The Waiting Room

Mummies Unite

2007-03-11T20:45:00.000+08:00

BLC Epiphany Series 2007

2007-01-07T18:36:00.000+08:00

Advent Videos

2006-12-09T09:54:00.000+08:00

Watch and allow the videos to help in your Christmas preparations.

I'm dreaming of a ________ Christmas

2006-12-06T12:35:00.000+08:00

There are two corporate worship events related to Advent/Christmas starting this Sunday December 10, 7.30pm at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. The map to the venue for this Sunday is below (click on the image)

Rejoice in the Lord

2006-10-31T00:33:00.000+08:00

It's wonderful to catch a glimpse of the more celebrative side of BLC. Thanks Daniel for facilitating that through last week's Reformation Sunday Worship Gathering! I will miss all of you during the coming 28days. And I know some of us are still going through times where the word "rejoice" may be furtherest from our minds. But, for whatever we have now whether it's big or small ... let's allow God's joy to be birthed in us his way!

Let's start with the first video [BLC Rejoices I]

and take it further in the second video [BLC Rejoices II]

Mouth Ping Pong

2006-10-15T22:12:00.000+08:00

[Mouth Ping Pong video]

I've got nothing much to say except please enjoy watching this as much as I enjoyed capturing it.

Crouching Neo Hidden Darth

2006-10-15T22:01:00.000+08:00

[Crouching Neo Hidden Darth Video]

Yes these are the members of the church I'm pastoring. I took this during our recent BLC Retreat in Cameron Highlands.

We are trying to learn what true "Shalom" and "peacemaking" is supposed to mean. Let's sing together now: "Lord, Make us instruments of your piece..."

:-)

Lead us to Dance ...

2006-10-15T21:58:00.000+08:00

[Lead us to Dance Video]

This is one of my favorite videos of the children of BLC freely dancing as others were practising a song for a wedding earlier this year. One of the joys our family had this week is to watch a number of the videos I've taken with my little Canon A70. I'll be posting some of my favorites whenever I feel it's easy to get bogged down my "overloaded" brainy stuff or "entangled" concerns. These videos connect me to what's human (as well as some humor). I find God connects with me through these simple moments :-)

*Originally posted here Lead us to Dance ...

The Return of BLC's Boy Band?

2006-10-10T01:54:00.000+08:00

Here's my attempt in putting a YouTube video on this blog.

[BLC Boy Band Jamming Video]

We miss you Ray!

Every reason to always rejoice

2006-10-07T17:33:00.000+08:00

Grace at Cameron 2006 - From Bangsar to Habu

2006-09-05T21:45:00.000+08:00

It's wonderful to return again to the moments decorating a meaningful 4 days and 3 nights ... starting with the journey to our destination. I'll put up some of my favorites with more commentary later. For now, the FilmLoops gives some quick-view of our time last week. Bob has some here with a great title on Why Some Things Are Worth It?. DB has some beautiful artsy shots here and a thought provoking one here.

Wonderful 2006 Retreat!

2006-09-04T17:57:00.000+08:00

Rumah Hope Outreach

2006-06-07T07:28:00.000+08:00

If your Life Group/individuals are interested to visit Rumah Hope, please contact myself or Mrs. Alice Paul on ph: 79545523. The home is located close to the Jaya supermarket in Paramount Garden, PJ. You will find a location map on their website. You might share testimonials with them on a Friday night, do Bible Study on a Saturday morning andsoforth... Each Life Group could commit to meeting there once only this year.

Currently the BLC Mum's group has a visitation plan for Bible Study to the junior school children on the following Tuesday mornings (8.30am):

11 April, 2 May, 23 May, 13 June, 4 July, 25 July, 15 August, 12 September, 17 October, 7 November, 5 December 2006.

3 children (5-6) attend Kindergarten 8.30-11.30am weekdays.
25 junior school children (7-12) attend afternoon school.
21 senior school children (12-16) attend morning school.
About 5 young adults (16-19) are in Montfort to obtain a qualification.

BLC members may contact me for a list of their names.

There might be opportunity to be involved in Bible Study and Homework sessions.

For the junior school aged children (afternoon school):

Bible Study 8.30-9.00am
Study/Homework 9.30-11am
Study/Homework 7.30-9.30pm

For the senior school aged children (morning school):

Bible Study 3.00-3.30pm
Study/Homework 3.30-4.30pm
Study/Homework 7.30-9.30pm

On weekends:

Bible Study 9.00-9.30am
Study/Homework 10.00-11.00am
Study/Homework 8.00-9.00pm

Thank you for praying. If you do not have a specific prayer request for Rumah Hope (as handed out on Sunday, 3 June), I can forward one to you :)

Blessings

Sigrun Berry

On Fire for Christ

2006-05-16T16:35:00.000+08:00

I seldom join the Sunday School fun, but was quite humbled upon doing so on Sunday. Takeshi was stringing tunes from his guitar and Vicky led the singing.

I did not find an angelic choir of cherubs in the room; no, it was a bit like a taming process of wild stock. I certainly want to applaud every single member serving our Sunday School kids. Their love and commitment is something I am very thankful for, yet I have not properly conveyed this to them. Every bit of Sunday Scool teacher energy output in this room is to the glory of God.

May God empower and equip us all with the love and guidance required to shepherd these young lives in the right direction. May our childrens' hearts be pierced so that they might be bright lights for God's Kingdom.

Love from the mothers of the rugrats-
Sigrun Berry :)
xxx

BLC Map 2006

2006-01-17T11:31:00.000+08:00

Map of Bangsar Lutheran Church

I think this is a more "detailed" map that might help newcomers if they need help to come to the Father's House - the gathering place of Bangsar Lutheran Church!

I know informally we call this place Rumah Papa or the Father's House. But I thought to make it easy for "searching" I just used our official designation Bangsar Lutheran Church :-)

BLC Website EXTREME Makeover?

2006-01-06T09:06:00.000+08:00

Well ... perhaps not so EXTREME-lah! After some years using the free tripod site here, we've moved to http://blc.net.my/ and already have a simple new design (thanks to Moh Foong) with gradual improvements in progress.

Second Thoughts on Children and More...

2006-01-05T10:39:00.000+08:00

"The church's ministry to children is broken…It's broken when church leaders and senior pastors see children's ministry primarily as a marketing tool…Something is broken when we trivialize God to our children…It's broken when we depend on our programs and our curriculum to introduce our children to God—not our families and communities…And perhaps most importantly, it's broken when the church tells parents that its programs can spiritually nurture their children better than they can." —Ivy Beckwith in Postmodern Children's Ministry

My involvement in church as a child was sporadic, preferring basketball and kung fu on Sundays. I started attending regularly as a youth. After seminary, my main focus was as a youth and worship pastor; so it wasn't until recently that I even really thought much about children's ministry. For more click here

(This article was written in 2005 and we've been working on Step 5 and desire to see improvement in 2006. Let's walk together!)

What's the Point of Church?

2005-12-23T10:08:00.000+08:00

I was laughing and brought to some simple deeper reflections after listening to my UK friend Jason Clark talk about "What's the Point of Church?" (download the Mp3). He asked a great question, "What if community is a by product of being and doing church?". A great antidote to the consumer streak in us!

See You on Christmas Day!

2005-12-20T14:20:00.000+08:00

We're having a Christmas Worship Gathering on 25th December 2005 Sunday 10am at The Father's House!

After that we'll have a special Christmas Lunch .. please finalize with John Cheah if you are coming and how many guests!

I think these girls will welcome you at the door ... so come early .. at least be on time - there won't be traffic jams!

let's come with hearts prepared and ready for worship.

World Vision Update

2005-12-16T11:03:00.000+08:00

We got some news recently that one of our sponsor children had been able to leave the program as he was working. We asked WV for an update on the child and how the sponsorship had helped him so we could let BLC know how the money was being used. I got the following reply:

Zhang Jun Fu graduated from junior secondary school in July 2004. After graduation, he helped the family to do the farm work. After a while, he went to Lijiang to work in Nov 2004. In the past, the child was benefited with the help of World Vision in the following areas: subsidization of school fee, 6.1 children's day and body check. When he was studying in primary school, World Vision repaired the primary school. He could study in the new classroom when he was primary 4. When he studied in secondary school, World Vision had provided beds and desks to the school, and also with some repair and toilets. Zhang Jun Fu lives in poverty in Yunnan. The economic status is bad. Under the support of the sponsor, the child learn a lot after finishing his junior secondary study. The child could get a job outside. With education, it equips the child to be more independent to serve the community and know about the world. It's a treasure to the child to have education. Zhang Jun Fu's family members include father, mother, 2 elder brothers and 1 elder sister (already married) and himself. These years, there was work on storage for drinking water in the community of child. With this, the drinking water can be drained to the house for use. Also there was a repair of channel to ensure the irrigating water. The child's parents also joined the training of agriculture and breeding, they learnt some new knowledge in the area. With the help of World Vision, the life of the child and family had been improved.

This is a great story and we will now adopt a new child whom we hope we can see graduate from the program as Zhang has.

The Lord be With You

Trust and Obey

2005-12-03T22:29:00.000+08:00

For there's no other way

This comes from a Lutheran hymn I haven't sung since we came to KL (it's a bit old fashioned *smile*) but today I am reminded of it. We had an event planned with the kids from Rumah Hope at a park so we could play some games and let them run around a bit. When we got up though it was raining and it stayed that way until we got there. We started calling each other to see what alternatives we could put in place but there were not many at late notice.

Then as we arrived at the park we saw the sun peeking through

So we had hope and started some games

The kids enjoyed trying to stone the dragons tail

Uncle Keat Lim did a great job of leading them

Everybody wanted a turn

And the worm was just as popular as it busily swallowed children

During refreshments we were surprised by a clown ( who is it ?)

the kids were rapt

smiles were plentiful

There was plenty of fun about

And we couldn't have wished for a better gang of God's children

So why trust and obey ? he made the rain to make things cool, he stopped it when we were ready to start, he left us with joy.....

Good Job (2 thumbs up!)

2005-12-03T20:13:00.000+08:00

Excellent work from David Berry and the outreach core in terms of planning and coordination. Special welcome and thanks to the Shell team that came along. And all the LiFE Group reps who came. A special mention for the "clown" that showed up - awesome! (I want a balloon too!)
Feel free to comment on how you felt about the event...

For me .. with smiles like the one below whom I shall call the Rumah Hope dynamic duo .. I think waking up early, getting through the rain (with extra prayer that it will stop on time), sweating it out by playing with them in the games as well as enduring some heat :-), having a slight sun burn ... is worth it! What a great way to start Advent and prepare for Christmas!

Working Hours

2005-11-29T16:44:00.000+08:00

*I read this from my friend Jason Clark and caused me to re-assess myself as we draw near to Christmas, would you join me? ~ Sivin*

Apparently the average person works for 40 hours per week in the European Union. Until this summer, I have worked far more than that. Being bi-vocational, for several years, meant worked in excess of 90 hours a week at times. Even going into this summer I was clocking in weeks of 60-70 hours.

Now many jobs are demanding of time, and being a pastor/minister is one those vocations that takes up alot of time. Yet I am have suffered from workaholism, and being in ministry has been something that suited that tendency well.

Yet something happened to me this summer on sabbatical. God did something in me that found me at peace in a way I haven't been for a long time, he challenged my workaholism, and the the need to trust him, not my output.

And maybe getting older, I am finally slowing down. Anyhow I am putting in 40-50 hour weeks. By my previous years it feels down right lazy, but the difference has been liberating. And people are noticing the difference in me, in good ways.

