Sunday, December 27, 2009

Gift and Wonder

I am always grateful to receive a gift during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season; though, there were not too many. In fact, I do keep a few lovely drawings made by my children as gifts on father's day or so. Nowadays I have realized most of the gifts that I received and ever pleased me were not left with my life.


Going backward, I'd preserve my good wishes in a GIVE-AND-TAKE scenario with friends, relatives, and family members, meaning that how much I give determines how much I should take. If nothing was reserved in my life, I would have been regretful. Lord has given me the most precious gift that has been implanted in my heart forever long; I took it for granted with a lifetime fulfillment, and yet His giving is unconditional. However, Lord does not need a gift from us.
In return, we surrender and lift in hunger for His blessings.


Peace and joy must be a great gift. They only fill us when we practice our faith in God; hope and worship are the catalyst in reaching a full capacity of our lives. Christians are not just a religious community, but rather, more meaningfully, a matching group of empowered lives in God's favor to testify His wonders. The Bible tells us: When Jesus Christ prayed for himself, he chose to stay alone in a wilderness or in a garden. Could it indicate that we should be free alone while praying and waiting for God's gift? Wow, I would walk and jog alone while praying on the Crystal Springs Trail so that the energy can flow in and wash me to rise.


God's gift is holistic and sustainable!



Written on December 27, 2009

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Seek the Seed

Freezing points exist for substances in liquid form. Many have experienced a process that solidifies liquid. A chemist poured a beaker of supersaturated liquid onto a "seed", and the liquid turned into solid and formed a mountain of white, soggy salt. Fascinating? A "seed" could lower the freezing temperature of a substance and solidify it, which is normally liquid at room temperature.


Our life can lie at a boundary, where the organic body is aging while the spirit tends to be sanctified. Could there be a seed that solidifies our spirit into a perfect state? How could we practice to find the seed that energizes the process on a spiritual level? The concept is that changing a form to another is far different from the life pattern we've ever experienced. How could the seed we are looking for activate our lives and transform a non-material into an eternal form? Could the wanted seed exist in one form or be changing?


A seed could be an encounter or a sort of energy, or is God Himself; literally, I do love walking along the Crystal Springs Trail near Highway 280, where I could get connected to the seed. So, the trail is my access to the powerful solidifier.



Written on November 10, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Steps to Gaining Spiritual Strength

Paul describes the dangers of not growing spiritually by making a comparison with “milk” for a baby and “solid food” for a full age. When Paul refers to being “unskilled in the word of righteousness”, he does not mean a lack of information, but rather a lack of practice. By saying “full age of those who by reason of use”, he means to those who practice their faith and apply the principles of God’s word to their lives, and can distinguish between good and evil at any time. (Hebrews 5:12-14)


Keeping your mind
and heart pure and sensitive is essential to good spiritual health; an ill-preventive measure is a vital part. Paul’s steps to gaining spiritual strength are:

1. Reduce weight (Hebrews 12:1-2)

"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Overweight could not endure to race for the prize.

2. Be at peace with others (James 3, Philippians 2:1-4)

Apply Paul and James criteria to conflict to see whether or not we were involved in human wisdom or divine wisdom. Most conflicts are about ego, pride and control; no matter how hard you try, you can’t make those spiritual, those are not what Paul defines as works of the flesh and they are destructive.
What started as a bitter seed reaps a bitter harvest.

3. Pursue holiness (Hebrews 10:10, 10:14, 12:14, Ephesians 4:22-24)

Christian holiness is described “as consecrate to God’s service, and in so far as they are conformed in all things to the will of God. Personal holiness is a work of gradual development. It is carried on under many hindrances, hence the frequent admonitions to watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance”. Sanctification is a state of being perfect, though not yet attained.

4. Listen to God (I Thessalonians 1:4-6, 4:1-7)

Spend time on the word of God and let it challenge you and keep you accountable. Spend time with God in prayer and allow God to speak to your heart.

5. Live in grace (I Thessalonians 2:10-13, 3:11-13, 4:9)

Grow with reverence and respect to God in our appreciation for God and His salvation, and grow in appreciation of other believers.


God wants us to have a spiritually healthy life; it comes from fully committing ourselves to Him and allowing Him to show bad things in our lives, but be eager to get rid of them and stay clean so that we can experience and adopt all God has for us and thus influence others for Christ.
The key is practice and sustainable practice with hope. (I Thessalonians 4:1-8)



Written on September 15, 2009

Sunday, September 6, 2009

C'est Si Bon, Paris!

