La La Land - comedy of errors

So apparently La La Land is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but the only time it made me laugh was when I heard about the fiasco at the Oscars. In fact, I was cringing throughout the whole movie and I kept screaming (in my head),"There are so many talented actors and actresses who can actually sing and dance (like those in the opening sequence), why did they have to choose these two?!?!" Well, the answer's pretty obvious, isn't it? They needed these pretty faces with BIG NAMES to sell the show! But if that was all there is to it, then I wouldn't be offended. The real problem was that they were also trying to sell something else!

Various other writers have already said their piece about the movie: here, here and here. So I'm not going to repeat the same points. I'm just going to unload my own grouse about it. I am offended because the film tries to sell us real art (authentic, unadulterated jazz and improv theatre) using the vehicle of a banal musical-wannabe where neither is the music soulful nor the acting convincing. To me, that is as offensive as trying to sell golf using sex. True art does not need a patronising nod from the commercial, shallow world of entertainment to prove its value.

I'm also offended because it sells the idea that living (and consequently sleeping) together is to be expected once you fall in love. There was no discussion or hesitation, no questions asked! You love each other, so you live together, then you can conveniently have sex whenever you want. But I must be fair, La La Land isn't the only movie that promotes this way of thinking. It's only one in a whole plethora of films and stories that are changing cultural norms for the worse (in my opinion).

Finally, I'm offended that it sells the idea that breaking up is easy to do. It's never easy and always painful, even years and sometimes decades later. It sets the stage for young people who launch into relationships without thinking of the possible consequences, when they should be thinking twice about whether they are ready for long-term commitment and whether the potential partner is the right one for them. (I've written about being equally yoked some time back.)

Ok, that's enough complaining for now. All this is giving me indigestion but I'm glad I got it out and hopefully I don't have to keep brooding on it anymore.

Treasure

First posted on Facebook on 1 May 2013:

Aimee wanted to go to the prayer meeting in church last night cos there's no school today. On the way there, she started telling me a very interesting story.

Her classmate had told her about a neighbour who had a very precious treasure. This classmate had been shown the treasure before and it was very beautiful and very precious. Apparently it had been passed down from their great-great-great-(x 20 or so)...great-grandfather, and was very precious!

One day when the family was out, a burglar broke into their home and stole this treasure. When they got home, they couldn't find it anywhere and they were very very sad cos it was very precious...

Aimee then commented, 'Do you know we are God's treasure?'

After some prompting from me, she concluded that unlike the family who lost their treasure, God will never take His eyes off His treasure and He will watch over and protect His treasure from being stolen by the thief Satan!

Did you know you are God's treasure and that you are very very precious to Him? <3

God of Justice

First posted on Facebook on 7 April 2013:

Was reminded of the song 'God of Justice' this morning. Just scrolled through my blog and found an entry I posted years ago about it! This topic has been on my mind again recently. And here's my reflection for the past few weeks...

Jesus spent most of his time with and ministering to the poor, the sick, the needy and of course the sinners (eg prostitutes, tax-collectors). And His heart is still with them today. If we say we love the Lord and love to spend time with Him, then we ought to go look for Him among the poor, sick, needy and oppressed cos He's right there! In fact, He spoke to me once when I was in an orphanage in India that He had brought me there to be with Him because He loves me and wants me by His side! What a privilege it is to be able to serve alongside my Beloved.

Also, if we say that we are Christ's disciples, then our aim should be to copy what He does and our ultimate goal is to be become just like Him. So since He chose to get His hands grubby by mixing with the lowliest of the lowliest, so should we. And seeing as He didn't count the costs and sacrificed His own life for those He loves, shouldn't we then also be willing to give up everything to continue His work?

And if we say that He is our Lord, then we should show that He is indeed our Lord and Master by obeying His word. This is what He said:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matt 25:34-40

Finally, if we say that we have faith in God, then if the faith we claim to have is truly a genuine, saving faith, it would naturally and should be expected to be accompanied by deeds:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:14-16

But to most of us, including myself, this is a tall order. It requires us to put aside our own needs and sometimes even our family's too, in order to meet someone else's needs. It requires an everflowing stream of love, patience, strength, wisdom and even creativity in order to keep doing it despite difficulties, setbacks and challenges.

But let us not forget that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared us in advance to do.

Eph 2:10

He has given each of us a set of gifts and talents which we are meant to use for good works (and not for our own glory or rewards, mind you). Not only that, He has given us good and perfect blessings in our lives which we are supposed to pass on to bless others (and not to store up for ourselves - look what happened to the guy who did that in Luke 12:16-21!) All we need to do is to lean on God's understanding and trust that He has the best plan in store for us. As long as we are willing, He will enable and empower us to do the work He has prepared for us to do.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Cor 9:8

2016 - The Year of 'Just Enough'

The week before Christmas, I was busy producing not one but TWO Christmas videos! One of them was a personal greeting for one of our lecturers by a group of friends from bible college and the second was our family's annual Christmas video (this one below...)

