Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday @ Long Beach
Wednesday is my weekend. So today I spent it in Long Beach (top 2 pics) and had lunch at a mediterranean restaurant (bottom pic).
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Drum lesson
New Toy
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Blogspot is blocked
I am disappointed.
My suspicion is confirmed by a friend who's flown to Shanghai, China to see the total eclipse of the sun on July 22, 2009: blogspot is blocked there.
I knew it ... it's just a matter of time.
No more simplified Chinese font necessary.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Rid of my little kingdom
Paul David Tripp's A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than You has arrived. It's a very easy read, and yet the author is able to convey important things in very simple terms.
Here're a few quotes of what speak to me:
"God has given you the gift of his Son, not to make your little kingdom successful, but to welcome you to a much better kingdom" (Preface).
Am I trying to make my little kingdom successful? I'm afraid so. Is my life shaped by a confusing mix of big kingdom rules and little kingdom rules? Yes, yes, yes. I'm settling for LESS. Scary. Below I quote from the last chapter to explain what living for the big kingdom may be like:
"Zack believes in the importance of place. He believes that the sovereign King of the universe has put him exactly where he wants him. And that means he should love the people in it and do everything he can to make it a better place.
Zack believes in ministry as a lifestyle. Most Christians make the mistake of thinking about ministry in a formal sense. They think of ministry as a program that is scheduled. In this model, you step out of your life into ministry, and then out of ministry back into your life. Zack believes that life is ministry, that every dimension of human life is at once a forum for ministry.
Zack believes in the redemptive power of relationships. Zack believes the Bible's teaching that redemptive activity always takes place in the context of relationships. This is how God works in our lives. Through Christ, he accepts us into loving relationship with him, and then he goes to work to radically change us. So Zack looks for every opening he can find to build relationships with the people around him.
Zack believes in the importance of hospitality. Just as God opens the doors of his family to him, Zack believes he makes a very powerful statement when he opens the doors of his private world to the people that God has placed near him.
Zack believes that he is called to live with patience and perseverance. Ministry is always a process and not an event. Ministry is the willingness to make long-term investments in the lives of others, with the hope that God will do what he alone can do as we are making those investments. As Zack commits himself to a long-term investment in loving others, he reminds himself of the patience with which he has been treated by his heavenly Father."
I pray that the focus of our life's energies and intentions is on Something Big everyday. Let's NOT settle for less. God bless you.
Here're a few quotes of what speak to me:
"God has given you the gift of his Son, not to make your little kingdom successful, but to welcome you to a much better kingdom" (Preface).
"Are You Trying to Build Your Own Kingdom? ... Let me take you back to the garden one more time. In that devious conversation with Eve, the Serpent was selling her a 'better' kingdom. In this kingdom she would be the one on the throne. This kingdom would be about her will and her way. What Satan said he was offering Eve was something bigger and better, but what he really offered her was much less and infinitely smaller. ... The problem is that most of us don't think in kingdom terms. You know, you just rather thoughtlessly get up in the morning and go to work, or get the kids ready for school, or take the dog for a walk, or read the morning paper. You and I don't live with a ready sense of our intentions or allegiances. And this is precisely how we get ourselves into trouble. Without knowing it, we can reduce the promises of Scripture down to a hope that God's grace will ensure the success of our little kingdoms. Instead, the promises of the Bible are an invitation to active participation in a bigger and better kingdom, the kingdom of God. And where do you pursue the interests of the big kingdom? In exactly the same place where you are tempted to pursue the little kingdom, right where you live and work each day" (pp.50-51).
Am I trying to make my little kingdom successful? I'm afraid so. Is my life shaped by a confusing mix of big kingdom rules and little kingdom rules? Yes, yes, yes. I'm settling for LESS. Scary. Below I quote from the last chapter to explain what living for the big kingdom may be like:
"Zack believes in the importance of place. He believes that the sovereign King of the universe has put him exactly where he wants him. And that means he should love the people in it and do everything he can to make it a better place.
Zack believes in ministry as a lifestyle. Most Christians make the mistake of thinking about ministry in a formal sense. They think of ministry as a program that is scheduled. In this model, you step out of your life into ministry, and then out of ministry back into your life. Zack believes that life is ministry, that every dimension of human life is at once a forum for ministry.
Zack believes in the redemptive power of relationships. Zack believes the Bible's teaching that redemptive activity always takes place in the context of relationships. This is how God works in our lives. Through Christ, he accepts us into loving relationship with him, and then he goes to work to radically change us. So Zack looks for every opening he can find to build relationships with the people around him.
Zack believes in the importance of hospitality. Just as God opens the doors of his family to him, Zack believes he makes a very powerful statement when he opens the doors of his private world to the people that God has placed near him.
Zack believes that he is called to live with patience and perseverance. Ministry is always a process and not an event. Ministry is the willingness to make long-term investments in the lives of others, with the hope that God will do what he alone can do as we are making those investments. As Zack commits himself to a long-term investment in loving others, he reminds himself of the patience with which he has been treated by his heavenly Father."
