Have a Great 2007!

To all my faithful blog readers,

I preached a year end sermon on the Parable of the Sower. Anchoring on the need to let the word of God grow in our lives, I list a couple of potential distractions that may choke the growth of the word. It is based on Thomas Oden's perceptive insights on the three basic human problems: Guilt, Anxiety and Boredom.

That when we look back through the year, we should not be bogged down with guilt, like asking all sorts of IF ONLY _______ questions, about things we should/should not have done, and feeling regretful about doing/not doing it. Neither should we be fearful of the coming year, even though some have said 2007 may be more uncertain than any other years. Looking forward may result in anxiety of asking WHAT IF_______ questions. With regards to the present conditions of our lives, some may start to be skeptical and become bored with life. They may also start to ask SO WHAT____ kind of questions, which can affect the growth of the word. A skeptical heart does not nourish faith.

Instead, we can give thanks for the past year, to recognize that God understands us, and will forgive us our weaknesses, as we forgive those who sin against us. God is also pressing ahead of us, to prepare the path for us. So let us not be bogged down by IF ONLY, or WHAT IF possibilities. Look back the year and give thanks. Look forward the next year and put on hope. As for boredom, we need to persevere in faithfulness, which is the best cure for boredom. Serve people rather than only surfing the internet. People who are regularly serving others, rarely complain about boredom. It is those who are too preoccupied with self, that always complain bored.

"Behold, the sower went out to sow." May the soil of our lives be ever ready to let the word of God grow in our hearts and lives.

Have a great and wonderful year ahead.

ks

Mother Nature as Newsmaker of the Year

A popular Vancouver free tabloid has hailed Mother Nature as newsmaker of the year. That sums up the unsuspected weather that residents in Vancouver have gone through this year. We've had long days of sunshine, long days of rain, strong winds/storms and followed by the snow.

The long days of hot weather is untypical of Vancouver weather this Summer. The heavy downpour in November/December led to a "boil water" advisory for more than 2 million residents due to the water turbidity problem. The snow led to havoc in the roads and inconvenience. The storms hit Vancouver extremely hard, resulting in power outages for a quarter million customers. I have not remembered any scary and stormy night ever, since arriving in Vancouver in 2004. The winds hit 158kmph and caused extensive damage to one of the most valuable icons of Vancouver, Stanley Park, where more than 3000 trees were destroyed, and nearly half the park is still closed to the public as of today.

This year is indeed exceptional. Nobody really knows why but in some ways it is a demonstration of how fragile our world is. It might also be God's reminder to secularized Vancouver that all our lives are to no avail if it is not based on firm foundations. The physical demonstration can terrify so many people. Imagine what will happen when the ultimate spiritual and universal judgment comes on all creation, one day. That day will come. We must be prepared.


Matt. 7:27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Cinderella Man

There are few films that can bring a tear to the eye. "Cinderella Man" is one such tear-jerker. It is a story of James J. Braddock (played by Russell Crowe), a true story of a former heavyweight champion in the 1930s, who fights for a living to feed his family, and maintains integrity in everything he does. Life was hard and he was seen as an inspirational icon to many people at that time who were living in the midst of the Great Depression. As his family depended on his boxing earnings, he continues to fight even though his hand was badly injured. His high-flying lifestyle came to an abrupt halt after his boxing license was revoked due to him competing even though he is physically unfit. Losing that in the midst of the Great Depression is certainly a bad thing. Soon the family had no money to even pay for food and the utility bills. He humbled himself and applied for financial relief. He had to queue up for a daily opportunity to work at the docks for a minimal salary, and works despite his injury.

Tear-Jerker #1
When his wife (played by Renee Zellweger) cried before him to beg him not to fight, yet at the same time worrying about the daily financial needs.

Tear-Jerker #2
When he humbled himself and entered the rich man's club and begged for money to pay back four months of unpaid utility bills so as to bring back light and heating at home.

Tear-Jerker #3
When his wife realised that Braddock at his climactic comeback fight, was fighting not only for his family but for the hope of the entire nation, personifying the importance and reality of a second-chance.

Tear-Jerker #4
Braddock paying back every cent to the relief agency, when he had earned some money from one of his fights along his comeback. When asked why he returned the relief money, he replied:
"I believe we live in a great country. A country that is great enough to help a man financially when he is in trouble. But lately I have had some good fortune and I'm back in the black. And I just thought I should return it."

Tear-Jerker #5
When Braddock's wife entered a church to pray, and said to the priest that she came to pray for her husband. Then in a very touching manner, the priest said to her, "So did they", and pointed her to a church sanctuary full of people praying for her husband. That is the power of hope, that draws people together.

This movie is a wonderful inspiration of courage, family love and integrity. A great man must be one who is not only bold and courageous but humble and with integrity. Personally, I feel this movie is a reminder of the importance of inspiration, especially in the midst of depression. Our human nature naturally draws us towards a state of loneliness and we need to be able to adequately address that and not to allow our feelings of loneliness to degenerate to depression. Braddock's willingness to be humble despite the ridiculous taunting by his ultimate opponent, Max Baer, is something we can all learn from. When Braddock's wife Mae, splashed a glass of champagne on Max Baer after Baer's nasty taunting on Braddock's family, Max said "Now he's got his wife doing his fighting for him.", in an apparent jab at Braddock. Braddock calmly replied: "Yeah, Ain't she something?" reveals a man who is humble and controlled, not wanting to be easily antagonized. We need to learn to grow such a heart. True strength is not fighting back with fists. It is fighting back with a heart.

