Luke 2:46-52

The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.

   His mother said, “Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you.”

 ^49-50He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?” But they had no idea what he was talking about.

 ^51-52So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.

How do you care and handle a child who is destined for a life and a future that you simply cannot comprehend? Both Jesus’ parents could only imagine him to be like any other child when he or she was twelve: playing in the fields, stay within reasonable proximity and following their orders.

But this boy was starting to come of age. He started making choices independent of his parent’s knowledge. Like getting lost in the temple, debating with the best of them. Mother couldn’t envision this. It’s not within her paradigm.

At the start of each year, my mind wanders around the decisions that I’ve made in the past. Key choices that have led me to this point. There were many that were regretful and in equal measure, there were also ones that I knew was honest and integral to who I am today.

Many of those decisions were made based on expectations of others, namely my parents and my peers.

In a lot of ways, I felt I was not understood for most of my life. Nobody knew what makes me tick. Hell, even I wasn’t aware of what I wanted.

But I realise now that…  it’s okay.

The destiny and the hope entrapped within a human heart is too incomprehensible and too huge a universe for any of us to grasp.

Son of God?

My Father’s Business?

These things are too wonderful for me. Let alone others. They could only see so much into the depth of my identity. I have to “grow up” knowing that the path I choose is as unique as every snowflake that floats in the air of our fiercest winter months. Over the last few years, that has rung more true to me. And I don’t think that this year will be any different.

With that, perhaps I should step out more, out of the comforts of safe thinking and favorable responses. My heart yearns to create and to express in ways that I haven’t done before. Maybe this year could be one where I take my chances and experiment with a wild instinct for what is exhilarating and frightening at the same time.

God.

Help me out of my feeble thinking. Release me from the trap of needing to be understood.

By your grace, allow me to mature in wisdom and the stature of who I am made to be.

Perhaps this is the hour to carve out my own unique path. Undeterred by comparisons and societal definitions of what is right or wrong. May it is be a creative span to serve those around me, blessed by both You and people.

Amen.

I have to admit this. I have high expectations for musicals. And there are of course two things that often leaves one discontent – unrealistic expectations on part of the audience or it was just a really really poor show. So I’ll trick myself sometimes into getting into a certain frame of mind. Where I’ll expect almost nothing and let the performance surprise me.

And it did. The singing and acting were definitely good but that was not stole the show. It was the story. A twist created in a tale we all heard since childhood. That the bad guys (or gals) weren’t all that we made them out to be. And that even those who are deemed pure and good have a dark side to them as well.

It just goes to show that we as a society are a twisted bunch as well. In rallying cry to bring people together, we need to create an enemy. And there are accusers who are quick to point out the antagonists among us. Those that we could blame for our sorry lives and dire circumstances. Someone must take the fall for the problems we face.

And whether it is Elphaba from “Wicked”, The Dark Knight or even (dare I say) Judas from the Bible, our world marks the heroes and villains so that our cause may stand. That there is something to fight for.

But what if we are all fighting from a flawed perspective? What if we just conveniently create scapegoats so that it gives us an excuse to lift up our swords for a meaningless war? What if we are all to blame for the plights we find ourselves in?

“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me.”

Many will be quick to jump to the conclusion that it was that one person who betrayed the Son of Man. The truth?

We have all betrayed Him. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

There is always this moment during Masterchef when Gordon would announce the theme of the cookout and the guys will always groan, moan and pray for the life of God that hopefully it won’t be that very one that which most women are seduced by. Yes, the dreaded dessert.

I don’t want to be that guy.

Come next year. I will learn how to make a strong finisher to my dinner parties.

So I’m waiting to get my hands on Pete Rollin’s new barnburner.

There seemed to be a couple of thoughtful responses going around. Jason Clark gives his pastoral perspective while treading cautiously on grounds where theology tries to embrace philosophy. Pete gave his rejoinder by emphasizing the need for a radical flip of the table where religious debates happen.