A Prayer after Isaiah 64:1-9

2005-11-28T06:08:00.000+08:00

Thanks to young Doulos (who visited BLC before) for this. I think it captures the heart of the text the Covenant players based their plays on and that governed the theme of my message excellently. Have a blessed week!

"When I look back upon my life nigh spent,
Nigh spent, although the stream as yet flows on,
I more of follies than of sin repent,
Less for offence than Love’s shortcomings moan.
With self, O Father, leave me not alone –
Leave not with the beguilder the beguiled;
Besmirched and ragged, Lord, take back thine own:
A fool I bring thee, to be made a child."

~George MacDonald, Poetical Works~

First Project Fireflies Camp!

2005-11-25T01:04:00.000+08:00

Can you locate Wong Chin Hor, James Tan & Aaron Ponniah from Bangsar Lutheran Church?

One thing I believe is as Christians either we can organize such events or just go ahead and loan our energy and join them. In this case both were done.

Praise God! and well done "younglings" and "padawans" ...

Of course James does look like a younger yoda :-)

Altar Decorations

2005-11-23T09:40:00.000+08:00

BLC altar decorators often surprise me! they do a fabulous job to bring stuff from their everyday lives and lay it on the altar.

Four Principles of Discernment

2005-11-23T09:16:00.000+08:00

*I think this is an important subject as many of us wonder how do we find our God's will - and often we are tempted to hold a view where we expect a "dramatic answer" immediately or "just tell me God faster" kind of approach. Another challenge is when because we lack self-awareness and understanding .. what we think is from God is actually our own "hang ups". But does that mean it's impossible to know. .. ? No, I believe when we're in a humble and honest posture we can "discern" and I think points 3 and 4 are very relevant. This process is also not mechanical but very organic and relational for Christians. So before you make the next decision -esp. a major one like life partners, work, education, etc. Walk through these 4 principles as a check list. (Special thanks to Latino Liz for the post)~ Sivin*

(This was recommended by N. Graham Standish, author of Becoming a Blessed Church, a book I would like to do with the developing church leadership...eventually)

Here are four simple principles to keep in mind whenever seeking to discern God’s will as an individual or group.

1. Grounding in Scripture
Discernment always starts with Scripture. That doesn’t mean that to discern, a person must immediately open the Bible and look for particular guidance. That works at times, but it isn’t the best way. For effective and powerful discernment, it is best simply to become a person of Scripture. This means engaging in regular devotional reading of Scripture, becoming part of Bible studies, and listening to Scripture through sermons. Grounding our discernment in Scripture allows us to be formed by Scripture so that the words begin to guide us even when we are not aware of their influence.

2. Listening for Christ’s Voice
God’s voice is so much richer than ours, and God can speak to us through anything—a song, a poem, a leaf, a graduation ceremony, the lettering on a truck, the stray comment of a stranger—anything. Learn to become attuned to how God is speaking. At the same time, don’t assume that everything you hear is from God. Be discriminating and somewhat skeptical. The true voice of God will resonate within. Your heart will leap at its sound.

3. Clarifying.
Don’t just assume because you have heard something that it has to be God’s voice. Far too many false preachers, teachers, and prophets have been deceived by their own pride masquerading as God’s voice. Have the humility to ask, “Is this really you, God?” Then talk with others, especially those who you believe are spiritually attuned. If God is speaking to you, they will sense it too. If the voice isn’t God’s, their doubts will help you go back and listen again. The important part of clarifying God’s voice is recognizing that Christ is present and speaks to us throughout life, but that our egos, especially when they are immature and afraid of seeking Christ, can speak to us through a false voice that mimics Christ’s voice. Discernment requires us to spend time clarifying, to whatever extent we can, whether the voice we hear is Christ’s voice. If it is, then it will be affirmed by others who also are seeking to discern God’s will.

4. Following in Faith
Following in faith is the thing that separates real ministry and mission from activities that are self-serving. When we follow God in faith, we still have doubts, we still are a bit reluctant, we still have trepidations, but we act anyway. If Christ is really the one calling, something special will happen. The impossible will become possible—and sometimes the possible becomes impossible when our timing isn’t God’s. Generally, God will find a way to work through us to make what God wants happen . This is how God as Presence works. God as Purpose calls us to ministry and mission, and God as Presence makes it happen through us. To be a blessed church means acting in faith.

Constitution of Malaysia

2005-11-22T23:46:00.000+08:00

In a sudden moment of "i don't now what happened!" ... I picked up the Constitution of Malaysia and read the first few pages while waiting at Borders bookstore before heading to pick Elysia for a doctors appointment.

perhaps it's because I've been asking myself lately what does it mean to be a Malaysian citizen who "loves" the country. And this practice of reading a most basic document will help me connect with the land where I'm living in!

From Article 4:
"(1) This Constitution is the supreme law of the Federation and any law passed after Merdeka Day which is inconsistent with this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void."

From Article 11:
"(1) Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it.

(2) No person shall be compelled to pay any tax the proceeds of which are specially allocated in whole or in part for the purposes of a religion other than his own.

(3) Every religious group has the right -

(a) to manage its own religious affairs;

(b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes; and

(c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with law.

(4) State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Lubuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.

(5) This Article does not authorize any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality. "

I've been hearing these two Articles a lot the past years and it definately stood out for me ... and it's been on my mind since yesterday especially thinking about what led to the amendments in Article 11. And even as the words continue to ring in my mind, I'm thinking what part can I play or we could play to "construct" together with others --> a better home for our children where for them reaching out to "the other" who is unlike them has less barriers whether it's from without or within. This home we call Malaysia needs to be "better" for ALL!

May God bless Malaysia ... (how is this blessing seen and expressed through us?)

The Christian Year

2005-11-11T09:44:00.000+08:00

I was visiting the Wednesday "suka makan" LiFE Group (hey! actually all BLC LiFe Groups suka makan) - ok .. the one facilitated by Hoong Guit. Melanie adapted the Children's teaching on the Christian Year which I think was FANTASTIC ... please feel free to invite her as your special guest teacher! (So what's all this advent, epiphany, lent, pentecost business huh? what relevance does it have to us? ... )

For me, appreciating the Christian Year helped me in the following ways:
1. I realized that there's a reason and intention for the whole Christian year and the Festivals (so it's not just another holiday but it's "holy" days - i.e. days set apart for specific purposes and creates "space" for me to recall and reflect on Christ and his Word.)

2. I also switch my loyalty as far as how I "see" time, days, weeks and months. We live with so many difference ways of organizing our time - the major one of course is the secular calendar (based on the Gregorian calendar), then for the Chinese we're reminded of the lunar Calendar especially during Chinese New year and other festivals like Mooncake Festival recently, then the recent Hari raya and Deepavali festivals remind us how the Muslims and Hindus organize their lives. So what does this mean for me as a Christian? If Christ is Lord of all - then he's also Lord of my time. Actually, it's his time anyway .. but our way of "calculating" it or giving name to it ... The point is ... that his presence covers all and saturates even my minutes and seconds ... I'm reminded of the little booklet by brother Lawrence the Practicing the Presence of God.

3. So, for the past five years since starting BLC, I've found it most rewarding to actually organize my Scripture Reading, my prayer, my spiritual diciplines etc. around the Christian year and it reminds me again and again ... that though I exist in the world (i.e. we still following the secular calendar) I belong to Jesus first and foremost!

Thanks Hoong Guit and her LiFe Group for a wonderful session. It REALLY blessed my evening until now!

(*note* Hoong Guit's use of the song Child of God to open was truly Spirit inspired!)

Quiet Outreach - MMUCF

2005-09-07T10:30:00.000+08:00

2 BLCians followed me yesterday to the MMU CF - "question the Christian" meeting yesterday ... there were more then the usual number of newcomers and most were either non-Christians or non-frequent CF members. Thanks God for a good time of sharing and many different "spaces" to allow the music of the Gospel to be played out either at the "background" through some of the students answers and my comments or even more directly where in sharing what we Christians believes I gave a simple snapshot presentations of who Christ is and what the Gospel is all about.

Here's what I posted in my blog, "Humble Answers to Honest Questions"

I came back pretty late last night. Kelvin and Kia Meng joined me last night for this invitation to facilitate at MMU Christian Fellowship (I'm really happy that what I desire very often like Bangsar Lutheran Church members coming with me in CF engagements came true to some extent yesterday - most of the time its hard because of timing).

I didn't know what to fully expect apart from perhaps there would be newcomers even those from other faiths as well as perhaps even friends who would see themselves as non-religious. I found it very helpful that some of the committee members actually met up with me earlier last Friday to give me some context on what is the climate and direction of the CF and their members. I found it interesting and noteworthy that for some and it seems many are beginning to ask more "questions" and moving in and out of re-examining their faith.

This may be unsettling for some, and downright scary for others ... and yet, deep down I was happy that they are "working through" rather than "evading" the questions. Now the promo invitation card looks very "apologetics" and I was quite tickled when I was invited (because I'm NOT known to be an "apologetics" expert). But what they wanted me to do was to facilitate "conversations" and more of a "dialogue" (as opposed to debate) .. ah .. that I can do! So, I was pretty excited about last night.

During our pre-meeting last friday, they past me a list of questions "itching" their members. I actually re-catergorized them yesterday and saw some interesting patterns ... I'll just post up the one under the catergory of Christ as a sample:

"1. So, all other religions go to hell? Why doesn’t all good people go to heaven?
2. There is Heaven & Hell and Jesus is the only way to Heaven, why is God so cruel to let those unsaved go to Hell? Why Christian is the only way? Why not other religion?
3. If you believe in God, but do not believe in Jesus is the only way then how? How about people who believe in God generally but not particularly Jesus?
4. Do babies/kids who do not know Jesus go to heaven?5. Is it once you believe in Jesus, you can go to heaven? But after that, didn’t do anything as Christian cans still go to Heaven?
6. What is the significance of the cross? Are Christians praying to the cross?
7. What distinguish Christianity from other religions?"

For me it wasn't just that these questions were asked. I digged deeper and am trying to understand why these questions were asked and what is the story behind these questions. Seems to me that the Gospel is presented in a way that the questions are framed in these ways. so, apart from taking these honest questions as it is, I was also thinking about how new questions could be introduced. I was also thinking about introducing ways of understanding the Christian life beyond the limiting "heaven/hell" approach. Well, we didn't manage to talk i detail about the above questions in the session (because it was not raised) but we did at some point after the meeting during supper :-) isn't that typical Malaysian (or perhaps it's the same worldwide or it's just human)?

Back to the meeting ... after a little intro sharing that we are here to gather questions people have and then give space for everyone to contribute (especially the Christians to share their answers) I was delighted to see the non-CF members/friends/guests also participating.

Basically, we broke out into 5 groups - under the topics: Christ, Church, Ethics, Bible & any other questions. After gathering the questions, we exchanged the questions with another group and then they would share their responses and answers to the questions given and present them to everyone. After each presentation, I'd chip in my comments and suggest further thought/questions.

I tried my best to respect the "others" amongst us ... and present and facilitate the sessions "humbly" because even though there were differences (and some points interesting similarities) we need to model how to honor the "other" person unlike us and prayefully IMHO allow the Spirit to do his work. It felt like "inter-religious" dialogue at a very grass-root & informal level for me last night, and to see how the "good news" can be presented without any pressure to "convert" people prematurely (and definately not manipulatively).

