Category Archive

SAY WHAT?!

for the past 23 years, i’ve attended many surprise parties for other people. and each time, i’ve wondered whether i’d ever get my turn. well, last night, i got it good. and the funniest thing was that it wasn’t a birthday party, or even a going away party. it was my church commissioning service! yah. a surprise commissioning service. :)

my good friend conned me into going to church by booking me for coffee and then saying she had to photocopy something at church. so i happily went along. hah. little did i know what was waiting for me! anyway, it was a very touching evening and i feel more undeserving of the love of God and of all my friends as ever. to understand the story fully though, i must backtrack a bit. ‘cuz i realize it might seem odd to have to have a mid-week surprise commissioning service.

my commissioning service was originally scheduled for this past sunday. however, on saturday, the church sewage pipes burst (eew) and the decision was made to cancel church the next day. my initial reaction was disappointment and frustration at God – how could He allow church to be cancelled on my commissioning sunday?! i’ve mentioned before that i’ve been going through the excercise of asking God to let me look into His eyes and really see His face. so saturday night, after i heard the news, my thoughts were God, i don’t understand you right now. i can’t even vaguely see your face let alone look into your eyes! and God softly answered shhh… put aside your initial emotional reactions and look closer. so i did. and i actually saw His eyes for the first time. eyes full of deep love. smiling eyes. eyes with a little twinkle in them. as if God had something up His sleeve. and i smiled, knowing that there was something surprising and delightful that was in store for me.

and so, after the initial shock of seeing a room full of people who were there expressly for me, i got the joke. had the sewage pipes not burst, none of us would have experienced such a beautiful, memorable evening of celebrating God’s goodness and stepping into a new place of faith. this was why God had a twinkle in His eye! :)

WHY THE MOON?

the following is an excerpt from a speech delivered by President John F. Kennedy at Rice University after he was told it would take forty years for man to reach the moon. its content reflects part of my motivation for going overseas and taking on the challenge of utilizing the arts to tell the multitudes in East Asia about the love of Christ.

But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why, thirty-five years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard! Because THAT GOAL will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. Because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept,… one we are unwilling to postpone,… and one we intend to win, and the others too!

ME? JUGGLE?

strolling through Place Jacques-Cartier in the heart of Old Montreal, our family came across a crowd of people watching a street performer intently. in front of him stood a boy, about 9 or 10 years old, listening carefully to the man’s instructions. the lesson at hand? juggling 101.

from the boy’s sheepish demeanour, it was obvious that he had never tried juggling before, let alone in front of a group so large. but the busker was skilled. he only asked that the boy keep looking at him and concentrate on catching the bowling-pin-shaped object with his left hand, switching it to his right and throwing it with his right hand to the man’s left hand. simple, really. and so they practiced with one pin. then two. then three. then four. by then, we were all cheering and laughing at the wonderful accomplishment this was for the young boy. but then the busker added a FIFTH pin! this just topped it all. within the span of maybe ten minutes, an untrained boy was juggling five objects back and forth between him and this master!

as the show ended and we all carried on our merry way, i couldn’t help but notice that my heart was lighter and i had a smile on my face. and i reflected on how the simple act of empowerment by this street performer had probably made the day (and maybe the life!) of this young boy. i marveled at the ripple effect it had on everyone watching.

seemingly impossible tasks are not so bad when you trust the right coach to lead you through.

THE WHITE ELEPHANT

there is a tale of a certain prince of a certain kingdom.  within this kingdom, there was a certain high official who was rather unpleasant.   and this certain high official became such a nuisance that the prince needed to rid the kingdom of him.  so, as any wise ruler would do, this prince decided to give this official an extravagant gift: a white elephant.

“how privileged i am to receive this gift!  and from the prince no less!  see how special i am,” said the official, beaming with pride.  but as the weeks wore on, the truth began to emerge.  the man’s life savings were being spent on keeping the white elephant content and he was quickly spiraling into debt.  but he could not give it away or sell it for to do so would be to offend the prince and perhaps cost him his life.  and so what was once appeared to be a blessing turned out to be a curse.

how many times do we chase after white elephants, thinking we’re in for something good when in reality, they’re only meant to destroy us.  and how many times do we look at others’ lives in envy, wishing we had a white elephant when we don’t see what the implications would be for us if we did have one.

dear God, teach me to be wise.  and teach me to be content.

I KNOW NOT LOVE

this morning, i was reading the story of Mary, anointing Jesus at Bethany with perfume and wiping his feet with her hair and i realized that i still have a very far way to go before i grasp the depth of his Calvary love.  i tried to picture myself in her position and i wondered if i could take my $26,300 this year and spend it on perfume to spill over his feet.  and then use my hair to wipe it up?!  who would do that?  only one who was deeply touched by the extent of his love.  in light of that, i still have a heart of stone.  which leads me to this question:  if i am not moved by Calvary love, how can i expect to be moved by the plight of man?

ABOUND IN YOU

THICKER THAN WATER

having relatives over is turning out to be a surprisingly pleasant experience.  in the last four days, i’ve learned stuff about my family from my uncle that has been rather fascinating.  i’ve learned the history of my dad’s chinese name (‘cuz my uncle was the one who named him!) and i’ve heard about lots of interesting foods from their home city that are no longer prepared or consumed.  but the coolest tidbit of info thus far has been that my grandfather (who i never had the chance to meet) used to be a thespian!  he showed my uncle pictures of himself as a youngster, acting on stage.  so it’s in the genes!!  :)  how very interesting.