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.