We just shared our story ... our concerns .. our values ... even our struggles ... our limitations ... who we are, what we are called to do .. where we have failed, where we need to move on etc,... and in all this authentically trusting in Jesus' presence with us to guide us and lead us. It was awesome for me and very heart-warming (of course, due to minimal air-con physically it was warm too). At a deeper level, it was more than a change in style ... like it wasn't a lecture and more participatibe .. it's was actually a change in our attitudes, or in other words, a more intentional way to listen, share, and interact in the way of Jesus.

I was reminded yesterday when we were driving to the meeting of something I shared at a camp recently - that We are learning to Converse with the REAL people before us rather than the IMAGINARY stereo-types which may or may not exist. There’s more to apologetics than giving well argued answers. and we need to consciously integrate our mediums with our message and allow space for mystery and model maturity.

A Big Idea for Pastors

2005-09-03T19:29:00.000+08:00

A couple of things struck me in the following quote. First, is the simple focus in disciple making. Second, my personal life verse John 20:21 is mentioned (and it's also the focus verse for our church). Third, is when Brian mentioned about the benediction - that is exactly what's in my mind when I announce it EVERY time EVERY Sunday for me, my family and all those present. I'm REALLY looking forward to return to BLC after being away for 2 Sundays :-)

"Our job is to make disciples. Our job is to actually make people who are followers of Jesus and who have a role in this world similar to the role that Jesus had in this world. Jesus said, “As the Father sent me, so send I you.” We’re actually preparing people to be sent into the world.

Every Sunday when we say the benediction, we’re sending them into the world as representatives of Jesus. And so what did Jesus do? Jesus taught, Jesus asked questions. Jesus loved people. Jesus healed. Jesus spoke up about injustice and exposed hypocrisy. If we had a sense that what the Christian project is all about is actually about sending people a little better prepared week after week to represent Jesus, I think that would be a tremendously exciting thing. And in many ways this is really what this whole emergent conversation is about. How we can actually rise to that mission of making disciples." ~ Brian McLaren, A Generous, not Suspicious, Orthodoxy

Sunday Blurry Sunday

2005-08-21T16:52:00.000+08:00

This morning worship had a dreamlike quality to it - probably because I was still half asleep after the wedding last night. I suspect a few others were in the same boat as I looked around the room. Fortunately for me in Sivin's absence the worship team did a great job, the table guides for the kids remembered their parts and refreshments were arranged. I must remember to have a think and ask a few questions next time I hold the fort. I think I was feeling okay about it until Keat Lim said to me "so you're joining up the dots today" That's when I realised I had forgotten my pencil !.

What did go exceptionally well was Mr Tan's message about forgiveness. His nuts and bolts approach is a lot like his approach to other subjects he has presented to us, it is simple and straightfoward yet very wise. Of course he always injects plenty of humour which also helps. If you missed it I would advise having a listen to the recording some time soon. You can use to let some folks out of the prison which only you hold the key to. (listen then you will know what I mean)

So yes it was blurry but we made it to the end, gathered in our circle and the Lord has sent us out into the world for the week ahead. Shalom

Congrats Kevin & Olivia!

2005-08-21T00:02:00.000+08:00

may the Lord bless you and keep both of you as a couple ...learning the art and science of "loving one another" ... As Christ loves you ... Amen!

The Nuts and Bolts of Forgiveness

2005-08-16T16:44:00.000+08:00

Soo-Inn will be gracing our BLC mic stand this Sunday (please pray for him!) ... as I'll be off to Seremban for a camp with Hope EFC church (please pray for me!). I like what he has in stall for us from Matthew 18: 21-35 --> The Nuts and Bolts of Forgiveness.

The Party continues ...

2005-08-10T11:03:00.000+08:00

The Canticle Singers in action!

The party started on with worship and dinner on August 6th (check our Friend Al's summary)

We continue this Sunday with special guests the Canticle Singers joining us for Worship which includes Holy Communion (and a special welcome to the latest addition to BLC *smile*).

On August 21 Soo-Inn Tan will grace our mic stand once again ... with a special topic that's much needed these days.

on August 28 Prof. Hans Schwarz visiting from Germany to give a pastors school for the LCMS and special lectures for STM. Wolfgang was so nice to recommend him to visit BLC and share with us as well as get our young 5 year old community :-)

So, God is gracious to us and we're truly in a month full of thanksgiving. I thought this is great because like the Chinese New year celebrations we celebrate an extended period of at least 15 days! For those who missed some of the videos during the anniversary worship dinner, we'll replay them on August 28th.

Amazing Birthday, BLC!

2005-08-08T12:23:00.000+08:00

Here's some very encouraging and kind words from our friend Alwyn Lau ... and I'll add especially to all who've played a part in making the event a memorable one - a Big Thank-you! The celebrations will continue until the end of the month (in true Chinese fashion - like CNY). This Week the Canticles Singers are coming for vocal performances! anyway, on with Alwyn's paragraphs:

This is a Thank-You note to Sivin and everyone else in BLC.

Thank you for the sweet Saturday worship service in celebration of your 5th Anniversary. I told a friend that I’ve always found worship in BLC much more - what's the right word here? - ‘conducive’ to spirituality, to ‘hearing God’ than in most other places. This friend half-teased that maybe it was the tinted lights(!). I found that to be incisively true. The environment does matter. The lights, the multi-media, the colour, the carpeting, the proximity between altar and worshipper, what you ‘notice’ and ‘feel’ first when you walk in, and all that – it matters! We are, after all, sensual creatures and we worship as sense-agents. Kudos to BLC for exploiting this fully for the glory of God…(but hey I’m drifting…)

Thank you, the videoed interviewees, for the innovative and surprising(!) thoughts on Confession (Kia Meng confided that his entire comment was, “If worship is like breathing, then confession is like yoga!”), Worship (I particularly resonated with Messy Christian’s suggestion that silence is integral to worship…) and Why God Put You Here (someone said, to much laughter, that perhaps the church could, “use some of my skills!” – that sounds naturally amusing but I can’t imagine how this makes it any less true!). Thank you, John, for those hilarious

Thank you, Selah, for that groovy rumba(?)-styled performance on the violin (and if you can lemme know the name of that piece I’ll get on Kazaar right away!). Thank you, Paul and Soo-Inn, for those timely words of encouragement. Paul reminded us (via some cute balloons) that God can use even the most unlikely of persons, events, ‘items’ to lead us to the cross of Jesus (I’m unsure as to why he characterized Sivin as ‘weird’, there’s gotta be a hidden story there somewhere!). Soo-Inn, in his characteristic in-depth fashion, recounted Sivin’s painful past and his love of questions and how perhaps BLC’s growth in both numbers and warmth is proof that ‘unless a seed dies, it cannot bear fruit’. Death to a former way begets life in a revolutionary new one. I was touched by Soo-Inn’s remark that BLC’s creation of a special place for children reflects a rare sensitivity to the ‘least’ involved (and possibly most disruptive!) members of the church! I’m also writing this not two hours after chasing Nicky round my own church’s sanctuary during sermon time!

(As an aside, during dinner I overheard Soo-Inn mentioned that, “Emergent is always asking questions!” Right on. Questions open up possibilities, suggest new perspectives, point us to fresh thinking areas. Answers - especially ‘non-negotiable’ ones - tend to close-up thinking, draw greater and deeper battle-lines and stop conversation.)

Thank you, Sivin, for reminding us (via the ‘Jesus walks on water’ passage from Matt 14) that God isn’t a circus-performer, longing to impress us with His feats. He is amazing not only because He encourages us to move forward but He also pulls us up whenever we fall. This causes unrestrained joy and should also inspire unqualified compassion and action for those who have fallen into rough waters.

(The title of Sivin’s message was ‘Amazing’, phrased in three different ways! This fits VERY NICELY with at least two choruses sung, and his defining quotable quote, “Jesus is amazing”. Hence, too, the title of this post.)

BLC is a place which encourages you to come and stay and belong as the person you are, but it also challenges you to go out into the world as the person God can make you. Sivin has taught his church to become authentic, caring children of God. There is much passion and inspiration here. Most of all, there is much love.

I also resonate completely with

What else can I say? Amazing.

Post Anniversary Gems

2005-08-07T06:09:00.000+08:00

Father, we're so grateful that you have not abandoned us but accepted us ...
Jesus, we're so grateful that you have saved us from our drowning and sinking ...
Spirit, we're so grateful that you are still working on us and leading us forward ...
Amen!

For more check:
5th anniversary Memory Makers (with photos!)
Thoughts after church's anniversary celebrations
Drunk in the Spirit

5th Anniversary Deco

2005-08-06T01:24:00.000+08:00

A big thank you in advance to Susan and her Wonder team!

For more see through the eyes of a Canon A70 digital camera here! (if you can't wait, or for some reason you are not around!)

Getting Ready for the Party!

2005-08-05T15:49:00.000+08:00

As the tents are getting ready, it's getting more and more exciting ... many parts of "the puzzle are falling into place" (in the words of John Cheah). The Worship team had a great time practicing last night ... (hope we remember what to do!), the people in charge of deco and others are coming tonight to clean up and give our premises a little face-lift, I saw the Mustard Seed today hot off the press ... honest and hilarious ... humbling too ... as well as a sense that we all seek to honor the one who's called us and sent us...

Gather us in Lord ... to have a foretaste of what the Kingdom Party you have for us is all about :-) Amen. Oh yes ... it's 6pm tomorrow!

Moving with the Messiah ... again

2005-07-28T17:16:00.000+08:00

Here's how our thoughts and feelings, impulses and imaginations can be united together through the Scriptures - and most of all the Story of Jesus!

How to Have a Cellphone and still remain a Christian

2005-07-19T09:05:00.000+08:00

I found myself guilty of breaking more than one rule here .... makes me reflect once again, technology is supposed to help us "connect" better with people right (remember the Nokia slogan?) but maybe we are now actually more "disconnected" with what's and who's in front of us ...

I read Prof. Ben's thoughts here in "How to Have a Cell Phone and still remain a Christian"
hearing a call to "change my ways." I offer them to you ... please read slowly.

Cellphones are ubiquitous now, spreading like Kudzu throughout the land. And unfortunately it plays right into and exacerbates the inherent narcissicism or self-centeredness of our culture. We have people having private phone conversations in planes, elevators, in class (!),during worship services, and in a host of other inappropriate places. They don't seem to care. Everyone loves to get mail, and everyone loves to be called, and that takes precedent over all else, including civility, and being considerate of others. In light of this blight on the land, I offer a few non-negotiable rules Christians should live by when it comes to cellphones lest they violate their Christian witness and certain minor commandments like "Each should look not to your own interests, but rather the interests of others. Have the same mind in yourself that was in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2.4-5).

I offer here the 10 commandments of cellphone use!

1) Under no circumstances except an actual and extreme emergency should you ever drive a car and talk on a handheld cellphone. This is incredibly dangerous and has already cost many people their lives. Just ask your insurance agent. There are reasons why whole states are banning this self-centered and dangerous activity.

2) Let private phone conversations be private. Don't have them in a public place. Place your phone on vibrate, and unless you are expecting an urgent call, do not answer it during: 1) another conversation with a live person; 2) another conversation with someone on a phone; 3) during a public event like a class or a worship service.

3) Turn off the cellphone unless you are in a place and at a time where it is appropriate to have a private chat. This means no cellphones on in concerts, movies, lectures, etc. You get the picture.

4) Stop wasting time and money on frivilous phone calls, sending useless pictures etc. This is bad stewardship of your money. I do not say there is never a time to use it in these ways (e.g. on a birthday to send a picture or a special message) but it should be a special occasion.

