Care Community Church: a family church in a heritage site

21 Aug 2011 at 18:15

blogpastor

Singapore churches

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Enter here and turn left

A unique place of worship

This is definitely the church with the most unique of locations. There are those that worship in the home, the shophouse, the industrial unit, the shopping mall, an association building, the cinema theatre, restaurants, schools, even the columbarium, but this is the first time I The ARTs Houseexperienced worship in the Arts House at 1 Old Parliament Lane. The Care Community Church uses the premises on Sundays.

Heritage site

This refurbished old dame, was once owned by rich Scottish merchant John Maxwell. Later it was bought over by the colonial government and during its short illustrious past,  used as a courthouse and then as the Singapore parliament. The place gave a sense of a grand and sombre colonial past. Serious business had been conducted there in its several large rooms and corridors. Its walls had heard the footsteps and earnest voices of Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and Toh Chin Chye and Rajaratnam, the fathers of modern Singapore.

Old parliament seating

After the Chinese service had ended at about 10.30 am, the auditorium cleared and the congregants of the English service sauntered in. There were over 60 of them, and more than a third were young people. The musicians tuned their instruments, and went through their final preparations. A plaque stood out on the left to indicate that the room was once used by the first Parliament of Singapore. The seating arrangement had been left unchanged. What would the service look like when the seating shouted “parliament”?

grand high ceilings

worship the Lord

Worship and Word

Everyone stood for half an hour singing worship songs from the last decade. They all faced the overhead screen and the musicians. These were songs I could sing and relate to and all the songs were melodious. Then Pastor Amos Yap, an Pastor Amos preachingamiable and caring pastor, who embodied well the DNA of the relational and family church, took to the pulpit and dealt with a passage I never once touched in all my years of ministry: 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 – the passage about headship and “hair”. Evidently the church was going through the book of 1 Corinthians and one of the strengths of such systematic expository study is that the preacher and congregation have to wrestle with difficult passages like these. He gave the big picture, went through the passage verse by verse, and then summed up with the big idea and followed through with applications. All in 40 minutes. He won my respect for courage and perseverance, ploughing through the rocky hard earth.

The seats were very comfortable but the physical arrangement worked against eye contact and the members were scattered all over. Perhaps this may be a good setting for dialogue with the congregation to overthrow the burn-out sermonic monologue. Such a dialogue integrated into the sermon may result in an interesting and edgy learning experience Sunday after Sunday. Such an experimental format could be a tool that connects well with the postmodern Facebook generation.

Shepherd at heart

After the service, we had lunch with his lovely family at the Funan Centre food court and talked shop over kopi siew tai (milk coffee Pastor Amos and Kennywith less sugar) at Ya Kun on the ground floor. Pastor Amos was a good listener and quickly connected with me, like plug and play. Earlier I had seen how warm he was with his “little flock”. He does not treat them like units of productivity. Such personal care cannot be found anywhere nor everywhere.

Personal thought

Meanwhile my wife and kids were over at my home church. Getting used to worshipping separately from my family was not difficult. It was a pleasant change, and as I sat in the MRT train back to the Chinese Garden, I fiddled with my new smartphone, the Sonyericsson Xperia Arc, and the Android apps I have downloaded. These relaxed and pleasant moments must be savoured to the maximum, all the more as from the corner of my eye, I could see 1st October hurtling towards me.

DUMC raid: it’s about what’s right for the marginalized

15 Aug 2011 at 14:11

blogpastor

Religion

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Shock at DUMC raid by Jais

Already there had been issues that had risen in the recent decade with rights of Muslim converts to Christianity to change their designation on their ID, the Alkitab issue, and the accompanying bomb blast at a Kuala Lumpur church. Last week, with shock I read that the Damansara Utama Methodist Church(DUMC) was raided by 20-30 Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) officers. Just June, last year, I had been at dumcthe Petaling Jaya megachurch. The church’s community arm, Harapan Komuniti was holding a dinner event to thank its donors, leaders, volunteers and the beneficiaries of the NGO that assists the poor and the needy, including women, children, and victims of HIV/AIDS and natural disasters, regardless of race or religion. Most governments would be happy to see volunteer organizations raise funds and mobilize volunteers to help needy citizens. But reportedly, having received a complaint, the religious officers had gone to the Aug 3 event at 9.45pm to check if there were Muslims present which is not allowed under the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Selangor) 1995.

