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July 18, 2010

Post-Ordination Musings

Hi everyone! I apologise for the long silence. It’s true, I haven’t said very much on this blog in recent times, except for the surge of photograph postings from some recent significant events (especially since my ordination).


To make up for the long silence, I decided to post up something more “personable” rather than just another reflective article, or worse still, a theological article! But this doesn’t mean that I’m done with all the theological stuff I’ve been wanting to share. Remember the series “Liturgical Contemplations” I started a while back? I intend to continue with it as soon as time permits. There is still much more that needs to be shared, especially with those of you who may be more conscious of the dire need for a liturgical renewal in the Church today.


Of course, if you’ve attended some of my formation sessions before, you’d probably have heard me speaking too much about the liturgy. In fact, I’ve probably half battered the subject to death, having dwelled on it for extended moments. But the liturgy is the source and summit of our lives, so it’s always an issue worth talking about.


Well, before we get back to Liturgical Contemplations in a day or two, what have I been busy with? Lots of talks and formation sessions in various places, in service of the Church of Jesus Christ. I’ve also been busy assisting my Bishop and some priests in the liturgy, most of the time with me preaching the homily. I’ve enjoyed most parts of my experiences as a Deacon, to be sure, but I’ve also missed home so much after having travelled around quite a fair bit.


Two days ago, I passed the one-month threshold of my life as a Permanent Deacon in the Church. Some people have asked me how life has been since this new “indelible mark” had been imprinted onto my soul. I’ve enjoyed my vocation very much so far! After years of struggling with the idea of what God might want me to do with my life, I finally feel at peace with who I am and what I am doing. This doesn’t mean there’s no challenge, certainly; but it does mean that I know I have obeyed the voice of Christ for my life (thus far, at least).


When you know that you are fulfilling the will of God, there is an incredible sense of settledness, a peace in knowing that you have chosen to walk within the will of God. Amidst all the tasks that I’m juggling with now, I would say, I’m experiencing that settledness.


Calm.

May 24, 2010

No, Not Dead

Thought I was dead, didn't ya?! Nope, I'm still very much alive. But I seem to be infinitely busy since I returned from India last week. There have been many things to which I had to attend: arrangements for my ordination next month, office matters, scheduling my travels, preparing for upcoming talks and engagements... it never ends. And then, there's also my family that I've missed and wanted to spend time with at home. So...


I've not yet been able to put up photographs of my recent trip to Kerala (India). It was a good trip in the sense that it was really quite a pilgrimage for me. I think I managed to gain some measure of indulgence in the process!


But meanwhile, whilst working on my Kerala photographs, I've also just managed to put up pictures of my trip to Hua Hin, Thailand, from November 2009. I know, I know... it's waaaay beyond November 2009 now. I'm sorry, but better late than never. So here they are: click here for some photographs I took at Hua Hin.


Now, please wait patiently for India. If you'd like to know how long it's going to take for those pictures to come up, think "Malaysian government department". Or "Catholic Church".

May 23, 2009

Look Ma, I'm Twitting!

TwitterLogo.JPGYup, so the system is good to go! I've managed to embed a Twitter box onto this blog so friends can keep tabs on my whereabouts.


I think there are times when Twitter is just terribly slow or totally stuck. But it's good when it functions.


So I'll be using this frequently, especially when I'm on the road. That way, I'll be able to keep you, dear readers, informed of what's going on throughout my day from wherever I am.


All right, 'nuf said... let's twit!

December 18, 2008

Graduation Picture

This is as close as I'll ever get to looking like Harry Potter.


Mum, I've just won the Quick-Ditch Cup!

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December 4, 2008

Dealing with INTJs

I'm officially a difficult person. But I've just found a list of advice for people, teaching them how to deal with me:


1. Be willing to back up your statements with facts - or at least some pretty sound reasoning.


2. Don't expect them to respect you or your viewpoints just because you say so. INTJ respect must be earned.


3. Be willing to concede when you are wrong. The average INTJ respects the truth over being "right". Withdraw your erroneous comment and admit your mistake and they will see you as a very reasonable person. Stick to erroneous comments and they will think you are an irrational idiot and treat everything you say as being questionable.


4. Try not to be repetitive. It annoys them.


5. Do not feed them a line of bull.


6. Expect debate. INTJs like to tear ideas apart and prove their worthiness. They will even argue a point they don't actually support for the sake of argument.


7. Do not mistake the strength of your conviction with the strength of your argument. INTJs do not need to believe in a position to argue it or argue it well. Therefore, it will take more than fervor to sway them.


8. Do not be surprised at sarcasm.


9. Remember that INTJs believe in workable solutions. They are extremely open-minded to possibilities, but they will quickly discard any idea that is unfeasible. INTJ open-mindedness means that they are willing to have a go at an idea by trying to pull it apart. This horrifies people who expect oohs and ahhs and reverence. The ultimate INTJ insult to an idea is to ignore it, because that means it's not even interesting enough to deconstruct.


This also means that they will not just accept any viewpoint that is presented to them. The bottom line is "Does it work?" - end discussion.


10. Do not expect INTJs to actually care about how you view them. They already know that they are arrogant bastards with a morbid sense of humour. Telling them the obvious accomplishes nothing.


Sigh... I'm a difficult boy... a very difficult boy...

August 25, 2008

Doctor of Theology

degree.jpgJust received news hardly an hour ago that my doctoral dissertation has been passed.


That means that I'm now, err.. Dr Sherman? Sounds way too odd.


I've just arrived in the Philippines today to attend a three-day consultation organised by Fondacio Asia, and also to speak at a forum on Saturday.

July 18, 2008

Elegance

Nobody meme-d me; I'm meme-ing myself. And after this, I shall probably meme two or three other people because I'd really like to know how they'd respond to this meme. This is the meme:


10 things / people / events that I think are elegant:

1. Libera

2. The Roman Catholic Mass

3. Academic regalia

4. Monastic life

5. Literature

6. British English

7. The Holy Father Benedict XVI

8. Traditional attires

9. The human intellect

10. The concept of elegance


I tag the following:

1. Doulos

2. Judson

3. Winsome One

4. Wilful sunflower

5. Blogpastor

June 3, 2008

New Dawn

If you've never heard this bunch of kids singing, you've missed out on too much. A group of ordinary boys, aged between 7 and 14, projecting the vocal orchestration of an angelic choir...


The boys who make up the vocal band Libera have been described as “normal” and “ordinary”. However, as their recordings and performances demonstrate, the music they produce is truly extraordinary. With shimmering, mystical chords and ecstatic harmonies, they are unlike any other group you have ever heard. At times plaintive, at others climactic and transcendent. These are truly sounds to lift the soul. Celestial sounds for a new time.


I'm tempted to say something about the way they speak English in comparison with the local Malaysian and Singaporean English that so often makes me cringe; but I'll reserve that for another day. (Sigh... whither our culture?)


Both their singing and speaking got me gawking. See for yourself:

May 4, 2008

Bibliophilia

I’ve purchased about fifteen new books in the past one week, all because there were seasonal sales going on at two major bookstores.


I’m still feeling squeamish about how I just hopped from shelf to shelf at the warehouse, gratifying my bibliographic carnality, justifying my purchases by saying to myself, “Can’t get these books any cheaper at any other time” and “I need this for my research”.


At some point, my friend who was with me said, "Hey, I have this one and that one. I can pass them to you if you want to read them". I guiltlessly replied, "Nah, I've gotta have my own copies". That was so wrong!


There now – on my four-tiered twelve-foot shelf – lie Sherlock Holmes, Oscar Wilde, Adibah Amin, Benedict XVI, Richard John Neuhaus, Bertrand Russell and others, all staring in utter disbelief at my flippant indulgence.


Is it mortal or venial? I could say I’m never going to do this again; but how dare I tell such a big fat lie.


I hate book sales. No, I love them. I just hate it that I love them. Sheesh. Maybe I should use the thickest book I bought for self-flagellation.


Still reeling. Aiyooo...

April 14, 2008

Blog Meme

My my my... here's a really interesting blog meme. And since I've been targeted by the Lonely Dissertator (well, he is the Lonely Dissertator, ya know), I'll do it:


1. Provide a list of the books you’re currently reading.

Bruce Davis, Monastery Without Walls (Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 1990).

E.A. Burtt (ed.), The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha (NY: The New American Library, 1955).

John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope (NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994).

John Paul II, That They May Be One: On Commitment to Ecumenism (Rome: Vatican, 1995).

Richard P. McBrien, Catholicism (NY: HarperSanFranciso, 1994).


2. Pick up the nearest book.

3. Open to page 123.

4. Find the fifth sentence.

5. Post the next three sentences.

Since we are not called upon to be anything in particular, we need no space. We are free. If we were anything, we would not be free.


