Musings...

After a week of hot weather, the rain has decided to make a comeback! So it's been a rainy couple of days now, much to my delight... though the gloomy weather makes me want to stay in bed & not study for my exams!

Australian Idol:
Yes, I'm still watching it!!! Ah, I'm so sad that Chrislyn has left the show! Thought she'd at least make it to the final 2! Drats, my SMS votes weren't enough! Well, now that she's gone, my next favourite would have to be Wes, especially after that stunning performance on the Michael Jackson theme night. He can really do the Jackson moves! Ow! Haha... Nobz & Popz, go check it out on Aust Idol website... hehe...

One Heart, One Mind, One Lord
Subiaco Church of Christ (i.e. the church I go to here in Perth) has prepared a 5 week devotional material for the whole church to use for this month. The idea is that everyone reads & meditates & prays on the same passage, reflection, etc. for 6 days of the week, and on Sunday, the service celebrates the theme for the week and the sermon to reinforce it. Even the small groups/Bible study groups will be going through these topics on the weekday (mine just did on Tuesday night!).

You can check it out at: http://www.subiacochurch.com/main_site/file_uploads/downloads/ONEjournal.pdf

The idea is that the whole church moves in the same direction for this whole month in terms of our thinking of issues, as well as for it to be an accountability exercise for each other. There's an encouragement to share what we've learnt/resolved with someone else for the purpose of spurring one another on & keeping each other accountable for it.

I've found it really enjoyable and thought-provoking. We've only finished the 1st week's theme which is on "spiritual growth", but I've found both the devotional & the questions at the end challenging. It's really about taking the next step in our spiritual growth, and putting into place practices & disciplines to help us grow, not just in knowledge but in our lifestyle. As part of the materials says:

"Christian maturity is not measured by one's capacity to articulate one's faith & interact with the doctrine on an intellectual level but one's capacity to put that faith into practice."

That's definitely my sentiment this whole year, reinforced by my time at seminary (which is pretty surprising given that a lot of what we do in class & assignments is "head"/academic stuff). Or as John Stott puts it, "We're not to be 'tadpole' Christians, i.e. big in the head but small in the body & arms etc." (or something like that.. haha..)

Reflections on studies at Seminary
Seminary, though still strong in producing doctrinally sound academic quality, has definitely challenged areas of my spirituality (or simply put, my relationship with God). I cherish the way it has forced upon me to re-evaluate my prior beliefs, whether about God, myself, priorities in ministry and evangelism, preaching etc.

If anything, I hope that Seminary will make me a more charitable person, particularly in light of other people's beliefs; to be more careful about being dogmatic on certain doctrines when there is clear ambiguity in the biblical text; or to not insist that there is only one way of doing ministry, when clearly God has equipped his church in so many creative ways beyond comprehension; and to also recognise that the way I read Scripture is coloured in many ways by my own culture & pre-conceived beliefs, while seeking to minimise them as much as possible, I'd rarely be able to be completely free from it.

It has also definitely challenged me to see that I was & still am very much a 'tadpole' Christian. That my spiritual growth these years have focused very much on the acquiring of knowledge... which is not a bad thing in itself. Our relationship with God IS very much dependent on our knowledge of him. If we don't know him, how can we relate to him in the right manner?

But I think I'm at the point where this knowledge needs to be translated into something far deeper & more meaningful. I yearn & long for a 'wholesome faith', in the sense that my whole being is caught up in my relationship with God - head, heart, hands; or mind, emotions, actions.

Another quote (from my apologetics lecture)
Faith in man answers to grace in God. As such, it affects the whole of man's nature. It commences with the conviction of the mind based on adequate evidence; it continues in the confidence of the heart or emotions based on the above conviction, and it is crowned in the consent of the will, by means of which the conviction and confidence are expressed in conduct. - G. Thomas -

Just a short one for now, need to hit my books again.. exam next week!

Vose Quiz Night

Yippee! Final assignment handed in yesterday :) Still 2 exams to study for, but was catching up with my sleep today! (Oh.. it feels good having 10 hours of sleep after only 4.5 hours the previous day... haha)


Went to my seminary's Quiz night tonight.. our group came in 2nd last (yeah, I know! what an achievement for not being the last!!).. There were only 5 of us in the team when other ppl had 8 ('cos I couldn't find anymore friends to join...)... someone commented.. "It's not about the quantity, but the quality..." .. and then he joked "But we have neither!"

