A Gathering for Japan

An evening of worship, prayer, getting to know one another, sharing stories and visions, seeking God, connecting, networking and mutual inspiring.

Hear past teams share what God has done and revealed through their times in Japan. 

Seek God's heart for Japan in 2011 and dream His dreams together.

Sneak preview of the night's sharings: 

Social advocacy through photography

Christianity through a Japanese's eyes

Thoughts from a missionary to Japan

Worship and the arts

Songwriting for Japanese youth

27th October, Wednesday 

7.00pm

YWAM Base, Lorong 23 Geylang

Tweet Tweet!

"Sometimes being our authentic selves gives us an excuse to be our worst selves" @erwinmcmanus on speaking in truth without love. @MosaicLA

Sneaks

Some sneaks from our Japan pictures......

Fooling around with our Japanese girlfriends

Cooking breakfast together

Going up to the clouds in Hakuba (Nagano Winter Olympics ski site)

Man, sorry for the lack of updates, but my laptop died of old age 3 weeks ago and so until I get back from Japan and get a new lappie, no photos for now.

I have loads to share with you... the trip to Shangri-La, GComm 2010 - where I learnt how to reclaim indigenous music for worship in the church, how to find the heart music of a people... but it'll have to wait till August when I'm back.

This Tuesday we leave for Japan. Our funds came in, in abundance! Thank you one and all who supported in big and small ways. Thank you for your prayers that mattered in this process.

You know, I am so psyched about what God is gonna do in Japan. Really feeling passionate about the truths we're gonna tell the young people... things like how God sees them, and affirming their worth. Pray for open doors for God in this people!

Stay tuned!

In preparation for Japan.....

Image from here.

This Summer in Japan.....

ETHNOS has been involved in ministries to the Japanese youth since July 2008, when I went to Tokyo to search for ways to reach out to Japanese youth. 

My findings in 2008: God is passionately moving to fill the emptiness in Japanese youth. There on the streets of Tokyo, my team interviewed the young people. We heard confessions of emptiness, purposelessness and rejection from school dropouts, young 'service agents' (pimps, we would call in our district), musicians and students. God is opening the hearts of Japanese youth. Who knows how long this time of open hearts will last? Thus, my sensing for ETHNOS is to minister in Japan as much as we can - NOW is the time. 

I thank God for my past teams who have gone with me - Brandon Myles Krause, Suwit 'Tee', Joshua Riordan, Justin Ho, Jachin Pousson, Brian Cheung, Benjamin Wu, Ruth Lee, Charlton Ying, Jasmine Sia - THANK YOU for being part of the vision and work on behalf of Japan, and your sacrifices to make a difference to the young people of Japan through media, music, photography, video, translation, teaching, worship, prayer, testimonies, sports, games, stories. The possibilities for you guys to contribute to world missions are limitless, keep multiplying your talents to disciple the nations.

 

This 20th July- 8th August, another team of us will be going to Japan to run 3 camps: 1 youth worship training camp, 1 evangelistic youth camp, and 1 evangelistic children's camp.  Much of what we will do will focus on imparting truth and kingdom values to youth who need ministry into areas of unworthiness, perfectionism, depression. For the children, we will be focusing on calling out their giftings and abilities. 

The team consists of Jasmine Sia, Robin Xu, Khoo Yingnuo, Xiao Qiying, Chia Swee Kit and Joshua Riordan.

After 8th August, I will stay on to follow-up and spend time with the youth.

We're currently trying our best to raise funds, a total of $7,650 to cover airfares, ground fees and ministry costs for the team. If you'd like to bless us, do get in touch with me at regina@ywam.org.sg. The team needs your prayers and support, thank you!

love,

Regina

I am back. Safe and sound. Was there at the right time and right
place. Thank you for your precious prayers and gifts. Updates again
later!

- Regina

People in Penang are People-People

In Penang last week with the best friend, I saw so much of Jesus on the streets we walked.

I walked past a man giving a beggar money - his body language spoke of value and genuine compassion. He patted the beggar on the shoulder as he walked off, with a big brotherly smile.

That simple gesture and smile floored me.

Because it was so genuine, and simple.

It spoke of love and brotherly kindness, to a beggar.

We encountered warm Penangites of all ages, who gave us directions, spare change to take the bus, and appreciative smiles. When a beggar walked down the line at the bus interchange, many people responded to him by giving, not begrudging.

I felt warmed at how these Penangites knew how to live.

On a hot afternoon, we passed by a roadside drink stall (above). 

Uncle told us to sit down, enjoy the drink, and pay when we were done. 

