SOCHEWS

out of egypt

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:25:22 +0800

“Tell the Israelites, each and every Israelite and foreigner in Israel who gives his child to the god Molech must be put to death. The community must kill him by stoning… I will resolutely reject that man and his family, and him and all who join him in prostituting themselves in the rituals of the god Molech.”

“I am God who makes you holy and brought you out of Egypt to be Your God. I am God.” (Leviticus 20:1,5; 22:32-33)

God laid some extremely harsh laws for the Israelites. And amongst the litany of commands, the punishment for a lot of them was death. God seemed bent on reminding the Israelites that they were chosen people, set aside. They were not to be defiled. They were to listen to His every word. And continually, God always reminded them that it was He who brought them out of Egypt.

What was Egypt? Egypt was the place where God’s children were slaves. They were in chains. They served rulers and systems that never saw them as God’s chosen people, but only as tools to build a greater kingdom. It was God who delievered them from captivity, through divine intervention.

But why the need to always remind his children that they once came from Egypt? Because it was easy to forget. Because life in the wilderness, trekking and following and learning and relearning who their Maker and “God” is, was difficult. And many times, it seemed that being a slave in Egtpy was never as bad as it might have been.

I am an Israelite. This walk with God is complicated. It’s not easy, because I’m not easy. It’s a narrow walk, and whether I like it or not, following Christ means I’m following a different Spirit. One that calls me to leave behind false idols and Gods, that asks me to forsake the lust of the flesh, pride of life, love for the world. It calls me to put to death all manner of independence and self-centred living, one with no care or concern for others. To leave behind Egypt, the place of slavery, for a land of freedom.

But I forget. I love Egypt. I love how it can at times fill that empty space in my heart. I love how short-term pleasures, even if only for a split-second, seem worthy and mildly pleasurable. The life of a spiritual pilgrim, wandering in the desert, can feel so unnecessary, because who am I kidding? Where is God? When will 40 years finally reach a destination?

It does feel, many times, I’m fighting a losing battle. I live in a world that resolutely comes after any spirit that seeks faith, hope, love. My desires rule over me. I can be so selfish. I can feel so unconnected to who God is. And it can be lonely. Why walk? Why make the pilgrimage?

I don’t know. I guess one reason is that I’m not an Egyptian. I’m his. I’m his son. And no matter how many times I fall, how many times I taste and feel empathy to the systems of the world I live in, the world is not my father. I don’t belong in Egypt. So I guess it’s understandable that this journey is punctuated by moments of loss, that I’ll feel like an alien, that loneliness dots the landscape. I hate it. I may not deal well with it. But I understand it. Egypt is not my home. I belong in the wilderness.

My prayer is that in moments I forget whose I am, God will remind me again and again that he is the One who brought me out of Egypt. That I don’t belong here. And that faith, hope, love will always be with me as I make the pilgrimage through hills and valleys.

Father, you’re here. In my moments of weakness, you’re here. I’m not perfect. I’m riddled with fears. I want control. But I’m also yours. That makes all the difference.

Keep reminding me you brought me out and are bringing me out daily, from slavery. Give me courage to destroy the idols. To walk with you. Amen.

"The Opening of Eyes That day I saw beneath dark clouds the passing light over the water and I..."

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:47:50 +0800

“

The Opening of Eyes

That day I saw beneath dark clouds
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.

It is the opening of eyes long closed.
It is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.
It is the heart after years
of secret conversing
speaking out loud in the clear air.

It is Moses in the desert
fallen to his knees before the lit bush.
It is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven
and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love with solid ground.

”

- by David Whyte (via silencesounds)

Photo

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:18:35 +0800

jakefogelnest: Whitney Houston’s isolated vocal track on “How...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:15:10 +0800

jakefogelnest:

Whitney Houston’s isolated vocal track on “How Will I Know.”

Pancakes for breakkie! (Taken with Instagram at Strictly...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:07:20 +0800

Pancakes for breakkie! (Taken with Instagram at Strictly Pancakes)

Finally here for @lanewaysg. On the way, saw these clouds....

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:42:14 +0800

Finally here for @lanewaysg. On the way, saw these clouds. Thank. You. (Taken with instagram)

"Every person I interact with is part of the person I am becoming."

