Held

Holed up with piles of books and notes, I blog. Each time I return in summer, I find myself dialling for helpdesk all through the first week of work. They are really wonderful, patient people, and, my questions must seem as inane as this guy’s.

Because I’m now online at almost all hours, I’ve been chatting with two little cousins, though they’re really not so little anymore but we’ve just got so many cousins I can’t keep track of all their varying ages.

The girl has exams to study for like me (and it makes me think- I’ve been taking exams for so many years now!!) and she sends me a song. The younger one today informs me that he is JP. Which makes perfect sense, since those are his initials. But no, it doesn’t make sense the way I think it does, because he then goes on to explain that JP stands for Jaga Pintu, and kindly remembering that I know no Malay, adds that it means “guard of the house’s gate”. hahaha! He’s chatty and has many questions, like what’s the time in England, what did you eat for breakfast, do you play games online (?!)… Not unlike shimin! heh.

It’s also through him then, that I find out the uncles are going to pray to ah goong tomorrow, and I’m struck by a deep sadness that goes beyond grief, one which I know not how to express to a young boy in an online conversation.

Awhile after I wrote the post below, I recalled seeing a poster for the Amazing Grace movie on the walls of Camden tube station which Joyce pointed out on Saturday, and wanting to check out the site. So I did, and then realised that the film tells the story of William Wilberforce, who took on Parliament and persuaded them to outlaw the slave trade in the 18th century! There’s actually a campaign being run parallel to the screening of the film called The Amazing Change - “a campaign to carry on Wilberforce’s vision of justice and mercy”. Good stuff.

Trailer for Amazing Grace, the movie.

Amazing Grace (How sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Yesterday, 25th March, marked 200 years since the abolition of the slave trade, and it was also Freedom Day- a day marked out to highlight the bondage of people trapped in modern-day slavery, human trafficking.

I first heard about Stop the Traffik at Word Alive last year, (really wish I could join the rest in the caravans this year too! but oh well), and was struck by the story of a young girl sold into “slavery” because her parents needed the money and shipped miles away from home to work as a child prostitute. But hers isn’t the only story, human trafficking is about  people being taken from their homes by deception or violence and exploited, trafficked into prostitution, begging, domestic service, child labour, forced marriage and so on. Another site with more information on this issue is set all free.

I know I’ve been posting too many videos recently, but this one is really worth watching and thinking about. You might then want to visit the photography exhibition at St Paul’s Cathedral, or sign the declaration, or read more about the global projects to stop people trafficking, or become a volunteer who knows?

I want to do something more, people really shouldn’t be bought and sold… but for now, I can pray.

for those caught and suffering in the evil of trafficking, kept captive by unseen chains; for protection for those who might be vulnerable to this; for those who carry out the trafficking to be convicted of its wrong; for more to see Your heart of justice and truth; for us to remember always that we are made in Your image, and so are all other peoples.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness….” – Genesis 1:26

“I forgot he was created in the image of my God.” – “Wide-Eyed”, Nichole Nordeman

Finally! The weather forecast says SUNNY! And the max temperature today is 16 degC! I hope this means no more wintry relapses, we had snow/sleet/hail last week, in London, in March, absolutely crazy. Quite amazing, but very appropriate, that the sun should come out right after the clocks go forward into British Summer Time too. Il fait bon temps!

The Morning I Heard the Voice of God – If you click the link to read this, read all the way to the end! As a quick summary, John Piper wrote it partly I think in response to another article which described an experience of hearing God’s voice in an extra-biblical way, but in doing so, passed over the voice of God in the Bible.

An excerpt:

“I grieve at what is being communicated here. The great need of our time is for people to experience the living reality of God by hearing his word personally and transformingly in Scripture. Something is incredibly wrong when the words we hear outside Scripture are more powerful and more affecting to us than the inspired word of God. Let us cry with the psalmist, “Incline my heart to your word” (Psalm 119:36). “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). Grant that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened to know our hope and our inheritance and the love of Christ that passes knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 1:18; 3:19). O God, don’t let us be so deaf to your word and so unaffected with its ineffable, evidential excellency that we celebrate lesser things as more thrilling, and even consider this misplacement of amazement worthy of printing in a national magazine.”

