“A new economic study reveals that once Oprah and Facebook are subtracted, the United States of America is worth 40 dollars.” – Andy Borowitz on Huffington Post.
LOL
Spent an hour of reading Andy Borowitz today. That’s how my life is this week.
On my birthday today, I have some random thoughts.
– I don’t like to look at past photos of my children when they were little. It makes me grieve the lost of childhood with them. Those days are gone and there is no going back. I rather look at pictures of what they are doing now so I can enjoy the present.
– I do like looking at past photos of my friends. It helps to remember the length of our friendship and those times that made our friendship strong.
– Whenever I tell people my son is 23 years old, it is both flattering and unfavorable when they respond with surprise. It’s good that I don’t look old enough to have a 23 year old, but then, they figure out how old I really am.
– Wikipedia says John MacArthur (pastor of Grace Community Church) was born in 1939. That makes him 71, and still preaching strong. That means I might have a good 20 more years to serve God.
– If I could have one wish, I wish all my craft supplies, books, papers, and all the little cute things we collect in my house to be beautifully organized in such as way that I can find things easily. I know it’s not as lofty as wishing for world peace, but I would be so much happier if my house was organized.
– And I want all my photos, printed and digital, to be organized and searchable. That makes two wishes.
– Might as well throw world peace on the list too, three wishes that will likely never come true.
– If you want to get me something for my birthday, write me a nice note, handwritten or digital is acceptable, of 3 sentences or more, preferably more. I won’t grade you on grammar or spelling, but the content must be genuine and heartfelt.
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I was talking to a friend about decision making. Every decision we make involves some kind of risk.
If we choose to go to Hawaii, we risk the opportunity lost of not going to Paris.
If we choose to go to law school, we risk the opportunity lost of being an engineer.
My husband and I risked opening our own real estate business, rather than staying in a mediocre but secure job.
Fortunately, in our suburban middle class world, not too many of our decisions are irreparable. We had to close our real estate business due to the down market, but we did not end up on the street. Whatever opportunity that was lost to us we now have an opportunity to start again.
In the discussion with my friend, I realized how thankful I am for God’s grace and providence. He has my back. I can trust him to put things right, even when I mess things up.
Thank you Lord, that when I chose to be your child, you committed yourself to take care of me.
Whenever someone says that they are not being “fed” by their pastor’s preaching at their church, I tell them to not criticize or complain. Afterall, it is not easy to deliver a good sermon every Sunday. Not every pastor is a good preacher.
Rather than expecting your pastor to “feed” you (and I don’t think feeding necessarily comes from a sermon), you can easily access any famous’ pastors preaching – on the radio, online, podcast, YouTube. John Piper, John MacArthur, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Allister Berg, David Jeremiah – you have your pick. There is no shortage of ways to get good teaching. We are so fortunate to have the resources available.
I think much of my understanding of Scripture has come from listening to the radio, and more recently, from podcasts. I like listening to Christian radio. I like listening to sermons. Being “fed” by a sermon is a good use of otherwise wasted time in the car or walking or doing housework.
In fact, I would attribute much of my spiritual enlightenment has come from listening to Christian programs. Family Life and Focus on the Family have shaped most of my views on marriage and parenting. And of course, Stand To Reason that I always talk about, has helped me tremendously in dispelling doubts of my Christian faith. I would go so far as to say, I don’t know where I’d be without Christian radio
A good sermon on Sunday is nice, but don’t expect it to be your main source of your spiritual food. Church is more about the community, the friendships, the interaction between generations, and a place to serve one another. Those components of church you cannot get anywhere else.
—
As an aside, 1-11-11 came and went without fanfare. I was expecting more mention of this historic date. Maybe 11-11-11 will be more exciting, or maybe not.
In my Sunday School lesson, I taught from Charles Stanley’s principle that “you know you are growing in your relationship with Christ when spiritual battles are more fierce and you are still rejoicing.”
Rejoicing during hard times is not natural. It’s supernatural, and that is why it is an indication that you are growing spiritually.
Most of us do not rejoice during hard times. We complain, worry, get angry, depressed and sad.
How are we suppose to rejoice in hard times?
