Category Archive

ACTUALLY, I DID FORGET…

people say that riding a bike is one of those things you never forget how to do. well, either i’m exceptionally forgetful, or the saying is wrong!

this past saturday, i went bike riding for the first time in probably over 13 years and yep, i had to learn how to do it again. i don’t really know what i was expecting the experience to be like when my friend suggested that we go bike riding to prep me for my life overseas but i can truly say that it was not the most pleasant of experiences. it was actually quite uncomfortable, humbling and patience-testing. there were a few moments at the beginning when i had to decide to keep trying and really push myself to conquer the task. happily, i fell just once. haha… so i only acquired a sore bum and a very big bruise on my leg. :p

i think this experience taught me a couple things about learning. 1. learning anything new requires determination and effort. but don’t give up because it’s not impossible. and 2. having a patient friend to ride alongside, encourage and guide you makes the learning process much more bearable.

i guess these are lessons i should keep in mind as i tackle a new language and culture next year. ;)

one last thing: author and speaker John Maxwell believes that a person must keep growing daily. one of the questions he uses to help determine growth is, “when was the last time you did something for the first time?” i think for me, even though it wasn’t technically for the first time, learning to ride the bike again was indeed a moment of growth. and one i’m quite happy to have gone through. :)

YES, BUT

in celebration of our nations’s 137th birthday, our family took a road trip up to Midland, a town up north by Georgian Bay where we’d booked an afternoon cruise around the 30,000 islands. when we set off in the morning, it was nice and bright, a beautiful day. but as we drove, the sky seemed to get darker and darker. we were literally driving away from the clear skies and into cloud covered territory. as i was sitting in the backseat, i asked God, why are you allowing it to rain? it’s a vacation day. i was hoping for nice weather. and in the stillness, i heard His reply, it will rain on the journey. the sun will shine when you get there.

of course, God didn’t have to listen to my complaints and i really had no right to demand fair weather. but true enough, by the time we boarded the ship, the sky was blue and hardly a cloud was in sight (and as a consequence, i’m a little lobster-esque today ;p ).

the lesson? it will rain on the journey. on this side of eternity, while we’re living on this earth, there will be non-ideal conditions and hardships. BUT, the sun will shine when we get there. and that is our hope.

of course, it’s yet another piece of evidence that God spoils me. :)

REASON TO BELIEVE

(read the post below first before reading the rest of this)

so right after publishing my last post, i get in my car to drive my computer to a friend’s place to get it fixed. as i back out of the driveway, i see a faint rainbow. now a rainbow is a sign of God’s promise never to destroy the earth by flood again – a promise of goodness, a promise of life (see Genesis 9:12-16). so picture me, in my wavering faith, glancing up to see God’s promise in the sky. but it didn’t end there.

as i’m driving down Bayview, the rainbow not only gets brighter, but i see that it arcs over the ENTIRE SKY. and not only that, but the rainbow lasts only for the duration of my drive. by the time i arrived at my friend’s place, it was all but gone again.

you could say it was a coincidence. or you could call me egocentric, but to me, that rainbow tonight was God’s way of splashing I LOVE YOU! all across the sky. His love note to me. i tried calling people to tell them to look, but they didn’t get to see it. God blows my mind. even though i lacked faith, God still pursued me and gave me reason to believe. He’s my biggest cheering section.

God spoils me.

TRUSTWORTHY SAYINGS

a few months ago, a couple of my friends were discussing how they were memorizing Paul’s trustworthy sayings in his letters to Timothy. truthfully, i’d never noticed them before then. and to be even more frank, even though it’s occurred to me to look into them more, i haven’t – at least not yet.

however, one of them sticks out to me as more precious than the others at this moment of my life. because at this moment, i am fiercely fighting onslaughts of doubt that are trying to pummel me to the ground. preparing to leave and trusting God to provide all i need for next year is proving to be a battle i hadn’t exactly anticipated would be this tough. i feel a little like i’m on a boat in the midst of a storm, trying desperately to keep the water out but somehow, waves keep crashing in onto the deck. but in between waves, things are ok.