C'est Si Bon, it's so good to have a journey to Paris. My wife and second daughter are the first-time travelers touring in Paris now. My daughter will study at La Sorbonne University for the next three months after her educational Japan trip funded by her college. I could imagine the happy hours and romantic snapshots they have around the City of Love, at Chateau wineries, and along the River Seine. There comes so many art pieces in sight I would dream of. Hello my dear there!


In a moment, I realized how God has planned for our family to experience His grace. The miracle started from the story of our trying crepes at a French restaurant in Burlingame near where we live, and my son was chosen to work
with his French supervisor, a bio-scientist, and experienced more French food during his summer internship at the Stroud Lab of UC San Francisco (Dr. Stroud, UCSF). With God, all things are possible; God can put all together for good.


Walking in the fullness of God's blessings is so real, so natural, and so wonderful. Their joy in Paris is mixed with my favorite French songs delivered by Janet Seidel
(JanetSeidel.com), and the wow truly thrills my soul.


Cheers, Paris, with Chateau red wine!



"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
(Romans 8:28)



Written on September 6, 2009

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Leadership in Tough Times

- In memory of those Injured on Typhoon Morakot

In knowing how Typhoon Morakot devastated across Taiwan, I cried out with sadness in my heart as many might have.



Wealth and fame can always set stages spotlighted with temptations. Going beyond is of supernatural abundance in life. In an extremely high standard, Jesus Christ is the only leader immune to making a mistake without a learning process. In our belief, kindness, mercy, and tolerance in love can shape a life toward perfection. Yet wisdom only appears when one has strong faith and enthusiasm with God's inspiration and with disciplinary practices in good times and bad times. Apostle Paul is a divine role model; Paul is full of wisdom and his influence has been so significant.


President Ma is, indeed, a nice guy; I met him a few times and supported him with hours of mine dedicated to his campaign for his first-term Mayor of Taipei City back in 1990s. He grew up in a fairly privileged family and received good education with little to no hard times. The only tough time he might have had could be when his father passed away. Wisdom hasn't ever seemed to fill President Ma nor did he surrender to lift in the fullness of blessings. Our forgiveness has become so precious and costly when we understood the truth where the panic leadership delayed responses to the disastrous flood, followed with inadequate statements to the public. It is a painful lesson ever. Then, who holds tomorrow?


Our prayer for Mr. Ma and those injured... In Him, I pray:

" Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! "




Written on August 18, 2009

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

A Better Lift

I have been profoundly grateful from reading Joel Osteen's new book, "Become a Better You", while practicing hard to revive and reconcile my thinking patterns with the conduct. I soon recognized faith and denial are always choices along the path, while realizing joy and hard times are parallel in life. I've thus kept praying for God's favor to broaden my bandwidth so that I can deal wisely with many things at a time; a subtle lift can literally improve my life and influence others. How could I not live like a champion?


The book was linked to my memory of Larry King's show in his interview with Joel Osteen and Joel's wife, Victoria, at the year end of 2008. In the interview, Joel Osteen explained measures of faith: "Everyone has a measure, yet the matter is how you are responsible in your daily life and how you love your life." And he also said that things would get worse if you don't get up and do what you can do at best because God has given you all the choices. Joel talked about his income from the non-profit organization, and said he took no money out of the church but a salary for some $70k a year, and the rest of all the income was from sale of his books. He pointed out that God would not dislike people to be wealthy; God has blessed him to bless others, even when he became wealthy, and a focus on helping others with money should be a faithful mean in life. Joel believes a positive attitude will lead to a positive cycle that influences and motivates others, particularly family members.



One thing for sure: I am on the empowered way to getting connected with those who live their lives of faith, passion, and wisdom.


Referenced link:
http://www.joelosteen.com



Written on August 5, 2009

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Hello to Good Old Times

Those pictures and e-mails forwarded from my daughter who visits Tokyo for an educational program at a national institute of Japan have reminded me of the great moments in my honeymoon trip to Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Fuji, Tokyo, and Nikko, the north to Tokyo, with taking Shinkansen (bullet train) from East to West and enjoying light food in those cities. We were so delighted by walking on the country roads while touring shrines, gardens, and traditional ceremonies in Kyoto and Nara area, and by having thinly sliced sashimi and sukiyaki, a dish in the nabemono (Japanese steamboat) style. Also, her real-time messages have refreshed my memory for the time with Japanese colleagues who shared local food with sake, whiskey, and jokes at nights of Shinjuku, a typical place of nightlife style of Tokyo, and at small restaurants in the large buildings above the subway.