It’s been said by many that you cannot change your circumstance, but you can change is your attitude. Our attitudes can change when we look at the facts of our circumstances from God’s view.
Last week, I was worried about my health. I was thinking that I may have some serious illness.
As I was stressing over this, God spoke to me while I was preparing the Sunday School lesson.
“I can calm a raging storm. Do you think I have authority over your health?”
Yes, you do, Lord.
“I died for you on the cross, and love you as my child. Do you think I have your best in mind?”
Yes, you do, Lord.
“Do you think I have a purpose for everything you go through?
Yes, I know you do, Lord.
“Do you believe that it’ll all turn out for good?
Yes, I know that ultimately it’ll all turn out for good.
“I’m taking you on an adventure. Bad times are merely an opportunity to accomplish something extraordinary. Don’t worry. Rejoice because you know I have a good plan for your life.”
And then I wasn’t worried anymore. Nothing is a surprise to God. Nothing is out of God’s control.
Just like in Narnia, each day is an adventure, with a good ending.
People who know me recommended Julie and Julia. They know I only watch nice movies: no sex, no violence, no tear-jerkers, no drama, no vulgar language, no social agendas, no cheesy love stories, and of course, no bad endings.
Julie and Julia is my type of movie. I was waiting for something bad to happen…and nothing did. It was all good.
I also watched Shall We Dance? the original Japanese version. The beginning is slow and you wonder if it’s worth watching. But the characters slowly draw you into the subtle storyline. For me, just watching the background scenes of Japan, getting a glimpse of the Japanese culture, and listening to the Japanese language makes the movie interesting enough.
Voices of the Faithful with Beth Moore is a unique blend of daily devotions, 
missionary stories, and Bible teaching.
The collection of missionaries’ experiences from around the world are organized as daily devotions into monthly topics such as God’s Character, Prayer, Contentment, Spiritual Warfare. Each month begins with an introduction of the theme by Beth Moore. I’ve always enjoyed Beth Moore’s insights and personable style.
As is typical of devotional books, each day’s devotional begins with a verse and ends with a prayer. What is not typical are the missionary stories that illustrates the verses and the monthly themes. Everything ties together very well, and effectively brings out the Biblical teaching.
I would’ve liked to read more about the experiences of the missionaries as each day is only one page short. But being that it’s a daily devotion, the format does not allow it to be longer.
Disclosure: Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for this review. Opinions are entirely my own.
I grew up in Pasadena. I grew up watching the Rose Parade.
My parents owned a restaurant on Colorado Blvd, and almost every New Years day, we watched the Rose Parade from the roof of the restaurant or on the sidewalk.
I never got tired of it. I loved the excitement and crowds, and picking up roses from the street after the parade.
Then the restaurant relocated, we got older, and did not go to the parade anymore.
When I was in college one year, I was one of those crazy people who camped out on the sidewalk overnight on Colorado Blvd. I remember being too tired in the morning to enjoy the parade. But still, I loved the Rose Parade.
That was the last time I remember seeing the parade in person, until this year 2011.
I set the alarm for 4:00am, and went with my friends to their mailbox business on Colorado Blvd, and watched the parade sitting comfortably on the front row on the sidewalk!
In all my years watching the parade, I think this was the first time I fully appreciated the parade – the bands, the beautifully decorated floats, the horses. I even looked intently at the Boy and Girl Scouts who carried the banners (my friend’s daughter was one of them), and waved to the pooper scoopers who followed the horses.
My only regret was leaving immediately after the parade. We didn’t want to get caught in a huge traffic jam, so we took a side street and hopped onto the freeway to go home. We should’ve followed the parade down Colorado Blvd and look for stray roses (but flowers don’t seem to fall from the floats like they used to, too bad someone invented strong glue.)
Some games are fun because they are fun games. But most games are only fun if the people playing them are fun.
Take for example the game Apples to Apples. If you play with people who are not fun, and do not put effort into making it fun, it’s not a fun game.
Life is like that.
Life is fun if you make it fun. If you don’t make it fun, life is not that fun.
—
My father is 88 years old. He does not feel he has much to live for. He doesn’t have to work to support a family like he used to. He doesn’t have to cook and keep the house clean like he used to. No one is dependent on him for anything. It’s depressing to think that you have no purpose, therefore no motivation to live.
