No Little People

2012-01-28T13:06:00.006+08:00

Turning 21 marks the beginning of a new chapter in life. It seems not too long ago when I pushed Samuel then aged 3 into a 20 feet long concrete tunnel for him to walk through on his own without me at his side. He already showed sign of bravery at that age. But it also revealed that he trusted his dad. When Samuel was 5, I took him tho the park and cajoled him to climb to the top of the fishnet-like structure that was about 18 feet high. Without second thought, Sam climbed up nimbly like a monkey. To this day, rock climbing is his favorite sport. His friend commented when they saw him climbed the wall: "You mean this is the first time he is doing the climbing? He is like a pro already." Sam always thinks that he was born with the natural ability for parkour and climbing. My view is that nurture takes 80%.

Sam has a unique gift of assembling things. When we brought back wooden shelves be it bed or book shelves from IKEA, before I could finished reading the instruction manual, Sam usually finished assembled the whole structures. He is DIY person. Most of the handy works stuff in the home were fixed up by him. His adeptness and love for assembling things also originates from the earlier years of training. I gave him complex gazettes and toys to assemble, difficult puzzles (Complicated pattern and design) to solve. Sarah normally could reach level 4 whereas nothing to stop Sam from attaining the highest level that even adults sometimes found them difficult. His brain works in a spatial concept. Take him into any new city, he can remember exact location and place and finds his way back. Sam is our sure bet whenever we have difficulty locating our car in a huge car park even without any clear sign. Sam thinks that he was born with that natural instinct. But my view is that nurture accounts for 80%.

When comes to cooking, baking, Sam excels. He approached these activities like a scientist doing his experiments in the lab. Because he is daring, adventurous, creative, he is not afraid to try new things and new ways of doing things. Not many of his friends know that Sam is an Origamist. The origami that Sam did are usually intricate and exquisite. If grade 8 is the highest that one can go in Origami, I would rate him as level 7. I told him he could make a living out of this trade.

Sam learns most things on his own through observation, reading books, asking good questions (soliloquy). When I found him day dreaming, he was actually spending time thinking aloud of projects that he wanted to embark on. He aspires to be a polymath. That itself is a worthy pursuit. Constance and I pulled him out from school when he was in form 1. Since then he has been pursuing knowledge through reading books, learning through Google and You-Tube and having interesting conversation with people who are knowledgeable. Sam is so knowledgeable that sometimes I thought he was bluffing his way through! But when I checked the subjects that we discussed, I discovered that he knew far more than me. His education came mainly from non formal and informal learning. Ask him why he is so good in photography and cinematogrpahy. His answer might surprise you. Sam is full of surprises. There is never a dull moment with him. The only problem is that you will wonder how come Sam knows so much given that fact that he did not even go to University.

He is a bundle of joy and the live wire in the family. If I were to be marooned in a deserted Island, I would love to have him with me. So I can be entertained by him, I don't have to cook, I don't have to worry how to build a wooden house. We can just talk all day and all night and drink coconut juice from a straw made from the leaves. Sam would make all kinds of Origami and build obstacles for sports. He might even make a wooden golf stick for me to tee off a wooden golf ball. Sam showed me the other day how to light a fire using two sharp objects that he bought from on-line. 10 times out of 10 when he struck the objects against each other, spark of fire flew before my face. "How does this work?" I asked him. He gave me a 5 minutes scientific discourse that impressed me.

I did not choose him to be in my family. God did not give me a menu to choose what I want for a boy. In His wisdom and graciousness, God gifted Sam to be my son. A loving brother to Sarah, Sam and his sister often sings duet beautifully. I would normally sit in a corner, savor every moment, thanking God for these two wonderful gifts.

I would not trade Sam for any boy in the world.

The End of the World

2011-10-26T15:56:00.006+08:00

Sarah graduated on May 21st 2011

My host Jim Rouston showed me the news paper that had the caption "End of the world on May 21st 2011 at 6pm." I told Jim that I would be attending my daughter, Sarah's graduation on that day as predicted by Harold Camping to be the end of the world. Many of Harold Camping's church members sold off their houses and property and camped in a remote place in America waiting for the end to come!

As the plane flew from Billings to Grand Rapids, I knew that the end of the world would not happen for the simple reason that no one will know the sudden coming of Christ. Jesus already told his disciples that "no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matt 24:36-42). It is baffling to me how a veteran pastor like Harold Camping could come up with a calculation of the exact date of the return of Christ. It is equally mind boggling to see so many mindless Christians who bought in Harold Camping's prophecy when the teaching of the Bible is so plain for all to see.

Sam and I sat there in the sport stadium where thousands of parents, friends of the graduands and the graduates eagerly awaiting the commencement of the opening service. When Sarah's name was called and she went forward to received her scroll, I clapped the loudest and shouted for joy unashamedly. That's what parents would do that for their children. Sarah had done us proud. She has always been a high achiever in schools. She graduated with honors degree and was on the Dean's list for every semester in all the four years! Her professors were full of praise for her, not only her academic excellence but also her attitude and posture of learning. Sarah is a keen student, possesses sharp mind and yet humble. Calvin College professors had shaped her mind and heart to love God and to serve others with humility.

I thought I would never be able to send my children overseas for their tertiary education. God had demonstrated his faithfulness by providing more abundantly than I could imagine and ask of. God poured down his blessing from heaven and we were soaked in His grace.

Since coming back on May 2011, within half a month of her return to KL, Sarah was offered a job in a local college as a lecturer. She has always wanted to teach and to mentor students. She knew her vocation and she is passionate about teaching English literature. I am so glad that she has found her sweet spot. I know that even if the end of the world would come tomorrow, Sarah would still methodically, joyfully drive the old Proton Wira that her mum has kept for her to the college early in the morning, beating the traffic jam and fulfilling God's calling in her life. Never mind the meager salary, never mind the long journey from home to the college, what matters is God has called her to be faithful. I too would want to be found faithful, devoted in preaching of God's word, the shepherding of God's people, mentoring young people and planting churches even if tomorrow is the end of the world.

Do Small Things With Great Love

2011-04-18T21:13:00.004+08:00

Many people want to attempt big things and achieve great success, Christians are no exception. I find that many Christians would not want to do small things in the church. Mother Teresa’s philosophy of life came as a big shock to many. She advocated that “one can do no great things, only small thing with great love.” She was merely echoing what her Master had said long ago. “If you are faithful in little, you will be faithful in much.” If we can do little thing with great love, we will invariably be found faithful.

When I first conceived the idea of starting a Children’s library for Puchong Community, a handful of women were supportive. Little did I know that when I handed the book “1001 Children’s books a child you must read before you grow up” to Alicia, the passion rubbed on her. She spent countless hours from designing the logo of the library, buying books and cushions, wrapping nearly 1000 books, labeling them, getting book shelves from Ikea, arranging the books and doing thousand of little things with joy and gusto. I can’t ask for a better church administrative assistance than Alicia. Other women came around and make the dream comes through. These are the quiet disciples of Christ who show their love for their Master by doing small things with great love.

The Children’s Library was launched last Saturday. Many parents brought along their children and they were not disappointed. Colorful, high quality and award winning children classics lined up the brand new bookshelves. Amidst the noise and adults chattering, scores of children sat on the rug and couch engrossed in reading books. The younger ones had their mum and dad reading to them. The highlight of the day was the story telling session. Joshua Lye was in his element, reading the story with animation and sound inflection that had the children mesmerized.

The church served plenty of yummy kuih and cakes. No one asked how much he must pay. It is absolutely free of charge. There are no fees for borrowing the books to read, for listening to the story narrated, for a cup of hot coffee or tea with curry puff and kuih. The ambience is great although the noise level is a bit high for a library setting. No one was complaining, as the celebrative mood was obviously loud. I overheard someone commented: “How I wish I had all these books when I was a child.”

While many are lamenting that the English standard of Malaysian students is appalling, this small church (City Discipleship Presbyterian Church, Puchong) that was started a year ago, embarked on a journey to inspire lifelong readers, one child at a time. Imagine the children from Puchong Community who walk in to the Children’s Library, who are enthused by the great stories of the children classic and begin to develop and acquire a love for reading, invariably their proficiency of English will be raised.

Manning the library, reading story books to little children, picking up books from the floor and sorting them out and putting back on the shelves, buying refreshment, cleaning up after the library hour is over, these are so mundane and nothing great about them. But when they are done with great love and with great passion and vision, the ripple effects on touching the lives of the children cannot be measured.

The Man to Watch

2011-02-03T12:34:00.003+08:00

The Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng was full of praise in his speech for this young man at the wedding dinner. It was a heartwarming evening for me to hear several politicians praising Steven Sim. These were not political speeches but wedding addresses. These were expressions from the hearts with no garnishing. I cheekily posted on the facebook my prediction that in 20 years time Steven Sim will take over Guan Eng as the CM of Penang.

At the age of 29 Steven possesses 3 qualities that we look for in our politicians: intelligent, passion and integrity. When Steven was studying in University Malaya for his Computer Engineering degree, he was also reading Law as a hobby. The articles he wrote reflect his mental sharpness and his girl friend then thought that Steven plagiarized some authors from Oxford University. He was that good. Joreen, his girl friend fell in love with his mind. There is such a thing called ‘beautiful mind.’ Steven is now reading Master of Philosophy. This is not a surprise as I have noticed his love for philosophy since in his University days. He is incredibly intelligent. He learns fast

Many years ago, I ear marked Steven to either be a pastor or a seminary lecturer. I encouraged him to study theology. What I did not know was that his theological knowledge and thinking was already way ahead of an average pastor. But God has a different script for this young man. Steven gravitated more and more to politics. Pastor John Newton, who initially wanted William Wilberforce to study theology to become a pastor, recognized that God had called William Wilberforce to politics. His friend William Pitt assisted William Wilberforce in making the decision. Good that William did not become a pastor, otherwise slavery trade might continue unabated to present century. I affirmed Steven’s calling to serve God in political arena. That explains his passion. Steven is the youngest Councilor ever appointed. He was so eager to get back to work that he wanted to postpone his honeymoon. Can you beat that? He did go for his honeymoon after the wedding as I told him that this is non-negotiable.

Steven is a man of integrity. His political mentor Chong Eng attested to his character. I could see that this man is uncorrupted because he is a God fearing man. He is surrounded by a group of DAP comrades who are uncorrupted. Such political culture of not taking bribery but serving the rakyat with humility, influences Steven to be the kind of politicians that the nation most needed.

People often asked me what is it that kept me going as a pastor, what brings joy to my heart? It is this: to see your mentorees found their calling and serving God faithfully and doing little things with great love for the people.

2010-12-22T23:08:00.004+08:00

The ultimate test of faith is to receive nothing in this lifetime and yet believe in Christ that he is faithful and that he will fulfill his promise.

God will make everything right in the end. It may not even be in this lifetime. Many of the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 did not receive the things promised, all these people were still living by faith when they died. They lived with the end view in mind- that there is a better city than the present one. So they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one.

These heroes of faith were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated...they wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

These Christians would be looked upon as pariahs, as abandoned by God by today's Christianity.

Yet the verdict of God is that these were commended for their faith.

So what is faith?

Faith is believing in Christ even when walking in darkness - when the reward of faithfulness is more darkness.

Faith is clinging on to Christ even when the bottom fell out - when the reward of faithfulness is calamity and tragedy.

Faith is trusting in Christ even when the peers turned against you - when the reward of faithfulness is rejection and betrayal.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

In sickness and in health....

2010-10-11T17:17:00.003+08:00

When I see illness ravages her body, my heart breaks into thousand pieces. She is no more the same. No matter how severe the contortion, nothing can hide her inner beauty. She has never murmured a single word of complaint against God. In her condition, any lesser person would have whined all day long. She just goes about her daily chores with the strength that God gave, though now taking much longer time than before. Throughout 26 years of ups and downs, I seldom see her cry nor crumble under crisis. She possesses that quiet confidence, I know it’s the faith that is forged over long years of walking with God.

Then she broke down and cried. I know it’s unusual. I saw for the first time her vulnerability. She began to take step to slow down her work. I have taken her to physiotherapy, chiropractic sessions hoping that the condition can be corrected. Each day is a daily battle against deterioration of her condition. Strangely, I find those times to be faith building and relationship deepening. It’s easy to make the vow ‘in sickness and in health’, but when one is being confronted with reality, that is when rubber meets the road and the traction will reveal the true character of one’s commitment. I discovered that I love her dearly and would gladly step down from my ministry to care for her. That day might come sooner than I can prepare for it.

I have always long for a community that cultivates and reflects a deep faith. So much of what I see is shallow. We know how to celebrate victory of healing, but inept when healing does not take place. We display our lack of pastoral sensitivity to those who continue to suffer because our theology compounds their guilt. Many in the church go through suffering silently. The theology of triumphalism may appeal to the crowd, it will certainly precipitate crisis of faith to the undiscerning.

I revisited the Book of Revelation for strength and solace. I have preached this Book many years ago but nothing comes close to seeing and feeling its impact upon the suffering church. The vision was given in the context of a suffering church. John himself was exiled in Patmos Island without the possibility of coming out alive. It seems that life does not make sense, a faithful disciple of Christ who had served Him for 60 more years was now discarded in a God forsaken Island. John saw a vision of Christ and the word that Christ spoke was most comforting: “Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1) The vision of God sitting on His throne in heaven was shown to John. John saw myriads and myriads of angels worshiping God and the countless host of angels celebrating and exalting the Lamb who was slain to purchased men for God (Revelation 4 &5). Revelation 6 to 19 describes the war of Satan waged against God’s people and the injustices inflicted by the inhabitants of the earth on the saints. God’s people greatly suffered because of persecution of their faith. Many were killed and seemingly defeated by Satan and his hosts. God meted out his judgment upon the earth through earthquakes, famines, sea pollution, earth being scorched & plagues. I would not want to live in the time that is described in Revelation 6 to 19. Revelation 20 is a breather, an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, which is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. After the thousand years are over, Satan is released and goes out to deceive the nations and then he is thrown in the lake of burning sulfur. Satan will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Then John saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away. He saw the Holy City coming down out of heaven from God. God tabernacles right in the middle of his people and he lives with them forever.

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

It dawns on me that we have complicated our interpretation of the Book of Revelation. All that we need to know its quite simple. And it is this:

In life we will have suffering and even defeats (Rev 1)

We need to know that Jesus is the author of life and he is the living Christ who holds the key of life and death (Rev. 1). We therefore do not need to fear death.

We need to constantly lift our eyes upward and see that God is still sitting on the thrones with myriads of angels worshiping him and that Christ has already purchased us with his blood. We belong to God forever. No one and nothing can touch our lives unless permitted by God. Even if persecution, illnesses ravage our bodies, God sustains us by his grace.

We will go through great suffering because of our faith in Christ. The final script has not been written yet. Satan may have temporary an upper hand over us. But his time will soon run out when God wraps up history.

We all look forward to the day when God ushers in the new heaven and new earth. The paradise lost shall be regained. We will learn to get use to the new existence where there is no sicknesses, no pollution, no moral impurity, no injustices, and no death. The lame shall walk, the mute will speak, the blind see, the deaf hear.

Everything good, beautiful, wholesome that takes place now and here on earth is only a foretaste of what is to come.

Anything bad, ugly, broken even beyond repair will find its full redemption and restoration on that Day.

Meanwhile, I still need to routinely take my wife to UMSC for medical attention, the unending rounds of chiropractic sessions, and the ferrying around to do errands. Life has to go on but we look at it in a God-centered perspective.

Not Guinness Stout

2010-04-28T23:13:00.003+08:00

When I first met Dr. Os Guinness was in Singapore Bible College many years ago, his public lecture was thought provoking and intellectually challenging. He is a first class social critic. He has not changed much when I met him at Edinburgh during the World Reformed Fellowship General Assembly. He delivered an inspiring lecture on the topic "Standing Fast in faith in the Advanced Modern Global Era." What caught my attention was his warning to the Global South Church that one day we will face the similar issue of declension like the church in the West.

I am reminded by Paul to guard the gospel because the message of the gospel can easily be distorted, altered to suit the itching ears of the modern generation. All it take is one generation of neglect to preach the unadulterated gospel of Christ, the next generation will reap the consequence of dilution, distortion and perversion of the gospel. The gospel of health and wealth may help to grow large churches but what kind of churches are these? Will these Christians still follow Christ, worship Him and love Him if their health and wealth were removed from them one day?

Henry Guinness lost his inheritance when he became a missionary to China. Guinness Stout beer has been in existence for more than 100 years. Os Guinness would have been a rich man if his father had not gone into mission field. He has a brand name but without the wealth associated with it. Yet Os Guinness is contented and at peace with his Maker for the circumstance that he found himself in. Os is a prolific writer, a great thinker. In my brief encounter with him, I found him to be warm and personable. He has a brilliant mind and he uses his intellect to glorify God.

