"You’re Welcome."

Unsolicited Advice for Life, Work, Work/Life and Lifework 
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OH: What should we give up for Lent? #twg

"We should do something for Lent." 

"Let's give up alcohol!" 

"Ya, coffee is more important than alcohol, so we should give up alcohol!" 

"Wait - shouldn't we give up the more important thing?" 

Some silence. 

And then he ups the ante. 

"Alcohol is easy. You know what we should give up? Criticising people." 

There are murmurs around the table. Murmurs which morph into sounds of assent. 

Then she returns from the ladies'. 

"Guess what we've decided to give up? You'll never guess." 

She makes a few guesses, of a material and consumable nature. 

"No. Criticising people." 

She seems momentarily stunned, as the difficulty of that sinks in. 

"Yea. Yea... We should give up complaining." 

More silence. 

"No, no, that's too hard, wey," he says. 

There's nervous laughter all around the table as the seeming impossibility of not complaining grips us. 

"Okay, we'll refrain from criticising people. That doesn't mean we can't speak the truth about institutions, like if there's bad service, for example." 

And that's Lent settled. 

God help us; it's a lesson in grace. Anything short of it doesn't work. 

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Filed under  //   community of faith   funny   grace   humor   humour   Lent   overhead   spirituality  

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PIX: blc alternative worship gathering, last night

A photo gallery on Facebook.

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Filed under  //   Bangsar Lutheran Church   blc   community of faith   friends   worship  

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11 Thoughts (plus Subthoughts) After a Week in Penang for a Spiritual Conference

1. We were having lunch with K & S (& S) before driving back to KL today. 
I ordered a cheeseburger. It was the kind of burger that’s served on a plate, with sides of fries and slaw, and impossible to fit into your mouth fully assembled. 
I took off the top bun and placed it on the plate Adeline was using to feed Seth. (Seth likes bread.) 
When she noticed it, Adeline said: 

Why is there a burger cover here? 

Burger Cover. That’s the word of the day. 

- 1.1. What’s “burger cover” in Malay? “Penutup burger”? “Tudung burger”? “Topi burger”? 

2. Catching up with “old friends” proves to me again that everything turns out right when you’re seeking what is right in your life and lifework. Grace makes up for your missteps (and others’ missteps against you) and God guides you in a good path. 
Even if it’s not the nice upward-trending linear graph you’d envisioned at the start. 

3. “Old friends” I met who are in a better place in life than I’d last seen them: D. E. K. S. 
I thank God. 

4. We are still singing “There’s Gonna Be a Revival in This Land”. 

- 4.1. That was the first search result on YouTube. Please don't blame me. 

5. No one can tell me what on earth “revival” is, in any measurable, achievable way. 

- 5.1. Hence “revival” will never be here, but will remain like the pot of gold at the rainbow. 

- 5.2. Maybe the journey is more important than the destination, so the pursuit of revival is good enough, in a pragmatic sense? 

- 5.3. I can’t stand that much pragmatism. 

6. Some parts of Penang look like Singapore. Is it an “island” thing? 

- 6.1. I love the idea of having a beach just a short drive away at all times. 

- 6.2. The Klang River just doesn't cut it. 

7. Penang char koay teow is good. Penang ho chien is better. Both are better than any you’ll find in KL. 

- 7.1. Penang food generally is better than KL food. How annoying to have to concede this. It must be how Windows fanboys feel about Mac. 

8. All KL drivers need to watch this video: 

 

- 8.1. All Penang drivers need to watch it twice. 

9. The "love of the world" in you is proof that the "love of the Father" is not in you [http://bible.cc/1_john/2-15.htm]. Yet God “so loved the world" that he gave his only begotten Son [http://bible.cc/john/3-16.htm]. 
Obviously, loving the people in the world is worlds apart (heh, I pun) from loving the constructs of these same people. 

- 9.1. If the “world” (kosmos in Greek) is the “ways or systems that people construct”, then perhaps the “world” is also in the church, and some Christians are inadvertently “loving the world”? 
When they say and believe: 
“You have to pray one hour a day.” 
“If you’re not jumping up and down, you’re not passionate enough for God. (I mean, he died for you - can’t you just jump up and down a little bit?)” 
“You have to pray loud or it doesn’t work.” 
“You have to pray quietly or it isn’t authentic.” 
Ad nauseam. 

10. It really is more fun to coast along at a “sensible” speed on the highway, rather than driving exactly at the speed limit. 

- 10.1. The little time lost is way worth the exponential increase in the quality of ride and conversation. 

- 10.2. I have a habit of praying in tongues when driving on the highway. 

- - 10.2.1. In between conversations, that is. 

- - 10.2.2. I hate the “charismatic kosmos” that keeps charismatics [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_Movement] blind to certain things, while at the same time deluding them into thinking that they see more clearly than others, in these matters. 

- - - 10.2.2.1 Maybe it’s because I love the charismatic people, that I hate the charismatic kosmos. 

- - - - 10.2.2.1.1. Yes. 

11. True religion is a powerful force for liberation. 

- 11.1. False religion can be a powerful force for control. 

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Filed under  //   advice   charismatism   Christians   church   community of faith   delusion   false religion   friends   funny   grace   gratitude   love   Penang   redemption   religion   thoughts   wisdom  

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PIX: I can haz shiny red things?

Christine spotted the fruit tarts and the lemon cheesecake.

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Filed under  //   baby   Christine   community of faith   cute   friends   Giving Tree   photo  

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Let Us Exalt His Name Together Forever

A golden oldie I'm thinking of singing this Sunday at blc: 

I love this song, although I think this particular arrangement is a bit tame ;). 

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Filed under  //   audio   blc   church   community of faith   song   worship  

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Yet another magical time of worship and fellowship. Around the giant bowl whence flow twelve liquid streams.

11 photos are here!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125998&id=600721057&l=c9254b3767

Grainy and underexposed!
I mean, raw and authentic!
Because I haz no flash!

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Filed under  //   alternative worship   blc   church   community of faith   Luther Centre   Lutheran   worship  

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"It ain't as homey, but if the homies are there, it's home."

How'd I feel about today's First Worship Gathering of blc at the Luther Centre? 

1. It sure ain't as homey. 

1.1. But as long as the homies are there, it's home. 

2. It was nice to have so many visitors. I think almost half the crowd were visitors. Probably not that much, but it sure felt like that! 

2.1. At the coffee before the worship service, it sure felt like there were more visitors than members! 

2.1.1. I think that might have to do with the fact that the regulars showed up later than the visitors ;). 

3. At least, with coffee at 10.30, almost everyone was there by the time the worship proper started, haha. 

3.1. I think chatting and borak-borak is an integral part of worship. 

3.2. As is coffee. 

4. Photos are here! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124828&id=600721057 

4.1. I realise that I need to take a lot more photos. After eliminating the rejects, I'm only left with 13! 

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Filed under  //   Bangsar   blc   church   community of faith   Luther Centre   Lutheran  

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