Dear all,

This blog is closed...

Go here:

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I will still maintain the archive for a while though.

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I thank Thee O’ God

For the works of Thy hands

Thou O’ Beauty Proud

Put beauty in the world of Man

But what dost it profit

If only forms appealing

Yet Thou most passionate

Gave love and made Man sing

In beauty most charming

I hear praises to Thee

In love most warming

I remember Thy greater love for me

*to be continued

秦观 Qin Guan(Song Dynasty AD1049-1100)

____________________

Yonder clouds weaving together

Amidst the flaming stars

Drifting along the heavenlies

Bringing two Lovers from afar

The Lovers’ rendezvous tonight

Adorned the autumn sky

No joy on earth e’en a hundred thousand times

May compare to the Lovers’ meeting eyes

Precious and tender, the Lovers’ love

‘twas like a beautiful beautiful dream

Yet gazing mournfully at the magpie bridge

That will set them apart again

But Eternal Lovers if they were so

Will time apart they not endure?

[Translated by Jack & Sarah Wang Qian]

inspired by

Dr. Kylie Hsu's translation

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.

Combination of two hymns, Rock of Ages and Jesus Lover of My Soul

Jonathan Edwards may not be the easiest author around, but he is surely worth spending time with. Because of the complexity of his thoughts reflected in his writings, I found myself going back to him over and over again, each time reading a paragraph more than once, or twice or even thrice. It was a fabulous exercise stretching my mind and twisting my tongue (heard it from a wise chap that Puritan writings must be read aloud to be appreciated) and afterwards retire, exhausted, many times, defeated by and definitely profited from such great mind as Edwards’. Yesterday, I went back again to his essay on the Trinity to find that Edwards still has much to teach me even though I have heard him on this many occasions before. The depth of his theological reflections only goes on to show the grandeur and majesty of his God. I love Edwards, I love to go to him to learn and learn and learn and learn; oh, the mind that is closest to God has special insights into the unfathomable wonder of godly mysteries!

“God is infinitely happy in the enjoyment of himself, in perfectly beholding and infinitely loving, and rejoicing in, his own essence and perfection”, Edwards began his treatise on the Trinity. Perhaps that phrase requires more justification today than during when it was first written. Some may protest that God cannot be like a self-indulgence fellow enjoying all day long in the clouds. I won’t explain that now, someone else has already did it, and I cannot do better than him. Please read here.

To put it simply, Edwards was basically saying, God finds happiness in himself, he is very happy with himself, he loves himself very much, all the time. And in order for that to be true, God must be thinking of himself at every moment (i.e. all the time). But God’s thought of himself, his idea of himself, must necessarily be complete and perfect, or else, God may be rejoicing in another thing other than himself – an imperfect idea of God is not exactly God.  God’s idea of himself must therefore be the “exact image and representation of himself” and that image is always there for him to delight in. That perfect image of God is the object of his delight. As such, it was as if another distinct entity has arisen. Now “there is God” and there is the object of his delight, “the idea of God”. Edwards argued that “the representation of the Divine nature and essence is the Divine nature and essence again… [and] hereby there is another person begotten… [who is] the same God, the very same Divine nature.”

Dave Chang helped me to see that it is rather difficult to envisage how God’s idea of himself can become a real and distinct person. Dave pointed out that, as I also discovered Edwards did later on, precisely because God is almighty and spiritual, his conception of himself may not be as limited as when I, a finite and physical being, mentally imagine my own self. Perhaps it is here that we must, in the words of Gregory of Nyssa when he attempted to explain the Trinity more than a millennium before Edwards, “seek from the Lord the reason which is the advocate of our faith”. Edwards did not pretend he knew fully what is the Trinity, he did not make trivial of the mysterious Godhead even as he attempted to find an explanation to it. God still dwells in thick darkness. His place is still in unapproachable light.

What Edwards has helped us to do was to understand in greater clarity what the Bible says about the Son of God. Firstly, Jesus Christ was presented in the Bible as the “image of God” (2 Cor 4:4, Col 1:15, Heb 1:3). We can almost imagine that that “idea of God” is the image of himself which he sees all the time, just as when I look into the mirror and see my own face. Secondly, Jesus Christ was called “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24 and Luke 11:49 specifically and elsewhere especially in Proverbs), i.e. God’s good and perfect knowledge, which is really what Edwards was proposing; Jesus, God the Son, was “God’s perfect and eternal idea”.

Definitely I cannot explain Edwards’ thoughts better than he did. I think few actually could. For this reason alone, I wish that many Christians will go back to Edwards himself for those deep theological reflections which have sparked fires of revivals, purged falsehoods from religious affections, calmed countless souls by giving hope and reason for the our faith. I wish many Christians will go back to that man himself, scaling the mountains he has painstakingly planted, which is a laborious task, to see the grandeur of his God and be overwhelmed by that glorious sight.

Next post, on the Holy Spirit - but wait till I have digested Edwards first.

