Lunch, Time and Life

I was having lunch the other day with a friend and we were having serious talk, the kind I often wish I would with people.

The locus of the conversation darted about to the “young people of this generation”, and how we all seem very sensually driven. We observed that people of this generation tend to chase desperately after thrills and sensory pleasure to fill the emptiness, discontent, even boredom of our hearts.

I've come across across an article about this problem that really got me thinking. I'm convinced a lot of us have this problem, and we are greatly impoverished as a result.

Just as I was feeling a little crestfallen and absent-mindedly using my fork to push rice around on the plate, my friend remarked,

“Well Derk, we can thank God you yourself seem to have somehow avoided this problem!”

I couldn’t smile, because I know I’m not that much different. Maybe I’ve just got really good acting skills that help me to project a thoughtful exterior.

I'll be honest here: the time to be alone, contemplate, think and therefore experience the wonder in the world is getting harder and harder to find. Like most people of my generation, I too am getting bombarded with messages, demands, images and sounds far too often than is good or beneficial. Work is meaningful and good, but it is no walk in the park.

The iPhone has been a blessing in that I can take pictures and text my sister and friends overseas at any time, but it’s also been an invasive presence. I’ve just deleted the Facebook app , and already can feel some degree of relief, like the smell of rain on a hot day.

I’m also making it a point to carve out time in my daily schedule, in the midst of all the admittedly good things that demand my time. I know now that regular time to pause and reflect is worth fighting for.

Christ may be knocking on the door, but the way our generation is now, there are all kinds of other people banging on my windows, walls and or trying to climb down the chimney. And unlike the one who offers living water that will take my thirst away forever, these intruders just want to push cheap, glitzy wares that gives a moment's relief and leaves you hungrier than before.

Are we such children that the world can peddle us such junk, and succeed?

Lord, I ask for wisdom to distinguish what is vanity and what is of eternal value, and I ask for the fortitude to push away the former, and cling fast to the latter!

Psalm 16

I actually woke up one morning feeling pretty downbeat until I read this song below. It's a song in the Bible which really says a lot about the relationship that God wants to have with human beings, and how that relationship transforms everything else. Go ahead:

 Psalm 16 - A Miktam of David

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.”
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful^[b] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

At times like this I am just filled with wonder. I'm supposed to be a teacher and all "grown up" and whatever now and it's true that I've grown a lot... but it is also true that when it really comes down to it, I'm just a sheep.

 Just a sheep, baaaaa~

What do you think YOU are?

Submission Deadline Unknown

If total conformity and submission to the will of God is what I preach, surely I must also do it!

Although you are God of eternity, you often had to wait for me as I went about life my own way.

Now, maybe just for a little while I will wait on you, and your good, perfect, pleasing will to achieve clarity in your time.

I don't have forever but you, o God, have a better grasp on my timeline than I do.

How much further?

Don't Be Afraid

Fear.

Which characterizes Scooby-Doo without his Scooby Snacks.

Evolutionists might say that fear is a vital and crucial experience for living things to survive (This is not to say all of them say this, but some do, and all kinds of people call themselves "evolutionists" these days). The logic is simple: fear is motivation to ensure the self-preservation and continuity of that living thing. 

I don't agree. In fact, I'm fairly convinced that fear is what cripples us and holds us back. I might even bring this further to say that, having our fear taken away would make us thrive and prosper  under the right circumstances.

I recently read this article which contemplates the origins of students' fear of failure. The writing style is to me a bit ponderous, but the message is pertinent and timely. Give it a read - it'll apply to you in some way or another as nearly everybody in this world has either been/will be a teacher, student or a parent at some point in time.

The article really struck me like lightning. I really ask the Lord to help me examine the inner workings of my heart and mind, as it will manifest in the impact I have on my students. What fears and insecurities linger on? How can I cast them away before they perniciously seep into the innocent children under my charge?

I want to be a teacher that motivates through acceptance, approval, adventure and a sense of wonder, not fear. 

I must really set it in my mind that I will not see a '"C" student' as any less precious as the child prodigy producing the works of Shakespeare. 

Neither should I use my own achievements at their age as a yardstick to measure them.

Something that the Elder/Apostle John once said comes to mind: 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

The Fullness of His Glory

It's been a busy day, but I managed to read something good. The article is about how an awe for God and an appreciation of His glory transforms our approach to life. But there was one particular line that struck me:

"If you are not committed to loving gospel community, you will minister out of frustration and discouragement, displaying God's glory in an abstract form, but not in its living, life-changing vitality."

Quite obvious, so why don't we realise and understand?

