Aaron Lee and Namiko Chan Takahashi: Caring for Culture

Expanding the vision

I was looking for someone who could expand the congregation’s vision of how God is present and active in the creative arts to reveal His glory and power. I found such a person in Aaron Lee, an award-winning poet, bi-vocational pastor-lawyer, and a leader in the arts ministry. I first got to know him through Facebook. Later I got to know his wife, Namiko Chan– again on Facebook, and found out she was an award-winning portrait artist, and a Hula dance teacher. They are together the founders of Laniakea Culture Collective.

Made-in-the-Image-300x193

Aaron Lee and Kenny Chee
Aaron Lee and Kenny Chee

Sunday sermon: Made in the Image of the Master Artist

I invited them to take the Sunday morning message and the afternoon workshop. Aaron preached a message of how we are made in the image of the Master Artist and how we needed to submit to the ongoing work of the Master Artist as He shaped our broken lives into something glorious. The masterly and creative and precise use of words and videos were evident in his sermon. After all what do you expect from a wordsmith?

Kit Chan: I should have recognised her

I thought one of his guests looked like Kit Chan but she did not look like the glamourous Kit Chan seen on TV and the news. I could now see why the Jews had missed the Messiah – they had misconceptions of what the Messiah would be and do. The congregation was as clueless about her identity. And I lost a chance to get a picture with her.

Presenting a gift to the host (Photo: Lynne)
Presenting a gift to the host (Photo: Lynne)

 

The ho'okupu (token of honour)
The ho’okupu (token of honour)
Inside the wonderful gift: five stones (a reminder to "play")
Inside the wonderful gift: five stones (a reminder to “play”)

A creative gift

After lunch, Aaron and Namiko-Chan began their workshop with an interesting piece of Hawaiian culture. They presented a makana (gift, or ho’okupu “token of honour”) to the host, WRPF church, represented by my wife and I.  It looked like banana leaves and flowers tied with straws. It was actually lovingly made the night before with ti leaves and some flowers. Inside the leaves were five stones – a reminder to actively “play” throughout our lives.

Beng Choo and Deborah dancing
Beng Choo and Deborah dancing the prayer song (Photo: Aaron)
Namiko hulas to the prayer song. You could feel the presence of God as she moved with grace
Namiko hulas to the prayer song. You could feel the presence of God as she moved with grace (Photo: Aaron)

Enthralled by their stories

Then they shared their journey in the arts. The congregation was enthralled by their stories of how they were called and mentored into their ministry in the creative arts. Namiko’s story of how the Lord led her into learning the hula from a Hawaiian master, and how God used their 10,000 Profiles project to serve the orang asli were reminders of how God leads and uses us with our unique gift-sets.

During the workshop, Namiko got the whole congregation involved in expressing a prayer song in movements of our hands and arms. Then she gave her hula dance interpretation of the same song: it was anointed and captivating. I sensed the presence of the Lord conveyed through the dance.

Creative journalling

After a short break, Aaron gave us some tips on creative journaling. Doodling is one the interesting items on his list. There is hope for those who dislike writing. They can doodle! We ended with an open-ended exercise in journaling, a fitting closure to the workshop. For some, their journey has begun with this workshop, I hope.

After the meeting, people were still interacting with Aaron and Namiko.
After the meeting, people were still interacting with Aaron and Namiko.

Mind the gap

One takeaway for me was Aaron’s portrayal of the challenging gap of a lack of mutual acceptance and appreciation between the church and creative artists. Will creative out-of-the-box artists feel comfortable in a church that values respectability, conformity and acceptability? What would it take for a church to be more friendly for people of the creative arts to thrive in the church community?

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JAPAN JAUNT 2016 – DAY 8: SHIRAKAWAGO – WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Wednesday 2 November 2016

I was excited to visit Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I think UN did a fine thing to make this label such a desirable thing among the nations. It’s a win-win arrangement. The country that gets a heritage site status for one of its historical or natural wonders benefits from a “brand” that can draw tourists’ dollars that then can be pumped back to sustain the maintenance of these invaluable pieces of history and natural wonders.

From Toyama we took a bus to Shirakawago. This was an hour and a half ride. I took the time to catch up on my reading. I had bought a Kindle beforehand and liked the idea that I can have so many books in one light paperback-sized gadget with a pleasant screen. I was reading “Tokyo Year Zero” by David Peace. I got the idea of reading a book about the country I went to when my son’s girlfriend passed me a book titled “Silence” the year before when I visited Kyushu. I must say that both these books have bleak, desolate themes. Perhaps this dismal, cheerless spirit is why the Japanese love wearing neutral colours. In the trains and in the street, I see the Japanese people wearing clothes in browns, beige, black, white, cream. Maybe its practical because it matches with anything – and being classic it does not go out of fashion so quickly. Maybe they are a high-conformist society. When I watch the Korean dramas they are so into bright catchy colours! Anyway, the Kindle was a blessing to have around during these long rides.

 

At Shirakawago we went the wrong direction and got lost.  So we went back to the start point and information counter, and in less than ten minutes in the opposite direction, we entered an old three storey house that had a roof that looked like praying hands. The roofs were steep and thatched in the “gassho style” (whatever that means). We entered into one that is open to the public and found the inside surprisingly large and interesting. These rare, large and well preserved old village houses used to house extended families that subsisted on sericulture (cultivation of mulberry trees and silkworms). Fascinating.

I wanted to stay longer because it was highly unlikely that I would pass this way again and I was intrigued by the village in the valley secluded from the rest of Japan by the surrounding forests and mountains. What kind of people lived here? How were they different in culture and values from the rest of the Japanese? Never got my questions answered though. So while the rest of the group headed back to Toyama city viewing tower, four of us opted to stay on and we booked a later bus departure. This gave us more time to have a quick bite and leisurely walk around the whole village. The bright sunshine did not make for good photography but the weather was cool and lovely. I loved the unhurried leisurely stroll in this beautiful and significant place.

 

Ramen Iroha - the black squid ramen in Toyoma
Ramen Iroha – the black squid ramen in Toyoma (Credits: Judith)
Oishi says everybody.
Oishi says everybody (Credits: Judith)
Famous squid soup ramen
Famous squid soup ramen – slurp (Credits: Judith)

Later we took the bus back to Toyama and there searched for the famous black squid ramen. It is raved about on the internet. So we had to die, die must try, and tried we did. We found it in the basement of the building where the bus dropped us off. It was opposite a Daiso department store, so shopping took priority and the ladies went hunting with new energy, while I explored every floor of the building and ended at the highest level where there was free wifi. The other group had patronised the ramen restaurant earlier and said it was great, so with anticipation we went in and slurped the ramen noodles for dinner, and though I am not much of a ramen fan, I exclaimed oishi! since everyone else did so. In Japan, it is good to conform.

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