The Singapore way

Without patronising or saying that we have a better way of managing such matters in Singapore, or that I endorse it, inter religious harmony legislation has been accompanied by comprehensive pre-emptive monitoring of the relations between the religions. It is common knowledge among pastors of megachurches and mullahs of popular mosques that in their audience there may be plainclothes intelligence  officers taping and listening for speeches that may incite inter-religious trouble. Complaints from the public are followed through judiciously. Phone calls and appointments have been made to give caution. Hands have been slapped before, public warnings have been issued, but never an intrusion of such expression nor proportion.

Searching for political capital instead of the capital’s marginalized

When the politicians came into the picture to squeeze some capital out of it, the issue seemed to have developed a life of its own . It is certainly fascinating for a Singaporean like me to follow the ongoing news reports, though for a Malaysian it would probably be viewed with consternation and frustration. To have an idea of how different parasites are feeding off this situation, read Wyngman’s obsevations in his blog post of how six “blinded” parties “see” the raid: The DUMC raid: are we forgetting someone?

He concludes with a poignant appeal for everyone to focus on the real issue, and he is right:

In a word, the politically motivated see only what they want to see. But what they can’t see is that segment which they must be most responsible for i.e. the least of ‘the people’. I’m talking about the homeless, the AIDS victim, the drug addict, the retarded, the orphan, the widow, the handi-capped i.e. the very people for whom the DUMC dinner was thrown – who sees them? Only, it seems, DUMC and Harapan Komuniti.

The drug addicts and homeless are those which society doesn’t enjoy seeing, so all the more reason why our leaders must take a good hard look at how they came to be. The orphans are the ones for whom GE13 will make hardly a whiff of difference, so it’s critical that voters make a difference at GE13 bearing these children in mind. The handicapped are the ones who will continue to suffer after the media shit’s been cleaned (off the fans and the surrounding ‘areas’), so we need to bring them to the top of our political priorities lest it makes our talk of justice and a ‘high-income society’ full of shit.

A Muslim cleric who sees more clearly

Blogger James Lim in a blogpost cited a report by the Malaysian Insider that Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, an influential Muslim cleric and former Perlis mufti said it was not a sin for Muslims to receive aid from non-Muslims and questioned the efficiency of the distribution of zakat(alms) to the poor. He is reported to have said:

“Where have all our wang zakat (alms) gone? Collections of hundreds of millions of ringgit are announced every year,” said Asri in an essay sent to The Malaysian Insider today.

“Is it not enough to help the poor get out of their poverty without them having to ask others for help?” he questioned.

“Why is there so much red tape blocking the poor from getting alms? There is so much red tape just to get even RM100 to RM200. This is despite the zakat offices looking opulent, the high salaries for officers and bosses, and advanced equipment,” Asri lamented.

“Is the high cost meant only to find donors, but without sufficient willpower to find suitable recipients?” he asked.

“It is the right of anyone to help whomever they want. As long as rules and laws are followed, one can help another regardless of race or religion,” said Asri.

“There are many questions that Muslims must ask themselves before blaming others,” said Asri.

True religion

The tragic fact is that after all have been said and done about this issue, people are going to assert that they are in the right and others are wrong, and the marginalized will continue to be the neglected marginalized. But it’s not about who is in the right, but it’s all about what’s the right, compassionate thing that Malaysian society are going to do about the marginalized. Will all currently interested parties step in to contribute their abundant gifts of energy, time and money to help them?

