The Outer Journey

Tonight at our LivingRoom gathering we explored and shared our outer journey (ways in which we connect with our World). It involves a commitment to encourage and resource members on a journey of service, justice and mission to others. LivingRoom seeks to both provide opportunities for corporate mission and to support and resource individuals in their own daily mission. We seek to keep in balance our call to be counter cultural but also Incarnational and Relational in our outward journey.

Each of us shared about our own outer journey. I shared about my three parts, which include global (through my involvement as a mission mobilizer with World Team), local (through my involvement in creative arts and other arts endeavours), and personal (through my contact with the people in my community, and my friends). Other members talked about their journey of service, justice and mission through work, arts, hospitality, community, friendship, sports, etc.

It was very interesting and everyone was assured that the group would encourage and support one another's outer journey. I enjoyed it as I got to know other members of the community's ways of connecting the world. We also had a time of prayer especially for one of the members as she is going through some tough time with the illness of her dad.

May the Lord bless us as we continue exploring and journeying lives together in LR.

Melbourne and Multiculturalism

I heard today that Melbourne is the second most multicultural city in the world. I am not surprised! Melbourne is a city that embraces cultural diversity. It is this mix of different people and cultures that contributes to Melbourne being a vibrant and exciting place to live and work. And it's really good that the city of Melbourne provides facilities and services to cater for all people of all backgrounds, and to ensure members of the community can benefit from those services.

Once again, I just wanted to say I am proud to be a Melburnian.

Drama Fun

CCBC "Quest For Answer" Chinese Drama Team
Although the whole production was quite exhausting, it was actually really fun to work with this group of committed young people. Great to see many friends responded to the message too.

The English "Quest For Answer" is coming up this Sunday morning. You're all welcome to come along and enjoy!

The Harvest Is Plentiful......

But oh, the workers are few!! Live 8 (Make Poverty History Campaign) showed us that poverty in this world is really at a crisis point. Something needs to be done, and we cannot get into a position where we acclimatise to the world's cry for help, where we fail to help because we feel as though our small effort will not really make any impact. It does, every little effort counts! Speaking of which, it's still not too late to support the World Vision's 40 hour famine fund-raising. If you are interested, please email me at kitping@optusnet.com.au

In my last post about the mission field, we discussed that mission field is really on the doorsteps in the west. If you live in Melbourne, you'll find that poverty is evident. From homeless and beggars, through to alcoholics and those with mental illness, there are people in our own backyards that need help and God's love.

When we think of 'missions', we generally think of third world countries and those suffering from extreme poverty. And while third world poverty is a serious issue, the fact of the matter is that there are just as many people outside our front doors that are in need of help.

Mission Field

You are now entering the mission field.

This photo was taken in a church in London. Nice reminder hey? And even more encouraging, it tells us that we are not alone, we are in good company, and we have a purpose in our lives. This sign really got me thinking: where exactly is the mission field? We always think of mission field as overseas or far away places in remote villages where people have not heard of Christ. Well it's true that those places are the mission field, but more and more it occurs to me as long as I step out of my home, my apartment, and my workplace (which happens to be a church and a mission organisation), I am entering the mission field. And the Lord is saying to me, "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (John 4:35 NIV)."

Lord help me to not only be confined in my own comfort zone, but open my eyes, look at the fields and go to the fields to share your love to those who don't know You!

God's Sense of Humor

Speaking of God as a humorous Artist in my previous post Art and Christianity, well His sense of humor has intrigued me at times. What amazes me is the number of people who don't think He has one. Well He made you and me, didn't He? And what about all those funny-looking creatives that keep drawing people back to the zoo? They are certainly proof of our Creator's sense of humor. Have you taken a close look at a wombat, a dolphin or a scorpion? They are hilarious in design! I honestly wonder if God didn't laugh Himself as He created them.

Can you think of other examples that God has a great sense of humor?

Ordering Your Private World

This book talks about how to order your private world, which is the inner world of the spiritual. According to the author Gordon MacDonald, the private world can be divided into five sectors. They include (1) Motivation: deals with what makes us function. Are we driven people, or are we called people ? (2)Time Usage : centers on what we do with the limited amount of time we have in this life. (3) Wisdom and Knowledge: focuses on intellectual. The use of our minds for the purpose of growth is a necessary part of a God-pleasing lifestyle. (4) Spiritual Strength : concerning the spirit where there is a special, intimate place that we commune with God. It is referred to as the garden of our private world. (5)Restoration: draws us to rest, to a Sabbath peace where it’s recognized as a uniquely essential source of inner organization.

I agree with the author’s simple but powerful thesis: How can our outer world be orderly if our inner world is not ? I believe that the five sectors of our private world that need ordering as suggested by the author are the keys to personal development and christian witness and growth. He provides convincing arguments built upon examples from Scripture that line up with the Word of God and the experiences of the saints. It was a worthwhile book to read because it gave me such an insight on how to develop a disciplined approach to ordering my private world. I learnt that indwelling Christ, who enters our lives upon our personal commitment is the key principle of ordering one’s private world.

Art and Christianity

Art and Christianity are interconnected. More and more I understand that (thanks to the inspiration from my LivingRoom friend Michael's exhibition) to create a sculpture, to compose or sing a song, to act in a drama, to write a story, to paint a picture, to choreograph or dance, to design a powerpoint or multi-media presentation or to make a film etc. can all be incarnational activities. The artist is a servant who is willing to be a life-giver. As Madeleine L'Engle once said so beautifully, "in a real sense the artist (male or female) should be like Mary, who, when the angel told her that she was to bear the Messiah, was obedient to the command."

We are made in the image of God, and since He is the creator, we are all creative artists (or there is a creative artist in all of us). Creating is the act of God, it is core to His nature and so when we return to our Genesis we return to our Image Maker, the ultimate Artist. He made the elephant and the rose, the man and the woman, the seagull and the sea, the stars and the starfish, the koala and the clouds etc. He certainly is a humourous Artist.

The Miracle of Teamwork

I read an article of John C. Maxwell on "Teamwork and Leadership" in a magazine recently, and I found the following 8 points that he mentioned quite meaningful.

1. My team makes me better than I am.
2. My team multiplies my value to others.
3. My team enables me to do what I do best.
4. My team allows me to help others do their best.
5. My team gives me more time.
6. My team provides me with companionship.
7. My team helps me to fulfill the desires of my heart.
8. My team compounds my vision and my effort.

Which one of these 8 points means the most to you?

What Is Justice?

After getting involved in the Make Poverty History campaign, World Vision 40 Hour Famine and UNOH's Surrender Conference with Jackie Pullinger lately, I have been thinking quite a bit about the poverty and justice issues. I spent some time tonight reading through articles about the idea of justice on the internet. In the process, I came cross this article about 'what is justice' on Christianity Today, which really got me thinking.

The author Charles Colson (who has had thirty years of ministry experience in the criminal justice arena) discussed the classic definition of justice being "each person gets his due." He asserted that neither liberals (who think that getting their due means giving benefits to the needy) nor conservatives (who think that getting their due means punishing wrongdoers) have it quite right. He believes that biblical justice includes both punishment and meeting social needs, which is called "balancing the scales of justice" according to C.S. Lewis.

If that is the case, how can we truly balance these scales of justice? I really don't have the answer (and in fact pretty puzzled by it all), and wondering if any reader out there can give me some help in this.