6. Tag five more people.
Blogpastor
Drifting Sojourner
Dr Alex Tang

Sivin and Wilful Sunflower have been tagged. Really, I don't know anyone else who reads my blog and who might respond to being tagged. So I'll have to settle with just three.

March 16, 2008

One Man Band

JamesTaylorOneManBand.jpgI was born in the 1970s. That was really quite long ago. And one would've thought that I'd be a fan of songs written in the 1980s or the 1990s - retro. But that's hardly so.


I'm a fan of the 1970s.. but that's another story all together. Just wanted to highlight this piece of CD I've been savouring. If you love purity - just plain wood and steel, minus all the distortions and the bing-bang-boom of contemporary music - James Taylor's One Man Band is something you don't want to miss.


And if you've always loved James Taylor's fingerpicking, his voice and his songs, then this is definitely one piece of art you don't want to wait for another few days to get.

February 10, 2008

Monkey Business

Monyet.jpgThis 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.

January 28, 2008

What's Cooking?

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What's keeping me busy?


This.


It's newly done.

December 7, 2007

Finishing Line

Dissertation.jpgBy the way, I've finished writing my doctoral dissertation. Yeah, all 280 pages of it, the whole hundred thousand words.


The finishing line is much nearer now than it was five years ago.


And I love God more now than when I first started.


The only thing is, my understanding of God, of the faith, and of the church has changed because of what this rigorous discipline of research has put me through. The peril of discovering things by accident which you never expected to discover. I'll have to decide what I'm going to do about that.


It's been one hell of a journey.

August 27, 2007

The Weirdo Preacher

I spoke at a Methodist Church yesterday, and this was how I was introduced by the local pastor to the congregation:


"Our preacher today is a very young man. He has kindly consented to speak at our service this morning. He has been teaching us a course on Authentic Spirituality in the past several weeks. We find his teaching... err... weird.


Let's welcome Mr Sherman Kuek!"

July 25, 2007

Eight Random Facts

Tagged by Daniel. Eight random facts about me, me, me.


Lightbulb.jpg1. Sherman does not watch television.


2. Sherman’s mind does not rest.


3. Sherman is an insomniac. He sleeps for an average of 3 or 4 hours every night, and has been like that since his secondary school days. (For the reason, refer to point 2.)


4. Sherman hates clichés.


5. Sherman dislikes conformity for the sake of conformity.


6. Sherman dislikes travelling although travelling just about characterises most of his work.


7. Sherman feels very awkward being the centre of attention in any group although being in the spotlight just about characterises most of his work. Contrary to popular belief, he is rather shy and introverted.


8. Sherman has a very hidden sense of humour behind his utterly serious look. Only people who know him beyond a superficial relationship would get a taste of his humour.

July 23, 2007

Personality Type

Testriffic.com

July 12, 2007

One Happy Customer

tmnet.jpgTMNet - register today! Good deals! Promotions! Attractive packages! Get effective access to the World Wide Web! You know you wanna!


I'm a happy customer.


More than a month ago, I discovered that TMNet had a seasonal offer to upgrade my broadband package from 512 kbps to 1.0 Mbps for only an extra ringgit per month (RM67-00) for the first three months, and then subsequently for RM77 per month. That was, in my assessment, a good deal. So I applied to have it upgraded. I was told that the upgrade would take five working days tops from the point of application.


Unfortunately, within the next one week, there was no change in my bandwidth. So I sent them an email, and they called me to find out what was wrong. I explained the situation to them, and they said they'd check things out. Later on they called me again, asking if there was any change in the bandwidth, as they'd made some adjustments - I said no. So they said they'd work on it again.


This happened at least five times. One of the times, they even told me they had changed some cable from their end. And yet, there was still no change in my bandwidth. This had been going on for the past one month.


Suddenly, late this morning, another call came from them: "Sir, we have adjusted your bandwidth. The technical department realised that they had not upgraded your bandwidth to 1.0 Mbps, that's why you kept getting a low bandwidth. Try it, it should be okay now."


I gawked at my phone receiver. I was a little too happy to yell, "Gimme back my one ringgit, you swindlers!" I could only manage a fumbling, "Oh, yes ar? Thanks ar..."


TMNet - register today!

May 6, 2007

Thinking Blogger Award

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I’m so flattered to have been given a Thinking Blogger Award although I’m not so sure how much I deserve it. But thanks, Bob, for thinking that I’m thinking! It’s nice to know at least someone thinks so. And apparently, I’m a:


Theologian and stand-up comedian with an intense interest in contextual theology and lately, I heard, Asian theology (but that's probably more imposed upon him). The same intensity is seen in the way in which he shares these ideas and thoughts.


Well, with my intense interest in contextual theology and my being Asian, I guess I can’t escape any of my theological construction being categorised as Asian theologies – and of course, being tainted with humungous Western fingerprints because of my colonialised family background (sigh, I agonise over that).


There are just four other people I'd like to pass this award on to, since several others have already been tagged together with me:


1. Very Lord Alwyn Lau the Poster of Great Moderns
I have no better way to describe Alwyn than calling him a brother who's an "ally". He talks of the most unlikely things and identifies the most unsightly things of life. Sheer brilliance. Definitely PhD material. If you have a million buckaroos and are on a lookout for a PhD scholarship candidate, he's the one. Here's a secret: he even talks some theological stuff I have no idea about! He's the reason why I think I'm not overtly intellectual.


2. Her Grace Willful Sunflower, the Princess of Wails
Now, this girl is something. Okay, yes, she wails. A LOT. But that doesn't mean she's not thinking. It just means she thinks coherently but doesn't act upon her thoughts (the greater decisive factor for her daily behaviour pattern is her feelings). And yet, read the way she analyses issues - you go, girl.


3. His Most Serene Highness Lord Hedonese the Proclaimer of Divine Intervention
Hedonese used to post his thoughts and academic writings but has been rather quiet recently, save for some publicity material for conferences which he frequently posts up. I enjoy reading the stuff he writes; having different theological positions on certain issues doesn't deter me from enjoying the deep reflections of another brother. So, Hedonese, where have you been? I've been waiting to read more...


4. His Imperial Majesty Justbk the Idle of London
Okay, he's not exactly idle. I think he can get pretty busy, judging by the frequency of his posts (or lack thereof). But when he does post something, it's always worth a read and ceaselessly thoughtful. I certainly think he should post more, but I think he's got a life.


Anyway, guys (and gal), here's what you need to do in acceptance of this friendly award:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think;

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' (like the one above) with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative gold version if silver doesn't fit your blog).

Also, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.

May 3, 2007

My Aristocratic Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Very Sir Lord Sherman the Implacable of Dicken St Charles
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

April 30, 2007

May Day

Hazard.jpgMay is coming up. May is usually the busiest month of the year for me. For some strange reason unbeknownst to me, a pattern has been established such that it is the “peak” of the year in terms of my ministerial activity. And after May, things gradually begin to slow down or settle into a more steady rhythm for the rest of the year (albeit not quite so soon as I’m making it sound). And then in December, everything will come to a standstill – or at least, I make sure it does.


I’m now in the midst of preparing two sermons and a course curriculum in Contextual Theology, whilst also trying to find as much time as I can to recuperate as I’ve been rather unwell recently.


To most people, I look more like a “part-time minister” of sorts because of the itinerant nature of my work. So there’s hardly one point of time when I’m seen working for eight straight hours within a single environment. And yet the more I evaluate the magnitude of my work assignments, the more it seems like I have more than a fulltime job – no kidding.


One major thing that’s on the backlog (well, it has actually been on the backlog for several years now!) is my doctoral thesis. The good news is, I’ve recently submitted my fifth chapter, and this leaves me with the final chapter to work on. Even so, I’ve complete about a third of the final chapter. So I have just about two-thirds of the final chapter to work on. I’m very near completion, and yet the goal doesn’t seem quite as near as I’d like it to be in the light of all the various other assignments I have lined up.


May Day! May Day!

April 11, 2007

Link: Tricky Stress

AlphabetDice.jpgThe following is just a very interesting linguistic observation by my very linguistic friend. It should be of interest to those of you for whom English isn't a native or first language.


Link: Tricky Stress

February 25, 2007

More-damn Modem

Modem.jpgArrived home late last night (near midnight) and was greeted with some internet and blog complications.


While in Kuching, my access to the blogging interface was blocked by the hosting company because apparently my blogging interface functions in a way that causes the server to overload. So I was ding-dong-ing with the hosting company over this issue over a couple of days. Now it's resolved - thank you so much for your very kind help, Bob. Very grateful to you. And Sunflower, thanks for helping me get help from Bob!


I also came home to find my modem dead. Because lightning struck and went through the phoneline and made the modem router crash and burn. Had to buy a new modem router - thanks, brothers and the soon-to-be wifey for chipping in to get what would've been hardly affordable if I had to purchase it myself.


