Sivin Kit's Garden

Random Thoughts before the Luther Tour

We'll probably be stopping in one of the Auto Bahn (motorway) resting places like the one where I took the picture above on Monday. Need to make sure all toilet business is settled before one goes because it's minimum 50cents Euro per entry :-) phew!

Begining to feel and think about more and more of the "situation" I'll be returning to in Malaysia. The ministries lined up, relationships to get "reconnected", new developments too ... it's kind of a strange feeling ... on one hand, really want to go home, on the other a little fearful and unsure of what to expect (even though getting some hints here and there).

We talked about a re-entering home country "culture shock" for long term missionaries overseas during one of our sessions in the first week. Hmmm ... any "mini-culture shockss" on the way? Dr. Philip's tip on "Learning by Puzzlement" is going to come in handy here.

One participant commented over lunch yesterday whether her people back home would recognize her when she returns (not physically but as a person), because there's so much intensive learning and experiences we were thrown into.

Some may still be the same but others who have absorbed, reflected and seriously processed these experiences would undoubtly be different. Then again, all of us change in the course of our human history short term or long term. I realized being "aware" of this and the journey is already a tremendous help.

As for BLC, I'm glad that I could roughly observe from a distance the "happenings" there through emails and even some blog entries. I'm glad some have kept me updated. There were some concerns which I felt so far away to handle and often "hands tied" or more precisely "Body bound" because of distance. Especially when it comes to "knots" that need untying. That will need to wait until i return.

When one is in a situation like that, learning "patience" is forced upon you and learning to "trust" is critical. More and more I feel these are two values very much needed in our "impatient" world and "distrustful" atmosphere. Often, we expect these to be a given and "should be there" when actually there's a lot of effort needed to start it, maintain it and even allow this "Patience" combined with "trust" environment to grow. Nothing is automatic.

Until we meet again ....

Trip to Luther Sites

I'll probably be unable to get online (at least for free) the next few days. Much of me wants to go home but the final installatio of our programme begins tomorrow morning with our visit to the important Wartburg Castle where Luther translated the Bible into German. Then we'll go to Erfurt and stay at the Augusinerkloster.

Then on Thursday, we'll be off to Erfurt Cathedral and later pay a visit to the Augustinian Monastry where Luther became a Monk. Later after lunch there'll be a special visit to the concentration camp of Buchenwald where we'll get some better understanding of this world war two tragedy.

On Friday, it'll be where Luther lived and died in Eisleben and we'll finish by reaching the Leipzig Mission House before leaving for Wittenburg the next day.

The whole saturday will be in Wittenburg where Luther served as the professor of theology and where much of his adventures began and happened. Then sunday it will be interesting because we plan to attend Sunday service at the church where Bach served as a musician. And before going back to our "home" in Neuendettelsau, we'll have the chance to visit the former border between East and West germany in Modlareuth.

More thoughts and proper links once I return.

Random Thoughts after Visting the ELCB Bishop

This is the cross and backgound at the chapel on the highest floor at the Evangelical Church in Bavaria (ELCB) Headquarters in Munich.

I was really reflecting on my visit to a local congregation condition the last couple of days. It was good also to have some time to just talk to Dr. Philip Hauenstein about this during our journey to Munich. This kind of conversations is so crucial for clarification and sharpening one's opinions.

One key insight I'm juggling with right now is that it's most definately basic that the discipleship base or core of a local church is a must, and yet the most strategic person to engage with is actually the pastor or key leader (depending on context). It's got to work in parallel ...

So often, people in the pew have a desire to move with God's agenda but are stuck somehow. And in other cases, pastors are drawn to advance but feel held back. When both are "open" to the Spirit, and also one another while having a good dose of humility and clear thinking, all this with a sense of history and forward looking-ness, WOW ... we can have confidence once again for a better tomorrow.

I was actually surprised by how frank the ELCB Bishop was about the condition of the church. Often, my immediate conception of top leaders is that they share mainly the success stories and minimize the challenges part.

In this case, though the room was getting a little stuffy but the sharing wasn't at all. He just went straight to the point and share in his words "the problems" they are facing. Of course there are already steps in place but the path ahead is indeed uphill for our fellow Lutherans in Bavaria.

An interesting point that caught my attention was that even though the membership of the church is declining but the participation of the people in the church overall is increasing. And that gives some hope!!!

I was re-thinking about this "numbers" and "calculations" we use when we talk to each other about church. To be honest, this minor detail meant a lot to me because I found something we could rejoice in and give encouragement to the ELCB churches.

This also alerts us not to take pride in our growth in numbers in Asia, Africa and Latin America which could often just be "superficial". What is needed is the "nuanced" understanding of "what is really going on" both the good and the bad. And then prayer for each other, partner with one another and seek ways to do what is best to help one another along the way. What works for us personally is the basis for the top leadership as well.

