I found a box of letters that friends had written to me – when I was in college – 30 years ago! It’s like finding a time capsule. The letters reminded me of things I’ve forgotten about in my own life. I knew that I went to Japan and Hong Kong when I was in […]
I’m sure everyone is writing about 9/11 today; I’ll add some of my random thoughts about life. I believe that war and violence is a part of this life. Our hearts are full of selfishness, impure motives, and wickedness; there can be no peace. Whether it is global peace, national peace, or inner peace, there […]
The post at Trey’s blog about church being a jerk factory made me sad, sad because it’s all too true. Why do we see quarrels within the church? Why is there gossiping and bitterness in the church? Shouldn’t the church be a place of refuge from the “jerkness” in the world? One of the comments […]
When I was single, many many moons ago, one of the most oft asked questions in any discussion was, “How do you know if this is Mr. Right (or Mrs. Right for the guys in our conversation)?” I’ve finally figured out the answer. It’s a little late for me now. But maybe this will help […]
In difficult economic times, many non-profits are struggling. If you’ve been blessed by God with a job, this would be a good time to give a little extra so those ministries can continue to do good work. There are so many good organizations, how do you decide which ones to give to? I support ministries […]
Last week at church, R gave me some feedback that I really appreciated. Without going into details, I asked him and C how I can improve. They gave me good advice that I will definitely act on. Thanks, R and C. We all have blindspots that need good friends to point them out to us. […]
I realize how little I expect from God by the prayers I pray. I have such low expectations from life. What do I really want God to do in my life? What do I really want to see happen in the world around me? Don’t I want God to do more than just easing the […]
When a caller would complain to Dr. Laura about her spouse or about getting a divorce, her response would be something like – the person you hate now is the person you were once so in love with you couldn’t live without. You had babies with this person. How is it that a couple could […]
Ever have one of those days when you have time on your hands…and you don’t know what to do with it? I have lots of things I want to do, need to do, and should do. But when the time is finally available to me, I don’t know where to start. My mind is in […]
With my oldest son, everything was a first – first to check out a preschool, if it’s good, the sisters will follow along later. First to enter kindergarten, first to go to one week of 6th grade science camp, first to go through the complicated process of choosing classes for high school, first to write […]
I’ve not read a biography of Hudson Taylor until now. I borrowed this book from Bonnie. Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Howard and Geraldine Taylor is apparently a fairly brief version of Hudson Taylor’s life, less than 200 pages. With the full life he lived, I can imagine how big a book his life story […]
This news story of a gunman charging into the First Baptist Church in Illinois reminded me of a similar incident many years ago when I was in college when our pastor was shot and killed. Greg Owyang of First Chinese Baptist Church of Los Angeles was a up and coming Asian American pastor. This was […]
On Sunday at church, our speaker Daniel told us of a conversation with a man he had in China. Daniel asked him how he would like to be different in 10 years. The man replied, “I would like to be less selfish.” That is a tremendously insightful answer. I hate to be confronted with my […]
When I was in my 20’s, I wanted to go on a missions trip. But I didn’t have a strong conviction to go. It went along with being immature and lacking in confidence. The church I went to didn’t encourage short-term trips. I didn’t hang around people that went on short-term trips. My pastor did […]
I find it hard to measure success without counting numbers. Graphs, Dow Jones, number of sales, dollars in revenue, number of homeruns, scores on a test. We seem to always measure performance by some sort of counting. What I am saying is, I think I’ve lived a good life, I am happy with my life, […]
Did famous and influential people have it as their goal in life to be famous and influential? When they were children, did they say, “I am going to be famous author”, then charted a path to be a famous author? Or “I want to be a real estate tycoon” and designed their life to buy […]
My sister took me to Alicia’s for lunch today. Alicia’s is a quaint cafe with hefty signature sandwiches, fresh baked goods (muffins, cookies, cakes), and a friendly atmosphere run by the owner, Alicia, and her 3 daughters. I want to own a place like Alicia’s. I know it’s hard work – Alicia said she works […]
After I finished reading The Life You’ve Always Wanted by by John Ortberg last year, I wanted to read If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, as recommended by Nat. But I don’t spend money to buy books (I read what I can borrow from people or […]
I learned that if I try to manipulate a situation, God will allow my plans to change so that His will be accomplished. In the recent one-day Mexico mission trip, I asked people to volunteer at various locations. But I also used my “executive power” to put certain people in specific locations with the intent […]
I often hear people say “You have to do what you love.” It would be nice to be able to be able to make money doing something you love. But in the real world, that doesn’t always happen. Does that mean you should only do what you love? And if you don’t love what you […]