Now we're back in business...


I have a replacement lecture to deliver at the seminary tomorrow afternoon. And then, I'll be off to Johor Bahru. Then on Tuesday, Singapore. By Tuesday evening, I'll be back in Seremban. This Saturday and Sunday, I'll be in Kuala Lumpur. I told my mother-in-law-to-be that I'm really quite busy - she giggled like I was joking. Haha...

February 17, 2007

Tong Tong Chiang!

firecrackers.jpgA Very Happy
Chinese
New Year
to All!


Sherman's Seal (Black Background).jpg

From Sherman Kuek


February 16, 2007

Everyone Can Fly

AirAsia2.jpgI'm in Kuching now. After some hiccups with Air Asia, I managed to touchdown more than half an hour after the appointed time.


Air Asia! It's so affordable! "Now everyone can fly..."


... so long as you don't mind your flights being delayed indefinitely or changed in the last minute to a weirdest departure time at the blatant expense of your convenience (and sometimes not even being duly informed of the change)...


or all of the above. I've had all the above, and MORE than that. One of my flight times was changed at least 3 times!


I hate Air Asia - never had a pleasant experience with them so far. But yeah, "now everyone can fly".

February 15, 2007

Cat City

AirAsia.jpgI'll be in Kuching from 15 (Thursday) to 25 (Sunday) February. Will be spending Chinese New Year there with the future in-laws.


Anyone interested to meet up?


Editor's Note: I'll be in Kuching by 1330 hours today. Will be back in West Malaysia at midnight on 25 February. I reckon there'll still be sufficient technical facilities available for me to blog... but still, one can't be too sure.

January 10, 2007

Myanmar Pictures

Pictures from my trip to Myanmar have been posted up here.

January 2, 2007

Brand New Year

myanmar.jpgYes! I'm back from an 18-day trip to Myanmar! It was a soul-enriching trip in many ways. In time to come, I expect to be posting some reflective entries based on my visit there. Photographs of my trip shall be posted in the photo section soon (I'll post up a link once they're up).


A very Blessed New Year to all of you!


A brand new year ahead. This year, as it has been with all other years in human history, more babies will be born and more people will die. It is a paradox that from the day we are born, we start dying.


Who knows what this year will bring? Our future is in the hands of the Lord, and only he knows how he will lead us through the various challenges we're confronted with in the coming year.


Of course, for some, the future is a non-existent entity, and hence there is no future to be known (**cheeky grin**). I'm too ignorant to be sufficiently sure if the future is a knowable entity. But whatever the arguments may be, if there was a future to be known, he'd know it. And for me, it's enough for me to know that only he knows if there was a future to be known – this tongue-twisting reality is enough for me to entrust the future into his hands.


There is no more appropriate way to begin a year than with a prayer. The next several entries shall consist of reflective prayers based on the prayer the Lord Jesus taught his disciples. Then perhaps after that I'll post up some introspective reflections I had during my moments of solitude throughout the trip in Myanmar.


And so I pray...

November 22, 2006

Back and Forth

WindingRoad.jpgI ain't got nothing better to do with my life than to spend half of it on the road. Been away again throughout the past weekend. Attended a wedding dinner which served superb wine (oops, there you go - now you know teetotality isn't my way of life and I wouldn't have exactly been very much loved by John Wesley), met up with some old acquaintances, and managed to grab some research material from the theological library in a neighbouring country. All in a weekend's work. Achieved everything I expected to for this trip.


And more. There was time for lots of personal reflection. So much time that I even managed to develop a new theology in my moments of silence. So I reflected a lot on my personal struggle and the struggles of many other friends throughout the years with the institutional church. If we have all been so committed to our faith and to the message of the gospel, why have we often not found ourselves fitting the mould of the institutional church? What's wrong with us? And if it's true that the institutional church doesn't always stand in coherence with God's Kingdom concerns, then why does he still allow it to exist? Why does he not abolish the institutional church and establish a church that's entirely organic and missional in nature?


I believe - after years of pondering, virtually - I've found the answer now. Now that I'm back from my trip and have a couple of days to sit in front of the computer screen before I zoom off again, I'm in the process of articulating my theological thoughts regarding this issue. It's going to be a rather new ecclesiological articulation from the viewpoint of an organic missional follower of Christ. I and others like me have for far too long found ourselves displaced. It's time to return with a connected understanding and to see how we fit in the scheme of the church even if we don't always condone how her policies and procedures often take precedence over Kingdom-life.


It'll take a couple of days before I start posting installments of this ecclesiology, but I'd say it's going to be worth the wait. This frame of thought, I increasingly find, is helping me discover answers to so many ambiguities I've entertained regarding my role in the church and why many like me have existed in such a state of tension with the institutional church. It helps me to understand how I should relate with the institutional church from where I stand, since God isn't likely to abolish the institution in the near future - and this ecclesiology explains why God has good reason to require the presence of the institutional church on earth even if it doesn't always see things from his point of view.


Until then...

November 21, 2006

Uhuh! Spot On!

You scored as The Philosopher. Hola, thinker! You always always have your thinking hat on. Somehow you have the special ability to pick out the oddities of life and the particular something that catches your eye. A little different from the shouter, you shout out in a deeper context. Not many may understand what you've typed, but to you, recording your train of thoughts is all that matters!



The Philosopher

100%

The Addict

75%

The Shouter

67%

The Writer

67%

The Journalist

50%

The Copy-Cat

42%

The Lover

17%

The Photographer

17%

The Paparazzi

0%

Which type of Xangan/Blogger are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

November 9, 2006

The Interview

Interview.jpgThere I was, sitting face-to-face with the interviewer of a major broadcaster. He was there to interview me on the all important subject of the Christian life and church.


Interviewer: Hi Sherman, thanks for being here with me today. Which church are you from?

Me: Oh, that really depends. How do you define "church"?


Interviewer: Do you think it's important that a church be involved in mission?

Me: That depends. What do you mean by "mission"? Does the church have one mission, or does it have multiple missions? Do mission trips have anything to do with the "mission"?


Interviewer:
How about evangelism then? In your assessment, is it crucial that all Christians be involved in evangelism?

Me: That depends. How do you define "evangelism"? By the four spiritual laws? By the sinner's prayer?


Interviewer: You know, recently, there've been issues about Christian leaders falling into sin and all. How do you think sin should be addressed in the church?

Me: That depends. What do you mean by "sin"? Are you referring to sin in the Pelagian way or the Augustinian way?


Interviewer: Hey, are you evangelical or not? When you were nominated for this interview, we were told you were evangelical.

Me: Err, that depends. What do you mean by "evangelical"? If I disagree with the common definition of some evangelical jargon, does it make me non-evangelical?


Interviewer:
Okay. Thanks for nothing.


Fortunately, all this is just a daydream. I really don't think any interviewer with preconceived notions of how Christianity should look like would survive me very well. It wouldn't take too long for him to find that religious evangelical jargon doesn't work very well on me.

October 3, 2006

Winding Paths

Frasers 12.JPGAllow an aging man the privilege of some soulful chatter. I’ve turned 30 this year and I’ve yet to begin speaking much about myself on this blog. Primarily, it’s because I’ve deliberately positioned it as a platform for more reflective and theologically contributive thoughts. But today, I break my own rule in very minute measure. Just for a bit.


People measure their milestones according to significant events in their lives; I think it’s quite a common phenomenon. Of course, on a lengthier scope, I measure my milestones in accordance with my age. But on a shorter scale, I typically measure my milestones according to my educational journey. This is partially because I’ve been a formal student since the age of four, and have never for a moment stopped my formal education since. Effectively, I’ve been a student for 26 years of my life.


The last milestone I charted began in July 2002 when I began my journey as a doctoral student in Contextual Theology. Tonight, the thought that I have completed 85 percent of my thesis suddenly struck me as something terribly significant. 85 of a hundred thousand words written, and it has taken over four years so far. And I now stand at the verge of completion, with only 15 thousand words left to complete a series of arguments to support my thesis.


And much has taken place within these over four years. I’ve been places – Indonesia, Europe, the Philippines, Africa. I’ve met people - some of whom look like they’re here to stay in my life and others who have left with no evidence of their presence whatsoever. I’ve made humiliating mistakes - too ashamed to name them so publicly.


Things have changed. I have changed. I began my journey as a newly graduated seminarian, young but having experienced enough to suffer from disillusionment at the idea of churchmanship. Now I’m a seminary teacher, still rather young and still extremely disillusioned with the idea of churchmanship - but wise enough to know that I mustn’t give up embracing a hope which God himself isn’t willing to give up.