I am still using the earbud (Sony) that I bought 25 years ago at Akihabara, the famous electronics retail city. The Sony earbud was very expensive at a price of some US$50 as it was the newest premium model that performed extremely well with high resolution, even well as of today. I also bought my first CD player, the entry model of Yamaha, at Akihabara, to pair with my first high-end British amplifier (Naim Audio) and French speakers (3a) that my three children had experienced and learned the music with... for so many years. I deeply love those stories centered on kids' birth, their escalated growth as well as son's flattering voice added to the young family. And I believe the music, mostly classical, has enriched the lives of all three; indeed, I spent years studying all the historic composers of classical music, starting Vivaldi on "The Four Seasons", as well as listening to the related CDs rent from a few stores in Taipei. Some nice CDs I purchased many years ago still rest on my bookshelf, and yet I enjoy listening to those I like most with my new BalckBerry and the old Sony earbud. Time flies!


The Real-Time data traffic stimulates and inspires us so intelligently.
Her journey for cultural context simultaneously touches my heart with renewal... streaming for more joyful times to come.



Written on July 21, 2009

Thursday, July 2, 2009

A Real-Time Lifestyle

If you know "Twitter", then you know it is getting hot and MySpace is getting weak. Why?

The
"Real-Time" technology boosts communications globally, swiftly, and interactively. We will fall behind if we do not catch up or, at least, know some.

My second daughter has been so blessed since she believed in Christ at her age of 12 with Taipei Ling Leung Church near where we lived. When she started worship, I did not meet our God yet. In fact, she has taken a lead in some vital aspects.


My story is:
With technological innovation and tool development, my daughter appears to be fairly popular to her friends and friends of friends on communications and updates. Why is that?

You may be surprised how the young generations use new technologies; they, in a large number, can effectively communicate "on the move" and "on real-time". She is now in Tokyo for a nine-week educational program funded by UC San Diego. Her web links (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blog) explore all things on real-time. She's kept updating activities by using her expensive Japanese-operated cell phone with a free texting service that enables e-mail traffic for free.

My wife and I do not worry about our daughter's activities. In reality, we have to learn to adopt the new paradigm shift and the new norm of value; literally, it is a new lifestyle!


The extension of my story is:
Many jobs that have lost will not come back... Are we inspired on a real-time encounter?



Written on July 1, 2009

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Source Energy for a Change in Life

Dr. Wayne Dyer, an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development, raised a point: "When you change the way you think, the things you look at change." (http://www.drwaynedyer.com/)

How do you change the way you think?
Dr. Dyer stresses that staying open in your rapport to the source energy is the way; the divine source is called "God". Changing the way you think will become experiential and behavioral momentum that betters your daily life, along with measures that lie in your relationship and access to the source energy. You can develop your positive conscious routing and align your thinking pattern in powerful ways with practices: stay clean, think from end, be an all-time appreciator, remove inner resistance, be of abundance inside, meditate on greatness, avoid marinating in wrong things. With God, all things are possible. In Christian belief, Jesus Christ is the gateway to God who provides infinite power that changes human beings with wisdom, courage, and enthusiasm. How you connect yourself to God, the source energy, for a meaningful change in life is a transformational process of how you surrender, how you live in truth, and how you grow in Jesus-like character; the path of faith sets you free from gloom, peril, and mind virus.

No one is immune to illness. A change from fear to peace in a state of physical aging or dying is exactly a change of the way you think; When you change the way you think, the things you look at change. I admire those religious leaders for the change that made them courageous and has kept them staying focused with no fears but peace, love, and strength in full.

Referenced link:
http://mag.udn.com/mag/people/itempage.jsp?f_SUB_ID=3488



Written on February 3, 2009
Modified on June 20, 2009

Monday, June 8, 2009

Journey to Intimacy [親密之旅]

黄维仁博士 "亲密之旅"

I have been so excited and joyful not only because I attended an excellent educational program but because of being in the same pace with God along. Indeed, I hope you were in part of that process, because it is my belief that our God never leaves you behind.


