, friends, is because we are trying to live in a glare of a light that shined in another day. A glare is a false light.
43    Just like a mirage on the road. We go down the road and see a mirage. It's a false conception of the sun. And when you get there, it hasn't produced a thing but something false. Because, you cannot walk in the glare of the sun, because it's a mirage, always showing you something there is nothing to.
44   And when people try to tell you that Jesus Christ isn't the same yesterday, today, and forever, they're leading you into a mirage. That's all. And when you get into church and join church, some cold creed or something like that, there is nothing there, no more than what you had in the world.

QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS.2_ JEFF.IN COD SUNDAY_ 64-0823E
1010-74    Now, Christian don't do that. A Christian don't try to be what he used to be; he's not looking where he's been; he's looking where he's going. See, see? Don't pay no attention to what you was then; you've done lived that out. You'll never return to it; that's in the past. And any man that drives life's road looking through a rear view mirror will go to wreck; and so will you on this Christian road. Don't look back what you was; look what you're going to be. Paul said, "Forgetting those things which are in the past, I press towards the mark of the high calling."

Now, but it made you ashamed. They brought this little, old stinking dog in there and set it upon the table. Now, that would make anybody vomit. And fooling with that dog right there, setting it up there with their hands, and then going to eat with them same hands. And the waiter come over there, blabbed off something. Dr. Guggenbuhl was with me; he started laughing, and turned his head.
I said, "What's--what'd say?"
Said, "The waiter said, 'Take that off!'"
They said, "No, she's an American; let her alone." In other words, "She don't know any better." See?
When I come to Saint Angelo at Rome (Now, think of this.), at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, they had a sign up at Saint Angelo: "To the American women: Before entering this catacomb, please put on clothes to honor the dead!"--the Catholic church. See?

Now Dec 21, 2012 has come and gone. We message believers know there is still 3 ½ years of tribulation and persecution of the foolish virgins and the upheavals of heaven and earth. After that, the battle of Armageddon and the 1,000 years of millenium reign (the seventh day), so the calendar is still in place. It is only when we stepped into the New Heaven and New Earth after the millenium and white throne judgment that time enters eternity, the Eighth Day.

Today, we will have an early communion service instead of the usual watchnight service as 31st Dec falls on Monday. And we have the regular (every service with the Lord is not regular, I must add) evening service on Sunday. I am reminded of how two persons who have been close to us died of a sudden heart attack. One who walked with us, but left us just about 2 months prior to his fatal heart attack and the other a good man, a buddhist, a relative of Brother J “Messi”. It is later than we think.