I started out with big dreams. And now, after rather many failures that have defined the past four years of my life, I’m a bigger dreamer than ever - because I gave up my own tiny dreams for something bigger. If anything, I’ve learned to look beyond myself. I’ve learned to understand that my worth as a human person is best demonstrated when I see that there’s a world beyond myself and learn to live for others.


In the past four years, many of you - my friends - have popped this question before - what about marriage? And I believe I’ve always told you, “I’m not searching for someone, so I’m not even thinking about marriage. At least not now.” It still remains partially true. The only part that has changed is that while I wasn’t searching for someone, I recently stumbled across someone. I swear it wasn’t my fault; I just never expected that depth and simplicity - two seemingly conflicting virtues - could be so beautifully integrated and embodied within one human life. But don’t go trying to speculate too much, okay? The right doses of information will be released at the right time. There’s still a long process to go through before specific names are being mentioned. But yes, there’s someone in the picture, and I do suppose that the responsible thing to do for me would be to actually start thinking of marriage. (*Three deep breaths*)


Just some thoughts lingering early in the morning to clear my cache so I can go to bed empty-headed. So what else lies ahead? Who knows? My present mission is to impart the little knowledge I have to those who seek guidance under my ministerial care. My immediate goal is to complete my doctoral thesis, to submit it, and hope to pass. And then, to move on being the simple man that I am in God’s grand scheme of life.


The winding path is bound to lead somewhere.


Tonight, I'm reminded that I'm human. Don't see me as anything less, but don't see me as anything more.

September 8, 2006

Mooting an Idea

What do you think of an interactive website that provides latest information pertaining to Christianity in Malaysia?


This will include a blog with updated information by a panel of bloggers, a forum for all to participate to discuss issues (especially issues related to our local context), and several other features.


The idea of this project would basically be to gather a community of people who are interested to explore what it means to be both Malaysian and Christian.


This is an idea that has just been mooted by a friend yesterday, and we've decided to think about it seriously. What do you think? Also, if we do decide to start a website like that, what would an appropriate name be for the website?

September 6, 2006

Which X-Men?

I don't usually do such a thing since to me it borders on vain narcissism, but for today, what the heck...

You Are Jean Grey
Although your fate is often unknown, you always seem to survive (even after death).
Your mind is your greatest weapon, literally!

Powers: telepathy and telekinesis, the ability to project thoughts into the mind of others, communication with animals

August 30, 2006

Guess How Old?

SisBday06.jpg
You're the person who sees through clay and mud and finds diamonds in a life. For all the happiness that you find in life, it's something you truly deserve.


Happy birthday, sis. You are deeply loved.

August 25, 2006

Digging a Grave

The night was warm and there was no breeze. The entire surrounding was embraced by a strange stillness. But amidst this stillness, there was a rage in my heart as I dug the ground furiously with the spade in my hand. I kept digging with uncontrollable tears as I sank deeper and deeper with the descending level of the earth.


I was burying someone on that still night. Someone I loved very much. And it hurt me so that this person was now gone. Strangely, I had no idea who this person was that I was burying. But I was burying him/her. Alone. Wrapped in white linen, this very small person lay still by the grave that I was digging. I was breathless, whilst this body there had no breath. I was the only sign of life.


As the grave was prepared for the body to lay within it, I stopped my digging. I paused a brief moment to settle my lack of breath. And then I looked at the body wrapped in white linen. And I sobbed. And sobbed. And sobbed. And then I lifted the body up with both my arms, hugged it tightly, and gently placed it at the bed of the ground. And I covered the grave with the earth that I had dug out of it.


And then I woke up. Dazed. Mystified. Grieved. I have no idea what that was about. The picture is clear in my mind, but you can't snap a picture of what you see in a dream.

August 5, 2006

Bloggerversary

On 5 August last year, I wrote:


I am still furiously coming to terms with the fact that I let myself be talked into this. I am not sure what I have walked into. Is blogging for those who have something original to say? If so, I am the unlikely candidate. I mean, my blog name itself says it all. Or perhaps blogging is for those who have nothing original to say, but who have an original way of saying it. Perhaps I may fit into this latter category. Just perhaps.


I suppose this, for me, is one of those occasions in our life journey when we start off on a venture just for the kicks. And then we uncover the consequences later. And in the process, we discover something of the "unknown". Just perhaps.


As of now, I have taken the plunge. "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God."


Reality bytes...(what pun?)


Dear blog, happy first birthday. You have taken me where I've never been before. Thank you. Here's to the next one year.

August 3, 2006

His Birthday

He has a strange way with people - they all love him. He relates with them in the most unorthodox ways, but they seem to appreciate it. I never understood why, but I'm beginning to see that what people appreciate about him is a quality of authenticity that's so lacking in many plastic souls in this world. He's no plastic. He's real.


He's an adventurer. Not the mountain-climbing type, but the street-roaming type. The type who visits little towns and obscure villages. Out there, he's just, well, at home. I guess it's probably because he's spent most of his life as a young man without a place to call his home, so the world is his home.


He sings out of rhythm but insists that it's the rest of the world that's gone out of rhythm. Every song that he sings - pop, rock, jazz, gospel - becomes a country song when he sings it (to our utter dismay). When I was little, he used to tell me to clap furiously after every song he sang. Now he does it to his grandchildren.


He still can't seem to tell the difference between a computer monitor and a television. To him, terms like "email", "forum", and "chat" are abstractly philosophical. In their most concrete forms, these things are like electricity - you can't see it, you don't know what it looks like, but you know it's there. He knows these things exist only because mum and I keep talking about them.


I've ever seen him trying to handle a remote control like it was a handphone (or was it a handphone like a remote control?) But that was long ago. Now, I'm sure he thinks handphones are the coolest things because he calls me all the time when I'm out, just to ask what movie I'm watching and who I'm eating with. I'm cool with that. When I want to say something in a way he can't answer, I'll just send him an SMS (text) - he can't for the life of him figure out how that one works.


Happy 63rd birthday, dad. You're one of a kind. It feels kind of awkward saying I love you; maybe it's because I'm really growing up now. Anyway, I'm giving you the best birthday present ever... ME! emoticon1.jpg

July 31, 2006

Meeting Frenzies

Meetings.jpg

July 22, 2006

Okay, Here It Is

Not much reflective thinking has been done in the past couple of days. There are sporadic seasons when the creative mechanisms of the mind seem silent. Or even worse, sluggish. Nothing abstractly conceptual seems to be churning in my mind. But still, within the heart, there's a quiet confidence and knowing that it's all right.


In the past couple of days, I've been preoccupied with the fixtures and the tweaking of my new car. Guilt threatens to grip my conscience, hehe. But I figured, with all the intensive work that I've put into thinking in the past couple of months (since the year began, actually), what's a man gotta do to get his well-deserved break?!


Anyway, I'm uploading pictures of my new car here only because friends from afar are asking what it looks like and what its look has mutated into since it got into my hands. So I gladly oblige...emoticon1.jpg


My Avanza 4.JPG
My Avanza 2.JPG
My Avanza 6.JPG

July 20, 2006

Vroom!

Avanza.jpg
Coming into my driveway tomorrow. Then in the next few days, it'll be put under a tedious process of dressing up and minor renovations, afterwhich it'll be my faithful companion for the next few (or many!) years of my life.


And, not forgetting...
Kenari.jpg
My faithful companion for the past four years. Honey, I love you, but we're stifling each other. I'm growing, can't you see (duh)? Don't worry, mum will take good care of you...

July 5, 2006

Got Blog?

MyBlog.jpgI taught my students to blog at the tutorial class this morning. Reason? I gave them an extended blogging assignment that spans throughout the entire semester. It's structured in such a way that those who choose to participate in this assignment have everything to gain, but those who choose to not do so stand to lose nothing.


For some, it's daunting; for the others, it's exciting - really depends on what sort of personality one is, doesn't it? I mooted this idea of getting them to blog because I felt that it's a tremendously effective way of disseminating information and ideas to the world in as short and as (almost) costless a way as possible. A couple of them have already begun their blogging exercise (for examples, see here and here and here and here). I'm really happy with what I'm seeing so far. I hope they have as much fun as one should have when communicating theology to the world.


This reminds me, next month marks the one-year anniversary of my blogging career. It's therefore in order that I acknowledge some people who have been propelling factors in my participation in blogdom. Thanks, Sivin, for encouraging me to embark on what has now become an almost daily spiritual discipline for me. Thanks also, Irene, for being the ever present help whenever the blog technicalities get a tad too tedious for my fat fingers - and remember to have your meals regularly; I mean it!


As with anything else, blogging can be and has been used for the most nonsensical purposes. But at its best, I think it has revolutionised the dissemination of beneficial information.


Got blog?

June 25, 2006

Shut Down!