2010-04-24T22:30:00.003+08:00

In Christ Alone

Sitting in the front row with the full view of Kristyn and Keith Getty leading the worship was like being transported into the throne room of God. “In Christ Alone” is my favorite song. Kristyn has an angelic voice but what came across powerfully is the way she expressed her devotion to Christ. It just comes from within and flows out naturally to the external.

I chatted with Keith and Kristyn and found them to be friendly. Keith co-wrote the song “In Christ Alone” with Stuart Townend when he was 25. Ten years later Keith is an accomplished modern hymn writer. His musicality through the piano playing is unique. I invited them to come to Malaysia and to conduct hymns and songs writing workshop. They responded enthusiastically. I told them to come for holidays.

They left for home in Ireland after the concert, which they hosted for the World Reformed Fellowship General assembly. Two days later the airport in Edinburgh was shut and no fly zone was imposed throughout UK. We were stuck in Edinburgh but her songs and hymns reverberated in my mind and heart for a long time.

Kristyn and Keith are both young and God is using them to bless the church worldwide. The songs are theologically sound and with depth, poetic and catchy. They grip your heart and move your emotion. They bring you closer to God. I never expect to meet them at the World Reformed Fellowship General Assembly. It is a treat from God.

2010-04-23T00:12:00.002+08:00

Stuck in London

I would have enjoyed London given a different circumstance. The art galleries and museum here are world class standard but sadly I lost all interest. All I wanted is to go home. Heathrow airport remained closed. The feeling of being trapped in an expensive place without money and credit card is unnerving. I had moved three times and lived in three different homes in a span of 7 days. Each host was kind enough to house me. The last one, Lai Meng and William, overwhelmed me with their generosity and grace. They told me I could stay as long as I like. The last two days I spent my time in CWM office. Tried as hard as I could, my mind just would not absorb any things I read. It was so unreal that I sometimes felt lost. The newspaper reported that it is unsafe for the airplanes to fly as the plane engines would suck in the volcanic ash and turned the silica into glass and crippled the engines completely. BBC daily news added to the fear of flying as it continually showed the ferocious volcanic explosion shooting the ash into the sky 5 miles high. Any plane was to fly into the volcanic plumes would be suicidal. The scientists and mathematicians in UK use the mathematical model of probability to calculate the risk factor of flying. The model together with Satellite mapping is able to project the area of coverage of the ash cloud. It is also able to tell the different zones of density of the volcanic ash. Using this model of projection, the Civil Aviation Authority decided to go for a blanket ban for all flights.

I think so much about Constance, Sarah and Sam. I think about church and the people who are close to me. I reflect on my life and ministry. Ironically I am due to preach the topic in CDPC this Sunday: Leaving and Living the Legacy. When one is facing with the possibility of death, many things become insignificant, only a few things matter. My mind suddenly becomes crystal clear on how I want to live my life and on what I will change the way I do ministry. This is a whole new experience for me.

The book that I read last month “The Last Lecture” by Randy takes on a new meaning. Randy had only six months to live when he was diagnosed with cancer. He prepared his last lecture and it was intended as his legacy for his children.

I was alone in the CWM meeting room. I read the Scriptures and prayed. I poured out my heart to God and I cried unashamedly. The emotional upheaval was too much to bear. I could identify with the psalmist who lamented: “Why am I so discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God.”

Every alternate day, I had to take the underground train to Earl’s court and then walked to MAS office to rebook my flight. The MAS telephone line was impossible to connect. Thousands of passengers jammed the phone. Every time when the flight is cancelled one has to go to MAS office in Cromwell to rebook the flight. No one in MAS management or in any airline has come up with a system that can help passengers during crisis. Every other airline faces the same problem.

Since the British government dispatched its warships to repatriate those stranded, I fantasize that Malaysia PM would send his submarines to rescue Malaysians, I was jostled to reality when I called the Malaysian Embassy in London only to be greeted with the voicemail. Voicemail is a great modern device to deter people from being reached. I kept calling; the same voicemail repeated the same thing all the time. In time of crisis, I discovered who my true friends are and that I don’t matter to my country.

I am now in Heathrow terminal 4 with 9 hours to kill before the flight would take place. What a relief when the Transport Secretary, Lord Adonis announced that all UK airports will be reopened for short and long haul flights last night.

Reading Psalm 40 reassures me: “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD.”

I know that my feet with touch Malaysia soil when I woke up tomorrow. God is great and he is good.

The Allah Controversy

2010-01-08T18:19:00.002+08:00

What is the crux of the matter? Has the Catholic Church “Herald” the right to use “Allah” as the name of God in Malay language? The Home minister revoked the license for Herald publication. The Catholic Church brought the case to the court for hearing. The Federal Court ruled in favor of the Catholic Church.

Following the ruling of the High Court, there is an uproar among the Muslims. Three churches were attacked on Jan 8. The Metro Tabernacle church was torched. The home explosives did not detonate on the front door of the Assumption Catholic church and also the front door of Life Chapel Protestant church. Clearly some extremists expressed their anger through violence.

Why is there such a reaction from certain section of the Muslim community? Today (Jan 8) the Muslims were protesting in the mosques across the country. PM and Home minister gave them the green light to voice their upset but told them that their gathering must not be out of control. Wisdom dictates that such sanction will lead to serious repercussion. PM failed to seize the moment to lead the nation with courage and wisdom.

In the midst of religious conflict that might lead to bloodshed like so many countries in the world – how can Malaysia with moderate Islam as the official religion of the nation model moderation? How can a nation with diverse cultures and diverse religious faiths model civility? In the words of Os Guinness, in a world torn apart by religious extremism…no question is more urgent than how we live with our deepest differences- especially our religious and ideological differences. Its time we think about civility. Civility is the ability to live with deep respect for one another in the midst of severe differences. A civil person or community is one who appreciates liberty, diversity and unity. We owe it to our children to build a nation that every Malaysian can be proud of. If we cannot resolve the religious differences now, we can certainly help make the nation safe for diversity.

Three things for any society to practice civility – understanding, respect and yielding of rights

Understanding
It begins with the voice that articulate understanding. The Christian community needs to tell the Muslim community that we understand your fear and concern – the fear of confusion and the concern for conversion. To the Muslims who do not have any knowledge that the name “Allah” predates Islam, and that the Arab Christians had been calling their God “Allah” for centuries, they felt that the name “Allah” is being hijacked by Christians. They felt that “Allah” is the personal name of the Muslim God only. Even for those who may now came to know the historical context of the origin of the name “Allah”, they felt that the political and religious context in Malaysia requires that the Christians to be more sensitive. They insisted that the Christians stopped calling their God “Allah.” Just as the name “Allah” is personal to the Muslims, it is also very dear to the Christians in East Malaysia who have been using that name even before Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya to constitute the Federal Malaysia. The Sikh community in Malaysia has also been using this name all these while. The Sikhs chose to maintain their silence and do not wish to be drawn into the controversy.

There is only one God who is the creator of the universe. The Scriptures of Muslims, Christians and the Sikhs may have different revelations of “Allah”, each group worship Allah and follow Him in the ways that they understand from their respective Scriptural revelations. There is absolutely no confusion at all. The Sikh will never think that “their Allah” is the same as the Muslims or the Christians. No one is confused except the politicians.

The fear of conversion is understandable. But the Muslims have the Constitution to protect them. They have the government machinery to their advantage. The conversion of Muslims to Christianity is very negligible in Malaysia as compared to the thousands of Sabahan and Sarawakian Christians who converted out of Christianity to Islam. It is an open knowledge that Muslim missionaries are sent to the schools in East Malaysia for their Dakwah movement.

Respect
For civility to flourish in any society, deep respect must be accorded to every single person regardless of whatever faith he or she professes. The greatness of a nation is how the powerful protects the interests of the weak, how the strong take cares of the welfare of the weak, how the wealthy share its wealth with the poor, and how the majority esteems the minority.

Respect means that we do not force our views on anyone. We can accept that others do not share our views, whether be it politics, or religions. We give the other persons or the group the freedom to practice their faith. Even God does not force anyone to believe in Him or to worship Him. The freedom of choice is a great gift that must be respected.

The moderate voice of some Muslims like Marina Mahathir, Tenku Razaleigh is to be lauded. The Christian community needs to also convey its deep respect for the Muslim faith. Malaysian history shows that there is no incident of Christians bombing the mosques.

Yielding of Rights
If every community insists in its right, then conflict will escalate. Yielding one’s right is much more difficult to do. It involves humility, and self -denial. In this case of the Allah controversy, it is much more difficult to do. The Muslim Ummah and the Christian churches need to come together more often to build relationship. There are common projects that both communities can work together for the good of the nation. When there is friendship, there will be trust and when there is trust, fear will not present.

The way forward is for the two communities to have interreligious dialogue. Study each other Scriptures, examine history and look at other nations how Muslims and Christians have lived harmoniously together. Yielding to rights mean that I do not insist my way is the best way and I do not insist that you must follow my way. What it does mean is that I give you the space to explore the truth and allow you to hold on to your religious conviction.

The way forward is for PM and his cabinet to model humility and deep respect for the rights of each community in this land. Their voice will have moderate influence over the general populace.

For the Christian community, we must continue to do good and we must never repay evil with evil. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It’s a challenging time; let us love the Muslims and this nation.

25 years before and after

2009-12-09T09:44:00.008+08:00

While waiting for Constance to wash her hair at Bianco hair saloon, I took a diagnostic test for my hair. The hairstylist used a gadget, which has a magnifying power of 100 X, and he placed it gently at the spot of my head, which I would not be proud of. What I saw on the computer screen was a picture of arid desert. It looks like ozone with a hole in it. At the rate of hair dropping, in the next 5 years I would resemble a Franciscan Monk. The hair saloon has gigantic mirror as a wall. Everywhere I went, it reminds that I have my prime, once upon a time. Mirror does not lie to you.

The hair stylist ably covered Constance sparse hair with curly perm. The brunette look dye on her hair makes her young. She is elegant.

The one thing I kept reminding myself is to grow old gracefully. Something else is much more important as one aged.

I dated Constance yesterday evening. It was our 25th wedding anniversary. We invited our son Sam to come along. Sarah and Sam always remind us that they are part of the package. So we celebrate anniversaries & birthdays as a family. Sam was at first reticent about the idea of him coming along. He felt that he might intrude into our romantic evening. Obviously we have different definition of romanticism. We went to a Hakka restaurant, nothing romantic about the place. But the food, we both enjoy. The evening went by so quickly. When the waitress came with the bill, Sam offered to pay. Constance and I were touched by his gesture. It is not a small amount for an 18-year-old boy. Sam is generous. We wish that Sarah were here with us.

Later in the evening we spent our time in IKEA testing out potential chairs for the new church. The price is fabulous – RM 35 per chair. 9 years ago we bought the customized chairs for RM 90 when we planted the first church. This one from IKEA came without cushion but it is no less comfortable than the previous one. Alvin and Fern, a young couple from the church planting team, were with us in IKEA. Their wedding anniversary happened to fall on the same day as ours. They were excited too about the church plant.

It was twelve o clock midnight and yet Constance was wide-awake. She kept engaging me with the design of the layout for the new church. I was worn out after a long day. Never a night person, I struggled to stay awake. She turned off the light and finally I went off into the dreamland. Constance is as every bit as engaged in ministry. For 25 years she has been a great companion, a faithful ministry co-worker, a trusted confidante, a wise counselor, and a supportive wife. She helps me to raise two wonderful children. Sam and Sarah arise and call her blessed; I also, and I praise her. She is the Proverbs 31 woman. Each day it dawns on me that I married a great woman. People said that I should thank my lucky star. But I said that God is gracious. He gave her to complete me.

Now 25 years down the road, at an age when people think we should be easing up, Constance and I are on the verge of planting another church. Our passion of serving God deepened as the years go by –undiminished. We are undaunted by the task because of the grace of God in our lives. I am strengthened in my resolve in planting a church because I have Constance by my side. For we know whom we believe. Jesus never fails us.

A dream half comes through

2009-05-16T11:00:00.003+08:00

Education is more than shaping the mind. Calvin College in Grand Rapids has consistently produced outstanding graduates in America. But what I like about this college is also its ethos of molding the hearts of the students. John Calvin’s words are imprinted on the wall plaque “My heart I offer to you Lord, promptly and sincerely.” The mind and the heart redeemed by Christ and offer back to Him in loving service are what John Calvin expounded in his theology. John Calvin is noted for his brilliant mind but not many know that he has a great heart. In the 16th century he reached out to the thousand of refugees who flocked to Geneva. The legacy of his reformed theology has influenced the world until today.

I never dreamed that Sarah would one day be studying in Calvin College. I had the rare opportunity to observe her professor lecturing Russian literature in her class. Soaking in every word the professor said, I realized that God has chosen the college for Sarah. My desire is that Sarah’s mind and heart will be molded according to God’s purpose and to become competent intellectually and compassionate emotionally. Education is more than downloading information and scoring with distinctions. All the professors I met praise Sarah for her academic excellence and her lovely character. I was joyful but humbled by the grace of God. I know the destiny that God has for Sarah -to walk in His way, to make Him known and to glorify Him wherever God may call her to be.

Seeing Samuel walking side by side with his sister Sarah in Calvin College gave me immense joy. Sam is intelligent, witty, creative and fun to be with. He has a kind heart. I found out last night when I was driving him home that he spent hours just to be with his friend consoling and counseling him. His good friend went through some tough time because of family problem. Sam would often help strangers in the public place when he saw their plight. The other night he was queuing for a taxi so that he could allow a Malay woman with her children to get into it. Others jumped queue and deprived the woman a chance to get a taxi home. Sam did not need the taxi as he was waiting for me to ferry him home. I still remember an incident in which Sam asked me to stop the car so that he could get out to retrieve a ball that was lying on the road. No passerby bothered to help while the children inside the police compound looked on. Many nights I overheard conversation that Sam had with his friends counseling them. One time he talked his friend out from committing suicide. He gave sound advice to his friends who went through puppy’s love.

I believe that Calvin College will be a perfect place for him. Sarah concurred. The admission director, Rosemary interviewed him and was impressed with this young man. It will be my dream comes through if I can take another photo with Sarah and Sam walking side by side in the campus. This photo posted is just a rehearsal. I will take exactly the same pose at the same spot on another day. It will certainly be my day.

“My heart I offer to you Lord, promptly and sincerely”

No Little People in Bozeman

2009-05-15T23:31:00.006+08:00

The first time when I set my eyes on the snowcapped mountain in Bozeman, I was captivated by its majesty and awesomeness. Bozeman is literally surrounded by mountains. It is naturally a touristic town. Winter is giving way to spring and holidaymakers are still coming to ski and to snowboard. The more serious mountaineers are scaling the steep slope, challenging nature with the view to conquer the summit. Such a place normally produces tough-minded people.

Having conversation with Pastor Jeff Hamling in a café was a delight. I was intrigued by his story of pastoring a church in Bozeman. Jeff was a youth pastor at Rocky Mountain Community Church in Billings. He left Billings to plant a church in Bozeman. I could see in his sparkling eyes that he enjoys what he is doing. Church planters are no ordinary people. They have to surmount unbelievable obstacles in order to see a church planted. It is equated as a spiritual mountaineering, only the determined one will want to venture out to the unknown. Jeff presented to me a DVD of a 5-day vacation Bible School Program “Peacemaker Clubs for Kids.” He has been conducting the Vacation Bible School for the kids in Bozeman since he came to this town. He loves the people particularly the children. He is helping the children to be peacemakers, teaching them to deal with conflicts in their lives. His is a quest for transformation of the town- one child at a time. Such calling causes him to stay on passionately doing his work. Jeff’s story was not known and was not told. But there is another story which was written into a book and it became the US No. 1 bestseller.

The first time when I saw the cover of the book “Three Cups of Tea- One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace One School at a time, I knew intuitively that this is not an ordinary book. I bought it and I have been reading it and enjoying it immensely. The author Mortenson is from Montana. When I googled to find out more, I discovered to my pleasant delight that Mortenson is also from Bozeman. It’s a fascinating story of how the failed attempt to climb K2, the second hardest mountain to climb in the world, Mortenson drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains. Little did he realize that his encounter with the hospital village folks in Korphe changed his life forever. What he saw was the pathetic condition of the village school, in which the children studied in the open space without any proper facilities. The children didn’t even have pencils! Touched by the inhabitants’ kindness, he promised to return to build a school. For more than a decade Mortenson worked tirelessly raising funds, buying building materials, sourcing teachers and he succeeded in building not just one but fifty-five schools in this forsaken region of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Here is an American who through education counters the forces of terrorism. He offers every student an opportunity to be educated, to know what is good from evil, rather than to be influenced by the extremist madrassa. The war of terror is not won through military might but by winning the hearts of these Muslims children one at a time.