Vestiges

Death & Incarnation

Last Thursday I attended one of my LivingRoom friends Michael's sculpture exhibition at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery. I really enjoyed his "re-creation". Michael is certainly a gifted artist / sculpturist.

As Michael has written in his program book, "The object is the incarnated, a paradox of the known and the unknown imaged forth. But how can this be? If a redemption is claimed, through the object, surely this is an assimilation known only by the hands of an idol-maker. Any hope of a transcending presence would be reduced into that of static materiality; an obvious and devious imitation."

I think the name "Vestiges" really suits the purpose of Michael's idea of the object as the incarnated, as the casket with the navigational star is a visible trace of something that once existed but exists or appears no more - "death!" Yet to me, the trace of divine presence reflecting through the remaining forms is truly an abstract idea, one that I need to continue to ponder to get a better and deeper understanding. Certainly Michael's sculptures have inspired me to reflect, and I am blessed to have this opportunity to think through the theology of incarnation with my own faith community. I would be interested to know Michael's heart-journey as he created the sculpture, and how the concept of incarnation has impacted him. I might interview him at some stage and report it here.

The concept of incarnation has been one that I've been grabbling with for a while. To me incarnation is to embody something in another (human or otherwise) form.The act where God united His Divinity with the human form of Jesus Christ is called the Incarnation. Many cultures (especially in the West) separate the sacred and the secular. We are called to be counter cultural. Incarnational living is a holistic way of life in which our entire being is shaped by God's kingdom.

It is not compartmentalised religion in which some space is allocated for God, with the majority of our life being run on our own terms. It is not segregated living, in which we remove ourselves from the rest of society. It is not holding mission meetings in tents, church services in warehouses, or trying to attract people to us. Incarnational living is being Jesus with skin on to all sorts of people, in all sorts of environments [mostly theirs] and in all sorts of ways.

What do you reckon?

Melbourne Writers' Festival

Melbourne Writers' Festival

I went to the MWF this afternoon with a new blogger friend The Eagle's Child. We participated in the 6pm session "The Artist's Life" with the panel of lady writers / artists including Alice Garner, Gail Bell, Shalini Akhil and Merlinda Bobis who had a fantastic discussion on the survival of the artist with Jane Clifton as the host.

I really enjoyed the event! It was awesome to see the varieties of female writers represented in this session. They were all different (in terms of personalities, writing styles and contents, backgrounds and age etc). Yet there is one thing they have in common, they enjoy writing (or as Merlinda beautifully put it: painting with words), and are willing to spend the time following this passion. And I can identify with them!

Their sharing about the survival of the artist inspired me a lot:

• Shalini read some entries of her diary and talked about her suffering 'post published depression' and how she tried to come out of it. Her honesty and sense of humour was fantastic.
• Merlinda shared her ideas about reconciliation for survival through words which become expression. She believes that price money and financial rewards are great, but the most rewarding part of a writing career is when her writing has inspired people in a way that she doesn't expect. Also writing is a great way of telling stories pushed down by the system.
• Alice grew up among artists and had fond memories of spending time with grown up artists. Her thoughts of 'allowing time for ideas to germinate is part of the process' is insightful, and that material things don't seem to matter as much if we enjoy what we do is meaningful.
• Gail shared how working with words can be so rewarding yet challenging, and the fact that we can be our worst critic, hence we need to be stronger than our inner-critic. As a writer / researcher she ended up in interesting places. She believes that the art keeps our souls alive.

The host Jane Clifton also commented that the art is a very important fabric of the society nowadays, and art / writing is certainly a privileged occupation.

The art is the only serious thing in the world, and artists are the only ones who are not serious - which is such a paradox! Would you agree?

What To Write About in Blogs

I've been really enjoying reading Darren's 31 Days to Building a Better Blog. So I thought I would write something about it too.

Thanks to Darren's encouragement, I started blogging about 6 months ago. Man! I am truly addicted now, and blogging has certainly become part of my life, and I LOVE IT! I've found that the more I write, the more contents I want to write about. Does that make sense? Well so far I write an average of one post a day. I constantly ask myself this question, "what am I going to write about in my blog?" As one of my poet friends taught me, just let your mind wander and let words come out as you start writing / typing, and you will find new ideas come out without even having to try very hard. Well you can write a blog to express yourself, to share links and photos, to share your opinions, to tell stories, to teach people something, to advertise products etc. In fact, one can create and write a blog for any reason they want. There are as many things to write about as there are blogs out there.

This is true! I've started to realise that writing opportunities are everywhere: in our daily lives, in work setting, in our own culture, in other cultures, in reading, in movies, in social environments, in the media, in conversations, in art exhibitions, in faith community and church, even in gossips. I reckon blogs are personal. Although I must admit that I almost subconsciously write to please a handful of people, building an online connection is really enjoyable, and if you're professional enough, you can earn a few bucks as well (or even six figure like Darren).

So write away, and have fun in the process! :-)

Jackie Pullinger

Jackie Pulliger

Jackie Pullinger is a British missionary who ministers with the drug addicts, sex workers and gangsters in the infamous slum area Walled City in Hong Kong (where I was born), and the author of the book "Chasing the Dragon" (which Kel kindly lent me to read). Last Saturday night I attended Jackie Pullinger's talk during the "Surrender" conference organised by Urban Neighbours of Hope in Swanston Street Church of Christ. Jackie's talk was on the topic 'Giving Our Lives Away'. She shared about her story - one of a journey into the unknown territory from the distant shore. Jackie talked about how people who would go for short-term mission trips hoping to do something amazing, but when realising that the work was not 'spectacular'' as they expected they would be disappointed, and would not continue.

During the conference, Jackie reminded us the followings:

• Stop in a place of trust that He is a good God no matter what situations we are in.
• Whatever God has for us is the best.
• The heart of Jesus cannot be substituted by materials.
• When we run out of everything, we get revived and grace from God if we trust Him.
• When we run out of ours, we get HIS.
• When there is no bottom-line, everything is a gift.
• If you hold onto your rights, you are going to be myserable with the poor.
• Jesus chose to die, it was voluntary. So should we!
• In the spiritual realm, everything is backward - whoever saves his life will lose it, whoever loses it will be saved.
• It is in spending our life, we receive it.
• "Self-pity" is one of the most unattractive missionary qualities.
• Jesus has been practising "not my will but yours" all His life. We ought to practise that too.

It was great to see many people were challenged to serving the poor during this meeting. Many people were in tears as they were so moved by what Jackie shared. Although not everyone is called to working with the poor, the inspiration is still there for us to serve our Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Caring and loving people we serve, as well as perseverance in ministry are of paramount importance. It's so true that ministry is about being willing to spend and give our life so God's will be done. As Jackie said, " much of God's work is slow work and we must completely give and expecting nothing in return."

Although Jackie is not the type of polished or dynamic evangelist type story-teller, she has certainly set a great example for us in terms of her willingness to follow God to the extreme. May God bless Jackie and continue to use her mightily to challenge and bless many!

Fondu & Focus

If you are in Melbourne, you are invited to World Team Australia's Fondu & Focus Experience

6:45 to 7:00 pm start - Thursday September 8

"Stories from the Mission Field"

Shared and presented by special guest speaker, Jessie Williamson (Experienced Missionary in Irian Jaya). I will also share my experiences in the mission awareness trip to Paris.

