Spiritual Mentors and Spiritual Fathers

One of my greatest joy last year was to reconnect with my spiritual mentor or should I say, spiritual father, Dr Philip Cheong (D.Min, BSc,Dip.Ed) via the Internet. Philip and his wife Catherine has been instrumentally in taking in a very young and very green medical student who just became a Christian under their wings.

Philip Cheong in centre (blue Hawaiian shirt)

They did not have to help me. At that time, Philip was the Ministry Leader for the Navigators for Malaya University (MU) and was very busy. He did not have to take on an addition burden like me who is from a different university, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). I guess I must have looked very pathetic so he invited me in and trained me together with his other students. He will schedule one-to-one Bible study with me after which we will have dinner with Catherine. He did not have  any own children at that time yet. After dinner, we have to wash the dishes. He insisted that discipleship involves how you wash your dishes. I will lather and wash and he will dry. Often he handed the plate back for another wash because it is not clean enough. I am remember the grin on his face when he demonstrated that in a well clean plate, you can rub it and it emit a clear sound. Discipleship needs a standard of excellence. It was tough training which include Bible memorization, inductive bible study and evangelism in the streets. He helped me to lay down a strong foundation for my spiritual life.

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