There are times when the Spirit moves, and a shout of proclamation of His goodness wells over my being, so full that I can’t help but utter, Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord, for your unfailing, overwhelming, indescribable love. Life has been much of a routine post-Dragon 100, but what I used to perceive as boring from a pre-MAS point of view has now become comfortable, peaceful, and enjoyable.

Have realized in the past two weeks that I may have adjusted to working life in MAS smoothly, so much so that it feels like I’ve been here for ages, yet OTOH there have been other more subdued transitions that I am still semi-consciously grappling with, which in part explains why I haven’t really felt like myself since I got back from the US in June. That life, that other life seems so far away now, and that self, too has become almost but a fond memory. As I was mentioning to an ex-supervisor last week over lunch, it’s hard to miss my life back in the US because I see almost no continuity between that world and mine today. Yet one thing remains constant and absolutely wonderful, and that is my Anchor, who is with me wherever I am, and whose grace is over me in all situations and every circumstance.

Being back in New Cre has been wonderful – Although I’ve been active in both church and Christian fellowship for the last four years for the most part, nothing beats being able to be just like Mary, sitting at Christ’s feet and just absorbing, taking from Him, and enjoying His presence. Sundays are always a highlight because I am so well fed, and yet always hungering for more… I thank God for bringing New Cre into my life, for a pastor who relentlessly presses on to preach about the finished work of the Cross, and the very Person of Jesus.

These are certainly peaceful times, and I am especially thankful that of late, the weekdays have melded into one another, so much so that Monday flies past, followed by the middle of the week, and all too soon, Friday comes again. There is an inner peace resting in my heart, despite whatever small challenges come my way each day and for that, I am very grateful. Just being able to dwell in His presence, to sense His shalom, is an awesome, awesome privilege and an inheritance I pray that each of you will experience yourself one day, and soon.

God has been bringing people – both old and new – into my life these past few weeks, at work and outside of. I am continually amazed at how He always provides exactly what I need, and in His perfect timing too. Thank you, friends, for caring, for phone calls and msgs and emails. I haven’t been exactly proactive since I got back, having felt a sense of detachment and disorientation with much of the goings-on in Sg, and have found it most comfortable to retreat to a safe haven of family, church, and books. But God is awakening in me a sense that things are changing, and the acknowledgement of a transition that I didn’t know was happening but do now. And it is in that recognition that I am approaching yet another new chapter in life, and that this phase is giving way to another. Praise Jesus! I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me next.

Psalm 86:12
"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart:
and I will glorify thy name for evermore."

My apparent lack of excitement is slightly puzzling, but not quite. Prior to starting work, I thought it’d be a good break, and I still do. But time is short and there’s much to learn, too much, perhaps, to let go of two weeks and spend it in foreign places at this juncture. No doubt I’ll have an amazing time in HK/China, and I’ll come back raving about both places, and making mental notes to visit other parts of HK/China, but right now, my place is here, and I have this nagging desire to stay here and do my work, write more papers, read more. Yes, I know that work will never end.. But I am too new, and too mentally occupied, that taking leave now seems so… odd.

I’ve already grown accustomed to my cubicle, grown familiar with my computer, and am actually enjoying the portfolio I’ve been given. It excites me, occupies me, challenges me.. and as a bonus, even captures my imagination. I am reminded of the first time I stepped into Sociology of Religion in Fall 2007, got to talking with Tim Nelson, read his book, and promptly found something that captivated me enough to want to dabble in it for the rest of my life. Here, the work, the reading – everything is of a different nature, yet its newness and its ever-changing patterns and the utter impossibility of accurate financial forecasting in the SR simply captures me because I can never get a complete grasp of it. I am beginning to, and in a few years perhaps I’ll be able to have a better handle on it, a better sense of the market in its volatile character and its petulant nature, but the fact that forecasting can never be a science, but a combination of mathematical analysis and gut feel, and really knowing the market – that irresistible combination draws me in and doesn’t let go.

My memories of past chapters fade really quickly. And even as I enter into this new one, I have already become entrenched in it, after less than a month. It feels like I’ve been here forever, even though on the other end, I am constantly learning new things each day and grappling with concepts and methodologies that are completely foreign. RSEA life is rapidly becoming a blurry shadow, where colors and images and thoughts and emotions have merged together to become a hazy mist – one which I can’t quite isolate or pull up whenever I like. Ditto UChicago, ditto Paris, and everything else that came before. Being at home, in the constant company of family and friends is of course a strong catalyst for merging the past into the present, and the present has become an all-consuming reality, just like it has been for each of the chpts over the course of the last 4 years.

What is the point of this post really? I guess it’s my circumspect way of saying that the travel lust, once so strong, has disappeared for a bit. And all I want to do, everyday, is to go to work, do my part, learn more, contribute more, go home and have warm heartening family dinners, and then spend the rest of the evening doing nothing. And of course, church and God are a constant in my life as well.

And I guess I want to say… Wow, I’m actually not just happy with this life, but satisfied. I never thought I’d be. But life right now, even with work, has become interesting and captivating in its own right. And I can only say thank you Father, for making it play out this way, and for placing me where You, in yr infinite wisdom, knew I’d fit in, feel at peace, and yet challenged at the same time even though I didn’t.