5) A cellphone, except when you are in an emergency stranded because your car died or the like is a luxury item, not a necessity. This being so, you should treat it like other luxury items. It should not become a way of life for you or your children. If you are using only a cellphone to do all your calling, then use it like a phone with a land line except in emergencies. Don't use it as an excuse to make unnecessary phone calls from anywhere anytime just because you can. That's pure narcissism and is hardly a Christian practice.

6) Don't buy a lot of useless or unnecessary extra features or package items in your cellphone plan. This is just a gimmick to get you to spend more money.

7) Stop checking your messages incessantly. This is obsessive compulsive behavior, and it prevents you from spending time with others, focusing on your current tasks etc.

8) In general don't use your cellphone to send messages. Take the time to write a proper note via email or snail mail, unless there is some good reason to send someone a brief note.

9) You are not so desperate that you need to watch TV on your cellphone. The picture is absurdly small, hurting your vision.

10) Too much use of your cellphone is actually a health risk because of the shortwave frequencies. Do without your cellphone except when you actually need to make a call.

Eugene Lau says "Hi!"

2005-07-06T00:19:00.000+08:00

wow! United Voice (UV)has two centers now. The older one in Shah Alam (where some of us went with Indiana Joo for the opening) and now a new one nearer to us at SS17 PJ!

I managed to catch Eugene Lau (whom we at BLC are supporting) before he heads off for a holiday and captured him on my Canon A70 video :-) which I hope to show all of you soon (perhaps one of the worship gatherings or BLC anniversay which has a new date - August 6 Saturday evening!)

Swee Lan (our old friend of BLC) shared of some immediate needs for UV, please contact David Berry if you hear the "call" to help.

1. New Web design for the UV site (for FREE if possible)
2. Artist (those pretty good and simple drawing - raw stuff is fine .. raw and simple) to touch up some of the cards they are doing for sales. I'll show you more photos later.
3. Monthly commitment (at least 6 months) to spend an afternoon with them just to be their friend at SS17 or Shah Alam during their special gatherings. They need at least 2 people.
4. Swee Lan and I also talked about an outing we coud take them out as a church just for fun!

GOD OF JUSTICE (WE MUST GO)

2005-06-30T18:58:00.000+08:00

It's rare to see the words "Worship" & "Justice" closely connected in today's worship scene. But in the Old Testament especially in the Prophetic books ... it's inseparable. I found this song from Tim Hughes who wrote a BLC favorite, "Here I am to Worship" .. a wonderful song that "fills me up and sends me out." Here's the chords and MP3

Capo 5

F........G.........C.............F
God of Justice, Saviour to all
..........G...............C................F
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
............G.............C........F
Chose to serve and not be served

Am7 ................G/B
Jesus, You have called us
F
Freely we’ve received
.........................G
Now freely we will give

.........C..........................G/B
We must go live to feed the hungry
........................Am7
Stand beside the broken
............F
We must go
.............C..............................G/B
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
..................Am7
Move us into action
............F
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we’ve received
Now freely we will give

F
Fill us up and send us out
G.................C
Fill us up and send us out

Fill us up and send us out Lord
Repeat 4 times (Last time don’t do to the C)

Hear O Malaysia

2005-06-27T23:52:00.000+08:00

Here's something from our visitng friend Ryan Sharp who visited us last sunday, for more click here:

Hear O Malaysia
The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus
In your midst

This God
Found in the warmth of a smile
In the cries of a child
In the love of a friend

Do you know?
Have you seen?
Have you heard?

The LORD God is One
The LORD God is Love

(The LORD God is not from the West)

Earliest Retreat Birds

2005-06-22T22:59:00.000+08:00

IMG_2081_earliest_birds
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

The mist welcomed us "coolly" ... and we were ready to catch some worms! Yummy!

Post Camp Big Group pic!

2005-06-20T08:04:00.000+08:00

Since selecting the best pictures to post up online will take time, I thought I'd post a photograph that doesn't need to go through a selection process =) Here's a nice group photograph of everyone at the camp!

First Post-Camp Post

2005-06-19T22:16:00.000+08:00

Well our car made it up the mountain to Peace Haven, barely. But we got back down safely. Thanks to Sivin for sticking close just to make sure. We did see Hoong Guit and company on the side of the road with a flat tire just after pulling out of PH. Hope they got it fixed okay. At least they had cool weather and a nice view while putting on the spare tire!

This was our first church camp with BLC and our first time to meet and talk to some of the people who we have been seeing on Sundays. I was very thankful for the name tags! I enjoyed everything so much that I don't really know where to begin. The highlights for me were small group time - I was one of the facilitators - especially studying Ephesians together and then all the posters and presentations from the different groups. It was exciting to see everyone digging into the Word and then explaining it so creatively.

I must confess, John, that I was a little skeptical about Romanopoly at first, but it was a huge success. Moh Foong was classic as the Empress and she was much loved by her citizens, especially as she showered us with coins. I got a bargain on a slave - the lovely Ling Ling, whom I purchased for just 8 sen. And of course there was my husband looking quite dashing with a colander on his head.

For those of you who couldn't make it, we missed you! I'm sure there will be lots of pictures posted in the coming week.

Missing you guys!

2005-06-18T22:54:00.000+08:00

By now, most of you would be in Genting Highlands enjoying the church camp. :) I've been missing from BLC for the past few weeks. It's a combination of work, veterinarian affairs, mental exhaustion and depression that I'm working against. And the saddest part was, one week, I forgot about cell! :D But then again, it wouldn't have made a difference anyway since I had to work late.

Anyway, just to tell you guys that I miss y'all!

Prayer Support for David's Op

2005-06-16T22:00:00.000+08:00

Hey, I'm not so accomplished at this to try anything but link you to my blogpage-
Thanks for your prayers which lifted David's back pain to God's capable hands.

God's goodness endures forever!

Give thanks to our Lord and have a precious time reconnecting at the church camp this weekend...

From
The spotty building block in the scheme of things :)

How to Build Community

2005-06-13T23:00:00.000+08:00

Thanks Daniel for the last "simple" but "significant" post to get the Waiting Room moving again ...

Here's something I thought was insightful:

How To Build Community

Turn off your TV
Know your neighbors
Look up when you are walking
Greet people
Sit on your stoop
Plant flowers
Use your library
Play together
Buy from local merchants
Share what you have
Help a lost dog
Take children to the park
Garden together
Support neighborhood schools
Fix it even if you didn't break it
Have pot lucks
Honor elders
Pick up litter
Read stories aloud
Dance in the street
Talk to the mail carrier
Listen to the birds
Put up a swing
Help carry something heavy
Barter for your goods
Start a tradition
Ask a question-hire young people for odd jobs
Organize a block party
Bake extra and share
Ask for help when you need it
Open your shades-sing together
Share your skills-take back the night
Turn up the music-turn down the music
Listen before you react to anger
Mediate a conflict
Seek to understand
Learn from new and uncomfortable angles
Know that no one is silent though many are not heard.

Work to change this.

Simple Conversation

2005-06-13T13:27:00.000+08:00

Below is an email conversation I had with my unchurched colleague. Sometimes, simple conversation like this help us see beyond our own problems at work and towards God's purpose for us at work instead. You'll be amazed what you'll find out.

Daniel: "u know what u shd do instead.........8-))) . u shd go back to church and seek God.....i can see that u r quite miserable.....always seeking out for things to fill the void in your life....now u r going after philosophy pulak.... btw, what drove u away from church, maybe can share a bit."

Karl: "actually i still hold strong faith with the lord. unfortunately every since i got back i stop attended service. difficult la introvert when i comes to religions matters/worship. these days churches are all going the charismatic route.
when in aussie.. it was mostly small community worships. i am slowly trying to join irenes church... but they very happening la their church. but i must admit i do feel a void in my life... sense of accomplishment, living life.. seems to me these days the only think i look forward to when working is going home???. and when i am free at home to go skip work and go for holiday break??? could be the mid life crisis genes i carry in me. which is why i though maybe studying philosophy would help me grasp more meaning."

Daniel: "not true that all churches are going all charismatic. why not u and irene come visit my church in bangsar next sun....i promise u it's different (dont worry not cult though 8-))). my church is quite small, around 60+ pple including children. i'm sure u'll fit well.....our members comprised of pple from all walks of life, from IT pple to lawyers to soon-to-be uni professors to video editor to journalist, etc....the great thing is majority are from 25-35 of age. my pastor is also a very open person. not ur typical textbook religous pastor.
maybe what u need is to belong in a small community, small group. i see going to church on sundays only to fulfill "religous" responsibility as nothing more than a ritual. that won't get you anywhere. u need to go beyond that, joining a small group may help give a sense of belonging and support."

Karl: "maybe i will take you up on the offer but not this week la... when i am ready. i know one can never be ready but give me sometime. btw way where is your church in bangsar? i read your blog about the finance person leaving. guess his/her situation was similar to the former hp ceo."

Roman Fever

2005-05-20T10:34:00.000+08:00

You have 1 month to get a costume together for the ROMAN NIGHT at the BLC retreat 17-19 June. It looks like we essentially have to find ourselves large bedsheets. I think I'll end up at Kamdar, Megamall to buy cheap fabric (you can get it for RM2-3/metre).

Can't picture the look?
Look here, here, here and maybe here.
This would be just grand for your little boy!

Mother’s Day Reality Check

2005-05-19T23:47:00.000+08:00

This is dedicated to all the BLC moms and moms-to-be.

This year was my second time to celebrate Mother’s Day. Last year I only had one child. This year I have two! So it was double happiness. But in some ways, it was double trouble. My thoughtful husband wanted to treat me to a special family lunch at the place of my choice. I chose Little Vietnam at Mid Valley Megamall. (Note to self: Never go to Mid Valley on a Sunday with two kids who both need to nap.)

After a long hunt for a parking space and Noah losing one of his shoes, we got to the restaurant. Eliana had not slept all morning and should have been asleep by then. I think she wanted to give me her full attention all day long – as a gift, of course. We ordered our food and the kids started fussing. Noah would only eat the cookie sticks Eric bought him and cried if I tried to give him rice. Eric eventually had to leave the restaurant with a screaming Eliana.

As I sat there alone (with Noah) eating my delicious food, I started to feel sorry for myself. What kind of Mother’s Day was this turning out to be? But as I thought about it, I realized that THIS is what being a mom is all about. This is reality.

Children cry. They’re messy. They throw their rice on the floor and then ask for more. They interrupt meaningful conversations.They vomit on your nice Mother’s Day outfit. They don’t sleep when they’re supposed to and they lose their shoes at inconvenient times.

But these same children have smiles as bright as sunshine. They help you clean up their messes with tissues. They learn to do things like eat rice with their own spoon and make you so proud. They give you a thousand new meaningful things to talk about. You learn to wear the vomit stains as a badge honoring your motherhood. And when they finally sleep, you see only the angel in them. An angel wearing only one shoe.

Episode IV returns

2005-05-18T22:58:00.000+08:00

IMG_0933_episodeIV
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

Well in away ... they came before as James' LiFE Group, but now return for a visit - emerged as "Episode IV" from Burger King Bangsar.

We managed to read through the Book of Revelation chapter 13-22. It's been quite a while I had the chance of just sitting down and "listening" to big chunks of Scripture. Several words emerged more and certain themes like worship, endurance, perseverance, battle between good and evil, faithful witness for example, just couldn't escape my ears.

At some point I just closed my eyes to allow the words to create the images in my mind, and freely attempt to let whatever feelings or impressions surface.