I did once long for that sort of an encounter or experience, something tangible, that I would not be able to discount as anything but supernatural, something to ground my faith forever. But I’ve realised how foolish that was. (“that” and not “I” because I’m probably still foolish in many ways – work in progress!) Especially given the way I know myself to be. God speaks to me through his living Word, the Bible, so decisively and truly, in ways that are beyond doubt. (which I think audible literal voices and visions in dreams might still stir up in me) And faith itself is a gift of grace (Eph2:8) anyway! Just really grateful at the moment that there’s the Bible in English! Because I don’t think there is (and please don’t let there ever be!) a book I shall love more.

Anyway, so, link above’s worth a read if you’re at all interested in the Bible.

Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
the Voice of Truth
- Casting Crowns, “Voice of Truth”

Ok, so many videos here recently, but, at the request of ma not-so-petite petite soeur, here is another! First introduced to me by Angela! And, I’m glad Ying reminded me about it anyhow, this video kinda pokes fun at the whole in-love out-of-love thing, and lifted slightly the dark cloud of hearing stories of other people’s grief from broken relationships recently. Reality is nothing like the video huh.. ):

Oh man but it made me laugh so much, the keyboard playing, all the crazy dance moves, the doctor with the drip, the flashing heart, the walking into the sunset, and Hugh Grant, is just hilarious!

Aujourd’hui, j’ai découvert que Stefanie Sun a libéré un nouvel album. Here are two videos, an English cover and the title song of the new album.

it makes a sound like thunder, it makes me feel like rain, and like a fool who will never see the truth i keep thinking something’s gonna change. but there’s a danger in loving somebody too much, and it’s sad when you know it’s your heart you can’t trust… and there’s a danger in loving somebody too much, and its sad when you know it’s your heart they can’t touch… sometimes love just ain’t enough.

(not true- Love is enough. but just not imperfect human love)

那是泪光
那力量
我不想再去抵挡
面对希望逆着光
感觉爱存在的地方

Can’t remember for sure anymore how I was first introduced to Rosie Thomas (possibly yuheng?) but, I really really really love her music. And the new album is out! Isn’t it so very pretty too? Plus I’ve been listening to clips from it on the site, and I like!!!!

Back home, I think we’ve got just about all the others, thanks to the rather extravagant person who was going after my sister then – good taste in girls, good taste in music. hahaha. So how, so how, to buy or not to buy?

We Love Shi Min!
To be sung to the tune of the classic Veggie Tales’ silly song: I Love my Lips

diddydy bapbap diddybapbap diddydiddydiddydide bubapbap….. (etcetcetc)
it’s a min it’s a min it’s a min min min!
it’s a min it’s a min it’s a min min min!
it’s a min it’s a min it’s a min min min!
(oh dear.)
i LOVE my shimin.

when you arrived one march afternoon
i thought you looked just like a prune
you were so purple, and full of wrinkles
(she was so purple and full of wrinkles?)
she was so purple.

suddenly, you’re nine years old
chatty and pretty and playing piano
what shall we do, this can’t be true
(what shall we do, this can’t be true!)
what shall we do.

well as they say we all grow up
and learn to ride over all hiccups
so don’t you worry, there is no hurry
(so don’t you worry, there is no hurry!)
so don’t you worry.

so shi min you are very funny
to say that you’re “old and tired” heehee
i wish you’d never grow up silly
but you will anyway, and i… know that you’ll always be the princess of the family the big little baby but hey come on what’s so bad about that other than the fact that we can all bully you even when we’re old and achy but lucky you your daddy mummy and jiejies are all VERY nice people who will not leave you with stuck lips in a gate until the fire engine comes ever so that you have to meet a polish vegetable in the hospital who’ll teach you how to say.. USTA! haha.

happy birthday and happy monopolising!