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| It's amazing how time flies... six months have gone by since my last blog... Not idly, thank God... but then again, I realized that if I do not write a post after a while, my brain gets to closed in... just doing the everyday thing and forgetting about the Big Picture in life. So without any reason, I promise to post more often. As promised earlier, I would share about my ambitions this time round. I must confess that the other reason why I haven't posted in a while is because this topic is so difficult for me to talk about nowadays, seeing that in truth I'm not sure what job exactly I would really like to do. It's not that i'm not motivated, rather I do not know what office can I fill with all the experiences and passions I have in my life. So instead of posting about a job I would like to do, I'm going to share with you the various passions and burdens that God has put in my heart. 1. Youth and Students: In the Bible, God speaks to us and tells us how important it is to teach our children the ways of our Lord, when we sit or walk, when we lie or get up (Deut 6:7). Unfortunately with the current secular system, the Gospel has the visibly unfair disadvantage in that the youth that even go to church or a Bible study will only receive two to 10 hours of exposure to the gospel. That in comparison to the 100-120 hours a week that they are awake, it is sadly but factually, the impact a church can have on a youth is negligible. And even IF (big IF) we make an impact to 100% of the youth that come to church, they will only make up a fraction of a percent in the midst of the MILLIONS of non-Christian people out there. If power comes in numbers, honestly, we're screwed. So what can we do? "Do you have an answer to this Mark Tan?!" Well, I have a wild dream, and I know that if God is for it, nothing can stand against it. The solution is actually rather simple. Instead of bringing the youth/students to the church, I say bring the church to the schools! How? Well, for a start the Christian families can be part of the schools PTA, the church of Mission Schools can practice their rights as the true governing body of the school. The youth and their parents would invest more time into their non-Christian friends and be a living testimony to them. Do this, and in time I garuantee two things: 1) the school quality will rise and 2) the Gospel is shared more often than just the church. So where am I in this passion? I have no idea... maybe as a chaplain of a school, or even as a PTA member of my future children. All I know is that this is my passion, of which I know God is pleased. 2. Malay Speaking Minorities: | | |
| After almost two years of not blogging... i think it's time for another one.
I was actually readin through my old blogs, and after some time of laughing at myself and even trying to hide my face at some things i actually shared about in this blog... i find myself sitting in my seminary's library, praying and wondering "Lord, how much have you changed me?"
I think if anything has changed since my last post, it would be thing one thing: God has made my dreams and visions bigger!
After looking through my blog i see that i blog about a few topics: My Country, My Ambitions, Relationships, Youth Ministry and more importantly What can a guy like me do anything for God. So one by one...
My Country:
I continue to give thanks for my country Malaysia... and I dream of seeing it to grow in leaps and bounds, not only economically, but socially as a 1 multi-ethnic country. This starts by rethinking what we usually ask and answer. E.g. What would your answer be when someone ask you "Are you Chinese/Indian/Malay?" I am convinced that my answer will never be "I am Chinese" but "I am Malaysian."
Now some of you will be wondering "Mark, why are you making things so confusing? You look Chinese, you have a Chinese name, so you must be Chinese." I must violently protest this statement! Though I have a chinese name (Tan Yean Cheen for those who dunno), and yes i look Chinese... but that's my ETHNICITY! IT WILL NEVER BE MY RACE NOR MY NATIONALITY! I am born in Assunta Hospital, PJ, I grew up with the sounds of "call to prayer" since i was a baby, I studied in a Malay-speaking primary school then a Christian Secondary School, I have a high school diploma from Canada, and I can say "hello, thank you and let's eat" in at least 5 different languages all because I AM MALAYSIAN AND PROUD OF IT!
Now the next question we need to be asking then is "What does it mean to be Malaysian?" Should we speak Malay in order to display our Malaysian-ness? Should I wear a songkok with my Chinese costume while eating in a nasi kandar with my bare hands? I believe it is up to this generation to decide on that. For now, all I can say is this... we are 1 Malaysia, therefore there is only 1 Malaysian identity, nothing else! If you are Malay, Chinese, Indian or Iban, Kadazan, Lum Bawang, etc., that is your legacy gifted to you from your parents and ancestors... But one thing for sure... they also gifted you with the identity that you are Malaysian... so be proud of it, and God Bless.