Structures are meant to facilitate growth and often the greatest battles are in our minds. the fancy word now almost out of fashion is what's going on in our "paradigms" and the "shifts" needed for movement and not stagnation. When structures become like a "machine", and often becomes a hindrance or too much of our energies are invested in maintaining it, careful and yet bold efforts need to be made to "transform" the structures back its life-giving supportive role.

Missing Home ...

when I heard my mainland China friends' son speak to his father as he was using his webcam, it really made me miss home ... and miss the voices of those whom I love and treasure.

I'll probably be more "disconnected" from Wednesday onward as we'll be off to the Luther sites and I'm not sure about internet access (which has helped us to be a little bit more in touch.)

I really do hope and will plan to take May Chin and Gareth either for a local trip (more affortable) or an overseas trip (if possible) when I return. The time here so far has been good but it would have been even greater if we could have experienced many of the moments together (of course the official stuff like Summer School probably is more for me personally)

Judith (wife of he German theological consultant) bought this heart shaped "biscuit" for me (or more for May Chin) and Wolgang explained that it means "For my little sparrow". And it's great right now that I finally "caught" May Chin on Yahoo Messenger and we can chat a little ... looking forward to fly around with her bringing Gareth along for not only adventures in terms of traveling but more so with life in all it's fulness!

Welcome back, Todd!

It's been sometime since Todd Hunter has been sharing his insights through blogging :-) I'm quite curious to see what's coming up at http://www.toddhunter.org/

Random Thoughts after Mini-Public Greeting

God is a God of surprises (I love this phrase and believe it!)... Since Friday until today it's been non-stop suprises. One of them is the chance to participate in an ecumenical Roman Catholic and Lutheran Open Air Sunday Service in the heart of town during their summer fest (the timing was just right for our visit!).

The second one was actually the honour to bring greetings on behalf of Malaysia and China. It's an unexpected "Blessing" just to play a mini-public role today. I started with "Guten Morgen" (Good Morning in German!) and the crowd just laughed in acceptance. Then followed by "Ge Wei Zhao An" (in Mandarin) and "Selamat Pagi" (in Malay ... when I'm overseas I tend to have a new love for our national language) with Marcus translating some greetings following that.

There are more surprises of course (like we were invited for lunch by the Mayor of Fürstenfeldbruck), but in the midst of all this. I felt sad today that we lost a friend to cancer a couple of days ago. She's been a close friend of May Chin and after reading May Chin's email I was brought back again and again to down-to-earth realities of life, pain and death.

It's more than just losing a friend ... and I feel bad because I couldn't be with May Chin as she went for the funeral, it's also about other details as we look back in how we journeyed with her (or failed in many ways) and that "hits" me hard because whatever one says about all this public role and witness we have (such as the one today I surprisingly experienced) ... Ministry is about the personal touch we have with those around us.

I'm very well aware that in about one to two weeks time landing back to Malaysia is more than just coming "home", it's about touching the "earth" of the the place that God desires to move in. And of course, He's most interested with the people he's placed within my circle of contact.

Forget about getting "big headed", we need "bigger hearts" ...

Kyrie Eleison ... Lord have mercy ...

Three Questions of Discernment

Thanks Prodigal Kiwi for these three helpful questions and a quote from Rowan Williams.

After these two weeks of intensive "reflecting" and "learning", I realize more and more that people like tend to want "answers" quickly (usually from others) when the formulation of "good" questions actually helps us to discover the answers better for our own context, so here goes:
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(a)What course of action more fully seems to resonate with the kind of life Christ lived and lives?

(c)What opens rather than closes doors for God’s healing, forgiving, reconciling, and creating work to go on?

“There is no guarantee that in any situation there will be only one clear and compelling answer. In the process of asking these questions, in the very process of reflecting and discerning we are making space in ourselves for the life of Christ and the creative movement of God…”

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Joy at FFB Lutheran Church

In the evening it was a different kind of joy! first, it was a special service organized by FFB Lutheran Church just because we were around. I was quite impressed and suprised to listen to a "German Gospel Choir" - "Sing and Pray". And I don't think that is common at least from my limited experience with the Lutheran Church in Bavaria! They sang quite a number of songs throughout the service and involved the congregation in two .

Petra translated very well for me and I managed to do a 10+ minute "message" sharing about lessons learnt from starting BLC and making some connections with Matthew 28 Great commission text with they had given me. I managed to share a little on Malaysia. I only had 10 minutes ... so it was quick! :-)

Of course, it's always good to share a gift with our hosts for the evening! Small gift but with a big heart :-)

Daniel Ma From China came up next to share about Christianity in China.

I managed to sing a Malay song of worship "Kaulah TuhanKu" and later was happy to teach some of the choir members after the service.

I remember Dr. Philip from the Summer School telling us that we'll see a different picture of Lutheran churches compared to Neuendettelsau and indeed it was quite different. But, I trust God worked in the hearts of all who came!

More indepth reflections later .... must get ready for the Sunday combined outdoor worship later ...

