It began on 1 June and now its 4th of July. The actual 30 day Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius has concluded. Processing and taking it all in, basking in its afterglow, and trying to understand the dynamics involved in this directed retreat is what’s going on with me now. Reading some stuff on the history of spirituality and the dynamics and flow of the spiritual exercises. Not ready to blog much about it now, but here is an easier thing to publish: the meals we were served here at The Seven Fountains Ignatian Spirituality Centre, at Chiang Mai, Thailand. There were several more dishes left out, but most of the meals are reflected here. More vegetables and fruits than meat. Strong vibrant flavours and taste. It was thirty days before I began to tire and look outside for some meals. Not bad – kudos to the cooks.
Father in heaven,
You rule over all the nations, and place peoples in all their boundaries.
You set up leaders and You set them down.
We acknowledge Your authority over Singapore too.
Decades ago, You saved us from certain oblivion.
You have protected, guided, nurtured and blessed this nation with peace and plenty.
Your kindness has indeed made us a blessed people.
O Lord, we want to grow in peace and graciousness and compassion.
We pray that righteousness and justice, truth and mercy, will be part of the fabric of our nation.
We pray for a society where the weak, the poor and the marginalized will be helped and empowered.
Cause us, O Lord, to feel with Your heart, see with Your eyes, and think with Your thoughts.
Help us to cast our votes with wisdom and peace.
We trust Your hand in all things, and are assured that You will cause all things to work for the furtherance of Your purposes.
May Your name be praised, Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen.
The 5th module of the AGST MTh(Ed) program was held at the Bible College of Malaysia. Finding my way there from Bangsar station was simple and it was a treat to have a comfortable and spacious apartment all to myself. Pastor Benedict Muthusamy, my good friend was supposed to be my roomate, but he withdrew from the course at the last moment, and I was left all alone but I was not complaining. The solitude was strangely pleasant.
The college was having a trimester break so it was quiet and we had to eat out for all our meals. Turn right and walk for 10 minutes and you have a row of shops with the famous Raju restaurant. Several meals, both breakfasts of roti chanai and thosai, as well as banana leaf lunches and dinner were had here as well as at Kanna Curry which was nearer, just a 3 minutes walk to the left of the college entrance. No more Indian food for me for a few months. Another famous restaurant was the Ipoh Ngah Chai Chicken, and its neighbour coffeeshop which sold exactly the same stuff but cheaper.No more chicken rice for me in the next few months. After a week, I felt great empathy for the grumbling Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years on a highly restricted menu.
It was an enriching learning experience for me as the lecturer Dr Perry Shaw guided us through a wealth of materials to equip us in “Building formative faith communities”. Arthur Brown began with a theological basis for community rooted in the 
Trinity. From that theological base, Dr Perry Shaw continued to build an understanding of the self; group dynamics; hidden curriculum; form and meaning; understanding church culture and its interaction with the community; and the dynamics of change. The unfamiliar
material which employs tools from social sciences, social psychology, and anthropology was challenging but fresh. It gave us an introduction to tools by which new insights and perspectives could be gained when we intentionally build faith communities.
It was lovely to see the same batch of students and to renew acquaintances with them. In addition, I met an old classmate of Tung Ling Bible School, a short term training I did in 1979. His name was Derrick Chong. It was such a pleasure to catch up with him.