25

MAR

Stress, Spruce and Surprise

posted on Thursday, 2010.

Today in the morning, Chui informed me that she was experiencing pain on the left side of her jaw. It so happened that since I was having an appointment with the dentist, I suggested to Chui to allow the dentist to have an oral view, and if he could not spot anything wrong then I would bring her to see a general practitioner.  Closing in on our destination, it dawned upon me that about 2 nights ago, I heard Chui grinding her teeth. I brought it up to her and told her to highlight this returning disorder to the dentist.

I said, “returning” because about 10 years ago Chui had informed this same dentist about her frequent routine during her sleep. The dentist had diagnosed it as stress-related and implied that Chui’s longing for a child could be responsible for making her a teeth grinder. True enough when Joseph arrived, Chui stop grinding. That is, for 7 years she was out of the grinding business until 2 nights ago. As my dentist picked up his tools to work on my enamel-covered chewers, I told him about the return of the nocturnal sounds I had not heard for a long time. Like before, he stressed that stress is the likely culprit and we should find out where it was coming from.

Well, it did not require much psychological analysis for me to sieve out the culprit. All it took was plain honesty. I was the culprit - the new stress supplier. I was responsible for a recent conflict between us. After 20 years of marriage, our arguments have acquired a more sophisticated style where words are powered not by their decibel audibility but their detrimental ability.  Although I had apologized before today, I began to apologize with a new zest of sincerity. I began to be generous in my supply of hugs. During our lunch-break, I decided to bring her to a new food venue named Spruce that Chui had discovered recently (By the way, the place does not allow the affordability for daily lunches but certainly offers excellent ambience and food for special events like birthdays, anniversaries, breakups, celebrations, weddings….). The food was great because the items we ordered came with surprises that we enjoyed.

God wants to spruce up our lives with surprises.  Spruce’s signature salad did not look extraordinary but it was one of the best I have consumed.  What look like the usual croutons turned out to be warm and soft yellow looking bread pieces. Other surprises include the presence of dried dates/prunes and chopped almonds (not the flaky ones) that brought the salad concoction to a new palatable dimension. I do not attempt to be a food critic but to describe the other items we had ordered and shared, Grandpa meatballs and a slice of Upside-down pineapple cake, I would say they were simply surprisingly superb. I mean usually meatballs taste like meatballs.  But these meatballs’ exhibited a special flavor and what appeared like an ordinary English pound cake became special by its interaction with a layer of pineapple pieces.

Jesus’ background was too ordinary for the Jews and their religious leaders to accept the extraordinary surprises he wanted to bring into their lives through his teachings and his way of life.  Jesus came to spruce up their lives but it was difficult for them to think that a greater glory than the glory of Moses (2 Cor 4) is now with them.  How could a greater glory come from a carpenter’s son? In their words, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

2 Corinthians 4 tells us also that “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed… because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence…” The stress of life that hurts and harms us is surprisingly unsuccessful when we experience the sprucing power of a resurrectional life offered by the Holy Spirit – “the one”.  Would we allow God to spruce up our lives with surprises? Sometimes, it comes through the ordinary things of life for they hold extraordinary power. Are we willing to embrace them?

14

FEB

A Forgotten Way

posted on Sunday, 2010.

A colleague of mine brought to my attention of his discomfort in transporting a church minister who was visiting our city. Before uncovering the full details of his sentiments, I swiftly requested that another colleague assisted with the assignment. About a week later, I asked both of them independently of their experiences with this minister. Their replies were almost similar. The minister had intentionally sat in the rear passenger seat of their respective vehicles and portrayed no interest in initiating or indulging in a conversation. My colleagues who are community pastors in a local church were treated as chauffeurs or in a more Singaporean-like description, “drivers”. By the way, there is no shame with the vocation of a chauffeur or driver because they offer the opportunity to demonstrate the art of hospitality.