The climax of the show is Braddock's amazing comeback. It is one thing to be fighting only for family. It becomes another, when one fights symbolically for the hope of the whole nation.

kianseng

On Busyness

I came across this acronym on the word BUSY (Being Under Satan's Yoke) at this web site.

It sounds a little shocking, that becoming busy can be a symptom of being trapped by the evil one. That reminds me of my previous busy lifestyle, where if one is busy, people will accept that it is 'good'. I remember a brief opening chat with an ex-collegue.

Ex-colleague: Hi, how are you?
Me: Oh. Very busy.
Ex-colleage: Good. Very good. Busy is good.
......
Busy is good? I guess, seen from the perspective of not idling away our precious time, it is good. From the perspective of the company who hired me, a minute put into productive work means a minute well spent. In that manner, it is good. Yet there is a certain sense that being busy is not good. Below are some examples:

- So busy till one has no time to build relationships, to keep in touch with friends
- So busy that one do not bother thinking through why things has to be done that way
- So busy that one prefers to cast away creative process (which needs time), in favour of some cheaply drawn up old idea plagiarised from someone else;
- So busy that every person becomes a means to an end;
- So busy that one has no time for family and kids.

"Being Under Satan's Yoke" acronymn may sound ominously dark, but when we understand that anything can be taken as Satan's deception, our unhealthy state of busyness can be a dangerous thing. One way busyness is a problem is when it is driven by a sense of boredom. Boredom is a human problem, that sprang out in part to the restlessness character in man. Augustine is well aware of that and wrote in his classic Confessions saying that:

"Everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being: You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You." (Augustine I.1)

As we come to the end of another year, let us look back at the past with thanksgiving, and check our motives for our busyness and boredom. Both busyness and boredom are symptoms of a deeper human problem, our hearts are restless because they have not rested in God.

kianseng

A Grown-Up Christmas List

Hi,

This song is nice and brings some heartfelt hope for humanity. My favourite this Christmas. For Christmas, it is a nice reflection on what it means to be human. The original singer is Amy Grant, who released the song sometime in 1992. These days, there are many others with their own versions, but I think the best male rendition of the song is Michael Buble.



For me, my grownup Christmas list will be:

"That all of us, will be able to know and discover who we are, without needing to pretend to be somebody else. Only then, we can help others to discover their uniqueness, so that there will be more people who are not afraid to show their true selves to one another, in a spirit of loving God and loving one's neighbours."

Sometimes, instead of buying Christmas gifts for people who do not need them, it is nice to ponder and decide to donate the money instead to help those who DO.

The key to relationships (and world peace) is written in Jesus's words:

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)

Have a Blessed Christmas.

ks

History of the Religions of the Word (in a flash)

Here is a fascinating overview of the history of the religions of the world, in flash format. Check it out here. It is designed with a chronological order. It seems to be a rough guide, but interpretations of the spread of the different religions should be seen as perception rather than actual, as different religious groups do co-exist in any one place.

Thank again to Julio for the tip.


ks

Sunday School Curriculum

"The church exists ultimately for the sake of the glory of the Triune God." (Stanley Grenz, Created for Community, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 217)

Sunday School curriculum is an important tool in Church education, especially for children. Many teachers rely on them for a systematic Church teaching programme. One such curriculum is Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God. Wagner and Halliday observed two groups who use it. Of the first, he said that many who have used Experiencing God came out with a greater understanding of what it means to experience God. On the other hand, there was another group that went through the complete curriculum and did not find it satisfactory. Wagner and Halliday commented:

"The first group focused on God and asked him to produce the desired results through the curriculum, while the second group focused on the curriculum and expected it to produce the desired results." (E Glenn Wagner & Steve Halliday. The Church You've Always Wanted Zondervan, 2002, 167)

Simply put, for one group, the focus is on God, and the other the focus is on self. One expects from God, while the other expects 'magic' from the curriculum. While one is open to experiencing God in God's way and timing, the other expects some self-fulfilment in their own time and place. Whenever there are mismatched expectations, there will be frustration. On what basis do we choose Sunday School curriculum? I believe that the gospel of Mark has a lot to teach us.

"And he was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in his teaching," (Mark 4:2)

Jesus taught in parables. Parables are stories, narrative messages that many people can relate to. He spoke to large crowds, meaning different mix of people of various age. I believe that any Sunday School curriculum must incorporate the art of story telling as well. Better still, every story ought to be a personal story of struggle or victory. A living story is better than an dead text. A personal event is better than an impersonal event. Sunday School teachers should not be too quick to blame the curriculum. The best curriculum that operates under a bad philosophy will fare worse than a mediocre curriculum under a good philosophy. God is over all curriculums and cannot be 'boxed in'. Maybe, curriculum ought NOT to be placed as a 'barrier' between teachers and students. How about putting the curriculum next to the teacher/student, allowing constant interaction, and using the curriculum as a guide? We need to choose a curriculum as one of the means to reflect or urge our push and longing for God.

Just as the church exists for the glory of God, we ought to use (or NOT to use) the curriculum for the glory of God. That is why a prayerful heart and a discerning mind will be the best senses for the Sunday School class each time they met. Such an attitude will transcend curriculum by many miles, to the point that curriculum or not, we still desire to seek and love God.

ks