Only they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. (Galatians 1:10)

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to9 keep oneself unstained from the world.(James 1:27)

Aldersgate Methodist Church: keeping tradition and yet stepping beyond

11 Aug 2011 at 08:09

blogpastor

Singapore churches

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In the wrong place

It was a traditional service, but it took a step beyond the traditional.

Like clockwork it began at 8.30am and ended at 9.40am. That’s about an hour and a quarter, with the eucharist included. This was Aldersgate Methodist Church. It had been a long time ago when I last attended a Methodist service in 1981 when I was a seminary student.

I was early and ended up in an empty auditorium in the Fairfield Secondary School. Good thing an early parishioner told me that I was in the wrong place: they were the Holy Covenant Chinese Methodist Church.

When I entered the right church sanctuary five minutes later, in the primary school,  I felt the warm browns of wooden pews. There is something about wood that conveys stability and tradition. This Sunday I chose to attend the earlier traditional service rather than the contemporary service at 10.15am.

choir at entrancesinging in processionRev Dr Lorna Khoo at the tail end

In keeping with tradition and yet

After three violinists finished the prelude, the procession was led by the choir singing as they walked in redemptive red robes. The service continued with a call to worship and an old hymn, “O God Our Help In Ages Past”.

Pastor Richard Seow leading the prayersThen they did what I thought was a beautiful thing to do, something you do not traditionally do. Beyond praying for the world, and the growing rich-poor divide in Singapore, they prayed for their “competitors”. They blessed and prayed for the churches around the Dover/Buona Vista area, which included 3 other Methodist churches, St John’s –St Margaret’s Anglican Church,  Shalom Baptist Church, Ebenezer Church, and even one that has yet to move to the area: the New Creation Church! And all these before praying for their own church needs! This 5 minute prayer said more to me about brotherly love and the unity of the Body of Christ than a hundred sermons. I very like it, to use Facebook lingo.

This was followed by the collection of the offering, and giving of announcements and the confession of the Nicene Creed.

Rev Dr Lorna Khoo preaching

Rev Dr Lorna Khoo had been in this new church assignment for about seven months and like Nehemiah had probably been just going around the city walls and surveying them before initiating changes. From the bulletin information you could see that she had begun to pray seriously about the region or parish that Aldersgate is in. She stood up and spoke a message about giving because it was a Pledge Sunday. It was an exposition of  2 Corinthians 8: 1-15 given succinctly in 15 minutes. Despite its compactness, it was filled with biblical goodness and clear powerpoints. The insight that interested me most was viewing the grace of giving from the angle of justice, an aspect of stewardship  that is seldom highlighted.

communion kneelers

The Eucharist was conducted prayerfully with liturgical efficiency. The participants went forward to the kneelers in the front circling the stage. There they received the elements that had been blessed and partook of it with devotion.

Contemporary service larger

The contemporary service usually attracted about 350 people, younger ones, but the traditional service attendance was about 150 faithfuls in the 45 plus age bracket. However, on this Sunday I could see that the congregation has thinned due to members probably out on a long weekend holiday in addition to the National Day holiday on Tuesday.

Brunch was on my mind and my right hand was full as I left the church doors out into the school carpark into the morning drizzle. I carried the Sunday bulletin, the Methodist Message – a denominational magazine, and Rev Dr Lorna Khoo’s book, Wesleyan Eucharistic Spirituality, which I bought from her.