Faith Rooted in History

Perhaps all too often our understanding of the divinity of Christ jumped rather haphazardly from Matthew 1 to John 1. We forget at once to root this Christ in the historical person of Jesus who was born of Mary in Joseph’s house, whose ancestry may be traced, whose family line may be determined. It was no coincidence that God went through the trouble of establishing the house of Israel. If anything, the creation of Israel was the preparation for the coming of the Christ into history. God was in Israel, through the Abrahamic promise, reconciling the nations (i.e. world) to himself. And Paul recognized that the marvelous act was realized in person of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:19-20). If you asked me, the laborious recording of Israel’s story or rather history in the OT was critically necessary for establishing our faith on solid ground. Precisely because the patriarchs were historical, Israel’s experience was historical, Israel was historical, we can know for sure this great reconciliatory work of God in the world. It is not some unseen, unheard of event accomplished by some mumbo-jumbo in the sky.

Jesus' Vocation and Israel's Destiny

The genealogy of Jesus in the gospels became evident to two important matters, namely, one, Jesus was a real person who walked the dusty Palestine and two, Jesus’ birth was a point in Israel’s history, and if Israel’s destiny was to be the channel of Yahweh’s blessing to all the world, then when Jesus claimed that his mission was to do what Israel was meant to do but failed and when his disciples testified to that claim, they did not make that claim in the air, but rather in history, in a well-established, long awaited promise within Israel. The prophets of old did not merely foresee the Messiah’s activities, but Israel herself was given the messianic role in anticipation of those activities. The Messiah was not merely foretold (like the gods and saints of other religions), but he succeeded a role long acted in history by Israel, though she perhaps failed to perform it well. This is crucial not only to show that Christianity is historical, but also that it is not an after-thought, not a plan B. We did not suddenly need a new prophet because the old congregation of God has corrupted the holy scripture, like in some other religions. We did not suddenly need a saviour because mankind has become so evil beyond help found in typical religious observations, like in some other religions. Jesus, the prophet and saviour came to accomplish what God has planned from the beginning. The incarnation was not only the focal point of God’s work, but also the finality of God’s salvific plan. This plan was rooted in God in the beginning before the Creation, deposited into time and space in Israel’s national history and now finalized or completed in Jesus who walked dusty Palestine.

But how do we come to identify the man who walked dusty Palestine as the God of Mt. Sinai? Until and unless we began to see Jesus as flesh and blood, we cannot find a solid ground for our faith and for all our faith-in-the-air, we cannot and are not able to understand the wonderful revelation of God in the incarnation. What for the condescension if the Nazarene was dispensable in our attempt to know God? Now in order to understand the incarnation and thereafter the revelation of the Godhead in Jesus, we must not be too naïve to think that Jesus had meant that by looking at his face or the way he dressed, Philip and the others will know what God looked like. Surely that Jesus who walked dusty Palestine looked like any other Jews he had bumped into. The whole essence of the incarnation was rooted instead in the life and work of Jesus. By accomplishing what Israel could not accomplish, i.e. reconciling the world to God, Jesus showed that he was the true Israel. And in playing that messianic role which was till then acted by Israel, Jesus proved to be the real Messiah. Yet, we have just one problem, the Messiah don't die, but Jesus died. He said his death was for others, but this claim would go with him to the grave, silent and forgotten, if not for the Resurrection. All his actions were approved and vindicated by God when Jesus was raised from the dead three days after his crucifixion. He was crucified, in NT Wright’s words, a would-be Messiah, and precisely because of this, when he was raised, Jesus’ claim was substantiated. Israel knew God would not raise one who died a hoax-of-a-messiah. A hoax maybe, but not a hoax-of-a-messiah, and if a hoax, the resurrection, may just be, in Wright’s words again, an odd event.

Not Just Any Messiah

Of course, the messiah may not be necessarily divine. This explains why the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ was easier than the acceptance of him as God. And we do know that messiahs (messiah wannabes, in our language) were aplenty in Palestine of that era of Israel’s subjugation by pagan nations and the decline of observations of the torah etc. These events really showed that Israel was never indeed fully restored from the exile. The temple was rebuilt but foreign soldiers with their blasphemous pagan emblems were practically guarding its entrance. It was like the Babylon dispersion experience all over. Israel’s enemies towered over her like Goliath. She was meek and hid behind the tents awaiting the Davidic saviour. It was like the Babylon dispersion experience all over. Israel was still in exile. And they jolly well knew that the exile was a sign of disapproval by God over Israel’s sins. Messiahs after messiahs (or messiah wannabes) tried to turn Israel’s fortune to no avail. But when Jesus came, he declared that as the prodigal son return in shame, the love-stricken father was already awaiting eagerly to embrace him. Israel’s exile was coming to an end, if only they would return to God. Jesus, on his own authority, in accepting sinners, in forgiving them their sins, and in embracing them had reenacted the story of the prodigal son. He was, in essence, doing to Israel, what, according to Scripture, only Yahweh can do. And in doing that, Jesus was becoming to Israel, what, according to Scripture, only the one true God, Yahweh would be, i.e. a father eagerly awaiting the prodigal son. That was the incarnation. The man who walked dusty Palestine now identified himself with and as the God of Mt. Sinai who covenanted with Israel. Israel was now faced with this incredible fact, and she was left with a limited choice of responses; either he was true and thereafter his judgment on Israel, signified by his judgment on the temple and its system – Mat 12; Jn 2 - was true, which the high priests could not accept, or he was a blasphemous fraud, which would earn him a death penalty.