The Doctrine of Family

Have you heard of what a "doctrine" is? If you haven't, Dictionary.com says that:

doc·trine [dok-trin]noun1.a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated,as of a religion or government.

Does it make sense? Perhaps what I would say is that a doctrine is a particular truth that we hold on to which not only governs our understanding of things but also our actions. In other words, your so called "doctrine", if held properly, will be so obvious from our behaviour that sometimes you don't have to mention it aloud.

One interesting "dok-trin" that we Christian fellars have is about family. We call God our Father and Jesus, who is God's son also calls us his brothers (and sisters) (Hebrews 2:11). That makes us all family.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15)

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. (Ephesians 2:19) 

This doctrine means that even if I've never met Ah Kau, Jack, Djibundu, Maria or Doriasamy before, the fact that they are Christian would mean that our first time meeting should be something like long lost siblings. We are family even before we first met physically, because we share the same Father and same Brother.

You might say that is quite daft to be in a family of hundreds of millions, but this doctrine is very real to me and I can tell you why.

Firstly, it is in God's word, and every time I try to challenge something in God's word, I normally lose one. The track record suggests that it is true, but I realise this reasoning might not be compelling to you.

So, the second reason is that I experience this doctrine firsthand, and it is in fact a big part of my life.

Tiong Clan at the Airport, Minus Youngest Tiong

Let's begin with my hometown of Melaka, which we like to call "the birthplace of everything". When I think of going back, the first people I would think of is my biological family, of course. However, our Tiong clan is also subsumed within the bigger umbrella of my church family.

Those who have heard me talk about MGC can testify to the affection I have for the church family there, and right now I think it is only my calling to Kampar that keeps me 300 kilometres north. The situation is not always cotton candy and popcorn but when the chips are down you just know we will stand together for what's right.

Two live specimens from Melaka. No creature was harmed in the shooting of this photo.

My "family" in Kampar has always treated me as a member from day one. Sure I may sometimes be the annoying, out-of-town, outlandish whippersnapper who can't string together two words in Cantonese but I think the uncles and aunties do see me as a son, and the younger folks as a brother. On my part, I genuinely think of them as family too.

Kamparians in a Kampar restaurant.

Recently, I had to go to PJ alone for some course over 5 days. I don't know anything about PJ and wondered where I could stay. Somehow, most my friends in PJ are ladies and it might be a bit weird for a guy to stay at a girl's place on his own for a whole week. That's why a family in PJ opened their home to me and in doing so, further strengthened my belief in this "doctrine".

The lost boys and lost girl having dinner in PJ.

My young brother chilling out on the beanbag.

Two other guys and I had the privilege of staying with them over that week, and it is definitely one of the fondest memories of my year. I am really grateful for the bonds we have made and really look forward to our future interactions, and watching the three lively and friendly children grow up :)

There are many others I have not included in this post just because there are too many to mention, but they have all made an indelible mark on my heart and played a role in shaping me into who I am today.

My prayer is for everybody to be able to experience these kind of deep and giving bonds, and I praise God because I know that this would not be possible if we did not have the same Father and Brother. It all comes back to Jesus :)

Haze Craze

Typically, I like to wake up by walking up to an open window and taking a deep breath of the morning breeze. This is all the more so in Kampar, which has a lovely view and a range of mountains that have held its charm on me from day one.

However, although I've been in Kampar for more than a month now, I have been cruelly shorn of this pleasure. That's right, itu haze sudah mari. 

To be honest, it scares me a little when it's at its more serious levels. I'm asthmatic, and the haze has triggered in me probably the longest niggling (and sometimes serious) sickness in a while. 

What a start it has been to my working life, then... or so one might think.

You know, in spite of this thorn on my flesh (or in the air), I really am thankful for so much.

Work has been a very engaging experience so far and I've been handling many things beyond my ken. 

Fortunately, I have very supportive and nurturing colleagues/superiors who know their stuff and have good attitudes. Our relationships do not end at work, and at home (they are my neighbours) we occasionally get together. It's been delightful getting to know their children, who are an interesting lot to say the least! 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, work has been purpose-driven. 

I know that, on top of all those stuff typical young graduates have in mind like remuneration, job advancement, training and so on, I am very convicted about the part God wants me to play in this Westlake International School. My personal hope is that it can really be an oasis for children to grow in a holistic and Godly manner: powerful learners, others-centred and compassionate.

And...  I know that my hope is not in vain, because a similar conviction is shared by the other members of the team. What can I say but that God is doing something?

So, what's a little haze? Inconvenience and discomfort are something, but I have a God on my side that has given me a mission, and I won't let these hinder me.