Spiritual exercises: retreat, restore, re-configure

04 Aug 2011 at 09:19

blogpastor

Prayer

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Room 212 balcony view

Nature’s  welcome

Despite divine assurances that this lengthy retreat would do me good, it was with some apprehension that I settled into the room 212 that would be my home for thirty five days. Air Asia had flown me into Chiang Mai, Thailand, at about eleven plus, and I was glad to be at the Seven Fountains retreat centre before midnight. All the rooms in the block had been renovated with attached bathrooms and I was the first guest to enjoy it. When I awoke the next day, a beautiful balcony view welcomed me. A huge raintree and a flame of the forest spread their gracious branches to hug me. Energetic squirrels, mynahs and butterflies looked for breakfast. This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Gregory, Kenny, David Townsend, Peter

Together with others on a journey

The last meeting I had with David Townsend was in November 2010. He was directing my ten day retreat. My apprehension still lingered as we caught up with developments in the centre and what’s been happening with me. He gave me a well known passage to meditate on. It’s about God’s care for us and our value in his eyes being much more than birds and lilies. Another passage from Psalms said, My meditation of Him shall be sweet, and that was the word that dissolved my apprehension.

Later in the day, I bumped into the other two retreatants, Gregory Chan and Peter Anthoney, both Malaysians and final year seminarians. Over time a bond would develop amongst us, despite the solitude and silence, for we were going through a similar retreat program.

Many wonder how people can be in prayer, solitude and silence for many weeks. Most cannot keep silent for even a day.  I too wondered. Thus my early twofold anxiety: Will I be able to bear the lengthy solitude? Will it bring about the rejuvenation of a burnout pastor? Will the Lord accomplish his gracious restoration work?

Momentum of prayer

room with a viewThe schedule of each day was rhythmic. Three to five periods of an hour or more each were set apart for meditation, prayer and journaling. Meditation was mainly on Gospel passages and a few other contemplative exercises. The daily 40 minute morning meeting with David, my spiritual director, would be followed by one period; after lunch there would be two periods; and after dinner, one period. Meals were at 7am, 12 noon, and 6.30pm. Filling in were the naps, the jogs and walks, reading Men in White, a book about Singapore’s ruling party, enjoying nature at the grounds and at the Huay Khaew reservoir. The mind and heart were gently and imperceptibly led into a momentum of prayer that gave me a sense of progress, and gave me a booster when I hit the wall.

Weekends were welcome as they seem to give a feeling of lightness and change. There were the Sunday services in Thai and English in the chapel of the retreat center. It was different from the weekdays: more people both expatriate and Thai could be seen on the grounds. The food was sometimes very special or way below par.  The streets and Chiang Mai university seemed empty and sluggish. It felt less intense during the weekends.

School of discipleship, prayer and discernment

How would I personally describe the retreat program? It was a school of discipleship, prayer and discernment. God’s love was revealed through creation and redemption. This love was magnified as it was contrasted with human sins and weaknesses disfiguring all of creation. The meditations and prayer covered creation and fall, incarnation, the life and ministry of Jesus, the passion week, the resurrection appearances, the ascension, the coming again and Pentecost. A persistent focus was on seeing Jesus more clearly, labyrinthloving Him more dearly, and following Him more nearly. At several points in the retreat the challenge of discipleship came to the foreground: as you have viewed and experienced God’s vast love in meditation and prayer, what is your response? Romans 12: 1 was in operation: in view of God’s mercy, I offered myself as a living sacrifice. Consecration of all that I am and have naturally followed when I experience the grace of God afresh. It was both struggle and grace as I came to finally pray, as Jesus did in Gethsemane, Father, not my will, but Yours be done.  To be willing to do whatever He wills, at whatever the cost, for the greater glory of God was the end point intended.

It was also a school of prayer as I would learn to pray with the imagination, with honest feelings, with reverence and depth. There were no “How to’s” or techniques taught.  Prayed as you can, not as you should or must, is one of the memorable gems that the My cup overflowsdirector underlined in one of the sessions. So with whatever knowledge or experience I had thus far, I went on my knees or sat and prayed.  Learning to discern the spiritual movements in my heart and how to make better decisions is another growth area for me. This was relevant and interesting and it helped me see the important role of discerning of spirits in the church, and resulted in a strong personal desire for this grace-gift.