The man who walked dusty Palestine,

Who strolled along the streets of Jerusalem;

Hear Israel, He is thy God of Mt. Sinai,

Now come to fulfill His great covenant.

This God--his way is perfect; the word of the YAHWEH proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him - 2 Sam 22:31

Leon and Alicia's Boy

N.T. Wright:

"Our task is to find the symbolic ways of doing things differently, planting [the revolution] flags in hostile soil, setting up sign post which says that there is a different way of becoming human. And when people are puzzled at what you are doing, your task is to find ways of telling the story of the return of the human race from its exile by way of explanation.

If you were to shape your world in following Christ, it isn’t enough to say that being a Christian and being a professional or an academic is simply about high moral standard, though it is, or using every opportunity to talk to your student bout Jesus, though it is, or praying with or for them, being fair in your grading and honest in your speaking, that is all non-negotiable, but you were called to do something much much more, you were called prayerfully to discern where in your discipline the human project is showing signs of exiles. And humbly and boldly to act symbolically in ways which declares that the Powers have been defeated. The Powers don’t like that by the way, do this only with prayers. That the kingdom has come in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, that the new way of being human has been unveiled. And be prepared to tell the story which explains what the symbols are all bout. In all this you were to declare that Jesus is lord, and Caesar is not as the New Testament did; that Jesus is lord that Marx and Freud and Nietzsche aren’t; that Jesus is lord and neither modernity nor post-modernity are. When Paul spoke of the gospel, the euangelion, he wasn’t simply talking bout a system of salvation but about the powerful announcement in symbols and words that Jesus is the true lord of the world, the true light of the world…."

(transcripted from Wright's lecture entitled "Jesus and the World's True Light")

I am off for exams, no more entries for at least 3 weeks... For the meantime, enjoy this:

The Voices of Eve

The limitations in tblog do not allow me to create a nice table so I have to create the entry elsewhere. Please still comment the entry here. :)

Since today is a special day, allow me to be a bit narcissistic. :)

In my office...

Serious at work...

At home after work...

Who am I O' God, if were not for Thee?
I am doubly Thine,
Thou not only created me,
By Thy Life, Thou had redeemed mine.

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

- William Blake, Jerusalem -
Music

God's Kingdom, his reign, will come at the end of the age in a mighty irruption into history inaugurating the perfect order of the age to come. But God's Kingdom, his reign, has already come into history in the person and mission of Jesus. The presence of God's Kingdom means the dynamic presence of his reign. It means that God is no longer waiting for men to submit to his reign but has taken the initiative and has invaded history in a new and unexpected way. The Kingdom of God is not merely an abstract concept that God is the eternal King and rules over all; it is also a dynamic concept of the acting God. God's reign which will come at the end of the age to accomplish God's redemptive purpose in the world has also come into the midst of human history in the person and mission of Jesus. God the heavenly King, who will act mightily tomorrow is also acting today in Jesus. It is the same God, the same rule, the same Kingdom dynamically at work among men. (George E. Ladd, The Presence of the Future (2000),p. 144)

  What comfort do you derive from the article of the life everlasting?
That, since I now feel in my heart the beginning of eternal life, after this life I shall possess perfect bliss, such as eyes has not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man - therein to praise God forever (Heidelberg Catechism Q.58)

The Kingdom of God implies cosmic redemption. The Kingdom of God, as we have seen, does not mean merely the salvation of certain individuals nor even the salvation of a chosen group of people. It means nothing less than the complete renewal of the entire cosmos, culminating in the new heaven and the new earth... Being a citizen of the Kingdom, therefore, means that we should see all of life and all of reality in the light of the goal of the redemption of the cosmos. This implies, as Abraham Kuyper once said, that there is not a thumb-breadth of the universe about which Christ does not say, "It is mine". This implies a Christian philosophy of history: all of history must be seen as the working out of God's eternal purpose. This Kingdom vision includes a Christian philosophy of culture: art and science reflect the glory of God and are therefore to be pursued for his praise. It also includes a Christian view of vocation: all callings are from God, and all that we do in everyday life is to be done to GOd's praise whether this be study, teaching, preaching, business, industry, or housework (p.s. ennie!) (Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, pp. 53,54)

oscar wilde, talented author (period)

“I am young and gay”

I used to tell my Mummy Dear

Those were the good ole days,

When no one will think me queer;

Speaking of “queer” I remembered too,

That was how I addressed odd Mr. Lawrence,

His face will turn red at me, like he always do,

But he’ll never think that I doubted his sexual preference.

When I slogged through my Latin syllabus,

Half asleep, I heard the old Master said,

“unus et mediator Dei et hominum homo Christus Iesus”

Lousy as we were in Latin, no one would suspect that Jesus was not straight.