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:50:21 +0800

“Every person I interact with is part of the person I am becoming.”

- Patricia Moreno (via anditslove)

THE LANEWAY PLAYLIST

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:25:01 +0800

THE LANEWAY PLAYLIST:

Laneway Singapore is coming up this weekend, and I’m twitching all over in anticipation. I thought I’d make a playlist of all the songs I really, really am looking forward to listening to.

There are bands that are high on the shit-it’s-them! index (M83, Feist, M83, Cults, M83, Yuck). And bands I admit to know nearly nothing of (that Anna Calvi-Twin Shadow portion looks like a ripe time for dinner). But still, going to a music festival is on my bucket list. Even if it’s just a five hour drive, and not something like this.

Let’s make merry!

So thanks to my amazing brother.. I’m going to see the...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:19:19 +0800

So thanks to my amazing brother.. I’m going to see the Foo! Who’s going?! Let’s rock it out! (Taken with instagram)

Matt Corby - Brother (Triple J) You couldn’t help out your own...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:18:15 +0800

Matt Corby - Brother (Triple J)

You couldn’t help out your own neighbor
You couldn’t tell it to his face
You were f*cked up by the blame

Matt tells the story behind this song in the above video. Essentially, inspired by a falling out between a close friend and him.

Lately, I have come to realise that a dear friend, one with a great influence on my life, might be drifting away. Because of certain decisions he is making in his own life. And because when we were friends, I never really had the guts to tell him about the weaknesses I saw in his life.

It’s heartbreaking. And a lesson I’m slowly grasping. That I do not want to live in a world where people cannot tell me I’m wrong. Or where I will not listen to others who dare to put their heart on the line, and tell me something’s amiss.

May I learn to speak out with courage and love. And receive instruction that strengthens bonds, not frays them.

Birdy - People Help The People (by OfficialBirdy)

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:17:27 +0800

Birdy - People Help The People (by OfficialBirdy)

the danger with faith

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:52:00 +0800

“The congregation thought this was a great idea. They went ahead and chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.”

“Stephen, brimming with God’s grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them. But then some men from the meeting place whose membership was made up of freed slaves, Cyrenes, Alexandrians and some others from Cilicia and Asia, went up against him trying to argue him down.” (Acts 6:5,8-9)

The disciples needed to choose a group of people for a special work among the poor. So the record shows they chose a man named Stephen, and he was described thusly: a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

That kind of description would seem to mean that Stephen would be well-respected. And he was. He did mighty deeds. Whatever he did was a sign God was present, but it was his kind of faith that also led him into trouble - and eventually, death by stoning.

What does a man full of faith in the 21st century look like? What do you see when you see ‘faith’? What kind of effect does it have on the people around? I ask this, because “faith” is not something the world prides itself for having. A man of attention, we can understand. Of status, success, of leadership, of accomplishments, I can see. Of faith? What does that look like?

I remember when Tim once shared on faith. How it’s like a ledge. It’s sure. Solid. Will stand against all pressure. But it’s only this wide. Men of faith often look like trapeze artists on a narrow beam. You’d think they’d fall off. But they trust that if they just keep walking, they will reach the other side.

I wonder what I’d look like if I was full of faith. I would think that means a life of miracles at every corner, such bravery, such belief in the impossible. How people would admire such faith. That it’d be an inspiration to many.

But Stephen’s faith didn’t work that way. It led him down a path of jealousy, deceit and eventually, persecution and death. It led him to a dangerous place, and yet at that moment, he never wavered. He stayed the course. He walked, until he was done.

The idea that faith leads me to dangerous places is something altogether different. Out of my comfort zone, where life is easy, where I’m pleasing everyone, where it’s safe. Faith, however, pushes me into unfamiliar territory. A place where others cannot see a Spirit at work within. A place so contrary and even offensive to how the normal culture operates. It challenges the status quo, challenges the core of people’s beliefs until they lash out at this Spirit that calls them to a bigger, different way of living.

Is that the kind of faith I seek? I don’t think so. What’s in it for me? A faith that doesn’t draw fame and glory, but earns scoffing? I see why this is so rare in our world today. Why my life lacks it so much. A faith that brings death. Death to self. Death of my name. Death to legacy and ambitions. It’s too scary, too audacious a road to walk.

