Raw Fellowship

Recently I received a gift from a friend. It's a book entitled Faking Church. Yes, interesting title - don't ask me why he picked this book for me. It's a book that I believed God hand-picked for me for this season. I don't often receive books as gifts simply because my friends find it hard to buy me books, considering the number of books I already have ... too many that I lose track of them myself. There's one particular chapter that have kinda hit home for me and given me lots of food for thought. The topic is on friendship vs. fellowship in church. Prior to this, some have heard me talked about spiritual friendship. Aptly, someone has asked me if there was any difference between spiritual friendship and fellowship. The answer that I could think of was spiritual friendship, for me at least, is focused on the mutuality and intentionality of the relationship, where we intentionally 'mentor' (to use a marketplace terminology) each other towards spiritual growth. Fellowship is not necessarily as intentional and although intended to spur each other's spiritual growth, it is not quite as focused if you think of fellowship as being with the church at large.

The author points out that fellowship is different (although overlap in many ways) with friendship in that it is not based on shared interest or common background, but our common commitment to Christ. Fellowship is based on the fact that we're family, and it is not optional. We may not like each other very much in the natural sense and some of the deepest fellowships can be shared with people we're unlikely to have picked as our friends. Sure there will be some, if not many, in our fellowship that we also find easy to be friends with, but the point is we should be limited by those factors. We commit ourselves to our family members not because we necessarily like them or even are like them (though we may be more like them than we sometimes like to admit), but because we share a common identity. Fellowship is more than hanging out together socially, working together on a project or simply doing stuff together.

Thus I'm challenged to re-think fellowship and what it entails. Fellowship is intended for us to spur each other to grow spiritually. We may develop a deep friendship from the fellowship we share with each other, and this fellowship will continue through eternity. Hey, that's longer than how long a marriage will last, and marriage is as close as you get to another human being, in terms of being family and friend! We are called to be in fellowship … it's easy to do cyber friendship and virtual fellowship, but until we get to heaven, the local church is the real deal. Real people, real problems, real time fellowship. I imagine coming into a new church, is like being the new bride and meeting your in-laws. You probably won't like all of them instantly, some are warm and some treat you less than an outsider (they treat 'visitors' better than you). It takes a while to get used to their lingo, inside jokes, etc and we need to invest time in these relationships. But even if you feel like you don't belong, you do. You're part of the family and so are they. And these family relationships might even outlast our own natural family ties. That's one scary thought to ponder on…

Those who have ears

Take time to listen to the Word of God. In our culture of constant bombardment of visual images and noise, added to our practice of silent reading (which is a result of Enlightenment and foreign in antiquity) we are not very good at listening. In some of our churches we may not practise reading of Scriptures (whether silent or aloud) regularly. This is the main tenet of my proposed thesis and has been confirmed by the lecturers. Gordon Fee and Christopher Hall, in the classes I've been attending these few weeks. They strongly emphasize listening the Word - Chris calls it reading with the ears of our hearts.

For those who are interested here are 2 products you may want to consider.
1. TNIV Bible Experience - The New Testament has been released and named Audiobook of the Year, the most prestigious award for excellence in audiobooks, by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). Narrators include some top Hollywood personalities like Angela Bassett (Narrator), Cuba, Jr. Gooding (Narrator), Samuel L. Jackson (Narrator), T. D. Jakes (Narrator), Blair Underwood (Narrator).
See the video of the making at Zondervan site. The Complete Bible is scheduled to be released on 7th September.
Of course, listener should be mindful of their emphasis and pauses, which can affect our understanding of a particular passage.

2. NIV read by Max Maclean
This is read at a good pace with appropriate emphasis. You can listen the whole Bible online (free): NIV Audio. You can purchase it in MP3 or other audio format, or you can choose to download it. I have found his emphasis and dramatising easy to follow.


Finally BibleGateway offers free audio Bibles online (Max Maclean reads the NIV version). You can also get the other versions as well as Bible in other languages, as well as different Chinese dialect - this is especially helpful for those who are illiterate.

Fascination with dates

Yes, I have a thing about noting certain dates, like today's: 07.07.07! The best part is, this works no matter where you come from and what order you write your dates. Of course this only refers to the Roman calendar and does not apply to lunar or Muslim calendar.

p/s: Have you noticed how lawyers have a tendency to qualify and defend what they say even as they are saying it? I hope that does not irritate you. Can't help it.

In Loving Memory of Dr Koh Eng Kiat

Receiving news of Dr Koh's demise brought deep sadness in my heart. I know my church and his family, as well as many around the world who knows him, will mourn his loss. He is humble man that I respect and dearly love. I first got to know him in early 90s when my family shared an apartment with his wife during a church camp. Ever since that time, he learned the name of every family member and make mention of the rest whenever he saw one of us. I am grateful for the privilege to have served in FGA under his leadership. After my meeting with him before I left, I did wonder if it would be the last time I would see him. When he was taken very ill recently, I did pray that the Lord will let me see him one more time. Now I am torn by the fact that I can't be home for his funeral. I pray that the Lord will bless his soul and comfort all who grieve his departure.