I find the moral and spiritual congruence of these two ordinary men who hail from the same town, Bozeman. They give their lives that others might live in peace.

God brought me to Bozeman that I might be changed.

2009-03-31T12:29:00.002+08:00

Danny Martin talked about his past how as a young boy he was sexually abused. He had been in jails for 13 years. As he shared about his time in Vietnam War, I could sense his deep pain. Danny is a big man and he was crying throughout the time when he narrated his story. On several occasions, he nearly died because of reckless driving. He came to Rocky Mountain Community Church and the gospel of grace had impacted him.

Trey too went through traumatic period when his parents divorced. He was only four years old. During his teenage years he rebelled, smoked marijuana, and used alcohol as a form of escape from the reality of pain. He was diagnosed with cancer but God healed him. Then he heard the gospel and responded to the grace of God. He came to Rocky Mountain Community Church and found grace among God’s people. Just as he is getting on in his Christian life, the doctor discovered that his cancer came back and has spread to his lung. His cancer is at an advance stage and the prognosis is bad. I could see his calmness and restedness. He is obviously not afraid of death. He kept thanking God for forgiving his sin and giving him life. He does not blame God at all.

Bill was also traumatized by the Vietnam War. His friend who was suppose to return from Vietnam stood in his place for the last duty got himself killed. Bill lives with great sense of guilt. He hated the government for the war. Since then he withdrew himself from people. A member of Rocky Mountain Community Church reached out to him and extended her friendship. He joins the church and the small group. He feels totally accepted by the people in the church.

Jerry was once a pastor. He spoke with great pain about his marriage failure. He lost his ministry and had since carried the guilt. He is also impacted by the gospel of grace through the preaching ministry of pastor Alfred, the pastor of Rocky Mountain Community Church.
One by one in the room, the twelve men took turn to share their stories. Each has a common thread and a common theme. All have gone through brokenness and all have experienced the healing touch of God through the gospel of grace. Christ came to us at the intersection of life when hell broke loose. Sin is not just a doctrine to be studied. It is real because it ravaged our lives. But God’s grace abounds.

We ended the evening session praying for one another. It is the highlight of my time in Billings, Montana. God showed up tonight.

The End of One Chapter

2009-03-25T15:56:00.006+08:00

Standing at the Podium and with a sense of great relief, I handed over the Synod seal to the incoming Moderator, Rev. Kong. Yesterday afternoon marked the end of a significant chapter of my life. This was my second term as the Moderator of Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia. The first time when I was elected as the Moderator, I was relatively young.; perhaps the youngest Moderator in GPM history. That was 12 years ago. The learning curve was steep then. The stress was unbearable. I could hardly sleep the night after I was elected. I had a great team and we had brought significant change and impact to GPM.

Now at the age of 54, although gained more experience in the ministry but in no way less stressful. The Presbyterian system is queer. A Moderator is expected to function in full-time capacity and yet his main work is with the local church. Bishops of other denominations serve full-time and they do not pastor the local church. No one will understand the difficulties face by the Moderator of GPM except the previous Moderators. But God’s grace is totally sufficient for His servants.

Rev. Kong shared his story with the delegates that must have sent chills to our spines. Just a week ago before he was inducted as the Moderator, he found out that his blood pressure shot up unbelievably high. When he was smiling, he noticed that one side of his face was stiff (expressionless). He did not realize that it was a sign of stroke. The two years ahead will be daunting. This is his second term too as the Moderator.

I am on my way to Billings, Montana. It’s not frequent that an Asian pastor gets to be the keynote speaker at the Mission conference. The PCA leaders are gracious and they give me the privilege to take the rostrum. Their gesture speaks more of their graciousness than my ability or credential. I am looking forward to speak what God has taught me all these years in His mission. It will be a great time to do networking for my church CDPC.

The bonus of this trip is that my son, Samuel will accompany me. We will be camping at Changi airport tonight before the next flight at 6am. We have a lot to talk and to catch up. Sam is expecting me to let down my hair. Good thing that I still have much hair. I will compensate for the lost hours during my tenure as the Moderator, its pay back time.

Sarah is at Vancouver representing her college in the women chorale. She is having the whale of time. We will see her soon in Grand Rapids.

Constance is just contented to be at home. She loves her work at the Pre-School. She tries to learn the computer at the last minute hoping to catch us in Skype. We manage to get batik silk for our hosts in our last minute frantic shopping. She is ever so thoughtful.
We will miss her.

NB: The article was written just the day I stepped down from being the Moderator. The same night Sam and I flew off to Billings. But the photos were uploaded after the trip back to Malaysia to show the great time Sam and I had in Billings and Grand Rapids. What a big load was off from my shoulder. No more carrying the burden of the denomination!

The Precious Thing Called Friendship

2009-03-10T23:06:00.004+08:00

30 years ago we graduated from the same university and on the night of Valentine we met at the Cricket Club in Hong Kong for a reunion. These are my friends since Dundee’s days. Some of us were even baptized in the same year by the same minister, Rev. Eric Watson. Edward, a dentist, pulled out a photo of Eric Watson and his letter, brought us back to the good old days. Eric Watson, if he knows that we are still keeping our Christian faith, will be beaming with pride. It’s all about God’s grace that has sustained us through thick and thin. I was a fresh convert in 1977, and I have been a pastor for 22 years. I never have imagined that one day I would become a pastor instead of being an engineer. Nothing in those days had prepared me for the ‘Full-Time Christian Ministry.’ Nobody in those times had any inkling or premonition that I would become a minister of the church.

I noticed that Edward, Peter and Yip’s hairs are greying. They insisted that I must have dyed my hair black. I told them that it’s the genes. But they finally concluded that it has to do with my vocation as a pastor – stress free. Pastoral ministry is not as easy as people think. They are many pastors whose hairs are white as snow and bald as a balding eagle (no offense to the pastors who are bald). The deduction is simply not full proof. I feel good after seeing their white hairs. We did let down our hair as the evening glided on. My friends were very generous in treating me with sumptuous meals. These are difficult times economically.

Edward remarked: “We may have lost financially during global economic crisis, what has not been lost is the precious 30 years friendship.” Something in life cannot be placed on the economic scale. I went back to YMCA hotel pondering over what he said about the preciousness of friendship. That night I offered my thanks to God for his grace. I randomly chose Dundee and met these friends in the Christian Fellowship when I became a Christian. I look back I know now that it is never by chance. God engineered the whole thing.

Our children are about the same age. Some of them are studying in the universities. We have common topics to talk and common worries to frown upon. Yip has one girl who just went to England to study. Edward’s two girls are also in England. Peter has three girls, all studying in England. Two of them have graduated. They all have girls and deduced that it has to do with Dundee’s water. I think it has to do with stress – a dentist, an engineer, and a microbiologist’s profession is more stressful than a pastor. I have a girl and a boy. So I conclude that my work is 50% less stressful than theirs. What has stress got to do with all these stuffs? Everything. Ask the doctors, there is medical reason for it. When you have stress, you get a girl!

I was particularly touched when I heard that James, an architect, rushed back from Beijing to attend the dinner function. The gesture speaks volume about his value system.
My friends are successful in their careers. They have raised wonderful families. They are also greying gracefully and with godly wisdom. I am glad for my friends. Who said Valentine Day is for the couples only. I had a good time with them.

2009-03-06T20:38:00.001+08:00

The man endured the cold, sat forlornly on a bench and dozed off in the morning. It was winter in Shanghai and passers-by hurried off to work. I noticed that no one bothered to stop to find out what happened to him. Did he have a family? Was he out in the street to beg? Why was he dozing off so early in the morning? There are hardly any beggars in Shanghai.
I stopped and wanted to chat with him. The group I was with was moving very fast in front of me. They were heading off to the headquarter of Three Self Patriotic Church. My colleagues were calling me to keep pace with them. I knew that if I lingered on, I would have lost sight of the group. Reluctantly I moved on and took a picture of this lonely old man. I could not even see his face as it was covered.
When I was in Shanghai 14 years ago, during those days the streets were teeming with cyclists wearing Mao’s style of dress – drab navy blue dress. Gone were the cyclists and the communist dressing. Now I could not tell the difference between Shanghai and other modern cities in the world. I thought I was in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.
Shanghai is modern and sophisticated. High-rise buildings dotted the skyline. Women adorn fashionable dresses rivaling that of Paris cat walking with elegance. I was told that Shanghai is an expensive place to live. That old man was a rare sight.
When we reached the headquarter of the Three Self Church, we were warmly received by the host. The president was a young man who spoke English fluently. Later I found out that he had his theological degree from a seminary in America. Three years ago, I was visiting the same place and the president was an elderly man who needed an interpreter to communicate with us. What a change. English is more widely spoken in China these days. Some of them are well versed in English. I shudder to think what might happen to China when the majority of its citizens are conversant in English. One does not anymore need to learn Putonghua (Mandarin) in order to do business with the Chinese. Some of them speak better English than the Malaysian students.
The Bible Press had printed and sold 60 million copies of Bibles. There are just simply not enough Bibles in China. The hearts of the Chinese hunger for the living word of God. The Cultural Revolution that took place 40 over years ago had left a huge moral and spiritual vacuum in the nation. Christianity is growing so rapidly that there are not enough pastors, seminarians to train the people.
Our mind was overloaded with information from the Three Self representatives. Every one was eager to ask questions. We wanted to reach China for Jesus. But I think sometime God just wants us to reach one person at a time. I thought of the lonely old man.

I love my son

2008-10-26T17:28:00.008+08:00

“When I see David Blaine, I will say hello to him for you” I half jokingly told Samuel, the amateur card magician, my son, the day before I flew off to New York. Did I really believe that I would meet up with the world-renowned street magician and endurance artist? Not in a million chance would I have the opportunity to meet David Blaine in New York. But I half wish that it would happen. Sam and I used to watch David Blaine’s card magic on TV. We both enjoyed watching him doing street magic to entertain the crowd and also some of the ‘pushing to the limits’ endurance stunts. David Blaine is a unique person who is out to prove something to the world. He has a message to tell the world.

Imagine my joy when I read in the New York Post that David Blaine will be in Manhattan Central Park. He will be hung upside down for 60 hours, which medically is impossible for his body to endure. The pressure will be so enormous that he would go blind. I told my friends that I would be going to Central Park to get his signature for my son. It so happened that there were no classes on Wednesday, the day where David Blaine supposed to end his stunt and take the ‘dive of death’ at 11pm. I joined the long queue just to take a photo and signature of David Blaine. I did it for Sam. Its kind of silly, an oriental man in his 50s taking a digital camera in the crowd of mostly youngsters, wanting a photo with David Blaine. It was a sunny day, quite hot on that mid morning; I patiently waited for my turn.

My Philippines course mates were wondering why I was so eager and determined to get David Blaine’s signature. “You mean you did this for your son?” They were obviously touched by what I did for my son. I told them that this meant a lot to Sam and he would really be thrilled.
“Hi, David, My son Sam says hello to you. He is also a card magician.” I unashamedly greeted David Blaine with those words. “Urgh, urgh…” David was groaning. I could see his face was reddened with blood pressure.

I got a photo taken with David Blaine and also I got him to pen his signature on a card signing upside down.

Later that night I watched live telecast on David’s ‘dive of death’ at Central Park. The TV also showed some of his stunts that he did previously. David shared about his life story and what he said caught my attention. When interviewed who influenced him the most, David unhesitatingly mentioned the name of his mum. “My mum taught me two things: First, if I put my mind to do anything, I could achieve it. Second, she taught me unconditional love.” Probably his mum’s teaching had shaped his philosophy of life. David constantly pushes himself to the limits in those stunts that he did that no one would dare to do. “If you make up your mind to do anything, you can achieve it.”

David was found doing card magic’s to cheer the victims of Katrina Hurricane. He was also giving away money through his magic to the destitute. Could it be that he who has experienced unconditional love is now able to show it to others. David often does his magic to strangers in order to bring cheers to them. He likes to make people happy through surprises that came from the art of magic.

That Sunday I heard Dr. Tim Keller preached on the Parable of the Lost Son. How the father ran to his wayward, scoundrel son threw his arms around him and kissed him. It was so undignified for an elderly Middle East father to pull up his long dress and ran. This younger son who had taken his share of the inheritance and spent it all on wild living. The father threw a party to welcome his home coming without a word of rebuke. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ SO they began to celebrate. The father showed his son grace and unconditional love. His son wanted to be treated as his father’s hired servant. But to his father he has never ceased to be his son no matter how wayward he had become.

The parable reveals God as a heavenly Father to us. We are more loved by God than we ever realized.

I love my son, Sam. But I can never outdo God’s love. The extent I go to show my love for Sam is nothing compared to what God did for us.

The Unforgettable Night

2008-09-21T06:18:00.002+08:00

Listening to Frances Hesselbein’s keynote address was most refreshing. Frances Hesselbein, (Chairman & Founding President Leader to Leader Institute & Former CEO, and Girl Scouts of the USA) a diminutive and frail looking woman spoke gently and yet with authority at the podium. She challenged the Christian leaders of New York City who gathered at the Launch Dinner of The New York City Leadership Center to lead the city with courage, integrity and mercy. She embodies the spirit of volunteerism and summons leaders to give their time, energy, creativity and talents to be volunteers to serve society. Hesselbein was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor, in 1988. She was also the Founding President of the Drucker Foundation. The audience gave a standing ovation at the end of her speech. This is the woman who walks the talk. She had led the Girl Scouts of the USA from 1976-1990. She took over the helm of the Girl Scouts movement as Chief Executive Officer when it was fast declining in numbers. She was able to bring the movement forward and did so with much courage and wisdom.

Hessebein had neither led an academia or big corporation. Leadership is, as far as she is concerned, expressing oneself through one’s character. The late Peter Drucker spoke admiringly of her: “This is one woman who knows what she is called to do and where she is going. She will not deviate from her calling.” She does her work with excellence, courage and wisdom. She was a volunteer and probably was not paid to do her job.

The moment Marie Barlow Martin stepped forward to sing a repertoire of Broadway songs; the audience was mesmerized by the beauty of her voice. You could hear a pin dropped on the floor. Marie is an international singer who has performed before hundreds of thousands in over 30 countries for theatres, orchestras and churches with a voice described as a “national treasure.” She responded to God’s call recently and left her very successful career living in Manhattan as a musical theater singer and actress in the Broadway community to begin a music ministry with her husband Gordy. She felt that she could express her faith more fully now than ever before. I was simply bowed over by her voice.

I was not supposed to be there at the dinner event. I was invited by RCPC as a guest and it came as a surprise. Listening to these two outstanding women, one through speech and the other through songs, both equally compelling and forceful, not by brute strength but by sheer elegance of their character, commitment and courage, I knew God showed up that night.

Outside the Marriot Hotel, thousands of New Yorkers have to go through nights of uncertainties. Many lost their jobs because Wall Street stock market suffered its biggest fall since 9/11. There were groans, howling, moans as many lost their lifesavings. Outside the Manhattan headquarters of Lehman Brothers Holding Inc., Geoffrey Raymond, a 54-year-old Brooklyn artist urged passers-by to sign his latest work, a painting of the bankrupt investment bank’s chief executive, Richard Fuld. New Yorkers filled the canvas from edge to edge with comments about greed and comeuppance. He was paid handsomely as CEO but the lack of character led to his downfall.

It was an unforgettable night for many.

“Leadership is simply an expression of what one does through his or her character” – the wisdom of Frances Hasselbein rings loud and clear.

Gospel DNA

2008-09-14T03:36:00.002+08:00

Redeemer Presbyterian Church is a mega church with 5000 members in its multiple services. The worship services are traditional and contemporary depending which service one attends. I found that both traditional and contemporary worship services of RPC convey the sense of the worth and beauty of God through thoughtful liturgy, kingdom-centered prayer, Christ-centered preaching and joyful music. The worshippers are not particularly expressive type. Given the intellectual culture of Manhattan and the professorial style of preaching by Dr.Tim Keller, Redeemer church naturally attracts the professionals, the academia, and the college students who appreciate content rich sermons. It is not a Charismatic church and yet the growth is phenomenon.
I interviewed a few members of the church to find out what made them want to come to RPC and the consistent answer I got is this: “Tim Keller’s sermons touch our lives. Redeemer has a balance gospel ministry. The church is able to reach out to secular people. RPC knows how to engage the culture without condemning the evilness of the culture.”

