Old School Asian Teaching Style

I recently encountered a foreigner (white man) living here and
working in education who assumed there was an Asian teaching style
that included shaming by teachers, rote memorization for students,
devoid of creativity or encouragment. I'm happy to post here that the
stereotype for an Asian style of teaching methods is most definitely
an over-generalization. Though we've still got a load of problems and
pressure to reach academic excellence, teaching and learning in
Singapore is in many ways state-of-the-art. I was very pleased with
the teachers my kids had here for their first 6 years. There were a
few bumps along the way, but they were for the most part creative
educators par excellence. And they loved my kids! Of course there are
some "old school" teachers still around (wielding rulers for whacking
and shaming kids). But hopefully most of them will retire soon :-)

Self Examination Downloads

Thanks to CRM Conference planners - preparing spiritually for a conference has never been so meaningful. Note I didn't say easy. Take a look at these self-examinations based on St. Augustinen's 7 deadly sins and going over those will most definitely NOT be easy! Self Examination Downloads

A watchman Waiting for the Dawn

Psalm 103:5-7
With all my heart, I am waiting, LORD, for you! I trust your promises. I wait for you more eagerly that a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn. Yes, I wait for you more eagerly that a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn. [your name here], trust in the LORD! He is always merciful, and he has the power to save you. (CEV)

I AM that watchman. Waiting for dawn. I long for more specific marching orders from the Lord. But I'm just waiting. And as I wait, I am trying to learn to more truly adore God, to let him be enough to satisfy me. In my inactivity my flesh longs to do something influential with my life.

It's not enough that I am sure I'm sure I'm supposed to work in performing arts, cross culturally, and empower others while enjoying the creative process. Crazy. There's far too many options even having it narrowed down that much. I don't want to settle for "good" by marching out in my flesh to get busy. I want to wait. Be sure. Let God bring on the dawn, and make it crystal clear it's of him and not me.

I prayed together last week with one of the other moderators of our arts egroup. Well, we sat in silence most of the time. Thinking about this verse from Psalm 103. What does it mean to be a watchman waiting for dawn? Just waiting on the Lord for the answers to questions and hopes for my life, and praying the same for you, the artists in Singapore who follow Jesus. One member who wrote back today is in this same place of waiting. I imagine that many of you are.

I really got no answers today as I imagined myself in that watchtower. I'm not really one for visions, but it wasn't hard to imagine looking out into the blackness of night over a vast dark plain of desert. I could imagine watching the east for the sun to rise. And as it did, I saw what there was to see for now:

The only thing that was there was the sillouette of the cross on the horizon. And that's enough. It really is. I'll keep waiting with the song that sprang to my heart as soon as I saw it:

Forbid it Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to your blood.

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

my post script to this post can be found at:
http://journeyofdesire.blogspot.com/2006/05/post-script-to-watchman-post.html

Sleepless in Singapore

Coffee at 9pm. what was i thinking? I knew when I was drinking it it would ruin the chances of a good night's sleep.

Been getting to know others through their blogs this week. Will soon be attending the CRM conference in Santa Barbara, so I've been reading up on Consecration and checking out websites and blogs of others in CRM. It's the high tech way of getting to know someone without talking to them. Kind of like sizing a person up when you visit their home by looking at the books they have on their bookshelves. Our president, Sam Metcalf, (http://www.undertheiceberg.com) has a cool site. It was actually DESIGNED by someone (versus me, I just use a google template...and, uh yes...of course...I'm not the president of an organization). All kinds of cool little tricks like links to books... I've always been a sucker for gadgets. And now I'm just the same in my life online. I love learning about little gizmos (as long as I never have to learn how to use/write htm and can just cut and paste!) I've just added a new one tonight - the common sense media link on the side bar here.


Got to do a fun thing on Mother's Day this year: A couple hours in the afternoon shooting a little video for a company called Muvee. Do it yourself EASY home movies to dvd. They've given me a demo of the software but haven't tried it out yet... I was successful in making my own little dvds for my mom and mother in law with my ibook this year. So, that made doing this little acting job extra special. "What a great video!" i said to the camera (not straight on the director directed cause I look too intense), "You know, you could do this yourself too. Check it out. " http://www.muvee.com/

okay. that's enough. i'm going to bed.

Stephen Curtis Chapman Concert

Last night we had a special treat that beats our free tix to the
sold out cello recital a few weeks ago:

Stephen Curtis Chapman was in town, stopping by from Australia and the Philippines on his way to China. This Christian songwriter/musician has won over 40 Dove awards. That's more music awards than any Christian musician in history. Both his lyrics and his music are wonderful. He looks way too hip to be my age.
If you haven't heard of him, get an album. Any album.
(And where have you been for 20 years?) My favourite is Signs of Life...
but this one is newer and also INSPIRED.