So we sat there and chatted with him. We had his au naturel soyabean drink, which he proudly proclaimed to be free of chemicals. He told us stories, of Singapore and Malaysia, his life and family.

Somehow, I am drawn to the relational nature of this society.

I almost didn't wanna come back to Singapore.

Goodbye Chos, you will be missed....

Spotted at Food For Thought 8Q:

Finally ALMOST through with my series on hearing God's voice at SJSM. I'm beginning to miss my Saturday nights.....

Haven't blogged for a long time, maybe I shall summarize the highlight of my week: I find it so true that when we cease to try to 'fix' people, their characters, or their problems, and just try to love and accept them, our purpose in this world changes completely.

Even if the ones we reach out to never want to accept Jesus, or use and abuse us, what matters is that you were someone there for them no matter what, without conditions or needing to see results.

Failure Is Necessary

Extract from "Thoughts on Calling" by Tim Morey:

"If we are to live into our calling, failure is necessary.

In God's hand, failure, like a woodworker's lathe, becomes a tool by which he shapes our lives and makes us fit for his purposes. God uses our failures to purify our motives, to equip us with tools we didn't know we needed, to adjust our direction when necessary, and to deepen our convictions on who we are and what we are called to do.

Might things have occurred differently for Moses and his people had he not killed the Egyptian? Very likely yes. But still God was at work. For decades Moses lived and worked in the very wilderness in which he would lead his people in decades to come. Moses didn't know that rescuing his people would require him to have an intimate knowledge of the desert, but God did. Even Moses' failure contributed to the shaping of his call."

I Am Second

Below excerpt from here.

“Invisible Influence” by Eric Bryant

Awhile back I was introduced to “I Am Second,” a website which includes the stories of athletes, musicians, actors, and other notable people.  Some of the stories of spiritual transformation are quite amazing!

Two of the stories I found of interest included Stephen Baldwin from “The Usual Suspects” and Brian Welch of Korn.

In both instances, they mentioned random people unknown to the rest of the world who helped them connect personally to God.  For Stephen it was the housekeeper and for Brian it was the real estate broker.  The heroes from these stories were Augusta and Eric -  invisible yet powerful influences.  Random people making a remarkable difference.

We may be surprised with who is already looking for God and who we can influence if we have the courage and humility to serve those around us.

Inspiration

I used to get quite bummed that I have no ounce of songwriting talent in me. Nothing comes, and there's nowhere I can tap from or connect the experiences I've had to song. It was weird to me, as a musician, and try as I might, no lyrics or tunes ever flowed from me in that Rachel Yamagata way - the bohemian lass plucking her guitar and a song emancipating from the folksy strings. Alas, this bohemian lass has no lovely songs to sing at her gigs.

However, I've realised of late that the way songwriters get inspired for a song - Wave of ideas hits. Furious rush for pen and paper. Impassioned scribbling - is the same way I get my sermons/teachings.  It's probably because I just can't stop talking and God knows I'd be better amusing people with my antics. 

Everyone has a special anointing and I pray you'll find what you were created to do effortlessly, as waves of inspiration hit you in the sweet-spot He gave you and you start living God's dreams. 

The Cost

I had a meeting with 2 young men yesterday. After the meeting, they began to ask me about YWAM and what life without a salary is like. As I shared my experiences of God's everyday faithfulness and jaw-dropping miracles,  I said this to them: "When I heard it from others' mouths, I thought it was so great.... but when it started happening to me and became my own experience, it's different - it's 100 times more amazing and life-changing."

After that I went home and reflected on that conversation. It reminded me of the cost I had to pay to live such a wonderful life that people 'envy'. The privilege of experiencing a life of faith and zero finances is great and something not-so-common in society, but it's not that I'm part of a privileged chosen group to have had that experience. There was a cost involved.

And this morning it reassured me as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, that I've had such an amazing life with God, and it's because the major downs, pain, laying down rights and jealousy, walking the narrow path, etc, paid the price for a life in the middle of God's will..... I may have sacrificed a marriage relationship, fashion and beauty, a nice house and loads of money to live the life I like, but there's a life and walk with God that money cannot buy and that you need to pay the price for.

And when I saw their faces yesterday, how they were so in awe and envious of the life experiences I had, I knew that price was worth paying.

Unbelief

Are you dwelling in unbelief?

How hard it can be for some of us to say this in confidence and faith:

"All things work together for the good of those who love Him, who've been called according to His purpose."

Do we really believe this truth: 

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

2008 and 2009 were not a walk in the park for me. I received bumps, cuts, grazes and well, SOME gaping wounds as I started Ethnos. Those times were dark times, disappointments in relationships abounded, and there were enough negative experiences to make me doubt the Word of the Lord upon my life, my friends, this ministry, and the future.

