Hard Questions

I'm supposed to be sleeping like a log after the youth camp (especially since I hardly got any sleep there), but I'm up early with my mind racing at breakneck speed again. So much to process. But some things have changed. Many things were said during the camp, but I'll just emphasize and write on one thing here.

Our camp speaker, Ps Daniel Ross urged and gave everyone the permission to ask HARD QUESTIONS. Ask hard questions in the camp during the Q&A sessions (he said the quality of the sessions are determined by the quality of their questions) or when one-on-one with him. Ask hard questions after the camp, to the leaders. Ask hard questions in their walk with God.

Hard questions aren't necessary smart alecky kinda questions.

Hard, because it's serious. So serious that some issues have become taboo subjects. In camp, light was shone on serious issues of like pornography and other habits and addictions.

Hard, because it challenges everything you know (or you think you know). And it pushes you out of your comfortable "play safe" zone.

Ps Daniel pointed out to one of my favourite verses in Acts 17:11: Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessolonians, for they receive the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Ps Daniel said to "question EVERYTHING in the light of scripture". I couldn't agree more. Many times in his messages he said, "don't take my word for it, go read....find out for yourselves....". Even the great Apostle Paul's teachings had to be questioned and tested with the Scripture.

I believe (and saw with my own eyes in too many lives) that the ability to ask great questions (or lack of) can make or break our journey in this life. Especially THIS GENERATION. You are blessed if you have someone in your life whom you can ask hard questions to, and that person is allowed to ask you hard questions in return to check where you are, every now and then. During a workshop, Ps Daniel said this is very crucial.

I believe young people are more than ready (in fact they're craving) for hard questions. They just need the right guidance and mentors. During my University studying days in England, my friends and I would do Bible studies with many chinese christians from different countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan. And they were allowed (strongly encouraged) to ask great, genuine questions from the Scripture texts we were looking at. Not just for the sake of satisfying curious minds, but to question boundaries (many are non-existent!) and everything that they came from. They were all from different countries, cultures, church denominations and personal biases, but every time when we search into the scriptures hard enough, there's UNITY. Objective truth MUST and WILL bring genuine unity. I saw so many lives transformed, as if their eyes were opened for the first time. But tragically many of them would not dare go back to their own countries, their own churches, where they would not be allowed to question like how they did then. When my time there was up, many of my friends questioned me why would I wanna return to Malaysia. Now that was one question I didn't ask myself hard enough!

In camp, Ps Daniel also said that we should submit to the leaders above us, to their stand on many hard issues. To be honest, this was really hard for me. Over the years I've been thrown to the "jungles" and the "deserts". In my darkest hours, no one was with me as I wrestled with tough questions. Now that I've formed my own biases, how could I submit? I struggled with that thought hard. Eventually I had some kinda answer yesterday night.

When I was young, I had to accept everything my mother taught me. When challenged, she said that I should be quiet and just accept the answer as it was. "Just accept things as they are". When older, I told my mom what certain things she did/taught were wrong. I'm glad that her understanding of things have evolved (for the better!) over the years and she admitted so. She's been a great learner herself. In the same way, when I look at myself, I never really have a problem with submission, as long as the one I submit to must learn as hard as me, if not more!

Nobody is right. Nobody knows. Nothing is sound. Everyone moves. Everything has to move...towards objective truths (I'm still thinking of my Part 3 to that).

Ps Daniel did challenged me with a question. It was raining heavily outside with hints of thunderstorm, and the camp's main watergame at the swimming pool was called off. We were at the small field and he popped up the crazy idea of playing ultimate frisbee under the pouring rain. He said something like "Come on man....let's do it....why not play in the rain, that'll be so fun, awesome etc." He came up to me and put his finger on my T-shirt (from Mt Kinabalu) that says "Nothing Is Impossible". Then he said "We can do this...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" And off he ran with Keegan (the South African-Australian dude he brought along to the camp) tossing frisbee to each other, playing like there's no tomorrow. My buddy Jacky and I looked at each other, and promptly took off our tops and ran after them into the field. And soon many began to join us when the rain was dying down.

How cool is that, to have such a pastor in our midst?

And yeah, why play so safe?

Could it be time to pick up my sword and raise the standard again?