YimboyRissa.jpgWhen your body has been somewhat tossed around in a vehicle in accordance with the terrain of the Malaysian roads for as far as almost 2,000 kilometres in the past couple of weeks, all you'd want to do is shut down like my two doggies in the picture. While we may have a highway here, I'd gladly echo the words of an acquaintance of mine, "Highway my foot."


In the past couple of weeks, I've been having conversations with people from the pulpit, from lecture desks, and within circular settings (yes, I mean circular, not secular - for me, there is no secular). In my interactions, very sure signs of fatigue have now appeared: incoherent trains of thoughts, disconnected ideas, slurred speech, and inability to articulate with as much linguistic precision as I'd like to have done.


Too much travelling. Too much running around. Too much talking. Too much teaching.


Too little listening. Too little learning. Too little silence. Too little rest. Too little contemplation.


The implications are obvious if I don't self-impose a discipline of physical and mental rest. This is something I'm unwilling to compromise on. So for now, I'll rest. I'll sit at my desk and work with my thoughts, I'll blog, I'll sleep, I'll live with a rhythm. I won't be pulled by anything that threatens to drain out from me that which I don't possess. In that sense, I'll be resting.


So in the meantime when I'm asked to "do this" and "do that", to "come here" and "go there", my response has to be, "Sorry, closed for today." But for anything that helps me to relax and re-create... let's rock!


For now.

June 17, 2006

Just for Laughs

CokeAdvert.jpg
If having this brother on the poster would still make people buy the drink, then I'd say the drink is really good! (That man might as well be me!) Puts contemporary advertising into a proper perspective, doesn't it? Ah, the power of satire.

May 19, 2006

The DaVinci Code

davincicode.jpgEveryone's going to blog on this soon, so let be me one of the first! I've gone to watch The DaVinci Code. And I didn't like it. Bummer.


With the way it was so hyped up - ironically, by many local churches and Christian ministries all around the region - I'd have expected a very convincing screening of the story that would shake the faith of millions of Christians to the core. But I found no such thing in the movie. It's most likely because I didn't read the book. And I'll bet most of the viewers won't have read it either. Anyway, I came out of the movie thinking through the entire reconstructed story about Jesus having a lineage of descendents birthed through Mary Magdalene and stuff, and concluded with the question, "So?"


I mean, why should such stories compel anyone's faith to be shaken? Anyone can take the characters from any historical event and fabricate an entirely new story. After all, look at Gladiators... no one came out of that movie pointing out how that story was a twisted version of the historical reality and all. It was seen as something fictional, even if the movie was filmed as though it was something real.


As a movie itself, I found The DaVinci Code boring, long-winded, and complicated. The genre felt more like that of National Treasure, minus the excitement. I also think that non-Christians and even most Protestant Christians would have a problem trying to understand the whole issue with Opus Dei in the movie, which was Dan Brown's rendition of the terribly warped perception that many have towards this Roman Catholic Order. Even a simple joke like the final remaining descendent of Jesus trying to test if she could walk on water didn't manage to provoke the slightest giggle from the audience.


I guess what I'm saying is, I don't see how this story / movie is a threat to the Christian faith at all. Could we perhaps have fallen for the gimmicks of the marketing experts by having contributed to the elevation of hype among Christians? We've probably done a better job at publicising The DaVinci Code than the marketing agencies have. All this hype we've given to the movie prior to its release sure is making someone rich.


At any rate, give me the following other movies to watch and stories to read, which I find more meaningful: 1) Harry Potter - an epitome of missional friendship; 2) X-Men - a hyperbolic reality of the dilemma of human insecurity; 3) Star Wars - a lesson in Kingdomic paradigm.

May 16, 2006

On the Run

highway.jpgI'm back! It's been a horrendously hectic weekend, but the weekend itself wasn't horrendous at all, if you get what I mean. On Sunday morning, I preached in a Presbyterian Church (Gereja Grace Batu Pahat) in a little town down south called Batu Pahat, and managed to catch up with a dear friend and to meet a number of new friends. Since it was Mothers' Day, I spoke on the "motherhood of God" (well yeah, as always, I had some eyesbrows raised... but those eyebrows soon settled into their original positions when they heard my explanation, hahah). On Monday morning, I went to Singapore for some other appointments. And today, I'm back in Seremban.


But I'll be here for only three full days before I hit the road again. This Sunday, I'll be preaching in another Presbyterian Church (Hebron Presbyterian Church) in Johor Bahru before I enter Singapore again. On Monday morning, I'll be departing from Changi Airport for the ALCOE VI which is held in the Philippines. Will be away for five days, afterwhich I must be back in time for another speaking engagement in a Lutheran church (BLC) in Kuala Lumpur.


So what's going through my mind as I keep up with this pace? Two things. Firstly, I think this is all good and meaningful as long as it's done in the company of friends. I've developed a disdain for a "public" ministry that rests on a reputation (which I don't have anyway). Half the time, it feels like people are holding me in high regard based on things about me that they don't really know. As far as I'm concerned, ministry is all about friendship... ministering to friends and being ministered to by friends.


Secondly, it feels strange saying this, but it's been ages since I've missed my own local church community when I'm on the run. For as long as I can remember, my ministerial activity has been itinerantly mobile. Thus, I've never been able to develop really intimate relationships with my own local church. Neither did they seem very keen on such communal relationships. But since I moved to Seremban and participated in the life of the local church here, this community has become so much a part of my family. We actually miss them when we're away. Hence, whilst our minds have been very focused on our work away from home, our hearts have been very much with our local church community. And we were talking a lot about "our church" throughout our journey. This feels strange because I've hardly met people with such attachments in recent times, let alone experience it myself. But it's happening. It's beautiful when there's organic life behind and beyond the institution itself.


Busy days ahead. The little that has been entrusted to me has to be fulfilled to the best of my ability. And as I keep pace with the goals set before me, I must remember: this is a journey to Christ, with Christ, and for Christ.

May 4, 2006

Toilet Rolls

degree.jpgI'm presently still writing my doctoral thesis on Theology and Contemporary Culture. More specifically, I'm seeking to defend a sustained claim that the Asian Church is obligated to interact with a contextualised rendition of modernity that originated from colonial imperialistic activity but which has morphed into various contextualised modernities. This may sound like something bordering on postmodernity, although I've actually rather quickly dismissed (in my writing) the relevance of postmodernity for Asia. But that's besides the point.


The point is, I find that I'm now writing obsolete thoughts. I'm no longer as excited about what I'm now writing as I was when I first embarked on this project some years ago. When I first started, this entire train of thought was a profoundly new discovery for me. But the dilemma I face is that my intellectual growth has far exceeded the rate of my writing (I don't mean to say this in a lofty way - it's truly a dilemma). What used to excite me at the point of embarkation no longer excites me, because what I set out to resolve through this research has already been mentally resolved.


I've been assured of a publication upon completion. And I know that most doctoral graduates are extremely proud to have their theses published and read by many. But I'm not so sure if this is the case for me. I don't think I'd be proud to have a work published that doesn't truly reflect the present state of my intellectual position. So it's like I have it all at my fingertips, but it hardly means much to me.


So these are my thoughts at 6 o'clock in the morning regarding my research: Existentially, I have gained from this journey what I have set out to attain. So it's now simply about the degree itself, a pragmatic and functional commodity of life. Still, what has been started must be completed. Much has been invested by my scholarship providers who've so willingly believed (rightly or wrongly) in my ability to successfully complete this journey. I'm extremely grateful to them. I have more reasons to complete this project than to not complete it. So I clench my fist for a moment, then I flex my nuckles and keep typing away.


And at the back of my mind, a message keeps playing over and over again: an academic qualification doesn't make a person.

April 19, 2006

Fun with Furkids

It's been quite a long time since I posted pictures of the furkids. Just over a week ago, I was speaking with my students in class (during a lesson on the transcendence of God) about ecological responsibility and God's redemption plan for all of creation. So I thought it might be nice to post an entry to capture the physical growth of the furkids.


Chayim (02-04) 3.JPG
Chayim (Maltese) in February 2004. He was really so tiny that we could carry him with just one hand, like an egg. Guess which one is the soft toy and which one is the real dog?


Chayim (04-06) 1.JPG
Chayim now. He's still very tiny, weighing just over 3.5 kilograms. But he's a dignified young man now, unlike the naughty brat that he used to be when he was a tiny little egg. Still looking very much like a soft toy though.


Carissa (05-05) 2.JPG
Carissa (Cocker Spaniel) in May 2005. She was born with a mischievous streak and was naughty since the first day she came home.


Carissa (04-06) 1.JPG
Carissa now. Still mischievous and refuses to grow up. She's extremely affectionate and wants to play with everyone.


Furkids.JPG
Chayim and Carissa now... this very minute, hogging my bed like they do every single night!