Will post the next category tomorrow... but in the meantime, I wanna ask those of you who have seen me recently and still read blogs... Can you tell me how much has God changed me in the last two years? Feel free to comment, God Bless, I love you all, Semoga Ilahi Yang Maha Berkuasa, Maha Besar, Maha Pemurah, Maha Kekasih berkatilah and selamatkan Negaraku. Salam 1 Malaysia! | | |
| It's been two years and five days since October 2, 2006; the day i got out of MV Doulos after i finished my Short Term Course... and... I miss it so much... The cabin, the job, the friends, the diversity, the sea, the voyage, the food, the experience... the brothers and sisters i made... i miss them so much. Good news though... Doulos is coming to Malaysia!!! She's coming to Penang!! I can't wait... it comes in March next year. The problem is... my friends won't be onboard, possibly ALL of them... Captain Mac Donald, yea... wonder if he remembers me. The Lord bless the ship and it's works. i hope to come back on it again to serve two years. 
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| Walked around MPH after watching the Mummy 3 in Gurney Plaza... Absolutely amazed about the size of the Section for Christian books, and especially the Bibles. Went straight to the shelves, see all the different types of Bibles they had, and... prayed over them. First I was thankful that Malaysia is a country that we can publicly sell Bibles. Maybe not the ones in Bahasa, but i hope that will change someday. I prayed that every Bible purchased from that rack will be fully utilised either personally, or as a gift to another person, especially for the unbelievers and the new believers. Who knows, maybe the next Billy Graham will use the Bible i prayed over for.  
So, whenever you are at a shop that sells anything Christian, raise a hand and pray and bless the items there, that they may impact peoples' lives through His revelations. God Bless | | |
| I must admit that i have done a grave sin... leaving my blog like this for over four months.... ah well i promise to make it up... but for now it's just something i wanna share.... I went to watch the Mummy 3 earlier... not a bad movie... friends say it's not good, parents and family loved it, so i decided to give it a try myself... i must admit i did admire the graphics and action, but i found the storyline and script rather a rush... it's like they tried to cramp 3hrs worth of movie into 2hrs... Anyway, there was this fight scene between General Ming's Wife (Michelle Yeoh) and the Emperor Chin (Jet Li). This is gonna sound weird at first, but while all the other viewers were excited and overwhelmed by the performance, i teared with pride and joy... Jet Li is someone i have admired for more than a decade. How he rose up from winning wushu competitions when he was young, to performing the first movies when he was only 17 years old. His movies impacted me a lot, even though i couldnt understand any of the dialogue... And Michelle Yeoh, a Malaysian, got to do a fight scene with him. Can you imagine? I used to think that Malaysia will never make it big in the movie industry... but then we have Datuk Michelle Yeoh, playing in big roles in movies like 007, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and now The Mummy 3... Movies that will last through the ages. And then there's Yasmin Ahmad's "Sepet", "Gubra" and "Mukhsin". Wonderful movies about a unwritten "forbidden love" in Malaysian settings, and won the Berlin International Movie Awards in the category of International Screening!!! Truly, Malaysia BOLEH! I know i'm a patirotic freak. NEVER missed a parade except when it's on Sunday (I go to church). But guys, look around... Times are changing... things are becoming possible... We are a nation of possibilities just waiting to explode and take the stand in global influence. I for one am glad, that for an Islamic State, Christian Studies in Malaysia is the Ceiling Mark for all of Asia to hope to achieve. An Islamic state, yet i can worship God freely and tell others about Him too... so much so that sometimes i feel we dont take the full opportunity available. Malaysians, be proud of your home country... pray for it, work for the better of your livelihood for her. She's a hibiscus, blooming as the sun shines... 
HEAVENLY FATHER, Thank you for looking at this nation. You have the whole world in Your hand, yet You also spend time to look at our little nation. Thank You for blessing it so richly. A country that's the benchmark and ceiling Mark of SEA, a country that allows me to call You my Father. Thank You for the oppotunities that You have revealed to us, and thank You for the blessings that is about to come. Father i pray that You'll continue to look at our country, and that someday, You'll save this nation through this thirsty generation of God seeking ppl. I pray for the government and kings, that they will have Your wisdom to lead this country to greater heights! Unity brings Success... Father let there be unity among the rakyat, that no longer we just see ourselves by our root-race, but also as proud MALAYSIANS. This I pray in Your Son's Precious name, Amen. | | |
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