Joy at Andechs

It looks tempting doesn't it, especially for a Butcher's descendant (me!). But in reality .. we shared this amongst 5 of us. Marcus and Karen our hosts from Fürstenfeldbruck . I agree with Marcus on his observation about all the people around us including ourselves. Everyone was happy, chatting loudly, some even howling with laughter .. all this at the Andechs Monastry of the Benedictine order famous for "Ora Et Labora" (i.e. work is prayer, prayer is work). I guess when we really "pray and work" the whole as aspect of "play" gets included as well ...

I think I didn't manage to tell Marcus I wanted a smaller glass ...

As you can see, my Mainland Chinese friends are in a celebrative mood too ...

I did get some "inspirational" thoughts after this visit ... but I'll share that in another post. Cheers! Prost! (in German!)

Random thoughts before the last Lecture

David Hu from Taiwan who sat next to me took this picture with his mini-webcam. It's always funny and ticklish when he sings with "falsetto" on and off. I was giving a toast - "Yam Sing" (in Cantonese) with my coffee!

It's nice that the pace of the summer school has slowed down especially for the working groups and lectures part. And I'm looking forward to the "Life abundantly - a Lutheran approach" lecture and with that I think I'll be able to step in and out of all the topics we've covered so far and come to some conclusions and directions I'd like to take.

A conversation today made me think about the lessons and pointers we got during the "intercultural learning" session which was excellent. And yet in our discussion on the topic of "Neo-Pentecostalism" I was "puzzled" by the defensiveness that comes up so frequently.

Reading a paper from another country on how the Lutheran church there is engaging the renewal movements within the denomination helped me to read and understand the "impulses" coming from the particular representative. Often, a lot of the history is marked by hurt and pain. When these "wounds" are still unattended or unaware and then one engages in so called theological dialogue or ministry related discussion and especially when it comes to leadership structure matters, it's just "inviting" explosive confrontation stances then really reconciliation. Both parties need to work hard and pray hard together.

One of my "favorite" (if I may use that word) devotions was the one led by Rev. Valdeci yesterday. I could relate to the songs and the "participative" way the whole devotion was conducted. I need to get my "Portugese" polished up before I could introduce the song wherever I go in future.

The simple "liturgical dance movements" were really something that just "opened" me up and the heart and body was very much engaged in the whole worship expression. I guess I'd like to see that more in BLC's corporate worship life as a means of involving our whole being in our praise to God.

And of course, his simple message on how we are "carry" and are "carried" by each other was while inviting others to contribute some personal stories was something I appreciated.

One part which is familiar to me is the part where we could pray for one another. And it was good to have someone lay hands on me and I did the same with him and we could remember our families and the needs back home last night. The time was really precious for me.

The Dreamer

Bondo shared with his a few "Bullet Crosses" he brought from post-civil-war Liberia. It reminded me how fragile our world is and how precious peace is. The events surrounding the war and the experience of such terror coloured almost everything he shared. I'm part of genreration in Malaysia that has no understanding of war (the older ones probably would still remember the Japanese occupation during world war two ... I've heard stories).

As Christians we're called to be instruments of peace, this morning during the devotion the person in charge shared with us an interesting story from Peaceculture.net. We don't need to wait for all the macro problems to be solved before something can happen, it can start now even if it's a dream.
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The Dreamer

There once was a man who was a dreamer. He believed, for instance, that there must be a way to see things ten thousand miles away. Or he figured there must be a way to eat soup with a fork. He thought there must be a way for people to stand on their own heads, and he was sure there must be a way for people to live without fear.

The people told him, “None of those things can be done; you’re a dreamer!” And they said, “You’ve got to open your eyes and accept reality!” And they said, “There are laws of nature, and you can’t just change them!”

When television was invented and x-ray machines, the man was able to see ten thousand miles away and he could see inside his own belly. But no one said to him, “Okay, I guess you weren’t so wrong, after all.” And they said nothing after someone invented diving suits that allowed people to breathe easily under water. But the man said to himself: that’s what I thought. Maybe one day it will even be possible to get along without wars.
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Random Thoughts in front of the Notebook

It was good to hear Gareth having some fun on his "keyboard" today while talking to May Chin. I miss them tremendously and wish I could be home especially when they are physically not well. Apart from the phonecalls (with special rates Thank God!), email and chatting online has helped us keep the connection closer during this long trip away. WiFi access here has helped a lot .. Thank God for Wifi! :-)

I'm glad I decided to bring the notebook for other reasons too... right now I've already uploaded about 1000 pictures in it. And will be looking forward to the Luther sites tour, I'm sure I'll look like a typical tourist taking photos but as many of you might know. it's usually more than that for me. The photos don't just capture the places I visited but becomes a kind of spiringboard for reflections and deeper spiritual growth. This is enhanced with the stories behind the pictures or the commentaries our German hosts so graciousy offer.

There's so much to write and reflect on ... the official stuff is already "rich" enough, and then there's also the "unofficial" stuff. The coffee conversations, the long talk I had with a friend a while ago, little observations here and there, surprises too, sometimes irritations, and a whole lot.