When or if I get to his age and his stage of life, I hope that I can make life interesting and make it purposeful. I would want to be a blessing to others by finding ways to share God’s love with people around me. I would also want to continue with Bible study because I believe that learning about God is a life-long pursuit. In fact, as I get older, it is more urgent to get to know God more. If I expect to go to heaven, I would certainly want to know more about the God that I will soon meet face-to-face.
Life is fun and meaningful only when we live it purposefully.
We went to see the taping of Skating with the Stars at the CBS studios yesterday.
First of all, I’ve never seen the show before. I’ve never seen Dancing with the Stars. I don’t watch TV.
Second, I don’t know any “celebrities”, and I didn’t recognize anyone at the taping.
We went because it sounded like fun to watch a taping and this was the only show we can get free tickets at the last minute.
Okay, so it was fun, once we got into the studio. But it took 1 1/2 hours to get in…why??
First, we had to go through security where they searched our bags thoroughly, taking out wallets and every piece of paper. Then they took our cell phones and cameras with a claim ticket for us to get it back later. Wished they had told us that in advance. Fortunately, I got my iPhone 4 back safely, or I would’ve been really mad. The instructions on the website gave the dress code (no one wearing jeans will be admitted, men should wear tie and jackets), so there was no reason why they couldn’t tell us that no cameras or cell phones will be allowed.
The stupid thing is, the security is done in an open area, so after going through the check, you could just walk out to use the bathroom, and come back with some bombs hidden in your jacket without going through security again.
Being that it was a rainy and cold day, we dressed warmly, which was a good thing because we had to wait outside for over 1 1/2 hours, with more than 1/2 of that standing. There were not enough benches for everyone to sit because the outer bench was wet from the rain. We were one of the lucky ones who had to stand. When the girl led us from the security area to this holding area, she said, “Come this way, please stand here in a line,” I assumed we were standing in a line ready to go into the studio. It turned out we were standing there in the cold for well over 1/2 hour. Imagine 5 long rows of benches with over 100 people sitting there, and about 20 of us standing there in a line next to them. That was awkward. I would think they could’ve made some accommodations, sheesh.
Other points of interest:
– absolutely no chewing gum, it looks bad on camera.
– don’t go on the ice.
– I sat right behind a camera which blocked my view of the center of the rink
– it was cold inside because it was an ice skating rink afterall, but with all the clapping and shouting we had to do, I warmed up. I was also wearing a turtleneck sweater, a jacket and a long wool coat.
Once we made it inside the studio, it was fun. We were told when to clap, when to stand while clapping, when to cheer while continuing to clap. And it was fun to watch the skating up close.
We asked a friend to Tivo it for us. I was able to see ourselves when we paused it at just the right place – such a blur that I wouldn’t know it was me except that I knew it’s where I was sitting. What surprised me was that the large camera that blocked my view was invisible. How do they do that?
And that was my 1 second of fame on national TV.
This daily devotional book by Charles Stanley should be kept next to your Bible. In fact, it’s a sturdy hardback probably about the same size as my Bible.
Each day’s devotion begins with a short passage to read 
from the Bible. A key verse follows that highlights the main idea for the day.
Then comes half to three-quarter page of instructions from Charles Stanley. His writing is to the point, easy to read, yet profound; I’ve always enjoyed his books. The day’s devotion ends with a one to two line prayer.
I Lift Up My Soul is similar to any other daily devotional guide. As with any daily devotional guide, it’s an aid to maintaining a disciplined quiet time in God’s Word but does not give much depth of Bible study.
Disclosure: Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for this review. Opinions are entirely my own.
In the early 80’s when I was in seminary, I was looking for an internship with a church. At the time, the concept of ABC (American Born Chinese) ministry was just beginning to emerge. English-speaking-only Chinese churches without a Chinese congregation were starting to be planted in Southern Cal. (Multi-cultural Asian American churches has not even been conceived.)
Through some friends, I met Pastor Wayland Wong, one of the pioneers of ministry to ABC, and I could’ve been a part of one of the first English speaking only Chinese churches that he just planted. The church met at a school in Huntington Beach; I attended the church for a few months, and met others who had the vision for ABC ministry. His church was new and he asked me to lead Vacation Bible School.