Funny these days how some words were used,

Out came from the closet, new language rules,

If you set fire on faggots, it was a most natural deed,

but now even if you write a poem like this, you’re intolerant, a witch-hunter or even a witch.

Many weary years, I vainly fought the King,

‘Twas a worthless foolish war,

Unavailing all the weapons I didst bring,

Alas, lo! How great my fall.

Subdued by Jesus, Captain of the Lord’s Army,

Subdued by Him, He had captured me,

I am Christ’s Prisoner, who ere in the Enemy’s Camp,

Bound by His chains of grace, O’ how free I now am!

Led by Lust, the Old Man marched forward,

On against God’s mighty Son;

The Spear of Sin bruised His heel, spilled His Blood,

Satan cheered o’er the battle won.

And when they thought the Battle was done,

Christ the Lord rose again!
No weapon now can hurt the Res’rected One;

Lo! The Prince now stands Who was slain.

On the great White Horse, Christ rode ahead,

With fiery eyes, a bloody grab, a mighty sword.

None His enemies could escape,

All was trampled under the wrath Lord.

Lo, behold that boisterous singing crowd,

Their chains clinking as they went,

Jesus, the Captain, their Captor, led

Walking towards the New Jerusalem.

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

In the Law Library this morning

Were I to exhaust all my strength,

Were I to drench in my own tears,

Were I to slog through all my length,

Were I to give up all I endear,

I shall not Divine Criteria satisfy,

And that Righteous Anger pacify,

He must cover or I die

That Onely God, That Onely Christ!

A candid shot from Kok Wai. I am still wondering what was I saying to Pastor Wong - fulamak ada hand action somemore.

I was sitting beside a young mother and her baby. Daud was the cameraman.

Yennie caught me sneaking away to nap.

My new friend here has just finished her SPM - we are friends only k. She was holding Mr. Slow Lorries

Mr. Slow Lorries who has broken many ladies' hearts.

Karaoke session - I was singing "She bangs" (is that the title of the song?) a.l.a William Hung.

If anything, going into the Orang Asli settlements is a great learning experience. Not only the hush and lush of the jungle invite the restless hearts of the city folks to pace down, the encounter with the Orang Asli also reminds us that pleasure many times lies in the simplicity of life. At least, that was what I learnt in CDPC’s latest visit to kampong Orang Asli in Bentong. While the journey into the jungle settlements may be tad too rugged for the uninitiated, the only burden that boggled us throughout was our own little backpacks. Every other emotional and psychological baggage was lifted up, as though our minds were cleansed by the fresh jungle breath and our hearts purified once more. I can almost understand the ecstasy of the hymn writer when he crooned,

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears,

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest  me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;

In rustling grass I hear Him pass;

He speaks to me everywhere.

….

This is my Father’s world, should me heart be ever sad?

The Lord is King – let the heavens ring. God reigns – let the earth be glad.

This is my Father’s world. Now closer to Heaven bound,

For dear to God is the earth Christ trod,

No place but holy ground.

The Journey Begins

We started the journey with the few of us who are going gathering in the church hall on the 9^th of April 2005 at 9 a.m. Pastor called us in for a short briefing and thereafter we prayed for the day’s events. Each of us was asked to say a word or two in supplication to God. I can sum up the hearts of the group that morning as, eagerly desiring to be used by God for his purpose. Indeed the business of the kingdom was trust forth in the stead of our own agendas, our own issues, our own fears and our own worries. It was with such a heart that we set on our journey that day, into our Father’s world.

Kok Wai and Sue May provided their 4WDs as transports. Pastor Wong was supposed to sit in Sue May’s Terrano, but I think he was “shy” to be the only thorn among the roses. He came to join us at Kok Wai’s new Mitsubshi Storm. He reasoned that he wanted to allow the girls time to bond among themselves. The journey on the highway really does not warrant any retelling. But perhaps it is worth mentioning that Kok Wai’s new truck was bought with the OA ministry in mind. He recounted to us how a great bargain he had procured in buying this second hand truck which really looked brand new. The ride was comfortable, everything was smooth as the proud yellow truck cruise through the highways off onto jungle treks. How beautiful it is the feet that bringeth good news. I cannot help thinking, how also very beautiful is this yellow machine.