March 29, 2006

Commercial Break

CommitteeMeetings.jpgI know this is a rather abrupt intrusion in the midst of a serious and theologically constructive series of blogposts on Friendship. But I think I'll take a short commercial break.


You see, I just came across Prof. Scot McKnight's post "On Committee Meetings" and I simply felt that I needed to quote a part of his post verbatim, for the benefit of my friends (present and future) who will be working with me in the ministry in one way or another:


I’m constitutionally incapable of finding committee meetings interesting. I do my best to come to each meeting with a good attitude, but it doesn’t last very long.

The one thing I’m most prepared for is the “second” when the chair asks if there is a motion to adjourn. Before someone utters “so moved” I clear the air with “second” in the hope of ending the meeting before someone else comes up with something else to chat about.


Yeah, whatever he said; me too. But come to think of it, this isn't utterly irrelevant to the series I'm blogging on, is it?

March 23, 2006

Picture Page!

Not much reflective thoughts for today, as I've practially spent the entire day working on the final bit of blog-restoration that was laid off for a while in the past week or so.


Before all the pictures on my previous blog were entirely wiped out, I used to have a page totally dedicated to the posting of pictures from my ministerial and vacational travels. But like I said, it all got wiped out.


It has now been restored! To visit that newly reconstructed page, click the "My Photographs" link under SHERMAN'S SHUFFLES on the right-hand sidebar.


My students are going to have a sleepy lecturer tomorrow morning. Something tells me this won't bother them the least bit.

March 14, 2006

Can't Think of a Title

It is such a pleasure to inform you that my blog is now to be considered almost fully reconstructed.


All that's left to be done is to provide a link (or something) for visitors to find their way back to the homepage from the "email" and the "profile" pages. Actually, you can get back to the homepage by simply clicking the banner; but who would think of that, right?


If I was cajoled to a public admission as to how little of this blog is attributable to my own effort, I'd probably faint from perpetual embarassment. But such is life; we'd like to think that we can make things work in our own capacities.


And then when a task that is plain and simple to others seems impossible for us, we realise that God sends people to help us move a farther distance in our life journey. It is humbling. But heartwarming.


Anyway, welcome back to Sherman on the Mount.


Note from the Editor: As of 15 March, the links for visitors to find their way back to the homepage from the "email" and the "profile" pages have been set up.

March 13, 2006

What's New?

Okay, I've officially screwed up my blog. HEEEEELP!!!

March 11, 2006

Catch the Monkey

Monkey.jpgMy Burmese friend (who is also my student at seminary) taught me something today. It was a proverb taught to him by his grandfather: "Slowly slowly catch the monkey."


This proverb means that one must persevere in mastering a skill, for it is with time and patience that one will eventually learn the trick of the trade. This is timely advice for yours truly to persevere, since the goal for mastering Movable Type literally seems to be the movable type.


But at the rate someone is pampering me by doing most of the setup work for me on the reconstruction of this blog, I think I'll be far from being an expert on this interface anytime soon.


And I think this blog is now way cooler than it used to be. It's so cool I actually can't help feeling like I need to show it off to my fellow friends who blog. I know it's not my work of art, but still, I've got to flaunt it. As for how I'm going to manage with this interface in time to come, oh well, slowly slowly catch the monkey.


P.S. My goodness, this blog is so cool! *faints*

March 10, 2006

Back with Vengeance

Blog.JPGOkay, Sherman on the Mount is so back.


So many things have taken place in the past week. The server that hosted my blog was hacked and then disconnected by the US data centre. And then they refused to reconnect the server.


So my hosting company tried to transfer my blog to another server. But in the process, every single one of my images disappeared. So there.


Anyway, I'm now parked at a different host and trying to reconstruct from what's left of my demolished blog. But I'm back with a vengeance, and blogging continues!


To all the concerned friends who called me to find out about this momentary breakdown, I appreciate your concern. And Irene, what can I say... thank you.

March 2, 2006

Hacked!

hacked.JPG

Logged onto my blog this this morning and was horrified to find only the above message showing. The server of my service-provider was hacked by some people who probably decided to do it on the occasion of Ash Wednesday.


Anyway, I only had to republish everything through my usual blogging interface, and everything was restored within less than five minutes. But if you did log onto my blog throughout that duration and found nothing, apologies! All systems go now.

February 24, 2006

Sneaks and Peeks

I will be sneaking myself into this event in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow (Saturday, 25 February). Actually, at the invitation of a friend.

This means that I will be at Bangsar Lutheran Church from 1000 to 1700 hours tomorrow. If any of you bloggers (especially those from Kuala Lumpur) will be there, please identify thyselves when we meet! It would be an absolute pleasure to shake your hand, in either the human or the Narnia way.

January 29, 2006

Gong Xi Fa Cai!


A HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to one and all...

December 29, 2005

The Hot Dog


Isn't he hot after being groomed? I might have become a professional doggie groomer if I had not loved theology so much. Alas...

Watching Watch Blogs

It's not custom for me to blog much about blogging. But it is a reality that the blogging enterprise has become a fast-growing fad, and people blog for different reasons. The most intriguing reason for blogging, to me, is that of publishing theological ideas in its most accessible form. This reason intrigues me only less than those whose blogs are meant as policing devices to track down the theological publications of others who publish theological ideas on their blogs.

A word of wisdom from Professor Scott McKnight:

...all “watch blogs” ought to be banned if uncivil: they are feeding on others with nothing positive to contribute or say. By “watch blog” I mean those sites designed to do nothing but gripe about the left-leanings of others. People who worry all the time about how others lean are not nearly as straight up and down as they think. My plea: enter into the conversation as a conversational partner, and please avoid acting like theological cops who are protecting the Church from devious writers out to deflower the Church and its theology.

December 22, 2005

Return of the Link

Some updates on major happenings in point form:

1. I am back on broadband! I will spare you the horror of being enlightened on how many calls I have had to make and how many people I have spoken to in the past three weeks. No, on second thought, I won't spare you the horror... I have made some fifty phonecalls or therabout in the past three weeks, and spoken to nearly twenty people about getting my service activated. Some people are not doing their job; and the worse thing is, there's no way of even knowing who they are. But yes, I'm back on broadband.

2. I have been kept busy settling into my new house with my two parents and two furkids. We are well settled by now, and my parents love this town. To my horror, Mum exclaimed "I hope we will live here forever!" Okay mum, I'll try to negotiate with God about kicking me all over the globe like a ball, spherical though I may be.

3. I have apologetically cancelled my impending trip to Brazil in February 2006 for some foreseen reasons. It is regrettable that I will not be able to participate in the presentation of a theodicy at the 9th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, but I trust they will find a suitable candidate to replace me in my absence.

4. I am also sustaining a momentum of curriculum preparation for the new term at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia. The specific topics I will be teaching in the coming term are Theological Prolegomena and Theology Proper. It is refreshing to explore once again the depth of the Patristic period in theological development, and utterly humbling to be reminded of the lack of depth in much of my own theological construction.

October 22, 2005

Intellectual/Emotional Vegetation

So much has happened throughout my past week in South Africa. Both happy and sad, pleasurable and painful... But this is the weekend, and after an entire week of emotional drain from ministerial work, I am allowing myself to be a dysfunctional-up-to-no-good-nothing-useful-to-offer-stay-out-of-my-way loafer.

It is nice to find opportunities to vegetate occasionally and free one's self from the routines of intellectual and emotional rigours. Today is such a day.

So the answer for me this morning was to join my friend in the yard in a self-indulging session of shooting tin cans with an air rifle. Sometimes a little boy's gotta do what a little boy's gotta do.

And yet, amidst that moment of letting loose, there is a deep sense of reality of the Kingdom of God in our midst...even while shooting tin cans. When we are conscious of the work of God in building his Kingdom, we are connected to that reality always. Or at least that's how it should be.

Mum, if you're reading this blog...I'm sorry I've been naughty!

October 9, 2005

Back on the Mount

Just arrived home from my week-long peregrination in Kuala Lumpur.

Despite my physical fatigue (okay, if you really must push it further - FATigue), there is an introspective and lingering feeling of sacredness regarding my encounters with some of you in the past week. I want to say that I am truly a richer man because you have eaten with me, drunk with me, sat with me, slept with me, spoken with me, and shared with me. And some of you have even demonstrated the richness in you by putting up with my occasional ignorant propositional insistence. One of you described some of those moments in your life when you felt so aligned with your existential design that you said "Even if I die tonight, it is all good". I am just simmering myself within this state of existential revelry now.

On the way back, I dropped by Seremban to find a house (for rent) in preparation for my impending move towards the end of next month (November). Managed to find a nice-looking little house that is rented out cheaply by a couple of pretty decent owners. It is a very small house, but there is always room for anyone who might desire the joy of huddling in with my community in close proximity. And I mean always. I look forward to the move and the subsequent preparations for my new position as an adjunct lecturer in Christian Theology in this seminary.