Of course, to finish reading the book out loud is kind of an accomplishment. And could only be done in a way when we're a group (ah! the power of community), but more than that it's kind of counter-cultural to not pick and choose what to read and just let the words come to us just as they are written. awesome. I felt nourished in a strange way.

I'm excited to come like a new student and learn this "strange" book with the rest of Episode IV.

Life group studying Revelations

2005-04-29T20:59:00.000+08:00

I'm really excited that my life group - called Episode IV after a certain sci fi mega movie - is going to start studying the challenging book of Revelations.

I love bible studies, so it's ironic that this is probably going to be my first proper bible study with a group. I've always done it alone, or in my previous cell groups it has always been "discuss the pastor's sermon last Sunday" which I found an utter bore (no offence to pastors who prepare them).

What I cherish most is the format that is being used for the bible study which we used during our baptism/affirmation classes. I learnt a lot through the method, and it also taught me to think more analytically and to observe more. What we do in life group is that we list down as many questions as we can about the topic and throw it at each to answer. Of course, Sivin was there to provide us guidance. This method also lightens the load of the poor life group leader who often had to prepare so much.

Anyway, Revelations is a challenging book, thanks to its massive symbolism etc. My experience with the book is usually frought with confusion and ... charts. That's another story.

The Meaning of a Stack of Stones

2005-04-27T09:39:00.000+08:00

After Joshua takes over from Moses to lead the Israelites into the promised land, a very cool thing happens. God stops the flow of the Jordan River so that the people can walk across on dry land (chap 3). Then God tells Joshua to have one representative from each tribe get a stone from the riverbed and pile them up to make a memorial. Why?

Chapter 4, verse 6 says, “In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing…’ ”

This got me thinking about what kinds of memorials I make and what will my children ask about. How can I make memorials that will help my children see that God is at work in our lives? I’ve always been the kind of person to keep written records of life events, of my walk with God. I hope that these will one day give my kids a picture of my journey, and an idea of where they come from.

But as I was reading, I was wondering if I could do something more visual, like the stones piled up. My writing is hidden in books and on the computer. What could I build or make that my children can see, touch or hold? I want them to know that our life is not just about the things we own that surround them. I want to give them a taste of the spiritual part of our lives through something they can see on a regular basis. Something that celebrates the miracles, the answered prayers, the gifts we didn’t expect.

My first thought is to make some kind of photo album or scrapbook. It could have pictures, journaling, drawings, letters and cards from people, etc. Anything that can tell a story of God’s work in our lives. Eventually the kids could contribute with drawings and later writing, of things that tell their own story of experiencing God.

Well, I know that the BLC folks are creative people, so maybe you can add some ideas of your own. What other kinds of things can we do to build memorials to communicate that God is faithful, that He has done great and wonderful things in our lives?

Worship Gathering Messages 2005 Part II

2005-04-23T22:18:00.000+08:00

2005MsgSeriesApr_June_jpeg
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

This is what's been cooking to be served on Sunday mornings. Remember, the prayer breakfast at 9.30am is open to all. We start at 10am. In true BLC fashion we welcome new comers by not asking them to stand up but show them hospitality. After being the church scattered at our respective "stations", it's wonderful to be able to come back together for a regular rhytm as the church gathered for corporate worship. See ya!

Affirmation

2005-04-12T15:43:00.000+08:00

I was telling James last week how fortunate I am to be in a community at a time like this, when my dog fell ill. My dog means a lot to me, as some of you know, and it was difficult to have him sick. Coincidentally, my dog fell ill at about the same time last year - when I was out of church fellowship. Back then, it was hard - I've just lost two of my best friends, whom I would've normally called to back me up in prayer.

I realise, last week, when Sivin told me that the life group was praying for my situation that I was fortunate indeed. That there was someone who do care for me.

I guess that's why I'm heading towards Affirmation. It's a big step for me. In my previous church, although I was there for five years, I didn't have any urge at all to be affirmed as a member - of the church or of the denomination. I guess I really didn't feel like part of a community, so why be a member?

So, here I am heading towrads that. I'm a little nervous about it. Would I be ready for the commitment? Most of all, would I let people down if I fail somehow? I am still not of the "attend church every Sunday and lifegroup every Wednesday" variety yet. But somehow I'm taking this step because I want to declare to BLCians that I'm serious about my faith in Christ and that I'm on this road still. That's the only purpose why I want my affirmation. The fact that I'll be a church member and 'officially' a Lutheran, is a sort of side benefit. :)

I also wrote about Reaffirming my faith in my personal blog.

Truly in Control

2005-04-11T15:20:00.000+08:00

Both Olivia & Kevin have dreaded the day of their wedding, not because they don’t love each other 8-)). They knew they would run into problems with the venue of their holy matrimony and that day to decide came. We prayed that the Catholic church would agreed to a dispensation (which is not easy to get) for Kevin & Olivia to hold a garden wedding instead of in a Catholic church (for more details, please talk to them personally 8-)).

Along came this encouraging email from Olivia.

“Dear all,

Just want to thank God and thank you for your prayers. As you know, the Catholic church no longer has an issue with our garden wedding. We want to say that truly God is in control and is gracious to our request (even though sometimes I think we don't deserve it).

Thank you once again. Hope this will encourage everyone to know that HE is there, in case you are wondering

Regards,

Olivia Loh.”

Take Time to Look at Your Life Part 3

2005-04-05T15:02:00.000+08:00

I realize that I've only stopped at part 2 ... but where we spend most of our waking hours - 9 to 5. Or for most of us, it's more than that ... these questions are very important to us ... read on, reflect, and respond as we hear the "still small voice" prompting us.

Life in Your Vocation

What do you think is your goal or purpose in life? How do the activities of your daily life and your vision for the future align with that purpose?

Are you enjoying your studies or work? How do you respond when people ask you about school or work?

How do you meet God in your studies or work? Have you sought his guidance when you run across problems? How has he answered you? For what can you thank him in your work life?

What are you doing to understand and apply biblical concepts to your academic discipline or profession?

Maundy Thursday pics!

2005-04-04T00:14:00.000+08:00

I know, I know...I'm way overdue and Easter's come and gone, and a few people have asked me when I was going to put these up. Well, here they are now. Enjoy! Feel free to email me if you want captions added to these photographs! And I mean you write the captions! =)

Stations of the Cross 2005

2005-04-03T23:54:00.000+08:00

** Originally posted on 'The Hiking Path Meant For One' **

Some photographs taken from this year's Stations of the Cross.

Life Group comes to Kajang

2005-04-02T21:44:00.000+08:00

Since I haven’t been to church or LG for a few weeks, due to the birth of Eliana, I was really excited when Sivin told us that our Life Group was going to come to Kajang to see us. Eric decided to get some famous Kajang satay for our guests and he also made his soon-to-be famous peanut butter m & m bars. I mostly sat on the couch and watched him get everything ready.

It was fun to see everyone again and to share in the joy of the arrival of the new babies, Elysia and Eliana. Other highlights of the afternoon included Takeshi’s appetite for satay as evidenced by the pile of empty sticks on his plate and Gareth’s love for sour cream dip on potato chips.

Thank you all for coming to see us!

Happy Resurrection Day ... BLC!

2005-04-01T22:05:00.000+08:00

IMG_9480_easter2005_train
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

Happy Birthday Bangsar Lutheran Church

... or maybe more precisely

Happy Resurrection Day!

"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." ~ 1 Corinthians 1:20

God has indeed guided us through the last 5 years since April 1st 2000 and will continue to do so.

Golf! More Opportunities...I hope!

2005-04-01T17:10:00.000+08:00

I am sooo excited today, will be joining a few of my department managers to play golf at the driving range this evening....first time, also may have opportunities to have more conversations on life, Christianity, etc....May the Lord lead and may friendships be stronger.

Denominations

2005-03-31T18:05:00.000+08:00

It's strange how my conversations at office these few days seem to revolve around denominations.

Actually, we have charismatics, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, etc at the office. As different as we are, I shared my dream with them to unite us all together. There may be some 'bad blood' or 'not so fine' experiences in the past, but all sides should put the past behind, remember what brings us together, and not focus on what sets us apart.
This, I believe, is not 'sweeping things under the carpet', but more towards building relationships based on our common love for God and hope in Christ, and what He has done for us, not what/how we are doing things for Him.

"Unity in the midst of Diversity".... the motto I am trying to share at work ....

Ordinary? I don't think so...

2005-03-31T14:31:00.000+08:00

LG
Originally uploaded by ngoy.

I was on the verge of canceling our LG meet yesterday. However, I felt the nudge not too. 1/2 our group was not around. In the end, we still met up (Kevin, Olivia, Paul, and myself). Nevertheless, it is still an uplifting meet as we explored the book of Ruth.

Ruth was an ordinary woman. She led an ordinary life. Her story was not any extraordinary than anyone of us. She embraced God even though she is not part of God's people at that time. To cut the story short, she became one of the ancestors of the great King David, and later Jesus Christ himself.

I asked us to ponder on the mundane and, what seems, insignificant events of our lives. At any point of our journey, we may question why certain event happens. And what may seem ordinary now, may well be of great significance later on. We shared our stories and later felt affirmed by book of Ruth that none of our ordinary experiences throughout our lives were actually ordinary per se.

As you can see in the picture that our LG is not ordinary as Olivia is trying to nail my head. 8-)). Must be the stress.

One for the Record

2005-03-21T00:25:00.000+08:00

the mamas ready!
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

well, as you can see both mothers were pretty "ready" for the babies to come. This picture was take during the last combine LiFe Group meeting at the Berry Residence.

Now, we can all see the newborns who enjoyed their stay in mummy's tummy for 9 months. It's our responsibility not only as nuclear families but as a church (i.e. faith families) to welcome the two latest additions and guide them in this world that God has placed us all in.

Selamat Datang.

Elysia Kit Kye Xin & Eliana Joy Seidlz

BLC's Youths' Night Out - Last Week

2005-03-15T08:17:00.000+08:00

Wow..so many new posts, a new poster and a couple of old posters whom haven't posted in a while =) Can't be letting the 'youth' of BLC go un-represented right? *hehe*

Who are we? - We're the 'youth', but it boggles us that the 'older people' of BLC keep calling us the young adults. I mean, like..."huh?" ;) We're also commonly known for 'goofing off' and definately, eating =D

Recently, a new Life Group was formed, known as the Baptism & Affirmation group for now. Also popularly known (popular to all except one! ;) as James' group - the Next Gens.

We combined old members of the previous Life Group with a few newer BLC-ians. We've been rockin' since day 1! God's been wonderful to us, and has been among us every time we meet, and I believe with us individually too.

We've grown and transitioned together nicely, it's been a great beginning. We're a close and tight unit. When Rev. Sivin, our current Life Group facilitator postponed our usual Wednesday meeting, we couldn't help but still meet...to eat of course! =D

It won't be for quite a few years more before BLC has youths proper. But for now, we're willing to represent ;) Until the kiddies grow up and are due to take their rightful places with youth-hood *haha*

Stations of the Cross

2005-03-15T01:01:00.000+08:00

I'm looking forward to another round of a kind of mini-tradition (in the healthy sense of the word) for BLC. This week all of us - especially the LiFe Groups and even the children are invited to work on 13 stations based on Journey to the Cross

After Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins on Monday so the Father's House will be open from 8pm - 10pm. It's open not just for BLC members, it's open to all who are interested. This year we'll open the Father's House from Monday to Wednesday, Close on Thursday for Maundy Thursday, and have a Good Friday service. Of course, we will have an Easter sunday celebration.