So what is the real secret?

Tim Keller is able to make the truth of the gospel clear and real. His expository preaching consistently shows how all Biblical themes climax in Christ and his work of salvation. His teaching on the gospel of grace is a death blow to legalism, moralism and relativism. If gospel is clearly preached, the church will not produce self-righteous, judgmental, self-centered Christians.

Secularism tends to make people selfish and individualistic. Religion and moralism in general tends to make people parochial and self-righteous.

But the gospel however humbles and affirms us at the same time, since in Christ, we are simul iutus et peccator. In the oft repeated famous phrase of Tim Keller “At the same time, we are more flawed and sinful than we ever dared believe, yet we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope” Such gospel truth moves people to holiness (not legalistic, pharisaical self-righteousness type of holiness) and service out of grateful joy for grace, and out of love of the glory of God for who he is in himself.

RPC has a ministry called Diaconate where the deacons and deaconesses carry out the ministry of help and mercy to those needy members in the church so that there are no needy persons among them. The volunteers serve joyfully out of a deep sense of gratitude to God’s redemptive grace in their lives. The artists and musicians convey truth, beauty and excellence in their professions. They express their creativity through music and worship service in such a way that the beauty and worth of God is seen and felt. The members are passionate about justice issues and engage the New York culture with the aim to transform with the power of the gospel.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church is certainly impacting Manhattan and other major cities of the world. My 6 weeks here with Redeemer Church Planting Center will certainly be and has already been a life and ministry transforming experience for me.

God in his graciousness has given me this exposure to see how Tim Keller builds that kind of church that impact and influence the culture of cities and nations.

CDPC already share many aspects of the DNA of Redeemer Church. We need a united and strong team who share the same vision to take CDPC to another level.

The three men who influenced me

2008-09-05T10:20:00.004+08:00

Looking back the last three decades, I could see the unseen hand of God moulding my life for his purpose. He used three men in different periods to shape me to become the kind of person that God wants me to be. I am grateful to them and thankful to God.

Dr. David G, a protestant, was my first ‘boss’ in church. He was the first church leader I worked closely when I came back from UK. He had helped to shape my spirituality and mission consciousness. He demonstrated quiet and gentle leadership, no less impactful in Christian ministry than charismatic and forceful leadership. One does not need to be platform leadership and yet can be greatly used by God. His love for mission is infectious. He loves mission because he loves the God of mission. He taught me consistency and resilience. He was a skillful dentist.

Chong Nik Seow, a Catholic, was my boss in engineering department when I started my first job. He showed me how as an uncorrupted government servant, one could be a blessing to contractors. He taught me thoroughness and meticulousness in engineering work without which it could have serious consequences. He did his work well and set high standard. He was a skillful engineer.

Dr. Chuck Lowe, my lecturer in SBC and now a good friend. He taught me exegesis. He is a first rate theologian. He is skillful as an exegete of God’s word. After having served God in Singapore for 16 years, he moved back to USA and settled down in Boston and worked as a pastor in a Chinese Church. Travelling 23 hours in the plane was tiring but the confined space and enforced time gave me the opportunity to reminisce 30 years of my life to Sarah. I outlined the three periods and the influence of these three great men in my life as the plane sped on at 960km/hr. Having landed and collected our luggage at the baggage conveyor belt, I saw a man from a distant walking toward me, instantly I recognized him. Balding, putting on weigh, Chuck looks more like a business man than a pastor-theologian. The last time when we gave him the farewell was 8 years ago. This is the man who imparted the skill of exegesis. He reinforced further what Chong Nik Seow had done the significance of thoroughness and meticulousness. This is amply seen in my research. We had great time talking. We talked about church works, we discussed theology, and we ate Tuscanini ice cream which is better than Haagen Dazs ice cream. We walked for more than one hour just to look for the Tuscanini ice cream (because I told him that Haazgen Das is the best ice cream). New York Time declared that Tuscanini is the best ice cream in the world.

All these three men share common traits: hardworking, good workers, thoroughness, skillful in their trades, great love for God, uncorrupted, men of integrity, faithful men, and willingness to impart skills…

I am indebted to these three men.

Time with Sarah

2008-06-12T00:21:00.004+08:00

I took four days off from work to spend undistracted time with my daughter Sarah who came back for her summer holidays. One of the things I enjoy most is listening and talking to her. We both have the same temperament or rather she is the chip of the old block. Sarah is a good listener and I find that she possesses the rare gift of giving a person her full presence when one talks to her. That is why many love to talk to her because they can unload their problems to an exceptionally good listener. She makes you feel important and feel that you are worth listening to. In just nine months in Calvin College reading English Literature, she has grown intellectually and spiritually. She is a good conversationalist as her knowledge has been broadened and deepened through American education system. Listening to her gives me great pleasure and satisfaction.

Sarah and Sam get along extremely well. They can talk for hours. They often tell us that they are having ‘deep conversation.’ It’s a joy to see the sister and brother enjoying each other’s company immensely. This sibling close relationship is also a gift from God. Constance and I have been spared from the heartaches of sibling rivalry and fights between Sarah and Sam. Sam truly admires and loves his sister dearly and deeply. Sarah cares a great deal for her brother. She genuinely enjoys Sam's creativity and fun-loving nature.

We went to BORDERS, a book room which is like heaven to us. Sarah shares my keen interest in reading. When we reached the place, she headed straight to the literature section while I made my way to the religion corner. We knew exactly what we wanted. With stacks of books in our hands, the cashier at the counter was beaming with broad smile. It was a sheer pleasure to buy books for Sarah as she seldom made demand on me.

I told her to walk gingerly when we made our way through the front door of our house. I thought Constance will give us a shelling for going overboard. I have spent my entire holiday money on buying books. To my surprise Constance was rather cheery. Sarah seems to have a way with her mum. It is very difficult for anyone to be angry with Sarah. She is an obedient daughter, thoughtful and considerate, a straight ‘A’ student since primary one and with the GPA score of 3.96 for the first year in college, how would any parent be unhappy. She is very pleasant to live with and makes us look good as parents.

This morning I became her chauffeur taking her to her former school and to 1 Utama to meet up with her friends. She visited her students whom she taught during her gap year. They were fond of her and her visit warmed their hearts. How many teachers border to visit their students and show their love? She counseled and encouraged a student who is going though family crisis. She is unselfish with her time and incarnational with her touch. She remembers her schoolmates and initiated to meet up. The little gesture reveals that Sarah treasures friendship. Such qualities endear her to many.

I treasure this father-daughter relationship. It’s a gift from God.

The church will celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday. My heart is already filled with joy as we spent quiet moment reminiscing many fond memories. Sarah is flourishing and blooming as a person. What greater joy can it be than seeing your daughter walking with God and blossoming with great potentials.

The Story of Dr. Margaret Brand

2008-06-09T22:12:00.001+08:00

When I saw the title of the book “Vision for God – The Story of Dr. Margaret Brand” I did not need any persuasion at all to purchase the book. Dr. Paul Brand was well known internationally as a 20th century pioneer in orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation. He had spent the bulk of his life in India helping the lepers and giving them the sense of dignity. He opened the new frontier in discovering pain as a gift from God and applied that knowledge in aiding the lepers from further aggravating their hands and feet. Much accolade had been heaped on him for his achievement in the field of leprosy. What is less known is his equally capable and remarkable wife who has been his companion for over 60 years. In the midst of World War II, Margaret studied medicine in London. She topped the class with Paul Brand as second. They both pioneered practices in the treatment of leprosy in India and throughout the world. Almost by accident, without formal training in eye diseases, she became an ophthalmologist and one of the foremost authorities in the field of ocular leprosy. Reading the book and watching DVD featuring her work among the lepers in India, I was spellbound. With great skills and compassion, Paul and Margaret Brand had accomplished the rare medical feat of treating and loving patients simultaneously.

Without Margaret, Paul Brand would not have become the great surgeon and the great man of God. She worked alongside him in an obscure village in India for years. Both worked in astounding partnership and yet each other’s individuality is not negated.

I like what Philip Yancy, a close friend of theirs, said: “Having spent many hours with them both, I cannot help but think that this was the vision of God for humanity: talented people serving others with cheer and compassion while embracing life-all of it- with contentment and gratitude.”

I silently prayed that my children Sarah and Samuel who are both talented and capable would one day turn out to be the kind of woman and man who serve others with cheer and compassion while embracing life – all of it- with contentment and gratitude. It is a road less traveled. When talents are used to amass wealth for oneself to live opulent and self-centered lifestyle, he or she cheapened the grace of God.

The untouchables of India who had been treated and loved by Paul and Margaret Brand saw in their lives the image of Christ. The gospel that Paul and Margaret preached and lived was easily understood and readily embraced by the lepers. The rejects of the society had encountered Christ through the skillful hands and the loving touch of these surgeons.

I am so glad that Dr. Margaret’s story is told at last.

Equally Smart

2008-06-02T18:26:00.005+08:00

Supriano, an Orang Asli (Aborigines of Malaysia) was disorientated when she came in to my church office. She is only 10 year-old and has never been to Kuala Lumpur. She has never seen so many cars and tall buildings in her life. I was equally disoriented as I was lost in the jungle where there seems to be no sign post. Just as I was terrified by the ‘roads’ which nearly wrecked Kok Wai’s 4-wheel drive, Supriano was awed by the modern technology.

We were on a rescue mission in the morning to a remote village in the interior jungle. Kok Wai’s jeep skidded and bumped on the protruding rock. When I saw Supriano, I could see in her face a bright aborigines girl. What surprises me was that she could speak fluent Mandarin! Later I learnt that she is attending a Chinese school in a Chinese village. My two children, Sarah and Sam can’t even speak Mandarin although they are of Chinese descent. Supriano has been looking after her infant brother (4 month-old) who is abandoned by his parents. He has no name, no birth certificate, and no identity. Supriano scavenged milk from women folks of her kind. What she got was not enough to feed her brother. So she fed him with coffee and tea. The infant was reduced to only bone and skin. The infant’s father is an Indonesian and his mother is an Orang Asli. I decided to give him a name. The word ‘Suparman’ floated in my mind. I have an Indonesian friend whose name is Suparman. It sounded like Superman. Indeed Suparman is a Superman as weighing 2.1 kg yet he survived under harsh condition imposed upon him. Though he goes down in history as the most malnourished infant in Malaysia, he also sets the record as the fittest infant. Drenched in rain water, bitten by mosquitoes, burned by cigarette butts, Suparman rejected and discarded by his biological parents but was superintended by his Maker. The pediatrician who examined him remarked that she has never seen such a malnourished baby in Malaysia. In her clinic many mothers were waiting for their turns to take their babies for round of examination. The babies were safe in the arms of their mothers, well fed and looking heavy and healthy. What a contrast.

Supriano absented herself from school for several months. There was a divine call to save a feeble life. She fiercely protected her brother from hunger and thirst in the jungle. She was ostracized by her mother and grandfather. She detested their cruelty. I could see that in her eyes. Without knowledge of health care, hygiene, feeding infant, Supriano has an innate instinct to care for her brother.

It was a long day, a tiring journey running from one clinic to another, from one town to the other and finally Suparman is temporary fostered by a Sabahan pastor whose wife is an Orang Asli. Supriano followed Sarah and I home for a few days.

Constance, my wife spent 3 days teaching her Maths and found her to be intelligent. Sarah is like a big sister to her and showers her with affection. Supriano was clutching the two beautiful sling- on bags that Sarah gave her. Her smile exudes happiness of having found the gems of her life. Supriano will remember Sarah for a long long time. We discovered that Supriano delights to go to the wash room. She often remained there for a long time. Inside the wash room is a big mirror. Constance had bought her a few blouses and she looks pretty. Perhaps she has never seen herself in full portrait before in the mirror. We don’t mind to adopt her but its not possible.

Constance told Supriano to come again and stay with us during the school holidays. We have invited her and her friends to come and Constance will conduct some tuition for them. We believe that Supriano would one day go to Harvard or Oxford, Cambridge University if given the opportunity. She has the intelligence endowed by her Creator who gives freely and equally. It’s the political environment and educational policy that limits them from achieving their full potential.

I am so proud of Kok Wai, Sue May, Jocelyn and the Orang Asli team of CDPC. Their compassion, dedication, and sacrifices have gone a long way to help Orang Asli children to be as educated as any bright Malaysian children in the main stream society.

Change one life, one at a time. Supriano has shown us the way.

The Poor Church that outdo others in Mission

2008-05-31T12:13:00.002+08:00

I was fascinated with the mission story told by Jonathan Bonk, a Canadian missiologist at STM few months ago. The Mizo Synod with a population of 500,000 members raised US $3.4 million for mission in 2003. How many denominations in Malaysia can match that mission fervor? Most of the Mizo people are farmers and relatively poor as compared to the affluent Christians in mega churches in Malaysia.

When I sat there at Presbyterian Church of India General Assembly on April 13 2008 listening to the reports from Mizo Synod, I was curious to look at its mission collection. There was a slight dip in the figure, but US $2.7 million is still an impressive figure. Mizo is certainly a missional church. There is so little write up about this church in mission journal. The Mizo women motivated each other by setting apart a handful of rice from each meal every day for a year. The handful of rice is then put into a container and to be sold in the market and the proceeds go to mission funds. Collectively the Mizo women raised US $1 million for mission each year. Such effort is known in Mizo language as “Buhfai Tham.” The Khasi Synod which is one of the eighth Synod inn PCI has the same tradition. The Khasi women also raised money for mission through “Khaw Kham.” (Handful of rice). There is so much that Malaysian church can learn from this poorer church tuck in a corner in Meghalaya. These unknown women are the unsung heroes in the annals of God’s mission history. Just as there are no little people in God’s kingdom, there are no little church.

My trip to Shangpung, Meghalaya has opened my eyes to the multiple possibilities of raising funds for mission. The size of the church does not matter what matters is the size of the heart for God’s agenda.

The descendants of the Great Genghis Khan

2008-05-24T13:34:00.007+08:00

Badma and Badja are the first Mongolians I met three years ago when they spoke at City Discipleship Presbyterian Church. They aroused my interest of Mongolia. They mainly talked about the great need of Mongolian church. Mongolia gained its independence from Russia. It was only 18 years ago. The church is relatively young. In 1990, there were only 5 Christians in the whole country. Today Christian population numbers about 60,000. The growth is phenomenon. Mongolian Christians are aggressively planting churches and are passionate to evangelize their nation. My memory of Mongolian history flashed back to Yuan Dynasty in which the Mongols ruled China during the 13th century. In the twelve years between 1211 and 1223, historians estimated that more than 18 million people died in northern China at the hands of the Mongols. Genghis Khan was a fearless warrior and a world conqueror. His empire was greater than that of Alexander the Great.

Hugh Kemp, an OMF missionary wrote a fascinating Mongolian church history in his book “Steppe by Step.” It is the first book about Mongolian Church history that I laid my hand on. The stories gripped my heart and I could not put down the book. My heart resonates with the agenda of God and I could see God’s hand upon this nation.

“In the 13th century the Mongols carved out the greatest land empire in history. Their invincible warriors conquered Russia and penetrated Hungary and Poland to the borders of Germany. Medieval Europe quailed before them. There was nothing to stop the Mongol blitzkrieg from storming Paris and Rome and annihilating the cities of Christendom as they had already razed innumerable cities in central Asia. Then in 1241 the Khan Ogedei died and the Mongol armies voluntarily withdrew to elect a new Khan. Europe and Christian civilization were saved. It was one of the great turning points of history.” (Hugh Kemp, Steppe by Step, p.15)

Mongolian history and Chinese history might have been rewritten had the Pope responded positively to Kublai Khan’s request that one hundred Christian missionaries be sent to Mongolia and china. Tragically, the Pope sent only two Dominican friars, who never made it to Mongolia and China –they turned back half way. Mongolia winter can be very harsh (minus 30 degree Celsius) and the Silk Road was treacherous and dangerous. Sadly by the time the first batch of a few Catholic missionaries arrived in Beijing in 1294, Kublai Khan had died, the Mongols had turned to Tibetan Buddhism. The window of opportunity for the gospel was missed.

What has not been known is the missionary movement in the 7th century by the Nestorians who for 700 years brought many Mongols to faith in Jesus Christ. It was known that the Queen mother of Kublai Khan was a Christian. The rise of the Jesuit Catholic missions in the 16th century and the Protestant missions in the 19th century failed to pry open the hearts of the Mongols. The gospel remained shut. The hearts of the Mongols were bolted not until the collapsed of Russian regime in Mongolia. 1990s was the watershed moment when Mongolia got its independence. Since then the church in Mongolia has grown rapidly.