Address: 36 Barton St, Hawthorn (at the venue of Hawthorn West Baptist Church)

You are very welcome to bring others along. For further info, please leave a comment to me or email me on kitping@optusnet.com.au

Please RSVP - we will provide yummy Fondu for dessert and coffee, so let us know if you're coming so we can prepare :)

We look forward to welcoming you along with others to encourage and to be encouraged in the Lord.

Best Regards,
Kitty Cheng
Mission Mobilizer
World Team Australia
www.worldteam.org.au (currently under construction)

Drama Performance

Quest For Answer

What are you seeking in life?

Location: CCBC (135 Capel Street, North Melbourne)
Times:
Chinese: 26/8/2005 (Fri 7:00pm), 27/8/2005 (Sat 3:30pm and 7:00pm) & 28/8/2006
English: 4/9/2005 (Sundays 11:00 am)

I'll be acting in English on Sunday 4/9. Please come along, so we can catch up too!

Precious Friendship

I knew Chin Hor through Sivin. Sivin is Chin Hor's pastor. I only met Chin Hor last Saturday during my 40 hour famine, and have seen him twice (on Sunday at CCBC and dinner tonight). But it feels like I've known him for ages. He is a film maker, photographer who likes taking photos non-stop wherever he goes (and that's really cool I reckon), drum-player, great talker, and committed Christian. We've had some really meaningful and excellent conversations, as well as some exchange of ideas and sharing of stories.

I am really looking forward to a long term friendship and meeting his beautiful girlfriend and Sivin in the future too.

Melbourne

I love Melbourne
It's such a pretty city, and mission is really on a door step.

Silver or gold I do not have, but....

Today at CCBC, Peter Misso shared a great message in Acts 3:

He talked about three "M"s which are important:

1. Meeting - Place of meeting is important. This crippled begger chose the right place to be. And Peter and John were at the right place to bring the begger to the Lord. We need to be at the place where the Lord has called us to be.
2. Message - The right message, the right people and connection can change our whole lives. This lame man met Peter and John. His life was changed forever. And it was the power of the message that brought healing to him. We need to ask ourselves: what is the message of my life? Our life is our message. We are an open door for the gospel to go through.
3. Miracles - If we are in the right place and have the right message - God will do the work of miracles. Miracles are the ordinary in God's eyes.

What do you think of these three "M"s?

"I was hungry, and you fed me...I was naked and you gave me clothing! "
Lord I love you!

Wondering what hungry feels like?

Friday 12 August
8:00pm - I have officially started the 40 hour famine. My target is $960 (which will help feed 12 kids for 12 months). If you are interested in sponsoring me to make a difference in the lives of the world's poorest kids, please put a comment here and I'll contact you. Alternatively you can email me on kitping@optusnet.com.au.

I am going to keep a log of how I spend the next 40 hours without food and what God will teach me!

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9:30pm - the last hour and a half saw me chatting with a few people on msn and getting more donations for the 40 hour famine (so far I've raised $545.20). I have also started reading a book called "Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough" by Elmer L. Towns - a book that Alex (my senior pastor at CCBC) gave me a few months ago. Thought it would be a good book to read while I am doing this famine.

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11:30pm - the last two hours were spent reading more about fasting, and also chatting with a very good friend on the phone, talking about various interesting and intimate topics. Amongst others we also said a brief prayer in the name of Jesus for the poverty of the world to end.

I also thought about the "Make Poverty History" campaign again. During the campaign I pledged with thousands of other Australians in letting our leaders know that we:

*care about the needs of the world's poor;

*want them to commit money and take action to implement the MDGs (Milennium Development Goals)

*wear the White Band showing "MAKE POVERTYHISTORY"

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Saturday 13 August

12:30am - Isaiah 58:6-7, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

That is exactly what Micah Challenge set out to do. The Micah Call is the first step of the campaign. It is a vision statement and it also tells our leaders how many Australians care about justice for the poor.

As well as sponsoring the 40 hour famine, I'd like to encourage and challenge you to sign the Micah call as well.

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2:30am - I don't feel hungry, but I am sleepless! My heart goes out to the poor people in the world. Every single day, 30,000 children are dying as a result of extreme poverty. The G8 made significant commitments on debt and aid last month but fell well short of what they should have achieved, especially on trade. So there is still much work to be done. I just remembered the explosions of London and the unpredictability of life, and can't help but wonder: as Christians what should be our mission?

Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

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9:30am - During my devotion just now, I read about the plea of Abraham for Sodom (Genesis 18). This has reminded me that as we pray to God, we can talk with him as with a friend. The plea of Abraham gives me another example of prayer as conversation. How respectful Abraham is in his approach to God, yet he argues his case before Him with such incisive logic.

Gracious and loving Father, help me understand more deeply that though You are my Creator, You are also my Father and my friend. Teach me how to maintain the balance between awe for You and friendliness with You. I plead specially for the people that are in extreme poverty in the world. Lord may your Kingdom come in their midst through the love of your children, as you love every single one of them. In Jesus' Name. Amen!

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1 pm - I took mum to see a chinese massage therapist for her back problem this morning. The therapist Dr Bill Wu has written a book called "Bible - The Lord's Word Is Beyond the Space and Time" (in Chinese). During the consultation, we had a meaningful discussion about the correlation between the Bible and Science, as well as the ministries of overseas students here in Melbourne.

My mum is enjoying her lunch at home right now. She gave a few sighs seeing that I am hungry! (hehe she's so sweet). Comparing to many poor people in the world, this is really nothing. I spent some time reading some Scriptures about the fasting of various biblical characters, including Samuel (1 Samuel 7), Ezra (Ezra 8), Esther (Esther 4), Elijah (1 Kings 19), the widow (1 King 17), Paul (Acts 9), Daniel (Daniel 1), John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4 & Luke 1:15), and Jesus (Matthew 4:2). These gave me great insights of the importance of prayer and fasting. Will share more later.

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Sunday 14 August

1 am - Wondering what hungry feels like? I have a glimpse of it now, cos all I can think about is food and sleep right now. I am hungry and tired physically, but refreshed and renewed spiritually. The Lord has taught me many wonderful things during the last 12 hours without food, which included celebrating Philip's graduation, getting more donations for the 40 hour famine from my blogging buddies and friends, meeting Chin Hor (a new friend from Malaysia), and going to the UNOH "Surrender" Conference with Jackie Pullinger. I'll leave it all till later to share the reflections.

Praise the Lord! So far God has given me the privilege of raising over $670 for this famine, which is about $300 away from my target. If you would like to sponsor, please let me know!_______________________________________________________________

7am - I got waken up by a dream. In that dream I was serving the poor with a friend. I was feeling hungry. The Lord reminded me of these verses from John 6:

Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

I was reading the devotional book "God Calling" just now - here is the entry for August 14:

LIFE, spiritual, mental, physical, abundant Life - Joyous Life, Powerful Life. Yes! these I came to give you.

My Heart was sad that so few would accept that gracious gift!

Think! earth's richest, choicest gift held out - free to all, and no man to care to stretch out a hand to take it.

Is that possible? My Gift, the richese Heaven has to offer, that precious Gift of Life, abundant Life - Man turns away from - rejects - will have none of.