I came across some interesting sites to enrich one's preparation for the Stations of the Cross this year. Thanks to a site my friend DJ Chuang webmasters eQuip Blog Check out the following:

online stations of the cross

Stations of the Cross: children and their families walk with Jesus.

Helped a Child Lately ?

2005-03-14T11:30:00.000+08:00

Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

What are we going to do for those less fortunate than us ? Why we can walk of course and yes we can have some fun doing it ! World Vision is having it's fun night walk again soon. The full details and registration forms can be found at their web page here. The event is roughly as follows:

Date: 16th April 2005, Saturday
Time: 5.00pm - 9.00pm
Venue: Taman Arboretum

(Hill next to KL Golf & Country Club)

Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

Theme: Jungle Walk
Put on your safari hat/ khakis/ bandannas etc!
Best Dressed Participant will take home prizes

BLC are going to participate in this event and we of course would like to see many of our friends also join us, so come on have some fun and help the kids at the same time. If you are interested in participating please contact me by e-mail at david.berry@gmail.com or pop into the Fathers House one Sunday before registration closes on the 8th April so we can arrange to take part as a group.

BLC'ians you can see me on Sundays to register your interest.

Finding a Home at BLC

2005-03-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Sivin for inviting me to participate in the blog. I feel honored! This first post will be to introduce myself and my family and why we have started attending BLC.

I’m Amy, my husband is Eric and our son is Noah (almost 2 years old). Our baby daughter is due to arrive any day now! We are Americans and have been living in Malaysia for 3 years. Almost all of that time has been in Kajang, mainly because it is close to UKM. We studied Malay there for about 9 months and then Eric has continued studying and just completed his Master’s Degree in Linguistics. I have mostly been a full-time wife and mom, with some part-time work on the side.

Before coming to BLC, we attended a Malay speaking church in Kajang. It was a good experience for us in many ways, mainly in learning the langauge! But as our family has grown, our needs have changed. We didn’t fit in so well in a church of mostly university students. And even though we are comfortable in Malay, we didn’t feel like we were growing and learning as much as we should, or participating in the church life. Sometimes we just didn’t have the energy to wade through all the cultural and language barriers. We realized we needed to worship in our own language and to find a church that was suitable for a growing family.Well, BLC seems to be a place where lots of families are growing!

We found out about BLC through the internet, of all places. We checked out this blog along with others related to it. We read some of Sivin’s posts as well. We could see that BLC was a different kind of church. We were impressed with the kinds of things people were writing about and the kind of community that was represented. We decided to give it a try.

We liked BLC immediately. People greeted us warmly. There were tables and chairs, candles – really nice ambiance. It felt like coming into a café in some ways, more than a church. The cross made of lighted pictures sets a nice tone too. Then there was the kids' area and the emphasis on intergenerational worship. We had come at just the right time apparently, because all of this is just getting started.

So we felt comfortable right away. We have started attending a Life Group and getting to know people little by little. But we still have a lot of people to meet and a lot of names to remember! So please forgive us if we forget your name, or can’t quite remember if we have met you already.

We are looking forward to great times of fellowship with the BLC family, to mutual encouragement in the Lord and to being a part of a community that is seeking to obey God and show His love to others.

Creating a Home Together

2005-03-10T12:38:00.000+08:00

"Many human relationships are like the interlocking fingers of two hands. Our loneliness makes us cling to each other, and this mutual clinging makes us suffer immensely because it does not take our loneliness away. But the harder we try, the more desperate we become. Many of these "interlocking" relationships fall apart because they become suffocating and oppressive. Human relationships are meant to be like two hands folded together. They can move away from each other while still touching with the fingertips. They can create space between themselves, a little tent, a home, a safe place to be.

True relationships among people point to God. They are like prayers in the world. Sometimes the hands that pray are fully touching, sometimes there is distance between them. They always move to and from each other, but they never lose touch. They keep praying to the One who brought them together."~ Henri Nouwen

Take Time to Look at Your Life Part 2

2005-03-09T16:18:00.000+08:00

So how is Life with Yourself? Here's the second installment for those who find questions helpful. Very often once we understand ourselves better, we'd very likely find it easier to discover the answers we're seeking for. :-) Enjoy the quest ...

How healthy are your sleeping, eating, and exercise patterns?

What experiences and factors are influencing how you feel about yourself at the moment?

What activities replenish you? Are you finding enough time for them? If not, how can you make more time for these things?

What are you learning from the books you're reading?

Is there a question that keeps surfacing in your heart — one you might have been staying too busy to hear? Could it be that this is God's question for you as well?

The Scent of Velvety Pink Flowers

2005-03-08T16:22:00.000+08:00

** Originally from The Hiking Path Meant for One **

Looks like she couldn't wait =) Congratulations to Rev. Sivin Kit and his wife May Chin and their son Gareth, as Elysia Kit Kye Xin was born healthy just a while ago!! May Chin's fine and resting up now and good thing Sivin didn't faint!

Looks like he couldn't wait either! Just got an SMS from Sivin about the baby and sitting nicely in my inbox, were pictures! =) So exciting! That was real quick Reverend ;) But we're all excited! It's all good!

I was going to post up this picture before I went to sleep at midnight, but didn't have energy to do so but as soon as I got up, armed with all the news I have just received, I couldn't wait! This picture paints the accurate of the doting father Siv

in is. I absolutely enjoy looking at it. I have many other pictures of Sivin with Gareth but this is the most recent. I was about to blog about them waiting for Elysia's arrival but guess like I said, she beat me to it! =)

For more, you could visit Sivin's blog =)

Welcome Ms. Elysia Kit Kye Xin! We can't wait to meet you!! And congrats Mr. Gareth Kit Kye Ler on being promoted to the eldest child!

***Picture of May Chin and baby Elysia courtesy of Rev. Sivin Kit.***
***Blog entry title and closing message courtesy of Jochebed Jayasooria.***

No Accident

2005-03-04T13:07:00.000+08:00

Excerpts from our LG meeting....

http://ngoy.blogspot.com/2005/03/no-accident.html

A look at my life

2005-03-04T09:17:00.000+08:00

Sivin posed a few interesting questions in the last post Take Time to look at your life, Pt1

How would you describe your relationship with God right now?
In all honesty? Comfortable. But kinda stuck, like it's not going up or down.

What have you been doing to cultivate your relationship with God lately? What spiritual disciplines have been most meaningful to you?
I've been reading the bible. Praying a little, trying to get my feet back into Christian fellowship. The most meaningful spiritual discipline, I guess, is meditating on God's word and chewing on the issues that surround my faith. I've no idea if this is a spiritual discipline or not, but it has helped me gain confidence in asking God the tough questions.

Has God spoken to you recently through his Word, in prayer, or through other people? What has he said? How have you responded?
Truly, I've not been listening well! But a recent event in my life made me realise that nothing is forever. What you amass for yourself - reputation, power, money - may be gone just like that. Having witnessed it happen to others, I realise that my treasure is not on Earth but with God. Having that kind of belief does help me weather sudden, terrifying changes in a more calm way because I know God has a plan for me, no matter how dark.

Are there some particularly rough spots in your life that you'd like to talk to God about? Is there anything you need to confess?
Rough spots? Well, currently my doubt about my career. I made a career move a few years ago because I thought "God told me to". Now, I realise that it could've been wishful thinking on my part. Another part, however, was convinced that it wasn't, so I have to fight these two conflicting viewpoints.

A lot of times I feel like a fool for making that career move, but when I see the positive aspects of that move - more skills, money and friends - I have to realise that God knows what he's doing. Now, I only can trust him to lead me to a new place. That's scary.

And I confess that I doubt God's good intentions a lot, no matter how I try not to.

Take Time to Look at Your Life Part 1

2005-03-02T17:53:00.000+08:00

We all seek for answers in life. But too often it starts with "Is it ok to do _____?" or "Can Christians do ____ or ______?" I find good questions make a whole lot of difference where the direction of our answers are aimed at. Since Lent is a good season for self-examination, let's start with Questions for Personal Reflection focused on Life with God:

How would you describe your relationship with God right now?

What have you been doing to cultivate your relationship with God lately? What spiritual disciplines have been most meaningful to you?

Has God spoken to you recently through his Word, in prayer, or through other people? What has he said? How have you responded?

Are there some particularly rough spots in your life that you'd like to talk to God about? Is there anything you need to confess?

The Da Vinci Code?

2005-03-01T17:11:00.000+08:00

I got an email from an old friend today and he asked me what I thought about the Bestseller Novel the Da Vinci Code. Here's my short reply:

The Da Vinci Code has been making waves and lots of money. some
Christians are a little bit anxious with his claims. Personally, I haven't read the book and thus can't comment much (I'll probably wait for the movie Tom Hanks will act in). I'm surprised that some Christians feel "shaken" but I suppose a "faith" that's not challenged needs some "growing" to do, But I do recall reading similar ideas of Jesus marrying in some other book (I forget) ... if you don't mind me just giving links ...

The links I gave him were the following, and I'll quote my favorite parts:

N.T. Wright on Christmas & the Da Vinci Code

Now we see something similar with the Da Vinci twist. Once you've read one of these books you've read them all. Dan Brown, the best-selling Da Vinci author, is the best writer I've come across in the genre, but anyone who knows anything about first century history will see that his underlying material is laughable.

Truth, as often, is stranger than fiction, and makes its way not with a flourish of trumpets but with the slow, sure tread of actual evidence, accumulating like grains of sand rising into a mountain, while the conspiracy theories build houses of cards which get blown away in the first breeze.

The evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity is astonishingly good. We have literally a hundred times more early manuscripts for the gospels and letters in the New Testament than we have for the main classical authors like Cicero, Virgil and Tacitus. Historical research shows that they present a coherent and thoroughly credible picture of Jesus, with all sorts of incidental details that fit the time when he lived, and don't fit the world of later legend.
We are on solid ground when we talk of Jesus of Nazareth announcing God's sovereign rule, clashing with the authorities, and being executed by the most brutal method then available. Still more remarkable, we are on solid ground when we speak of him being raised from the dead three days later, with his dead body transformed into a new sort of physical life which couldn't be hurt or harmed any more.

I admit N.T. Wight tends to be more detail (some think longwinded) but NT Scholar blog friend Conrad Gempf adds more humor to this serious issue in Taking Da Vinci Code way too seriously :

I don't know about you, but I am SO tired of answering questions about Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Last week it was the Discovery Channel and since they wanted to devote a whole programme to it, I doubt they'd like my comments:

Dan Brown is a novelist and The Da Vinci Code is fiction. Asking a New Testament person to comment is like asking a Marine Biologist to comment on Finding Nemo. The expert is of course going to say that sting rays do not sing and clown fish do not talk.

Enjoy the thriller for what it is, but when the lights come on it's time to leave the cinema.

And for those who like sermons, read "The Bible Code: My thoughts on the da Vinci Code and more"

I'll probably wait for the movie ... it's cheaper than buying the book. :-)

In and out and in..

2005-02-28T23:49:00.000+08:00

See lah...all this overdue blogging.. Just a few weeks ago, we ushered in a brand new Chinese New Year, and a week ago, we ushered it out. Most of us at BLC are Chinese, and the thing with us Chinese Christians, sometimes we struggle with whether to be Chinese first or Christians first =)

Well, it's not wrong to celebrate anyway, it's our culture anyway. This new year has also seen BLC spawn new friends, new babies (on the way still actually!), new start to our children's ministry and even new bloggers =) Let's just keep praying that God has more exciting stuff in store for us!