This minister is a friend of many years, and he clearly knows that my colleagues were not only my fellow pastors but also my friends. Even if I were to remove the presupposition of a community of friendship, what is alarmingly sad is that this minister who had visited our city exactly a year ago was entirely different in his demeanor. The replacement pastor-driver informed me that in the minister’s previous visit, he had related by sitting in the front passenger seat and was comfortably willing to chat. Somehow in the space of 365 days, something happened. My minister friend has changed his mindset of how he should conduct himself. Maybe, for him to climb up the church growth hierarchy, he has to start seeing and speaking (or in this case not speaking) big things, and this would require behaving with an elitist exclusivity. I said “maybe” because I could be wrong and I hope I am.

It is here that the title of Alan Hirsch’s book, The Forgotten Ways, emerged in my thoughts. Although I have yet to read Hirsch’s work, I would assume that the book is about how Christians and churches have forgotten the ways of Christ and the early church. An unmistaken feature of Jesus’ life of practice was that of holding conversations with others, which included those who were deemed by society to be of unequal conversant standing. Singularizing Hirsch’s title, I am reminded not to forget a forgotten way of Jesus who became a human so as to relate to his fellow humans through the simplicity of conversations. As we begin our Chinese New Year celebrations, we will be gathered around people of different financial positions, educational achievements, religious beliefs and social backgrounds. May we not be overwhelmed by these demarcations but overcome them through the intentionality and humility of a forgotten way.

“…They were astonished that He was speaking to a woman…”

16

SEP

Westlake

posted on Wednesday, 2009.

Chui has been reminding me that my last blog entry was quite “a while ago” (a nice way of saying that it has been more than 5 months since you utter a word…). Recently, we spent almost 4 weeks in Southern California, of which, half the time I was with my cohort of missional leaders in an underground classroom. During that fortnight in Pasadena, other than the family being hit by the stomach flu, an impactful event has to be the day where the class was allowed to vacate our hideout and visit selected sites in LA.

Beginning our journey from Lake station on the Metro’s Gold line, the train was above ground and offered pleasant views of Pasadena accompanied by the beautiful sunshine. Upon swapping train lines at Union station to connect to the Westlake area of Downtown LA, the ride was solely underground. The train journey appeared to provide an intersection point that demarcated the huge urbanized city of Los Angeles from the suburbs. Simon Barrington in our cohort pointed out about the absence of advertisements on the underground walls. Barrington’s comment was entirely spot-on. Reflecting on my previous trips to London and Sydney where spaces in train systems were hotspots for promoting consumer culture, the absence of advertisements could indicate the lack of interest among merchants to promote their products in localities where the crowd lack the purchasing power.

Surfacing from the underground, we entered the Westlake vicinity. The first icon that caught my attention was a rundown McDonald’s outlet whose trademark signage was not properly affixed. Generally, the area depicted a population and culture of a Hispanic community. There were food peddlers and the sights of a low-income locality. If one ignored LA’s skyscrapers in the background, Westlake could in some aspects easily resemble sights of a developing nation.

Entering our lunch destination, Mama’s Hot Tamales Café, we were greeted by Sandi “Mama” Romero whose exuberance was simply contagious. Besides offering a variety of delicious Tamales, the Café is an on-the-job restaurant that trains and prepares apprentices for careers in the culinary industry. The main highlight of our visit to Westlake has to be the story of Mama’s Hot Tamales Café partnering with the law enforcement and other non-profit organizations in transforming their immediate neighborhood. Romero informed us that the Café has been pivotal in transforming MacArthur Park from being a hangout for heavy notoriety to an “urban oasis”. From her story told to our cohort, MacArthur Park before its transformation was an area high in illegal activities such as drug trafficking and consumption, prostitution, false identification sales and other negative societal influences. This successful endeavor that has been given national recognition was achieved within a period of 10 years.

