Many years ago, I was flying in a small twin-engine plane. It was a unique experience. After we (3 passengers) got on and the luggage was loaded, we have to change seats to make sure that the plane was weight balanced. Perhaps the most exciting part of the journey was that we hit a major fog bank as we were about to descend. Vision visibility turned to zero. The plane was flying with a lot of dips, rolls, and lurches. I noticed one of my fellow passengers (my dad) started throwing up. Looking out the window, my soul was desperately grasping at every Bible verse I have memorised and was confessing every sin/regret that I have committed, over and over again. We were flying blind.

Navigating through the fog in a small twin-engine plane was a nerve wrecking experience. Though there were only 3 passengers on our flight log, there was an unwelcome fourth passenger – fear. He was the invisible ethereal guest but his bites were merciless and strong even as he invited his brother “doubt” to join the feast.

And in this covid season of China, UK, Brazil, and India variants, we are also flying through the fog with fear (crippling our twin engines). We are in dense fog conditions because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring – heightened alerts 1, 2, 3, kept on repeating themselves. Fear invades us in many forms – fear of crowds, fear of covid mutations, fear of loneliness, and of business failure. And so many times these fears spill into our churches. As we see each other less and less, we start second guessing (doubting) our leadership’s decision.

The good thing about a small twin-engine plane is that one is in the proximity of the pilot. His serenity exudes from the pilot’s seat. “How can you be so calm?” I asked. He answered “I’ve gone through these conditions numerous times. Yes, I am blind visually but I can always rely on the Control Tower to guide me through. Even if lightning strikes one of the engines and knocks it out, we will have a bumpy ride but we can still land with a single engine.”

Just yesterday, I have an elderly friend with SJS (a severe deadly allergic reaction that I also share) whose conditions were triggered by the vaccine. She is in the hospital now. But her prayer request was focused on her family (particularly her adult son) that they truly will trust God for mommy’s health and enjoy His shalom. I have another good church friend who has about 3 months left to live from end-stage cancer. She wrote: “Throughout these years, a thousand teardrops had fallen. But I would never exchange them for an easier path … for they are marks of His grace”. How can these sisters flying through the fog enjoy the same serenity as my pilot?

I guess the answer is in the twin engine – they trust in the Control Tower (God) will guide them through, and they continually focus on those around them.

In this Covid season, BTS is launching her second lecture of the year in October – “Encountering God in the Covid Fog”. The lecture will feature Dr Jan Johnson, the president of Dallas Willard Ministries and a good personal friend of the late Dallas Willard. Also, our friend Dr Tan Siang Yang from Fuller will also team share with her. Between them, they will cover the twin-engine needed in this Covid season – increasing our capacity to receive His love, and out of this increase develop the capacity to focus on others.

As mentioned earlier, the enemies of doubts and fears also invade our church leadership. And so, in September, we are launching a symposium “Flying with twin engines – a harmonious pastor board relationship”. In the church, to have a smooth flight, we need both engines working in formation. In crises, sometimes we cruise on one engine for a time but inadvertently we need both to reach God’s potential. Yours truly and Deacon Daniel Soh who worked closely in Queenstown Baptist Church as Senior Pastor and Diaconate Chair respectively will share both practical experience and principles to attain God’s ordained flight altitude through a harmonious Board Pastor relationship.

May these be a blessing to you. You may sign up through the links below.

          Flying with Twin Engines: https://tinyurl.com/BTSsmsReg

          Encountering God in the Covid-Fog: https://tinyurl.com/EncounteringGodIntheCovid-Fog

Rev Peter Lin
President