Lifegroup ponderings: The Apostles' Creed 2nd Article

2005-02-24T10:11:00.000+08:00

We had a good time yesterday discussing what The Apostles' Creed means, and what it stands for. (This is new to me since I've no idea what it is!) Sivin then led us to a discussion on what Jesus is like and the concept of Trinity, which we find quite challenging.

Here are the notes collected from our ponderings:

What comes to your mind when you hear about Jesus Christ?

Grace: He came to save us; healer, suffers, light, mercy, misunderstood, a curse word for some.

Me: Revolutionary; communist; prince of peace; prophet, miracle worker, lamb, lion, not popular, judge and liberated women.

Rachel : Son of God; our friend; someone who died on the cross, boring to some

Sivin: Rabbi; teacher; son of man; exorcist, king, hope, highly respected, children like him and liberated children.

Chin Hor: lord and savior

Carmen: a leader, risen from the dead

What are the questions do you have when you think of Jesus Christ?

How does He look like?

Like a Jew
Like Woody Allen
Tough and rugged
Doubt He looks like Jim Caviezel in the movie Passion of The Christ.
Like an Arabian man
Hairy, curly hair

Is he really God?

Yes because it is prophesized in the Old Testament
Yes because He performed miracles.
Yes because He was risen from the dead.

Why should we worship Him?

He is God so we worship Him.
We are grateful for Him saving us even though we are sinful, the concept of grace.

Why are there ‘3 elements’ in the Holy Trinity?

Why are there 3 and not 1?
3 distinct personalities of God.

Did He actually think of me when He was crucified on the cross?

Yes, God knows all.

Fresh, Focus, Family, Faithful, Full

2005-02-22T00:10:00.000+08:00

Here's a quick sweep of one of the LiFE Group meetings last Saturday after the Chinese New year break.

Eric_amy_noah
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

It's always great to have new people bring freshness to LiFE Groups. Welcome!

How does one help everyone in the group focus during our meetings? That's always a challenge. For me, I keep a soft connection with the kid and yet give full attention to what's happening in the group. And indirectly. it helps our young ones learn "focus" too.

Our desire is to grow as individuals, nuclear families and extended families. This doesn't exclude the singles (just because one is not married it does not mean one is not included), singles are part of the extended family too.

Faithfulness is key to any long term relationship... and it's always a great feeling when we have full attendance and full participation.

Children are the church of today too!

2005-02-21T09:45:00.000+08:00

The about 45minutes spent today with the 8 children (and parents and helpers) was a rewarding one. I was especially touched when during our mini-feast time, when I asked who would like to share biscuit with me (after I had given away all of mine), one of the children immediately offered one for me. Then, there were many little suprises in their response to my "modeling" whether it's walking slowly, talking softly and the use of the "special space" rug that really touched me. I'm not children worker veteran (in fact I never saw myself in that category) but today's "less than perfect and even "fumbling" first "orientation" session was a small and significant win I'd liek tocelebrate and be thankful. All of us wanted to see this work and even with some glitches here and there, overall I came home today feeling wonderful. Because, I sense God's approval and affirmation on what we are trying to do here. And now it's to stick on the track ... there's still so much more to learn and thank God ... there are people cheering us on. At least that's how I felt after having dinner with a veteran children's ministy worker and a intergenerational worship, Christian education and church guru (Many thanks to the host who provided dinner and a listening ear). All in all it's been a pretty good Sunday.

~ for more on the values that motivates me in regards children's (family & intergenerational) ministry read here

He spoke on the subject of Knowing God, with special emphasis on the very Trinity itself.

As usual, the most engaging discussions happened after the 'official' event. Some would stay back and ask questions, those who are called 'mavens' (I forgot where Sivin got the name), and my, were they tough questions!

Sometimes, as Sivin said, the only thing we can do is be silent in the presence of greatness. God's majesty.

Man can only explain away so much without trying to throw God into a box. What is a Creator whom the creation can fully understand?

~ Thanks to Ben Ong for capturing this moment last Friday, more insights from him and a picture here

Both events had quite a number of "delightful" surprises ... this reminds me that "God indeed is a God of surprises!" I've heard of the phrase Children or youth are the church of tomorrow (in some sense there's some truth in that) but I was encouraged by Dr. Allan Harkness (intergenerational Christian education guru) that we need to see them as the church of today. Then we won't miss God is doing NOW! and we would also be more sentitive in facilitating an enviroment where we could all flow into what God is doing NOW! It's not over yet, it's a mere beginning ...

It's Contagious

2005-02-14T20:56:00.000+08:00

Have enjoyed seeing Chin Hor post lots of pics here and on his own blog, and one of the themes he got going on was the sky. Funnily I have been looking at it more since then and whipping out the nikon and pointing it up to take a Gump shot. ( you never know what youre gonna get). I liked this one taken as we walked through the botanical gardens in Penang. These places really remind us of God's presence and the power of his creation. The effect here reminded me of some recent text we have had where God spoke from above.......

Welcome!

2005-02-14T14:21:00.000+08:00

Overdue blogging, I can't stand it, can you? Unfortunately, I've fallen victim to this disease for the past couple of months - lots of things I want to blog about, photos to share but no time to get it done! *haha* So here's a disclaimer:

*this blog entry was intended for Sunday, 7 February 2005. The reason why I haven't just simply changed the time and date to the actual date above is because people might miss the entry. Lately, it's been a pleasant surprise to see many new entries! Happy to see DB blog more since he's joined the BLC council ;) Happy to see Messy Christian give her usual dose of shout outs too and we can't leave our Rev. Sivin Kit out can we? Lots of entries mean no room for getting away with overdue blogging!*

Welcome! Welcome Takeshi, our new resident Japanese at BLC. He's been with us for a month now I think, and he's actually doing his Bachelor in Divinity at STM, Seremban. It's part of his training to be with a church and to be guided by a Pastor. Enter - BLC =) We are after all known to not slave-drive our members and are known to be quite foreigner-friendly *haha* He's a really nice guy, arguably the most polite person in BLC! You know how the Japanese customs are ;)Needless to say, he's been pretty much integrated into our BLC customs, style and lifestyle! =)

And...Welcome back to BLC Mr. Tan Soo Inn! One of Rev. Sivin's mentors and friends returned to BLC as our guest speaker and preached a fine sermon. Looking forward to listening to him again and am sure those who bought his book are enjoying it now!

Welcome to the new 2005 council of BLC! Led by Rev. Sivin Kit, looking majestic in this photograph! Good to see the new council get off to a great start at the AGM, shared with the outgoing members of the previous council.

David Berry, one of 4 new council members (James, Hoong Guit, John Cheah are the others), put to 'service' during Holy Communion immediately! ;)

Lastly, we've been having more babies and kids in BLC, and there are just way too many photographs of them from the past 2 years till now to dig up and blog about but I just couldn't resist posting pictures of the little Berrys.

These were recent so it's fresh in my mind - baby Declan is getting cuter and cuter each day and you gotta love the photo of Declan with his big sister Kirsten Berry.

Entering the LENT Season

2005-02-12T23:27:00.000+08:00

wilderness
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

Here's a good introduction on what "Lent" is all about from BBC Religion & Ethics - Lent

Lent
Lent is the period of forty days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

For many Christians, Lent is traditionally a period of fasting and repentance in preparation for Easter. However, some churches do not observe Lent significantly.

A time of prayer and penance
The Christian churches that observe Lent today use it as a time for prayer and penance.

Few people nowadays fast for the whole of Lent, although some do still fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and many believers give up certain foods or alcohol as a form of self-discipline.

Many Christians use the time for religious reflection and contemplation.
Why 40 Days?
40 is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture:
In Genesis, the flood which destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.

The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God.

Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.

Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry.

Most Christians regard Jesus' time in the wilderness as the key event for the duration of Lent.

Why is it called Lent?
Lent is an old English word meaning to lengthen. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer.

The colour purple
Purple is the symbolic colour used in some churches throughout Lent, for drapes and altar frontals.

Purple is used for two reasons: firstly because it is associated with mourning and so anticipates the pain and suffering of the crucifixion, and secondly because purple is the colour associated with royalty, and celebrates Christ’s resurrection and sovereignty.

Open the Eyes of My Heart

2005-02-09T08:56:00.000+08:00

sunburst_cross
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

Moh Foong shared on a special moment about God's Shining Presence during last Sunday's Worship Gathering. A comment remarked, "You noticed the light because you have open eyes and an open heart..." May this be our prayer and posture every Sunday, every day, every moment. :-)

*this photo was taken around 5pm at the Father's House one of the week days in 2004*

Looking back

2005-02-08T01:07:00.000+08:00

Looking back
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

Time really flies ... all the people in this picture represents the 5 "batches" of people that has come to become part of the BLC family since the year 2000. It's so "rewarding" to see them grow, participate and serve in the life of BLC. I enjoyed the giggles when they were comparing how some of us have "changed" in terms of hair style, body size, and various outward observations. In a world that has little historical consciousness, to pause and "look back" with gratitude and thankfulness (plus fun!) is a needed practice. We also stop to see how our story has progressed so far.

Shrove Tuesday

2005-02-07T21:49:00.000+08:00

The period of Lent starts right on the Eve of Chinese New Year...
Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday: "Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins."
Refer to http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/shrovetuesday.shtml

I know the day traditionally by the pancake feast!

I am trying to get my head around to celebrating CNY whilst still feeling called to fast this Lenten period. Can I celebrate CNY and then forego the break of fasts on Sundays to still make up for the 40-day period? What are your thoughts...

Sigrun

Eating out at Bangsar Village

2005-02-06T21:40:00.000+08:00

Sivin clicks away with his camera while Takeshi gets ready to enjoy his food. John (the hands) gets ready too!

Some of us - The Berrys, Su-Shen, John, Calvin (I hope I didn't get his name wrong!), our Japanese friend Takeshi, Chin Hor, Sivin and me went out for lunch at Bangsar Village. Created a very small photo album for that, so do have a look.

Had a great time! Can't believe that by the time I left the place it was nearly 4pm. :) Satisfied my curiosity about Macs by visiting the Apple Centre there and fell in love with pristine iBook. Now, if only I could afford it now ... oh, and I posted about the day here. :)

Treasure Hunt

2005-02-05T01:49:00.000+08:00

sharing_scripture
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

Looking for Gold
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

I enjoyed watching people get "into" the Scriptures with questions and all. Because that's how one begins the adventure of finding the treasures there. Like all adventures, having a team makes a load of difference. Everyone plays their part. Some initiate to get things going, others might slow the team down for more thought, every one actively contributes. Bible open ... someone taking notes ... laughter ... some silence .. conversation .. . and the Spirit is working in the midst of all this. That's what I believe. God wants us to find the treasures of truths most surely, it's applies to us and cause us to act (of course), and most of all we're drawn to the TRUTH - himself.

Side Affects of a LiFE Group Meeting

2005-02-04T00:20:00.000+08:00

Post LG Effects
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

It's good to have both "old" & "new" people in a LiFe Group. There are new dynamics and interesting chemistry that happens. This photo tries to capture the post LiFE Group meeting affects after some fried mee, a good dose of interacting with the Scriptures, conversing with humans and sincere prayer support.

More pictures on the way.

Malaysian Manna

2005-02-03T23:47:00.000+08:00

Malaysian Manna
Originally uploaded by sivinkit.

When all else fails then the Wednesday James LiFE Group resorts to the bare necessities .. which is good enough for fellowship.