On May 23 and 24
, my wife and I participated, in Silicon Valley, in the program of "Journey to Intimacy" led by Dr. Wei-Jen Huang (黄维仁), an assistant professor at Northwestern University in Illinois. In fact, my wife introduced me to Dr. Huang's training programs about 18 years ago when we resided in Taipei having the first two lovely kids at their very young age. (Remark: we have three kids as of now.) My wife had repeatedly outreached Dr. Huang's speech and winded in a series of audio tapes for over 30 times long before our family of five moved to the U.S. in 2002. Lately my memory stayed sustained only on the differences between man and woman: the so-called "Buffalo" (man) and "Butterfly" (woman) as designated by Dr. Huang.


Dr. Huang's wisdom in working with non-Christian communities is so divine. Isn't it natural that we feel most comfortable to live with Christians all around, including neighbors and friends? Yet, isn't a Christian life to be enriched by living with others and taking them to know the Lord?


Dr. Huang is a Christian, yet he is smart to avoid putting people on the defensive largely due to his love and his professional role, particularly when he travels to the middle-east countries. I personally admire his persistence even in the hard times; he may face serious controversy with others, and so on. As he said, the truth stands on the word of God and scientific methods should go beyond the facts where human beings have the varieties: man and woman, gay behavior,
healing by understanding, etc. He pointed out that the natural laws given by the Lord have outlined the necessity of our accepting and managing the consequences we face, with no contradiction to our belief in the Bible. As His follower and a professional, I highly respect Dr. Huang in both standpoints.


Dr. Huang, my wife and I are much better in shape compared to the pictured. (photo for three)


Remark:
Dr. Wei-Jen Huang has published two books: "From Mourning to Dancing: Understanding and Treating Relationship Crises" and "To Love is to Cherish Each Other". His most recent integral work is the "Journey to Intimacy" with DVDs, designed for people in need of improving relationship with their loved ones: couple, family members, and friends, through interactive behavioral procedures and experiential healing exercises. Dr. Huang is a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor at Northwestern University in Illinois. He is an active member in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at the University.

The following links illustrate Dr. Huang's resume, expertise area, and social recognition:

http://www.wccasia.org/2008/speakers_ws_bio.php?id=26


http://blog.sina.com.cn/doctoroflove

http://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/about-us/meet-the-staff.html

http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2008/02/7332/sadarticle/

 


Written on May 25, 2009

Miracle and Favor

I omitted some words that have stayed in my mind for a while. In a glimpse, I realized that my testimony on what I have encountered could mirror on His words. Experiencing a miracle does mean adopting a favor with His empowerment. God is everywhere, believe me.


I wanted to share the wonderful experience I had during my trip to Taiwan in April. Surprisingly, I met three classmates on the same day in different times and places with no prior scheduling and no particular purpose; one is elementary schoolmate and two are high schoolmates. We had never seen each other after graduation until we met on that Friday. One of them is a CEO of a public company in Hsinchu. One is a medical doctor. The point is: Prior to my Asian trip, I did pray for God's favor to connect me with anyone whom I know or I do not know on His purpose, and then, the wonders happened. Wow! I hope I could have taped the process for the miracle. In my heart, a surprise can mean a favor. God is everywhere and is so alive.


On the other side, lives inevitably have hard times. So do I. Our journey on earth varies; nevertheless, Lord's light gets stronger and brighter when we walk in the darkness. Isn't it?


Pastor Joel Osteen made a good point:
"But remember this… living in the favor of God doesn't mean you won't have setbacks or difficulties. It doesn't mean that you won't have to persevere, press on or keep hope alive through hard times. The truth is it's in difficult moments that we are able to truly appreciate the favor of God in the most powerful ways. And He promises us that one of the best ways to see an increase in our own lives is to sow a seed into the lives of others."


In such a favor, faith and hope shall give us strength on rock. In the same trip, I also met with a good friend who works for a non-profit organization called ORTV headquartered in Taipei. He gave me a present, a few music CDs performed by Heavenly Melody (
天韻), one of top-ranked choirs in Taiwan. Another ranked choir is called Stream of Praise (讚美之泉) that once performed in 2008 at River of Life Christian Church based in Santa Clara, Northern California.


I have entirely immersed myself in the music of two gifted CDs, not only because of the melody itself but because I know it's the favor of God. The songs in the air are full of joy and the rhythm is decently dynamic -- "Make My Life a Miracle" and "Father Along" in title album.


Remark:
You may go to the web site and check to order:

http://www.ortv.com

You may contact the friend of mine:

Joseph Chou

Studio Classroom / ORTV
Tel: (02)2533-8082 ext 200 (Taipei)
e-mail: josephc@ortv.com



Written on May 18, 2009