Hahahaha...

Anyway, it was a fun night.. especially when we made up silly answers for questions that we had NO clue about. Like...
Q: Who was the lead singer of bla bla band?
A: Darth Vader

Some items were up for auction as well to raise funds for my seminary. David bid and bought a framed up scenic photo.. it does look quite nice :) Good bid.

Tonight.. I learnt a few things:
1. A somnambulist is a person who sleep walks. (We got this one right thanks to Ming Ghee!)
2. A campanologist studies the art of making and ringing bells. (Our wild guess - Camping?!)
3. A person with phagophobia is afraid of eating. (that's definitely not me!)
4. A gerontologist studies about "old age" or "ageing". (Got this one right thanks to David - an educated guess from the word "geriatrics")
5. One of the early church fathers, Tertullian, says that men should not shave because shaving is like saying that they want to look better than what God made them to be. (or something like that)
6. An alleged relic, kept in Canterbury, is said to be the oldest relic.. what is it? The clay that God made Adam from.

Hahaa.. interesting stuff eh?

I managed to score with most of the theology/Bible related questions.. hehe.. (well not Tertullian though... it was a bonus question to decide a draw between the top 2 tables), but there were only 8 qns in 80! Was totally dumbfounded by most of the other qns though.. haha..

Ok time for lala land! Will post up more interesting stuff when I remember them!

one more one more!

Whoopie! Thank God for a very productive past few days in finishing up one of my major essays on
"Evangelism in a postmodern world".

Just one more to go now - an OT book review due tmr. Ok, short one then... more updates after Thursday!

p/s YP, I got your sms but no time to call you yet!! Talk to you soon

one more week to go

Wahahahahahahaa!!

Finally finished another one.. 2 more to go!! First time I'm late in handing in my assignment.. by one day.. haha.. haven't had enough 'guts' to submit any later. Not too happy with the essay cos it feels like it's all over the place.. but ah well, too late now!

Been a crazy past week having to finish 3 assignments, run 1 workshop and preach 1 sermon. Gosh, makes me wonder... did I not use my time wisely in the semester? Why is there this tidal wave of assignments at this time? Hmm...

Anyway, looking forward to the next assignment.. not actually the process of doing it, but just the topic - Evangelism in the postmodern world - do we/should we alter our methods of evangelism in this postmodern society? If so, what and how?

Basically it would cut to the core of what's central to the gospel and what can be contextualised to fit into the context of the people we're reaching out to. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping to achieve in this assignment... if i'm efficient enough in my reading!

Preached a sermon on "mercy" (based on Jonah) at Chapel in Seminary. Found myself struggling to prepare for it because I've never really had any enemies I had to forgive/show mercy like Jonah did. Still got good feedback from the lecturers and students, so praise God! But it did raise the question for me in terms of preaching, how does someone preach something that they've never really experienced before? Is it hypocritical? Or is it a matter of drawing experiences from other people and reflect on similarities in our own situation?

Hmm.....

Oh, only one more week of classes to go. So sad! I'm going to miss attending lectures...

more blog blurbs

Yay! One more assignment down! Thank God for the stamina to work through it and finish it off! 6 more to go! Muahhhaaa...

As mentioned, David ran a workshop on outreach today. Thought it went well though I was only half listening as was trying to read my book for an assignment.. to no avail! haha.. sheesh...

Anyway, realised today that I need to put off my habit of stereotyping people.. not good not good.. gross generalisations do no justice to individuals.. not to mention that the stereotyping is coloured by prejudice as well.. so "Die you bad habit of stereotyping", and "live you good habit of love" (following the principle of putting off of the old self and putting on of the new self (Col 3:1-17))

Nagging question at the back of mind: What's going to happen next after I finish my contract with OCF? God please lead!

blog blurb

No time for blogging... (7 more assigments in 3 weeks to go!), but thought I kinda need a break for a short while...

The evangelistic talk last Friday went well (thank you all who have prayed for me!). Had fun wearing a "sarung" during one part of the talk.. (haha.. won't tell you what it was for!).. I know the gospel has been sown as seeds.. may God make them grow to bear fruit!

