Date: November 2nd 2009

GRACE@WORK MAIL 44/09
October 30th, 2009 Edition.
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Commentary: The Truth, With Feet On
By Bernice Lee

Yesterday (Saturday, October 3st), we were ministering at the Young
Adult Evening Service of one of the "megachurches" in Kuala Lumpur. My
dear husband was there to speak to a group of Millenials (those born
between 1984 and 2000) about How To Do Youth Ministry in the 3rd
Millenium. Many of these young adults were people we'd made the
acquaintance of a few years ago at a youth camp and it was
heartwarming to renew our ties again.

Hubby wove his story-telling magic as he narrated the four trends
affecting youth ministry now that were observed by Jimmy Long in his
book Emerging Hope (2nd edition, Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,
2004).

1. The shift from believing in an objective/absolute truth, to the post-
9/11 we-all-play-nice belief that truth is subjective, depending on
what your faith tradition is (or isn't).
2. The shift from a baby-boomer focus on individual achievement and
success, to a deep longing by a "fatherless" generation for a
community to belong to.
3. The shift from a more word-based receiving of information/content,
to a more image-based visual communication style. It's a case of
eyes over ears. We have two of each, but the eyes are in front, so
go figure….
4. The shift from having a metanarrative (that charts societal
progress) to living a life of micronarratives (filled with societal
cynicism).

On first pass, I thought there was an inherent contradiction between shifts
#2 and #4. One talks about needing community, while the other says
millenials live only for themselves, for the moment. As I listened on and
thought a bit more, I realized that, ironically, a post-war generation that
belonged to extended families, where there were more mouths to feed,
fostered greater individual determination to succeed and shine. Millenials,
however, growing up in highly consumeristic societies and coming from
smaller nuclear families have many of their material needs met and so
tend to focus on themselves and their wants. Okay, this last statement is
a huge over-generalisation, but don't shoot me, I'm just the piano player.

What really struck me as I listened to da man was the fact that many,
both young and old, don't have a metanarrative in their lives. If truth is
subjective, what is there to hold on to as an anchor (sorry for the mixed
metaphors, but I think you get my drift) when life buffets us? This
morning, after the Sunday worship service at a dear friend's church, we
were roped in as interviewees for a video project on "Hope" — what it is,
and what we hope for. That brought to mind, again, the overarching
metanarrative that we have inherited as children of God. From Genesis to
Revelation, God has given us His BIG picture — one of deep love,
redemptive grace and mercy, and hope of the best that is yet to come.

When we are able to plug our micronarratives into His all-encompassing
Master plan, we find purpose, meaning and strength to see us through
this journey called life. Last Thursday night I sat dumbstruck as I listened
to a benign-looking, soft-spoken, humble professor of dentistry share
about the startling turnaround in his life when he plugged his story into
God's story. As a young, highly-competent dentist, he made a good
(sorry, make that great!) living. As his reputation grew, so did his coffers,
and he enjoyed the best things in life, complete with fur coat, sail boat
and permed hair! It literally was a life of wine, women and song. With a
shy, wry grin, and almost sotto voce, he told us he once went by the
moniker "Disco Bob". But this mindless pursuit of a hedonistic lifestyle
took its toll and he soon descended into debt. His wife left him and he
found his life spiraling into a meaningless cycle of work and more work to
pay off his debtors.

God had a different plan for his life, though, and through the love of a
godly woman, he found his way back to faith. Before long, as he applied
God's values in his workplace, he found, to his surprise, that he was
working less and yet earning more. All this because, "I used to see each
patient as ‘income', but now I began to see each of them as a person
needing care". His growing understanding of Scripture and his new sense
of calling saw him turning his heart to the mission field. It nearly broke his
mother's heart when he told her that he was planning to go to Nepal with
his wife and young family. Having been a part of the Chinese diaspora
that had left for North America in search of the good life, she could not
understand why he would want to turn his back on all that she had
worked so hard to help him achieve, and return to a world of poverty and
uncertainty. But his years in Nepal turned out to be ones rich in blessing
and purpose and he was proud to be able to taste for himself the reality of
Isaiah 52:7 (TNIV):

[How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good
news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim
salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"]
This professor's micronarrative could have gone very woefully wrong, but
when he plugged into God's metanarrative, he found himself able to walk
his journey with a spring in his step rather than having to constantly look
over his shoulder in fear. And the bonus is he has had the privilege of
partnering God in His loving and healing purposes in the lives of the
Nepali people.

He gave feet to the Truth. Now, I've got some walking to do.



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