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Osaka & Kyoto free and easy (part 1)

7 April 2018 blogpastor Leave a comment

Before the trip my main concern was the weather. How cold would it be? I was afraid I would be ill equipped to cope with cold weather. I prefer hot weather to cold. To be safe, I packed in three cashmeres, a woolen, several long sleeves, a long pants with fleece lining, a down vest, a jacket, a light windbreaker, gloves, a scarf and a beanie. During the trip, I had to play around with the layers day by day, and at different points in the day. It worked. However, the one thing I forgot was an umbrella. On the third day in Osaka, I bought a Made in China foldable for a few Singapore dollars.

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 – Flight to Osaka

We met at the airport at 12 noon and the flight was at 2.30pm. We arrived at about 9.20 pm. We actually lost a day in travel but saved $200 because this SIA ticket was cheaper than the overnight one. From the airport, we took a train to Hotel Nissei, Osaka where we would stay for two nights. Late supper was in an eatery that happened to be open at that late hour along a shopping street. Nothing remarkable except very friendly, young waiters.

First meal in an Osaka restaurant along a shopping street near the hotel

Thursday, 15 March 2018 – Glimpses of Osaka

Hotel breakfast was buns, hardboiled eggs, and mayonnaise mashed potato with hot coffee and tea which was fine by us, but by the second day I was happy we were changing hotels – the queen-sized bed was the size of a super-single and it creaked. We started off at 9am and explored around the hotel for a while chalking up an hour or so in a Daiso nearby. Then we went in search of an unagi (eel) restaurant near Hommachi Station (M18). It was deliciously inexpensive. Thick, tasty grilled tender flesh over fragrant Japanese rice. It was a chain restaurant: Unatoto.

On the road train around Osaka Castle grounds

Guards at the entrance of the Osaka castle gates

Outer ring of the wall around the palace park

We then headed to Osaka Castle Park and there we were transported around the grounds in a road train. We were not keen on entering Osaka Castle, as we have been to quite a few castles before. We wanted to look at the plum blossoms in the park and that we did.

Khoon, Daniel, Peter & Eunice, Karen at Japanese crepe dessert cafe

Jasmine (planner), Jabez, Kenny & Jenny, Deborah, Jacob

We explored a few covered shopping alleys at Barbara shopping area for an hour or so. Tea was tucking into fantastic Japanese crepe together at a cafe, and observing how uniquely fashionable the passersby were, especially the ladies.

When the weather is hot all year round like in Singapore, comfort takes priority: Polo shirts, round neck T-shirts, bermudas, blouse and skirts. In a cold country, there was so much more you can and have to wear: hats, scarves, gloves, stockings, boots, jackets, layers of clothing, vests – it was fashion galore.

We searched for a few second-hand shops but the pre-loved clothes were all branded stuff and were too expensive. A couple did spot and purchase for their young adult sons a few Paul Frank limited edition T shirts with cute monkey prints at prices you would pay for a brand-new jacket. This was a revelation for me!

The night is young at this famous shopping area

Well known icon of the Osaka night shopping streets

From there we went to that famous street with that huge Dotonburi Glico signboard of a runner hitting the finish line, and a gigantic crab with pincers that move. We walked around there to soak the atmosphere, enjoy street food like takoyaki (octopus balls I call them) to look for our dinner, which was for me a forgettable ramen (wheat noodles with toppings). We slowly walked back to the hotel through the shopping alleys and my wife hunted for cosmetic products my daughter requested. It was a long day. We walked thousands of steps and many kilometres.

My first impressions of Osaka are that it is clean but drab with buildings that are old and boring, and in dismal shades of grey, brown and neutral colours. The grey and cloudy skies of autumn only accentuated this feeling of monotony, darkness and gloom. How do the Osaka people (15 million) survive the winters and autumns? I guess their shopping streets give some relief with their bright colours, lights (especially at night) and variety of designs.

Friday, 16^th of March 2018 – Kyoto Arashiyama and Sagano bamboo forest

In the morning, we went to a street (near Nissei Hotel) with many shoe wholesalers. Unfortunately, there was nothing interesting to buy and we moved out of our hotel at 11am and travelled to Arashiyama to be at the beautiful Sagano bamboo forest. We checked into the Arashiyama Business Hotel, a smart hotel with lovely views of the bridge and river.