I suppose there's a lot of "raw material" when it comes to what's going on around us. So often we're just too busy to notice, or we don't want to be bothered. or other matters are more urgent. But, for me having this break "stengthened" the existing hunger for "depth" and sensitivity to people and life in general.

Today's special "localized" historical study on Wilhelm Löhe and Neuendettelsau really made me appreciate the efforts made by people here to "remember" and "document" their roots and development. Often. I feel we in busy Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are so caught up about the future and lost that connection to our personal past as well as corporate past.

There's few of us who can tell the stories of our city or country or even the people who were very much part of its development. And yet these stories are part of who we are today. The stories we form and grow right here and now will be "absolutely crucial" for the "tommorrows" that await us.

Again ... a fresh appreciation for the subject I hated in school ... "History". Now it's one of my favorites! It's more than recalling dates and some events, it's about the places where these events happen, it's about the people who played their part in these stories, it's about the sense of plot and purpose in the whole journey.

In the past, the penned it on parchments, wrote in on documents, or nowadays recordings, videos, etc. For me, it's here with the notebook before me ... tools change, but the desire to keep something that will last longer than today is still there!

Rothenburg

The choice between the more "shopping"-"modern"-flavoured Nuremburg and the "medieval"-"romantic"-flavoured Rothenburg was a simple choice for me.

A lot of mini-sparks here and there during the walk and explanations especially during the first part by Dr. Philip. When I looked at the artwork, woodworks and sculptures in St. Jakob's Church I thought about how the people of that time tried to make the message "understandable" for the majority who were illiterate. And then there was the comment on the master piece "The altar of the Holy blood" where there was attempts in "contextualizing" the story of Jesus and making the connection to where the people of Rothenburg lived (e.g. the picture of Jesus entrying Jerusalem was "translated" to entering Rothenburg gate)

Join me for a walk in the gallery here.

Tai-Chi

I call him "Chairman Ma" - the one wearing the white kung fu attire (because he´s from mainland China so you can imagine the historical figure I´m tickling him with) and "Master Ma" because he does Tai-chi every morning with another mainland Chinese representative. So why not get some lessons since we'll be together a couple of weeks? (the Aussie pastor and later Papa New Guinea pastor joined us later)

It´s not as hard as I thought. And yet, my thighs were aching after about 30minutes. The half sitting postion does "awesome" pulling on the thighs. After just learning four basic movements, I was already sweating ... not because of the weather! Neundettelsau has not fully entered into "summer" mode until today!

I also realized my left arm and hand does not have a smooth movement because it's been used so little through out my life. And my posture of course needs adjustment.

I know some Christians and even Chinese Christians are a bit "uncomfortable" with stuff like Tai-Chi. And I've heard some of their reasonings on this. Maybe it's my curiousity at this stage, I always want to to learn a bit of Tai-Chi after some experience of Shao-Lin Kung Fu when I was 9years old. And there's a chance here to pick up some "strokes" and "steps" and maybe an insider view from a Mainland Chinese Christian.

This may be lesson one and there's nothing I see that is "unchristian". In fact, apart from the exercise value, I think for now "Tai-Chi" reminds me of the importance of the human body and the integration of what's internal with the external. The word is "holistic" and that's one word that I've been hearing for years in recent discussions on theology and mission. So, i decided to personally "understand" a bit more before jumping into conclusions ... It was quite funny to look at how the Aussie and PNG pastor and I fumbled as we had lack of "balance", stiffness, and all sorts of "tenseness"!

"Step by step" guidance and with immediate "corrections" were given by "Ma" and both kept me relaxed and focused in my maiden Tai-Chi exercises. This is the way of "apprenticeship" from Chinese culture that I think many of us have forgotten. Besides that, the slower movement and calmer breathing (which was more natural for me as I practiced) kind of helped me relax as well ... even though the thighs were still straining. I need more "practice" and "discipline" to be set from from my "left side" and "leg" constraints so I can move freely and smoothly. Let's see what will happen tomorrow morning!

Resting In Peace

We had a walk after dinner tonight. This cemetery left a deep impression on me.

The whole environment was just full of "calmness" and "serenity"

The church was at the center of this place of "remembering".

In Malaysia most cemeteries aren't this well kept. And usually it's maybe a once a year "clean up" during "Ching Ming" Festival. for this little German town Neuendettelsau where I'm spending my time here, it's much closer to them (just a walk away), where as for us it's much further (much more troublesome).

Usually, I get a kind of "strange" feeling when I step into a place like this. But, today it was "special". "Restful" is a better word, I suppose.

