Paul and Barnabas enter Pisidia unMarked. Some well-timed psalms later, the Jewish leaders are seen agog outside the synagogue. And when the reviews split the crowd, the apostles discover you can’t stop what the herd incites when love and hate collide.

Acts Season 2 begins. Pathos in Paphos. Paul makes a surge at Sergius Paulus. But he’s flock-blocked by an evil wizard. Powers clash. Having left Salamis, Paul now leaves the magician uncured.

Forty days fast and pray. From Monday till Malaysia Day, we bring ourselves, our people and our land before God in unwavering prayer. We say no to life’s excesses and we simplify, clean house and make room. Whether you’re a Forty Days newbie or a battle-hardened veteran, you need this. Your spirit needs this. We launch last Sunday. Jump in from the start!

It’s the end of Ecclesiastes as we know it. And I feel fine. Wanna know why? Cos it says in the book, six times, “eat drink and be merry”. Oh totally yeah!! So let’s pop the grape juice, hold my sneer, and give it up for… what? “After the sun sets, only darkness awaits?” What kind of title is that? No! After the sun sets, the party awaits! Eat drink and be merry, remember?? Guys?? Anyone still there?

Memang betul: this Ecclesiastes thing is going all out to bust down every grand narrative: money, success, enjoyment, and now what? Righteous living? Itu pun meaningless? Too much. This whole book sounds like one giant click bait.

The 90s! Ah, back then Malaysians were truly rolling in fresh mint. We took our baths in coffee and we watered our plants with chardonnay. Or was it the other way around? Whatever we did, we also chugged gen zees out into a world so hot, it would melt right down before they could walk. And that’s when the whole thing ended in a bittersweet orchestral mess. Just like most parts of Ecclesiastes.

Make it big, they say. Always be closing. Have a winner’s mindset. All well and good. Except everyone’s gonna die in the end, and everything you’ve built will get torn down by someone else anyway. You might not even get to enjoy your spoils. No, really, that’s in the Bible. Sorry, what? Yes, the Christian Bible. No, dowan. My pastor said don’t make bets.

Repetition is tedious. But centuries of repetition is poetic. Ah, such elegiac beauty, to see time wear down mountains and empires. It’s too bad nice people also go to ruin. And burnt cheesecake. I like burnt cheesecake. A few months ago, I saved a slice in my fridge and I forgot all about it. One day, it grew legs and walked right out. Sigh. Some things should last forever.

We’re starting Ecclesiastes? You mean the one where everything is meaningless? Yes siree. But it doesn’t really say ‘meaningless’. That’s just a bad English translation. What? But my NIV says… Yeah, I know. *fistfight and denominational split ensues.

Sheep’s ahoy! Last week, it was Father’s Day special with nautical-themed. Kids and dads sang Wellerman alongside a short sermonette shared by Pr. Fergus. Check it out from the podcast.