Arriving at Arayashima – lovely calligraphy

So lost in photo taking! Who is missing?

A “couple” shot is mandatory is such a romantic place

We just had to take this shot with the Japanese girls

We quickly went off to search for the bamboo forest. It was a 30-minutes walk before we reached the beautiful forest. Surprisingly there weren’t that many people. Perhaps the earlier drizzles had dampened visitors’ enthusiasm. Anyway, we spent close to an hour taking pictures, and more pictures and more pictures. The path of the bamboo forest led away to houses on both sides of a path that led into the main tourist thoroughfare. There on the main street we walloped the best udon and tempura of the trip.

A beautiful forest lies within this building!

It is called a kimono forest. Ingenious.

As darkness fell we went to the kimono forest, a creative collection of gorgeous cylinder-shaped lighted-up pillars displaying kimono designs that edged both sides of the path to the tram station. I thought it was such a great idea that Singapore should adopt somewhere for tourists to shoot videos and take selfies. Should not be kimono but maybe orchid patterns of all kinds.

We ended the evening in the single men’s room with fellowship, tid-bits and thanksgiving. It was comforting that this hotel had such lovely rooms.

Rick Seaward: a man sent by God

30 March 2018 blogpastor 25 Comments

I did not have an opportunity to know Pastor Rick Seaward personally. I was surprised that his sudden death from a car accident put me in a pensive mood. When I saw the Facebook image with the 1955-2018 it hit me. He was born the same year as me. I always thought he was my senior because of his crop of white hair.

My first memory of him was when he came to our fellowship during its formative revival years and preached a passionate message on Isaiah 61. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” This turned out to be the message his life embodied, and he went home in a glorious blaze, powered by the fire in his bones.

After that speaking engagement, I never saw him again until he showed up suddenly as the founding pastor of Calvary Charismatic Center(CCC) – a pioneer of the “church in the hotel” trend. That church grew rapidly and became the first megachurch outside of the mainline denominations (according to Harford Institute for Religion Research a megachurch is defined as one that sustains an attendance of over 2,000).

CCC also became well-known for their prodigious church planting throughout the world through their Gideonite program. They were the “it” church in those days. They also had great evangelistic rallies in the former National Stadium and blessed the local church pastors with inexpensive or free church conferences.

What strikes me about Rick is his amazing gift of faith and unflagging missional fire. He poured out his whole life and put all that he is and has at God’s disposal.

His bold desire to reach people of all races and religions caught the attention of government authorities zealous to prevent religious disharmony. He was slapped on the wrist. He was later hauled up for a technically flawed, financial transaction that had more press than it warranted. Another slap on the wrist. At that time, he was criticized for not being a Singaporean, a foreigner. Today he would have been called a foreign talent.

For a period of time he left Singapore and pastored in Auckland to help stabilize another megachurch. He left the CCC in the hands of local pastors he mentored. CCC went through a decentralization process of several regions and I thought that was one of the great redemptive things that happened as a result of the troubles that CCC went through. CCC, with its name changed to Victory Family Center, is today a family of congregations that worships in seven locations.

Billy Graham has gone home to glory a few weeks ago at a ripe old age of 99. That’s a whopping 36 years longer than Rick! Two great men of God. One an evangelist. One an apostle. Two giants. It saddens me when I think of his early departure.

I am sure most of us have accepted Rick’s early departure as something of a mystery, as a part of God’s sovereign plan which we do not fully grasp or comprehend for the time being.

Has Rick finished his God-assignment? Is that why God has taken him home?

Is Rick the one seed that needs to fall into the ground, so that it will bear much much more fruit in the decades to come?

We do not really know for certain.

We do know that it pains many to see such a giant go home when much remains to be done. The church in Singapore owes this man a great debt. He is a great loss not only to his beloved family and the church he founded and led. He is a great loss to the Love Singapore movement and the church in Singapore that has received the mantle of Antioch of Asia.