How God transformed his descendants’ DNA is quite remarkable- from conquering surrounding nations to evangelizing people.

Eric Fung, the national director of Asian Outreach Malaysia, who spoke at CDPC mission conference, challenged me to bring leadership training for Mongolian pastors and church planters, I immediately responded with a resounding yes.

The first leadership training was conducted over 3 days in Ulaanbator during the cold month of November 2006 when temperature dipped below 0 degree Celsius. The weather was bitterly cold but my heart was warmth as I witnessed the spiritual hunger of the Mongolian pastors and leaders. 36 pastors and leaders came from different parts of Mongolia. Some had to travel for more than 15 hours journey. Language was not a barrier as the translator did a superb job of bridging the hearts and minds. Judging from the interaction and questions asked, I knew that they had grasped the leadership principles well. Hwei Yeow, a church member assisted me in training them. Together two of us demonstrated the model of partnership between a pastor and a corporate leader.

I supposed we did a good job in training when Asian Outreach Mongolia invited us to go back again in 2007. But the trip did not materialize until May 2008. 70% of the original 36 came back for second phase training revealed that they really wanted the training. May 2008 was spring time but it snowed the day when we landed in Ulaanbator. There were some heartwarming stories Badmaa told me that he and a few other Mongolian leaders had used the materials and conducted leadership training for 20 town mayors and leaders. The response from secular leaders was overwhelming. Norjii, a woman Christian leader who came twice for the training also used the materials for educationist and teachers in Mongolia. One doctor found the training so beneficial for him that he decided to conduct similar training in his hospital.

I had the opportunity to meet up with Pastor Batbold’s church leadership for 4 hours. Batbold is a senior pastor although he is only in his mid thirties. It is not uncommon to find that most senior pastors in Mongolia are very young as majorities are first generation Christians. The history of modern Mongolian church is only 18 years old. I was able to process leadership issues with them. Batbold and his wife Mega came to my hotel and continued our conversation until 1.30am. He wanted to learn exegesis and sermon crafting. He wanted to know more about leading the church. I happened to be older than him and more years in the pastoral setting. I became his mentor in the ministry. The joy of ministry in Mongolia is unspeakable. I have forged good relationship with Mongolian Pastors and church planters. The frustration of being delayed by Air China for 2 days on the ongoing flights and further delayed for 14 hours in Ulaanbator and held up again in Beijing for another day on return flights was soon dissipated. The Nestorian missionaries traveled by foot over hills and steppes for months and the Protestant missionaries sailed for weeks in order to reach Mongolia. Mine was relatively an easy ride. Its only 9 hours traveling time by air from Kuala Lumpur to Ulaanbator. This time I had ‘wasted’ 4 days due to Air China lame excuses of bad weather. The plus point is that I got to spend a lot of time with Hwei Yeow who came along to co-train with me. We had free hotel and free food in Beijing at the courtesy of Air China. I think it’s a 'ploy' on the part of Air China for us to see the grandeur of Beijing airport and the superb Beijing Olympic preparation so that we become their ambassadors. More likely its the usual logistic issue of the airline industry. However we responded positively to what could have been potentially a ruined trip. We took it that God wanted us to rest. I had time to reflect on my life and ministry.

New Political Realities in Malaysia

2008-03-21T18:51:00.004+08:00

Everyone in Malaysia is talking about the new political realities after the General Election in which the Barisan National, the ruling party was dented in its ego.

The new political realities: Umno’s dominance is crippled. Its invincibility is exposed. Umno like the proverbial emperor is without clothes.

BN has never lost two third of Parliament seats but it did. Worst, BN lost 5 states to the opposition party, which is unprecedented. BN leaders wanted honest and brutal post mortem so that they could win back the hearts of the people. But whom are they hearing from?

The Barisan Rakyat is euphoric and in cloud nine and the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng and Menteri Besar of Selangor, Khalid had implemented clear policy of transparency and integrity. All tenders must be open tenders and for public view and scrutiny. It is to be totally above board. They are on the right track so far. But will power corrupt them eventually? Time will tell.

The arrogance as epitomized by wielding the keris at the Umno General Assembly, the blatant corruption at high places, the unfairness of awarding government contracts without open tenders and many other factors led to the downfall of BN. Umno Putra have benefited from the power of the ruling government. The Bumi Putra are resenting against the Umno Putra. Even Malays are not happy with the government. The swing votes were telling sign of protest.

Many Hindus temples were demolished, the poor Indians were marginalized and the pent up feelings finally exploded and shocked the nation. Social injustice as experienced by the minority Indians had brought about Hindraf rally- a tipping point that toppled Samy Vellu and brought about Tsunami effect in the General Election.

Churches and Christians have been harassed by the little Napoleans – banning the use of God’s name Allah, banning of Christian books and literature which use the name Allah, demolition of Orang Asli church buildings. Christians have been denied legitimate places of worship. Fairness and justice is just empty slogan. Malaysia is a pluralistic society and not an Islamic republic.

The local councils are corrupted and incompetent. They shut their ears to the voice of protest by the Rakyat.

These days our RM $50 have shrunk.

My reflection on political realities:

The race-based policy by ruling party has been rejected by the Rakyat. Christians cannot go along with such ethos, as it is unbiblical.

Leaders whether political or religious are not to be self-serving but to serve others. If there is ambition in leadership, it must be ambition to serve others. The worldly system thinks of greatness in terms of mastery and rule, in God’s kingdom, greatness is manifested in service. The way forward for BN and BR is to be humble in lowly service, to fear God and to be uncorrupted.

The greatness of a nation is not in its wealth or superiority in weaponry nor technological advances but how it reaches out and take care of the minority, the poor, the destitute, the marginalized regardless of race, creed or religion. Righteousness exalts a nation. Therefore national leaders must do what is right in the sight of God. Church must take the lead to share its wealth with the poor.

The Church must be awakened to its role in nation building. More Christians must participate in Public Square. Christians must be encouraged to take up politics as a vocation.

Church leaders must teach political theology and good governance to Christians. Church to model good governance and structure and practice.

Christians must learn the moral courage and moral vision of great men and women who brought changes to their nations (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nelson Mandela, Aleksandar Solzhenitsyn, Ghandi, Aung San Suu Kyi…)

Church must see itself as an NGO that can play significant role in society.

Civil Society can act as check and balance for the government through wise and righteous policy.

Ordinary Rakyat can be a voice of conscience to the nation.

God can use righteous, fair-minded non-Christians to speak up against injustices.

Christians need to learn how to work alongside people of different faiths for the common good of society.

Racial integration and reconciliation are possible and Christians must take the lead by loving people and communities unconditionally.

Human hearts are corrupted. The depravity of sin is present in every human heart. Everyone needs the gospel. Evil structure and institution can only be changed when human hearts are transformed by the gospel.

We need to pray unceasingly for our nation.

The One who changed my destiny

2008-03-07T16:52:00.003+08:00

Rembrant, the Renaissance artist painted the picture of the crucifixion of Christ, which is known as The Deposition, or Descent from the Cross. Christ's body was taken down from the cross. Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and respected man who was secretly a follower of Christ, obtained permission from Pilate to bury the body. Traditional representations in art show a ladder against the cross, with Joseph of Arimathea mounted on the ladder and lowering the body. Mary received the body and kissed the face. Mary Magdalene kissed the left hand, and John kissed the right. Nicodemus extracted the nails from the feet. The painting vividly portrayed the death of Jesus.

The Gospel of John recorded that Pilate granted the permission because he had already ascertained that Jesus had died. The soldiers initially wanted to break Jesus’ legs so as to hasten his death but when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But to be doubly sure, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. This again is a clear evident that Jesus had died. His death is beyond any shadow of doubt.

When the crucifixion were being carried out at Golgotha, standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), Mary Magdalene, John and the crowd that followed Jesus to the site of crucifixion. The rest of the disciples were just devastated and too disappointed to want to be there. Their dream and hope of the Messianic kingdom was shattered to pieces. No one had come away from Roman crucifixion alive.

No one needs to convince the bystanders, onlookers and the executioners that Jesus really died.

That is the reason why Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices so that they could anoint Jesus’ body. On Sunday morning, just as sunrise, they went to the tomb and were shocked to find the tomb empty. Jesus’ body was not there! In the tomb they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The young man turned out to be an angel. He said to them, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened (Mark 16:1-8).

The abrupt ending of the resurrection narrative in the Gospel of Mark is surprising but more surprising is the risen Jesus makes no appearance. It is accepted by biblical scholars that the most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Does this mean that there isn’t any proof of Jesus’ resurrection since Mark Gospel did not mention Jesus appearing to his disciples?

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke use Mark Gospel as their primary source, and the John Gospel which may also count Mark among its sources, all include the appearances of the risen Jesus. In the earliest resurrection tradition Paul in his letter to the Corinthians Christians also attested to the resurrection appearance of Jesus: “I passed on to you what was most important and what had been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said, and he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also…” (1 Cor 15:3-8). The eyewitnesses’ account of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus is just too overwhelming to be fabricated. It is easily verifiable both by the believers and the critics during the 40 days in which Jesus proved to his disciples that he was actually alive (Acts 1:3).

The complete turn around of the apostles from cowardice to bravery is a very convincing proof that something dramatic have had happened. They deserted Jesus at the crucifixion site and then went everywhere to proclaim the good news of the resurrection of Christ. There is no plausible reason other than the fact that Jesus had appeared to them after his crucifixion. The rapid growth of the church in spite of severe persecution right in Jerusalem and throughout the towns and cities of Roman Empire is also a convincing proof that the disciples had seen the resurrected Jesus. Paul, the great persecutor of the church became the staunchest follower of Christ. In his own words: “…and last of all Jesus appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecute the church of God” (1 Cor 15:6-10). Paul went on to become evangelist, church planter, pastor and theologian. The centrality of his message is the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. No one can refute his personal testimony of encountering the resurrected Christ and how this experience had forever altered the course of his life.

If the post resurrection appearances of Christ are the important features of the other Gospels and also Paul’s writing, why then Mark Gospel ends abruptly without mentioning the post resurrection appearances of Jesus? Was Mark’s omission intentional and by design? Was he purposely making a bold statement about the significance of the announcement “he has risen, he is not here”? (Mark 16:6) Was the abrupt ending served to engage the hearers rather than providing a closure?

Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus had told the disciples “ after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” (Mark 14:28). The angel in the tomb also told the women that Jesus isn’t in the tomb, he is risen from the dead, he is going ahead of them to Galilee. The women were to go and tell the disciples that Jesus is waiting for them in Galilee.

Galilee was the place where God’s power was manifested in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus healed a man with leprosy and for the first time in his life the cleansed leper could mix around in his community without being shunned by others (Mark 1:40-44). At Jesus’ word, a paralyzed man jumped out, grabbed his mat and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We have never seen anything like this before!” (Mark 2:1-12). Imagine a man who once was paralyzed and was totally dependent on others but now was able to walk and to take care of himself. Jesus also restored a man with a deformed hand. The man could now do so much with a hand, which had been restored. Jesus went throughout the region of Galilee; he brought healing; he set people free from demon possession, he taught them about the kingdom of God. Galilee’s ministry is a sign of the redemptive act of Jesus for the world. Mark’s resurrection narrative refers back to Galilee, the place where the power of God to heal, liberate, feed, teach and restore points toward the resurrection of Christ. In other words, the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection in Mark Gospel is to be found in recalling his proclamation and enactment of God’s kingdom in Galilee.

In celebrating Easter, we are directed by Mark Gospel (even with its abrupt ending in Mark 16:8) to think of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee that the power of God to heal, to liberate, to transform is still true and available today. Simply because Jesus isn’t in the tomb, he is risen from the dead!

I know Jesus is risen from the dead because I have encountered the resurrected Jesus and he has changed my destiny.

Prodigal sons and daughters come home

2008-02-29T09:52:00.003+08:00

“My adopted son rejected the Christian faith and my world was collapsing before me.” Dr. Paul Kooistra shared about his pain before an audience of 80 people. I sat there in the sanctuary listening to his story with transfixed eyes. His son’s open rebellion brought shame to Dr. Paul and he did not know where to hide his face. Isn’t the pastor supposed to be a role model for the congregation? Does that mean he has to leave the pastorate because he could not manage his family well? During the period of her son waywardness, Dr. Paul’s wife demonstrated unconditional love by persistently and consistently through actions and words affirming her son that ‘there is nothing he does that will stop her from loving him.’ He never ceased to be their son even when he turned his back on them. Eventually the ‘prodigal son’ came home. In Dr. Paul’s words, God’s covenantal love reached out to his son.

Another heart wrenching story was told by Dr. Paul that gripped my heart. He told a true story of a pastor whose daughter rebelled against her parents. The story was written into a book entitles “Come Back, Barbara.” “Mom, Dad, I don’t want your rules and morals. I don’t want to act like a Christian anymore! And I am not going to,” Barbara barked at her father at age 18. As her father desperately tried every possible ways to win her heart, Barbara grew more resentful, choosing a path of immorality that only deepened her parents’ pain. Barbara dropped out from school and lived with a man. Eventually they got married but the relationship was short lived. She then married a drug trafficker who was wealthy. “Everyone was horrified. I had left Tom and moved in with a drug dealer who carried money in his briefcase and a gun in his belt.” Her father could only watch in silence and at a distance completely helpless. During those dark periods, he became to talk less but prayed more. Barbara could never understand the agony, the frustration, the wounded feeling of her father. As a pastor he had to preach, to council and to provide pastoral care for the hurting ones in his church and yet he had to hide his tears from the crowd. He carried the wound silently in his heart. Sadly Barbara lived in luxury oblivious to the pain of her parents. However, the opulent lifestyle did not bring happiness to her. Finally she moved out of that relationship and drifted into another one. Her father’s faith was tested to the limit. The more he prayed, it seemed the further she moved away from God and from the family.

For parents, the pain of watching their children move in wrong directions, knowing that no word of rebuke or drastic action will reach and change them, can be overwhelming. Barbara’s story is not uncommon.

Pastor John Miller and his wife persevered in their belief of the faithfulness of God. They continued to trust in the covenant keeping God who is sovereign and who is working out his purpose for Barbara. Their persistent love and unconditional love finally won Barbara over. Barbara remarried and together with her husband, Angelo, went to study in Bible seminary. Barbara is a Bible teacher, editor, and conference speaker. They founded the youth ministry at New Life Presbyterian Church. Who would have thought that Barbara would reconcile with her family and renew her relationship with God? Not even pastor John Miller! When the fog seemed thick, the cloud was dense and dark, a pilot has to believe that the aviation instruments are working and reliable. In the darkest hour, one has to place his hand into the hand of the loving God who is wise and powerful and walks in faith.

I think of many friends I know whose children have become wayward. My heart goes out to them. As I heard the story and read the book, I know the prodigal sons and daughters will surely come home one day. It’s just a matter of time.

"When the prodigal son finally came to his senses....so he returned home to his father..." (Luke 15:11-32)

The Man unfazed with materialistic lifestyle

2008-02-06T12:17:00.000+08:00

When Ian came in his Volkswagen to take me around Charlotte, he pulled over his car in front of my American host’s bungalow, his ‘old junk’ stood in great contrast with the expensive modern vehicles parked there. Judging from the look of the car, I seriously doubt its reliability. But the Germans are noted for manufacturing solid tankers.

Ian drove his Volkswagen as if it is a Ferrari. He even overtook several bigger cars along the high way. All along the journey my left foot was stepping on the imagery brakes. Ian is a huge American. He looks like Francis Schaeffer, the great philosopher and theologian whom I admire. Ian was completely contented with his ancient machine. He was unfazed with materialism. I find his attitude towards money refreshing.

Ian spent a few days taking me around Charlotte. He was most generous even though he wasn’t rich at all. Being a missionary kid, he grew up unlike most American kids who have more things than they ever need in their lifetime. He has very little and yet possesses much. He has a big heart and kind. When he insisted paying the bill for the pullover I bought at Billy Graham Center, I could not fight with him. His size dwarfed me.

This is a man who chose not to go to University and yet had written 3 books. He once worked in the Hollywood’s studio and is gifted in literary, video shooting. His gift will enrich my church when he comes to us.

His wife Darlene sings like an angel. Darlene is a Sundanese and also a missionary kid. They have 3 lovely children. They live a simple lifestyle. It’s such a joy to know this family who are committed to serve God wherever He calls.

Jesus’ sermon on birds of the air and lilies of the field was fleshed out in their lives.
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field… So do not worry…but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”

It is often said that we will not be judged by how much we possess (hoard) but by how much we gave away to be a blessing to others, and yet many have bought in the materialistic culture lock, stock and barrel.

We save our lives, we will lose them. We hoard our possession, we will lose them. In giving away, paradoxically we find them and possess them in return.