THE INTEGRITY OF MISSION IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL:

Wow! Malaysia is a blessed country this year! As I mentioned in an earlier post we have the WCC Faith and Order Theological Forum on, and about the same time the International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS) is having their the XIth Quadrennial International Conference with the theme "THE INTEGRITY OF MISSION IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL:Bearing the Witness of the Spirit" There's loads of resources on the site:

1. Conference Plenary Papers
2. Mission Study Group Guides
3. Tabled Papers

I've learnt here that it might be overwhelming all this "information", "words" and "ideas". But there's a place for this kind of multiple or global interaction. It helps one not to be too locked into our own world. And yet, at the same time it's important we work out what does all this mean for us locally and what's next for us so all this won't be just another "paper collection" exercise.

Thanks to the kind people who post their stuff online. Local pastors like me can "engage" the issues and ideas presented by the "thinkers" who are willing to share. Who knows what kind of "butterfly effect"-kind of work we can do?

Random Thoughts as the bees are working hard

I was quite happy to catch this shot. The weather is becoming more like summer now. Apparently, a German Old man mentioned his weather forecast was more accurate than the TV (he observes the animals, the trees, and the climate, etc). And it seems he's right.

It's interesting that for a big chunk of my Christian life, the word "liberal" (usually associated with a negative tone) and Germany had a close relation. There was a kind of "stay away" form German scholars, or your faith will crumble kind of reaction. Then we tend to just isolate ourselves with the "safe people" who kind of have a similar wave length or way of doing things.

Maggi's post Emerging Church, tribalism and Liberal theology and Simon Says' comments On Being a Liberal offer some thoughts from UK which are interesting.

Personally, I think I've grown more from a more conservative background of Christianity expressed in Pentecostal, Charismatic and Evangelical flavours (for lack of better terms). And I think the danger for people like me is to just get locked into thinking that's all to Christanity. My "heart" dimension of my personal faith development is definately influenced strongly by these streams. And I do know that there are other maybe "head" or "hands" dimension of my faith that may get help from streams that I'm less familiar with.

But, after more and more interaction with fellow Lutherans (which has a big variety in ourselves worldwide), this has "deepened" my appreciation of diversity, clarified what "core" or "crucial" for me, and then of course, through blogging and the internet there's other new relationships that open up more possibilities (e.g. those linked with Emergent and the Emerging Church discussion ). And now, the intensified experiences here with the German Lutherans and people from other nations provides a kind of "experimental space" for not only learning but personal growth in a "holistic" sense :-) and a kind of "reshaping" by the Spirit in a way.

The fact is we'll never agree on everything. But the spirit in which we relate to one another is important and will potentially determine whether we move forward, backward or just get stuck.

Of course, there's a danger of just being "nice", politically-correct, or surface in our interactions. But, I also believe some genuine "good" can come out of our efforts to not only appreciate one another but actually work together! Again it's not reading about people in books or blogs but actually interacting with them that makes a diffence. "Listening" is a important first step and often it's a hard barrier to overcome ...

I find myself very fortunate to have these chances to be part a wide array for different experiences these past 4 years. And during this Sabbathical and especially in this summer school I find myself enjoying God's leadership in my life thus far.

This Pause-"Selah"-transitional moment is precious to think back my personal timeline/history and see where I am going from here. It's exciting indeed. And beautiful!

The World's Most Representative Theological Forum

As I'm listening to Dr. Klaus Schafer talking on the "blending" of "Glocalization" that happens in the context of "Globalization". It's just interesting to find out what will be happening now in Kuala Lumpur which is labelled as The world's most representative theological forum organized by the faith and order commission of the World Council of Churches. The Kuala Lumpur Homepage has lots of links and documents to check out.

I've learnt nowadays not to dismiss certain groups simply because of maybe some previous prejudice or misunderstanding. Often, I was suprised to realize that we have much more in common. Thus, It's absolutely important to begin with a posture of "listening" before we make up our minds. and of course, we still need to make up our minds ... in some way! even though we may not agree on everything :-)

Intercultural Learning

"Learning by puzzlement ..." that was the key point our facilitator Dr. Philipp Hauenstein tried to communicate to a bunch of people gathered from all over the world for this three week long summer school.

I managed to google a paper written by him "'Between Excitement and Culture Shock' - Some Remarks on Intercultural Learning" The main ideas are found there as well (minus the diagrams).

As a more visual person, I liked the three main metaphors he used to help us get some understanding on this.

1. Onion - there are many layers that help us get a fuller picture of ours and other people's culture.
2. Iceberg - "You can see the top only. What really matters is underneath"
3. Glasses - we most definately have our own "interpretive" bias (whether as a host or a visitor in a given culture)

I found this to be true even in my interaction with fellow Chinese from Hong Kong, Mainland China or Taiwan. How much more with other countries! At times I wonder whether I've been rude, or when it comes to others what they said might be "offensive" to me. But in a situation like this, my "awareness" is higher because it's obvious.

But, back home it's easier to put this "sensitivity" aside because one assumes everyone is on the same page. But that may not be true, and often is not true. And especially in blogland or the internet, I begin to see that just because we use "English" for example it doesn't really mean we "get" what one another is saying. Thus, the recent "face-to-face" contacts really helped me so much.

