This is a work in progress – raw materials for a book that I want to write as a legacy to God’s fingerprint and mighty hand favor in my life. MANY PEOPLE HAVE ENCOURAGED ME TO WRITE A BOOK. . . . . I have a 16 page testimony in paragraph format that will be added soon. THIS IS MY PERSONAL WORK - SO NO JUDGEMENT CALLS PLEASE. . . . . and thank you friends for adding encouraging comments and constructive criticism as I journey with God in this book.
I AM BORN FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS - to lead a life of humble service, holy sacrifice, high-calling significance and helpful servant leadership . . . . my life is a chosen instrument in God's mighty hand marked by the seal of the Holy Spirit and the zeal of our Lord Jesus Christ!
SPIRITUAL
1. God is FIRST IN MY LIFE – even before my wife, children or anything else that I do!
2. I consider God my Friend and develop this spiritual friendship with respect, joy and a daily longing.
3. My favorite Bible character is Caleb – the man who followed God wholeheartedly, had a different spirit and was not afraid of the giants in his life.
4. I am serious about the things of God and seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. I make no excuses!
5. Jesus in my model and hero. He is the Nobel Peace Prize winner par excellence being the Prince of Peace - and I know Him personally - consultation is free and no appointments necessary.
PHYSICAL
6. I completed two full length marathons [full length 42.195km] when I was 21 and 22 years old and swam one kilometer in open sea-waters.
7. I have walked across the whole land of Singapore from East to West and North to South in 2006.
8. I was an avid body builder, into muscle sculpturing and at age 27 took part in a body-building competition and won third prize in the Bantam weight category – talked about being ripped and buffed!
9. I love running and now at age 45, prefer to do long prayer walks or swimming.
10. I consider myself healthy and can still wear my wedding pants of ten years ago or my jeans of twenty years ago.
TRAVEL
11. I love back-packing and from age 18 till 30 have travelled to more than 20 countries Lonely Planet style - travelling alone with only a back-pack and nothing else.
12. I think that most tourist attractions are highly over-rated and not worth the admission prices. The best things in life are mostly free – who can put a price tag on pristine beaches, towering mountains or refreshing nature trails.
13. I was extremely awed by the majestic Indian Himalayas bordering Pakistan and China, the architecture of the Petra Rock of Jordan, the superbly beautiful Milford Sound fjords of New Zealand, the engineering feats of the Great Wall of China, the living colorful coral reefs of Malaysia, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Range, the warm ocean beaches of Thailand etc. . . you can tell I am a fan of National Geographic.
14. I have been to the Arctic Circle in Norway and have a beautiful shot of me with the words 66.6 degrees North latitude on an almost 24 hours summer daylight.
15. I have floated on the Dead Sea in Israel – like really floated horizontally – an unforgettable extremely salty experience
FOOD
16. I love whole-wheat bread, olive butter, fresh fruits, vegetables and white meat – a typical Jesus diet!
17. I am not a food junkie and will eat anything served to me in moderation. When I am eating out - Subway is my choice of food! I could live on Subway all year round!
18. I have tried pig eye balls, chicken feet, cow’s tongue, snake meat, iquana meat, fried creepy crawlies and some fear factor food - left best untold least you should puke!
19. I eat two main meals a day – breakfast and dinner – and something very light for lunch – usually a beverage drink.
20. I always close my eyes, fold my hands and say grace giving thanks to God for my food whether in private at home or open in the public.
FINANCIAL
21. Presently, I have no car, no life-insurance, no credit cards, no savings and live month to month! . . . this is my present situation – and I consider myself blessed in God. Can somebody shout an Amen! Any takers for full time ministry - application is always open!
22. I have not paid taxes for the last ten years because my salary falls below the minimum taxable income and I declare all monies given to me or encourage people to put their gifts into the church offering bag for financial accountability.
23. When I was single and working as a teacher and Vice-Principal, I emptied my bank balance twice and gave my all to the Lord and was generous to Christian ministries and to the poor.
24. I once bought a car for a pastor who needed the car more than me. I called him one day and told him– meet me at the show room - take this car and the rest is history!
25. Though armed with a Master’s degree in Theology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, I consider this financial journey less travelled to be God-awesomely rewarding.
MATERIAL GOODS
26. My wife and I live very simply and are material minimalist with a life mission focused on church and the Kingdom.
27. I have one pair of black dress shoes for the past two years which I take very good care of . . . till last week when I bought a second pair for $20 from where-else Walmart!
28. The table on which sits my desk top sits and I am currently now typing on was found in a junk store – I cleaned it, prayed over it and used it for God’s glory.
29. I shop at local brand stores or no-name brand stores –as some prefer to call it - and use the local supermarket for our groceries.
30. We believe in being good stewards of God’s creation and are green conscious in our habits, actions and behaviors - reduce, recycle and reuse.
EMOTIONAL
31. I consider myself a safe individual and stable in my emotions even in times of crisis.
32. I forgive as soon as possible and carry no toxic baggage preferring to travel light in life!
33. I am a type A personality – task oriented, go getter and high achiever.
34. I am an eternal optimist and a constant encourager.
35. I am a very others-centred person – a valuable life lesson that I learnt in my teenage days at the Youth for Christ.
FAMILY
36. I am the thirteenth child in a family of fifteen children! And this a factual figure.
37. I am married to a beautiful, humble UK born Cambridge educated molecular biologist – Dr. Balbir Kaur Chaal – who works as a university research scientist on a cure for malaria.
