Sivin Kit’s Garden

WE NEED OTHERS to explore with us the edges of our fear and faith. We grow spiritually only in and through our relationship with God and with others.

- Rueben P. Job and Marjorie J. Thompson
Companions in Christ: Embracing the Journey

(via Upper Room Daily Reflections)

It’s becoming harder as I grow older to say good-byes. But, like it or not, it’s becoming more and more frequent the past few years.  After 2 of my good friends moved on one in Singapore and the other in New Zealand end of 2006, I thought I was left alone for a while to explore the edges of my fears and faith. But thankfully, Ian and Raj came along timely and three of us discerned the need for us to be fellow companions in Christ, sharing our lives, mutually trying to hear what God is saying to us, and praying for each other.  Todd joined us the last quarter of 2007, and the group became a pleasant four. We will become three again,  This time Ian will be returning home to the UK with his amazing wife and 2 wonderful girls! Those of us left behind in Malaysia wish him all the best.

Gareth told me last Sunday after church that he had a special Sunday school.  Apparently, they had a special foot washing ceremony.  "Papa, Uncle Ian washed my feet today, Papa." That broke me, and it still gets me choked up. It was not only special for Gareth but special for me too. Because Ian’s impact during his time here not only is in regards to his work, and also fellow companions - the big boys - in the above photo, but becomes even more significant in the memory of my 5plus year old son Gareth, when a "bigger" man humbled himself to show a "little" boy what servanthood is. It has imprinted in the heart of my growing son a meaningful memory and metaphor which will last a lifetime. It’s more than the symbolism of servant hood, but for a formative part of BLC’s Sunday School and Gareth’s experience of it (with the other kids), Uncle Ian (as they fondly call him) was their companion. "Are you going to miss Uncle Ian, Gareth?" I asked Gareth a while ago, he said, "Yes, Papa". Many of us will … Thanks Ian.

We had a nice final meeting on April Fool’s Day … which I was reminded in the evening that it was BLC’s birthday as well. So many vibrating thoughts are running in me right now.  But whether it’s my own journey, or the journey of BLC, the truth of "we need others" is one which I feel more convicted than ever. And this is no joke! With the amount of change, and pressure, and intensity some of us face on a daily basis especially when we seek to respond to a call to live life differently with faith, hope and love combined with justice, mercy and humility … it can be lonely. This is where at the right time, at the right moment, the right people come along side us .. and we become friends in conversation as well as friends in a common journey of discovering and rediscovering ourselves — and in the process our ultimate friend guides us gently along the way, and we get to know his will and his ways better too.

I can’t remember the four of us literally washing each others feet, but I know for sure we learnt a lot of about serving each other by humble listening and discerning prayer.  Oh yes, the meals after our monthly gatherings were always icing on the cake of friendship! Todd couldn’t join us for the last lunch for understandable reasons So the three of us went to the Baba Low’s 486 restaurant at Lucky Garden for old times sake.  

I received an interesting email tonight. I thought what he wrote is worth our attention and reflection. He is my guest blogger for today - mrgohkp (I think some of you might already be able to guess who my guest blogger is). I’m honored to have his writings grace my garden. For those of us in Malaysia and who have been following the news, we’ll be able to feel the context more strongly, and appreciate what mrgohkp is conveying. I’ll shut up and let him speak. .. read on, his piece came in untitled, so I tried to give one which I hope will draw people to read this post.

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On Christmas Day at about three in the afternoon at the Archbishop’s compound in Bukit Nanas, he stood with two others. I saw him as soon as I arrived for the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) Christmas Open House. My immediate thought was that he seemed alone and somewhat abandoned. Of course at that time I had no clue of any rumour that might have involved him. My instinct was to go to him to shake his hand and thank him for coming. But I held back realising that I was no longer holding any position with CFM and felt I should leave the right people to do the honours. Even when a few others of the MCA big guns arrived, he was still on his own in fact until the closing moments of the function when people were leaving.

Not until that night did I get a whiff of what might have happened when I read “my SinChew” web page about a top Johore politician. Despite the big scandal which was written about, I thought of him almost instantaneously. Even though I had the feeling that the connection I was making in my head was pretty incredulous. The confirmation came the very next day.

What can we who follow Christ learn from this?