Let it not be true of you. Hasten to take - to use.

I asked myself, how am I really feeling? I know deep down, I have a mixture of feelings - I feel a paradox of joy and agony - joy of having this most wonderful gift of all, but agonising over the need of the poor. Yet I sense that Jesus is sitting by my side, and sharing these feelings with me.

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Hey you know what? I've made it :-) Praise the Lord Yeah! I’ve gone without food for 40 hours to help raise money for the hungry kids in Africa. As I shared above, I was hungry, tired, and even tempted but I was really energised spiritually and excited to have gone through this wonderful connection with God and people through this prayer and fasting experience!

Once again, just $40 will help feed 6 children in Africa for a whole month. To find out more about how the funds raised are going to be used click on http://www.worldvision.com.au/40HourFamine/about_money.asp

So far I've raised over $1200, and yo

u can still donate if you want. If go to the website, you can enter my famine number 25197505-8. This makes sure that the donation is recorded against me and that I'm sent a record of your donation. For those of you who have sponsored me and donated, I want to say a hearty "thank you" on behalf of the kids!

Finding God in Laughters :-)

I reckon we can truly find God in unexpected places. One of which is in laughters. When you laugh (whether it's at yourself, or others), recognize the humor in our attempts to live in this fallen world and deal with our human foibles. Be grateful that God always stands ready to help us. Let humor melt away your stress.

What is Faith?

Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)
"Faith is something you decide to do, not something you feel like doing." (Neil Anderson)

It's so true that faith is a journey not always known. I believe that faith takes risks. Working in a faith mission means that I don't get a standard wage, my 'income' has to rely on others' support. It has taught me so much about partnership and interdependence, but I must admit that I am a person who doesn't have enough faith.

The value of faith rests completely in the person given our trust - God. Trusting in God who sees where we cannot. The Scriptures teach us that God will direct our paths as we yield to His leading. Still, it is important that when God leads, we have faith and follow. I pray that I can be sure of what I hope for and certain of what I don't see.

Sculpture Appreciation & LivingRoom

Jon Eiseman - Inner Landscapes

Tonight I went to see Jon Eiseman's exhibition of his recent sculpture with some of my LivingRoom friends at Gallery 101 on Collins Street. The venue was very nice and the scultpures were done very cleverly. The name of this show is called "Inner Landscapes", which is quite interesting.

As is written in the media release, "Jon Eiseman has continued to explore the shadow world of dreams and the subconscious. Eiseman’s figurative sculpture, cast in bronze, has a whimsical and poetic quality. He creates a spiritual world through his images of birds, boats and humans combined with his iconography of towers, trees, flags and hands. The work carries a loose dream–like quality, creating an open-ended sense of narrative, which intrigues the viewer.The solid figure of the urban man suggests contemplation and struggle – he seems lost within a dreamscape world. Enclosed spaces encourage the viewer to look more closely, to discover a new and mysterious realm within the urban landscape."

I've never known or learned how to appreciate sculpture, yet this show allowed me to have a glimpse of what it means by using sculptural arts to depict spirituality and emotion through extending beyond the physical. Jon's work explores the human condition in fulfilment, happiness and sorrow - emotions experienced within a lifetime. According to him, these emotions are conveyed through a surreal language, drawn from an inner landscape of the subconscious.

Seeing some of my LivingRoom friends' outer journey through this exhibition also gives me a more concrete and solid understanding of how missions can be done through common interests eg: arts and gallery. I would really like to explore more about this kind of ministry - going to artists turf to understand their hearts!

40 Hour Famine

Jesus cares for the poor and marginalised, and so should we!

"For anyone who's been on Mars for the last zillion years, the 40 Hour Famine is a fun way to do something real to help feed hungry kids. Going without food (or something else that really matters) for 40 hours is a great way to get a taste of what life is like for kids in some of the world poorest countries. "

Every $40 raised in the Famine will help feed 6 hungry kids for a month. Funds will also help poor families prepare for natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and tsunamis. This year, the money raised is going to support kids in Mozambique and Tanzania in Africa to help families grow more food. Many families in those countries are so poor that their children get only one meal a day. How unfair is that!

I will be taking part in the 40 hour Famine this coming Friday to Sunday. I'm looking for both team mates to join me as well as donors to give generously and graciously to this cause. My experience has been that each year I did it, God gave me a renewed sense of conviction to serve Him and His people as I spend time in prayers. So prayers and fasting do go together, and God honours that!

If you like to join me, I do have a requirement that you have to keep a honest log of how you spend that 40 hours. I will be doing that in this blog too, if you like to keep track of my journey. It will be particularly awesome to have some of you from different parts of the world to join me in fasting for 40 hours as well.

I am committed to this effort, not only that, I also donated money to others who are participating in the famine in my church as well. What about you? Are you doing something about it as well? I'd like to encourage you to do something to MAKE IT HAPPEN.

You can read more about the 40 hour Famine here.

Chasing God (3)

Why do humans believe in a Higher Power? This is such a great question.

Without a doubt, the concept of God has been in human beings' heart for centuries. The subject is one of the most hotly contested debate, disagreement, and wars. In this day and age when human beings are at war with each other, ready to unleash devastating weapons that can wipe out entire countries. Violence is being mooted as a solution to peace and protection, and many people feel powerless to influence outcomes. Thousands and millions attempt for divine intervention. It has always been true that when we human beings are afraid or in pain we reach out for a power greater than our own. Perhaps never before in the history of the world has the sound of God's name been so loudly heard from people of all cultures and religions at the same time. Beliefs about God have divided humanity.

So what are your own beliefs about God?

Chasing God (2)

First time filmmakers Lenny de Vries (Holland) and Dylan Burton (New Zealand) set out on a worldwide quest to discover a paradoxically unifying principle that may well lie beyond the divisive interpretations of God. I wonder if that quest has been fulfilled through this film. Many people have said that the God / god / gods of the universe is the same one / ones whether you are a Muslim, Jews, Christian, Buddhist or a Hindu etc...but can that be possible?

I am really interested in what other people think about that. What do you reckon personally?

Chasing God (1)

I watched the film Chasing God last night, and it was really provocative. This film tackles the eternal question: Why do humans believe in a higher power / God?

The documentary includes interviews and opinions from the Athiest (Australia's Phillip Adams), the Sikh, the Buddhist, the Pastor, the Scientist, the Muslim, the Rabbi, the Guru, the Sufi, the Researcher(America's award-winning author Richard Heinberg), the Spiritual Elder and the Cardinal (The Vatican's Cardinal Francis Arinze).

The film also points out that humanity is being threatened, especially by war. In times of extreme upheaval, people seek solace in a higher power.Well over three-quarters of the world do. Could they be wrong?And if they're right, who is this higher power?

"IS THIS BEING A BEARDED OLD MANOR A SPARK OF LIGHT?"
"WITHIN US OR OUTSIDE OF US?"
"THE ONE OR THE MANY?"
"AN EMOTION OR AN ENTITY?"
"SOMEONE TO LOVE OR TO FEAR?"

I really enjoyed the movie personally. "Chasing God" really took me on a journey of reflection (similar to the subject "World Religions" that I did at Tabor). It showed the landmark of the Vatican & the Ganges, The Wailing Wall & The Dome of the Rock Mosque, The Golden Temple & the Dalai Lama Temple in the Himalayas - followed by daring and provocative scenes of a world out of balance. It was both disturbing and facinating at the same time.