Otherwise, the past week has been hectic trying to finish up my apologetics assignment on the topic "The scientific method and its significance to Christian apologetics". Really interesting stuff, wished I was more organised & started my research earlier.. didn't feel I tackled all that I could have, but oh well.. you can only do so much within a limited space of time.

David's giving a workshop on outreach tomorrow to the OCFers. Phew, glad I'm not the one doing it. Wouldn't be able to cope. Besides, I'm already scheduled to give a talk (together with Emperor Chin) this coming Friday on the topic "Homework".. haha.. goodness, who would want to sit and listen for 45 minutes on THAT?! :P

Ok, time to hit the books else I'd regret it next week when the tidal wave comes.. *swim.. swim.. AHHHHH*

short update

Been a busy week, and more busy weeks to come! Heaps on my plate at the moment, but enjoying all of it :)

- Apologetics assignment on science & Christianity
- Lunch & movie outing with the girls tmr. We're watching WALL-E! YAAAY! Finally!
- Watching Mummy 3 next Tuesday with David. Go Brendan Fraser!
- The evangelistic talk I'd be giving next Friday (3rd Oct) at OCF Murdoch's Social Night.. PLEASE PRAY!!
- More Assignments x 7 (too lazy to list them all down)

Phew! Learning to take it day by day & entrust it all to God!

update...

Yes, my sister asks for an update.. so she shall get one!

Now what have I been up to lately?

Had a chance to do an inductive BS with some OCFers on Monday. I honestly think I probably tortured them by asking them so many questions... Hmm... while I was glad I made them think, I wasn't too happy about the whole flow of how I conducted the study.. so there's plenty of room for improvement!

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Otherwise, have been thinking & wrestling more with the news of the recent death of the 17-year old son of Daniel & Suzanne Prak, missionaries in Cambodia. He went into a diabetic coma (first presentation of the illness) and went to be with the Lord after 4 weeks.

Reading the book of Job in the past few weeks have also raised those questions and issues. Why do good people suffer? And more specifically, why do the people who are the most faithful to God, seeking to serve him, the very ones who seem to have to suffer?

I didn't realise that the question had been niggling at the back of my head all this time, particularly since David first went to Cambodia & shared about another missionary couple whose child had some terminal illness. This recent incident with the Praks just brought it up to the fore.

Was encouraged by a letter from the Praks in response to all that has happened. In it they give thanks and praise to God, that for their prayers were answered. They prayed for complete healing for Andrew, and he's received it. Nothing can be better for Andrew than to be with his Maker.

I find that mind-boggling faith. I guess I know the answer intellectually. I know in my head that God is good, that He is trustworthy, that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, even though we don't understand it at times, and even if it comes at great suffering in this present life. But put in the same situation as the Praks, I don't know whether I'd be able to respond in that manner. To be able to have that kind of strength & deep trust in God. I just don't know whether that "knowledge" has passed from my head to my heart.

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On another note, I got invited by a friend at Seminary to preach at his father's church (his father was ill) this Sunday. It's a small congregation of about 30-40 people. Got a bit of a shock, and was struggling to get to a decision. Wasn't quite sure I was ready to be preaching at a formal church service yet.. Well, final verdict is that I'm not taking it up. Couldn't get to a decision by today, and he needed to get someone ASAP.

Phew.. on one hand, it's a sigh of relief. On another, I'm wondering whether I missed out on an opportunity? Oh well, there'd be more to come. Just not sure whether I'm quite ready yet at this stage.

Discovery Group

It's been a tiring night at OCF, but an awesome one. Had the chance of facilitating the discovery group going through the "Introducing God" course. Just amazed at how multi-national the group was, especially today. 2 from Hong Kong, 1 from USA, 3 from Taiwan. Am still praying for that 1 Korean & 1 Cambodian to turn up next week. God willing, it'd come to fruition!

Am really enjoying the DVD talks and learning from them. In my opinion, the course is a very faithful presentation of the gospel of Jesus and it tells the Bible story of salvation very well. It's based on the "Two ways to live" presentation of the gospel and so it covers the essential areas of creation, sin, redemption and new life sufficiently well.

Next week would be "interesting" as it'd be a rather offensive session where the topic of judgement comes up. Please pray for God's work by his Spirit to be done!