Surely that man’s heart, as Jesus had said, is wicked altogether. Despite our facade, our carefully dressed veneer, our position, our education, our intelligence, our other achievements, whatever good we had done, the evil in us is indescribable. This is not about one man; it is about every one of us. Evil is what we do. If it is not precisely what this one person had done, it is something else but whatever it may be, it is no less evil, no less wrong. The outcome of sin is the destruction of a good promising, prospectful life. With one careless wayward thought, one unthinking act, we risk all and can so easily lose all.

We know wreck to riches stories. There are also riches to wrecks stories.

The sad thing about this is that others who may be much less conscientious in fulfilling their public duties as office-bearers at any level may have in fact committed the same sin or worse but manage to go undiscovered and unexposed. These others remain in office. And the acting continues.

The evil this one human person committed is no more nor no less what his political enemies had done. Jesus said,”Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” In God’s sight, a sin is a sin even had it remained hidden. The fact that we are able to better hide our secrets does not mean that we are without sin and are morally superior. In this case, it seems that the sin committed by this man’s enemies in washing his dirty clothes in public is well hidden and whatever police probe that is now being carried out their sin would in all probability not be uncovered. There are two sinful parties here: one has been exposed and is taking the punishment. The other goes scot-free. Life isn’t fair. Not this side of heaven.

We need also to learn that indeed politics is dirty and cruel. It seems that to climb the political ladder, my rival’s progress has to be stopped whatever it takes. It must have taken a lot of strategising, a lot of surveillance, a lot of planning, a lot of clandestine work to set up the trap to produce the incriminating video tape. And then to release it in strategic places in the open streets. How they must hate him! Yes this kind of operation also takes a lot of hatred!

Given the nastiness and ruthlessness of politics, I have always felt that politicians of both sides of the parliamentary divide do need support not merely in terms of votes cast for them but prayer and pastoral support as well. In religious terms, every politician needs a confessor, a counsellor. There is now much clamour for change in the political process. A lot about desirable change is being written and blogged. Yes, more of the silent majority must and should care enough to learn about the political process and realise that their lives and certainly their children’s lives are at stake if they do not care enough to make change happen. Alongside this process, for desirable change to come about, we must also have a parallel process of moral development so that politicians are being conscientised and take the responsibilities of public office more seriously. Without moral fibre and fortitude no change will be realised, no improvement can be expected whichever side wins. Dirty politics will not make a nation better.

This story has a lot of ramifications and implications and much is left for contemplation and reflection. But my thoughts remain with the man in the centre of this tragedy. I see his face which I saw on Christmas Day. I feel for him and his family. I do not see him as an MCA or UMNO or MIC or DAP or PAS or PKR politician. Only as a human being in need. For in the final analysis, he is a human being made in God’s image, a sinner like me for whom as a Christian I believe Christ had died. I know enough about human struggle and pain to know how terrible it must be for him and his loved ones not to mention the other person who was involved and simultaneously exposed with him. Despite the brave face and brave words, it would be difficult to fight off the despair that sets in.

I wished that I had shaken his hands as he stood quite alone upon the archbishop’s compound on Christmas Day. At such a time, a human person needs another human person to walk alongside him. To tell him and his that in the darkest night, God is still there with them.

mrgohkp

January 3, 2008

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As a former youth pastor and always being in touch with youth ministry, I can REALLY appreciate and relate to the stuff Mike is saying here. It’s easy to pick and choose what we want to hear from speakers. But for some of us, this goes deeper than mere words. It touches where we struggle and wrestle with. Especially when we want to genuinely serve God in the church. Thanks Bob for point me to this video.

“Don’t confuse openness with ownership. Owning a vision comes through labor intensive repetition. There is no other way. Many are open – only the repeatedly exposed fan come to own it. “ - Max DuPree (HT: Ron Martoia)

I’m learning this all over again … a full cycle … what I need to strengthen is “ownership.” Somehow the last weekend,  another thought also has been floating in the sea of my mind. The simple question of “how do we move on from admirer’s of Jesus to followers of Christ?” I think there is a connection here with the quote above.

Here’s Open Space World (English) & Open Space World (Chinese).

I was checking out what I printed from OpenSpaceFacilitatorsToolbox while trying to put Gareth to sleep. I’ve probably had glimpses of something like this here and there. But this whole framework - paradigm - technology - whatever you want to call it has really “opened up space” in how one can invite conversation, participation … and action.

“Can you please put down my proper designation?”

