Trust His heart

All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don't see how they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don't see Him
Remember you're never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
And He holds our future in His hand
So don't live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him
We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry
He's weaving you and me
To someday be just like Him

He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you

You keep us

You keep us waiting
You, the God of all time
Want us to wait for the right time in which to discover
Who we are, where we must go,
Who will be with us and what we must do
So thank you ... for the waiting time

You keep us looking
You, the God of all space
Want us to look in the right and wrong places
For signs of hope, for people who are hopeless
For visions of a better world that will appear
among the disappointments of the world we know
So thank you ... for the looking time

You keep us loving
You, the God whose name is love
Want us to be like you
To love the loveless and the unlovely and the unlovable
To love without jealousy or design or threat
And most difficult of all, to love ourselves
So thank you ... for the loving time

And in all this, You keep us
Through hard questions with no easy answers
Through failing where we hoped to succeed and
making an impact where we felt we were useless
Through the patience and the dreams and the love of others
And through Jesus Christ and his Spirit, You keep us
So thank you ... for this keeping time

And for now and for ever
Amen

- Iona Community, Scotland

Does faith have space in science fiction?

As a person of faith who's also an unabashed science fiction and fantasy fan, my interest was piqued by this recent article on God Is My Co-Pilot which looks at how scifi addresses religious issues.

Despite a recent trend toward secularism, God is still front and center in the ages old debate between science and religion. There is a popular misconception that a great divide exists between science and religion. In fact, science-fiction has always tackled religious themes — many times, quite overtly. While the trend recently has seemed to tip slightly in favor of the secular persuasion, God is making a strong comeback... [Battlestar] Galactica’s trip down the path certainly isn’t new in either the realm of science-fiction or television, but given the current climate and trends toward secularism, I find it refreshing. It does represent somewhat of a radical departure from recent, overt attempts of the popular media to avoid religious issues, let alone religious controversy.

While the article's main pro-religious example is the reimagined BSG series, it makes two major omissions. In the scifi genre, Star Trek is a classic example of an intentionally secular series, where most - if any - religious references and beliefs were "alien" in nature, and humanity or science usually prevailed over any higher power. This was largely due to Gene Roddenberry's own atheism, and remained consistent, with few variations on the theme, throughout the various spin-offs. Conversely, Babylon 5 which was created and for the most part written by JM Straczynski (coincidentally another atheist, but raised Catholic), was remarkably open and pluralistic about religion, and far more "ambiguous" in addressing the science vs faith debate.

My own preference for faith in scifi is somewhat in between. I'm drawn to allegories - sans any heavy handed preaching - where spiritual elements are woven throughout the hero's (or heroes') journey of self discovery, often fraught with sacrifice, betrayal, love, war, doubt and eventually, belief. In a similar vein, writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, George Lucas and Eric Kripke have also cited Joseph Campbell's universal journey of the hero across multiple mythologies as key influences on their respective works. This is what attracts me to shows like Star Wars, Supernatural, BSG and to some extent, Stargate and Heroes; ancient mythology and more modern classics by CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Piers Anthony's Adept and Stephen King's Gunslinger series.

If you're a Supernatural fan, read more here!.

We are a city on a hill

This excerpt from John Winthrop's 1630 sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" was recently used during the inauguration of Harvard's 28th president, Drew Gilpin Faust. Based off a passage in the bible (Matthew 5:13-16), Winthrop suggests that God holds us accountable for our deeds, esp. when placed in positions of leadership.

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken ... we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God.... We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.

I find this view still valid today, no matter our "status" - government leader, corporate CEO, relief worker, labourer, doctor, teacher, military man, homemaker, parent, student.... Each of us is called to be a faithful steward of what we have (or have been given), and this includes being an informed and compassionate global citizen. Consider "to whom much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:48).