But recently, I discovered a profound truth. 

Pain leads to Unbelief. And Unbelief made me doubt that God would never shortchange me. It made me doubt His promises and Words. I couldn't take God seriously sometimes, and confronted Him about His lack of fulfillment.

Then I confronted myself: Can I believe that  "All things work together for the good of those who love Him, who've been called according to His purpose?"

I think that's the only way - to believe that. 

[ All scriptures from Romans 8. ]

Lost Generation

Fashion

I like fashion.

Every since the day I joined the Facebook group, "Just Because I Like Fashion Doesn't Make Me Less Intellectual", I've admitted that I AM into fashion.

I love Project Runway, Instyle, Vogue, The Sartorialist, Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen and Australian indie labels. When I watched fashion documentary The September Issue, one fashionista's lament that "There's a famine of beauty in this place" became my pet phrase. It encompassed pretty much how I feel about my surroundings. I love being in creative environments that are original, organic and push the envelope. I'm sick of seeing the same things day in day out. Tired decor, cliches and cookie-cutter takes on design bore me. And when it comes to the way I dress, I feel like I'm sometimes out of my world.... Many days, I wanna wear a fedora, bright leggings, deconstructed sillhouettes, bohemian maxi dresses, quirky vintage, or exude punk-rock fierceness without eliciting ignorant comments like, "She dresses like an auntie" (re: my vintage dress) or "Are you an aerobics instructor?" (re: coral leggings with white oxfords). There are many reasons why I dress the way I do.... to reflect my tastes, moods and philosophies. To be different from everyone else. To look nice and pretty. To place myself where the world is at.

I love Beauty and want to see it around me. Every time I see a famine of beauty, I feel that I need to do something about it (yes, the activist in me again).

So when I chanced upon Christians doing something about fashion, it rocked my world. Like, finally, someone who understands! Hope In The City is a Christian-run runway show that parks itself alongside LA Fashion Week, with a purpose that those doing or seeing the show may encounter the Living God.

I wish that social enterprises, instead of empowering women to sew those all-too-common cloth bags, would empower them to create fashion with their ethnic touch and re-interpretations of traditional cultural dresses for modern day. Tasteful designs, that cater to modern lifestyle. I'm so into sarees and kebayas! Those textiles and textures! A post on mentoring and fashion.

OK, I have an early morning tomorrow and haven't thought about what to wear yet. Time to scoot.

Karen Carpenter - The Drummer

True talent...... it makes me cry though, 'cause she was dead from anorexia at age 32.

Team Japan 2010

We are currently recruiting for Team Japan in July-August 2010.....


Team 1:
Specific skills required (one or more):
Translating Japanese & English
Teaching on Relationships to Youth
Youth Worship Ministry
Sports/Games organising, Craft-making
Children's Ministry: Bible story-telling, activities

Team 2:
Intercessory Prayer & Worship
Street Evangelism
Creative Arts

Interested? Please write in to regina@ywam.org.sg and tell me more about yourself and why you'd like to serve in Japan.

Funnies 2

Looks like an ordinary t-shirt, eh?

Check out the close-up:

Isn't it quirky-cool?!

That's a mini amplifier in her hands!

Credits: Kyoung Dan and her t-shirt

Funnies

"the artist is as important as the art he produces."

Everything Is Spiritual

This line popped up in my head while in Shangri-la, at our foreign team meeting.

The spiritual climate was rich and we really felt God moving among us all. I saw changes in different ones, growth and God birthing things in their hearts. Funny though, when someone shared about an area of dryness or family not turning to God, a particular line reiterated strongly in my head: "EVERYTHING IS SPIRITUAL."

For example, when we don't start off with prayer and worship, it's not about us lacking spirituality or the absence of the spiritual. It's about what spirit is perpetrated here. The act of not being spiritual is, in itself, spiritual. What we're doing is continuing a dry spiritual climate and not enthroning God to lead us -  a spirit of self-sufficiency and lack of intimacy with God.

You not doing your QT is spiritual.

So, it's a matter of discerning what spirit you're engaging in your life, or ministry. A Godly spirit, or an ungodly one? A spirit that gives God the focus and glory, or that gives your flesh or the enemy first place?

Discern and be very careful, guys......

Things That Make me Go "Hee!"

How to make it here.

God, You Chose Me. And That Blows My Mind.