For both productions, I had to compile a selection of photos and video clips into one continuous video while adding captions and background music. AND I had limited time for both - just about 2 days each (more accurate to say 2 nights cos I still had my regular work and motherly duties in the daytime.)

So anyway, in both cases due to the lack of time, I simply put in the first piece of music I could think of that suited the theme/purpose without much thought to the duration and whether I would be able to fit in all the photos and video clips. I figured I would just fade it out if it was too long and find another piece of music to lengthen it if it was too short. But as I started placing the photos, video clips and captions, somehow everything just fell into place and the duration of the music was just right - for BOTH!

[Hold on! Some of you may be thinking, 'But there's a different piece of music at the end of the family Christmas video!' That was intentional cos the greeting at the end is separate from the silent movie segment. ;) But good observation if you noticed!]

Well, as I thought about how amazing it was, almost miraculous, for the music duration to be just enough twice in a row, I realised that for the whole of the past year, God had never failed to provide just enough and just in time for our family too, just as He had promised He would!

At the end of the year before (2015), we had just returned to Singapore from further studies in the UK and were down to the last bits of our savings. We had no idea what we were going to do but God showed me that if we were willing to trust Him with the last of our 'flour and oil', He would provide miraculously for us just like He did for Elijah and the widow of Zarephath and her son (1 Kings 17:7-16.) In Jan, things started to happen which led to jobs for both my husband and I within a few months (plus we're doing what we love!) And in between, before our income had stabilised, He provided for our children's educational needs through other means (including scholarships and bursaries.)

Other than finances, He also provided just enough wisdom, creativity and resources just in time so we could accomplish all that He wanted us to do. During our recent mission trip, we had to conduct worship training and a youth workshop, as well as put up an outreach performance. We didn't have time to prepare for any of it before we left as we had work to clear. But during the trip, He opened up pockets of time, which we hadn't expected/planned, for us to make the necessary preparations. Furthermore, the worship and youth training had to be conducted in Chinese and I had no idea how I would be able to carry it off! But at both events, the words just came out of my mouth and when I got stuck, He had made sure that there was at least one participant there who could help to translate!!

I could go on listing all that He provided just in time so we would have just enough, but that might take till next year! Haha! So I'll just end with this - when I was reflecting on the year 2016 and giving thanks, I felt really moved by His faithfulness throughout the year. He kept His promise and always gave us just enough, not too much that we become complacent or greedy, nor too little that we start to worry or become anxious.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 

Hebrews 10:23

P.S. Here's a little New Year treat for you - our family Christmas videos from the past few years. Hope you enjoy watching them! :)

Destiny Music

Warning: This is an authentic, sincere Auntie post! You've been warned... he he! Btw, in case you haven't noticed, the above image has obviously been photoshopped cos you can't possibly play more than one track simultaneously on Spotify!!

I must admit I'm pretty backward cos I only got onto Spotify a couple of months ago. Hard to believe but true! Haha!! Being a noob, I'm still exploring the different things it can do, like recommending the top acts in Singapore for me to listen to. Well, with Nathan Hartono's recent conquest (almost) of Sing! China, it's not surprising to find his photo representing this playlist. But as I scrolled down the list, I discovered that I actually recognised a few of the artists' names and that they had been through the doors of Destiny Music!! In fact, other than these names spotted on Spotify, there are also many other Destiny alumni who have become Youtube stars, taken part in national and international competitions and won or done very well, performed at all kinds of events all over the world, produced recordings and staged their own concerts and more!

For those of you who don't know, my husband and I co-founded and ran a music ministry for youth where we trained them and provided opportunities for them to perform and share their faith through music. Our aim was to raise up a generation of young people that would glorify God through their God-given talents in music and the arts. We weren't out to train worship leaders, mind you. Instead we wanted to see the light of Christ shine in the commercial music industry.

When the time came for us to wind up the ministry, there was quite a bit of reluctance on our part as well as among the young men and women who had grown up with us. (Some of them had joined us when they were just 12 or 13 years old.) At the time, we felt that we had already achieved what we set out to do - together with these more than a hundred young volunteers, we had reached out to tens of thousands of people with their songs and dances, through live performances and online videos. Not only that, many of these young musicians had also caught the vision of using their God-given talents for the glory of God.

