Newsweek article

I came across a Newsweek article that so reflects some of the thoughts I had when President Obama was being elected.  It's an article by Howard Fineman "The Limits of Charisma - Mr President, please stay off TV".   In his article, Fineman said, "Despite his many words and television appearances, our elegant and eloquent president remains more an emblem of change than an agent of it. He's a man with an endless, worthy to-do list—health care, climate change, bank reform, global capital regulation, AfPak, the Middle East, you name it—but, as yet, no boxes checked "done." This is a problem that style will not fix."  He also said "The president's problem isn't that he is too visible; it's the lack of content in what he says when he keeps showing up on the tube."   I totally agree.  I've always felt that actions do speak louder than words.

Relax

I like the idea of a "RELAX" button on our keyboards, and it would probably be pressed pretty often.  While I think I have learned to deal with stress and pressure fairly well over the years, I may not have learned how to "relax" very well.

Take this weekend, for example.   After such a busy month, I managed to keep this weekend free of any extra scheduling, aside from normal weekend chores and activities.   Yet, when I actually found myself with hours of free time, I didn't quite know what to do with myself.   I tried my usual "relax and have fun" activities - playing the piano, reading a book, and watching some TV; but I was somehow not in the mood for any of those for longer than a few minutes at a time.  Surprisingly, I was pretty restless.  I ended up going shopping.   I suppose it is one form of relaxation and unwinding; but, I try not to resort to it often, especially in this economy.   I did buy a nice new pair of well-made leather boots, which, to be fair, I did need, since my old pair is falling apart. 

As I think about it, when it comes to relaxation, I may have been influenced by my mom.  She was one person who never seemed to be able to relax, even when we were on family vacations, because she kept looking at all the things that needed to get done.   It's true that we have a never-ending "to do" list; however, we're just not built that way.   Even in creation, God gave us the example of rest:  "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."  (Genesis 2:2)

On a weekly basis, I think I do fairly well, in making sure that I'm not running myself ragged 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  I have been able to balance out my schedules by fitting in times for my normal "relax and have fun" activities (playing piano, reading, and watching TV), exercise, and even cooking.   And, when I plan for it, I can "relax" on major vacations.   What I find is that I need to be purposeful in all that I do.   I take time out during the week to keep balanced; I take major vacations to get away; but, I don't do so well with big chunks of time with nothing to do, which is okay.  So, yesterday, after church, instead of "vegging" the rest of the day, I went out and did yardwork.  It was actually quite satisfying.   I was able to finish clearing all the growing vines; and cut all the hedges in my backyard.   After the major yardwork earlier this year, I am happy to find that my backyard is now considered manageable.  It was even a beautiful day to be outside.

All in all, it is important to keep ourselves balanced and ensure we have time to relax and rest; however, I think that there is such a thing as too much relaxation.  One verse that kept coming to mind was: "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil"  (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Who's Crazy Now?

I just finished reading Who's Crazy Now? by Susan Rueb and Todd Clements.  Part 1 is the story of Kristin, my Pastor Jerry's and Sue's daughter; and Part 2 provides information about the different parts of the brain and their function.

The story is truly heartrending, especially since I know them personally.  I was in tears as I read the story.   I appreciate Sue's willingness to be open and vulnerable as she told the story of her family's struggles, feelings, and emotions in dealing with Kristin's brain injury, which took 30 years to correctly diagnose.  The thought that kept going through my mind is how they have been refined through fire.   I have always felt that one of the reasons Pastor Jerry so effectively ministers and speaks God's truth was because of the deep faith he has developed through trials.   What a difficult life lesson to be living through; but, it does show how we do develop godly character through perseverance and endurance in difficulties.  May God continue to be with Kristin, Pastor Jerry, Sue, and the whole family.   I also pray for the effectiveness of the B.R.A.I.N organization (http://www.thebrainsite.org) in helping others with brain injury.   I also pray for the fundraising concert they will be holding on Oct 1st with David Klinkenberg.