Dr. Koh Eng Kiat

9 November 1924 – 29 June 2007

“What will be the measure of my days, weeks and years passed? How will my life be valued? What will matter is not what I bought, but what I have chosen to build. Not what I received, but what I have shared and given you. What will matter is not what I learned, But what I have taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage and sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate from my example. What will matter is not my competence, but my integrity and character; my true grit. What will matter is not how many people I have known, rich or poor, but how many will feel a lasting loss when I am gone. What will matter are not my faded memories, but the memories of those who knew and have loved me.”

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more; And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, And the roll is called up yonder, Dr Koh’ll be there

By the grace of God, when the roll is called up yonder, may all of us be there.

Memorial Services:
Saturday (30 June 07), 08.30pm

Sunday (01 July 07)
07.30am, 11.00am, 02.30pm, 08.30pm

Funeral service at L5, Wisma FGA:
Monday (02 July 07) - 02.00pm
(thereafter to Nilai Memorial Park)

More than birds in the air and lilies in the fields

I have been praying about certain things and asking the Lord for direction for my next step. One of the main concern was financial and not knowing if I can afford to keep up my studies despite all the hurdles the Lord has enabled me to go through thus far. Last Thursday, as I was walking around the shops at the University village, I literally told myself (aloud), 'Don't worry, God will take care of you!' Immediately I felt a profound sense of comfort flooding me.

I then head out to meet a visiting professor who asked if I could help her translate some manuscripts she received from Indonesia. I'm not particularly fluent in Bahasa Malaysia, much less Bahasa Indonesia. Anyways, she offered to pay me for this task. Then I went home and saw a letter from the IRA in the mail. My heart dropped a little cause in my experience, it is never good news. So I was most surprised when I found a cheque for a few hundred dollars. It blew my mind considering I don't even earn enough money to pay tax! The next day I picked up a pay-cheque from the office and together with another cheque that I received from a friend the day before, I deposited the money into the bank with a very deep sense of gratitude, being assured that God knows exactly where I am. His sense of timing is perfect. I am awed simply to know that He cares.

As if that's not enough, later that evening, He sent an angel to knock on my door, bearing gifts of bread, jam, fruits, vegetable, cooking condiment, etc. Now talk about sending me a message loud and clear. It's as close as having it written in the sky! This is not the first time I've received such gifts (see earlier blogs), especially since I've come here, but neither are they regular features in my life. They have always served as tangible signs of God's goodness, reminding me that He can provide in ways beyond what I can think or imagine. And although He's shown this to me before, thus I should have learned my lesson by now, He's willing to do it again. I am humbled by His amazing grace and love for me.

I suppose one can rationalise and explain exactly where each of these came from (natural means), but I can't deny the timing at which they came. At the end of the day, while they do not serve as indicators of how I should decide, I'm assured that no matter what my decision is, I hold on to the fact that God cares and He will provide for my needs. It is a lesson of learning to trust the Lord and I'm grateful for His patience with me, a slow learner. I am also thankful that He's fully committed to the task of helping me move from self-reliance to God-reliance, and will spare nothing, but do whatever it takes, to achieve that end.

p/s: Thank you all for leaving your comments. I am glad this has served to encourage you. There is a little post script to the above. In that same week, my housemate started bringing home endless supply of the most wonderful pastries and even sandwiches. He started work at a coffee shop and gets to bring back all these goodies (2-3 shopping bags full!) when he closes the store, which is as often as 2-3 times a week. So not only does He not give us a stone when we ask for bread, He is able to supply croissant, danish pastries, muffins, scones, rye bread sandwiches, lemon loaves, and lots more! The fact is I usually resist buying these, especially in coffee shops, cause they're pretty pricey. Oh, another one... I have a thing about buying hair bands (to tie my hair with). They cost much more than what I would like to pay and since they have a tendency to be loose and get lost, I usually make do with whatever I can find. Last week I received 4 brand new, good quality ones delivered in the mail. Indeed nothing is too small (or too big) for our God.

I arise today

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Jesus and Film

I've always been a huge movie buff and a firm believer that there's lots that the movies can speak to our culture, and provide inroads for conversation and theological reflection. One of our professors spoke precisely on that, affirming that for our the present generation, movie is the main medium for this communication. He made some pretty good points about how movies draws us into the story and enable us to participate in it, allowing us to come to the conclusion without telling us straight out what it 'should' be. I totally resonate with many of his reflections.

Here are some books he recommended that can provide further food for thought:
Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue (Engaging Culture) by Robert Johnston
A Stay Against Confusion: Essays on Faith and Fiction by Ron Hansen

I was surprised to find that there are many sites on this topic. I've listed a sample of them which I hope to revisit when I have time.
http://www.cmu.ca/library/faithfilm.html
http://post.queensu.ca/~rsa/Real2Reel/realreel.htm
http://theresurgence.com/gospel_culture_and_church/film
http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/index.html