Epiphanies

Ever had a moment where a "light bulb" goes on in your head? Or you sense that God's got a message, a divine appointment, just for you? Well, I've recently had some light shed on a few issues I'd been wrestling with. It's come through at the oddest times - through a book I read en route to Barcelona, an email from my alumni graduate fellowship that I'd been planning to respond to, conversations with family and old friends, and today's church service - as part of an ongoing series on 2 Corinthians - which ended with this video.

I'll spare the details here, but will share "Jesus, Take The Wheel" - a song made popular by Carrie Underwood (American Idol 2005) that has uplifted me and prompted some soul searching in turn:

Childhood truths that span time and space

While we celebrate Pavarotti's inspirational life this week, I wanted to pay another tribute to a person who may have been less well known internationally, but who personally influenced and shaped my childhood: Madeleine L'Engle, a well known writer of classic children's books, who also passed away on September 6, 2007.

My love for works that stretch the imagination started with a giftset of her books from my brother (who I like to call my "own Doctor Who") when I was very very young. L'Engle believed that storytelling "... does indeed have something to do with faith. Faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically." To her, "a book, too, can be a star, explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." Such stories fed my school and college years (coincidentally, Madeleine L'Engle was a Smith '41 alumna) and continue to shape my perspective on life today.

In L'Engle's 1963 acceptance speech for Newberry Medal-winning A Wrinkle In Time, she relates children's stories to "real life":

Very few children have any problem with the world of the imagination; it’s their own world, the world of their daily life, and it’s our loss that so many of us grow out of it.... What a child doesn’t realize until he is grown is that in responding to fantasy, fairly tale, and myth he is responding to what Erich Fromm calls the one universal language, the one and only language in the world that cuts across all barriers of time, place, race, and culture.

... almost all of the best children’s books do this, not only an Alice in Wonderland, a Wind in the Willow, a Princess and the Goblin. Even the most straightforward tales say far more than they seem to mean on the surface. Little Women, The Secret Garden, Huckleberry Finn --- how much more there is in them than we realize at a first reading. They partake of the universal language, and this is why we turn to them again and again when we are children, and still again when we have grown up.

L'Engle's influence on me is echoed by Neil Gaiman, another author who I admire, who wrote about the impact that science fiction (namely, Doctor Who) had on his life in The Nature of the Infection, his introduction to Paul McCauley's Eye of the Tyger (excerpts here).

So, in memory of Madeleine L'Engle and her fellow dreamers, I urge us adults to never stifle our imaginations. And to all who nurture our young ones, let's make sure they learn this universal language that transcends the barriers of our world today, spanning time and space.

Our not so typical women's college

Following on the heels of my "Bright-eyed, bushy tailed days" post, I gleefully read this Malaysian student's account of her time at Smith in Malaysiakini. Thanks, Ian and Juliane, for the scoop!

In sharing a snapshot of her life at Smith, the author reminded me of those first times when we broke away to embrace new experiences, to find "freedom" and openness. This was a time when "by going somewhere unknown you might discover who you were, or could be," as this recent IHT article puts it.

WHEN my editor asked me to share my experiences of studying in the US, I had two options - the typical student life in a typical college in New England where alcohol, drugs, parties and sex rule the campus or the not-so-typical student life in a not-so-typical college. I chose the latter.

New England conjures up an image of old elite institutions set in picturesque fall and gloomy winter. The colourful fall foliage on my campus could also be the postcard-perfect portrayal of a typical New England college - but underneath the façade of the breathtaking spectacle, my school is far from being typical.

The founding purpose of the college was to provide the best possible college education for women during a time when most leading universities only admitted men. The original idea may seem irrelevant today after all of these universities started admitting women in the 1970s but fundamentally, the school is still carrying the legacy of promoting the rights of the disadvantaged of all social classes, ethnicity, religions and sexual orientations.