I will post more about my reflections on the film in the coming days.

Bounded Set versus Centred Set

I was watching one of Michael Frost's talks on a video last night. He talks about the differences betweeen centred set and bounded set, which I found very interesting.

He said, "in the bounded set, it is clear who is in and who is out (fences, not wells), based on a well-defined ideological-cultural boundary --usually moral and cultural codes as well as creedal definitions.. but it doesn't have much of a core definition beyond these boundaries. It is hard at the edges, soft at the center."

The centered set, on the other hand, "is like the Outback ranche with the wellspring at its center. It has very strong ideology at the center but no boundaries. It is hard at the center, soft at the edges. We suggest that in the centered set lies a real clue to the structuring of missional communities in the emerging culture.

"The traditional church makes it quite difficult for people to negotiate its maze of cultural, theological, and social barriers in order to get "in.".. and by the time newcomers have scaled the fences built around the church, they are so socialized as churchgoers that they are not likely to be able to maintain their connection with the social groupings they came from...

"We propose a better and more biblical way.. is to ... sink wells. If you sustain your connection with the water sources, you will find a whole host of people relating to Jesus from different walks of life. We allow people to come to Jesus from any direction and from any distance. The Person of Jesus stands.. at the center."

Frost's conclusion is this: cultivate hunger, and provide the right kind of food and people will continue to relate to the center.

I found this concept very meaningful. What do you think?

The Inner Journey

Last night at our LivingRoom gathering we explored our inner journey together (ways in which we connect with God in our personal relationships with Him, which is part of the LivingRoom DNA). We decided a couple of weeks ago to go through the three journeys one week at a time.

So this week each of us brought a sample / symbol of that and shared it. I brought along my journals, a prayer, devotional books as the samples of my inner journey. Other members had notebooks, poetry, candle, books, words, phrases, photo album, nature sample, fruit tingles (tingle from the breath of the Holy Spirit), football, music etc. It was very interesting and everyone was very open about their inner journey. I enjoyed it as I got to know other members of the community's personal rituals of worship and connection with God. We also had a good time of prayer at the end.

We've also decided that each week we will do a bit of "inner journey stuff" five minutes before dinner. This could entail an activity that everyone can participate in such as writing, drawing, a walk down the street, discussion of a topic, dance, and meditation. Or it could simply be something that we talk about with images, words, and songs etc. I am really looking forward to that.

Living in a Post-Christian Culture

I was skimming through Doug Le Blanc's article on "Living in a Post-Christian Culture" in Moody Monthly today. It's quite an interesting read. Doug suggests that many church members affirm certain beliefs on Sunday, but do not carry those beliefs into their everyday lives. Christians should “take the time to become sensitised to the different opportunities around us.” He thinks that our priorities should be to examine our own lifestyles, reach the unreached and to be culturally relevant.

What do you think of his assertions?

Conversation with God

Sometimes I ask the question,"My Lord, is this your will?"
It's then I hear you answer me,"My Precious Child...be still."
Sometimes I feel frustrated,cause I think I know what's best.
It's then I hear you say to me,"My Busy Child...just rest!"
My Lord continues to tell me:
"I know the plans I have for you,the wondrous things you'll see;If you can just be patient, Child,and put your trust in me. I've plans to draw you closer.I've plans to help you grow.There's much I do you cannot see and much you do not know. But know this, Child...I LOVE YOU.You are Precious unto Me. Before I formed you in the womb,I planned your destiny. I've something very specialI hope for you to learn.The gifts I wish to give to you are gifts you cannot earn.They come without a price tag,but not without a cost; at Calvary,I gave My Son, so You would not be lost.Rest Child, and do not grow weary of doing what is good.I promise I'll come back for you just like I said I would.Your name is written on my palm,I never could forget; Therefore,do not be discouraged when my answer is..."Not Yet!"

W.I.F.E.

Today at CCBC William Ng talked about the Body of Christ as the bride (wife) of Christ, and he used the acronym W.I.F.E to represent the four important elements of a church, based on Acts 2:41b to 47:

W - United Worship
I - Biblical Instruction
F - Intimate Fellowship
E - Effective Evangelism

So is a 'church' still a church without any one of these four elements?

Missio Dei

Carl Raschke says, “At the end of theology, we must all get on our faces.” I have been thinking a lot about theology / missiology lately. I think theology and missiology are very much related and connected together. Missio Dei, God's mission and God’s activity in the world and its structures independently of the church is the extension of God’s love, compassion and grace to a needy world. God is in control of the development of history and the centre of theology.

The idea of Missio Dei gives me the conviction that my whole life is God’s and there is no division into sacred and secular. When I engage in mission, God’s mission should be what I focus on, as only in the hands of the sending God can it truly be called mission.

What do you reckon?

Radical Discipleship

For those of you in Melbourne, "SURRENDER:05" Radical Discipleship Conference will be on Fri 12, Sat13 Aug

This conference will challenge Christians to radical discipleship and mission with the poor. It will include Jackie Pullinger (author of "Chasing the Dragon" from her work with Triad gangs in Hong Kong), innovative worship times, interactive workshop. For detailed conference updates and further information see: http://www.unoh.org/

My Mum

Let me introduce my mum

• my "bestest" friend
• someone that means so much to me
• one of the most important people in my life
• by her caring and loving she has given me two things: roots and wings
• my prayer and gossip partner, my supporter (in all sorts of ways), my encourager and my listener.
• God's blessing
• she has given so much of herself
• she has stood by me and believed in me
• she has been there when I needed her
• she has given me room to grow, to be myself, and to become the person I am today

Well she's been a little unwell lately, and that worries me! When she fainted last Monday night, that really reminded me of my beloved dad on the morning when he passed away! I don't know what I'd ever do without her!

Time Line

Tonight at LivingRoom I shared my 'time line' with the group - that included significant experiences, decisions and events that have brought me where I currently am in my spiritual journey. To prepare for it, I actually spent a few days thinking through my life and the significant times. It was actually quite an overwhemling experience.

Amongst other things, I shared about the followings:

My "conversion" story (how I first met God):
I was born into a Buddhist (with ancestor worship) family in Hong Kong. My parents brought me to a Christian primary school because they felt that Christian schools were better academically. Through religious education, I heard about the stories of Jesus, but Christ never meant much to me then. During grade five, I had a very high fever and was admitted to hospital. A couple from a nearby church came to do hospital visitation and witnessed to me, I really sensed God's love in a way that I had not before, so I accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord on that day, while I was still very sick. That night my life changed, and it has never gone back :)

My Call to mission:
In Aug 1987 I came to live in Melbourne, and God blessed me with a church family where I was discipled and grew up spiritually. In May 1994 during a missions conference God led me to serve Him through a sermon. That moment I was moved to tears, and I responded to God’s call and committed myself to His service. In July of the same year, God spoke to me again through the great grandson of Hudson Taylor, who came to Melbourne to share a series of meetings titled “I commit my life to you”--- this was when I joyfully responded to God saying : “LORD, may you use my life for Your purposes”.
However, as God had declared “My thoughts are not your thoughts”, and throughout the next few years after that my life was turned upside down and chaos was everywhere and my heart was shattered by various crises. Nevertheless, I can see how God has used these experiences to make me the person I am today. I learned that the most difficult times are the ones in which God seems to be most at work in my life, strengthening my weak spots, comforting my hurts, and drawing me to greater dependence on Him.
On the New Year’s Eve of 2000, I had an opportunity to reflect upon my life. On this very night, I asked God for direction in the new millennium. The Lord’s Word came to me through Isaiah 6:5, saying “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us ?” I felt really unworthy, but was reminded of my commitment to serve Him with my life. Through the touching of the Holy Spirit, I responded to God “Here am I. Send me !”. The Lord then sent me to Tabor Bible College, where I did a degree in Mission Studies. Now I am working in mission mobilization with World Team Australia, where I desire to promote Christ's cause by mobilizing a generation of young people into missionary services.