Time to rest! Zzzzzz....

Book Review

Recently had to review this book for one of my assignments. Thought I'd share it 'cos I found it really helpful in thinking about sharing our faith with others. This review doesn't do justice to the book, so I'd recommend that you get hold of a copy and read it for yourself :)

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Dickson, J., Promoting the Gospel (Blue Bottle Books, 2005)

Dickson gives a refreshing insight into what biblical mission entails. Contrary to popular evangelical belief and emphasis (mine included), the means for promoting Christ is not confined to verbal proclamation of the gospel, but also includes prayer, financial giving, godly behaviour, the public praise of God and answering people’s questions.

He begins by presenting a case for promoting the gospel and then examines the challenge of pluralism and the inevitable call for Christians to follow Christ in mission. As he states, “our entire life, including our social life, should demonstrate the Lord’s desire to have fellowship with sinners” (p41). He then proceeds to address the various means in which the gospel can be advanced and people drawn to Christ.

The strength (and thesis) of this book is that it draws attention to aspects of missions in the Bible that have often been neglected or sidelined. Dickson rightly points out that we have often tried to fit people into the role of an “evangelist” while neglecting the other means in which the gospel is advanced. Nevertheless, a chapter is devoted in exploring the actual role of the evangelist.

In particular, I found the chapter on giving “an apt reply” an eye-opener. Dickson contends that while learning to present a gospel outline is helpful and necessary, more often than not our opportunities for sharing our faith come in our day-to-day conversations with people. The power of an appropriate reply or comment should not be undermined and he calls for an emphasis in conversational explanations of the Faith in training for evangelism. Moreover, he points out that the apostle Paul himself makes a comparison between his apostolic speaking of the gospel to the everyday speech of believers in general in Colossians 4:3-6. A review of the Greek used in those verses show

…a thematic parallel between Paul’s obligation to proclaim the gospel word and the congregation’s duty to answer in their everyday word. In effect, what bold proclamation is to evangelists, gracious answers are to believers in general. Both activities have profound missionary significance. (p152)

Another not commonly regarded aspect is the role that the public praise of God can take in advancing the gospel. Surprisingly, this notion is a well-established theme in the Old Testament and inherent in the theology and practice of the Jewish people. The communal praise of God in the synagogue or temple was one of God’s ways of drawing the Gentiles to worship him. This idea is also taken up in the New Testament by the apostle Peter.

In addressing our contemporary context, Dickson maintains that “the number of visitors in our services is directly proportionate to the level of enthusiasm felt by those who regularly attend” (p138). This brings us to consider how our regular corporate worship times in church can be enhanced firstly for the regular worshippers, and consequently for visitors. It also challenges the commonly held view that evangelistic church services are the main means for drawing unbelievers to Christ. On the contrary, he asserts that normal church services conducted exceptionally well will not only inspire the regulars, but also draw in visitors and promote the gospel to them. While Dickson does not go into lengths of what such a service should look like, he gives us a few clues from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians – that it should be an intelligible declaration of God’s wonders for the benefit of God’s people.

In his chapter “being beautiful”, he points out the fact that people can be won to faith “without a word” through godly behaviour. He provides solid biblical support for “the gospel being a necessary and sufficient cause of faith without always being the primary cause of faith” (p99). This not only stresses the impact that good deeds can have on unbelievers towards the gospel, but also brings assurance to those in positions where it is inappropriate or impossible to speak of the gospel.

To the question, “So where does actual gospel proclamation fit in?”, Dickson remarks:

...speaking about the Faith is the icing on the cake of mission. It may not be where the bulk of our day-to-day mission activity lies but frequently it is the most obvious part of the mission and, once tasted, will often be the sweetest. (p109)

Overall, this book represents a holistic treatment on the issue of Christian mission. It challenges the church not only to view it one-dimensionally, but to consider the manifold aspects involved in it and to encourage all believers to be a part of it.

Sleepy photos

More baby Amy photos!

Baby Amy!

Here's a photo of Amy :)
Sucking her fingers??!!!

baby visit

Went to visit Soong Leng and baby Amy at the hospital this morning. Such a pleasant baby! Apparently she hasn't cried very much since birth.. just a short "WeAH" at the time of birth and that's it! Probably because her mum is a very good natured person herself, so I guess the baby just takes after her :)

Guess I won't be needing those ear-plugs after all :P

Anyway, baby Amy was busy sleeping... only opened one of her eyes for a short while..

