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Nobody cares! ... Unless...

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A group of friends and I started a bread distribution initiative for rental block residents in our neighbourhood about 12-15 years ago.  We started simply because we wanted our group to be more outward than inward looking, and one of us had connections to procure bread at good prices, and another one among us lived next to one of those blocks. We decided that this wouldn't be a one-off feel-good initiative. It wasn't about distributing the bread. It was about caring for people. So we committed to doing this once a month, and to get to know the residents as people, and not beneficiaries. Over the years, the work evolved. Some more people joined in, others dropped off, but we never ran out of people to keep going. When the haze was terrible, we distributed masks. When Covid broke out, we also distributed masks! Then when we couldn't visit at all during the circuit breaker, we sent care packages via FoodPanda.  Over time, we also started to spend more time with selected househ...
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Second is better than first

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I was at a work offsite recently, and one of the warm-up exercises was to share what are our key relationships, why we come to work, and what we would like to get better at.  I've spent years in a weekly faith community setting with a small group of people, and my whole faith is built on the premise that *I am completely flawed and yet incredibly loved*. So I am quite used to sharing my faults with others, and how I'd like to get better, with no need to censor myself.  One of the things I shared at the offsite was - I've always wondered if I really fit in the group. It often feels like I need to learn how to put on a cloak of some sort so that I look and behave more like a corporate leader, and take on more of a slick, corporate persona (or as Barney Stinson would say, "SUIT UP!".  It was a great encouragement to hear from a few of my colleagues later on - yup, you *are* different from the rest of us. But that doesn't mean you don't *belong*. Your *differe...
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Plans and the future - a 2024 retrospective part 2

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As for me and my household The second half of 2024 began as the first did, with our 4th trip to see our friends at the school and village in Batam. Why was this trip especially memorable? Because we had my children N and D take centre stage to share at Sunday service, and me to interpret! I think it's the hope and joy of every parent to be able to surrender the spotlight to their children, and just be their enabler! Many Christian homes have these verses somewhere on the walls or mantelpieces: " As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord " (Joshua 24:15). I know from experience and observation that this is not easy to do, even with the best of intentions. So it has been one of the great privileges of my life to have my kids serve alongside my wife and me, and not just in a grudging one-off way.  I am quite sure that it has helped that we have brought N and D on our mission trips ever since they were toddlers. I encourage all young parents to do the same. Let's...
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Plans and habits - a 2024 retrospective part 1

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I'm generally a disciplined, habits, planning sort of person.  I plan practically every calendar slot of my working life, even down to when I'm going to sit at my desk to read/review/rewrite something by myself.  I have a spreadsheet that helps me plan when to catch up with my friends. I have a spreadsheet that tells me how much I'm spending every month. When I travel, I plan my itinerary in great detail, down to every hotel and ticket reference number and half hour blocks of time (yes in a spreadsheet :D). I'm pretty disciplined with habits too. I started to learn Indonesian on Duolingo several years ago, spending between 10-15 minutes practising every day. At the time of writing, I currently have an unbroken streak of 1796 days!  I committed to reading 12 books a year (I even follow a planned cycle of fiction => non-fiction => faith-based). I've managed 23, and target to finish no. 24 by the end of the year.  Best books I've read this year: Trust (Hernan...
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Faith and certainty

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In the book Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning, the author writes of an encounter between John Kavanaugh, a Jesuit professor of philosophy, and Mother Teresa.  While working with her in Calcutta, he asks Mother Teresa to pray for him. Mother Teresa replies, "what do you want me to pray for?" And he says, "Pray that I have clarity". Mother Teresa responds, "Nope. I won't do that." So Kavanaugh of course asks why. And Mother Teresa explains, " Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of ." Kavanaugh says, "But you seem to have lots of clarity!" And Mother Teresa laughs and says, " I've never had clarity. What I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God ." Put another way, perhaps what Mother Teresa was saying was, certainty is your last idol . Stop chasing certainty and trust God . How does this match up with what the Bible says about faith and certainty? James 1:6-8 teaches that ...
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