Graham Old posted up some helpful guidelines in his post When Christians disagree, online which I think is helpful in my present "working group" scenarios. Just glancing through his 15 tips, I can't help but also appreciate the values underlying them.

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1. Remember, it's not a competition!
2. Assume the best from your discussion partners - e.g. if you're wondering "is he mocking me?" which then provokes a sarcastic reaction from you that then makes him respond in the same manner, just decide to believe the best. He probably just forgot to add a :smile:
3. Oh, assuming the best covers their motives as well. Stop trying to read minds!
4. Watch your witness - chances are there are non-Christians listening-in.
5. Be willing to learn - contrary to what that voice in your head says, you do not know it all.
6. People don't always "hear" what you actually "say" - read what you've written and ask yourself how you would read that if it had been sent to you.
7. If a comment or post provokes a reaction in you, don't respond. Come back after you've had a smoke, Cuppa, Pint, nice long walk.
8. Assume that your discussion partner knows their Bible just as well as you know yours. It's just possible that they read exactly the same passages as you, but see something different.
9. If someone says something that seems totally off the wall or reads a scripture in a way that you never would have, pay attention. This is apt to be a learning experience - for either one of you.
10. Always try to see why your partner thinks what they do. If you can't appreciate where they are coming from, why do you think they'll be able to appreciate your position. Even if you think they are completely wrong, you should be able to see why they think they are right,.
11. Recognise the different presuppositions we come to scripture with. And start with yours before your partners.
12. Learn from other tradtions, histories and heritages.
13. If you're thinking, "Is he really that stupid, or am I missing something?" the answer is: you're missing some thing. (At least, that's the answer for now!)
14. Be patient and gracious with those you disagree with. You were once wrong too!
15. Enjoy the discussion.
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A Long Walk ...

At home in Malaysia we don't walk that much. It's usually in and out of the car, or the most to and fro the public transport points. Plus, the weather at home is hot and humid so it's not too "conducive" I suppose.

So when we were told we'll be having a walk to our dinner destination I thought, "Oh! That should be ok!" But it was much longer than I expected.

But then when you wallk with a group then it's so much more fun. I was glad that I could get to know more people in the Summer School and of course managed to get some much needed excercise after all these "rich meals" so far. Phew!

I turned around and then saw this scene and couln't resist a nice "cool" shot. Our Korean friend was also having a fun with his more sophisticated camera. All these little moments would have been missed if we rushed off in a car.

we passed through some nice houses and I took some cute funny pictures here and there which will be for another time. But, it was funny how all of us landed up with "photography-fever" which was infected by you know who! I felt I took too little of England when I was there :-) And then we arrived at a traditional German dinner venue.

The next thing on the agenda of course is order food and eat, eat, eat ... but of course, there was a lot of talking and laughing. I think all of us participants are getting to bond a bit more after three days. I was glad to spend some time tallking to "modern day" Moravians (more on that another post!). We even had some singing as well and it's not all because of the German beer. It's some genuine relationships forming here! :-)

I really enjoyed my walk back talking with the brother from Samoa and later another one from Papa New Guinea (PNG). And especially the last lap as the temperature was falling, the PNG pastor and I took the lead and went ahead. But the whole time was a precious opportunity for interaction and just getting a better feel of where we are coming from and indirectly at least for me ... a better view of myself. All this during the long walk back to our "home" - the guesthouse.

And indeed after every long walk we look forward to "home" and my "tentative home" was indeed welcoming when I stepped into the garden. Somehow all this has some relevance to our journey in life, faith and ministry. All this walking, talking, listening, friendship, community, rest, refreshment, learning ...etc. is heightened in an experience which is out of the "routine" for me. And yet, these are crucial elements I need to be aware off and even "intentionally" structure into the fabric of my everyday life. So often, I too am "sucked" into a "whirlpool" of life in the city and whatever comes with it.

I'll leave it here and allow the Spirit to carry on the connections possible.

In touch

It's so good to have WiFi access here. After spending some time chatting with May Chin and Gareth online really kept us "in touch" better (even though it'll be nice to hear each others voice)

For me, this Summer School was a much needed "sabbathical" and timely since it's my 7th year in ministry after seminary. Of course, I enjoy the possibilities of learning and getting to know people. But, unlike my younger days (*grin*), where I would be happily being single and doing my own thing, the concern and ties for family are stonger now. Some say it's aging, I think it's just growing up :-) It's not whether it's right or wrong, it's just different.

Random Thoughts before I Sleep

I just feel like putting up stuff I wanted to before I left from Malaysia for my little Sabbathical this month. So here goes ...

Roy Lim's Religious Talk is a great post that is a great resource for my upcoming "How not to share the gospel" talk in one of the varsity Christian Fellowship.

Oh I guess that was the only burning post I can think of. Maybe it's just time to sleep ... It's finally dark now!

Just as a bonus, I appreciate what Maggi said about Virtual becomes Reality ...