Will wait for David to take some photos later in the arvo before I'll have any to post up!

A baby is born!

She's here! She's here!

Who?

Baby Amy! My housemate (& David's sister-in-law) just gave birth to a baby girl this morning! Hip hip hooray!

Will post up some photos when I get them! Muahahhaa..

Oh boy, it was an agonising morning for me. I knew Jonathan & Soong Leng went to the hospital early this morning (6am), but didn't get any news till about lunch time. Only found out from John Ho over MSN that the baby was already born around 8-9am in the morning! Geez.. all that agonising for nothing! Haha..

Anyway, praise God that both mum & baby are well :)

Newsletter #6

Ok, now that I have some spare time in my hands, thought I'd finally post up my latest newsletter.
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This month (July) marks the one-year anniversary (& the half-way mark) of my traineeship with OCF. Recently, I also had the opportunity to visit Canberra – the place where this whole exciting journey with God first began! So... reflections, reflections, reflections...

Some satisfactions, regrets & lessons
Undeniably, the greatest satisfaction I’ve had so far comes from the opportunities I get to invest in the lives of the students. There is a sense of joy with knowing that in one way or another, there is an influence being made whether the results are apparent at the moment or not.

I also thank God for the few preaching/teaching opportunities I’ve had. Although it is hard work to prepare for a talk/workshop, I’ve really enjoyed them & actually find them quite thrilling.

I could have done more... On the flip side, the dawn of every new semester comes with this sobering thought & confession. My own struggle with laziness has become more apparent throughout the year. There were lost opportunities due to both inadequate planning & a lack of resolve for execution.

Let go and let God... I never learnt a more difficult lesson than this one in the past year. There were many times when I felt helpless & powerless to change things. Giving up & moving on to another area was a very real option, but I have since come to terms with God’s sovereignty & that the battle ultimately belongs to Him. It is a difficult but perhaps a most valuable lesson in the simple act of trusting in God to accomplish His work.

Perseverance... Not only when things get tough, but also when you face rejection from the very people you are trying to serve & help. The experience really highlighted to me the extent of Jesus' love for us, that while we were still sinners & his enemies, when we did not want him in our lives... he served & died for us (Romans 5:8). Where else can we find such love?

Will you wash another person's feet, even when they don’t want it to be washed?

OCF - Winter Camp 2008

~Happy Campers!~

Once a year, a motley bunch of Christians huddle away for a 5-day camp in winter. As my disciple Janesa says “Although the weather is freezing cold, we are warm in God’s love...” J The camp theme was “God, our confidence” & the main talks & Bible studies were centred on Romans 8.

It was also very exciting because the non-believers who came for camp learnt a lot from Carolyn, one of our centre advisors who facilitated the group for non-Christians. One of the girls I spoke to is very serious about becoming a Christian & is learning more about God’s love for her. Praise God!


~Girl power!~

Updates on the “Being Single” workshop: No, none of the girls have vowed celibacy yet... Phew! :) Handed out a little survey to get a feel of my audience & what their ideas on singleness & marriage were. There were lots of giggles, but also some honest sharing on how we can make the most of our single lives now for God’s glory. We also talked about the temptations & struggles that single girls may face, and the issue of whether it is better to remain single than to marry a spiritually unhealthy person (i.e. nominal Christian or non-Christian). The basic principle we worked with was that God’s ultimate purpose for us is our holiness. Hence, all our behaviour & decisions need to be made in light of that.

On another note, David (my boyfriend) decided to propose after the workshop (not in public though), so we’d be getting married next year! That definitely made this camp an even more memorable one :)

Trip to Canberra

~My usual get-away spot by the lake... a good spot for prayer & reflection~

Thank God for cheap budget airlines, I visited Canberra after 3.5 years since I graduated from Uni. Needless to say it was a bit of a nostalgic visit, catching up with old friends, walking around the Uni & my all-time favourite Lake Burley Griffin.