Kampung Sungai Dalam

After a hearty lunch at the town of Bentong, we arrived, together with Pastor Rajen, Pastor Timothy, and Christopher’s team at Kampung Sungai Dalam. The kampung greeted us with a gaily orange banner – Kampung Sungai Dalam. Saya mahu cinta Kampung Yesus (Deep River Village. I want to love Christ’s village). While we can only dream of making our city the City of Christ, the Orang Asli, very enviably, had made their village Christ’s. And boy, do they so loudly proclaimed it! It was as if walking into a territory marked by Christ’s conquest. How a sweet and pleasant surprise it was to find in the midst of the jungle, far away from the cities, from big churches and their noisy congregations, an assembly of God’s people. It was like discovering a treasure hidden from sight. In fact, it was like finding a lost City of God. Such thrill of going on an Indiana Jones adventure diminished the weariness of going on a mission trip. Perhaps we were not after all, missionaries, in the common sense of the word. I see our visits as gestures of extending communion to our brothers and sisters in the Orang Asli settlements. Our visitations and their receptions were acknowledgement of one another as brethrens in the Body of Christ. It was an expression of fellowship in the catholic Church unbounded by demography and geography. Such fellowship is one that builds one another up, spiritually and materially (Rom 15:1-2). It was in this spirit that CDPC, being the more privileged lot, financially, had stepped forth to help the Orang Asli with their microeconomy. Because God has blessed us with much wealth, we now extend this blessing to our Orang Asli brethrens by helping them to set up two fish ponds with 2000 tilapias and sponsoring educational materials for the children. Pastor Wong even offered further financial aids to build a longhouse of which the construction was temporarily abandoned because of financial constraints. Yet the Orang Asli communities were not passive charity beneficiaries. What they needed and did not have, we gave to our affordability and vice versa. The Orang Asli once blessed us generously with something they had in abundance, durians (!) But one of the most precious things they had given us must be the powerful spiritual experience of feeding the Lord and clothing the Lord. These are the poor of Christ whom he held so dearly and whom he held the wealthier section of the church responsible for providing on his behalf. How many of us from the city truly realized Archbishop Romero’s aphorism, “Gloria Dei, vivens pauper” – the glory of God is the living poor person? Often we failed to live out the “religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father”, which is to attend to the weak, the poor and the afflicted (Jam 1:27). Here in this ministry, God has provided us, in His grace, an opportunity to please Him by some practical expression of charity to our needy brothers and sisters. On the personal level, this ministry had strengthen the fact to me that communion must range from religious fellowship to practical aide.

This time around, we arrived at Kampung Sg. Dalam with an important (and for some, almost impossible) mission. Some smart chaps had suggested that we play Mr. Vidal Sassoon in the jungle and give the kampung folks a hairdo. Nonetheless, while we were rather excited about the task upon arrival, the Orang Asli, I observed, were hesitated to go under our razors. In the team, surprisingly, only Pastor Wong had previous experience cropping hairs. But I am sure no CDPC members would allow our pastor to perform his skill on them as pious a person as he is. Yet, we were going to crop the Orang Asli’s hair. The call to come to the barber’s chair was a tough one. The hair wash department was more popular with Daud, Sue May, Serene and Yen Nie playing the “shampoo girls”. It was little wonder that only the kids came forth for us, Orang Dari Bandar (ODB), to meddle with their locks. The adults seemed to be pushing their children to come forward, most probably fearing that if no one volunteered, they might have to sacrifice their own hair. The mood relaxed a bit after Pastor Wong demonstrated on his first “victim”. Ever one to surprise us with new ideas, he once again impressed us with his creativity, this time in trying to cut hair the “layered style”. I was his camera man, so while taking his photographs, I observed Pastor’s funny (and rather haphazard) antics. On one hand, it was really hilarious seeing him trying to “look professional’, but on the other, the whole affair, brought to mind the account of Jesus washing the Disciples’ feet. Our God is One who took the form of a servant, who striped off his outer glory and took on a towel, bent down, stoop low to serve his inferiors. Watching CDPC members washing and cutting the hairs of the Orang Asli children and Pastor himself arching and bending in the acts, I felt they were imitating Christ; not in the outward and symbolic expression of washing the feet, but in abiding to the mandate that he had laid down for the Church, “love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (Jn 13:34). It was a love modeled after Christ’s. And the result was really not too bad.

After the hairstylists and barbers had done with their crafts, we were treated to a puppet show by Daud and Alyster. The target audience was the children, but I am sure the adults had a good time too. In the previous visit, we had enacted the Creation account through the narrations of two very adorable puppet characters, Ibrahim and Sarah (I am still wondering why the Malay sounding names, but it was a pleasant indication). This time, the same Ibrahim and Sarah told us the story of Noah and his Ark. Daud and Alyster, lending their voices to the two puppets not only taught us the significant of Noah’s Ark as a type of Jesus Christ the Saviour of Mankind, they caused eruptions of laughter with their “daft” (in the word of Wai Fong who wrote the script, but unfortunately was absent for the trip because of illness) acts. Daud especially seemed so natural when cracking jokes in Bahasa Malaysia. It was indeed a talent, a gift. One of the most memorable parts was when Ibrahim tried to retell the story after Sarah told it to the audience. Daud really animated the character well and tickled us all with:

“Burung terkukur bina kapal. Nuh dan 40 isterinya masuk dalam kapal dengan 40 daun pokok zaitun dan nyamuk” (A raven built an ark. Noah and his 40 wives went into the ark with 40 olive leaves and mosquitoes)

Pastor Wong quipped that the Penghulu (village chief) must have felt quite excited to hear Noah having forty wives and may justify himself to do the same. Thanks to Alyster, the smarter Sarah set the story aright again for everyone; alas for the Penghulu or some of the guys among the ODB.