Serving God and being faithful in spite of illness

2008-02-02T17:11:00.000+08:00

In a Christian culture where people flock to healing rally expecting their diseases and illnesses to be healed, I find this one woman to be unique. She does not make a fuss about her condition when she was diagnosed to have stage 1-2 Parkinson disease. Her shoulder is stiff and tense after a day of hard work in the office. Her mobility and motor activity has slowed down considerable and noticeably. Doctors who are her friends spotted her Parkinson-like movement and advised her to see neurologist. She is too young to suffer from Parkinson disease. But a specialist confirmed it and she is being treated with medication.

She works twice as hard.
Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she is wise. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Her wisdom is sought after by many particularly those who work under her. She is perceptive and insightful. I often wonder why she is so wise even though she did not have a degree in counseling.

She is industrious.
First to arise in the house and she makes sure that everything is done for the family. Literally she gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls (Prov. 31:15). She sleeps only 4 to 5 hours a day. I have known her to be a woman of strength both physical and mental. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. Everything she does, she gives her all. Her colleagues commented that she is a ‘super woman.’ This may have to do with her mother’s upbringing. Her mother is a tough woman herself.

She has entrepreneur’s blood running in her vein.
She could have been a CEO running a big company. But she chooses to marry a pastor and give her time serving God. Not unlike the Proverbs 31 woman, she sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers (Prov. 31:18-19). She works hard to make sure that her business is built upon biblical values. Today she runs an education business with 3 other partners and the center has a reputation that provides excellent and quality education for the children.

She is compassionate.
She employs a woman who once was struggling with her life both financially and spiritually. She took her into her center and made her to cook for the children and the staff. She helps her to be strong and to get on with her life.

Recently this ‘super woman’ decided to take in an aborigine girl to her education center to train her. I was thinking how she is going to train an illiterate young girl. “I would train her for 10 weeks so that she could go back to her village and to teach other children. And from time to time she could come back to the center to be trained. This is one way we could help the Orang Asli (Aborigines). Ramla could also stay in my house during the period of training.” This is neither the first time nor the last that she has shown mercy to the marginalized and the destitute. She opens her arm to the poor and extends her hands to the needy (Prov. 31:20). She has a heart of gold.

She dresses in style.
She is clothed in fine linen and purple (Prov. 31:22). Her dress sense and taste is far better than her husband. Always elegantly dressed for work, she exudes grace and poise. Now I know why her daughter is crazy over purple color. She is the chip of the old block.

She makes her husband looks good.
She is as theologically trained as her husband. She has 2 master degrees but hardly anyone in the church knows about it. She does not know how to brag at all! She serves in the Sunday school, sourcing books and devising curriculum and teaches a class regularly for 7 years since the founding of the church until now. Many would have been burned out by now. Not a word of complaint found in her lips.

The best-kept secret is that she is a better preacher and communicator than her preacher husband. Many think so highly of her husband but not many know that she is the better half. She is the source of his strength. Every time when he is deflated when discouragement of ministry sets in, she is always there listening, cajoling, spurring him to move on. Her husband grew from strength to strength. She is the woman behind his every success. Today her husband is respected at the church gate where he takes his seat among the bishops of the land (Prov. 31:23). She makes her man looks good.

This is the woman who is suffering from Parkinson disease. Does she yearn for divine healing? In quiet confidence, she looks to her God for mercy, grace and strength. Despite illness, she goes about quietly serving God, loving others. She watches over the affairs of her household, she watches over the affairs of God’s household, she watches over the affairs of her business. She does not allow her ‘immobility’ to immobilize her. She may be slow in her movement; she is fast in her thinking and in doing good to others.

How do I know so much about his ‘super woman’? She happens to be the wife of noble character that God gifted me.

Sarah and Sam arise to and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

God's Kairos Moment

2008-01-17T15:18:00.001+08:00

I received a phone call from a total stranger yesterday telling me that God’s Spirit had spoken to him and directed him to come to Malaysia. The Holy Spirit stirred his heart for the Vietnamese in Malaysia. He fled Saigon in the early 90s as a young man. His father was a captain in the army and used to work for the CIA. When his father was released from the prison, the whole family migrated to USA. The communists continue to rule Vietnam. Life was hard for everyone. Christians were persecuted and church activities were greatly restricted. This young man moved on to USA and finished his tertiary education. Called by God to the church ministry, together with his wife they studied in the seminary. Being ordained as a Presbyterian minister in Seattle, when he came to Malaysia, naturally he came looking for reformed pastors in Presbyterian Church of Malaysia. He was given my e-mail address and that was all he has. Somehow his e-mail did not reach me. But he managed to locate me through ‘accidental’ contact with an ordained minister of Presbyterian. The line was connected and the contact made. Sitting in front of my desk, he shared the amazing story of God’s orchestrating his purpose.

When I got the call from Rev. Truong yesterday, God has already prepared my heart for the Vietnamese work. I came back from Ho Chi Minh City on Monday. Hwei Yeow, William and I went to Vietnam to train the pastors. I met Rev. Khoa, the moderator of Presbyterian Church of Vietnam in Bangkok at Mission Consultation. He then invited me to come to Ho Chi Minh to train his pastors. The 4 days mission work in Ho Chi Minh has opened my eyes to the work of God in Vietnam. The country is fast opening up to the outside world. The young population is responsive to the gospel. The country is growing economically at a rapid pace. The labor force is huge and cheap as compared to Malaysia and even China. It has attracted big amount of foreign investment. The desperate need for economic development provides opportunities for tent-makers in business and in teaching English. English centers flourish in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Christian NGOs, which propose legitimate aid projects, are increasingly invited to work in Vietnam. The pastors are eager to learn and have passions to plant churches. From just a small house church movement, the Presbyterian Church of Vietnam (PCV) has grown to a size of 7000 strong in a span of one decade.

Truong shared his burden of being directed by the Holy Spirit to reach out to the Vietnamese migrant workers in Malaysia and to disciple them and send them back to Vietnam, intuitively I sensed God’s prompting that this is the man God has prepared for a time such as this. He was planning of relocating his family of 2 young children from Seattle to Subang Jaya. His heart is at the right place.

There are 180,000 Vietnamese migrant workers in Malaysia. Many have received the gospel in our country. In just 3 weeks’ stay in Klang, Rev. Truong had baptized 400 Vietnamese. I can sense the urgency and the passion with which he spoke about the movement of the Holy Spirit among the Vietnamese. He firmly believes that we should disciple these Vietnamese and to send them back to the churches in Vietnam, revival will come to the nation of Vietnam.

This is God’s kairos moment as the window of opportunity for gospel work is wide open.

No Sex Scandal

2008-01-05T15:44:00.000+08:00

The Billy Graham Library is one of a kind in the world. It is not the normal library which has rows of books. It is rather a center which features the life and ministry of Billy Graham through large screen video presentation. Large posters displaying his evangelistic crusades around the globe are posted at strategic place. It displays many of his personal things which are associated with his evangelistic campaigns. One prominent one which caught my attention is the Bible that he read and studied and has his personal notes at the margins of the Bible. From the look of it, one could guess that Billy Graham is a serious student of God’s word. How else could he thunder so convincingly each time he stepped into the lectern: “The Bible says….” If he has not soaked or saturated himself with the word of God.

I stood there in one of the rooms speechless when I saw Billy Graham (Video presentation) placed his Bible on the stump of a tree, he kneeled and prayed to God and exclaimed that he accepted and believed the Bible in totality as the inspired word of God by faith. After that singular moment of utter surrender, Billy Graham never waivers for one bit about the Word of God. Always with the Bible in one hand and the other hand gesturing vehemently, he would speak with great confident and summoned the crowd to come to Christ and to put their faith in Him. “The Bible says!” is his clarion call. We can better appreciate this incident when we understand the context that Billy Graham was in. During the early stage of his ministry, it was a time when Bible was subjected to higher critical method of interpretation. Many doubted whether the Bible could be trusted in its entirety. Miracles recorded in the Bible defy rationale and were considered untrue. Charles Templeton, a better preacher and more brilliant man than Billy Graham in those days, shipwrecked his faith because he rejected the authority of the Word of God. Templeton did not believe that the Word of God is fully inspired and therefore could not be trusted completely. Billy Graham too struggled but he came to a settled conviction and by faith took the Bible at face value as the Word of God. He never looked back.

No wonder God uses Billy Graham as His mouthpiece to convict hundreds of thousands of people of their sins and to turn them to Him.

No wonder God uses Billy Graham to bring revival and renewal around the world.

No wonder no one can indict Billy Graham of any scandals. He is completely above board with regards to sex, money and power.

Billy Graham has anchored his life and ministry solidly upon the Word of God.

In an age when politicians, movie celebrities, spiritual and business leaders at the ecclesiastical and corporate world faltered and hogged headlines because of sexual or financial impropriety, Billy Graham stands tall. Billy Graham merely stands in biblical tradition where great men and women who were greatly used by God because they held on to the Word of God and allow it to shape and mould their lives.

“For the gracious hand of his God was on him because Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws…” (Ezra 7:9-10)

A time for hibernation

2008-01-04T16:26:00.000+08:00

I went into hibernation during the month of December which was supposedly the busiest month of the year. I did not even preach at the Christmas eve service in my church even though many expected me to preach since I am the senior pastor of the church. I took time off to be with my family. We had a gala time enjoying undistracted and undisturbed time with one another. Sarah was back home from Grand Rapids and we had so much to catch up. Without me around in the church to make sure things were done properly, things turned out to be even better. I could sit back to enjoy the Christmas drama presented by the young people in the church. One thing I learned: pastors must not take themselves too seriously, the church often functions well even when they are not around because God is directing his people.

The short Sabbath refreshes and rejuvenates me. I discovered that while I rest and sleep, God works out his covenant grace to bring about healing, restoration of strength. He makes his church grow. He sustains the universe by his word. I can't build the church by my own effort, neither can a Christian business man earns the whole world by his or her business acumen. God invites me to participate in his creative work, to enjoy his creation. There is a rhythm which he puts in the universe and he expects me to flow with it. We begin with worship, then work and follow by Sabbath (Hebrew word for rest) and play. Sabbath and play is spiritual and God takes delight when we do that. When we work without Sabbath and play as if the world or the work depends on us or else it would collapse or fail, we are taking ourselves too seriously. We forgot that there is a God who is the creator and sustainer of the universe.

Without biblical balance and rhythm, work can become a drudgery, family life may suffer, children may be neglected, friendship becomes utilitarian. I am glad God's word provides me with wisdom.

Article 9 and Peace in Asia

2007-12-05T10:50:00.000+08:00

“Article 9 of Japan Constitution states:
(1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce was as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes.
(2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.”

It is heartwarming to see Japanese Christian leaders as well as other religious groups in Japan stood their ground against the revision of Article 9 in their constitution. There is an attempt by the Japanese government to move in the direction to make amendment to Article 9. Already revision of textbook had taken place to portray Japan as a victim instead of being the victimizer in the Second World War. China and Korea protested vehemently to the distortion of history. These are the two nations, which had suffered the most during the brutal regime of Japan.

At the consultation which was organized by NCCJ (National Christian Council of Japan), delegates from Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Germany, UK, USA, Australia, and Japan listened to key note addresses and panel presentations and unanimously stood in solidarity with the majority of Japanese not to revise Article 9. Any attempt to revise Article 9 will pose as a threat to regional security and peace. Peace can never be achieved through military violence but only through promoting a culture open to patient dialogue and diversity that promotes justice, equality, and respect.

Transformation of society involves active engagement with national agenda. Although Christian population in Japan is very small but they are active in political and social engagement.

An elderly Japanese (probably in his mid 80s) spoke about the wars with deep sadness and remorsefulness. He obviously had gone through the pains of seeing the Japanese soldiers brutally killed and raped the victims of the wars. I could sense the great guilt carried by the Japanese Christians on behalf of their nation.

I remembered reading Iris Chang’s book “The Rape of Nanking” which described the atrocities and brutalities of the Japanese soldiers. It was estimated that 300,000 civilians were massacred. Thousands of women were raped, tortured, humiliated beyond words to describe. It was a national shame to China to be humiliated to such extent. The Japanese government denied the historicity of such event in spite of the presence of thousands of documents, photos, and eyewitnesses’ accounts. This singular colossal tragedy happened in 1937, the precursor of the Second World War. China has recently published an eight-volume list of 13,000 victims of the Nanjing massacre in which it says invading Japanese troops killed 300,000 civilians. The Chinese publications, released to mark the 70th anniversary of the start of massacre which is known as the “Rape of Nanking”, include the names, ages, sex, occupations and residential addresses of the victims, which Japanese army unit was responsible and how the victims were killed. To deny the reality of the historical event on the part of Japan is tantamount to murdering the victims twice. No wonder the people in China still harbor deep resentment over Japanese wartime atrocities.

“Women suffered the most,” Takokoro, Kozo, a former soldier in the 114th Division of the Japanese army in Nanking, recalled. “No matter how young or old, they all could not escape the fate of being rape. We sent out coal trucks from Hsiakwan to the city streets and villages to seize a lot of women. And then each of them was allocated to 15 to 20 soldiers for sexual intercourse and abuse.”(Iris Chang “The Rape of Nanking” p.49)

In 1941 when Japan invaded Malaya, Philippines and other South East Asian countries, army brothels were set up to service the sexual needs of the Japanese soldiers. The women were forced into prostitution and they were later known as the Comfort Women. In fact many Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese women were forced to become Comfort Women. This was the response of the Japanese government to the massive outcry from Western nations to the wholesale rape that took place at Nanking.

It was estimated that 200,000 women were forced into this giant underground system of military prostitution. To this day, many Comfort Women who are now in their old age are too ashamed to even talk about it to their families let alone to come out to make public statement. But there are those who were persuaded to make public press statement and to sue the Japanese government for compensation.

Germany could move forward because it had confessed and acknowledged its sin and compensated the Jews for the holocaust. But Japanese government still lived in denial. The previous PM of Japan periodically visited the shrines of the war criminals to honor them. Japan government has not publicly apologized to the nations, which were brutalized by the Japanese soldiers during the wars.

One lady panelist from Philippines narrated the story of his aunt being beheaded by a Japanese soldier at the consultation. There was a dead silence in the audience.

If Article 9 is changed and Japan begins to arm itself, militarism and militarization rears its ugly head again, I wonder what will be the implication for the security and peace in Asia. Hence, Christians in Japan see its role to resist the government.

As I participated in the consultation, I sat there wondering: “what was going through the mind of the teenage Japanese soldiers who were handed rifles and bayonets that propelled them to commit such atrocities?” Have the Japanese learned from wartime history? What would be our collective responsibility in halting Japanese government to revise Article 9 of their constitution?

No better place than to be in Grand Rapids

2007-11-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

"Sarah, Dad is here." I called out to Sarah when I spotted her at Grand Rapids airport. "Dad." She ran towards me and gave me a hug. Sarah was obviously excited to see me and her smile took away all the tiredness of a very long journey. You got to be a father to understand the heart of a father. I was in Charlotte airport at 12pm and I was re-routed to Cicinnati instead of Cleveland because of bad weather. It was the eve of the Thanksgiving Day and every airline was overbooked. I had to wait at Cicinnati for 4 hours. When the plane finally touched down at Grand Rapids airport, it was 9pm. It was really cold in Grand Rapids as compared to the warm climate in Charlotte.

Arriving at Sarah's dormitory, she was very proud to introduce me to her friends. "Akiko, this is my dad." I was equally pleased to meet her friends in Calvin College. "Dad, this is Theresa, my good friend." "Dad, this is Jiyea, my roommate." "Hi, Akiko, hi Theresa... Jiyea, Aun Yong Har Seh Oh (Korean)."

Sarah has forgotten that her dad has seen them before. She posted their pictures on her blog. I thank God for enriching her life with friends from different nations. I could sense that living in dormitory is fun - interactive and engaging.

"Sarah, look at all the stuff that your mum has bought for you." "Here is the Indon Mee, the 3 in 1 instant coffee, the Alcafe (given by Grace Chong - the bride of David Chong), the Sushi stuff, Bak Kut Teh paste..." Sarah has been generous in sharing whatever Malaysian food with her international friends. She is a good ambassador for Malaysia. Patriotism comes in all shapes and sizes. One size does not fit all!

When I went to Scotland 31 years ago, I was all alone. Dundee's winter was bitterly cold. Malaysian foodstuff was nowhere to be seen.

It was so good to catch up with Sarah. We talked for hours the next day. It thrills my heart to know that she still has the conviction to come back to Malaysia. I am so glad that she really enjoys her study in Calvin.