Restoration and re-configuration

The Lord was gracious and faithful and He ministered to me directly in prayer and meditation. Like a shepherd He tended to me. He made me lie down in a restful atmosphere and feed on nutrient rich pastures and still waters. He restored my soul. He showed me the right path to take and promised to be with me through thick and thin. He dealt with the past, filled me with His presence, and gave me hope for the future.

The immediate effects of the prayer retreat is best described metaphorically. It felt like a Celebration at Tsunami - we Finally did it!spiritual re-configuration had taken place. Changed focus, increased knowledge and awareness, spiritual aliveness and alertness, and rejuvenation of my desires to serve God’s people. A better operating system was installed. To change to a geographical metaphor, the tectonic plates of my soul have moved and the fault lines have closed. Revived, re-configured re-commissioned, and ready to go in peace and serve the Lord.

It took thirty five days to complete my retreat program. The first few days was for preparation and the last one or two was for reflection on and thanksgiving for what the Lord has revealed of Himself and had done in me.

Having my wife around and Juniper Tree

a Juniper Tree chaletMy wife joined me for a short prayer retreat and vacation at the tail end. It was wonderful to have her with me as I unwound in the last few days. She enjoyed her three day prayer retreat with another director, Puspo.  At the same time, it was good I could show her around some of the interesting places outside Seven Fountains,  and fete her with Japanese food at the popular Tsunami restaurant nearby. Later we moved to another place in Chiang Mai called the Juniper Tree. From there we idled, and shopped at the large Airport Central Shopping Mall and the night bazaar. The Juniper Tree was a small hotel with a swimming pool bought over by a ministry that sought to provide a place for cross cultural missionaries to rest, recuperate, and be refreshed.enjoying a foot massage after shopping Elijah suffered burnout and sat under a juniper tree and the angel fed him with food and he slept under the tree. Many of the missionaries I saw there were Caucasians serving in various countries in Asia. Many came to rest and be refreshed and unwind from the stresses of their cross cultural work. Some came because of medical needs, and two were about to deliver babies. One or two came to renew their visas.

The path ahead

Back home I continued in my reflections and readings of books on the spiritual dynamics of the retreat program, spiritual direction, and the discerning of spirits. A friend, pastor Seng Chor had given me a book titled, Sacred Listening – James Wakefield, a Protestant  adaptation of the retreat program for lay people who cannot take a full 30 days retreat. The program runs for 6 mothns requiring an hour and a half everyday the path aheadfor the exercises. Adapting what I experienced for church use would be a useful project for me to work on. Furthermore, recently, the recommended book list for my third AGST master’s module (Spirituality and Faith Development) arrived and I am now beginning to read and enjoy the stuff:

To Know As We Are Known – Palmer

Streams of Living Water – Foster

Exploring Christian Spirituality – Collins

………..and many other readings. Looks like another enjoyable and enlightening module awaits me in the middle of September. That would be the last month of my sabbatical. October first, by the grace of God, I will be back shepherding the flock with renewed heart and mind and body.

Annapurna base camp trek

12 Jul 2011 at 09:48

blogpastor

Trek record

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Just came back from Chiang Mai on Monday night. It was a prayer retreat that allowed me to predispose myself more fully to His grace and love and spiritual liberty. God willing, more will be written about that later.

This trek was in 2009. I couldn’t go, but my wife did. Viewing it reminded me of a similar trek I did to Poon Hill, an easier one. Nepal has beautiful, affordable trekking trails with views that money cannot buy. Your heart sings His praise and you have a glimpse of what is meant by “his glory fills the earth”. Cannot imagine what it was like in Eden.