We managed to spend a good three hours in Kampung Sungai Dalam. Having only two destinations planned out for that trip, we could afford more time blending and mingling with the people we visited. On our first visit, both the CPDC team and the Orang Asli were unsure of one another’s’ company. We were as foreign to them as they were to us. In fact the elders of the village were rather suspicious of our intentions when we proposed to sponsor the building of the fish ponds. But as time went by, just as Sue May observed, “They’re more and more comfortable with us”. Continuously interacting and involving ourselves in their lives really do make a difference. Perhaps they had began to realize that we were not like some visitors to the zoo, gaping at a people so unlike ourselves. But I’d also like to think that there was an unseen bond between us that made us so easily fond of one another. And that bond was the result of us all being baptized into one Body in the Spirit. Today, our relationship stands as witness to that bond. Today, the fish ponds stand as a testimonial to the Orang Asli’s trust, CDPC’s sincerity and our mutual partnership.

We left Kampung Sg. Dalam for our next destination with heavy but jovial hearts. From the windows of our 4WDs, the Orang Asli’s waves of farewell seemed like invitations to visit them again. We will surely call on them soon.

Kampung Kuchai

CDPC’s visits to the Orang Asli settlements will not be complete without a stopover at Sangli for its famous “san chu yok” - Wild Boar Meat. (The most excited person must be Sue May, she was seen drooling over the thoughts of san chu yok ever since we arrived at Bentong town). The quick bite was like our “rewards” as most will be embarrassingly exhausted by then. The Orang Asli Pastors (Rajen, Timothy and Christopher) must have been amused by our ODB frailness. But everyone seemed to beam with delight as the food was served. The meat was cooked in curry and served along wantan noodle. What is a better expression of the Malaysian Church fellowship but a wonderful time “feilo-ship”. We recharged and rejuvenated over jokes, fizzy kikapoh and the deliciously pungent san chu yok. Indiana Jones could not have had it better.

The journey to our next destination, Kampung Kuchai was rather different from the first. We rode, albeit bumpily over ragged path, to Kampung Sg. Dalam in the 4WDs. As Kampung Kuchai was not accessible by our 4WDs, we had to scale hilly trek, walking about 20 minutes to arrive there. Our previous experiences had not been exactly pleasant; therefore, many of us were rather palled at the idea of having to do the trekking. And to a few of us, this was our only real physical workouts in months. Nevertheless, to our surprise, the walk that day was a real brisk one. As we had arrived early to begin our trekking, the soft early evening sun brightened our route and our mood. Suddenly, the trek did not seemed so steep after all. And the mosquitoes were kept, by God’s grace, away from us, or at least from me. Or maybe it was Bro. Christopher’s ointment. I think it was both, God’s grace working through earthly means.

Once again, we revealed our ODB amusing silliness when we arrived at a small tiny stream. After the women had crossed the tiny river (they were wearing slippers and sandals), the men refused to follow suit. We were hesitant to get our shoes drenched. Some were requesting me, who was holding a staff to literally part the small tiny stream so that we can all walk across on dry ground. Being the person of little faith that I am, I naturally failed to perform the task. We had to come up with other plans. Then to my astonishment, Sue May and Alyster began to go into the water again and picked up rocks, lining them across the small tiny stream to form a bridge. Talk about girl power; these gentle, submissive godly women will turn into superwomen to the aid of their husbands (and brethrens) whenever the need arises. We can only praise our God of infinite wisdom for creating such able Helpmates. So the bridge was formed, the problems solved and the journey continued.

Along the way up to Kampung Kuchai, I was trying to rehearse my “sermon” which I was supposed to share in the service later that evening. As this was my maiden preaching to a congregation in a church service, I was very nervous. Having to speak in Bahasa Malaysia, a language which I am not used to speak in, did not very much help to encourage me. But as I was recalling my speech while walking, I was inspired to end the sermon with a hymn. The hymn that came to mind was “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” – I was going to preach on the Ten Commandments and the helplessness of Man to abide by God’s law. As soon as the song came to my mind, God was gracious enough to also enable me to translate it to Bahasa Malaysia. When we arrived at Kampung Kuchai, I shared the song with Daud, Serene and Yen Nie. They helped to complete and polish some parts of the short translated hymn and we learnt to sing it. Then we approached the East Malaysian pastors and Ministry workers to sing the hymn together. I had hoped that the hymn will be an appropriate ending to my sermon later.

The evening service began with an exuberant praise and worship session. The congregation clapped, cheered, danced and jumped to the songs. Pastor Wong later commented that it was only in the Orang Asli church service that we had the energy, the motivation and the opportunity to sing in such manners. I observed that the energized congregation was not in frenzy but was merely expressing a childlike playful and happy satisfaction when worshiping God. After the praise and worship, the Puppet Masters took to the stage again. The same story was acted out and the same positive response was gotten from the floor. The children especially were excited as Ibrahim and Sarah interacted with them, inviting them to paste pictures on the board and giving them little gifts for their efforts. Daud and Alyster once again gave an entertaining performance. I barely can contain my laughter even though I had just heard the same jokes hours ago. But of course, I was getting more nervous as my turn to speak was nearing.

