Sleepy in Singapore

After a weekend of shopping and church service I was feeling weary and nonplussed. I could not do anything this morning as I was feeling sleepy. But my week-long trip to Singapore has reaffirmed several things. I have no desire to return to Singapore in the near future either for holidays or for ministry in the foreseeable future. I have no particular burden for the people of Singapore as I have for the people of Sabah. Nonetheless, it has been a good break if only to reconfirm that my heart remains in Sabah which I will return in renewed vigour. I have a few friends in Singapore but as years go by since I left Singapore 5 years ago my close friends also dwindled. As they say it is tough to keep long distance relationships alive. But somewhat I felt it was not without purpose I came to the Lion city during the Year of the Pig.

Scholars & Society

One of the things I emphasised in my last NT theology class when I lectured on anthropology was that human beings were created to live in society and designed for fellowship. We need friendships and fellowship and that is part of being a person or anthropos in the Greek. We are created to be in relationships with one another and it is always painful when relationships break down and friendship turns sour or worse into enmity. I remember in the past two months of last year I did not know who were my friends or my enemies. There was much whispering and slander here and there especially when the elections of leaders drew near.

Scholars & Research

In this quiet period of Lunar New Year (yea, the shops are open today) I have had plenty time at home watching several vlogs over Youtube. This morning I came across Dr Simon Clark, a young scientist who shared about his PhD journey. He came from a State school, entered Oxford University for his undergraduate and Masters degree and recently obtained a PhD in Atmospheric Physics at University of Exeter. Although Dr Clark's thesis is in Physics which is the opposite end of my own thesis, the processes and experience of studying for a PhD are very similar. After watching his vlogs on PhD study, I will return to the chapter of my book on my own journey in gaining a PhD and perhaps add a couple more pages in the hope that my fellow Asians especially Malaysians will consider PhD study in the Bible. As for me, studying the book of Revelation for 3 years full time was an amazing experience of end-time prophecy, deciphering symbols, and living with the Apocalypse of John for 3 years is almost a divine heavenly experience.

Jesus' Family (John 2)

I suppose these series of posts on family are occasioned by my personal experience in Singapore. Staying in a flat, a kind of Housing Board Development (HDB) flats where most Singaporeans live, I could observe a number of families celebrating their Lunar New Year. I don't pry or invade people's privacy but I encountered many visitors to these flats several times. I met them at the lift, at the staircase or just along the walkway. Obviously, I tried to be friendly, moreover it is Chinese New Year. But regrettably no one even smiled at me or wished me happy new year. But three people at the counters of NTUC and the foodcourt greeted me and then I realised that as staff serving paying customers perhaps they were trained to wish their customers on such auspicious occasions. That means these greetings had some ulterior motives - hoping for good business and because you are spending money in their premises. If you are not any benefit to them, then you will be ignored. Coming back to Jesus' family, it is interesting to see how John's Gospel portrays Jesus' relationship with his mother and brothers. Jesus' first act in the public recorded in John 2 has Jesus attending a wedding with his mother.

Jesus' Family (Mark 3:21-24)

Chinese New Year is a good time to reflect on the nature of family. As a Christian I cannot help but see this issue through the lens of the Christian faith and Scripture. Often times, human beings are bound by one's own society, culture, traditions and upbringing. It is difficult to break free from these constraints, even for Christians as humans live within a society with its norms and values. What if the culture or tradition contradicts the Word of God? We have to take this question seriously because Jesus lambasted those who make null the Word of God for the sake of their traditions. Given that not all traditions or cultural norms are wrong or contradictory to the Bible, it is vital that our minds are renewed and shaped by Scripture, especially the teachings of Christ in the four Gospels. If you ask me what is the greatest spiritual problem among believers today, my answer would be that most Christians live a life without engaging with Scripture seriously.