But the other option is to join the rabble of slaves. Those who would rather chain themselves to the armchair, seeking to argue and point out faults. The slaves who are comfortable, love the world they’ve created. And who never see wonderful things that prove to be unmistakable signs of our God, our Creator, a Spirit that’s so unique, potent, life-breathing, and holy.

I realise so much of what I do is to maintain the status quo in my life. Nothing too scary, because who wants to taste failure again? But if I live like that, I’m a slave. And God’s presence can never be truly seen in my life.

Faith is dangerous. Faith moves us out of what we like, what we’re comfortable with. But faith re-creates. It carves a space where a divine intervention can take place. It shakes my world as I know it, but builds a world that I might have never seen or tasted. A world of His presence.

I can only ask that God leads me by the hand, and understands my fears. My fear of rejection by others, that my name will be torn. I am not willing. But neither do I want to live in captivity.

Oh Father, I’m torn. I like safety. The walls I build up for myself. But your faith is unlike any other. Again and again and again, you break down walls and invade my privacy, and pull me up to something new. Because you believe.

I thank you Father, for even in my stubbornness, my addictions, your faith in me is unshakeable. I need to learn from You. Teach me faith. A small measure of it, day by day, ‘til I learn to live with a faith that puts me in danger.

Grant me courage and trust. Amen.

"And when everything else is gone, you can be rich in loss."

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:30:07 +0800

““And when everything else is gone, you can be rich in loss.””

- Rebecca Solnit, A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Photo

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:50:58 +0800

Photo

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:37:38 +0800

what if?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:34:00 +0800

“See what I’ve given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you … At that, Jesus rejoiced, exuberant in the Holy Spirit. “I thank You, Father, Master of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the know-it-alls and showed them to these innocent newcomers.” (Luke 10:19,21)

Seventy disciples of ordinary stature were chosen and sent out. Sent out to preach good news, heal the sick, and perform miracles if necessary. They came back en-couraged, full of testimonies of seeing evil fall from its perch. And Jesus rejoiced in the power of their ordinariness.

Today is my birthday. I rejoice in the encouragements of those around me, those so dear. I’m blessed. Through ups and downs, I’m blessed. In the private moments or public spaces, I’m blessed. Yet, there is a phrase that’s resonating in my heart, causing it to churn and barrel in a mixture of excitement, and yet fear.

What if?

What if I lived life knowing I’m safe, protected?

What if I know, with clarity and certainty, that God was my refuge, and nothing, no one, not voices or snickering or my own iniquities, could take that away from me?

What if I could trample on snakes and scorpions?

What if I walked through every day knowing the enemies of fame, glory, praises of men, desires of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life, would not harm me?

What if I had that kind of freedom?

What could I do?

Who could I be?

How different would every day be?

What if?

The crux of this is that it’s easy to dismiss. Because who am I but a child struggling to move from the toys I play with to bigger things. A man with holes, and who fills it with so many temporal pursuits, who stumbles again and again. Why get on a train of the ‘what if’s if you never believe you could reach its destination?

But Jesus looks at my ordinariness, looks to the heavens, and exclaims, “I thank You Father, for revealing your kingdom not to the know-it-alls, the people who have it all together, the well-mannered or self-assured, but to newborns, babies, children.” These are the ones Jesus is fond of. The ordinary ones who step out and see extraordinary things. Because their faith is so radically out of place in a world of doubt and jadedness. Because they ask, “What if?” and actually dedicate their hearts, minds and strength to answering those questions.

Make no mistake: this is scary shit. All manners of arrows point at me, seeking to bring me down at the wounds I know so well. The shame over repeated failures. The belief that I can do it, be better.

But that’s courage, isn’t it Father? When I let the what ifs of life propel me into action, change my way of thinking and living. And if I fail? I think the beauty of failure is that even in failure, God protects me. Even failure has no hold. Even failure cannot stop the heart from seeking love, hope, faith. That’s when the assaults will hurt, will sting, but never destroy or separate. These are the children of God, who step into the world like they’re born again, free from cynicism, free from the “I’ve seen that, done that” spirit, who look at life and those around with a fresh, wide-eyed wonder. Who look at themselves, at my world and ask:

“What if God actually works, in me and through me?”