The food at The Seven Fountains

04 Jul 2011 at 13:24

blogpastor

Prayer

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It began on 1 June and now its 4th of July. The actual 30 day Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius has concluded. Processing and taking it all in, basking in its afterglow, and trying to understand the dynamics involved in this directed retreat is what’s going on with me now. Reading some stuff on the history of spirituality and the dynamics and flow of the spiritual exercises. Not ready to blog much about it now, but here is an easier thing to publish: the meals we were served here at The Seven Fountains Ignatian Spirituality Centre, at Chiang Mai, Thailand. There were several more dishes left out, but most of the meals are reflected here. More vegetables and fruits than meat. Strong vibrant flavours and taste. It was thirty days before I began to tire and look outside for some meals. Not bad – kudos to the cooks.

Speaking in tongues in the worship service

21 Jun 2011 at 02:59

blogpastor

The Pentecostals

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During the revival, speaking in tongues was a common phenomena during the meetings, whether for prayer or worship services. There would be loud speaking in tongues with tears and crying. People were convicted and overwhelmed by the Spirit and speaking loudly in tongues, sometimes with interpretation, but most times without.

My understanding about tongues and its use in church gradually shifted with exposure to different churches: Anglican charismatic, Methodist charismatic, Baptist charismatic, Love Singapore meetings and even mega church Pentecostal services. This coupled with theological training on the interpretation of scriptures formed and shaped a nuanced understanding of the usage of tongues in the church. However I found it difficult to put it in words or to explain them simply. Until I came across this video in Adrian Warnock’s blog by Terry Virgo the founder of a network of 600 churches in 50 nations called Newfrontiers. They are Reformed Charismatic and Evangelical small churches. He spoke about the use of speaking in tongues in the church service, and it resonated with me.

5e. Free to worship from Terry Virgo on Vimeo.

Interesting gleanings from other blogs

13 Jun 2011 at 03:17

blogpastor

Blogroll

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Here are some interesting stuff I have been reading as I scan my Google reader of all the blogs and websites I have subscribed:

There is still this persistent perception that Trinity Theological College is a liberal institution and Sze Zeng, unfazed by controversy,  argues against Benjamin Chew’s conclusion.  His argument is laid out here: Baseless gossip: “Trinity Theological College is liberal and filled with apostate lecturers”. The liberal as well as the fundamentalist label have been used by different parties to demonise groups they usually strongly disagree with. Some who hold that the King James Version is the only accurate, God-given one, categorize those who use other versions as “neo-orthodox” or even “liberals”, while they in return have been labelled “ultra fundamentalist”. Meanwhile, New Creation Church folks are “antinomian”, while those who hurl these accusations are in return called “legalists”. Isn’t it time to stop labelling and start understanding each other in true love and learn to agree to disagree.

What happens when you marry the contemplative habit of “mindfulness” with “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT)”? Dr Alex Tang explains these two practices:

Mindfulness is a discipline that trains a person to be aware of the present moment and his or her place in that moment. It has a focus on the awareness which processes the mental and emotional responses of that person’s consciousness. Mindfulness is often associated with Buddhist meditation.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that undertakes to change behaviour by understanding and modifying the thinking behind that particular behaviour.

Read his blogpost “Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” to further grasp the usefulness of  MB-CBT.

Is New Creation Church a Cult? is an old topic but still bugs some people. Stanley Wong, a member of the church, answers this question logically.

I know this is a bit late but some of our best reflections do come long after a catastrophic event, like the earthquake and tsunami in north east Japan. Alwyn gives us three criteria by which to judge if any disaster is a judgement of God. Firstly, “The judgments were explicitly declared on very ‘public’ crimes”. Secondly, “There was a lengthy period of time for people to repent (and a fair amount of ‘bargaining’ allowed)”. Lastly, “There is always a righteous remnant (rescued at the 11th hour)”. Read this enlightening post, “Was the March Tsunami God’s Judgment on the Japanese?” .

Why isn’t the Kingdom of God, so prominent in the Synoptic Gospels, virtually low key in the rest of the New Testament? Let me introduce you to Dr. C. Baxter Kruger of whom I first heard in a YWAM conference (yes, this is a big surprise, isn’t it). In this post titled simply “The Kingdom” you will find a stunning insight about how eternal life is also Trinitarian life. Enjoy.

