John Nelson and his wife Betty Lou came from America to Malaya in 1955. They came as missionaries. They came during the Malayan Emergency. How I came to know and meet them in person is close to a miracle. I was asked by Nelson Leong to do some research on LCM. Rev John Nelson’s name […]
“Yesu Lei!” A story of 2 early Lutheran missionaries in Malaya Read More »
For the longest time since I was invited to ponder on the last days of Jesus, I found myself reluctant to go deep into the garden of Gethsemane. It was too much for me. Gethsemane was a place of intense struggle. It was where Jesus sweated blood. Hematohidrosis is a medical condition arising from extreme
Walking Jesus home Read More »
If you could discuss gender with a person who professes an “alternative gender,” would your views on gender change? I put myself to the test. But not by discussing with a real-life person. (I am in circles which includes alternative gender persons.) Because that would take too long, would be too scattered, and too hard
Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality Read More »
To-date, I’ve avoided discussing transgender[1] persons. Why? Because I prefer not to write on subjects about which I don’t have firm opinions. But today, I feel compelled to write about transgender persons. Below, I’ll explain why. I wish to speak calmly through a long essay, rather than through short bursts which quickly deteriorate into battles
What do you think of transgender persons? Six theses. Read More »
Yesterday I preached the Sunday sermon. One member kindly told me it was too subtle. On reflection, I agree. Here, I’ll try to be more explicit. I titled my sermon “Real life leaders.” I spun the title from the text, from news headlines, and from my soul. Choosing a title is difficult. I rejected many
Can we sin boldly together? Read More »
Editor’s note: 12 March 2024. This column was published in order to recognize the unease of many about gender identity, and to initiate a conversation about transgender persons – against the backdrop of silence of the churches while “the world,” including the Olympics Council and some Muslim groups, made statements concerning them. The intention was
International Women’s Day 2023. Happy?! … Or Confused? Read More »
“Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Martin Luther has received more than 15,367,261 page views. His biography is available in 173 different languages on Wikipedia … Martin Luther is the 4th most popular religious figure … the 4th most popular biography from Germany and the most popular German Religious Figure.” That’s from the Pantheon
Luther’s had over 15 million English pageviews Read More »
It’s Chinese New Year (“CNY”) and we hear shouts of “Gong Xi Fa Cai!” which means “Wishing you Prosperity and Good Fortune!” We hear “Niannian You Yu!” which means “Surplus and Abundance Year after Year!” We hear “Ji Xiang Ru Yi!” which means “Good luck, Good fortune!” We greet each other with greetings of good
Gong Xi Fa Cai – treasures in heaven Read More »
Q1: What does Chinese New Year (“CNY”) mean to you? Q2: Do you enjoy CNY? Why? Q3: What are your hopes for CNY? These were the questions posed to a number of friends who celebrated Chinese New Year, (19 people of Chinese descent (3 living overseas), 1 Korean and 1 Japanese). Surprisingly, the
Let’s Celebrate! It is Chinese New Year Read More »
1st of January 2023 has come. We’ve bid goodbye to 2022. It’s a new year. How is it that I feel nothing has really changed, yet I also feel that 2022 has come and gone too quickly. Who is the person who determined that the 1st of January is a new year in the first
What on earth am I doing here? Read More »