And the heavens rejoice. The children are free.

Oh Father, I thank you, for you are always with me. I am yours. Your child.

What if I listened to You? Teach me to hear your Spirit. To step on scorpions, to be born again.

Amen.

Entertainment Vs. Art, by Lariv Athem

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:11:32 +0800

Entertainment Vs. Art, by Lariv Athem:

“In the increasingly information-heavy times in which we live, distractions abound. The word distraction literally points back to a certain losing (dis) of control (traction). We start off with an intention to focus on something, but then a momentary lapse of clarity leads us astray. The drifting isn’t just arbitrary – there is a subtle attraction, and our attention finds itself diverted. It doesn’t help that there are many things vying for our time, some of them designed specifically to reel us in. And then there are times when we actually want to mentally check out. This is what a mindset of entertainment is, seeking amusement over engagement, and appearance over essence.”

Wait - what ?: A Poem For Sunday “Before You Know What Kindness Really Is” by Naomi...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:38:50 +0800

Wait - what ?: A Poem For Sunday “Before You Know What Kindness Really Is” by Naomi...:

dreaminginthedeepsouth:

A Poem For Sunday

“Before You Know What Kindness Really Is” by Naomi Shihab Nye:

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
…

an excessive love

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:44:15 +0800

“By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religious scholars were not pleased, not pleased at all. They growled, “He takes sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story. “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulder, rejoicing, and when you got home, call in your friends and neighbours, saying, “Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!” (Luke 15:1-6)

The sinners and the saint, surrounded by men who knew religion inside out. How could a man who called himself the divine, the Saviour, be fraternizing with people of doubtful reputation? Jesus showed how differently he thought from them by illustrating how much he loves one. One lost sheep, one lost coin, one prodigal son.

It’s not easy to understand Jesus’ point here. Because it seems so far removed from what I would do. From Jesus’ point of view, one little lost sheep would prompt a desperate search, and an even more extravagant, excessive party. One lost coin prompts an entire search and upheaval of the home, and an incredible exclamation of joy to people who probably think, “It’s just a coin.”

How extravagant and excessive God’s love is. Over one, he would fight and search the terrains, to rediscover and bring that one home. It has no limits, really. Where even doubtful reputations, or the snide remarks of those who think it’s a waste of time, are not enough to deter God from pouring out faithhopelove into his rescue mission of his beloved.

What does this mean for me? What does this mean in the moments when I’m lost, when I wander, when I hide in the darkest of closets, wondering if anyone sees me? When life in the urban jungle treats people like commodities, and used ‘til they’re squeezed dry, valued for what they bring to the table, much like sheep and coins in those days. It’s easy, so easy, to get lost. To get lost in the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of all things we desperately want to make us whole, to heal the pangs of loneliness and aches and dreams of a better tomorrow. Then before I know it, I’m not sure where I am in the first place. So far from a place my heart can call home.

Yet, this is the truth about God: he seeks and saves the lost. And He will not stop. And when we are found with Him, He rejoices. Oh, He exults, yelps, gives thanks, throws and celebrates our lives like nothing before or nothing after. This is the excessive love of God that defies logic and belief.

I know what I lose my heart to. I know where and when I get caught up in trite things. I know when I’m at my most unpleasant, treat people like dirt, fall into lust, think success is built on the accolades of other. Oh, but in those moments, God sits down and says, “Let’s eat.” Let’s dine. Let’s chat. Many times once, you were lost. But now, you are found.

Oh Father, my heart is overwhelmed by your unfathomable love and faith. Such is your love, that you’ll always come near, even if I’m a sinner blackened by sin.

Let’s dine Father. Pull me aside when I am wandering too far. Let your love take me home, next to you.

Amen.

Andrew Hyde, the Man Who Owns Only 15 Things

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:53:17 +0800

Andrew Hyde, the Man Who Owns Only 15 Things :

“Other than the issue of really wanting a new color shirt sometimes, I really am not missing much, but experiencing a lot.” More at Andrew Hyde.