One fine winter's day on the recent trip, I was preparing myself for teaching. To do that, I decided to read the ubiquitous Bob Sorge's Exploring Worship to infuse myself with the aroma of a worship-centric spirit, so I would give out that aura during my teaching. (Yes, foolish as it may seem, I try anything to be effective in my ministry ;p)

I came to a section on "Qualifications of A Worship Leader". Sounds mighty meritocratic huh? And then there was this shortest paragraph that in all of 2 sentences merely said,
"The second requirement, which goes hand in hand with the first, is a deep and a proven spiritual walk. We do not need spiritual novices leading our worship services."

I don't know what happened, but within a nanosecond of reading that, I was in tears.

It was a revelation of how far I've come with God, from being the least likely candidate/feeling totally like the last guy in spiritual standing among my peers in church..... and a deep humility that God chose me. Why me, and how much of what I do is me, are unfathomable questions.

The affirmation that I am no longer a spiritual novice, and have a deep and proven spiritual walk, is something I had not fully grasped until this moment.

I'm humbled that God chose me to do this. Terribly, utterly humbled.

Mothers, Daughters and Our World

I read this in today's Life! section ('Read', pg. 23) of an interview with Chinese author Xue Xinran. Her book, Message From An Unknown Chinese Mother, tells stories of Chinese mothers who had been forced to give up their daughters for adoption and for some, *horrors* murder them by drowning in pails.

As I read this, my heart ached to comprehend issues facing women in our world. In cultures like such, brokenness, questions and pain haunt its inhabitants every day of their lives, for decades. Neither daughter nor mother are spared from dealing with senseless separation, identity diaspora and endless 'whys?'. How far cultures have strayed from kingdom values and Love.

She mentioned some truths that echo the needs of our world:

"My mother never hugged me or celebrated my birthday with me. I never felt like a real daughter." 

".... what I write is the truth and 

we cannot progress unless we are ready to face up to our past."

The latter states a profound truth that I myself, as a Singaporean, face in tackling issues of my cultural identity. The past year or so, I've been impassionated by a thirst for all facets of our past - positive or negative. I want to know what really happened, outside of the textbooks and dominant discourse we're presented with. I want to know the alternative reality, the strongholds and mistakes, and why we are the way we are. I want to learn from it, not erase the treasure trove of our culture and history. It resonates with one of the strongest beliefs I hold:

We can only know who we are by looking at where we come from. 

Kawaii Bentos

Found while surfing..... inspires you to pack lunch tomorrow?

You can find bento boxes and sushi rice moulds of animal shapes in Daiso for a song! 

Shangri-La So Soon

This is a quick post! Off to Shangri-La again for 2 weeks, pretty hastily put together. I'm actually looking forward to a break from the crazy schedule I have in Singapore.... started 2 programmes at NUS and another school on Monday and it's gonna be a commitment for the year.

On the homefront, Base Worship has been changed to Mondays 8.30am-9.30am. It's a new season of having a new attitude towards meeting as a base, for all staff and students. Been hearing pretty exciting things as the worship team shared their convictions about this new thing with me.  Come and join us for a fresh start to the week every Monday, with our dearest God!

See ya later!

We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person.

- William Somerset Maugham

50th Anniversary

YWAM Singapore with the Cunninghams

He Hearts Us

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, 

"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. 

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. 

Man looks at the outward appearance, 

but the LORD looks at the heart."

One thing about being on display in ministry, whether you're a worship leader or just trying to live your life in the light, is that you cannot hide behind your songs, music, or surface things.

It is from the depth of your right standing with God and your character that fruit comes forth. 

It takes time and intimacy to build that, to fill your life with God, to deal with impurities and get your attitudes right. 

Many times as I stand upfront, I feel such brokenness because I know I'm not there yet. I know I have so far to go in order to move with such anointing. I know I'm not as close as I need to be with God to be overflowing. I know I have not pressed in enough to hear His heart and receive His love for the people around me. 

It comes from fasting and prayer, devotion to God alone, time invested to be with Him. 

Come meet us, King Jesus
Oh wind of change blow through this temple
Sweet Spirit of God, come and mend our hearts
For all we have are songs
Unless You come

Awaken what’s inside of me
Tune my heart to all You are in me
Even though You’re here God come
And may the vision of You
Be the death of me
And even though you’ve given everything
Jesus come

Come free us, King Jesus
It’s the only way that freedom’s given
From You and You alone
In the work You’ve already done
For all we have are songs,
Unless You come

Here we are, Lord
In this place
Crying out for
Your embrace
To hear Your voice
More than songs
Please come
Jesus come

- "Vision Of You", Shane & Shane

The Little Nyonya in Shangri-La

Guess what they're doing?

Watching 'The Little Nyonya" at work!