~OCF Canberra Stall Day~

Thank God also for the many meaningful conversations I had with my friends/supporters, & the encouragement I received to continue “running the race”. Also had the chance of giving some input to an OCFer preparing for an evangelistic talk, helping out with stall day for new students, & meeting up with the student leaders to share some of my experiences in OCF.

Thanks to a 10-hour transit in Melbourne between flights back to Perth, I got to spend some time with OCF Carlton’s chairperson & also briefly visited one of OCF Carlton’s meetings. Am inspired & challenged by their “witness pairs” program[1] and their heart for evangelism!

On a more sombre note, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness as I met up with some of my Uni friends who were not believers. These are my friends & yet in some sense, I no longer have the opportunity to reach out & share the gospel with them because we are now miles apart. May God send others along their way!

New semester... new plans...
My heart & passion has always been to help students grow in their relationship with God through a good understanding of the Bible. One of my regrets is the lack of opportunity thus far to really achieve that goal by teaching others some of the skills of reading the Bible inductively. I am still praying & hoping that God will open the way for me towards that goal. Please join me in prayer!

[1] At least once a week, OCFers go in pairs around Uni to share about OCF & the gospel of Jesus.

Apologetics... exciting!

Been sick sick sick... flu & fever... I've been sleeping so much the past few days that my head hurts everytime I wake up. I even coined up a phrase to describe how I've been feeling..

"I feel like my head is jam packed with SNOOZE BUBBLES!"

Anyway...

Recently reviewed a book by Ravi Zacharias (he is slowly but steadily rising up to be one of my favourite Christian apologetics authors...) called "Can man live without God?"

The book is basically an offense of atheism and a defence of theism, particularly the Christian faith. One of my favourite parts of the book was this illustration arguing for a logical (& positive) connection of religious beliefs & moral ethics (vs an atheist saying that ethics can flow out of reason alone and that you don't need God). There's this story of Dennis Prager (social critic) debating with the Oxford atheistic philosopher Jonathan Glover:

"If you, Professor Glover, were stranded at the midnight hour in a desolate Los Angeles street & if, as you stepped out of your car with fear & trembling, u were suddenly to hear the weight of pounding footsteps behind you, & you saw 10 burly young men who had just stepped out of a dwelling coming towards you, would it or would it not make a difference to you to know that they were coming from a Bible study?"

Quite good don't you think? :)

More photos!

University Avenue... the path I used to take to the city...



Chifley Library..


Towards Hancock library...


View towards IEO building...


Oooh... this is new in John XXIII College! A lift for disabled people... how thoughtful!


At first, I thought it was cute that this swan started coming out of the water...


And then I started to freak out because it was coming towards me!


This bird was better at giving me more space... haha...


Finally! Good riddance!


Love the "white" trees...


Captain Cook & the bridge!


More "white" trees!


OCF O-week booth in MCC... students in action...


Last lunch in Canberra - Sashimi Zen! Slurrrp!

Sydney/Canberra photos

Apple strudel (from Perth) cutting ceremony...



Some home cooked food... guess which one I cooked? =)


(YP, Jess, Stevie.. in that order...)

Dinner at Din Tai Fung.. Xiao Long Bao etc.



At our Paramatta accommodation...



Some "scenery" shots...


The iPhone craze in Sydney... observe the number of people queuing up!!


Jason's birthday...


Finally! The food I've been missing... black sesame seed ice-cream & pollo funghi from Zefferellis...

Canberra...

I'm in Canberra! Actually I've already been here for a week now. Haha...

First few days were spent mainly hibernating cos it was raining and I was also down with flu & cough (from Winter Camp). Did watch 2 movies - Pride & Prejudice, and Sense & Sensibility to wile away some time.. haha..

Been a good time catching up with some friends - Chiew Yean & Fang Yaeu, Roy, and needless to say, the OCF mob! Even managed to squeeze a short trip down to Sydney for the weekend & met up with Roopesh. All in all, been a productive time catching up with some people and having some meaningful conversations.

Stevie & YP's apartment is just so cosy and nice. And there's a gym too, so been quite convenient to do some exercising =) Weather's pretty good today, sunny and warmer than usual.. so might just go venture around Lake Burley Griffin & jog there.. yay! Brings back lots of nice memories!

OK, I will post up some photos soon... (yes, I always say that but never really get down to doing it.. haha.. )