However, as I look at what many of them are doing now, I realise that what we had achieved was much more than that, we had actually planted a seed in these youth that has continued to grow and bloom and bear fruit over the years.What a privilege it is to have partnered with God in the work that He's doing in these young people's lives! And I continue to pray and hope that they will keep that passion for God burning in them no matter how high or how far they go.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.

1 Cor 3:6

Dating & Divorce - a tip from the Brangelina breakup

Actually, I had been brooding on this thought for quite a while - probably a few months already! - but with some of the recent articles floating around online on dating, marriage, affairs, and divorce, I just had to voice my view. 

So, I'm sure most of you have read or heard about the Brangelina breakup. Well, I did too, no matter how hard I try to avoid reading about Hollywood scandals and all. But I did come across a rather interesting article on the topic. It refers to a study which revealed that "second marriages... have a higher rate of divorce, as do marriages that come out of affairs." And the psychotherapist being interviewed explained, “If someone has been capable of being disrespectful and dishonest with someone they cared about in the past, there is a possibility they can do that to you. Anyone can cheat, but this is a bigger risk.” I also read recently about how, sadly, the divorce rate in Singapore has risen.

So here's my two cents' worth! The thing is, when young people are dating, they will say or write stuff to each other like, "I will always love you!" or "I'm yours forever!" or "You can count on me!" etc etc... And although there isn't any formal contract, unlike in a marriage, such verbal and written promises they make are still promises that ought to be kept. But of course, most of these become empty promises when they break up. So the more they pair up and break up, the more 'practice' they have in making and then not keeping their promises. Later, when they get married, doesn't it then become much more likely for them to break their promise to each other since it's become a habit? After all, the marriage license is merely a piece of paper and can be easily annulled through divorce. It takes commitment on both sides to keep their vows in order for them to stay married for life. Therefore, in the same way that a history of extra-marital affairs points to a higher rate of divorce, I feel strongly that a culture of casual dating also leads to the same.

That's why I was quite surprised when I read the bad press on Joshua Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye. I'm not out to defend his book cos I'm not 100% convinced about everything he wrote in it either. But I do believe the general principle that one should wait till you are ready for marriage to embark on dating/courtship (or whatever you call it) rather than for teens to start dating casually is wise advice. There are many reasons for me to say so, but one of them is that just by postponing dating to a slightly older and more mature age means that you will (hopefully) be less likely to make empty promises. You would also have less 'practice' in breaking your promises since you would probably have been involved in fewer break ups. And as a result, when you do find someone whom you are happy to marry, you would not have formed the bad habit of breaking your promises and would thus have a lower risk of ending in divorce.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that this is a foolproof method for zero divorce. There's no guarantee in human relationships as we're all imperfect. [Just an aside - that's why I think it's really naive and unfair of some of Joshua Harris' adherents-turned-critics to blame him for their divorces!] I'm also not saying that someone who's been through many relationships and breakups wouldn't be able to sustain a lifelong marriage. There are (thankfully) always exceptions to everything and of course, there is also God's grace at work in our lives! My hope is just that young people will seriously consider and re-consider before jumping into any dating relationships and think twice, even thrice, before they start making promises to each other. In this way, you would be more careful about keeping your promises in general and that would help you in building a lasting marriage in future.

  

Everyday Theology - from the young and the old

I've been leading pre-service prayer meetings in church almost every Sunday for the past three months. The two most regular attendees are my 11-year-old daughter and Auntie K who is a mighty prayer warrior in her 90's.

After the meeting, there's a 45-minute break before the service during which I sometimes get to chat with Auntie K and listen to her amazing stories of answered prayers. She is always quick to attribute all glory to God, reminding me of how little education she's had and how incapable she is of doing anything great. Well, yesterday she made a comment which got stuck in my head, "No matter what they say, don't let other people sidetrack you from doing what God wants you to do!" I made a mental note to make sure I remember her advice for life.

Later in the evening, during our family prayer time, our little girl seemed very much affected by what we had been praying for in the morning pre-service prayer - the war in Syria - and requested that we pray for the world to be a better place. (Let me know if you didn't immediately hear Heal the World playing in your head!) So we suggested that she lead us in prayer which she promptly did. The one phrase from her prayer that got stuck in my head was, "Please let people know that we should make friends and not enemies!"

As I thought about these two phrases today:
1. Don't get sidetracked
2. Make friends, not enemies
I realised that they had succinctly expressed Jesus' teachings in His Sermon on the Mount!

 ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matt 7:21)

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt 5:44-45)

With 80 years' age difference between them and only primary school education (at least so far, for my girl,) what lovely gems of wisdom these two had spoken! You don't need to have a degree in theology to be a theologian. :)