I've seen evidence of how precious and fragile our brains can be.  Part 2 of the book was a good reminder of what a vital organ the brain is.  The frontal lobe controls personality, organization, problem solving, critical thinking, etc.  The temporal lobes affect understanding, processing, emotions, memory, music, etc.   The cerebellum affects movement and speech.  The parietal lobe affects sensory processing, map abilities, etc.  The cingulate gyrus affects attention, ideas, additions, etc.  And the deep limbic system affects motivation, moods, etc.  How important it truly is to protect that valuable and vital organ.

Flashforward

The highly anticipated and publicized series premiere for Flashforward aired last night.  It has a very impressive cast, and a pretty fast-paced script.

While I do occasionally watch shows like CSI, the Mentalist, and  Lie to Me, drama and action are typically not my type of genre; and neither is Sci-Fi, although I do appreciate Star Wars, Star Trek, etc   I would have to admit that the main draw to this show for me was the chance to see Joseph Fiennes on the small screen.  I'm a fan of his from his "Luther", "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth" movies.   He strikes me as a very serious and intelligent actor, with character and integrity.  But, additionally, I did also find the premise of this show to be an interesting concept.

What would I think if I flashforwarded 6 months into the future?   Do I believe in fate?  Well, from the Christian perspective, I do believe in some measure of "predestination".   Scripture says that God chooses us; and He certainly is omniscient, knowing all things past, present, and future.   However, He has also given us "free will"; so, we do have the ability to make choices in our lives.   It's a balance somewhere in between the two - our lives are not just marching through a pre-scripted fate, nor is every part of our lives fully in our control.

I believe that I have, on very rare occasions, been given very small glimpses into the future in some of my "dreams".  Some of them did come true and I would experience feelings of deja vu.  To me, that's probably how I would view a flashforward..... that it is a glimpse into the future that will come true; but, I had contributions to the choices made that got me to that point.   I guess that begs the question, if we tried really hard to avoid that vision of the future, would it change?   Personally, I'm going to go with "no".

So, if I were given a flashforward 6 months into the future, what would I want to see?  It would be March 2010.  I think it would be neat if I saw myself involved in a ministry new to me, some sort of a community service or outreach; or maybe even speaking at an event.   This is a good reminder to me to continue to dream God's dreams, to have vision for the future rather than just living day-to-day.

Health

It's often easy to take our health for granted; but, it doesn't take much to make us realize how important it is.   When there is any part of our health that is not functioning normally, it can really have an effect on us as a whole.

I've been working on trying to stay healthy.  This week, I've been recording all that I've been eating; and so far, I've been exercising 30 minutes a day consistently.  I've dropped down to my hard-to-cross-barrier weight - the one that I get to and seem to get stuck on, since it's hard to get below it.  I'm working towards getting to my good weight or maybe even my ideal weight.   I also need to make doctor appointments for my physical and the periodic checks.

My mom had to go into urgent care a couple of times these last couple of weeks.  She is currently on antibiotics; and I'm praying for a full recovery and that her test results will show that there is nothing serious. 

Also, there are so many people that I know struggling with one health issue or another.  In my class, one person's granddaughter suffers from spinal dystrophy and another is being tested for a brain tumor.

This reminds me of the passages in the Bible on spiritual gifts and how we are to work together as the Body of Christ.   When one part is not functioning, it does hurt the whole.

Significance

It's something that I've thought about and talked about before:  the search for significance, the need to feel significant, the fear of insignificance...... 

On the surface, significance seems like it would go hand-in-hand with pride, and would only feed the ego.  However, ironically, true significance actually comes from making a positive difference in the lives of others.  To me, significance is allowing God to use us as part of His Plan in this world.

Significance also doesn't just come in the BIG things.  It was in the little ways in which I was able to help others when I felt significant - pointing to the right person to teach Bible study methods on the Mexico missions trip, giving someone a bottle of water to satisfy their thirst, and helping to sign up sponsors for children in need.

Children

Whether it was the debate on "Biblical Beauty, Brokenness, and Bioethics" or the Casting Crown concert as artist associates of World Vision this weekend, both made me think about what is the Biblical perspective in these areas related to children.

The debate, hosted by the Biola Torrey Honors Institute and Joni and Friends Christian Institute on Disability, featured Dr Gregory Stock (author and former director at UCLA's School of Medicine) and Wesley Smith (author and Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute).  