When Daud and Sue May asked me to speak in the Orang Asli service a week before we went on the trip, I was adamant for a while. After accepting the request, I struggled to decide what to speak on until Leon suggested that I speak about the Ten Commandments. But having an idea of what to speak did not make it easy for me as I had to consider how to communicate my message to the Orang Asli congregation. With what I felt was the barest preparation, I took on the microphone that night, helplessly trusting myself to God and his promise to help us speak of his glory to the people. True enough, though we are weak, God is almighty and his potent grace saw me through my maiden preaching. There are many areas that I must seek improvement, but I know I could do nothing that night if not for Jesus, my strong Hero. That was also my message for the evening. We may appear able and beautiful but really, we are just worms, wretched and hopeless. It was grace all along that sustained us and grace forevermore to see us through. That night I was once again reminded of Jesus and his labour of love as we sang;

Bagaimanaku selamat?

Hanya dengan darah Yesus;

Mana ada berkat?

Hanya pada darah Yesus.

Oh, darah Si Domba!

Menghapuskan dosa,

Oh, darah Si Domba!

Selamatkan kita semua

(How can I be saved?

Only by the blood of Jesus;

Where are the blessings?

Only in the blood of Jesus.

Oh, the blood of the Lamb,

Destroy sins,

Oh the blood of the Lamb,

Saved us all)

After the sermon, some of the worshippers came forth to be prayed for. No, I did not make an altar call. They came forward at the call of their pastors to those who were ill. Our team was given the privilege to pray for them. We were the prayer warriors yet there was something in the faith of the Orang Asli that we, the ODB, did not know. Because of their lack of means, the Orang Asli completely trusted God for his provision. Many times, we are so self-sufficient that God will only be summoned as a last resort, but this was not so with the Orang Asli. Their childlike faith moved me to tears as I watched them crying out to our Father for help. They had no other avenue, but our kind and loving Father, to supplicate their aches and complaints. May we emulate such great dependence on our God.

The service ended with a love feast. CDPC sponsored the ingredients while the Orang Asli prepared the meal. We were again treated to the sumptuous cooking of our hosts. I began to enjoy the food so much that the thought of going on “mission trips” was becoming attractive. The atmosphere was awesome. We were in the midst of the jungle, surrounded by nothing but trees, songs of night creatures, cool breeze and stark darkness, enjoying a delicious meal with fellow brethrens. I began to wonder if heaven will feel like this.

The Journey Ends

Going on this journey was tiring, no doubt. But I would say that if there are some journeys worth traveling, this was definitely one. Sometimes I was appalled at myself, how I dreaded going for this trip in the beginning but before the end of it, I was appreciating my good fortune. The experience was precious and there were so many lessons to be learnt, the most resounding to me was that our brothers and sisters in the jungle need us and we need them.

“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- [ODB or Orang Asli, rich or poor] – and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.…The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seemed to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honourable we bestow the greater honour…God has so composed the body, giving greater honour to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together. Now you – ODB and Orang Asli -  are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor 12:13-27)

Ya, saya mahu cinta Kampung Yesus (Yea, I want to love Christ's Village).

Read from Jack the LOT{B}R's point of view

Hari ini Tuhan-ku bertanya,

“Di mana-mu wahai anak-Ku?”

Tiada tempat yang menjadi rahsia

Di mana jua ku tuju, Dia di situ menunggu.

Terfikir daku jawapan yang diminta-Nya,

Ku sedang bersembunyi tetapi tetap nyata...

...Ku memencilkan diri menutup malu,

Ku meminggiran diri kerana kesalku.

Kehadiran-Nya di Taman memang daku inginkan;

Tapi ku bimbang,

Kesedaran tentang diri durjana ini memberatkan hati menyambut kunjungan Tuhan.

Masihkah Dia akan mengasihi anak derhaka ini?

Masihkah Dia akan menerima daku yang tidak punya kelayakan?

Dosaku menghalang persekutuan yang murni,

Pergaulan dengan-Nya dicemari jiwa yang tidak suci.

“Ah! Siapa yang mampu membantuku?

Bagaimana terjawabku soalan-Mu?”

Kemudian Tuhan-ku yang Maha Pengasih menenangkan hati yang bergelora ini.

Dikorbankan Domba buat pakaianku,

Menutup dosa dan melindungiku; Daku bagaikan manusia baru!

Dan soalan Tuhan berbunyi lagi,

“Di mana-mu wahai anak-Ku?”

Maka ku jawab dengan terus,

“Dalam Yesus! Dalam Yesus!”

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

Kemudian TUHAN membuat pakaian daripada kulit binatang

untuk Adam dan isterinya, lalu mengenakan pakaian itu pada mereka.

Kitab Kejadian, bab III ayat ke-XXI

(And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them - Genesis 3:21)

The Gospel According to John Chapter 20 *Happy Easter!

The nails before long refused to bind

That holy flesh to the wretched splint

‘Twas His own will the Stake to climb

For no one, none, no one, can hold Him!