But I didn’t do it.
I came from a traditional Chinese church, and I was comfortable with its structure. I could not see beyond those walls; I did not have an entrepreneurial spirit.
I opted for an internship at a large traditional Chinese church in Monterey Park, the Chinese Evangelical Free Church. I wanted the comfort of the familiar. And I had 2 friends who also interned there with me which added to my sense of security.
Now I am a different person. Over the years, with the influence from my husband who has that entrepreneurial spirit, I changed to be someone who wants to start things.
If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve taken the risk and started the VBS with Wayland Wong, along with being there with one of the first Asian American churches. I recently met up with a friend who attends that church. And to think that I was there before she even heard about it.
—
Fast forward just a few years to the late 80’s, the English-speaking-only Asian American church is starting to catch on. Somewhere along that timeline, Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles moved away from being a Japanese church to being an English-only church with it’s predominantly Japanese American congregation. I am sure it was not planned by man, but as it was likely to be God’s plan, it became the place to be for the Chinese Americans who did not want to be in a Chinese church with the cumbersome Chinese to English translation in its worship services. The term Asian American became more descriptive of a church such as Evergreen rather than a Japanese or Chinese church. (The population of Korean and other Asians were insignificant then.)
We left the Monterey Park church and went with the English pastor to his Asian American church plant. Interesting enough, that church got “weird” and became a cult….
We then went to Evergreen which has really taken off in growth in numbers. It used to be known as the meet up for Christian Asian singles, now those who met there and got married have started families. It seemed to me still predominantly Japanese. You can tell by the potluck dishes. I learned what musubi was. Some inferences and jokes in the sermon were distinctly Japanese because the pastor is Japanese American. Honestly, I felt out of place.
I was still looking for a place of familiarity.
—
When we moved to Walnut, we joined the church plant of the Monterey Park church, not particularly because it was a part of the church where I interned, but because we sold the pastor his house. And we liked him as a pastor. And honestly, it had that familiar feeling of the type of church I was used to.
Moving to Walnut gave us a chance to start fresh with a different type of church if we wanted to. But we didn’t analyze our needs or direction, we sort of defaulted to the familiar.
God gave me another chance to start a VBS and this time I was ready. I started the first VBS for this church, and has been directing about 15+ years of VBS since then.
—
The above may not be accurate in terms of the history of the Asian American churches. I am just reminiscing what I saw in my journey of church experiences. As our church now is going through a period of transition, I am looking back to try to understand myself a little better.
I have to say, as much as the Chinese church as been pretty much the whole of my church experience as a Christian, I definitely see the hand of God redefining this model of church. I think there is still a place for it, but the demographics has changed, the culture has changed. This type of church cannot remain unchanged.
I also think that my choice of church has not only been based on the type it is, but the people in it. And that’s what church is about.
Several years ago, we remodeled our kitchen. Our house was built in the 70’s and the kitchen was the original cabinets and tile counters. The style at the time of my remodel was light cabinets and granite counter tops. A stainless steel kitchen sink was a must. I wanted a butcher block countertop table in the middle of the kitchen as an island, but there was not enough room for one.
Next I wanted to get new patio furniture around our pool. Adirondack chairs would be a nice look, but I didn’t want to spend the money. We opted for cheap plastic chairs and a decent glass table.
Now I am hoping to remodel our family room now that the leak in the chimney has been fixed. This room really needs help! Now that the prices are more affordable, a flat screen TV is part of the plan.
After that I want to re-do the front landscape…and on it goes.
I may just move instead.
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This low iodine diet for 4 weeks is not very restrictive, yet, it’s a change in habit that I find a little disconcerting.
I reach for a homemade cookie made by a friend, and I can’t take a bite.
I am thirsty for a glass of milk to drink with my meal, and I have to drink water instead.
I want to make a quesadilla for breakfast – sorry, no cheese allowed.
I learned a bit about making changes in life:
– In order for a habit to be changed, there must be very strong motivation, some dire results if the change is not made.
– You must keep it on top of your mind at all times, otherwise it’s so easy to slip back into old habits without even thinking.