In the introduction, there were some really good points made:

• Dignity and justice are undervalued because striving for something higher than ourselves has been undermined
• Christianity began with "brokenness" - the sign of the cross.   Beauty came into the world, took on flesh, and allowed Himself to be broken, revealing Himself in ways we could not see thru His perfection
• We who are born into this "brokenness" can be made whole because of what was accomplished at the cross, a paradox of the brokenness being made beautiful
• When we look at true beauty, we may more so recognize our brokenness
• Despite outward appearances, true beauty can be found in a soul created in the image of God with a body created according to His design and plan; for beauty is not in the eye of the beholder but rather is in the mind of God
• The problem with Christianity are Christians and what's good about Christianity is Christ
• No civilization has ever survived the undermining of goodness, truth, and beauty
  

The debate itself included a discussion of challenges related to the ethics and effects of using technology for genetic selection (or "designer babies").     Overall, the point has been made, that in allowing parents to genetically select characteristics of their children, there will be negative effects on values of society:

• Promoting parents' desire rather than accepting children as they are and helping them to be the best they can be as they are 
  
• Promoting Eutopian-based values of the more "powerful" parent dictating a child's future, turning away from goals of equality, inclusion, diversity, etc.
• Redefinition of what a "human" is
  

From the Christian perspective,  some questions are also raised about how parents can think that they know what is better for their child than the Creator?   What are the absolute moral lines which cannot be crossed?

The difficulties with the evolutionist worldview was that

• Assumptions were made that man was basically good and would make good decisions
• A libertarian approach was promoted because of the lack of moral absolutes to determine what to regulate and monitor; and any "laws" that were to be put in place would be socially determined and can be subjected to other factors and motives

It was an interesting debate which raised a lot of really good questions.   Personally, I feel that we as the created should accept what God as the all-knowing loving Creator has designed for each and every living person.   Technology in genetics should be used for therapeutic purposes (e.g. curing diseases, etc) and should never overstep moral absolute boundaries (e.g. destroy life in the process of scientific experiments)

As for the Casting Crowns concert, it was special to help, as a World Vision volunteer, with signing people up to sponsor a Hope Child in regions afflicted with HIV/AIDS.   This is placing value on life and doing what we can to help improve the community of those in need.   And, the music was also great!  (No surprise there)  I also had a chance to meet the band once again afterwards.

Another thought I just wanted to include.....Now that much of construction has been completed in our church ministry partnership with Mexico, the leadership was committed to expanding the ministry to include reaching the people.  So, I was asked if I would consider going to teach the women how to study the Bible.  That is something that I would love to do, for Bible Study is an area I am passionate about; and this is such a great idea.  However, because of the timing, the schedule doesn't work well for me.  Fortunately, God brought to mind someone else who was able to do it; and it has turned out well, for she and her husband are very excited about being able to go.

Psalm 56:3

I changed my desktop wallpaper today; and the verse associated with it happened to fit right into my theme this year:  "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." (Psalm 56:3, NAS)   The verse is short and simple, but, it is actually a pretty good summary of my current Bible Study series on "Do Not Fear".    The secret to overcoming our fears truly is to have faith in God and to trust in HIM.

"Oblivious to Grandeur"

I'm taking the title from Dr Del Tackett's Sept 3rd blog entry, because I like it so much.  As Dr Tackett said in his blog, we are so often oblivious to the grandeur around us in God's Creation and His Works.

I remember coming across the article which also had a link to a video on YouTube of the experiment that the Washington Post did, having Joshua Bell play violin "incognito" at a DC Metro station.   Most did not recognize this world-renown musician playing beautiful music on his multi-million dollar Stradivarius violin as they rushed through the Metro station.  I wonder what I would've done?  Would I have been drawn to the music?  Would I have recognized the musician?

Nevertheless, this does remind me to stop and take time to notice the glories of God around me.   I don't want to rush through life and miss the amazing beauty of my Creator reflected around me.

Staycation

After coming back from Arizona, and then finishing what I needed to do for work, I utilized the rest of my time off as essentially a "staycation".   This seems to be fairly popular these days, since staying at home for vacation has become a more common alternative to the costs of traveling in these difficult economic times.  I didn't really do all that much, which was actually nice.   I had time to run some errands, go grocery shopping, and clean out/organize my closet.    I also bundled up some clothes ready to be donated.