I reckon the preparing and the telling of timeline is an invaluable exercise, as it allows people to revisit moments they had put aside, and it is enlightening not just for those listening but for those sharing as well. It was an awesome experience for me personally because as I actually sat down and put all the important moments and stepping stones together to see how God has led me thus far, I felt so thankful that God had been watching over me all these years, even though there were some really tough and difficult times of my life. It was also a real privilege to have my own journey heard by people in my community who are sharing the journeys with me.

Google Translate

Through X Facta, I found out that blogs can be translated into other languages. That's really handy! I sometimes need to do some translation work, I think this will be very useful too. Google Translate is here.
Thanks Kel for your post.

Chinese Arts

Chinese Arts
Chinese Calligraphy and Ink Painting is a very special Chinese writing in an art form that shows the art and culture of China. It is a watercolor painting and normally Chinese instrumental folk music is used when the artist paints. I think it's very cool! :)

3C's Of Churches / 3 Journeys

In their book "The Shaping Of Things To Come", Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch talk about one of the tragedies of Christianity - the separation between missioning and the worshiping communities within the church. Based on Acts 2, three broad commitments are suggested in this book, which is very similar to LivingRoom's three journeys.

The three broad commitments include Communion, Community and Commission.

Communion (in Relationship with Christ) - Inner Journey

• God's word
• Worship

Community (in Relationship with One Another) - Together Journey

• Learning
• Fellowship/friendship

Commission (in Relationshi with the World) - Outer Journey

• Serving/giving
• Gospel telling/sharing

I think that as long as these three Cs / journeys are present, any group of Christians can legitimately be considered a church in any place. Well what do you all think?

Mike and Alan ask some interesting questions which are worth pondering:

To be a church,

Do you need to meet in a church building?

Do you need to meet weekly?

Do you need ministers?

Do you need to sing?

Does someone have to bring a sermon?

Hope to hear your answers to these questions.

Redemptive Analogy and Peace Child

Redemptive Analogy

Don Richardson, the Regions Beyond Missionary Union missionary (RBMU is a mission organization that merged with West Indies Mission to become World Team in 1995), reached the Sawi tribe with the message of peace in Jesus and later wrote about it in the best-selling book Peace Child. In this book, and his other books, Don talks about a concept called “redemptive analogy”, which I found facinating and meaningful.

In Peace Child, Don tells how his wife Carol and him befriended a tribe of 3,000 cannibalistic headhunters—the Sawi. They found them living remotely in one of Papua’s vast swamps. They lived among them and learned their language. The Sawi were ravaged by malaria and other tropical diseases. Even more tragically, they were decimating their own population by waging almost constant warfare among themselves and with other tribes. As an alternative to that violence, Don and Carol urged the Sawi to find peace with God and with each other by believing the Christian message, but they hit a major barrier.

When he told the Sawi how Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, betrayed Jesus with a kiss, they exalted Judas as the hero of the story! They even bestowed upon him the title taray duan (a master of treachery)! One of the Sawi said, “We never thought of kissing victims of our treachery at the moment of truth. That Judas outdid us. He is the sort of fellow any other man should be proud to promise a daughter to in marriage.” Don realized in that moment that treachery was the Sawi culture’s “national pastime.” As war raged on between two nearby Sawi villages, Don repeatedly urged them to make peace, but saw little progress until Kaiyo, a father in one of the two villages, decided to honor his plea.

To make peace, Kaiyo gave his only child, Biakadon—to one of his enemies, a man named Mahor. Deeply moved, Mahor embraced little Biakadon as a “peace child.” He then invited every man, woman and child in the village of Kaiyo’s enemies to lay a hand on little Biakadon, thereby pledging no violence against Kaiyo’s village as long as his peace child remained alive in Mahor’s house. I gasped in awe, realizing that long ago God had placed within the culture of the Sawi people something analogous to His redemptive provision for mankind through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Don then began proclaiming Jesus as the Tarop Tim Kodon (“the ultimate Peace Child”) given by Navo Kodon (“the ultimate Father, God, the Creator of everything”). This analogy proved to be more than just an eye-opener; it became a heart gripper. “If only you had told us that Judas’s victim was a peace child,” they assured Don, “we would not have acclaimed Judas. To wrong a peace child is the worst crime possible.” In faith, they began to lay their hands on Jesus,thereby pledging allegiance to God, the greatest peace-child giver of all. Headhunting ceased. Churches sprang up in every village. The Sawi learned to resolve misunderstandings through consultation rather than conflict. Now they are healthier and happier, and their numbers are increasing.

An Arrow Pointing Upwards - I reckon is a good analogy of what followers of Christ should be: a life of upward looking, a life of pointing people to Christ, and a life of lifting up our hands in prayer.

I pray that I can live a life like that!
1Timothy 2:8 "I want people everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. "

The Yes Men

I saw the "The Yes Men" at Nova - this was a movie fundraiser for one of my friends from LivingRoom who is going on the Oxfam Challenge Southern China (13-daybike ride) in October this year.

The Yes Men is a funny yet thought-provoding documentary (with a serious agenda may I add) about a small group of anti-globalization activists (also known as 'crusaders') who impersonated the World Trade Organization (WTO) on television as well as at various major conferences all over the world. They became representatives of WTO, which they politically oppose and propose such things as recycling human waste to be made into McDonald's hamburgers to be sold in the third world.

When I was doing the subject of Holistic Ministry at Tabor, we had the opportunity to study the topic of globalization. My understanding is that although rapid growth and poverty reduction in China, India, and other countries that were poor decades ago has been a positive aspect of globalization, it has also increased inequality and environmental degradation.

I am interested in knowing about others' ideas / opinions about globalization and activism. And for those of you who have seen The Yes Men, what do you think of their approach of 'changing the world one prank at a time'?

LivingRoom DNA / Core Values

Tonight I attended the multipied small group of LivingRoom for the first time (I was overseas for the last few times after we split). We discussed the DNA/Core Values, where each of us highlighted the points / key words / concepts we felt were important. I found it fascinating to listen to the other members' sharing, and get to know each other's heart more.

The shape of the LivingRoom is still emerging and is likely to remain liquid in its form but to this point three broad core values have surfaced:

(1) The Inner Journey – Connection with Jesus
a commitment to develop spiritual formation of members. Through culturally relevant and creative forms of prayer, reflection, engaging with Scripture, learning and worship, LivingRoom seeks to create an environment where people grow in their own relationship with God.