LiFE Group Happenings .. A good start!

2005-02-03T15:10:00.000+08:00

"I believed that everyone in the LG should be a participator in some way and serving in the group in small ways is a good start. It’ll help us not to be too comfortable or to have a consumer mindset when coming to LG or church."

- For more go to Our LG and 1st LiFE Group Meeting

"Last night, the passage of Joshua 22 caught our attention during our LG. Temper, anger and tension flared when the 9 ½ tribes of Israel heard that the 2 ½ tribes had built an altar, assuming it to be for idol worship"
~ for more go to Misunderstanding
"the 10 commandments actually has 2 parts, the first 3 commandments is about God and the rest are about people. I remember someone asking why is there only 3 commandments about God and so many about us......and I think Joey is the one who came up with the answer, 1 GOD and 6 billion people, that's why! ! hehe"

~ for more go to 10 Commandments

A Good LG Experience!!

2005-02-03T13:15:00.000+08:00

Yesterday night, Giving Tree had, to me, another great LIFE Group experience..... we had full attendance again, yay!

Everything was so exciting.... dinner, prayer, worship singing, reading & discussion of the Word, the fellowship throughout.....

We covered the second half of the Book of Joshua and we learnt the following:

1. Unity among family is important to maintain;
2. Giving people the benefit of a doubt, especially our Christian family....
3. We need to examine ourselves always to ensure that our motives are always in line with that of our Lord......

That's all for now...

Why, How, What, When, Where?

2005-01-22T22:02:00.000+08:00

The new year began with a rebirth of our Life Group... the many new faces have been such a blessing. The chemistry of the group now is quite exciting!

We're going through Baptism and Affirmation classes together as a group. The first week, we had to split up into two groups and ask questions about the BIble... not about the Bible stories, but about the Bible itself. So we went ahead and had fun asking all sorts of questions. Little did we know that we had to exchange the sets of questions and attempt to answer them!

Moh Foong, Elizabeth, Grace and Carmen were in one group. Chin Hor, Rachel, Yuen Theng and myself in another.

Here are the other group's questions and our answers:

How can we know if the Bible is translated accurately when it's dated many, many years ago by different people?
We don’t know… we choose to have faith.

How can the events be verified scientifically or historically?
Certain events can and have been evidenced. For example, historically, Bible characters and events match those in local history.

Should the Bible be interpreted literally? Does our interpretation of the Bible change, or there is only one absolute truth?
It’s subjective. It depends. Some parts of the Bible are factual, some poetic. The same verse can speak to different people in different ways.

Why is the Bible divided into different books?
Different people wrote it at different times.

Why was the Bible first written in Aramaic (in actual fact, Hebrew) and not other languages?
Because it was the language used then.

Why must we read the Bible everyday?
Because it feeds your soul. It helps saturate the word of God in our spiritual lives.

Who decided what books go in out?
It was a process over the centuries as religious leaders of those times researched, debated and then decided which books were canonized.

Why was Jesus’ growing up years not written in the Bible?
After his birth, his identity was kept secret as the King had a bounty on his head. The revelation of his Messiah-ship wasn’t fully revealed until he began his ministry in his later years.

Disclaimer: The views posted above do not necessarily represent those of Bangsar Lutheran Church as a collective community.

Now we await the other group's representative to post their answers to our interesting questions, such as;

"Why is the Holy Bible filled with unholiness?" "Why are Bible heroes so evil?" "Is down-sizing mentioned in the Bible?" and "Why are the edges of the pages of Chinese Bibles always red?"

As we wait... I shall leave you with an interesting portrait to introduce a beautiful couple who's new in our group, Carmen & Joey. The following photo is the intellectual copyright of James Tan Chin Choy. Please credit if you decide to snag the photo to use elsewhere. ;o)

Echoes...

2005-01-14T01:39:00.000+08:00

:o) This year's been about not just receiving calls to action but also answering those calls to action so far. Sivin's hinted at oh, I don't know...somewhere on the internet ;o) that it might be nice if someone shared some reflections about the rumblings from our new life group that currently happens on Wednesdays at his place. I thought I'd oblige to that call to action... *hehe*

"My mind was wondering about some floating insights and ideas I might post on with titles like Ugly Christians, Lazy Christians, Busy Christians, Crazy Christians :-) I think it was inspired by Ugly Malaysians :-(

Tonight, we had a good time at our "resurrected" LiFE Group (with Baptism/Affimation Class elements thrown in) and then there would be another set of titles Curious Christians, Laughing Christians, Beautiful Christians, energizing Christians. :-)

I really enjoyed seeing the two smaller groups asking questions and workin on their sample answers around issues raised on the Bible. It's kind of allowing people to try out their "Beta" version answers and then fine-tuning it or even correcting the trial and error answers. Of course, the process is less linear but then it's rewarding. If any one of them blogs about it. It would be interesting to see it from their point of view (*hint hint*)

Finally, I've come to the place where I learnt the first basic moves for the "famous" tambourine dance "Full Gospel move". It was pretty fun (of course we didn't use tambourines). And when we sang the African song together especially when we could manage two parts. Something raw emerged in the simplicity of worship .. which later was I think pretty beautiful later when we moved into the classic "Abba Father".

I was delighted when I saw Gareth just smile at us when we were singing the African song and then later join us in and out of the meeting. At least when the meeting is held here in the house we stay in (note: not our house *grin*) he's close by to Papa.

Well ... it's been a pretty good night.

Good night!"

*That's from Sivin's blog - http://sivinkit.net/*

I echo Sivin's sentiments about enjoying the session where our 2 small groups took turns thinking of, writing, answering and sharing questions about the Holy Bible as it is, not about Bible verses or content. Here at BLC, we're blessed to have a Pastor who's innovative with his methods, always open to experimenting and adjusting when it comes to getting through to people; yet at the same time, mindful of not swaying from what's really important and what God really wants out of us. Some people might start 'playing God' when it comes to methods, but not Sivin :)

Well, anyway, this new life group we've formed seems headed in the right direction. There is a mix of enthusiasm, passion, curious and tender hearts and like-mindedness. It's good to see the 'newbies' right in the thick of the action, participating, asking many questions, initiating conversations, even taking charge of the sessions at times and to our pleasant surprise, even taking light-hearted jibes at us 'oldies' of the group! ;o)

On the Wednesday night that just went by, Sivin conducted our the 1st Baptism class for the new hearts whereas it served as the 1st of the refresher classes for us old and older hearts. Sivin co-ordinated 2 groups of 4 people each in writing a list of questions about the Bible and the groups had to exchange the questions, and answer all the questions as a group the best we could to our knowledge. We shared those answers and had a good laugh about some of the answers while Sivin confirmed those answers and added on with the facts etc. It was a really good way to learn :) It was fun to begin with. Then it helps us to remember these questions and answers better. It also got everyone in on the action, not just one person speaking to everyone else nor was it just 2 people talking to themselves, leaving everyone out. It was everyone talking to everyone.

Although only 2 weeks into the new group, there is an air of optimism. It has given a few a sense of belonging, given one or two a sense of rejuvenation and generally just has excited us all. Here's to prayerfully, more to come...

Light Rains like Tears...

2005-01-08T23:46:00.000+08:00

Originally posted in Underneath the Photographs:

I woke up today with very little expectations. I wasn't sure how many people would actually attend the fundraiser. And I was even more apprehensive about how many people would actually pay attention and listen to the bands. I was prepared to play to 5 listening ears (Yes, one of those 3 people is deaf in one ear). And I was also prepared to put my ventriloquist skills to use during the other bands performances by throwing my voice to create the majestic illusion that 237 people were listening, cheering, and screaming, "I want to have your baby!"

Luckily for those attending, I didn't have to resort to revealing my hidden talent as many came. It wasn't crowded, no. But for a day sprinkled with rain and a location in some corner of a Sentul suburb, the turnout was great! What was even greater was that the collections superseeded the expected RM5000 to about a total of RM14,000. What was the greatest though was the spirit of all those involved and all those who came. The solidarity and unity was a welcome change to our 21st-century world filled with violence, war and death.

To read more about Tsunami Aid Day, head on to JJ Resources, which is run by Jochebed, who was the co-organizer of this event, along with Chin Hor.

Fallen Leaves performed 2 sets, and played with Sue, of Her Reverie, as support. The rest of her band couldn't make it, so we jammed with her on stage. Others who performed were Sam and Qings & Kueens. We had a great time performing to great people. I must say we were much more relaxed than we were than in recent gigs... must be Uncle Pete's advice starting to kick in. We talked with the crowd, dedicated songs to individuals, and raised more than RM100 as a band through CD sales for the tsunami relief efforts. It rained every time I sang. But the rain was a welcome reminder as to the purpose of the event. The skies kept the atmosphere right on this day. Light rains, just like tears, fell throughout.

I was inspired and decided to sing 'All I Can Say' by David Crowder. I began, "If the tsunami victims were to say any prayer at this point of time, or sing a song... it'd probably be this one."

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give (That's my everything)

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give (That's my everything)

Bridge:
I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give (That's my everything)

Yes, we wish them all hope and peace; things we speak easily about, but may never truly understand their significance until we lose them...

Tsunami Aid Day time change!

2005-01-01T16:29:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

Just to swiftly inform everyone that the time for the Tsunami Aid Day has been moved forward, and will be held from 10am to 3pm instead of the previous timing from 3-7pm. We just felt that this timing would be more condusive and it would be best to have the event right through lunchtime as well. They say that with Malaysians, food always brings people together :) So please inform everyone again about this time change and make the necessary announcements. We apologize for the inconvenience caused! Thank you for your time.

Best regards,
Wong Chin Hor

Tsunami Aid Day

2004-12-31T19:57:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

We are organizing a ‘Tsunami Aid Day’ to collect Tsunami Relief Funds. This event will be held at Grace Methodist Church Sentul basketball court next Saturday, January 8, 2004, from 3pm till 7pm. This drive will be done up with a bazaar/carnival/flea market type of setting but its motives are strictly for raising awareness and collecting funds, clothing, food, toys etc. for victims of the Tsunami in Myanmar and Thailand. There will be food and music during the event, a powerpoint presentation on the tragedy that has taken place and other activities as well. With the recent tsunami event, they are calling out for funds from all over the world, so we are given the opportunity to do our bit as well, it may not be much, but every little effort at this moment counts.

We invite and encourage you to come and play a part in making this happen. We hope to invite you, as you represent someone from our social circle of family, relatives, friends, church members etc. We hope this email finds you well and hope that you will come join us next Saturday as well as spread the word and encourage others to join you as well. Although both Bangsar Lutheran Church and Grace Methodist Church are collaborating on this project in conjunction with World Vision, we do assure you that this isn’t a church event but is open to anyone and everyone. At this point when life is so fragile, there should not be racial or religious barriers but we should celebrate life together. We already have friends who are of different races and religions joining us and we hope you do too.

Thank you for your time reading this email. We hope this initiative can be shared with you and your family and friends too. The reason we are conducting this event is so all of us can dedicate a few hours of our time to the victims and survivors of this incident. Rather than just giving the money or dropping of clothes, we hope to go a bit further to acknowledge this tragedy and the lives lost. Also, it is a time to appreciate our lives and the fact that we were not the ones directly affected.

This has been our call to action and we hope it spurs you to do your part as well. Thank you again and hope to hear from you! If you need more information and details, feel free to email us for it!

Best regards,
Wong Chin Hor & Jochebed Jayasooria - chinhor@gmail.com