In our walk to the next stop, we noticed a string of Christian entities – a Pentecostal church, an Assemblies of God church, a newly opened seminary and a Korean Campus Crusade office. With this string of Christian entities spotted on our walk from the Café to Carecen, they seemed to be non-operational or restrictively enclosed within their walls. Upon arriving at the Central American Resource Center (Carecen), its mission statement, “to empower Central Americans by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice and promoting cultural diversity” stood out clearly in the reception area. In its wood-laid floor and timber-framed multi-purpose hall on the second floor is a hand-painted and digitally-printed mural mounted on an elevated wall that also welcomes sunshine from a partial glass ceiling. The mural, which is at least 10 meters in length, tells the historical story of Central Americans fleeing their homelands. Not surprisingly, this amazing artwork became a point of dialogue with Karen from LA Commons, which links neighborhoods through art. Later, Rocio, a youth coordinator with Carecen also joined in the conversation. At Carecen, Karen had also mentioned that LA Commons has a relationship with Hot Tamales in engaging the community through art projects.

From the above, I see that community transformational progress requires partnerships and patience. It is an ongoing process. The endorsement of progress made, serves as encouragement and energy for the above initiatives to persist, but not as pertaining to having reached the pinnacle. In fact, the latter should never be a goal for it is only achieved in God’s perfected kingdom. As such, I see ministry as a continuous journey of learning and applying the art of community living.

Our visit to Westlake ended with a walk through MacArthur Park. Halfway through our walk in MacArthur Park, I expressed to Professor Freeman of how blessed I felt to be living Singapore. He answered likewise as someone who resides in New England, USA. MacArthur Park is no way close to the lushness and cleanliness of the Singapore Botanical Gardens, but the Professor’s further response shook me beyond my comparison. He said something in this direction, “But for them, this is great”. As we exited the park, an elderly man was passionately proclaiming the Gospel in Spanish. How could we not see God working in Westlake? I am not simply referring to the man’s preaching, but the incarnational initiatives of Romero’s community partnerships in transforming culture, Karen’s networking with neighborhoods in building relationships, and Rocio giving back to the youth community, having been a fruit of those who protected them. I am reminded that redemption can only work when messiness surrounds us. Jesus came to redeem a messy world.

"For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

26

MAR

Drop The Suits & Don The Jeans

posted on Thursday, 2009.

I am currently overseeing a local church in Singapore, a call to which I had tried to escape from 14 years ago, a role to which I had delayed assuming for a year and a responsibility in which I fear not for its workload but for its possible transitional repercussions. I am a second generation pastor of a 42 year-old Pentecostal church, which I have recently and eventually decided to take responsibility for by leading its congregation in its journey with God, its community and the world.  If I were given a sentence to describe Evangel Family Church’s leaders, congregation and its worldview, it would be as follows: leaders who have walked the talk and led a congregation to stand by their worldview that missions is the heartbeat of God.

A church possessing an exemplary leadership, a supportive congregation, and a missionary worldview would certainly warrant the endorsement of its observers. However, while constants do portray stability, they blind us to the variables that can affect the church’s salinity. Here, a key variable is culture. In the equation of a church transforming culture, the church must be willing to vary its perspective and practice towards a varying culture. In other words, when a church stops emitting the salinity that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5:13, it starts losing its effectiveness to transform. Jesus concludes that the object that has lost its saltiness ought to be discarded.

As of January 1, 2009, I began a new stage in my ministry journey. The first thing I did was to drop the suits.  Traditionally, it was compulsory for the pastors at Evangel to put on their “spiritual suits” every Sunday. However, this clergy fashion was more than just a tradition, it had unknowingly become an unmovable structure.  While the suit had long vanished in less conservative churches, its disappearance ignited a fair share of comments from the previous first generation overseers and it certainly got tongues wagging among the Sunday church-going folks. The church members saw the suits as a symbol of respect and to my surprise; they provided them with some form of security. Someone even commented that the pastors in their jeans, casual shirts and ties could not be differentiated from the ushers. I responded that we could solve this demarcation issue by getting the ushers to don the suits instead. This response brought laughter from the congregation and the ushers’ unanimous disagreement.

