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.

Anecdotes from the past week

Part 1

I have to teach about worship for the upcoming trip to Shangri-la and had been kinda edgy about my material for awhile. Few days ago, whilst reading up a book on worship to pump up my material, I heard a clear, loud voice that sounded undoubtedly like GOD.

"Stop reading. Worship is not a theory. Just go out there and enjoy My presence with My people."

I cheered silently and shut my book immediately (honestly, I was sick of trying to absorb material and going through the motions). "Yay," I thought, "I just need to focus on enjoying God's presence." A load was lifted off my shoulders... the load to teach, to present, to do. God wanted me to focus on my being.
 
How true. Worship is inspired, not taught. It is inspired by who God is, and 'taught' by spending time worshipping, not talking about it. We need to worship more than we teach.... whether it's in worship school, seminars, workshops.... worship can only be understood through a direct encounter with the God we worship.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2 

Well, since I didn't have to spend so much time preparing my teaching, I was now free to meet some youths I owed a conversation. *double yay! Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte! Pancakes!* (now, meeting people is also an excuse to satisfy my astronomical gastronomical cravings)

To me, spending quality time with youths is a non-compromise. I mean QUALITY time, not playing-and-laughing-time. The kind of time you offer them where they know they are supposed to ask questions and air their issues.

One girl started talking about her needs - Mentors. Mentors to guide her in her new life as a young person working and discovering a new world that she wants to excel in. An industry where attending a Sunday service is irrelevant because of timing. She told me she couldn't find anyone to talk through these, much less ask about her when she doesn't attend Sunday service. The solution offered to her disappointed her: 1. Form a group of people in the same situation/industry as you; 2. When you reach a higher position in your company 5 or so years later, you'll have enough influence to change things.

Sounds strange to me (disclaimer: these are purely my views and I am a flawed individual) but....
1. Solving a relational problem using a structure: forming a group doesn't mean they'll relate. The issue is how you get people to relate/multiply mentors who pursue relationships
2. OK, how about the present?

I found it strange too that in youth groups we spend most of our time and energy on running events that our leaders (who are sacrificing their time and rights for the good of the ministry) don't have any more energy left for quality time with our young people. And wondered why multiplying mentors and pastors isn't high on the agenda because that is what builds lives.