Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving will be here tomorrow; and in a spirit of gratitude, I want to take the time to "count my blessings" and to thank the LORD for all He has done for me and given to me. First and foremost, I do thank HIM for the gift of salvation, and the abundant blessings which accompany it. I am amazed that I am adopted into the family of God; and that I can have a close personal relationship with my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the assurance of His presence and guidance in my life, knowing that I am never alone. I just pray that I may live my life in a manner pleasing to HIM, and that He may continue to use me for His Work here on earth. I thank HIM for His Word that He has given us, in order that we might know HIM better. I'm grateful for the love of His Word, which He has instilled within me. I thank HIM for the opportunity to lead a Bible Study class. I thank HIM for my family. While we have our flaws and imperfections, I have the security of knowing that we care about each other and that I can turn to them for help and support, whenever needed. I thank HIM for my friends. I have been blessed with a few close friends who share my faith, with bonds of friendships which have been strengthened through time. I thank HIM for my job. I love the convenience of not having to commute for work. I'm grateful that my job utilizes my background and experience; and is one in which I am capable of handling. I am grateful that it adequately provides for my living. Especially in tough economic times as these, that is something to be very grateful for. I thank HIM for my health. Though our bodies and health naturally degrade and decay with age, I am grateful that I am relatively healthy. I still have use of all my limbs; and I have no serious illness or disease. This is something that can easily be taken for granted; but, for the few times that I have loss the use of a body part or have been ill, I recognize that good health is to be appreciated and valued. God is GOOD! He has blessed me abundantly, according to His grace, far above what I deserve. Amen.

Behind the Mask

Some of the characteristics I've always valued in others are honesty, sincerity, and openness. In contrast, just this week, in the Hosea study, the characteristics of the Israelites emphasized, were their lies and deceitfulness. I know that when I encounter those who hide behind "masks", I find it disappointing, for it dispels my trust in them. There are many types of masks people hide behind. There are masks of false sincerity, deceit, stoicism, etc. No matter what kind of masks people wear, they are essentially trying to hide the TRUTH. At this moment, I can specifically think of three people who have broken the trust I have in them, because of the masks they put on:

• The first puts on so many different masks that all I see is mass contradiction; and I no longer believe anything that person says. I will listen to the facts that can be verified; but, have to ignore anything related to opinion, because I don't really know if it is true. I have come to view this person as someone who lacks integrity and is not to be trusted.

• The second is someone who may have started off on the wrong foot and could possibly be trying to remedy it. However, how this person is currently contrasts so greatly with what they previously said; that, I'm no longer sure whether what this person is saying now is truly sincere. I'm trying to give this person the benefit of the doubt; and to accept as much as possible; but, it will take time to rebuild the trust.

• The third is someone I was sad to see wear a mask. I thought we had the type of friendship that the person would feel safe enough to be themselves, and not have to put on a mask. Yet, I found that under the guise of interest in something else, this person seemed to be hiding ulterior motives.

Rare is the relationship in which both people are fully honest, open, and sincere with one another. When a person is fortunate enough to find themselves in such a relationship, it should be treasured.

Thanksgiving'08

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His Love endures forever." Psalm 106:1 The Holidays can be a really busy time; and for some, it can be an especially difficult time. I think of those who have lost loved ones; or those who have just lost their homes in these last fires. There are many who may find it hard to "celebrate" Thanksgiving. However, while it is wonderful to be able to gather together with family and friends and to share a meal; Thanksgiving is so much more than just turkey and get-togethers. The purpose is to thank God, in a spirit of gratefulness. I have found that even through trials and difficulties, when I focus on what I can be thankful for, I gain a better perspective on the circumstances. The apostle Paul encouraged us in Phil 4:6 to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." There is always something we can be thankful for; and when we focus on the good, it helps us endure the bad. And for those of us who are believers, the amazing blessing that we can truly be thankful for is the gift of salvation given to us through Christ's sacrifice of love on the cross. Amen!

Weight of Responsibilities

Fortunately, I don't have the weight of the world on my shoulders, like Atlas did in Greek mythology; but, sometimes I feel like I do. That's why, when I came across a related quote from The Greatest of These, it resonated with me: "It's like the Bible says, 'unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.' [Luke 12:48] I've been given much, and there's not a day goes by where I don't feel the responsibility of it in some fashion or form." How true. Most days, I just accept the responsibilities and do my best to fulfill them. But, occasionally, it hits me, and I struggle not to feel overwhelmed. As always, the best way to face our challenges when we are tempted to give up, is to look to HIM and remember what He has said in His Word. I am reminded that He said that "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt 11:30); and "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it" (I Corinth 10:13) I am going to trust that He will help carry the weight of my responsibilities; and that He will be with me every step of the way.

Rocking Chair on an Old Porch

How did I get here? I'm not even halfway to retirement; but, I already feel like an old-timer sitting in my rocking chair on an old porch looking out at the horizon, lamenting the future. How is it, that though I generally live by the verses that encourage us to "be content in whatever circumstances" (Phil 4:11), and to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil 4:4); yet, I still can find myself being drawn to the cynicism of Ecclesiastes and going through times in which I find it hard to be optimistic? I wonder if there isn't just something in our culture that has diminished our hopes and filled it negative fatalism. As I reason it through, I can see how our society's determination to remove God from our culture can play a large part in our slide towards pessimism. True HOPE comes from God. Only when we believe that there is a God who created all things and has a Plan and Purpose, can we see how our lives fit and have meaning as part of the Big Picture. So, maybe I should get out of the chair on the porch and stop looking at the horizon; and instead, I should lay out a blanket in the open field and look up at the stars and the vast expanse of God's creation. After all, as Hebrews 12:2 says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus" !