In Kuala Lumpur I met this lawyer who researched for evidence in the writings and sermons of theologians and pastors of another era that show they hold to the message of the gospel of grace or radical grace. Included in his archives are writings which show that  Martin Luther, Augustine, DL Moody, Charles Spurgeon, Watchman Nee, Major Ian Thomas, Martyn Lloyd Jones and even John Nelson Darby (Brethrenism) held to different extent similar beliefs on some of the distinct teachings associated with the message of radical grace that New Creation Church espouses. His blog is “His grace is enough”.

It was helpful that Steve McVey has written something on how “Stillness Speaks Volumes” particularly as I read it at this point in time before I make a trip to the Seven Fountains Retreat Center in Chiang Mai for a lengthy stillness. Going to take it a day at a time. Be mindful and fully present and rest in His love. My agape spa.

Talking about stillness, here is someone who practises stillness, contemplation, and centering prayer using photos and meditation to fill his blog, HearUout with insights and meditation. Have a look at this simple but interesting video.

A great idea comes from a personal blog of a church member Wei Yang. He will blog about how 300 people blessed and influenced his life. After all the political mud-throwing, its good to have some honest to goodness positive encouragement. 300 reminds me of Gideon’s 3oo and the 300 Greeks that stopped the whole Persian army from invading Greece. His blog is Be still and know. More people should do this. Wah….but 300. I am tired just thinking of it. May he succeed.

Finally something for Arsenal fans. Which players should Arsene Wenger buy this summer to give Arsenal FC the booster it needs to become English Premier League Champions in the new season? Read Jason’s idea of  “A ‘dream team’ for Arsenal’s next season” , and start dreaming.


The pursuit of true happiness

08 Jun 2011 at 06:31

blogpastor

Society

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pleasurable experiences often have social dimension If owning more and newer and better things does not make a person happy, then what does? In an article in the Straits Times, Tobias Chen and Ang Swee Hoon, a student and associate professor of NUS Business School, suggested that experiences have a greater effect of augmenting happiness than does the accumulation of possessions. “Increases in material possessions may well be accompanied by a decrease in happiness. This phenomenon, termed the “hedonic treadmill” says that as possessions increase, so do people’s expectations. Over time, people become less sensitised towards their possessions and require even more new possessions just to sustain the same level of happiness as before.”

They say research shows people gain more happiness by accumulating experiences. Going to the spa, attending a concert, playing golf, going on a holiday, and other pleasurable experiences: these does more for our personal happiness index than a new watch or house or car. The reason they theorize is that “experiences are more central to one’s self identity than material goods” as “people tend to describe themselves by the activities they engage in; rarely do they define themselves by the houses they live in, the cars they drive, or the watches they wear, even though these items convey certain characteristics about them”. The authors are on to something when they mentioned that part of the pleasurable experiences that give happiness had a “social” element, some relational factor which gave rise to this happiness.

Solomon, the son of David and Israel’s king of its golden age, had said that the accumulation of great wealth and possessions and experiencing of all kinds of conceivable pleasures does not give sustainable happiness. He added that neither does great works and accomplishments.

I said to myself, “Let’s go for it—experiment with pleasure, have a good time!” But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke.

What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane!
My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it?
With the help of a bottle of wine
and all the wisdom I could muster,
I tried my level best
to penetrate the absurdity of life.
I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do
during the years we spend on this earth.

4-8 Oh, I did great things: built houses,
planted vineyards,
designed gardens and parks
and planted a variety of fruit trees in them,
made pools of water
to irrigate the groves of trees.
I bought slaves, male and female,
who had children, giving me even more slaves;
then I acquired large herds and flocks,
larger than any before me in Jerusalem.
I piled up silver and gold,
loot from kings and kingdoms.
I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song,
and—most exquisite of all pleasures—
voluptuous maidens for my bed.