Nyonya fever spread so far in Shangri-La that Charlie Zhang, Yueniang, Liu Yidao & Chen Xi became household/cafe names overnight. The locals watched it during work-breaks, mass gatherings at their homes and after church. I have successfully converted them through my Nyonya crusade!

Next time round, I will do a bible study on David and explore Yueniang as a Davidic character in Asian culture, or an in-depth ministry on the unrelenting love of God through the portrayal of Chen Xi's pursuit of Yueniang. I didn't go to Literature class for nothing, you know.

Global Consultation on Music and Missions (GCoMM Asia 2010)

I'm going for GCoMM Asia this July! Usually held in the US, it's a standout chance to be part of this international consultation since it'll be held in SINGAPORE this year.

There're 6 tracks with altogether 36 modules for missionaries, musicians, creative communicators, creative artists, ethnomusicologists and Chinese ministry. You can take modules interchangeably - across tracks - so that's a plus to me who's into cultural relevance/music/ethnomusicology/arts. Examples of modules read like this.....
"Thinking outside the church box: How can we break out of our musical ruts by looking at a wide range of needs that can be met through song, thus discovering new themes, new purposes, and new contexts for a wider variety of music styles?"

"Cultural redemption: biblical basis for and practical application of cultural redemption in traditional music and dance. Pastor Ed Lapiz and his team will share about spiritual victories with tribal groups of the Philippines..."

"Movies. Stories. God.:Which movie should you invite your friend to watch: The Jesus film, Fireproof, or Batman? WHY? Discover the power of stories through motion pictures (both short and feature-length films), and how you can use them to start and engage in profound spiritual conversations...." 

PLUS Dance! Children! Digital & Internet! Check it out for yourself.

More about GCoMM here and here:

The purpose of the Global Consultation on Music and Missions (GCoMM) is to bring together mission and music leaders from around the world to explore how God is drawing the nations to Himself through music and related arts.

In the year 2010, the Consultation will gather for the first time in Asia! To many, Asia is known for its diverse form in both cultural and racial settings. By God's grace, GCoMM Asia 2010 will use this initiative to form friendships and partnerships so as to identify strategies and models as well as to gather resources to meet both the challenges and opportunities present in Asia and beyond.

The theme for the consultation is "Many Tribes, Many Songs, Many Peoples, One Saviour" and we are inviting Christians around the world to come to learn and appreciate the use of culturally appropriate music and creative arts to fulfill God's call to evangelize to every tribe, people and nation.

With more than 30 seminars from which to choose, be prepared for a rewarding and enriching time of learning from one another.

Sign-up and event details here.

Flashes of Shangri-La

words to sum up my one month with the young people:

equipping

conversations about identity & destiny

modeling

love in action

deep talks on life and whys

 doing together

prophetic words

I had the privilege of spending more one-on-one time with the girls than expected....

.....a long walk with XM through half the small town as we went to dinner, seeing her through her time of illness, walking arm-in-arm with her as she shared about her thoughts on someone's passing, sitting beside her to watch a dvd....

....breaking the ice in a frozen sink in the cafe and trying to wash dishes with frozen pipes with MY, having a sharing time during an electricity failure, her rare openness when she tries to learnt the songs she likes and wears her heart on her sleeve when she tells me why it means so much to her....

every girl is so different and i love that.

I love the challenge of meeting each where she is, of breaking down barriers gradually, and of understanding how to reach each one.

I love walking with young people.

Prayer for the Day

Something gripped me today in the Straits Times report on Sumatra facing annihilation from a possible tsunami in future. I mean, how can I know that an Indonesian neighbouring state is gonna be struck off the face of the earth and not do anything? At least I can pray like King Jehoshaphat did in 2 Chronicles 20 whilst facing impending doom. Pray that Sumatra would be God's and He would be with His people through the coming years of uncertainty.

(My blogpost on my other blog.)

The Bible

The Jesus Storybook Bible:

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

…There are lots of stories in the bible but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together; and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

You see, God knew, however high they reached, however hard they tried, people could never get back to heaven by themselves. People didn’t need a staircase; they needed a Rescuer. Because the way back to heaven wasn’t a staircase; it was a Person.

People could never reach up to Heaven, so Heaven would have to come down to them.

And, one day, it would.

Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on his back. Like Isaac, he would trust his Father and do what his Father asked. He wouldn’t struggle or run away.

Who was he? God’s Son, his only Son - the Son he loved.

The Lamb of God.

One day, God would send another Prince, a young Prince whose heart would break. Like Joseph, he would leave his home and his Father. His brothers would hate him and want him dead. He would be sold for pieces of silver. He would be punished even though he had done nothing wrong.

But God would use everything that happened to this young Prince - even the bad things - to do something good: to forgive the sins of the whole world.