I thought Katharine Moody gave a pertinent reminder for the irony of putting Rollins on the very pedestal which he tries persuade us to refrain from doing with our church leaders. Which he rightfully acknowledged.

Too consumed by our own desires.

Picking up crumbs of sensibility to explain your pathetic predicament.

We’ve all got a devil on our backs.

How then could we ever dance together again?

This is a place that you all made together so you could find one another. The most important time of your life was when you were with these people. That’s why you are all here. No one does it alone Jack. You needed all of them and they needed you.

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday at the age of 56. He said before in his commencement speech at Stanford that remembering that he’ll be dead soon is the most important tool to help him make the big choices in life. Perhaps we got it backwards when we say that life is gift. The true miracle of life happens in the face of death. It’s only through the lens of our mortality that we begin to search and seek out treasured moments that mean something.

Worthwhile.

Timeless.

A peek into eternity.

Moments with those that matter. And the courage to love them in spite of the thorns of disappointments and hurt threatening to pierce our weary hearts.

9 July 2011.

Whether or not you believed in its cause, there is no doubt that Bersih 2.0 sparked more questions among folks that have been sitting on the fence or those that haven’t even begin to wonder what our world would be like if there was a group of people who actually believed they go stand up against the oppression of our system.

Leading up to the day itself, I have grown weary reading the myriads of comments and innuendos that taint a campaign that aims to bring about what many would deem as idealistic reforms. But out of the cracks of my doubts and fatigue, a renewed hope rose with a first hand experience of my people standing side by side, singing joyfully and shouting in defiance at the tyranny that came in form of gas canisters and water cannons. We were pushed back repeatedly but we would not be denied of the idea of a world that we imagine could be.

We shared salts and enjoyed the purifying effects of water splashed on our weary faces, while believing with the solidarity of our hearts that the message for change literally could be heard across the country when two or three are gathered in one accord. Indeed, the voices of ten thousand people reverberating at the heart of the city have an electrifying unifying effect unlike anything in this world.

There were our Muslims friend setting mats and going down on their knees in prayer, a man allowing others to step on his back as a springboard to safety, generous acts of kindness in form of distributed bottles of water and salts. I could go on with these stories. Thank you my rakyat. For restoring my faith that we actually give a damn about our country. That we actually care to oppose a system that allows dictators do whatever they want according to their whims and fancies. Marching through bouts of tear gas, rain and endless police barricades isn’t so bad after all.

Not when you’re fighting with fellow comrades for a world we could believe in together. That world, if it ever becomes reality, would justify the actions we took on this day.

One man’s quest to test Malcolm Gladwell’s theory.

10 000 hours.

I need to work out mine plan too.

Now if only I knew what to work on.

Maintain – mid-13c., “to practice habitually,” from Anglo-Fr. meintenir (O.Fr. maintenir), from L. manu tenere “hold in the hand,” from manu, ablative of manus “hand” (see manual) + tenere “to hold” (see tenet). Meaning “to carry on, keep up” is from mid-14c.; that of “to keep oneself, to support” is from late 14c. Sense of “to defend in speech” is from mid-14c. Related: Maintained; maintaining; maintains.

To develop strength and durability, we hold up our strength in different facets of our everyday life. Skills we work on, our emotional state and brain efficacy to name a few. More often that not, maintenance is the platform which supports our quest to improve in our craft and more importantly, our well-being. Cleaning off the dirt and oiling the pistons usually allows our engine to run a tad bit longer.

Speaking of which, I need to go clean my horn now. And my heart.

I feel like we’re standing on the precipice of that which could the tilt the future of this nation. For better. Or for worse.

In these times, we pour out utterances which are both radical and bold. As we confront and embody the prayer that which we ourselves cannot fully grasp, it is impossible to leave this holy ground unchanged.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from evil.

So let it be.

Rowan Williams provides here the most helpful of reflections.