(2)The Outer Journey – Connection with our World
a commitment to encourage and resource members on a journey of service, justice and mission to others. LivingRoom seeks to both provide opportunities for corporate mission and to support and resource individuals in their own daily mission. We seek to keep in balance our call to be counter cultural but also Incarnational and Relational in our outward journey.

(3)Together Journey – Connection with One Another
a commitment to travel the inward and outward journeys in community. LivingRoom seeks to develop inclusive community through hospitality, inspiration from Scripture, shared life disciplines and intentional involvement in one an others lives.

We are all going to go back to reflect more on these core values and share more in the coming meetings.
So what do you think about these three journeys?

Cultural Differences In The West

After coming back from Europe, I am very interested in knowing more about the differences between people from various countries in the West. So I interviewed three Australian born Aussies and seeked to discover what it is that makes an Aussie an Aussie, and how they saw the differences between themselves and people from other countries.

. What is distinctly Australian?

Individualism, materialism, appreciation of the nature (outdoor), sense of freedom, home ownership dream, beach holidays, relaxed and low pressure lifestyle on career and money , the Australian 'fascination with sport' (a unique capacity to identify with our nation's sportspeople, especially in international competition), “Larrikinism” (identify with public figures whose love of fun leads them into somewhat morally questionable situations). · How do Australians differ from Americans on the one hand and Brits on the other hand?

Compared to both Americans and Brits, Australians place significantly less emphasis on formality, manners, and social status. The social class system in Britain has no real parallel here. The American fascination with political correctness doesn't reach quite the same levels in Australia. Australians generally imagine that most Brits would love to give up their stuffy existence in the rain and come down here to the Sun and relaxation. Australians are generally simpler, more real, vaguely uncivilised, and more open and friendly compared to Americans and Brits. Americans tend to put on a big show and are more pretentious. Brits are more patriotic and devoted to their country, which stems from the royalty. They have more appreciation to their heritage. Aussies are fair dinkum down to earth, and willing to give anything a go, but are lazier. Americans are hard working, career driven while Brits are less hard working than Americans. The majority of the original Australian settlers were predominantly directly English related. The biggest difference probably comes from the age of our nations, size of our populations, and relative power we are able to exert on the world stage.


· Are there differences between Aussies and Kiwis?
Kiwis are more community and agricultural based and there are big differences in language, speech and accent. Australians also see Kiwis as being a bit more rural and backward. We joke about their fascination with sheep. Kiwis seem to think that they are far more laid back and friendly.

· How would you define an Aussie?

The old-fashioned definition of an Aussie is: "Caucasian person who spends a lot of time in the Sun and says g'day". Now an Aussie is someone who calls Australia their home, someone who experiences political freedom and the right to give opinions. An Aussie now can come from many cultural backgrounds and enjoys the Aussie climate and culture that goes with it.

· What cultural traits or other aspects of culture identify and define an Aussie?

Some typical Australian cultural traits include shaking hands, using Aussie slangs (shortening words), loving nature and strong front (you don’t tell me what to do). However Aussies in the city are very different from Aussies in the country. Because Australia is really a collection of many cultures, it is hard to single out any one trait by which an 'Aussie' can be identified. In terms of food we could try meat pies, fish and chips on Friday night, BBQs in the summer with flies everywhere. For fun, we could say sport and the beach. Competitiveness and 'taking it easy and no worries” are big ones too, though they seem to contradict each other. These days cosmopolitan living might be a unifying trait. Maybe having no real definition of culture and being open to try anything anyone from another culture suggests is also a trait of Australians.

· What changes are taking place in the conception of what it means to bean Aussie from 10 / 20 years ago?

I think Australia is still growing up. In the last 10 / 20 years we have learnt that we can do more than play on the beach. We have continued to develop an interest as a nation in scientific and medical endeavours. Certainly multi-culturalism is something that continues to have an impact. Fifty years ago, the white-Australia policy meant that an Aussie had to come from Europe. Now Asian and American influences are a big part of Aussie culture. A trip to any state capital will make it abundantly clear that an Aussie can be all sorts of people / things. There is now more multicultural tolerance and rapid population growth and less monarchy propaganda and less patriotism to the commonwealth.

· How will your understanding of an Aussie effect your ministry?

Based on the understanding that an Aussie can mean anyone who lives in Australia (including those from the city or country, those who were born here or immigrants from various countries), I will only use these generalisations as a starting point and try not to stereotype too much when serving in my ministry. I will befriend with anyone and accept each person as important and unique because we are all created in the image of God.

So what do you reckon? Do you agree with the above points?

An out-of-tune piano turned into a piece of art. "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

Looking Up, Looking Out, Looking In (2)

To look around is to be distressed.
To look within is to be depressed.
To look up is to be blessed.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Federation Square

Federation Square For those of you who haven't been to Fed Square, this is a picture that I took inside the place....going in there always gives me a sense of refreshment and moments of reflection. I love it!

Looking Up, Looking Out, Looking In

I caught up with one of my best friends Rosa who just came to Melbourne today. We had a great time sharing and disagreeing with each other (it's really interesting that we click so much and are so similar in some ways, but certainly very different in our beliefs about various things). As we drove past Federation Square, Rosa asked me what's on in there, and embarrassingly I had NO idea (embarrassing as I always claim to be a Southbank / Fed Square "ambassador" lol, guess I should resume my 'arts dates' - regular visits of the place). So as soon as I got home, I had a look at the website and found out that the Melbourne International Arts Festival is coming up in less than 3 months. WOW! I am really looking forward to it!

Some of the festival hightlights are here. If you are an overseas reader who likes arts and are thinking of visiting Melbourne, October would be a great time as apparently this festival acts like a lightning rod so that you wouldn't be able to see this work in Melbourne at any other time than at festival time.

Of particular interest to me is the theme of Arts in the age of anxiety and Australian children's imaginations, "Looking Up, Looking Out, Looking In" - which depicts the imaginings, hopes and wishes above, around and in the Federation Square. Sounds really interesting and meaningful!

Well the expressions "Looking Up, Looking Out, Looking In" always have special meanings in my faith and spirituality. To me, looking up is to fix my eyes on God, who is watching over me; looking out reminds me of my outward journey, which is the reaching out and caring for others around me; looking in is the reflection and contemplation of my own inward journey and my inner self . Only when I look up to God, I can look out to others and look in to examine my inner self in love. John says that God became flesh and blood to become man in Jesus Christ. I am on a journey - a journey of receiving and giving. Freely freely I receive from God, freely freely I should give! I really want to take God's light out and demonstrate God's love! I choose to daily look up to Christ, look out to those around me and look inside myself in God's strength.

So what does "Looking Up, Looking Out, Looking In" mean to you?

By the way, for those of you in Melbourne (or coming to Melbourne from overseas) in October, perhaps we can go to the Melbourne International Arts Festival together and catch up at my place. If you are interested, please let me know. I am keen to have a bloggers / artists get-together during that time.

Focus MissioNight

We had a great time at World Team Focus MissioNight in Hawthorn last night . John Pirrotta, an experienced church planter / evangelist from World Team Milan (Italy) and beyond shared with us the following points, which opened the eyes and hearts of the participants of the event.