Search for Meaning

The age-old philosophical question "What is the meaning of life?" has been asked and pondered a countless number of times. In light of all that we see in the world around us, it would not be surprising for a cynic to echo chapter 1 verse 2 of Ecclesiastes, and say "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" We are about to embark on the next Bible Study series, through the Book of Ecclesiastes. We will follow King Solomon's journey as he searches for meaning in knowledge, pleasures, work, power, wealth, etc. In all his wisdom, and with all his power, wealth, resources, and experiences, he comes to the conclusion, true meaning cannot be found apart from God. The only path to the meaning of life is to obey the Lord and revere HIM.

The Greatest of These

I was reading "The Greatest of These" by Judith Bronte; and a quote from the book stood out to me: "As for what others say about me, all I can do is live my life in the fear of God, so that when others try to defame my name, those who truly know me, will recognize a lie when they hear one." That quote reflects my thoughts on how I live my life; and was something that I had to live out last year. I was constantly reminded that the only opinion that truly matters in life is God's; and that even if there are others who may say things about me that are negative and untrue, whenever it is out of my control, I can only be responsible for living my life for HIM and believing that the truth will someday be made known. The title of the book, of course, comes from the Love chapter in the Bible: "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." -- 1 Corinthians 13:13. It's interesting that in my current class study in the book of Hosea with "The Love of God" series, I've had a chance to contemplate more about love. Truly, we are to live our lives 1) Loving God and 2) Loving others.

Sydney, Australia

I had the privilege of going to Sydney, Australia last week. I've been wanting to go there for years; and it is as beautiful as I've heard it to be. It is surrounded by beaches and harbours; and the public transportation system is great, with it's buses, ferries, and railways. The people are also friendly; and overall, I had a really enjoyable trip.

One of the reasons I love to travel is to experience and learn about other cultures. I found that I was able to keep up with the US elections while I was in Australia, almost as well as I could have if I were in the US; for Obama, McCain, Palin, and Biden were constantly in the headlines in the Australian newspapers. Australians have compulsory elections and those who don't vote are fined. It's an interesting concept; and maybe it's because of that, they seem to have an interest in in politics in general.

Common American retail establishments existed throughout Sydney - Starbucks, McDonald's, KFC, Woolworth, etc. I was there on Oct 31st and found that they don't really "celebrate" Halloween. While the food was really fresh and tasty, particularly their fruit and seafood, it was all quite expensive. Even though I am used to California traffic and real estate prices, I found that Sydney traffic was just as congested and possibly worse because some roads did not have multiple lanes; and their properties on the harbour were reportedly around $30 million. An apartment, likely similar to a small condo, costs over $1 million.

I found Sydney to be similar to Singapore in many ways: the demographics, with a large Asian population; English as the primary language; the Opera House or Performing Art Center as a landmark; and the geography, surrounded by water.

I was able to catch the last evening of La Boheme and to listen to Mozart's Requiem at the Opera House. I was surprised that the building was not well-equipped to accommodate the elderly or the physically-challenged. However, overall, it was a really neat experience.   I was most moved when, along with the Mozart Requiem, they performed Barber's "Agnus Dei"  (Adagio for Strings for choir).   What a beautifully haunting melody.....

I would love to go back one day. The next time, I'd like to visit the Outback and see more of the Australian wildlife (koalas, wombats, wallabys, kangaroos, etc) than just at the Featherdale Wildlife Park; and to hike more than I did at the Blue Mountain trails.

And, the Olympic Park was impressive. It's nice that most of the venues were all in one place. I'm sure that was convenient during the Olympics. However, I felt that they could enhance the Vistor Center and offer more to visitors who are interested in the Olympics. To me, it seemed like they just tried to convert the Olympic Park more to be used by the residents in everyday activities (swimming, concerts, recreation, etc); and neglected to preserve the significance and memories of the Olympic experience. I have been to the Olympic village in L.A., Barcelona, and now Sydney; to the Olympic centers in Lausanne and San Diego; and am planning to go to see the one in Beijing. I've always loved the Olympics and what it represents.

It really was a well-rounded trip. I caught some cultural events, saw the Olympic sites, saw tourist locations, visited beaches and harbours, went to an art gallery and a museum, and rode the buses, trains, and ferries.

While I have heard some great Christian music coming out of Australia from artists such as Rebecca St James and Darlene Zschech with Hillsong Church, I would've loved to see more of the Christian influence while I was in Australia. Still, it was a blessing to have had a chance to go there.

President-Elect '08

History was made last night - the United States elected it's first African-American president. It will be interesting to see what will happen the next four years when Barack Obama takes office. He is unquestionably eloquent, has a beautiful family, and as shown by his win last night, has the support of the majority of the voting American public. As an American and a Christian, I will be praying for Barack Obama to be a wise leader for this great country. I will pray that the liberal views of the administration will not effect in loss of my rights as a traditional conservative. I pray that Life will not be jeopardized by an increase in abortions, euthanasia, or eugenics. I pray that our courts will not gain strength in legislating from the bench by radical judicial appointees. And, I pray that our country will be a nation that God will want to bless. May we, as a country, recognize that we are a great nation because it is "In God we Trust" and that our laws were based on Judeo-Christian values.