– The change will be very unnatural. It goes against our imprinted grain.
– Even a small change in my diet affects my whole life. Not a day goes by that I do not think about this low iodine diet. I am constantly thinking about what I will eat at the next meal.
– The change, if the results will be a greater good, is worth it.
We were cleaning out our cabinet of of DVDs and VHS tapes. It’s amazing how the industry has changed.
I remember my daughter had a friend in second grade whose parents owned a video rental store. They would bring in a popular children’s movie for the class to watch during party days. My daughter is now in 10th grade and that store, needless to say, no longer exist. (I hope the nice family found another source of income.) The Blockbuster store down the street from us sits vacant for the last few years.
From the days of video tape rental stores on every corner, to mailing Netflix DVDs, to now just click and play Netflix TV shows and movies using our Wii – it’s only been a period of probably less than 10 years.
I suppose for people who want more options, there’s direct tv and with many directv packages. We looked into directtv and we used to subscribe to cable TV, but Netflix works much better for us now.
What has not changed is sitting and watching a screen.
I am sure that one day, that will change too.
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I found this lying around in my house, part of an article by John Piper from DesiringGod.org.:
What we mean by the sovereignty of God is captured in paragraph 3.2 of The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith. The dozens of biblical passages used to support this paragraph are found in the online version.
3.2 We believe that God upholds and governs all things—from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations, and from the public plans of politicians to the secret acts of solitary persons—all in accord with His eternal, all-wise purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins, nor ever condemns a person unjustly; but that His ordaining and governing all things is compatible with the moral accountability of all persons created in His image.
That just about covers everything about everyone!
The skeptic may say that it is inconceivable that even a god can do all that. But of course, that’s the point of who God should be, isn’t it?
I receive comfort in knowing that nothing is outside the control of a God who loves me. What is there to fear?
I spoke at my daughter’s college fellowship group retreat on Saturday, and as is always the case, the teacher probably got more out of it than the students.
There was good feedback from the girls, and I myself also learned one thing that I need to apply to myself.
I said contentment comes when we rest in the sovereign providence of God.
Realistically, I’ve already lived [approximely] 65% of my life, and probably leaving [at most] 25 years of active productive life, depending on how you define productive. I am facing the empty nest, menopause, redefining who I am and what I do.
And I don’t have much time left to do it.
I am quite comfortable where I am, yet, I want to do something else, something more. But I don’t know what I really want.
Fortunately, God knows. I’ve learned from the previous 65% of my life the God knows me pretty well. Hindsight is 20/20 and I see all the foolish mistakes I’ve made. Yet God has guided me despite my immaturity, and he knew exactly what I needed.
For example, when I was in college, I wanted to go on a mission trip, primarily because my friends who attended BIOLA went. My parents were against it. It was a half-hearted desire on my part anyway, so I did not push it. Now looking back, I am sure I was too immature to go.
Another example is choosing a spouse. I really didn’t know what I needed in a husband. I went into marriage rather immaturely, mostly based on my feelings. Yet, the husband I have is exactly what I need.
God knows my personality, he knows my circumstances, he knows my hearts desires more than I know myself. He knows my past and my future. And above all, he loves me.
So I rest content knowing that I can trust in His sovereignty.
Rev 3:8 – I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
This was the passage we read in the sermon at church. To tell you the truth, I don’t remember much of the pastor’s sermon, but this verse spoke to me.
I find it interesting that God gave a wonderful promise to a church with little strength. In other words, they were weak. I am supposing that it was neither a prominent church nor a church with great accomplishments. It sounds like our church…The only thing going for the church in Philadelphia was that they kept God’s Word, and did not deny the name of Jesus. I’m not sure if our church is 100% there, but let’s just give us the benefit of the doubt.
I pray that God will open a door for our church that no one can shut. No matter how strong the opposition, and how weak we may be, God will make sure the door is kept open. That would be tremendous!
I’m not sure what an open door from God would look like for our church, but there seems to be a possible door opening recently… but I don’t know if it’s God who is opening the door. I rest in this verse that if it is God, no one can close it. And if God shuts it, no one can open it.
The only thing we have to do is continue keeping His Word and not deny His name.