We celebrated first time (its first time for Sarah as well as first time for me) Thanksgiving in Chicago at her friend's home. As the Americans thank God for His blessing of providence and protection upon the puritans, their ancestors, I thank God for His grace, mercy and love for sarah.

I cried silently with tears of joy and thanksgiving because God has been so good to us.

I never expect to see Sarah so soon. She has grown in just a few months. She is in the hand of God whose heart as a heavenly Father is gracious, generous and gentle. I can trust Him, his wisdom is above mine. He knows what is best for Sarah. My vocation as a father is simpler - to be a good, loving and godly father to my children. This is my gift to Sarah and Samuel.

"It's not where you are at but whom you are with that makes the difference." - Anonymous

The Unfinished Business

2007-11-21T12:20:00.000+08:00

I stood on the land which once was owned by Jim Bakker. Its a vast land that is beautifully landscaped and new houses are being built. I could still see the remnant of its former glory when Jim Bakker developed it as a theme park with hotel facilities and other amenities. Many retirees bought houses with the understanding that eventually a Christian community will be developed. Many Christians in America particularly those in Charlotte gave generously to fulfill Jim Bakker's dream of a Christian center that will be a blessing to the city and the nation. Jim Bakker's dream turned out to be a nightmare. He was imprisoned, his wife Tammy Bakker left him, his son became wayward. His whole life and ministry collapsed. In his book "I was wrong", Jim Bakker regretted preaching the gospel of prosperity. In his own confession he knew that it is not the correct doctrine. He had since been released from jail. His prodigal son came back to God. In his lowest moment, many Christian leaders deserted him. But Billy Graham and Ruth stood by him. They embraced his brokenness. On the day of his release from imprisonment, they brought him to their church and Ruth was seated beside him. It was a very healing moment for Jim Bakker.

The 2000 acres land was once called "Heritage." But there was no trace of any heritage being left behind, what remains are trails of broken lives, wounded hearts and anger. Many Christians felt they had been cheated of their money. They felt deep sense of betrayal. Christian testimony was destroyed and Christian community worldwide became a laughing stock when CNN, Time Correspondence carried the news of defrauding.

My host Ruth who few years ago served in the county of North Carolina was involved in the case. She was instrumental to get the different counties to link up the trails across the land for public usage. The Heritage land criss-crosses across few counties and its 300 acres of land is located in the flood plain. The Northern Carolina county wanted that portion to be set apart as a trail and park with rivers serving as a natural dam in the event of flood. Jim Bakker had sold it to Jerry Falwell who in turned sold it to MUI chairman, Datuk Khoo Kay Peng. The Malaysian Christian tycoon became the rightful owner of the land. This land with hotels, houses and other properties were later sold to some American developers. Ruth and her husband Ken were excited when they discovered that I am a Malaysian. They asked whether I know Datuk Khoo or not. I told them that I knew the man (Vice President of MUI) who was sent to manage Heritage many years ago is a good friend of mine. He had since left his job and became a pastor. Ruth narrated the story of how she heard the voice of God telling her to ask the owner of the land to give back 300 acres to the public and used it as a trail and park. Ruth wasn't sure who is the rightful owner of the land now. But the present developer refused to give it to the county.

Ruth and I stood on the soil adjacent to the chapel and we prayed for God's healing to be upon the land. I felt that restitution ought to be done. The Christian owners should return part of the land (300 acres) to be used for the interest of the public since the land was initially purchased with money from public donation.

Just as we were about to leave the place, we saw a car pulled over and an immaculately dressed young man came out from his car headed to the chapel. We thought he went there to pray. Ruth sensed that God wanted her to talk to the man. She hesitated, wasn't sure whether its the right thing to do. I told her she should obeyed the voice of God prompting her. As we talked to the young man, it turned out to be a situation of divine appointment. He is a real estate agent. His boss was the one who acted as the broker selling the land to Datuk Khoo. He could arrange Ruth to meet his boss to ascertain who is the actual owner of the land so that Ruth could proceed to ask that person to donate the land to the county for public use.

I suggested to Ruth that the Christian community should invite Jimmy Bakker back to Charlotte to make public confession to ask the Christian community to forgive him. The Christian owner should give back part of the land to the public to be used as a trail and park as a form of restitution on behalf of Jim Bakker. The land can be healed. The community can be healed when justice and mercy is done.

"Pastor Wong, you are an angel sent by God." Ruth commented in all seriousness. I nearly freaked out by the whole event. I was supposed to stay with Ian. He put me to stay with his church members, Ken and Ruth. And they believed that God has sent me to their house to resume the unfinished business. God spoke to Ruth several years ago when she was serving in the county. She had the nagging thought (restlessness) that God wanted her to accomplish his purpose -that the name of Christ be honored and glorified through righteous actions.

Do I believe in divine appointment? I bet you.

My devotion this morning reads:

"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16).

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph 2:10)

Another Surprise from God!

2007-11-20T07:58:00.000+08:00

I was once again overwhelmed by God's surprise. I did not plan to visit Charlotte in my itinerary. I did not know that Billy Graham is from Charlotte and that the Billy Graham library is located in Charlotte. In fact the library just opened to the public in June. It is sited in a 60 acres land which looks like a park. PCA MTW Enterprise invited me to speak at the seminar in its global mission conference, the venue is in Atlanta. For 3 days I was soaked in the whole atmosphere of worship and sermons. Dr. Richard Pratt's exposition touched my heart deeply. I am grateful that God gave me an opportunity to be refreshed. Wanatabe and many others thanked me for my seminar and felt that God has used me to speak to them. I thank God for the little role that I could play in the conference. But most of all I thank God for his servants Dr. Richard Pratt and Dr. Paul Kooistra for their challenging message. I did not know, certainly did not even expect that God would lead me to Charlotte in order that I may have the opportunity to visit Billy Graham Library.

In the Library (not the library where books are housed) Ian and I sat there watching and listening to Billy Graham preaching to the crowd (Video Presentation of Billy Graham's life ministry). We moved from one room to another, each showed the different period of Billy Graham's ministry. Its amazing to see how this one man could influence so many people in the world with the Gospel of Jesus. Billy has been and is singularly devoted to the cause that God has called him. His faith in Jesus and the Word of God marks him out to be the man of God. His success could also be attributed to Ruth, his wife who is faithful to her calling as a home maker raising their 5 children for the Lord's service. Billy is surrounded by an excellent team which is loyal to him and gives him their utmost support.

Billy Graham is 89 years old. His residence, the cove is just two and a half hours drive from the Billy Graham Library. I was told that he is very frail but strong in the spirit. Ruth Graham died 5 months ago. Her grave site is situated at the serene garden just a stone throw away from the Library. The inscription on her tomb stone reads: "End of Construction. Thank you for your patience" Ruth referred to her chosen burial place as her "launching pad." Its a timely reminder that we all are Work In Progress until such time comes, the Construction will be Ended. Our grave sites then will be the launching pad to our eternal home.

I have great admiration for Ruth, a Presbyterian whose parents were missionaries in China. Ruth was a strong woman, intelligent, articulate, devoted to God. All her life she gave Billy Graham her utter devotion by supporting his ministry. She almost singlehandedly raised her children because Billy Graham had to travel extensively preaching the gospel across the globe. Ruth and Billy had been married 64 years. Ruth was Billy soul mate and best friend. With her passing away, a big chunk of his life is removed. Time Correspondence interviewed him how he was coping since her death in June 2007. "I realize now," Graham replied, "in a way I never could have before, that a very important part of me has been taken away."

I told Ian, an American missionary kid, that he too can be greatly used by God. One man who loves the Lord wholeheartedly, believes in the power of the gospel for the salvation of the world, possesses full faith in the authoritative word of God can change the world. Billy Graham is coming to the end of his life and ministry. God is looking for another man or woman whom he can use just as the way he uses Billy and Ruth.

What a visit!

The cobbler in the streets of Seoul

2007-11-03T16:12:00.000+08:00

During my trip to Seoul few years ago, while walking back to Centennial Building of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, I saw a shoemaker reading his Bible on his working bench in broad daylight. He was so engrossed in reading the Scriptures that he did not notice me staring at him.

I thought of William Carey, a cobbler in England who lived in a different century (1761-1834), made his living by repairing shoes in a different locality from this Korean. I wonder whether there is any similarity between these two men. When customers brought their shoes to William Carey, they probably thought that this man was an uneducated simpleton. Who would have imagined that William Carey went on to become the father of modern mission? He went to India to preach the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ in spite of being put down by the church mission board.

How could God use a shoemaker to impact the Indians who spoke totally different tongues? History has it that William Carey translated Punjabi, Sanskrit in both New and Old Testament. He even completed a dictionary of Bengali and English.

Back to this Korean shoemaker, I decided to squat beside him and capture potential history with my digital camera. Who knows this cobbler might one day turn out to be the missionary whom God uses to change another country with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A maker of shoes may turn out to be a maker of history. I discovered that he too like William Carey is an ardent student of Scriptures. I have yet to meet such a shoemaker in the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

The boy who parkours his way to Mt Kinabalu

2007-11-02T17:13:00.000+08:00

Sam is a unique person, unconventional is a better word. He could never sit still from young. The only time he can be still is when he is reading novel that captivates him. He could read and read until he finishes reading the whole book in one setting. Even if it means without having to sleep. Otherwise he is always in motion. He loves parkour. It has become an art form. Kind of poetry in motion. Probably this had to do with the 40 jabs he got from Dr. Lim one week after he was born.

"Dad, we are now walking down from the summit of Mount Kinabalu." Sam was elated. Maxis connection was powerful. It can claim total coverage in Malaysia including Mt Kinabalu. I could not believe what I heard because Sam hardly trained for the climb. I had been nagging at him since the day when Jason and Christina invited him to go along with them for the 'expedition.' The only serious training he had was cycling with me in the neighborhood. Sam had altitude sickness yesterday when he arrived at two third of the climb. I told Constance that he might not be able to make it to the top. I told Sam not to push himself if he could not do it. Imagine my joy when he called to say he is coming down from the summit. He is my boy after all. I am proud of him.

Sam is a very persistent person. He will not give up once he made up his mind. He can wear down anyone with his 'never say die' attitude. I think his mental toughness more than compensate for his lack of physical fitness. Most people would train 3 to 6 months for the climb. But Sam, oh my goodness. Walking up the stairs in the house is not training!

When Jason told me a while ago that they took the longer and harder route, I nearly fainted. If I knew earlier, I would not have allowed Sam to go. It is like getting someone to run 40km marathon straight away. Sam is just too gun ho. Constance and I worried like mad and yet we had to act cool before Jason and Christina. Both Jason and Christina had been jogging, training hard for the climb. Sam did not know how tough the climb can be.

Now Sam would show off his certificate ($12 only). We are happy that he managed to climb up and 'climb down' in one piece. Cert or no cert is immaterial. His certificate is too big for my cabinet. Knowing Sam, he will persuade me to squeeze his 'trophy' into my display unit. This 'achievement' is hard to knock down.

If Sam were to tell us that he is making plan to climb Mount Everest, I believe him! He is outrageous and one of a kind. This time he better knows that its not a stroll in the park.

The manhole man

2007-11-01T17:16:00.000+08:00

There on the stage of Ulanbataar Orchestra Hall stood a man impeccably dressed in a western suit. He was giving his testimony to the church audience of 200 people. This man was once a drunkard who lived under the manhole in the street of Ulanbataar. The thousand of manholes are like land mines from the aerial view. They represent the underground world where the scum, the filth and the rejects who live in isolation from the mainstream society. It is like a colony. There are thousand of drunkards and homeless poor taking shelter inside the tunnels of the manholes.

It was an eye opening experience. The poor everywhere share certain commonalities. I had seen the ‘cardboard’ poor who live under the overhead bridges in Jakarta. If a heavy truck were to slam on them, hundreds would die tragically. The squatter camp condition in Suweto, South Africa is deplorable. You probably can’t find anything like that in Malaysia. Once could see thousands of tiny huts made of Zinc material where the entire family is being squeezed into 180 square feet space.

The news in the capitol city of Mongolia on the day of my visit highlighted a man who died of heart attack because of severe cold – the temperature at night was sub zero degree centigrade. Every year, many who live under the manholes world have their limbs amputated because of frostbites.

This man who stood on the stage was lucky because Pastor Nara, the senior pastor of a church in Ulanbataar found him in the manhole. The church people washed him, clothed him, fed him, and housed him. He was literally snatched from the manhole.

This redeemed and restored man told the audience that his mission is to go and save people like him. He could have died in the manhole. But he had been rescued from physical hunger, from bitter cold winter, from a hopeless existence.

I was spellbound by his sharing.

Nara, the senior pastor who introduced and prayed for this man, was his friend. Nara found his friend dying in the forsaken world.

Nara himself was once a notorious gangster who went to jail for 4 years because he stabbed 3 people. It was in the prison that he heard the gospel. Nara was deeply touched by the Bible verse “Jesus came to save the sinners and not the righteous.” It was like an arrow shot right into his heart. He wept and gave his life to Jesus. Since then Nara has gone to the fringe of society to search and reach out to people just like him – sinners who need the grace of Jesus.
Nara has gone into the manholes many times.

I never got to know the name of the man who once lived in the manhole. But his story tells me of the power of gospel in transforming lives.

Forgiveness

2007-10-23T13:33:00.000+08:00

I met Sokreaksa Himm at a ‘Leadership Seminar’ and immediately I was captivated by his testimony. He was recommending his book, which tells his story how the Khmer Rouge soldiers killed his family. I was surprised that there was no tinge of vengefulness in this man. What I saw was a quiet, serene, unassuming person who seems to possess a sense of confidence and peace. Without hesitation I bought his book. I told myself that this is the man I want to talk to.

For the next few days during the seminar, I probed him and listened intently about his testimony. His memory went back to the day when he saw his father, mother, four elder brothers; one elder sister, one younger sister, four younger brothers, a sister-in-law and a nephew were killed by the soldiers in 1977. The family was marched to a grave ready dug in a jungle clearing; one by one they fell as the hoes hacked down. Sokreaksa, severely wounded, was covered by the bodies of his brothers and sisters. He was nearly choked to death by the pool of blood covering him. The murderers walked away, laughing.

Sokreaksa survived miraculously, but the nightmare of haunting memories tortured him for years. How could God exist to allow such colossal injustice to take place? He almost lost his entire family except another sister who too escaped death. His Buddhist belief collapsed and so was his personal world. His guilt compounded when he was told that all these evil things happened to him because of his bad Karma. The people in his village commented that he must have done many wicked things in his previous life. Now he was merely reaping what he had sown. For a thirteen years old boy, it just did not make any sense. His young mind and fragile emotion could not cope with the emotional trauma let alone the philosophical teaching about suffering. Into the depth of despair he plunged. He wanted to take revenge but was powerless to do so. After all at he was only a small boy. He wanted to die but could not. He vowed that one day he would kill all the murderers. For years the worms of anger, bitterness and vengefulness gnawed at him.

In December 1978 Cambodia was invaded by Vietnam. Pol Pot regime was dismantled and it was estimated that 3 millions out of a population of 8 million people were massacred in the killing fields. Life could not be back to normal because not a single person in Cambodia was unscathed by the trauma of brutality inflicted upon him or her. Though the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror was over but the many continued to suffer from Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder. For years Sokreaksa suffered from deep depression. He had only one aim in life. He vowed that when he grew up he would search for the killers and cut them into pieces. So he joined the police force and managed to track down the person who killed his family. The killer begged his forgiveness, he refused to forgive but he was unable to trigger the pistol and kill the one kneeling before him. Life was difficult; finally he left Cambodia and ended up in a refugee camp in Thailand and for 5 years he drifted through life aimlessly. The Christians in the refugee camp tried to reach out to him but he remained unmoved by the Christian message. Eventually he applied to migrate to Canada and his application was accepted.

In a new country Soreaksa began to rebuild his life. It was the persistent love of Christian workers from World Vision that finally won him over to Jesus Christ. For the first time he understood the meaning of suffering when he read about the crucifixion of Christ. He felt that God understands his suffering and pain because he too went through it at the cross. Soreaksa went on to study theology in the Bible College and obtained a Master degree. He returned to Cambodia and became a lecturer in a Bible School in Phonm Penh. Later on he decided to return to his village Siemreap and planted 3 churches there. It was there that he again met up with the person who killed his family. This time he was able to forgive the killer and released him of his guilt.

I was spelled bound and deeply moved by his story. I have read and heard sermons about forgiveness. I too had struggled with wrongs and injustices inflicted upon me but nothing came closer to what Soreaksa had gone through. Here was a man who truly knows forgiveness. Christianity makes sense because the truth is fleshed out in real life.