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Virtual is good for lots of things. But it can't beat sharing a real lunch or cup of coffee, real voices, real laughter, real look-you-in-the-eyes conversation. So far I'm happy to find (in this blog village at any rate) that people are not disappointingly different from their cyber-identities, but they are even more interesting in the flesh. Here's to friendship, virtual and real.
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Another bonus!

After meeting Jason Clark in person, I really looking forward to what he has to say about All I ever learned planting an emerging church because now when I read what he says, there's a better context of understanding him. The stories exchanged in our recent encounter provides the depth needed to appreciate the words I have read and will read all this while.

His other post on Burnt out at 30? Welcome to the ‘quarter-life crisis’. will be something to sleep on tonight. I'm going to be 32 in October (presents anyone?)

ok I resisted the tempation to post with a picture ... :-) anyway, the "real" somehow morphes the whole "virtual" experiences past, present and future. Strange but significant ...

Home ... "A Little While"

Well, for the next couple of weeks this will be home. The food is good so far. The Room I'm in is excellent and really fits what I need right now:-)

This interesting chapel became my "worship home" on Sunday. On the outside it looks quite non spectacular but wait till you look inside.

I do miss BLC ...

Efficiency

When Rev. Wolfgang explained to me the "integrated" train system in Germany, I already had a "decent" expectation. And of course, after some days in London this does not seem to come as a surprise. Back home, often we just expect "inefficiency" in our transport system and then have complaints here and there.

It's been some time since I've travelled, and this is the first time after 7 years I'm on my adventures alone! But a "well-organized-efficient-integrated system" really helped someone like me who's a newcomer or visitor to a foreign land. And I'm glad I effectively landed where I wanted to be.

I guess, the smiling face kind of shows the "proper confidence" I had before reaching Nuernberg. And when I think about the amount of effort to prepare for my "trip" and "share the load" to BLC leaders, I appreciated once again the need for a good dose of "efficiency" and getting things "organized" and structured.

The "structured-planned-organized" part of the process actually "sets us free" to be relational, get creative juices bubbling, and move on. While I enjoy the fluid-ness of creativity and imagination and all that goes along that, it takes more than that to get the job done ...

To all those that have helped me get more organized (especially my wife!), cheers!

Random thoughts after Cambridge

when we arrived back at King's cross station I couldn't resist a "Harry Potter" landmark moment ... hahaha!

I miss my two loved ones tremendously. But the internet allows us to keep closer contact.

The internet has also opened up relationships I could never imagined would happen. And today was enriching indeed to meet people whom we have somehow connected via blogging or email.

Long-term efforts in our Christian ministry must take top priority. Short-term gains are merely that short term. It's so encouraging to see Christians choosing the road "less" traveled and seeing long term value in what they do. Cheers Maggi and Jason on this one!

Everything just moved so fast and I need some time to process all of this. Looking forward to the "Sutton" experience tomorrow!

Fantastic!

I love the way Jason Clark uses "Fantastic" with his British accent :-) and today it was quite an experience for me to meet him in person. Plus, Maggi Dawn is as I expected in that she has such insights and wisdom just like her blog. It will be an interesting to see how our meeting may have any "Butterfy effect" in our own lives and beyond. :-)

This is the second time. I'm meeting people whom I've got to know through blogging and I think I'm getting a better feel of how to "enjoy" the encounter "face to face"more.

Wonder Twins

God is gracious, the wonder twin girls here made the long wait shorter!

Cost of Living

I'll miss this "Kanchil" for "just a little while" because I do need to "leave it behind" (two U2 tunes running in my mind when I keyed in the last phrase!)

The first time I seriously thought of the cost of living was when as pastors we were given a COLA (i.e. Cost of Living Allowance) on top of our salary. The trip to the money changers heightened my sensitivity to the matter. May Chin and I were comparing Singapore and Malaysia a while ago as we have friends and family there.

Screenshots has a whole series of interesting exchanges in this matter ... some "raw" material and thoughts for my upcoming "Abundant Life" series :-)

It all got me going after his post on How about cost of doing business in Malaysia?

I just simply pulled out some stuff for your preview. Reading the whole discussion is much better (I'll throw in a bonus Cost of living in Australia view!).

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Suggesting you'll be living in Nottingham and holding down a top job is like saying you will be working for a top agency in Malaysia while living in Muar - it don't compute (let alone commute).
~ Mailbag 20040624

Firstly, the comparison was made if it were to be pound for pound and not a direct coversion rate. Anyone in the right mind would know that it would cost a hell of a lot more if you were to convert it. - Polis, Nottingham

Malaysians who compare cost of living of UK / London to Malaysia by converting currency should refrain from giving comments as it is not the right way of comparing. We must always compare one to one. - Dr. Zain, London
~ Mailbag 20040625

What I am talking about is relative cost of living. My point is this - it's about quality of life. For all its faults Malaysia does offer Malaysians a good quality of life in a number of respects. I suspect that few of the Malaysians living in the UK who have written in are poor. I wonder how many British people on benefits they know. I wonder what they think it is like to try to raise two children on less than �100 per week as a single parent in a country where the extended family is much less functional than in Malaysia and where you have to make decisions in the winter about which rooms to heat in your freezing house.
~ Mailbag 20040626

