There are times when the Master bids us to go in a certain direction and we know not why. But we go, because obedience is born not of understanding but of love.

We obey God not simply because we understand him, for to claim to love him out of understanding insults who he is. We must obey him despite the shallowness of our understanding. For obedience is reflected in its fullness when one obeys in love rather than through understanding.

Obedience towards God is rendered even more difficult when God demands such obedience through an icon, a human figure. The human icon provokes our inclination to respond towards the call of obedience by saying “Tell me why first”, “I need to understand first before I obey you”, or “I need to trust you first”.

The same rule applies with both God and the icons he sends into our lives to provide direction for us.

The rule of obedience has nothing to do with understanding. It is the rule of love. For Jesus said, “If you love me, you will do what I say”, not “If you understand me, you will do what I say”.

Posted by SK at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the many things that are difficult to understand about contemporary Christianity is how people desire to believe in Jesus, and even find his “rebellious” counter-cultural ways appealing, but have absolutely no desire to be the way he was.

In many ways, they try to communicate his revolutionary life in the third person, but never in the first person. It’s always Jesus who was the provocative one, the challenging one, the unsettling one. And ironically, all these messages about him are communicated in the most stable and secure environments - in seminaries, from pulpits, and in bible studies. Hardly in action or lifestyle.

The greatest of security-seeking Christians seem to be the ones talking about the counter-cultural and revolutionary Jesus. Those who occupy the highest chairs of structural positions are the ones talking about sacrificing one’s own reputation and position for the sake of justice and peace.

When confronted with the practical alternative of actually being provocative and revolutionary in lifestyle and choice, you hear a thousand and one excuses and reasons for why it’s impractical to do so:

“Jesus and his early believers suffered persecution because it was necessary for them. For us today, it’s not necessary.”

“The bible cannot be taken wholesale just like that. We must use our wisdom to discern what applies to today’s situations and what don’t apply any longer. We must be as innocent as doves and wise like serpents!”

“I’m already suffering for my faith! You see how much time I spend serving God in church? Who else devotes so much time like that?”

“Come on, by doing all these things, you’re just courting trouble unnecessarily. I have enough trouble in my life already. I’ve had enough, and don’t want anymore unnecessary trouble.”

Really, perhaps many of the things Jesus did was unnecessary after all. He was perhaps courting trouble in vain. From this rhyme of reasoning, maybe it was his own fault that he eventually went to the cross. Had he learned to behave himself properly, he might not have had to be crucified. But no, he had to go ahead and do the unnecessary things.

For we who are wise, stay clear. Stay out of trouble. Always speak of Jesus in the third person. Forget about embodying his gospel in the first person. Be wise. After all, all you need to get into heaven is to believe in Jesus’ saving power, and you’re saved.

Posted by SK at 1:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm preparing for a course that I'll be teaching on the major Christian traditions in just over a month's time. As I was reading some stuff online, I came across this joke which made me chuckle somewhat.

A man is walking across a bridge, when he sees another guy about to jump off.

"Hey, man" he says, "you don't have to do that."

"Why not?" the other guy says, "I've got nothing to live for. I lost my job, I'm bankrupt, my wife left me and took the kids, my car threw a rod, and my dog just died. My life totally sucks."

"But God still loves you," the man says, "you believe in God, don't you?"

"Well, I guess so," the guy says.

"Tell me, are you a Christian?"

"Yes" the guy answers.

"Well, so am I!" the man says. "Catholic or Protestant?"

"I'm Protestant"

"Well, so am I!" "Methodist, or Baptist, or Presbyterian?"

"I'm Baptist."

Well, so am I!" "Northern or Southern Baptist?"

"Northern Baptist."

"Well so am I!" "Northern fundamentalist, liberal, or reformed?"

"Northern fundamentalist."

"Well, so am I!" "Northern fundamentalist eastern region, or Great Lakes region?"

"Northern fundamentalist, eastern region."

"Well, so am I!" "Northern fundamentalist, eastern region conference of 1898, or conference of 1912?"

"Northern fundamentalist, eastern region, conference of 1912."

"Die, heretic!" the man says, and pushes him off the bridge.

It's amazing how little it takes to divide us.

Posted by SK at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a friend. She gets on my nerves at times, like any other human person does. But there are some qualities in her which are rarely found in other people I’ve known.

People are inherently selfish. They prioritise their lives according to their own interests, their own wellbeing and those of their families. They can be very nice and kind for as long as being nice and kind does not impinge upon their own interests. My friend is not like that. She shows kindness to others because it’s right, even if it puts herself at stake.