“Oh … you mean Dr. XYZ?”

When I read the Unholy Route a couple of years back, I really felt sad and angry at the same time about what’s going on in church leadership in Malaysia. Here’s what I mean …

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For some time now, reports have been circulating of Christian ministers obtaining their PhDs from institutions – such as churches and para-church organisations – which clearly do not have or lack the credentials to award the title. It is also a fact that there exist seminaries which almost guarantee any applicants their PhD with low entry requirements, cheap fees and little effort.

All these dubious practices have caused people to become suspicious of anyone with a ‘Dr’ to his name. People are now inclined to wonder if the doctorate is genuinely earned or obtained the ‘pasar malam’ (flea market) way, or worse, bought.
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Apparently, I did post something on this here in Free PhD? Short Cut Doctorates? in 2003. Now it’s 2005, I guess this kind of practice is here to stay. Unless, more and more Christians in Malaysia are informed and begin asking, “Dr. XYZ, I’m interested to know what was your PhD thesis?
how was the process like? If I’d like to get a copy of it, how should I go about it? …. ” (something along those lines.)

I strongly believe that theology and practical(or relevant) ministry are not mutually exclusive. In fact, true theolocial pursuit really deals with down to earth pastoral and ministry concerns. There are legitimate courses that can sere the local church and beyond like what is mentioned in “Redeeming the D.Min.” by Dr. Leong Tian Fock Of course, there’s ivory tower intellectual approaches (the typical dry professor picture) that doesn’t help. The route of anti-intellectualism is going to hurt us in Asia and Malaysia in particular. But, this pseudo-intellectualism will hurt us even more in the long run.

Ok .. I must admit, this post is more for my own therapy … Read on if you need an extra dose entitled No Short Cuts.. I think for some it will turn out to increase our immunity agaist what will make Christianity sick in our country. I’ve said enough … now get ready for the pastors’ prayer meeting.
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Thanks Winn for passing on these insights from the Missonal Church Forum

Here’s his notes in bold:

Alan (ROXBURGH)
Leadership is not a person with a plan or vision for the future, a leader is one who forms environments in which the people of God, among whom the Spirit resides, can get in dialogue with others and narratives of Scripture. Alan suggested that theology happen in liminality and in the liminility there is an interface of structure and anti-structure and that both are needed for the other to exist.

In the panel time Alan suggested that the emerging church was in a somewhat adolescent period and should find a way to grow up.

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Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” ~ Matthew 23:13-15

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Today’s “Word” at SacredGateway stumped me … 2 questions arise to challenge me (especially as a leader in some capacity) while I stopped for a while to allow these questions to haunt me …
1. What kind of “converts” am I making? Are they “better” people because of the contact we’ve had?
2. What aspects of my life may have potentially “stopped” others from entering in the kingdom kind of life?

There’s a strong pull towards an unhealthy guilt-trip here (the voices of accusation are somehow in the air though from within and outside)… the “Woe” is glaring (Could that be more of the voice of conviction from the Spirit calling?) … in the context of Forgiveness and repentence it more of a growth-trip or the grace Christ offers for us to walk in his way not our own (Sounds like the Gospel at work here …). Lord, Help! Amen

Thanks Paul Tan for making this available … I’ve know Dr. Goh Chee Leong since we were teenagers serving as Christian Fellowship Presidents in our respective schools. Now, he’s a psychologist and I’m a pastor. Both of us learning these precious lessons he so well put in his article.

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The following episode from Jesus’s life has always struck me, more so, since I started studying psychology.
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Bob K commented on Random Thoughts after Good Council Meeting, “It would be refreshing to get perspectives on servant leadership from one who is in the position to offer it. :)”

The only thing I can say right now .. it’s an uphill struggle. The greatest battles are often internal and hidden from the sight of the public eye. After reading the quote by Gordon Cosby awhile ago on Groups after 60 years, I think we better listen to the man who’s wrestled with this all life in and through the ministry of Church of the Savior (thanks to Vineyard Cutting Edge and Todd Hunter for introducing me to this amazing man, church and ministry).

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On vision…

“The most crucial gift of a leader is the capacity to see new possibilities, new combinations of energy and life coming together and to see now, in imagination, that which is not yet but which ought to be.”

“My task is to get close enough to Jesus Christ for him to do through me what he wants to do, which is the call that he has placed on my life.”
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