Dear family,
It’s so good to be back with you! Although it’s a little too early to reminisce now, considering we’re only in March, I want to thank God for the opportunities and wonderful experiences He has allowed Senior Pastor Lawrence and I to encounter in the first quarter of 2018. I am also thankful for the strength and energy He has blessed us with, so we can serve Him in the nations.
Last week, Senior Pastor Lawrence and I visited the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai. We were there to attend the Global Kingdom Partnership Network Meeting, together with two of our marketplace leaders, Desmond Chua and Daniel Goh. It was a refreshing four days listening to men and women of great faith share God’s love, and how they serve Him in various settings and even perilous situations.
Dubai is an amazing city, filled with quite a few world’s bests – the tallest building, Burj Khalifa, the largest mall, Dubai Mall, and one of the biggest man-made islands, Palm Jumeirah. But what struck me most were the numerous skyscrapers I’d seen. I was intrigued by how Dubai’s terrain, which was largely desert sand, could support such tall buildings. We all know from the parable of the builders that sand is not a good substrate to build skyscrapers on.
When I researched further, I discovered that Dubai is actually one of the toughest places in the world to build skyscrapers because its bedrock is found a good 25 to 30 metres below the ground, whereas for other countries, it’s just a few metres. The bedrock is where the foundation of buildings needs to be established. So in order for the skyscrapers in Dubai to stand erect and withstand strong winds or even earthquakes, its builders have to dig deep, up to 35 metres till they are in the bedrock. Up to 250 concrete poles, measuring 1 metre in diameter, are then inserted almost 40 metres into the ground to form the foundation structure of each building.
This extensive process opened my eyes to see its correlation with our spiritual life. As disciples, we need to grow deep and grow strong in the foundation of Jesus Christ to stand tall amidst the winds of change or when calamities prevail over our lives.
“He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
– Psalm 62:2
- Senior Pastor Nina Khong