Stranger in Singapore

Sirach tells us that travels to foreign countries open up minds and add to learning. It's not that going to Singapore is something new to me but I have gained new and interesting experiences each time. First, I was in Singapore for Sec 2 at a Katong Secondary School and spent 6 years teaching at a local Seminary here before returning to Sabah in 2014. It's not even the first Chinese New Year I had spent here; probably the third in Singapore. I remember clearly in my first year here I visited a colleague during the 2009's Lunar New Year. I thought I should put in some efforts to make the connection and be friendly. Two other colleagues at the TTC apartments invited me and my wife for Lunar New Year meals and gatherings and for that we are thankful. But for the first time I felt I was a stranger in Singapore.

Refuge & Jesus' Family

Jesus was a refugee. He might not remember much as it happened when he was between one to two years old but his family had to pack real quick and left Judea for Egypt to flee from Herod's wrath. There Jesus spent several years until as a kid he was back in Nazareth and later came to be known as Jesus of Nazareth. I wonder how Joseph and Mary with an infant or young child escaped at the dead of night. It is not as if they took a plane for a few hours and arrived at a safe destination. From Judea to Egypt takes a few weeks of walking or riding on a donkey or camel. Where did they sleep on the journey? Who took them in? Were there strangers like Abraham and his wife when he saw three strangers walking past and invited them in and prepared a feast for them (Genesis 18) and because of his hospitality received the promise of a son within a year? Did not James say Abraham was justified by his works and not just by faith because he acted to bring strangers into his home and fed them with the best of what he had? Where did Jesus' family stay in Egypt?

Friends & Friendship

Now that I am back in KK for good I have plenty of time to reconnect with my friends. Friendship is a huge and complex subject but as Proverbs says "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother". A week ago I reconnected with a friend in New Zealand. We met 20 years ago when we were in the same 3rd year Greek class. I was doing my one-year postgraduate diploma and he was about to begin his MTheol thesis. When my son went to study at Otago Boys High I asked him to be a contact person and my son stayed over in his place a couple of time during term holidays. He was most kind and his lovely wife would always invite us for dinner or lunch when I visited Dunedin.

49 Months in Ranau

As I drove back to Kota Kinabalu yesterday evening down to Tamparuli hills, I felt a sense of relief and peace that I had not felt for a long time. I have concluded my Ranau ministry and it had taken 49 months to be exact from 31st December 2014 to 31st January 2019. It was on the 31st December 2014 when I drove at dawn to Ranau to begin my pastorate at a town church called Muhibbah. I arrived there at 7.30am filled with hope and it was an eventful year that was interrupted by the Ranau earthquake on 5th June 2015. When I packed my things yesterday at noon after almost 30 hours of lectures I was left alone with one student helping me.

Pitch Darkness

I thought I had become an expert in packing for a mission trip. I have been on a long mission trip, my 5th year travelling constantly. But I forgot to bring a few essential items with me. I brought back my blanket to KK two weeks ago and it is now cold and rainy season in Namaus. I took a leisurely drive yesterday arriving in the early afternoon. But my tap was dry and I had to wait for about an hour before a student came to fix the problems. My water tank at the back of my house was also empty and  there was no water in sight. In the evening I drove back to Ranau town and decided on buying a sleeping bag as my blanket since I have too many blankets in KK. At 7 pm I returned to Namaus and I wa driving no faster than 50km per hour as the road was pitch dark and I could not even see the road divider or the side of the road except when the cars coming in the opposite direction with their headlights. I felt a sense of relief turning into the campus but I realised it was darker still as we suffered a power outage.

One Last Chapter

Within this period of 4 years I have to bid goodbye for the third time. I seem to major in moving one place to another. Lord You know my wanderings and my tears are not hidden from You. The first time was saying goodbye to my Ranau church in March 2016. Then three months later  I said goodbye to my College community after my short stint as Acting Principal before being sent back to the College in the middle of the second Semester. Now another chapter is about to be closed with a third goodbye to my College though this time I will leave without fanfare. Maybe I will just go out for lunch or dinner with my 4 students in my NT theology class.