9-10 Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What’s more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day’s work!

11 Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.

12-14 And then I took a hard look at what’s smart and what’s stupid. What’s left to do after you’ve been king? That’s a hard act to follow. You just do what you can, and that’s it. But I did see that it’s better to be smart than stupid, just as light is better than darkness. Even so, though the smart ones see where they’re going and the stupid ones grope in the dark, they’re all the same in the end. One fate for all—and that’s it.

15-16 When I realized that my fate’s the same as the fool’s, I had to ask myself, “So why bother being wise?” It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke. The smart and the stupid both disappear out of sight. In a day or two they’re both forgotten. Yes, both the smart and the stupid die, and that’s it.

17 I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind.

18-19 And I hated everything I’d accomplished and accumulated on this earth. I can’t take it with me—no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me. Whether they’re worthy or worthless—and who’s to tell?—they’ll take over the earthly results of my intense thinking and hard work. Smoke.

20-23 That’s when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be hoped for on this earth. What’s the point of working your fingers to the bone if you hand over what you worked for to someone who never lifted a finger for it? Smoke, that’s what it is. A bad business from start to finish. So what do you get from a life of hard labor? Pain and grief from dawn to dusk. Never a decent night’s rest. Nothing but smoke.(Ecclesiastes 2, the Message)

As Solomon concluded from his experience, this pursuit of happiness is “bad business”, “nothing but smoke”. The possibility of lasting and true happiness came only with the death and resurrection of Jesus. With that sinful human beings can enter into a living relationship with the Triune God in the Person of Jesus. And beyond this vertical relationship, human beings can choose to relate to one another in a redemptive way. There is this new Eden where the Triune God in the person of Jesus is in fellowship with all His people, a people empowered by His redemptive work, to relate in authentic Christian community. This is where people find their self identity: in Christ and in Christian community. This is where true happiness is.

Startling, depressing statistics on U.S. pastors

30 May 2011 at 08:38

blogpastor

Pastoring

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These statistics have been around for some time and the research was done in the 1990’s but they do strike a chord for us even today and in Singapore. The research was finished by the Schaeffer Institute, but quoted in Thabiti Anyabwile in a post titled, “Don’t Make Your Pastor A Statistic”. In the post he quoted the research of the former and I reproduce part of it  here:

But if I am to believe some of the survey statistics published on pastors and their view towards the ministry, the vast majority of my fellow pastors do not feel this way and are not receiving proper care from their people. Consider these figures compiled by the Schaeffer Institute:

Hours and Pay

90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.

50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.

70% of pastors feel grossly underpaid.

Training and Preparedness

90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.

90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than what they

thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.

Health and Well-Being

70% of pastors constantly fight depression.

50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if

they could, but have no other way of making a living.

Marriage and Family

80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.

80% of spouses feel the pastor is overworked.

80% spouses feel left out and under-appreciated by church members.

Church Relationships

70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.

40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.

#1 reason pastors leave the ministry — Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.

Longevity

50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.

1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.

4,000 new churches begin each year and 7,000 churches close.

These statistics are startling and sad. Dr Richard J. Krejcir commented about this epidemic:

“After over 18 years of researching pastoral trends and many of us being a pastor, we have found (this data is backed up by other studies) that pastors are in a dangerous occupation! We are perhaps the single most stressful and frustrating working profession, more than medical doctors, lawyers, politicians or cat groomers (hey they have claws). We found that over 70% of pastors are so stressed out and burned out that they regularly consider leaving the ministry (I only feel that way on Mondays).”

However if you want to get further depressed, read the original article on why U.S. pastors leave their churches in Statistics on Pastors by Dr Richard J. Krejcir. Needless to say, we need to pray for all our pastors. And give them regular sabbaticals!

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