What might seem like a trivial issue relating to externals might be more implicative than one would have expected. Just consider the new American First Lady who is “Up in arms: Is Michelle Obama’s fondness for sleeveless dresses a case of tabloid deltoids or a shot in the arm for First Lady couture?” (The Sunday Times: March 15, 2009). In a new era of American leadership, the First Lady is not simply making a fashion statement but a statement through her fashion. Is she just going against conventions or is she showing off her well-toned biceps, or is she presenting a more relational demeanor? While I cannot answer for Mrs. Obama, my decision for dropping the suits and donning the jeans is with the last reason. Carl Raschke in his book, GloboChrist, highlights to us that, “Semiotics is not an obscure kind of academic undertaking, as admittedly it has often been. It is more than a blueprint for practical or pastoral ministry. It is the cipher for indigenizing our faith wherever the opportunity may present itself”. This swap of externals for Evangel’s pastorate implies a direction towards connecting to the indigenous relational nature of every human. Suits equal work and jeans equal relationship.

The above symbolizes the progression in taking Evangel from being hierarchically structured to relationally shaped. The hierarchical type of leadership so popular with the boomer generation was not necessarily bad. In fact, a number of positives came out of it, such as organizational efficiency and operational control, which were basically great for getting the job done and ensuring that things do not get out of hand. If the pinnacle of the hierarchy takes care of the people below, you would have a safe and a stable structure.

However, the obsession with efficiency and control stifles the mushrooming of giftings and abilities. So, besides advocating the dropping of suits, a major change is the flattening of our organizational structure by empowering pastors and staffs to grow their ministerial visions and execute administrative decisions. I told my colleagues that overseeing the church, is not my journey alone but our journey together, and at the end of the journey, it will not just be me feeling fulfilled but each of them sharing the same experience of fulfillment, that is, having walked in God’s intended destinies for their lives. I have vehemently abandoned a regimental atmosphere of the previous leadership style and created a relational culture that welcomes out-of-the-box input and is generous with giving grace. Eddie Gibbs writes in LeadershipNext that, “The controlling style of leadership that is so prevalent among the builder and boomer generations, and that typically determines the church’s corporate culture, must give way to this empowering, connective style if the church is to reinvent itself to meet the missional challenges and opportunities of a new day”.

22

FEB

The Celebrity Church :: Part 2

posted on Sunday, 2009.

Today is the 81st Oscars! So here’s a good date to conclude about the Singapore megachurch and celebrity culture walking down the wedding aisles…

Was Jesus a celebrity in his time on earth? Although his primary relational focus was on the 12 disciples, he had the attention and following of the masses. The opportunity to start a megachurch was definitely there. However, Jesus did not need to employ illusionism for he was the miracle-worker, Jesus did not need to reinvent grace for he was the embodiment of it, and Jesus did not need to introduce “the church for people who don't like church” for he challenged the institution of the Sabbath. In terms of being well known, Jesus definitely fit the bill for Matthew 4:24 tells us “so his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan”. Jesus had indeed achieved celebrity status.

Even in our present era, Jesus’ popularity then and now was used as a yardstick for comparison. John Lennon’s declaration that “we're more popular than Jesus now” was a monstrous offence that resulted in press bombardments and public burnings of Beatles records. Why the bombardments and burnings? Such a declaration is considered a sacrilege because Jesus was more than just a celebrity for he was the crucified Christ. It is this imagery of truth that we must capture, the celebrity Christ and the crucified Christ. There is a time to celebrate Jesus and there is a time to connect with the Cross. It is this truth that the celebrity church must embrace. Craig Detweiler whose A Matrix of Meanings I had referenced in my previous entry tells us that, “the simple, unnerving truth that the visage of faith is not the happy face but the masks of comedy and tragedy, alternating, unpredictably between laughter and tears…crying because it’s so funny and laughing because it hurts so much”. Here lies the authenticity of our faith.

We need to draw courage to express and exemplify the truth. We need more Mel Gibsons to reveal the true story. The Singapore megachurch, a celebrity church, must reflect the true face of Christ. I often hear of remarks that spouses can grow to look like each other, though one can never be exactly like the other. Although a Christian can never be Christ, a Christian is called to be like Christ. The celebrity church must engage culture with the pursuit of Christlikeness or in the words of Tim Stevens in Pop Goes the Church, we are reminded not to “…let the culture drag you down to its level, but maintain an awareness of God in the culture and keep watching for the next step you can take toward Christ”. The celebrity church must respond by discerning its relationship with culture.