But for now, I need to unpack my luggage and get packed all over again in preparation for my month-long trip to Johannesburg (South Africa) this coming Saturday. The only thing that consoles me regarding the disorientating realities of living off a suitcase is that I never cease to remain amazed at the way community is formed in each of my encounters beyond my comfortable home.

October 3, 2005

Same Ole, Same Ole

Yeah, same old same old...but I need to rethink this issue yet again.

In my interactions with Christians and non-Christians alike, I keep finding myself having to grapple with this question: Do I or do I not believe in truth propositions? It is a preposterous question by all proportions, I know. How can I, as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ , not believe in truth propositions?

Still, I insist that this question in itself is vitally necessary. But it is not my belief in truth propositions that is in question here, but rather, the principles that guide my expression of these truth propositions. I repeat...it is not my belief in truth propositions that is in question here, but rather, the principles that guide my expression of these truth propositions. Truth propositions in themselves are desirable; but it is frequently the handler of these propositions that render the propositions themselves unnecessarily repelling. After all, if Marshall McLuhan is right that "the medium is the message", then one should ensure that the manner of presenting truth propositions is befitting of the very propositions we seek to present.

And in my estimation, it is crucial that the following considerations be factored into one's attempts at responsibly handling truth propositions:


1. In my fixation on asserting truth claims about God, we may misrepresent him, who truly desires to be known as a person more than as a concept. Perhaps the issue is more about the sequence of introduction more than it is about whether I believe in truth propositions. Maybe truth propositions are meant to be discovered as a part of one's journey of following Christ rather than asserted as a way to make people decide to follow Christ. The latter approach often demeans the hearer in a very profound way. It is unfortunate that many non-Christians reject the message because of the approach, rather than because of the essense of the message itself.

In introducing Christ to others, I would rather introduce Christ as the God-man who penetrated the history of mankind and showed the world how to live in the way of Christ. It is the virtues of the person of Christ, introduced and expressed through my life, that would even present a compelling attractive power to others. And for those who hear and respond to the call to follow the way of Christ, the subsequent desire to understand the claims of this Christ about himself and about us naturally follows.

2. My claims about him are neither complete nor perfect. All too many times, the gospel has been presented by well-meaning Christians as if we know better than anyone else because the truth has been revealed to us (whereas the rest of the world is all but godly). This is unfortunate, because we have a lot to learn from the religious Buddhist monk and the religious Muslim dakwah about the way of Christ. Yes, we do. Please understand this: God, in his sovereign grace, has lovingly scattered glimpses of truth beyond our propositional categories that may lead others to Christ.

Thus, it would be good for us to season our approach towards other religious people will a lot of grace. After all, wasn't it through grace alone that the person and truth of Christ has been revealed to us? Wasn't it by grace alone that our hearts were inclined to hear the laws of God and to live in the way of Christ? Grace and love...these are what win the hearts of people to the Lord. Similarly, truth propositions are meant to be embodied in grace and love, not in assertive statements that express less respect for other people than they deserve.

I guess this would be my rule of thumb in terms of my facilitation of truth propositions: When it comes to Christians, I will present truth propositions...and I will keep on presenting them whilst also emphasising the more relational way of Christ. When it comes to non-Christians, I will live it...and then say it later when asked.

September 10, 2005

Doggie Dreams

I simply had to post this picture up of YimBoy sleeping with his head rested on my pillow. So endearing. Embrace the fragility, the trust, the vulnerability...so much like that which God would have us be.

September 9, 2005

Batam Bliss

I'm back (read in the tone of a Terminator sequel).

"Why does the Church of Christ exist in a state of disunity?"

"What should we make of a relationship between a Protestant and a Roman Catholic couple?"


"What should I do if the local church enforces responsibilities upon me that are incoherent with my giftings and abilities?"

Sound familiar? Some church problems are rather universal, I guess. These were just some of the confounding questions I had to attempt answering in the Indonesian language throughout the two nights of interaction with these young leaders (of ages between 20 and 30) in Batam.
What's new...this was, as always, more of a learning trip for me than it was a contributive trip. Every trip beyond familiar cultural ground is a learning trip for me. I am utterly humbled at the manner in which the crowd graciously allowed me to fumble over my language, and the way they endured my frequent pauses in an attempt to find more accurate words to express my inaccurate ideas. I am touched, grateful and humbled.

This has been yet another experience in coming to terms with the acute debilitation of my linguistic eloquence when plucked out (albeit willingly) of my familiar environment, and placed in an environment wherein I am forced to communicate as a "weaker other". And it is during such moments that the splendour of God's wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit is made most apparent.

I am glad to have crossed three countries using three modes of transportation (road, rail and sea) over four hours just to be with these beautiful people for three days. I am pretty sure nothing much changed in their lives by virtue of my presence there. But they changed me...and I believe with all my heart, this was God's mission for me through this mission.
I also want very much to acknowledge a couple of you who are sacrificing very significant portions of your monthly income just so that I am able to roam the earth to bring the love of Christ to those I meet. And yet, ever so often, it is they who end up teaching me to love in a deeper way than I am able to. And I hope that as I bring these stories back to you, you are able to see that your sacrifice is not in vain. More than those of other lands who will remember your presence with them (which was represented by me), God remembers you.
Through every such experience, the words of the climactic song in this event rings true for myself:
Sekarang ku memujiMu, Allah yang setia,
Yang tak pernah meninggalkan perbuatan tanganMu.
Sekarang ku menyembahMu, Allah yang mulia,
Sempurnakan segenap hidupku agar indah bagiMu.

[Note: To view pictures from this trip, click here.]

September 1, 2005

Premature Announcement

I am not done with this current series on The Way of Christ yet...just three or four more posts before I conclude. It has been quite a journey of reflection thus far, for me as well as some of my friends following this series. And to you all, thank you for reading...I am humbled by the way you have conceded to follow my thoughts through.

I am also announcing now - way ahead of time - that my next series will deal with how we should look back to the tradition of the Church in order to recover the communal dimension of our faith (as opposed to mere institutionalised faith). By "tradition", I am not just referring to the Protestant tradition, but the Great Tradition of the Church. To read more about how my discussion on the Great Tradition initially came about, refer to The Postmodern Postmortem 4.

I know this is a premature announcement. But hey, it's my blog! *grin*

I will call this new series Ordering Faith. If you can catch a subtle hint, the word "order" has been included for a deliberate purpose (insert sly wink here). Beyond that, we'll just have to wait until the current thought progression draws to a close, before Ordering Faith commences (insert another sly wink here).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. Man, with the way things are going, I really really need a blog with a categorisation feature. Maybe I should just take an exit from Blogger (I'm still using their interface) and move on to something more advanced. I sent an email to Blogger several days ago enquiring about the possibility that they may provide a categorisation feature. The anwer was: "We are currently looking into a categorisation feature, but cannot say if or when it will be offered". That's as good as not saying anything.

August 31, 2005

Minolta at Midnight

I'm in the midst of thesis-writing. At this moment in time, I'm just taking a brief recess, and I have decided to capture the way life is in my little world in real time:


On my desk (the equipment that sustains me in the present)


Below my desk (the lifeforms that keep me in touch with...well...life)


On my wall
(the faces that keep me focused on The Kingdom)
*This picture was retaken several hours later*

On my left (the literature that keeps me in touch with my thoughts)

My bedroom, my workstation, my library...all in one place...my little world from whence come all my reflections pertaining to God and life. How does my room take a bed, one wonders. I simply do without one.

My world is simple, really; but I will gladly share all I have with the less sophisticated who do not require much (which I do not have anyway).

Nope, I've never been a very neat person...you can tell from my thoughts. I'd like to think that my little world is an incarnational typification of life in the real world...no?
Work beckons.

August 25, 2005

Announcement: The Crossover


Welcome to www.ShermanKuek.net ! Okay, I'm just trying to sound normal and happy here, but in actuality, I'm terribly confused. All this HTMLs and FTPs and what have you...they're all confounding me as much as the postmoderns do. No, really. **insert wink**

Well, here we are...I'm not sure how long it will take to sort out the major issues like the restoration of all my pictures that have been lost from www.shermankuek.blogspot.com. But I am well-aided with worthily intelligent assistance, so I am assuming that it will all be sorted out within the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, the blog entries still proceed as usual...pictureless though they may be.

Kick your shoes off, have fun, and make yourself at home in my messy living room. It's free for all who would kindly concede to my humble invitation to communal friendship...

August 24, 2005

Announcement: My Story about Me

This blog is fast becoming a website of its own! But who's saying anything, right?