The author is currently interning at Malaysiakini this summer. It'll be interesting if and how her POV evolves as an alumnae. You see, I too reveled in Smith's feminist, activist and occasional eccentric spirit ("outrageous" goes in cycles, evidently). However, what matter's most for me today are: (1) the lasting friendships forged between women who are passionate about their family, careers and causes; and (2) the realisation that while tolerance promotes awareness and understanding, there still is value in wisdom and faith to discern what is RIGHT - even while we acknowledge that our world is changing, along with its fair share of grey.

A Tai Tai life for me?

Maybe being a tai tai ain't so bad after all. At least one of us will have a life.



Then I can redecorate the house, go prospecting with those eager beaver brokers during this hot!hot!hot! property market, shop around Orchard/Marina/Vivocity, take that jazz or kickboxing class I've been eyeing recently, plan long weekends in nearby exotic islands .... maybe even cook again, so that when hubby comes home for dinner---

Wait. He doesn't ever come home from dinner. And rarely has free weekends. And didn't I do exactly all of the above when I was in between jobs not too long ago?

Sigh.

Food for thought - and a good cause!

Imagine: Dim lights, a warm ambience, savoury spicy smells, the pleasant buzz of conversation from nearby tables....

Welcome to Annalakshmi. Diners "eat as you like and pay as you feel." There is no set price. Any payments are voluntary with all proceeds going towards the humanitarian and artistic activities of the Temple of Fine Arts. These vegetarian restaurants are located in Malaysia (the first one started in 1984), India, Singapore, Australia - with plans for one in San Francisco, according to this update. This international chain augments the dining experience by showcasing Indian arts, handicrafts, cultural dance and music performances.

Being the MBAs that we were, we tried to figure out the business case of running a restaurant that's 100% based on charity: Where would you locate it? How do you cover costs? How do you motivate and "compensate" volunteers? How do you ensure the quality of the overall experience, food and service? Is this concept sustainable? (It's proven to work for one-time fundraisers) Will those who can (and want to) subsidise those who can't (or won't?!)

Other food for thought:
From here: Annalakshmi provides food for the soul by offering a wholesome home-cooked good meal for all. The name refers to the Hindu Goddess of Plenty and the adage that "the Guest is God." The restaurants are largely run by voluntary staff that include retired civil servants, women from broken homes, executives and doctors who believe that serving and preparing food is the ultimate blessing.

From here: Businesses usually wait until they've made a profit to think about giving to society, but we started giving from the start. There are tables who can pay, and those who can't, so what we provide is a form of table-to-table charity. And the people who work with us do so for the satisfaction, not the reward. It's hard to run a business on goodwill. But having faith in humanity has paid off: the restaurants have a huge, regular following [who] pay with satisfaction and keep coming back. There is a price for everything in today's world, but you can't put a price on the love and the food you get here.

Christmas isn't Christmas till it happens in your heart

Have a blessed Christmas everyone! May you celebrate the gift of life - one that is filled with music, laughter, fond memories, good food and drink, and loved ones.

This is the first time hubby and I are celebrating Christmas together in Asia. It's a bitter sweet time given his mom's deteriorating condition and me without my own family, who are all in Texas this time (where it's evidently raining too!). On Christmas Eve, we attended a midnight service at his childhood church, St Andrews Cathedral, together with a few of his old Sunday School brats, I mean mates.


Although I'm not too familiar with the rich Anglican tradition, I was thankful for the opportunity to reflect as the past few months have truly tested my faith, priorities and identity (esp. in terms of success, marriage and family). I also realized that this is the first year I've not served on a worship team since I was 15! (That, for you curious folks, is half a lifetime ago). Time has flown by and though I've missed that unique faith community and ministry, I am reminded that "true worship" is reflected in how we live our lives and through the choices we make. A few days ago, I brought the guitar over to sing to my mom-in-law, who's been bedridden since October. In those moments of sound and stillness, I came to appreciate another depth to worship and a deeper meaning to these words below:

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to vict'ry,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Words and Music by William J. Gaither © 1971