Yes, Jesus was a celebrity and he was crucified. Let us not deform that image. The church must not only be relevant, it must also be real.

16

FEB

The Celebrity Church :: Part 1

posted on Monday, 2009.

One time, when we were among some Christians, my wife and I mentioned about the possibility of watching the delayed telecast of the Academy Awards upon returning home that night. A Christian retorted that he found no purpose in viewing such an event and gave the impression that watching the Oscars was contradictory to his faith. While the Academy Awards is about honoring the players in the film industry, it is also a 3-hour fashion extravaganza. So whether it is about grasping those golden statuettes or donning the designer apparels of Armani to Vera, it is solely about the celebrities, for the statuettes and apparels will bear no significance without the one that carries it. So much about giving recognition to the artistry of those who write, direct and act, the award show that has arguably an international viewership of a billion people, is basically an annual celebration of the celebrities.

The celebrity culture that has plagued our world is equally prevalent in the church. In fact, in the recent decades, we have witnessed the rise of the celebrity church, resulting in the tension between faith and culture. The church and the world, two spheres that supposedly have no commonality with each other, are now made cousins by their celebrity ties. The connection lies not only with celebrity culture but also with the audience that fuels the culture. For the Oscars, it is a billion viewers.

The Bible tell us in Genesis 4:26, “At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD”. In other words, we see an innate response of humankind to relate to a higher being from the beginnings. Although the audience knows that celebrities share the same mortality conclusion, they continue to assign a celestial status to them. Craig Detweiler in his book, A Matrix of Meanings, informs us that, “Celebrities serve as our vicarious heroes, going before us on the ultimate journey we all desperately want to take. They give us a taste of immortality, a preview of eternity”.

It is this desire to adore, idolize or worship that has become one of the vehicles for the church to connect with celebrity culture. The church of which for centuries has symbolized an institution that epitomizes ethical living for our society, now wants to break free from this image and perception. Celebrity culture that was never part of the church is now welcomed in an increasing fashion. I once attended an Australian church in the early nineties that had a slogan “the church for people who don't like church”. On reflection, its intuition to disassociate itself from the failings of the institution was ahead of its times. The marriage between celebrity culture and the church has been pronounced, and megachurches in Singapore, are expressing themselves through this marriage. Is the Singapore megachurch a celebrity church? If yes, my Christian friend then may have to take back his retort for the Oscars are now within the walls of the church.

18

JAN

Chemistry

posted on Sunday, 2009.

Having supported Spurs (the one in England) for 27 years, I am surprised that switching my allegiance to another soccer club is not as exciting as I have anticipated. The CHEMISTRY is simply lacking. One needs time to grow with the club – history, traditions, honors, players, managers, memorabilia, ….

Chui and I had just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. I have to honestly say the chemistry that brought us together in walking down the aisles almost two decades ago has evolved significantly. Chemistry is a major ingredient in the recipe of marriage. Although I am a big advocate of relational chemistry that involves romantic dinners, night outs, flowers (oops! it has been quite awhile) and surprises, it is a chemistry of a committal nature that has kept us continuing in our journey.

We were thankful to God that the series on Spirituality and Sexuality turned out well, and I really like Chui’s definition of a marital journey, which I think speaks of committal chemistry. She said that marriage is about “…two persons being intentional in working continuously and diligently on their life long journey to grow old together - to love their spouse, understand their spouse, respect their spouse and communicate with their spouse at all times.”

What is your chemistry type? Is your chemistry built on wealth, pleasure, commitment, love, power, or a combination of these? The tenacity of our relationships with life, family, friends and marriage is strongly shaped by what we choose to focus on. I remember singing a song in Sunday school about the wise and foolish men building their houses on different foundations, and their consequential responses to the rain and floods that came - one stood the test and the other collapsed. Chemistry between two persons requires intentional building. Be wise today, build your chemistry on the right foundation.

I guess I have to start building chemistry with the Reds because I'll never want to walk alone.

(Kindly excuse the “retroness” of the above picture)

13

JAN

Spirituality & Sexuality

posted on Tuesday, 2009.

