Archive for June, 2008
Anwar fears for his life, seeks refuge in Turkish Embassy
Man behind Anwar sodomy report seen posing with Cabinet ministers
2 takes from the mainstream papers.
Anwar takes refuge in Turkish embassy
The latest news before I slept last night.
Anwar wants PM’s guarantee to leave embassy
The latest news after breakfast this morning.
Anwar’s Statement From The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
Some Interesting Revelations About A Victim
My friend Bob keeping me updated.
Many people seem to wonder at least quietly .. "Here we go again?"
The church needs to be a home and a hub for creativity. Simple arrangements with smooth stones, and flowers plus candles does wonders to what could have been a plain altar. Of course, for the creativity to have greater depth then one can dig deeper into resources from spirituality and theology – e.g. thinking about the passage in Matthew 6 about God the father and creator clothing us just like the lilies of the field. The stones can lead us to meditate on how the waters of life smoothens our rough edges as time passes by.
Ewan who’s now almost 7 months old does it when we ask him in Mandarin, "Pai, Pai Shou!" 
He’s got two lower front teeth now, and a cool delightful smile. There is a quite a temper when he doesn’t get his way. He very persistent too. I still find it intriguing that he seems to know when I’m taking pictures of him, and then he will move his head and eyes to get in focus. Quite a natural when it comes to photo shoots huh?
As the family has grown now with 3 children, sometimes I wonder how do we cope energy wise, especially for May Chin who is still working half a day. When we only had Gareth and Elysia, each of us could handle one when the demands were at it’s peak. Nowadays, it’s overwhelming when ALL three want either one of us at one go. Imagine if all want mummy? Of course, that would be an exception.
Elysia tends to want Papa, or at least is willing to opt for him (I mean me!). She is very cheeky and strong-willed. She will slip into negotiation mode when we don’t allow her to get her way. Sometimes, she can be pretty stubborn in times of conflict especially with tender hearted Gareth. It’s funny how our kids turn out day by day. Each unique with their personalities and leanings. Elysia is very independent. True to the date that she was born, which is international woman’s day!
Of course, Big brother Gareth is growing fast as well. He’s no longer the "cute" one compared to the younger siblings. But he’s evolving into a different role now. Sometimes, I wonder whether he misses being the "baby" of the house. He’s very protective of his younger brother, and his relationship with Ewan brings out the more "caring" side from him. It’s nice to see him cuddle his brother, tell him stories or sing to him.
Three kids … wow, such a headache (sometimes! I’m being honest here) But all in all true gifts from God! For that I too clap my hands in joy and gratitude …
THE STORY OF FAITH … has a narrative arc: a beginning, middle, and end. We do have a sense of where this whole thing is headed, even if we can’t prescribe every stage of the journey for each unique individual. Being formed in the image of Christ is the process and goal of spiritual formation; that’s what we’re working and praying toward; that’s what we’re helping youth to become: “little Christs” — Christians who reflect the image of Jesus to the world.
- Sarah Arthur
The God-Hungry Imagination: The Art of Storytelling for Postmodern Youth Ministry
(via Upper Room Daily Reflections)
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Is it possible that many Christians have lost the plot of this story of faith? Or simply lost? But if one is lost why do we insist that we know where we are going or why do we still refuse to get some guidance? Perhaps, it’s like some of us who don’t like to ask strangers for directions while being lost in the car!
I’ve been thinking a lot about what does it mean to be a Christian – a Christ-follower these days. Is it just switching from one religion (e.g. Buddhism) to another (e.g. Christianity)? Is it wondering the maze of denominations after being a Christian? Is it having a perfect family with kids who don’t need to go to the dentist?
Christians are then tempted to live in pure reactionary mode and fight demons of perceived "fundamentalism" of the past, while secretly holding an elitist view of ourselves in relation to the "unthinking" religion which we want to distance ourselves in. We have new found language, new theologies, new experiences, or whatever, and yet, we hit dead ends most of the time. We look around and "babies" are all over the place and we wonder which one to pick up first, because of our zeal to throw the "bath water". Too many crying "babies" on the floor will drive any sane human nuts! For those who are not into metaphors, you know I’m not talking about literal babies right?
Okay, once we go deeper than the surface of religion, we then speak of faith or spirituality. It’s a small start, but picking up the "babies" is what is needed. The way of Jesus, or the older way of saying it, a "relationship with Jesus Christ." We guard against over privatizing it nowadays, because the Gospel maybe personal but it’s not private we say. But then, we are well aware restoring the public dimension of faith doesn’t negate the personal. So, we need to find a way to live with this paradox which I think it’s possible. Possible, for those who are not insistent on resolutions prematurely. The fact is when we talk about "being formed", there is always an unfinished aspect at least on this side of heaven. There’s a "toward-ness" in it. I believe authentic humility means we keep a very disciplined watch on any form of "it’s just me" kind of thinking in check.
And once that comes into focus, we don’t have to be trapped by "religious" talk alone, and begin to focus on life, and what we are called to become and called to do. Becoming "little Christs" involves quite a serious of little deaths, a few major ones along the bumpy ride no doubt, but it also leads to little resurrections which is a foretaste of THE resurrection of the body we await for. It’s not the end, but a start … a start somewhere.