Father, we do not understand, and we do not want to pretend that we do, but we trust You completely. You are too loving to do evil, too wise to do wrong, and too powerful to have lost control. We trust You and entrust all the grieving family members and church members into Your loving care and comfort. Amen.

If you have memories of him you want to share, feel free to use the comment box below.

PREACHING SYMPOSIUM @ TTC

13 March 2018 blogpastor 2 Comments

The preaching symposium was held on 8,9 March 2018 in celebration of Trinity Theological College’s 70th anniversary. It was one of many other events to be held.

Panel to answer questions n the second day

I saw the publicity information, the titles and speakers at the symposium, and it perked my interest. Topics included: What is Preaching? The Bible and Preaching, Theology of Preaching, Preaching and Liturgy, Preaching as Pastoral Care, Preaching in a Pluralistic Society, and Preaching and Church Growth. The workshops included: Preaching on NT Genre, Preaching on OT Genre, Preaching a word from the Lord, Preaching by Listening to the World, Preaching as Evangelism, and Interest Groups: 1) Preaching to Children 2) Preaching to Youth.

As it turned out more than 400 signed up including the Mandarin version. The English-speaking version was held in the chapel while the Mandarin-speaking version in the multi-purpose hall. I hope the organisers see the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing his servants to this conference. There is a real hunger among pastors to be more effective and faithful in their preaching ministry.

I have always been interested in the craft of preaching and for many decades have read one book a year on average, and even more in some years. So I would consider this symposium as an equivalent to my annual reading.

Anglican Bishop Rennis Ponniah giving his talk

What I liked about it:

The topics were relevant and interesting. They were comprehensive but I came away wishing they had added something about “Preaching and Prayer” and look at the role of silence, solitude and prayer in the formation of the preacher, in sermon preparation, and in gaining insights on Spirit-guided applications. Perhaps another one on, “Preaching to Today’s Audience”.

The panel discussion that answered the questions from the floor were helpful and enlightening. One person asked about the way the preachers in the panel have seen themselves changed in the way they preached today compared to when they first started out. Another great question was about what sea change in the audience that the preachers have observed over their decades of preaching? One answer stood out: today’s church member is consumer-oriented unlike the members from the older generation, who were loyal to their traditions and churches.

The sessions were back to back from morning to late evening, with “no rest for the wicked”. I had to skip a few sessions as I felt over-saturated with information. I also found the session after lunch particularly difficult to pay attention to.

I met my friend Rev Vincent Hoon, an Anglican priest from The Church of True Light

On the whole I was glad with what I gleaned. I would have preferred a wider and comprehensive treatment of the topics. A few of the lecturers picked a key passage as a basis for the support of their talk. This narrowed the number and breadth of the truths they can draw from the limited text. If they had a topical approach, more insights and balance could have been shared about the subject as “all scripture” can be utilised to shed light upon the subject instead of one key passage. For instance the talk on “Preaching as Pastoral Care” used the text in Isaiah 40 where comfort was emphasised and what was communicated was a truncated form of pastoral care: comfort, consolation, support and tenderness. However, real pastoral care included reproof and rebuke, and even church discipline. What is the role of preaching in communicating and implementing discipline? That would have been a helpful facet to learn about! This was missed out because an expository approach was employed and it was based largely on one passage. Good thing this could be clarified and explained during the panel question and answer. It was the same for the lecture on “Preaching in a Pluralistic Society’ which was based mainly on an exposition of Acts 17:16-24. Perhaps the organisers wanted such an approach as a form of demonstration of how good exposition should support whatever case you make about those subjects, so I do not wish to dwell too much on this issue.

I was impressed that they invited Rev Dr Naomi Dowdy, a well known Pentecostal preacher, former senior pastor of megachurch Trinity Christian Centre, and Chancellor of a theological college, to sit in the panel and share her wisdom. Another woman who made an impression on me was Rev Dr Maggie Low. Her lecture on “The Bible and Preaching” was basic understanding for preachers but her delivery led me to conclude she is one of the best women preachers in the city! She was articulate, passionate and connected well with the audience.

On the whole, I enjoyed it and wished they would organise more of these, more frequently. I applaud the organising committee and say a big thank you to Trinity Theological College for organising this.