People will not fashion their lifestyles according to values they claim to believe are good and right. The lifestyles they reflect are often in total contradiction to their conviction claims. My friend is not like that. Her life reflects the very values she preaches, regardless of what others may think of her.

People will say nice things to you about yourself because they know it makes you feel nice about them. But just as they’re pretentiously nice to you, they’re nice to just about everyone they meet. Because not having enemies works to their advantage. My friend is not like that. Offend her sensibilities and she’ll show it to you. Because she’s real.

I guess what makes this friend quite likable is not that she's pleasant. She's quite likable because she doesn't try to manage people's impressions of her. She just is.

It’s nice to have a real friend in a plastic world.

Posted by SK at 12:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A true ninja endures hardship with patience and strength. He knows how to wait.

Lady Tsunade
The Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village
from the anime "Naruto"

Posted by SK at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I knew his voice and his song first before I knew the man. When I first heard his song, something in the tone of the voice cut deep into my spirit. You could say it was a rather mystical experience.

But I never knew why there was a "soul" in his voice unlike other voices I'd heard before. Until I saw him on video.

His name is Tony Melendez. He's more complete than most people I've met.

Posted by SK at 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

...I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self.

Henri Nouwen

Posted by SK at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This bloke had been visiting my house, every single day, for two weeks.

He'd hang himself on the gate of my doorstep and put his hands through the grilles to irritate my two dogs. He'd make faces at them. Why, there was once, he even made faces at me!

And then, he'd sit on the top of my car for hours, picking fleas and lice from his body. Sometimes he'd vandalise my car by trying to pluck out little fixtures from the body of the car.

Apparently, he has been swinging from house to house around my neighbourhood, vandalising and disturbing the peace. One of my neighbours' Chinese New Year decorations were all damaged by this brat.

It has been several days since he last visited. I'm not sure if he has been caught by the authorities. But I sure wouldn't be surprised if he turned up again.

There's something about my encounter with this little fellow that has quite shocked me: my first reaction at his initial appearance was fear. I mean, a gorilla like me fearing a little monkey like him?! Cummon!

Lesson: We fear what we don't know.

And I swear he wasn't afraid of me one bit.

Posted by SK at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Of course it's the Chinese New Year. But it's also the beginning of the Lenten season! It is a season of reflection, withdrawal, penitence, and of receiving the forgiveness of God. It is a call for us to return to the presence of God in response to his invitation of love.

So after all the New Year celebrations and the red packets and the Chinese festivities, today I've returned to the Lenten mode. This morning, I accompanied a minister to bring the Sacraments and the Word to a group of foreign people in a very interior area.

We walked in the blazing heat through this...

and this.

It was a two-kilometre walk, going through high and low, jungle and quarry, before we arrived and spent some two hours with these people:

It's the Chinese New Year, but don't forget, it's Lent. It's a good time to be honest with ourselves about our failings, and also a good time to come to terms with the love of God which conquers all human failings... if we care to receive it and to be embraced by this love.

Posted by SK at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It is the eve of Lunar New Year for the people of the Chinese race all over the world. Tonight, families will cluster in the homes, wherein people from two or three generations will celebrate their reunion over an annual feast whilst catching up from where they last left off.

Besides the joy that comes from such occasions, there is a purpose underlying such festivities. That purpose is one of traditioning.

Festivals and like occasions remind us of who we are, where we came from, and how we ended up being where we find ourselves today. It is important for the simple reason that it gives us wisdom in charting out where we will move on from here. This must resonate with the Kierkegaardian adage, "Life must be lived forward, but understood backwards."

At the point of instructing his people on how they should live, the Lord began by saying "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt", for the subsequent commandments would have made sense only if this memory of the great deliverance was kept alive. It can be likened to the way Chinese parents tell their children, "Always remember your roots."

Perhaps this is why it has now become so difficult for us to decide how we should live and where we should go from here... tradition, for many (especially in relation to the expression of the Christian faith), has become almost a vulgarity.

We have forgotten how to remember.

Posted by SK at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

- Jesus, the Christ -

I was reminded through a homily this morning that the opposites of the peacemakers are not the peace-destroyers or the people who wage war against others. The anti-theses of the peacemakers are the peacekeepers.

What might the difference be between peacemakers and peacekeepers?