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The "perfect" sermon, or article is always in the head … I wonder whether we are afraid to get started because the moment it leaves the abstract and enters the concrete whether it’s digital words on the screen of a notebook or scribbles on a piece of paper it loses it’s perfection and we’re down to messiness!
I know some of my friends will like this ….
Cornel West & the Struggle for Social Transformation
I thought it was cool that he appeared in one of the Matrix Movies! Found a little gem …
To understand a deep thinker it is not enough to just read the text and increase your knowledge. It requires to understand the spirit of the work, and see the passion behind the expression.
Religious Studies as Critical Organic Intellectual Practice
Trying to get the article … looks fascinating!
Reading Syed Husin Ali, remembering Gramsci
Timely book to read. Informative and Provocative!
I would even advocate for the history of the Malays to be radically rewritten; so that the common person becomes the hero. We must first put Tun Sri Lanang on trial for imprisoning the mind of the Malays and for wrongly inspiring ultra-Malay historians that further inspire race-based politics and oppressive and colonizing cultural institutions.
antonio gramsci, schooling and education
The interest partly sparked by the link earlier.
The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination
A more personal post to bring balance to these links.
So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.
The latest edition of the Micah Mandate is getting exciting!
Commentary
Conversations: BERNARD DOMPOK by Goh Keat Peng
Read the article…
First things first ….
“What advice will you as a Christian in politics to Christians especially of the younger generations who may be considering entering the political arena?” was my first question to him.
His answer came straightaway without pause or hesitation: “Politics is something you go into knowing that you have to serve. You have a people to represent. There must be a cause for you to go into politics and you must believe in this cause in order to sustain your political involvement.”
Commentary
MCA ≠ Chinese, Umno ≠ Malays, and etc… by Josh Hong
Read the article…
Stereotypes are boring ….
Given the decades-old raced-based political arrangements in the country that resulted in conflation between political and ethnic identity, each and every Malaysia seems condemned to live with this unpleasant reality, however much we may dislike it.
Whenever a Chinese Malaysian student fails to be awarded a JPA scholarship despite having scored x number of As, he/she is almost certain to blame a Malay for stealing it from him/her, “because they got Umno mah”.
It is not that I am not sympathetic with the scores of Chinese students who are missed out on public scholarships every year. Quite the contrary, I often feel my blood boiling on hearing the same story year after year.
But what makes me uncomfortable is that many seem to find a Malay scapegoat for everything that goes wrong, and associate the person with Umno. No matter how much we detest the MCA acting as the sole representative of the Chinese in Malaysia, we tend to make the same mistake by first thinking “Melayu tu Umno” and, second, seeing each and every Malay as a beneficiary of the much-abused NEP who thrives “at our expense”.
It is entirely not dissimilar from the distorted view (thanks to Utusan!) of the Chinese and, to a lesser extent, the Indians, that we prosper because we all “had a head start over the Malays”.
Commentary
Justice and the Law by TK Tan
Read the article…
Law-abiding does not mean unthinking!
Christians are generally called upon to be law-abiding citizens. And we are called to respect the law of the land, and uphold the authority of the government. Because of this, we rarely question the structures enacted by law through the parliament. We tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the government. However, the domination of the ruling party over parliament since independence, and the complete power that they possess in enacting and amending laws, have given rise to a situation where critical decisions are now legally made at the complete discretion of the executive government, without the need to explain and inform, and without recourse to external examination and redress.
Commentary
Minister’s experience of public transport after 2 days by Andrew Khoo Chin Hock
Read the article…
2 Days? try 20 days … or 20 years!
Reflection
2 WRITING AN EPITAPH FOR ONE’S OWN GRAVESTONE By Koichi Ohtawa
Read the article…
Ask these three questions …. now and not 20 years later! Sobering …
If you could decide, at what age would you like to die?
If you were able to write your own obituary, what would you write?
If you could choose, what would you have written on your gravestone?
Peter’s Pithy Pointers
Now I can pray like this!:-)
POLITICAL SCIENCE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
Peter does it again! GOAAAAAAAAAAAL!
WHEN DISTRACTING NOISES come, don’t fight against them, do not elbow them out, but accept them and weave them by prayer into the silence. Does the wind rattle the window? Then pray, “So let the wind of the Spirit shake the Christian church into life,” and absorb it into the silent listening. Does a child cry in the street outside? Then pray, “So cries my infant soul, which does not know the breadth of Thy heart,” and absorb it into the silent listening prayer.
- Thomas Kelly
The Sanctuary of the Soul
I used to fight distractions, or feel guilty because I give in so easily. Especially when it comes to personal prayer. The first time, I heard something similar to the above quote, was during a session on Spirituality by an Old Testament professor and pastor from Australia. He gave a fresh advice on just following what comes to mind, and use the floating thoughts as points of intercession, and as you slowly exhaust each thought in prayer you’d be surprised how much time and ground you have covered.