On the last day of 2008, Chui and I brought our children, Joseph and Jada, to Siloso Beach at Sentosa. Having visited pristine beaches beyond the shores of Singapore, the sands of our island has never been an attraction for us. But since Joseph had been bugging us about going to the beach and the school holidays were coming to a close, we decided to fulfill his wish. I have to honestly admit that it was a beautiful afternoon with Joseph excavating a mini-dugout for his sister to sit in while the parents enjoyed some pizza and iced tea. Would I visit this spot again? I am surprised that my answer is yes.

Although it was an off-day for the staff at Evangel, my mind was certainly not off from the concern for the 2-part series on Spirituality and Sexuality that Chui and I were doing for the start of 2009. While watching the kids, ensuring their safety, I got to pen down the following, which became the basis for the series....

Spirituality and sexuality. These two words seem to be positioned at opposing ends for the church or a Christian, choosing often to confront one and avoid the other. While the church sees itself as an “authorized” spokesperson on spiritual matters, it often ignores the effects from a highly sexual world that encroaches on its fringe. At the same time, the church is quick to move from avoidance to confrontation with the issue of sexuality when its image or reputation is at stake. The church must however realize that both spirituality and sexuality are not at tension with each other but when understood from God’s Word would serve to enable us to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind” and “love our neighbor as oneself”.

01

JAN

Disappointments

posted on Thursday, 2009.

“Dear friends, after so many years in the same church i have decided to move on. I am disillusioned by its directions. The problem is not with the snr pastor but the board. Hey I’m speaking metaphorically about spurs. Removing ramos will not solve the problem. I am now officially a liverpool fan. Switching my allegiance to anfield would be less sticky than to another london club. Definitely not man u. Haha decision ignited after watching them last night. I mean the reds. Thanks for your patience with my sermon. Have a good day.”

This was the SMS message I had sent to my soccer kakis about 3 months ago. Being also their pastor, the first 3 sentences must have bewildered them for at least 3 seconds. But I guess disappointments can ignite a person to respond in unexpected ways.

I have (had) been a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur since the club won the FA Cup back to back in the early 80s. Fulfilling a boyhood dream, I was able to see them in action at their home ground at White Hart Lane in 1998. As a Spurs fan for over 27 years, tolerating mediocrity with the team’s performance was not an issue. However, while hundreds of thousands of fans around the world continue to remain loyal to the North London club, their loyalty is mostly unreciprocated. We all know that soccer clubs’ ultimate loyalty is to the moolah and not their fans. For most fans, this is not an unknown fact but they simply hold on to the dream of winning a major trophy. You must be wondering, why the change of allegiance now? My wife, Chui, who was one of the recipients of the short message, replied with this, “Throw bad eggs at u – is this definition of loyalty…Wat if things turn around”.

Well, enough with soccer talk. I would say that I was suffering not from disloyalty but a bad bout of disappointment. Disappointment is a powerful catalyst that can grant courage to a person in relinquishing the stuff that depreciates like a mobile phone or car, to supposedly dependable structures in life like a best friend or one’s faith. While disappointments can at times awake us to intentionally journey life with purpose, they also hold the dualistic role of veering us away from God’s intended destiny for our lives. Jesus Christ would probably qualify as a candidate that scored high marks for being on the receiving end of disappointments. The Bible tells us that Jesus came for the “house of Israel” but they pleaded for his crucifixion. In reaching out to his hometown, they rejected him, and among his closest, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and denied by Simon Peter. Jesus could have been a disappointed sage but he chose to be our destined savior. His destiny was fulfilled by the choices he made.

Jesus had enough reasons to forsake his destiny. But he chose the path to Calvary accompanied by his feelings of disappointment. Have you been disappointed by a relationship, in your career or of the church? Consider carefully before making a decision for we are not talking about sticking with a soccer club but staying on a path, which God has intended for us. A path that may have the uninvited company of disappointments but whose destination will eventuate in Christ’s healing for the present, if not in the future on that final day when “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes”.

Chui and I wish all our friends and readers, “a purposeful 2009”.