• He shared about his personal testimony on how God transformed him.
• Missions In Europe (where he said it's like the Revised Roman Empire)
• What’s at the heart of Europe (Pride, A Collision between the Old and New, Secularism,
  Post Modernism, Materialism, Hedonism, Atheism, Pluralism, Superstition, Polytheism and Paganism)
• The Religious Scene (in Milan particularly): Culturally Catholic, Nominal, Suspicious of Evangelical Christianity, Tolerant and open to Eastern mysticism, Anti Organized Religion, It all Looks Great On The Outside
• Italy (Milan): European City, Multicultural, Fast Pace, Extravagantly Wealthy, Unsatisfied.
• How To Do Missions : Jesus Is Going to Build His Church, Grass Roots Ministries, Apostles,
  Containers, Horse Verses Mule, Two Kinds of Churches.
• Needs: Young (Youthful), Energetic, Creative, Short Term, Middle Term, Long Term, Tent Maker, Career Missionaries, Outreach to Muslims
• Your Part: Pray The Lord of the Harvest Sends Out Workers.

We also had a great time of fun, food and fellowship (some photos here). We had tiramisu, cheese cakes (it is Brian our World Team Australia Director's birthday today), European bread with dip (balsamic vinegar and olive oil), gelatic and snacks. Praise the Lord that a number of people told us that they were very interested in mission and the opportunities for short term mission trips and seeking God for long term missionary service, while others were committed to praying for missionaries and supporting them. It was such a joy to meet with people with a smiliar passion to myself - to participate with God in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ our Lord (Matthew 28:18-20).

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column,much to the delight of the editor.It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible,believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

--Author Unknown

Labyrinth @ LivingRoom

Labyrinth At LivingRoom Tonight (St Stephen's Anglican Church)

Tonight at LivingRoom two of our groups did the Labyrinth with Eddie from Labyrinth Australia. It was an interesting and meaningful evening. We went through an interactive symbolic spiritual journey, which allowed us to create space to unwind and think.

The meditations of the Labyrinth include a spiritual journey where we listen to a cd which provides contemplative words and contemporary ambient music, and there are eleven stands / stops, where people are encouraged to take time to participate in the rituals and visuals in order to reflect on the deeper things of life. It reshapes a 12th-century ritual for the 21st century. These stands / stops include the followings:

1. Inward Journey - with a chair representing the start of the journey
2. Noise - with a computer and signal representing the noises around and within us, we were encouraged to be still, quiet and relax
3. Letting Go - with stones and a bucket of water where stones represent concerns and worries, we were encouraged to put the stones into the water as a symbol of letting go
4. Hurts - with pieces of paper for us to write down symbols / words of hurts, then put into a rubbish bin
5. Distractions - with map, compass and two magnets representing the distractions in our lives
6. Holy Space (The Labyrinth) - with an 'altar', bread and juice representing communion with God
7. Outward Journey - with contemplative words to encourage people to take the presence of God into the world
8. Self - with a mirror indicating we are made in the image of God, and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
9. Planet - with seed and soil representing our co-labouring with God
10. Others - with candles representing web of relationships and prayers for those around us
11. Impressions - with sand representing how our footprints will leave impressions in history

I really enjoyed the rituals and visuals of the Labyrinth tonight. They helped me to reflect on my relationship with myself (who I am in Christ), with others (the need to love and pray for others), with our world (the importance of taking the light out, and witnessing to a world that desperately needs the Lord) and with God (committed to focusing on God in all I do in my life and ministry, and not be distracted by things that are not of eternal value).

The last reflective question that got me pondering was this: "what will be left of us when we've left?" I wonder how you would answer that question. Let me ponder some more perhaps I might write about it later.

The Church On The Other Side by Brian McLaren

The Church On The Other Side

Just finished reading Brian McLaren's book "The Church on the other side", and found it really interesting, yet challenging and thought-provoking! This book is about doing ministry on the other side of the modern / postmodern transition. McLaren points out that there is a need for new kinds of churches in the new world. The most important and revolutionary task of our generation is planting and developing the church on the other side. He offers thirteen strategies for navigating the modern / postmodern transition. These include:

(1) maximizing discontinuity by distinguishing between renewed, restored, and reinvented churches, and focus on the last;
(2) redefining mission by clarifying and simplifying to “more Christians, better Christians” in authentic missional community, for the good of the world;
(3) practising systems thinking by seeing the church program in terms of interrelated systems rather than quick fixes;
(4) trading up traditions for tradition by distinguishing between church traditions and the Christian Tradition, and moving emphasis from the former to the latter;
(5) resurrecting theology as art and science by stopping thinking of theology as a matter of technical training, and rejuvenating theology through a quest for truth and beauty;
(6) designing a new apologetic by finding fresh ways to communicate the gospel to the postmodern mind;
(7) learning a new rhetoric by realizing that old communication patterns are less and less effective in the new world, and discovering new, appropriate modes of discourse;
(8) abandoning old structures as they are outgrown by adopting a new paradigm for church structure that allows for routine reenginerring based on changes in size, constituency, resources, and strategy;
(9) saving the leaders by recognizing the terrible toll that the transition time is taking on leaders; recognizing their immense value to the church at this time; helping them to be “saved” for their needed work;
(10) subsuming missions in mission by understanding the crisis in world missions, and helping launch a new missionary movement;
(11) looking ahead, by anchoring hope in the future rather than the past, and exploring a new eschatology.
(12) Entering the postmodern world by understanding it, engaging it, and getting ready for revolution;
(13) Adding to this list by helping the church become a learning organization that discovers and implements its own new strategies.

McLaren’s book is clear, honest, open-minded, intellectually and spiritually stretching and stimulating. It offers a passionate challenge to change and transformation. Its practical, easy to understand, relevant and engaging language including illustrations on real-life church experience, and evangelical ministry make it a worthwhile book to read. Yet I feel that to put these strategies into action is the major challenge.

So what do you think of these 13 points? Which one do you see as the most important? And how can these strategies be put into action?

Ivy So

After Michael W. Smith's concert on Saturday, I saw another artist yesterday at CCBC. Her name is Ivy So. She is a gospel singer and lyricist from Hong Kong. She was invited by a number of chinese churches and organizations here in Melbourne to conduct a gospel concert. Her story had been performed in a drama for many years now. It was such a moving performance. She has a song called "911 girl" which is so beautiful. I heard that there were over 40 people came to know Jesus on the weekend. Praise the Lord! That's really fantastic!

As I was reflecting on these artists' ministries, I couldn't help but realised that 'platform / stage ministry' can still be used by God in a powerful way in terms of evangelism and mission in this day and age. In fact, it's a great way to reach many at the same time. God is the ultimate artist, it's really no wonder that arts (both performing arts and visual arts) is an amazing tool to share the gospel.

My First Labyrinth Experience

"The Labyrinth" is referred to as walking your spiritual journey (symbolically). My First Labyrinth Experience was at Ignition back in April, and I found it a great prayer and reflection tool. In fact, God spoke to me powerfully through it then. Recently I've read and heard quite a bit about this method of meditation on the Scripture. And I'm really interested in knowing more about how I can use this worship method to reflect on life and apply God's Word more effectively. I currently have many thoughts running through my head regarding my life, mission, church, work and ministry etc. And I feel that this kind of "A-maze-ing Prayer", as Dan Kimball calls it pertinently, can be a useful way of listening to God.

Read more about Dan's ideas here.