Saturday was my all-church picnic.   It was really beautiful weather; and it was fun.   It was a potluck for the food.  I brought chimichangas and tostitos, and made fresh guacamole.   The games were also fun - my class ran the egg toss, which turned out well.  Afterwards, it was fun to watch the softball game also.

Sunday, David Klinkenberg was once again a guest musician during worship.  He will also be doing a fundraising concert for B.R.A.I.N, which my pastor and his wife started.  When I had a chance to talk to him after church, he mentioned that the "energy" in Southern California was interesting; and that he's met a lot of people who are not working at what they want to eventually be doing (e.g. waiters and waitresses, hoping for the acting, singing, or dancing break).  It was nice to have him help lead worship at our church again.  I feel like I could relate to him, because of his faith, love for music, sense of humor, and "laid back" personality.

Afterwards, I went to my Community Group leaders meeting.  We talked about not feeling like we aren't able; about giving it to Jesus; and being personal and authentic.  A phrase that we are encouraged to repeat this year is:  "God KNOWS, God CARES, God IS WILLING, and God IS ABLE"

I also had a chance to watch some of the US Open Tennis Games. Seeing Roger Federer play once again reminds me that excellence does motivate and inspire others.  And to top off his semi-final game against Djokovic,  he pulled off the amazing backward through the legs shot.  Even though he was defeated in the finals by del Potro and "lost it" momentarily at one point, he still played like a true fighter and it was an exciting 5-set match.  On the other hand, as in the case with Serena Williams, it shows that no matter how good a player is, character and sportsmanship does make a difference and still matters.

Labor Day Weekend '09

This Labor Day weekend was a blur of activities, celebrations, and lots of driving.  But, it was fun, and spending time with family and friends is good.

Saturday, I joined my brother and some of his friends from a couple of churches to go to the Hollywood Bowl for the John Williams concert.  John Williams has really composed a lot of great music for the movies:  Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, ET, Harry Potter.   I personally think that Star Wars is among his best.  It was also fun to see that when any Star Wars songs were played (mainly during the encore), my brother along with a few hundred other Star Wars fans would turn on and wave their lightsabers. 

Sunday, after church, my family all drove to the timeshare in Indio and celebrated my parents' anniversary and my brothers' birthday.  We ate at Cafe Capitata in Spotlight 29, which was a reasonably priced prime rib buffet along with American, Asian, Italian, Mexican food and a pretty wide selection of desserts.

Monday, I drove to Tempe, Arizona to celebrate a friend's birthday.  We had really good Ethiopian food (Wat with Injera)  at Lalibela Ethiopian Cafe on University Dr.   I'm inspired to try cooking some of those dishes at home.   I also had a chance to see the ASU campus, particularly the music buildings.

Overall, I drove about 1,000 miles.  It's about 2 hours to Indio and another 4 to Tempe.

Peace Maker

My community small group started our new series, going through "The Peacemaking Church" videos and study guide based on Ken Sande's book "The Peace Maker".   This will be a good series for me because it fits well my phlegmatic personality type.

It is interesting that it was mentioned that we are to be peace "makers", and that merely being a peace "keeper" is not enough, since that doesn't really resolve the issue.  It was interesting to see "The Slippery Slope" diagram of the responses to conflict:  Escape Responses (Peace-faking) which focus on "Me", Attack Responses (Peace-breaking) which focus on "You", and Peacemaking responses which focus on "Us".  It was also a good reminder that in the midst of a conflict, we should remember the 4 G's:

• "Glorify God"
• "Get the log out of your eye"
• "Gently restore"
• "Go and be reconciled"

And the foundational G is the "Gospel of Christ"

In looking back, I can see that I have not resolved conflicts so well in the past, and I do tend to try to avoid them.  Yet, based on the passage on Joseph and Potiphar's wife (Gen 39:1-18), there are times when, after trying peace-making responses and finding that they aren't working, it may be appropriate to "flee".   But in terms of the peacemaking responses, I think the one that I use the most is probably "overlook an offense"  (the other ones are reconciliation, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and accountability).   Through this study, it will be good for me to learn to be better at conflict resolution, and maybe to be able to utilize the other peacemaking responses as well.