Sweet aroma

2007-10-20T17:22:00.000+08:00

"Pastor, do you like coffee? Can I make you a cup of coffee?" Veronika came into my office with a broad smile that could melt the Arctic glacier. "This is Hainanese Coffee, very good coffee." Veron talked very fast before I could respond to her. "Pastor, give me your cup. Let me serve you." Talk about God-moment. I felt respected, honored and loved by a member of the church. I sensed God's presence. I bowed my head and gave thanks to God for Veron. It was a little act of kindness. Veron serves quietly in the youth ministry. She is also a pastor's daughter like Sarah. She must have seen servanthood in her father's life.

When I sipped the coffee, it really tasted better than 'Blue Mountain' from Jamaica. My tiredness vanished and I felt rejuvenated. Was it the effect of coffee or the feeling of being respected?

I was actually in the midst of going through my sermon script.

The sermon is about an unnamed woman gatecrashing into Simon's house party, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume for Jesus. She wanted to show her gratitude and love for Jesus. She stood behind Jesus and suddenly she was overwhelmed by a strong emotion. She began to weep and her tears began to wet Jesus' feet. She wiped Jesus' feet with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. It was really an outrageous act, something quite out of character in that culture. Who would kiss a man's feet? She couldn't be bothered by what people thought of her. She just wanted to show her love and gratitude to Jesus. That was all that matter. But her action was sneered by a Pharisee. Jesus then told a story of a moneylender who cancelled the debts of two debtors. One owed 1.5 years wages while the other 1.5 months wages. Both of their debts were cancelled. "Which of them would be more grateful?" Obviously the one who had the bigger debt cancelled.

Jesus drove home the point. The one who had been forgiven much loves the most deeply. Because the woman's sins though many and ghastly were forgiven, therefore she showed deep gratitude and love.

Veron came into my office was a good interruption. Her gesture of kindness might simply be that of showing her thankfulness to Jesus who has loved her dearly. It's her way of showing gratitude to Jesus.

Veron offered to wash my mug, served me the best coffee and wished me a good day and left my office quietly so that I could get on with my sermon. That afternoon, my room was filled with the strong aroma of sweetness. It was a sweet fragrance to Christ.

Protest monk in prison - Peaceful Christians in church

2007-10-19T15:44:00.001+08:00

When I met Rev. Ring at the Bangkok Mission Consultation, I immediately asked him about the political situation in Myanmar. "Did you and the Christians in Myanmar go to the street and protest?" Ring was horrified that I would asked such a question. "Of course not, who would be so silly to risk his life." His denomination leader who is a General Secretary commented: "In fact before I left Yangon, the military junta sent someone to warn me and instructed me to tell my fellow Presbyterian Christians not to participate in street protest." I know both Rev. Ring and Rev. Lauengzava well because I have been helping the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar (PCM)since 1995. I risked my life by going to Kalaymyo (the headquarter of PCM) to train their leaders and to bring resources to their seminary. The flight from Yangon to Kalaymyo is always fraught with dangers. The pilot flew the plane as if it is a jet fighter plane. He taxied down in full speed! On one occasion, a friend who went with me on the mission trip vowed that he would not go back to Myanmar again. I looked at Rev. Ring and Rev. Lauengzava with disbelief. "I thought you would identify with the people. Look at what the military junta has done to your people. This would be your best moment to identify with the nation to protest against your government. The Buddhist monks are providing spiritual and intellectual leadership. They are willing to lay down their lives for a worthy cause." They shrugged their shoulders thinking that I am out of my mind.

The Star reported that a Buddhist monk has been jailed for seven and a half years for taking part in mass protests against Myanmar's military junta. Eik Darea, 26, was the first monk known to have been sentenced for his part in protests. He was defrocked and could end up in labor camp. Many monks were brutally beaten to death. 3000 people had been arrested and sent to unknown destinations. Soldiers raided 20 monasteries, arresting many monks. The military junta aimed at striking fear. But the monks were not cowed by these actions. They had certainly demonstrated moral courage for such a time like this.

It would be silly for Myanmar Christians to remain silent. A day would come when the country is liberated and they would not have a voice in nation building because they failed to show solidarity with the people.

We may cull from the lessons in Germany during Dietrich Bonhoeffer's time. He had the moral vision and courage to stand up against Hitler's totalitarian regime. He saw clearly what others viewed dimly. Many Christians then could not see the evilness of Hitler. Bonhoeffer died a martyr's death. But his spiritual legacy lives on. There is a price to be paid for speaking against injustices, for going against evil regime. John the Baptist's head was sitting on the platter for speaking against Herod the tetrarch. History is repleted with such horror stories.

I am a great admirer of Aung San Suu Kyi. She had been under house arrest for 18 years. She did not even attend her husband's funeral because she knew that once she left Myanmar she would not be allowed to enter into the country again. Her British husband had been told by Aung San Suu Kyi at their wedding day that her love for the country takes precedent over everything else. He understood and supported her. She firmly believes that a day will come when Myanmar will be liberated. I believe so as I have been praying that God will work in such a way that the generals will fight against each other and one of them will seize power with the support of the people and then turn the country over to Aung San Suu Kyi's party which won the election in 1998.

I have been asked why the Chin Refugees fled their country and trespassed two national boundaries and landed in Malaysia - the answer is obvious. They prefer freedom rather than living under oppressive military junta's rule. Young men and women from Chin state living in fear in our Malaysian jungles hiding from the Rela's harassment. What an irony! They have exchanged one form of oppression for another. Thank God that Malaysian Christians are reaching out to them with love.

Mission Consultation in a most unlikely place - Asia Hotel in Bangkok

2007-10-18T12:13:00.000+08:00

The recently concluded Mission Consultation in Bangkok was an historic event. 11 Presbyterian Denominations from Asia came together for the first time. Presbyterian Churches in Asia were founded by Western Missionaries since 19th century. This single gathering of leaders from 11 nations was a dream fulfilled. Each national leader shared his or her country report and collectively the delegates discerned what God has been doing in the region. We shared similar church structures and Presbyterian distinctive and yet the growth is varied. Presbyterian Church of Korea has about 2.7 million members. Presbyterian Church of Taiwan has 270,000 members. Even Indonesia (GKI) exceeds 200,000. The youngest among us is the Presbyterian Church of Vietnam which has a history of only 6 years (2001). The story of Presbyterian Church of Vietnam (PCV) is interesting.

I interviewed Rev. Khoa and his wife Lien. These were their words: "The Holy Spirit swept through Vietnam in 1994. We began as a house church movement. At that time we had 1000 Christians. We were constantly harassed and persecuted by government officials. Most of our churches are in rural areas and the people are mostly farmers. We do not have a legal status with the Vietnamese government. I went to America to study in the seminary (Rev. Khoa) and I was very impressed with John Calvin's theology and his formulation of church government. My interest in Presbyterianism grew and I felt that I needed to organise the house church into a more formal structure. We opted for Presbyterian identity and structure. We have since grown to about 7000 members." Lien is conversant in English and acted as her husband's translator. Rev. Khoa is the Moderator of PCV. He is the key leader of the denomination. As the church is relatively young in history, it has only 10 ordained ministers and 11 licensed preachers. The acute shortage of pastors present a need for leadership development. They need experienced pastors who could teach them exegesis, biblical studies, and leadership development in the Asian context. When they found out my credentials, they immediately invited me to go to Vietnam and to train them. I told them that I am most willing to serve them but I have a tight schedule to fulfill. "Why don't you come at the end of Oct?" "No I can't. The earliest date is second week of December." "Ok, lets confirm the dates then." Talk about determination. These Vietnamese leaders are most persistent. I could see that their circumstances have trained them to be dogged in whatever they do. They love Jesus, they love their people and hence the urgency. Would such spiritual hunger be found in Malaysian churches? We have so many conferences, seminars, training workshops in KL that Christians in Malaysian particularly those in KL are inundated with abundant opportunities. We can become spiritually constipated!

I was pleasantly surprised when Saruon from Cambodia Presbyterian Church gave an outstanding PowerPoint presentation of his country report. It was easily one of the best among the delegates. Given the fact that Cambodia is not as technologically (IT) as savvy as Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia, yet Saruon floored us with his superb PowerPoint's. A very gentle, amicable personality, Saruon spoke good English and came across as a humble leader. At the close of the consultation, we broke bread and sipped communion wine to celebrate our oneness and unity in Christ. Saruon requested prayer for navigating through the new Bangkok airport. It was his first trip to Bangkok and the gigantic airport awed him. After all Saruon is a Cambodian kampong boy. His simplicity and childlike faith is inspiring. His country had gone through the nightmare of killing field and an entire generation was massacred by the Pol Pot regime. He kept asking us to help them in Children education. Many children in rural areas do not go to school. The literacy rate is very low indeed.

As I reflect on the sheer needs of these two nations, not to mention Laos, I think of City Discipleship Presbyterian Church (CDPC). I do not know how to impress and inspire the church to serious discipleship. I think of the many talented and gifted and well endowed individuals who could spare their time to go to these nations and help. I could see that many are so busy with their careers. They have been squeezed dry by their companies. They have to take care of their family needs. They are involving in church ministries. How to create additional time for mission?

I came back from Bangkok physically exhausted but renewed spiritually. I slept in the airplane (probably snoring). It was good to be home. It was good to catch up with Constance and Sam. On my way home, I witnessed to a taxi driver. Ben Wong opened up his misery (his second day as a taxi driver) and I seized the opportunity to share Christ with him. The gospel seed has been sown. It will be another story another day.

MAS is not the best afterall!

2007-10-10T13:52:00.000+08:00

Staring at the big poster which proudly proclaimed to the passersby "KLIA - World's Best Airport for 15-25 Millions Category, I was wondering how authentic the claim is. Our flight was cancelled. We had been made to wait for the next flight for 3 hours at the airport. I am supposed to chair the Mission Consultation at 4.30pm in Bangkok. The next flight is 3.15pm. I could see the outburst of anger and the irritation displayed by some passengers. The ground crew had to invent silly excuses to appease the wrath of passengers. Apparently the cancellation of flight has been a normal occurrence. MAS could not have enough passengers to make it economically viable to fly to Bangkok. So conveniently the staff were instructed to cancel the flight. Its a vicious cycle. The more frequent MAS does it, the more it loses its customers. At the end its an issue of integrity. In the eyes of the passengers, MAS is no longer trustworthy.

When Idris Jala first took over as CEO of MAS, I have been praising him sky high. He does a good job by turning the airline around. But the recent episodes of constant delays and cancellation of flights do not augur well for his reputation. It is not what an organisation claims itself to be, what matters is how consistent can one lives up to its claim, ethos, mission and vision statement. This applies not only to MAS but also to any organisation including church.

I decided to make the best of time. Instead of ranting and grunting, I cheered my friends who travelled with me to the consultation. I blogged at the airport. I read and slowed down my pace of life. I thank God for the free lunch compensated by MAS. I was hoping for the opportunity to be upgraded to Business Class. But there were too many (25 passengers) passengers to be compensated for. I was contented to have the next flight. Often we are not in control of life situations, but we are always in control of how we respond to events. I chose to be positive, to look at the brighter side of things, to believe that God is control of my life. I do not need to make a fuss of the delay of flight. The 3 hours delay gave me the opportunity to have good fellowship with my colleagues in the ministry. We have a good time.

Special Invitation to Mines Resort for a worthy cause

2007-10-06T15:15:00.000+08:00

The Mines Resort Golf Club is a premier golf club in Malaysia where membership is by invitation only. The membership comes with a price tag of RM $1.2 million. When Pastor Sam and I rode on the same buggy cruising along the buggy track and into the fairway, we were like two 'Shuaku' (hill turtles) stepping into a brand new world for the first time. We decided to enjoy the scenery and the beauty of the nature around it instead of putting on a combating stance in the golf competition. We were both invited to participate in a charity golf to raise funds for Calvary Convention Center. Pastor Sam is a good golfer with a handicap of 18 while mine is 22. No one gave us a chance to win the tournament. We are after all pastors supposedly good in preaching and pastoral ministry.

The 18 flights (72 golfers) started at the same time at different holes. Sam and I had a par each for the start and the other two golfers (lay members from Calvary Church) nearly freaked out. Albert is a 12 handicapper and yet he was not playing well. I think he was pressurized by two amateur pastors/golfers. "I thought pastors are not suppose to be good at golf" Hebert, his buggy mate interjected. Sam and I were as cool as a cucumber. "We are to pursue excellence in everything regardless whether we are pastors or not." We sounded very spiritual and professional.

Steward Ginn, the Malaysian Golf Open Champion for 2 occasions greeted us at a par 4 hole. He was specially flown in to grace the occasion and to conduct a golf clinic. He asked us to tee off so that he could give us his critique. The four of us teed off like a pro and he was very impressed with us. "You are good, pastors" Ginn exclaimed. A comma made a big difference. "You are good pastors." That would sound even better! Ginn then proceeded to show us the power of his drive. His tee off was easily 80 meters ahead of us. We then took a photo. I commented to Ginn: "Though we can't play like a pro, at least we look like a pro!" His smile was as broad as his shoulder. After he left, I had a birdie at that hole. Talk about 'golf anointing.' Was it skill or transference of power?

At the prize giving, my name was called out. "Rev. Wong Fong Yang, handicap 22 is the second runner-up (third placing) for Medal C (handicap 20-24). The whole room cheered loudly. They were rooting for a Presbyterian pastor! Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew was bemused. Prince Gunaratnam, the senior pastor of Calvary Church was surprised that a pastor could play golf well. Pastor Sam too came up second runner-up for his category Medal B (12-19). It was gratifying to see that pastors could compete with other golfers at their game. These golfers obviously spent much more time honing their skills than the pastors. I played only once a month at the most.

Calvary Convention Center manged to raise RM $120,000 from the charity golf. The video presentation showed that the church still needs RM $55 millions for the construction. It has managed to raise only RM $45 millions so far. It is a huge project with a big vision. My prayer is that the members of Calvary Church will see their giving as to giving to Jesus. There are many rich tycoons in that church. If they see themselves as stewards of God then the resources that God entrusted to them will be released to His work. The hearts must be touched first before the pockets can be opened. Fund raising through charity golf is only an awareness campaign. RM $120,000 is not much considering the number of rich golfers who played on that day. The piling work for the Convention Center has already begun. The pressure of raising the remaining sum is mounting each day. Rev. Datuk Dr. Prince Gunaratnam needs to pick up the golf game to de-stress. He might get a hole in one as a beginner!

The latest trophy, the golf ball with Steward Ginn's signature now sat in my cabinet for display. Its not for self glory because there is nothing to boast about. Every single item in the cabinet represents a life time memories of what God has brought into my life. It tells the story of God's goodness and grace. I could not afford to play in Mines Resort. Neither would I dare to dream that I would set foot on the lush green fairway. I do not know any member of Mines Resort who would sign me in as a guest. But God owns the cattle of the thousands hills including Mines Resort. He invited me to enjoy his creation. He seated me on His table with spread suited for a king. I received His kindness with thankfulness. I still look forward to the Messianic Banquet!

Honoring a man of God

2007-10-04T16:15:00.000+08:00

When Dr. David Gunaratnam & Christina walked into Wang Restaurant, the crowd applauded their presence and spontaneously sang 'happy birthday' song. David was astounded to see 150 friends crowded in a room with expression of appreciation written all over their faces. Russel and Dee and their two grown up children Joy and Andrew came from USA to grace the occasion. Joy later gave a speech to thank David for having impacted her parents. She had heard so much about David from Russel. Now she knew why her parents have so much admiration for this man of God. It was a night of great memories. Most of us have been impacted by David's life and ministry one way or another.

Fatt Sian & Teo Chew, who were TAR college students 27 years ago, took turn to narrate their stories how each has been mentored by David. David and Christina had not only opened their home to host many students but also shared their lives. David took pain to study Bible and guided them in decision makings. His professional, family and church life was a model. Today Fatt Sian, Teo Chew & many others are leaders in their own right because of the godly influence of David.

Pastor Tony Lim presented to David a book 'The Soul of Mission- Perspective on Christian Leadership, Spirituality & Mission in East Asia' edited by Dr. Tan Kang San. Kang San too was a mentee of David. Way back he was just a college student. He is now head of the missiological department in Redcliffe Mission Organisation. This book is a unique book with essays written by Western & Asian theologians, missionaries and pastors in honor of David Gunaratnam who celebrated his 70th birthday. I contributed a short article sharing my reflection on the impact of David's ministry on mentoring a young generation. His leadership is relatively a quiet one and yet impactful.

In an age where the public applauded celebrities, platform charismatic leaders, David's quiet leadership offers a new perspective and freshness of spirituality. We thank God for a man like David. He is indeed God's gift to His church.