He lay-ed that day in the cold dark tomb,

He whom the whole universe canst scarce contain,

Thus the grave must burst open soon,

Roll boulder, roll! God, thou canst not retain!

The doubts of Thomas shall not prevail

For great Truth shall great Faith begot,

Though Satan will not cease to assail,

We soon must confess, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus Christ, that Incarnate God,

Nothing can hold Him, nothing! But was held for our fault...

Perhaps all too often we forget that the technology which is supposed to bring people closer will make a worse stranger out of us to the other persons. Read Jack the LOT{B}R's bleak prediction of a future technological-paradise where bliss is not the word to describe the state of being.

Pls remember that I am a real person.

When you’re awaken to the soft morning sun,

And receive a new greeting from me,

Remember my dear Friend, that I am a real person,

Who shares the same sun just across the sea.

When you’re busy at your workstation,

And my message arrived at your screen;

Remember my dear Friend, that I am a real person,

Sitting at the end of the line, waiting.

When you walk under the evening sky towards home

And my voice on your phone was heard,

Remember my dear Friend, that I am a real person,

Who shares the same sky, living just down the road.

I hope all my efforts would not fail,

To convince you that I exist,

Remember my dear Friend that I am real

Or else, who do you think wrote this piece?

*grin*

In ancient times, people were poor and could not support themselves. They carried the classics with them while hoeing, or recited the books while hauling firewood. Today, people eat plenty, dress warmly, and have abundant free time. This is the first lament.

In ancient times, people did not feel it too far to come from a thousand li carrying their books on their back, looking for a teacher. Today, people have worthy fathers and elder brothers to teach them and yet they do not listen to those. Or they have a worthy teacher in the village and yet they do not know of his vicinity. This is the second lament.

In ancient times, people copied manuscripts themselves, day into the night, and were constantly suffering from the lack books. Today, people have ready-made printed books and they store ten thousand fascicles piled up without ever reading them. This is the third lament.

In ancient times, people spent three years learning a single classic. They were thirty by the time they've established themselves in the five classics. Since they were children, their only goal was to study. Today, people have books at early age but don't read them. Meanwhile, the days and months are flashing by. This is the fourth lament.

In ancient times, people read by gathering fireflies or under the light reflected from snow. Today, people can open up their scrolls near the light of the lantern, but they just happily engage themselves in pointless talk, and amuse themselves by playing chess. This is the fifth lament.

There have been people who could not see the sun and the moon, who could not hear the sound of thunder. Students of our age are have clear eyesight and acute hearing, they all receive the instructions of wisdom. Yet, because they do not study, they know not where they going and they disregard proper conduct and the rituals. Truly, they are nearly the same as being deaf and blind. This is the sixth lament.

When a man has a body, he has a register, when he has a register, he has duties. The students of our age have their parents to work for them or because of their family's long-standing merits are exempt from service. They have books but do not read them, being the same as the people outside the gates and on the fields. This is the seventh lament.

People used to suffer because of their heritage, never hearing the sayings of the Book of Poetry and the Books of Rites, they either became farmers and gardeners or artisans and merchants. Today, people are born into Confucianist families and start to carry on their father's profession from an early age. They have books but do not read them, they simply continue their ancestors' venture. This is how far they go before they crash. This is the eighth lament.

People used to suffer because there was no place they could retreat to and cultivate themselves. Today there are academies and local schools where they can pursue teachers. So they put on the Confucianist tall hat and wide clothes and parade around happily calling themselves "scholars". But in reality, they do not know a single classic, cannot compose a single poem; they are a disgrace to the sages of the past. This is the ninth lament.

There used to be the great ties between the lord and his minister, between the father and his son, there used to be the great conducts of loyalty and filial piety, of benevolence and propriety. The students of our age do not study and practice, so the great ties and the great conducts are used to sweep the floor. Yang Xiong said, "If a man does not study, even though he has no worries but he won't he be like the birds?" This is the tenth lament.

Translated by Imre Galambos

by Joan-Lynn

A tribute to all Tsunami victims

Away the night passes without a sound

Dawn brings tremors beneath the ground

Listless waves washes humans that are found

And now they are heaped into a mound

I look above to the now dark skies

I see wretched wasteland cry

I see them all drown and die

Family cries out, "Oh dear, WHY?!"

People around frown and sigh

As the blood bath sea floats bodies by

No longer hopes of living dare lie

No longer do hopes dare flare high

At the end of the day

There would be weeping at things done

There would be tears of regrets

There would be mourning to change things set

At the end of the day

Tragedies, concealed with rage

Anger has bear its hideous hate

The world that's left, the people's fate

I was wondering whence come those voices,
Which I hear playing in my head;
Melodious words that translate into handsome verses,
And cause my pen to dance with grace. 

I do not know about heavenly music,
But I think I can almost imagine;
This tune I hear in my head,
Is like the songs that the angels sing. 

I longed to trace the one whose voice,
Flood my head all the time;
Now at last I realized,
That medley was no one else’s, but thine.

[Painting, "The Ambassador of Beauty, ZhaoJun" by Shang XiaoFang]


*Zhao Jun, to your lovely descendant...