I pray that the focus of our life's energies and intentions is on Something Big everyday. Let's NOT settle for less. God bless you.
Why do I still want?
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want" (Psalm 23:1)
Why do I still feel like I want other things? Is my want of things wrong and thus my mind needs to be calibrated? Do I not understand the verse?
Monday, July 13, 2009
How long have you loved me?
Me: How long have you loved me?
God: I have loved you when you were made in the secret place, when you were woven together in the depths of the earth, and when I knit you together in your mother's womb. And I have loved you before even one of your days came to be.
God: I have loved you when you were made in the secret place, when you were woven together in the depths of the earth, and when I knit you together in your mother's womb. And I have loved you before even one of your days came to be.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Never tired of hearing this
"I was blessed by your piano playing today," said James. (James had been a pastoral intern at my church and then received God's calling to go to Kenya with his family. He's on furlough and staying in LA until August.)I started playing piano in school assembly since the 2nd grade and started playing at church around the same time. I have gotten responses similar to "you play very well" a lot. Compliments have hardly been anything out of the ordinary. Even so, to hear that God uses my piano playing to bless someone still blesses me every single time.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
My package of gifts
I was listening to the last part of C S Lewis's Mere Christianity, read by Jeffrey Howard. What got to me is: God will judge us in the end, by subtracting the gifts, talents, nice personalities that are actually given by Him to us in the first place.
What does that leave me? Nothing to boast except possibly that I’ve finally come to my senses not to continuously mistake that I am giving God some of the "good me."
Things then start to make sense. No wonder I shouldn't get impatient with people who either received a different package or received less (if there's such a thing) than I did. In the parable of talents (Matthew 25:14-30) the three servants are given 5k, 2k, and 1k respectively. Those talents don't only mean spiritual gifts"; the talents include all the good things I am given.
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:48). In the past, I was sometimes asked to do more than other people even under the same posts. Maybe that's why.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17). God not only created me from nothingness, he also formed me (Isaiah 43:1). If I got a nice personality, that's gift from Him. God designs my body shape, decides the initial states of my IQ, EQ and the output power of my left, right brain. He designates the family I was born into, the events and people I encounter at different stages of my life. Here's the truth: I didn't earn any of these things. They're GIFTS.
What does that leave me? Nothing to boast except possibly that I’ve finally come to my senses not to continuously mistake that I am giving God some of the "good me."
Things then start to make sense. No wonder I shouldn't get impatient with people who either received a different package or received less (if there's such a thing) than I did. In the parable of talents (Matthew 25:14-30) the three servants are given 5k, 2k, and 1k respectively. Those talents don't only mean spiritual gifts"; the talents include all the good things I am given.
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:48). In the past, I was sometimes asked to do more than other people even under the same posts. Maybe that's why.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
No small matter: taking mom out
The last time I tried to take mom out in March was a total failure. I didn't plan enough time buffer, nor did I anticipate how little her home aide could accomplish.
Having learned from the experience, I sat the home aide down last Monday and told her that I really, really wanted to take mom out for a meal on Wednesday. I also explained to her that I've purposely sculpted out time for that, and then I asked for her help to prep mom.
Fortunately, the home aide was cooperative. Having also learned from her previous mistakes, she planned for one whole day to coax mom into letting her clip her nails yesterday. From her account, it did take the entire day before mom would yield. The worker went early on Wednesday to fix breakfast and to get mom dressed. That was less successful, however. She called me around noon to report that mom's clothes were still untouched. I then headed to mom, armed with a book in the event that there would be plenty of wait time.
Thankfully, things went quite smoothly. Only half an hour was needed to get mom moderately clean and ready to go. We went out to lunch without outbreak of any sort, and I brought mom home in one piece. (I lost my temper a little when mom insisted on wearing her coat before leaving the restaurant, despite me telling her the very warm weather outside. The good thing was that it happened toward the end!)
I'm relieved and thankful. I prayed and had someone pray for smoothness of the whole thing. Without saying, taking mom out is no small matter.
Having learned from the experience, I sat the home aide down last Monday and told her that I really, really wanted to take mom out for a meal on Wednesday. I also explained to her that I've purposely sculpted out time for that, and then I asked for her help to prep mom.
Fortunately, the home aide was cooperative. Having also learned from her previous mistakes, she planned for one whole day to coax mom into letting her clip her nails yesterday. From her account, it did take the entire day before mom would yield. The worker went early on Wednesday to fix breakfast and to get mom dressed. That was less successful, however. She called me around noon to report that mom's clothes were still untouched. I then headed to mom, armed with a book in the event that there would be plenty of wait time.
Thankfully, things went quite smoothly. Only half an hour was needed to get mom moderately clean and ready to go. We went out to lunch without outbreak of any sort, and I brought mom home in one piece. (I lost my temper a little when mom insisted on wearing her coat before leaving the restaurant, despite me telling her the very warm weather outside. The good thing was that it happened toward the end!)
I'm relieved and thankful. I prayed and had someone pray for smoothness of the whole thing. Without saying, taking mom out is no small matter.