Peacemakers are those who acknowledge the necessity of conflict. But together with that, they seek to work things out amidst conflict in order that constructive solutions may be found. They understand that the world is not a perfect place and is fraught with conflict, and that sometimes (if not often) conflict can be a constructive instrument in order to bring positive change to the world and to society. Their sense of peace isn’t a myopic one; it’s a long-sighted peace. They desire to become instruments for ushering in a perpetual era of peace in the human order. The peace they are making isn’t to be found in the present.

Peacekeepers are those who want to avoid trouble at all costs because it brings too much inconvenience to them. They want to avoid rocking the boat and are fixated on maintaining the status quo. They are game for being “revolutionary” only to the extent that it doesn’t cause them trouble. When they sniff trouble from a mile away, they stop trying. The preoccupation of peacekeepers is staying out of trouble. Their desire for peace is self-motivated; they want peace for themselves. They don’t desire peace in the world order as much as they desire peace for themselves. Peacekeepers are selfish.

But peacekeepers have a way of defending themselves: "Such trouble isn't really necessary. Why invite such unnecessary trouble when it can be avoided?" Ironically, the more you observe them, the more you'll realise that peacekeepers almost never ever "invite trouble". Because when trouble is what a person wants to avoid, then no amount of trouble is ever necessary.

Churches comprise of too many peacekeepers and too few peacemakers. Peacekeepers often rise up to become very high-ranking leaders of Christian communities. They are well-loved because they don’t provoke people’s disfavour. They’re crafty communicators and skilful bureaucrats.

As for the peacemakers, Jesus called them “sons of God”. But he wasn’t about to let such ideals remain unscathed by realities of life. Immediately after calling the peacemakers “sons of God”, he talked about those who would be persecuted because of their desire to defend righteousness at all cost. The kingdom of heaven would be theirs - but at a price, obviously. He who came to preach peace himself said, “I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword”. Peacemakers are constantly having to reckon with this paradox of life.

It would seem from the Gospels that Jesus spent much of his effort throughout his public ministry exposing the motivations of the peacekeepers, segregating them from the peacemakers. He saw through the heart. He was such a strange rhetorist. Powerful but strange.

Posted by SK at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is literally the first time a mention of Wayne Grudem makes me smile.

[ HT to David Bish ]

Why this man is thematic, he’s charismatic, he’s systematic,
Why he’s Wayne Grudem! (Wayne Grudem)
He did not author Scripture but provides a clearer picture - Oh Yeah!
(Keep reading whoa keep reading)
Wayne may not be Jesus but he writes mean exegesis - Oh Yeah!
(I’ll buy a copy, I’ll kill to buy a copy)
You put it on the floor and it props open your door,
Or if you need to sit- you can climb on top of it - With Wayne Grudem
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Go Wayne Grudem with your intellectual writing style,
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
Go Wayne Grudem you make hard doctrines less of a trial
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
You are extreme, but God’s supreme, oh Wayne Grudem
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
(There are) many heresies which we now clearly see - Oh yeah!
(oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Despite him being bald, hundred-thousand copies sold - Oh yeah!
(oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
His six appendices leave you praying on your knees.
Although he’s not inerrant he’s a heresy deterrent - Wayne Grudem
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Go Wayne Grudem with your intellectual writing style,
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
Go Wayne Grudem you make hard doctrines less of a trial
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
You are extreme, but God’s supreme, oh Wayne Grudem
Go Wayne Grudem with your intellectual writing style,
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
Go Wayne Grudem you make hard doctrines less of a trial
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
You are extreme, but God’s supreme, oh Wayne Grudem
Grudem, grudem, grudem, grudem
Grudem, grudem, grudem, grudem yeah!

Posted by SK at 6:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Some humour is too good to be dismissed. Check this one out:

While walking down the street one day a Malaysian Boleh Minister is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem.

We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the man.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven.

Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I have made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Yang Berhormat

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules," says St Peter. And with that, St Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course.

In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and dressed in the finest batik there is.

They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then indulge themselves on lobsters, caviar and the most expensive food there is.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St Peter is waiting for him.

"Now it' s time to visit heaven." So, 24 hours pass with the Yang Berhormat joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing.

They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and StPeter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Yang Berhormat reflects for a minute, then he answers:

"Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I am better off in hell."

So St Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.

"I don't understand," stammers the Yang Berhormat.

"Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time.

Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil looks at him, smiles and says,

"Yesterday we were campaigning."

"Today you voted."

Editor's Note: What?? It's a joke lah!

Posted by SK at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)