In actual fact, Malaysians are being conned because for such a rich and resource rich country, the pay in Malaysia is way too low compared to the cost of living and inflation. One good example is Singapore. Singaporeans (average) earns around S$3000 to S$4000 and nearly everything is half the price of Malaysia. Eg clothes, computer parts, electronics etc. But the average Malaysian still earns RM$2000 plus and goods are double the price of Singapore
~ Mailbag 20040627

I agree with those readers who urged readers or writers not to convert pounds or various types of dollars into ringgit when assessing cost of living, provided they are living in those countries. Mind you, if you are a tourist, I don't think you can help doing so.
~ Cost of living in Australia

"Rindu"

The place ... but more so the people.

ah! the look in those eyes!

the ears that have been listening for all these years ...

"Rindu" = "Miss" (as in I miss you ..)

My life has been shaped so significantly by all of you ...

Content-full Questions

In her interesting post on Questionable content, Maggi turns it around with some questions I'm looking forward to explore especially in the coming one month.

- why did you find this person interesting?
- does their view make sense?
- Could I/should I meet this person?
- How might my view of God and the world be stretched by their view?

What do I Really want?

This question is one I'm taking with me wherever I go for one month (or more for a lifetime?). It was inspired more by Jesus question to the blind begger in Luke 18 (and other parallel passages) and triggered by a series of talks in Cedar Ridge (Brian McLaren's home church)

A group of friends and partners in ministry will be touching on these areas in BLC and I hope it will expand our horizons.

"Abundant Life" or "Life Abundantly" will be the key theme for my extended "learning" opportunity for three weeks and the process has most definately got exciting after a number of interesting email replies and conversations the past two weeks.

Mozilla Firefox & Thunderbird

It's not new, but I'm back using Mozilla Firefox for web-browsing and trying out Thunderbird for emails. Of course, it's still great to have Gmail's 1GB and Yahoo's increased 100MB and other features.

I've come back one full cycle ... that will be enough trying for now. .. on with the job!

The Message (Reloaded)

Apparently Messy Christian just got her hands on the Message. I found it to be a wonderful "Reading Bible" and we've used it during worship and especially recently when many of us tried to read big chunks of the story in 15-20 chapters one go!

My young friend Ben Ong has started a project with his great sparring companion Silentsoliloquy on an interesting journey. It's great to eavesdrop and say a word or two as these young lads travel along a "Two Men, Two Millenniums, One Message, 170 Days" journey ... they call TM Squared

Incomplete Manifesto for Growth

Thanks Maggi for another great link on An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. As one who sees myself enjoying creativity, I needed to hear a lot of what was said there. Thinking of an incomplete reply or response .. we'll see.

Picked out some stuff that "struck me" (but read the whole thing!!)

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4. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child). Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.

6. Capture accidents. The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.

9. Begin anywhere. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.

11. Harvest ideas. Edit applications. Ideas need a dynamic, fluid, generous environment to sustain life. Applications, on the other hand, benefit from critical rigor. Produce a high ratio of ideas to applications.

13. Slow down. Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.

14. Don’t be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.

15. Ask stupid questions. Growth is fueled by desire and innocence. Assess the answer, not the question. Imagine learning throughout your life at the rate of an infant.

20. Be careful to take risks. Time is genetic. Today is the child of yesterday and the parent of tomorrow. The work you produce today will create your future.

25. Don’t clean your desk. You might find something in the morning that you can’t see tonight.

26. Don’t enter awards competitions. Just don’t. It’s not good for you.

29. Think with your mind. Forget technology. Creativity is not device-dependent.

30. Organization = Liberty. Real innovation in design, or any other field, happens in context. That context is usually some form of cooperatively managed enterprise. Frank Gehry, for instance, is only able to realize Bilbao because his studio can deliver it on budget. The myth of a split between “creatives” and “suits” is what Leonard Cohen calls a 'charming artifact of the past.'

42. Remember. Growth is only possible as a product of history. Without memory, innovation is merely novelty. History gives growth a direction. But a memory is never perfect. Every memory is a degraded or composite image of a previous moment or event. That’s what makes us aware of its quality as a past and not a present. It means that every memory is new, a partial construct different from its source, and, as such, a potential for growth itself.

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Biscuits ... Pringles .. Tapioca...Cheese

Well, that was the first item he headed for, and then I tried to introduce "persuasively" to internalize the Pringles Experience (which has been ongoing ... mind you *hehehehe*)

May Chin "counter proposed" with Tapioca chips ... but his eyes seemed to be glued on Cheese. At the end, mama won with "Tapioca" but not for Gareth but for herself :-) she loves them. I've been banned from Pringles to get fitter :-) and Gareth doesn't mind ... he just likes to "gai gai" (some funny word we use with kids that means "we're going out!")