some people say that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed. now i know a mustard seed is a very small thing so it shouldn’t be that difficult to find that little bit of faith. but if we’re honest with ourselves, there are times when even that speck of faith seems to be misplaced. having said all this, now you can appreciate why Paul’s trustworthy saying is so dear to me:

CHOICE

up till now, i haven’t posted links to anything on this site but this time around, i think it’s worth it.

the topic du jour, of course, is our federal elections. i will be the first to admit that when it comes to politics and government, i am terribly ignorant. but i do have a desire to become more educated. however, how could i possibly navigate through all the sites and opinions to find my own stance? moreover, where does God fit in? i think i am not alone in this dilemma. in fact, i know i’m not. many of us young (and not so young) Canadians (especially in the – dare i say it? – Chinese Christian circle) have good intentions but are either too intimidated or lazy to find real information and not just settle for general opinions. alternately, some of us don’t really care.

but for those out there who do care and want to take their voting privilege seriously, here’s something that may help: Election Chart a group of gracious individuals have taken the time to create a chart comparing the four major parties on 16 different issues. they’ve also included a few questions to help us evaluate more clearly.

i pray that we, as Canadian citizens, and even more as people who profess to follow Christ, would seek God’s heart for our nation and make wise, educated choices. may we be responsible stewards of our freedom.

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

it’s been said that money can either be your master or your slave. and since i’m about to have an actual salary next year, i’m thinking about how to make money work for me. here are my thoughts so far:

1. money can be your servant by creating more wealth for you. my parents (and some financial advisors) recommend that i “pay myself” 10% of whatever i make and put it into some sort of investment so that it can work for me.

but then my question is, WHY? why should i care for more money? which leads me to:

2. money can work for you in places you cannot be all at once. by sending money to support people or organizations, you can let it represent you. so you can be “working” in many places even while you’re asleep!

but the really exciting thought is this:

3. money invested into God’s work becomes heavenly riches. so what is earthly and perishable can turn into something eternal! in my eyes, that’s like God is giving us a way to make something out of nothing. and that’s a pretty sweet deal.

makes you rethink how you want to spend your money, eh?

VISION

i’m supposed to be studying right now, but as you can see, i’m not. i’ll get to it (i’ve been saying that all day… hahaha)…

anywho, this past week, i had the privilege of attending the annual Arts Conference at Willowcreek Community Church in Illinois. the topic this year was “the real deal” – being authentic people to create authentic services. i had known since december that i should go this year but it wasn’t until a few months later that i was told i could go. i went full of anticipation that God had a reason for me to be there. i expected that maybe God would show me more of His vision for what He wants me to do with my life.

in typical fashion, God surprised me. instead of answering my WHAT question, He answered my WHO question. God showed me a new perspective of Himself and what it means to be His child.

on wednesday night, we attended their mid-week service. the topic that day was on Asking – referring to Matthew 7’s ask, seek and knock passage. when he got to seeking, the speaker talked about Psalm 32:8 where one translation tells us that God is looking us in the eye. how do we know when someone looks us in the eye? we know when we are looking in their eyes.

i’ve always heard to “seek His face,” and i’ve always liked that concept. but i’ve never thought of what i’d see if i were to look. i guess it never occurred to me that God’s face would have eyes for me to look into.

so i expand that image in my mind. me, looking into the eyes of God. meeting His gaze. what would i see? i would see the depths of who i am. i would see the infinity of who He is and His love for me. we would communicate on the level beyond the limits of words.

but what a bold move to make. for to lock eyes with God is to expose myself completely. perhaps i will wonder at what i see about Him, but i am afraid most of what i will see about myself. i know, however, that when i do look, all my fears now will be washed over and lost in His love. so i pray and ask that my Lord would lift this head, now hung in shame, and gently lift this face so that my eyes would meet His.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.