Just for the record, I want to thank Revd Sivin Kit for the tremendous pressure he has slammed upon me to begin this blogging enterprise (well, nah, it wasn't so hard...I'm disgracefully gullible). And also, a big word of thanks to Wai Nyan for helping me to tweak the blog in the hazardous engine room (and yes, this one was hard!).

Now, this is the real announcement: I have taken the liberty to make some major modifications to the page on my personal profile. Why? Just so I can know me better; yeah.

Once again, watch out for the soon-to-be change of my blog address from www.shermankuek.blogspot.com to www.ShermanKuek.net. It should be taking place really soon, although I am not entirely sure when.

Okay, now back to The Way of Christ (4ii): SOLIDARITY. Coming soon...

Announcement: Bloghead's Headblog

Just an interim announcement. I like how this blogging enterprise has turned out for me. It has now, just within a brief span of several weeks, become such an effective platform of intellectual release for me. It is a way of expressing my thoughts in such a way that they can be communicated without being tainted by somebody else's political agenda. I like it!

So this is an official Sherman on the Mount announcement: this web log will in the next couple of days (or weeks, depending on how fast I manage to get the mechanism going) become www.ShermanKuek.net and no longer www.ShermanKuek.blogspot.com.

To the man who has made this absolutely affordable for me...thank you, my friend. I deeply appreciate your friendship.

Please keep your eyes wide shut for further updates!

August 16, 2005

Doggy's Day at the DoGtor's

Carissa is six months old now and at the verge of experiencing her first heat. So this morning was her day at the doctor. She went through a surgery which we call "spaying", duringwhich her uterus (which the doctor said was very small) and her ovaries (which the doctor said were very slippery) were removed.

A slightly painful surgery indeed (which surgery isn't?), but necessary for the prevention of irresponsible breeding and also for the prevention of mammary tumour during the doggy's later stage of her life cycle. Basically, to help her to remain a happy doggie for as long as she lives. She is now recuperating at home, and will take about five days to recover.

For my dear friend who has requested to see doggy pictures, here's one of Carissa's for you!

August 15, 2005

O Happy Day

A sketchy thought (just something clever I accidentally came up with):


People seek authentic relationships before they seek truth. If you desire to communicate truth, then you must first of all be an agent of authentic and sacrificial relationships.

Okay, now on to some real life-changing dynamically phenomenal update for the day:

In regard to this post, the package arrived at my doorstep this morning at 10.45 or thereabout. Click on this link to faint from overwhelming envy.

I realise that with all the recent posts on my latest acquisitions (which will not persist, I promise - I mean the acquisitions, not the posts), I'm coming across as a tech-junkie. For one, I really cannot help it because most of my colleagues are tech-junkies themselves. For another, being born to a mother who gets excited over new computers and wireless modems and who has a wide network of friends globally from her chatting career doesn't quite help (but hey, how cool is that!)

But there are certainly other aspects of life I spend time exploring. For example, I have been exploring the intriguing world of monastic orders (even visited one in Rome and stayed there for a while). So I guess I am more than just a tech junkie...I'm a tech-monkey.

P.S. Oh...oh...and read this. Lord, have mercy on me, the unrepentant sinner. (**Beats chest**)

August 14, 2005

Post-Conference Purchase

The story goes like this:

During the conference, participants were asked to congregate in the plaza for a photo-taking session. And so the photographer went "Everyone say 'ES...chatology'!" And snap snap snap!

As all this was going on, I told myself, "I need a camera. Something that is good and small enough for me to want to carry it with me everywhere I go." So yesterday evening, I went to an IT Mall with my buddy, and this was the result:



Konika Minolta Dimage X60
(Click on link to get jealous.)


The financial damage from the "dimage" is depressing. Other than that...oh well...ESchatology!

Post-Conference Dissonance

I have just completed a round of conference on Church and Society in which a series of academic papers were presented.

...predictable...

...politically correct...

...non-provocative...

...superficial positivism...

...hidden agenda...

...evasive...

Well, what's new. Politics is rampant even in the academia. That about says it all, I guess. So much for the sincere pursuit of knowledge.

August 8, 2005

A Meme for Me...Me?

I cannot for the life of me understand why a meme is called thus. Why is it not called a "youyou", or for the cultivation of communal harmony, a "wewe"? Nevertheless, I have been entrusted with the noble task of responding to this one, and I intend to fulfill it with undivided integrity. So here goes... 1) Total Number of Books You Own: This is, in all seriousness and honesty, a difficult question to answer. My shelf is packed with books lying in various positions - horizontal, vertical, and other unwarranted positions (while we are at it, may I presumptuously acknowledge herein that I have a very merciful mother). By my rough estimation, my shelf probably holds no less than 500 volumes or thereabout, consisting of both series and monographs.

My books range across various genres and categories. Offhand, I see books on theology, secular philosophy, eastern philosophy, eastern religions, reference tools (encyclopedias, dictionaries, concordances), music, sociology, history, stories, novels, dogs, and uncategorised books. Have I mentioned theology?

2) The Last Book You've Bought:
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sherman. I am a bibliophile. I have never been clean; not even for a day." And everyone in the circle says "Welcome Sherman". And everyone claps. If I consistently tried to keep track of the last book I bought, I probably would have much less time to read the books on my shelf. I think about one fifth of my room space is occupied by books, and another two fifths by a desk, a cabinet, and a chair. The other two fifths is play space for my dogs. Since there is no more room for a bed, I sleep on the floor. You get the idea.

All said, I think the last book I bought was:
[Note: Click on the books for further information.]






3) The Last Book You've Read:
The last book I have read was:


This book was a gift from someone I deeply honour. Among the many things that I would like to think he means to me (role model, example, etc), I know that he is most honoured to simply be called my friend...thank you, friend.


And it goes without saying, any book he puts in your hands is a must-read, so it gets to jump the queue.

4) Five Books that Mean a Lot to You:








[For those who really need
this: insert bible here.]








5) Tag Five People and Have Them Fill This Out on Their Blogs:
Here goes (in alphabetical order)...

Daniel Ng

Doulos Paul Lee

Sivin Kit

Err...okay, I don't have many friends who blog.

August 6, 2005

Born Out of Weblog

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have something else to say for the day. Can you hear the wedding Dells ring? If you do, it would be because this thing is on its way to my doorstep in a week or so:


Dell Inspiron 700M

This piece of equipment will be invariantly responsible for ensuring my consistency in blogging when I am on the move. But still, I must clarify that the primary motivation for this acquisition is not blogging. You see, more than half of my "official" work is almost entirely dependent upon the computer, undesirably but realistically so.

Therefore, for those who may be misperceived by virtue of the proximity of time between the commencement of my weblog and the purchase of this equipment, I unmistakably declare thus: my new Dell Inspiron 700M is born out of weblog.

And one most important thing: it is a gift. Thank you so much, sis. Beyond what you never fail to do, you are deeply loved and appreciated simply for who you are.

The Furkids




Oh...is this where I should say something? All right then...

Maltese: His name is Chayim, affectionately known as "Yim Boy" or just "Boy". Weighs around 3.3kg (he's a lapdog; short of being called a laptop). He is one and a half years' old. Tends to be rather defensive when confronted with strangers, as are most small breed dogs. His ambition is to be feared as anyone would fear a rottweiler.

Cocker Spaniel: Her name is Carissa Charis, affectionately known as "Rissa" or just "Girl". Weighs over 6kg and still growing; will probably weigh around 10kg when fully grown. She is just past six months old. Very perky and merry, and will follow any stranger home. Her ambition is to become a lapdog, which is a daunting challenge by virtue of her weight.

As you might have noticed by now, they are both inseparable. Both are rather proficient in performing tricks. But I guess that's more a reflection of an intelligent master than an intelligent dog.

Wait...there's someone else we must not forget here...



Maltese x Shih Tzu: In loving memory of Charis (July 2003-May 2005). Died of congenital kidney failure not too long ago. She had a short but meaningful and happy life. She was loved until her last breath. And still is.

Lower life forms, yes. Nevertheless, their undivided loyalty, innocent trust, and fragile abandonment into their master's hands keep me in touch with the imperative of vulnerability in my own life.


You mean dogs don't go to heaven? There are mountains, streams, and streets in heaven...but no dogs?

August 5, 2005

New Kid on the Blog

I am still furiously coming to terms with the fact that I let myself be talked into this. I am not sure what I have walked into. Is blogging for those who have something original to say? If so, I am the unlikely candidate. I mean, my blog name itself says it all. Or perhaps blogging is for those who have nothing original to say, but who have an original way of saying it. Perhaps I may fit into this latter category. Just perhaps.

I suppose this, for me, is one of those occasions in our life journey when we start off on a venture just for the kicks. And then we uncover the consequences later. And in the process, we discover something of the "unknown". Just perhaps.

As of now, I have taken the plunge. "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God."

Reality bytes...(what pun?)

Sherman YL Kuek


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