The hosting church didn't advertise since the tickets for 2 concerts were snatched up by the congregation. I think the auditorium must hold 1500+. Lori Webb called the church, and kept calling until she got a person, and then she begged for 5 tickets. We got them. 5th row center. Free. We took our 3 boys. Awesome concert. Cameron and Lori's son Benjamin (also 9) were rocking out LOUDLY. I loved hearing his stories behind some of the songs. They've adopted 3 Chinese daughters.

Tyler was his usual stoic. But his excitement seeped thru. I could see him craning his neck to get a better view of how SCC was playing the guitar chords and fingering the songs. Then when Chapman started singing "All About Love" his face lit up and he yelled in my ear: "I was waiting for him to sing this one!!!"

Cameron was so cute, after it was over he asked if he could pray. So he lead us: "Dear God, we had a really good time tonight and I know you're really happy with how loud we were with so many people singing about how much you love us. I hope you had a good time too." What a treat.

When I made a new year's resolution to pray for more faith and more miracles this year, I didn't mean for them to be SELFISH miracles! God is lavishing his love on us in ways that are easy to see and feel.

I imagine I'll have the "post show blues" from soaking up and singing along full voice with such great live music. Oh how I'd like to have more good music in my life. It's something I probably took for granted growing up singing and all those years at RHCC. I don't think about it too much but I'm probably creatively malnourished without an outlet for singing.... I should sing more. I'm going to have to crank it up on the stereo and cut loose. It will probably help chase my blues away.

Kids are having sleepovers with 3 friends each. Cameron tonight, and Tyler Friday night. They love watching movies on our bed. I want a wall in my bedroom office so that I can have a testosterone free zone in the house (just kidding I really love it).

A Whole New EXPAT World

Last year my relationships were almost exclusively with Singaporeans. This year, my calendar is filled with almost exclusively expat engagements.

My social world has nearly completely changed by switching the kids to the International Community School, and having our CRM friends the Webbs move to Singapore. Another 2 variables to the change is that I had to stop going to Tapestry Playback rehearsals or doing any local productions because of needing to get my back healed (trying the chiropractor and it seems to be working), and the 5 star group decided early in the year to discontinue our weekly meetings.

I feel so loved and affirmed and accepted in these new relationships. It is so nice to have someone let me know they've missed me when I wasn't there. Or to receive a thank you note for this or that, or immediate positive feedback when I've done something hard, or sacrificial, or that took my time to prepare. I'm wondering how much of it is imagined just because this new cirlce is culturally similar to me.

By the obvious contrasts these new strokes are, I'm thinking perhaps that the culture I've been trying to make my home and friends in the past 6 years just doesn't like me very much.

Or is that something that the Enemy wants me to believe and isn't true at all.

I did get a call after Easter from Joni, who's moved to Australia.
Su Lynn and I had a sweet lunch together a few weeks ago.
Sally, who's moved to Shang Hai always makes sure we get together when she visits home.
Yaen Cheng has invited us to Chinese New Year celebrations ever since we moved here and is a dear, generous friend even with juggling career and two babies.
Melissa and I had a wonderful lunch conversation 2 weeks ago.
It was ME who didn't make enough effort to see Agnes when she was back on her visit from London (could it be a subconscious rebellion because so many of my best new friends have moved away?)

Yes. I need to ignore that 'self talk' that tells me Singaporeans don't like me.

Perhaps they show their care in ways that I'm not seeing.
Or they are simply very busy.
Or perhaps they don't know how to nurture deep friendships.

It's tempting to give up on taking initiative and pursuit of friendships with Singaporean women. It would be so easy to be swept away into a life that circles around a membership in the American Women's Association. I admit, it is a powerful draw.

But if I give in to that temptation, then the whole point of moving to Singapore is lost. In the same way Jesus didn't move down to earth to serve and teach mankind and then keep hanging out with the angels, we didn't come to serve in Asia just to hang around other American Christians.

Finished it 2 weeks ago.

I was so jazzed about it, I read the extensive AUTHOR'S NOTE aloud to Jim. My son Cameron, who is 9, is reading it now. He's really loving it. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking, "She's really inside the head of an 8 year old who's trying to figure out his world." Hope I don't mess up his head between fact and fiction on what we know to be true from the Gospels and the rest of the immaculate research she did.

DaVinci code opens here in 3 1/2 weeks, so I'm rejoicing that a BETTER author than Dan Brown looked into the conspiracy theories (and a lot of other theories) and found them severely lacking any evidence. NOW her intellectual brain has submitted to this Lord and hse is writing about it for all of her vampire following (and others to read). Yeah!