38. We have two lovely children – Canadian-born Sujaan Kaur Sandhu and Singapore-born Saajan Singh Sandhu.
39. My five years old daughter Sujaan Kaur leads our family in the Lord’s Prayer every night – all of us kneeling by the bedside. We are a happy family!
40. We care not only for our family but the family of people whom God brings us in contact with.
ANSWER TO FAITH PRAYERS
41. When we left Singapore for Vancouver, Canada - Nike Singapore Headquarters – through a contact gave me three boxes of the latest model 2000 series Nike winter wear – all for free and in answer to prayer.
42. I had unexplainable seizures – grand mal and petit mal – from age 30 till 38 – with documented medical records from the Singapore and Vancouver hospitals – but I am completely healed now. It’s been seven years now with no medications and no lapses. All glory to God our Healer.
43. I claimed Saint Andrew Cathedral for the site of our South Asian International Church and God granted this request with favor, honor and extreme kindness.
44. I had wanted to marry a Punjabi Christian, an educated, independent woman and someone with a similar Science Biology/Chemistry background – and God granted 100% of all my requests and gave me even more than what I desired.
45. There are so many more answer to prayers but just one more – I was given a free car in Vancouver, Canada for my role as the Youth Pastor of Punjabi Masihi Church – a sports model 20 years old Toyota Celica – in answer to prayer for my faithfulness to journey almost three hours one way from the University of British Columbia to the church in Surrey and three hours back by public transport – bus, train and bus again - every Fridays and Sundays - for three solid years.
LEADERSHIP
46. The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.
- Vincent T. Lombardi
47. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
48. Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with the important matters.
- Albert Einstein
49. The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.
- Earl of Beaconsfield
50. Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
- Mother Theresa
IMPACTING BIBLE VERSES
51. David, by the will of God served God's purposes in his own generation - Acts 13:36
52. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:19-20
53. If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: Deuteronomy 28:1-14
54. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
55. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
CRAZY THINGS I HAVE DONE
56. I have bungee jumped a few times - either with the bungee cord tied to my feet or I placed in a personal bungee metal cage!
57. When I was working as a teacher and holidaying in Israel, I bought a diamond from a Jerusalem diamond factory for my future wife . . . . and one day the Lord told me to give away that diamond to a Christian ministry in Malaysia reaching out to battered women - and I obeyed God. I gave away a physical diamond but God gave me a far better priceless diamond as my wife!
58. After getting to know my wife for only three days - then she was only a stranger that I met, I proposed to her on the 72nd floor of the Westin Stamford Hotel in Singapore. I did all the talking and put a ring on her left fourth finger - surprised and not saying anything - I knew it was a "Yes - from the heart!" by the look in her watery eyes (: . . . . I guess it is called speechlessly in love!
59. In 1993, as Vice-Principal of the school - I presented a shocking item for Teacher's Day - I did a full routine body-building pose before my school - stripped down to my swimming trunks, whole body clean shaven and oiled - amidst disbelief at a man who walks around school in pants, long sleeve and tie!
60. I have washed numerous dead bodies in Sikh or Hindu funeral last rites - the dead body of friends or relatives taken frozen from the morgue and in transition to the cremation centre. Trust me - dressing a dead body is the most difficult part and a skilled art!
ABOUT SOUTH ASIAN CONNECTION
A. South Asian Connection is a vision birthed from the heart of God and it belongs to you, to me and to all of us - the ultimate vision giver and bearer is God Himself!
B. South Asian Connection is a registered society in Singapore and runs on a very tight impossible budget impacting lives on a global level. Last year our operating budget was less than three thousand dollars - yes $3000 - yes you read it right! We have more than a million hits since we began with its ramifications of a global South Asian connector to the glory of God.
C. It may surprise you that in South Asian Connection - of which I served as its Founder - and for which I and our dedicated team have labored with joy and with a spirit of excellence for seven full years till date - is a volunteer job for me that takes up half my week working professionally about 12-16 hours a day - and I received no salary or stipend for it - all our records are in our annual South Asian Connection Annual General Meeting.
D. Do think about sowing a seed of blessing and a legacy in missions in new media . . . . and do not in any way feel pressured to give. Giving must come cheerfully and from the heart to the plan and purpose of God to a cause that is bigger than yourself. It may surprise you that most people just don't give to any worthy cause and those that do give suffer from donor fatigue or burnout or are very selective in their giving. Click to the South Asian Connection website http://www.southasianconnection.com to know more about how to give. It is imperative that South Asian Christians be at the cutting edge of culture and technology and must optimize the use of new media to the glory of God.
E. We invite you to partner and pray for South Asian Connection http://www.southasianconnection.com
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:12-15
F. If you have articles, links, websites, news or events to contribute to South Asian Connection http://www.southasianconnection.com please send us your articles, links, websites, news or events on any content, your personal profile and a digital photo to info@southasianconnection.com
This is a work in progress – raw materials for a book that I want to write as a legacy to God’s fingerprint and mighty hand favor in my life. I have a 16 page testimony in paragraph format that will be added soon. THIS IS MY PERSONAL WORK - SO NO JUDGEMENT CALLS PLEASE. . . . . and thank you friends for adding encouraging comments and constructive criticism as I journey with God in this book.
KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS - LIFE WITH GOD IS A FAITH ADVENTURE PAR EXCELLENCE.
Random Facts About Pastor Pritam Singh Sandhu is on FaceBook!
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