Consolidated Thoughts

This is a consolidation of various thoughts and occurrences the past week.....

I don't know if this is an expected result of focusing on prayer this year, but, in the last month or so, I've actually enjoyed having some regular "conversations" with God.   No formal prayers nor any particular positions (e.g. bowed head, knees bent, etc); but, just sitting on the sofa or at the table talking to God as if He is in the room with me.  And listening to His "answers" based on what I know of Him from Scripture.

Also, from the example of Nehemiah's prayers, I can see how it is okay to offer imprecatory prayers (which has helped me over the past couple of months).  I also see how he prays specifically.  When the enemies wanted to weaken their hands (figurative language for discourage them), he prayed directly for strength (to be encouraged).

Over the weekend, I have also finally gotten to the point where I could actually "rejoice" in my trials (as encouraged in James 1, 1 Peter 1, and Romans 5).   In prayer, I was able to truly give it all to God and to trust Him to do justly and rightly; even, if I may never know the final outcome or full picture.  My trials have actually enabled me to have a closer relationship with the LORD.   And, in the sermon on Sunday, I was reminded that we are not alone as we go through trials, and that ultimately God often has a bigger plan that we may not see within our immediate circumstances.

During worship in Sunday, the pastor reminded us that we are praising God along with all of Creation.   It brings to mind the passages of the heavens declaring the glory of God or even the rocks crying out in praise.

In applying the lesson from my small group study, I was able to practice PATIENCE with my critics in class.   But, I was also reminded that we need to be able to let the Word change our lives, otherwise, if it only increases head knowledge, it is not the most effective way to study His Word.

And as my friend shared with me about the areas God is opening up to her, to be able to use her past experience; it is neat to see how she is experiencing the opportunities to serve God seeing that it is something God has prepared her to do.

Nehemiah 7

This chapter begins Part 2, the restoration of the city and the people, now that the restoration of the wall had been completed in Part 1 (Chp 1-6).    The first thing Nehemiah does is appoint those who serve in the temple (gatekeepers, musicians, and Levites), showing that worship was a priority.   He appointed leaders, described as having integrity and fearing God; and gave instructions for the protection of the city.   He also listened as God put it on his heart to address the situation of very few people living in Jerusalem, and decided to register the people by families.  He started with the genealogical record of those who returned from captivity in the first group led by Zerubbabel  (essentially the same as those listed in Ezra 2). 

Nehemiah 6

The enemies encountered in Chps 2&4 showed up here once again, now that they had heard that Nehemiah "had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it".  Nehemiah resisted their persistent invitation to meet with them, by focusing on carrying on the work of God in rebuilding the wall.  Even when the enemies tried to intimidate him through lies and deception, Nehemiah discerned their real motives and just prayed for strength.  When the enemies changed their tactics and tried to give Nehemiah "a bad name to discredit [him]", he was again able to discern it and countered with prayer.

So, despite all the attacks from the enemies and continued intimidation from Tobiah, the WALL was COMPLETED in 52 days.  "When all [the] enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God!"

What a wonderful ending to this first part of the Book of Nehemiah.  The Wall is RESTORED; and God is recognized as the one Who made it happen.  The wall was completed in a relatively short amount of time, considering that it had been in ruins for almost 150 years.   It even took Nehemiah more time to pray and prepare, than to actually do the work.

Nehemiah can be considered a good illustration of one who stood in the gap, as described in Ezekiel 22:30 "I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one."  The word for "gap" is the same in both Ezekiel and Nehemiah; and the picture of an open space in the wall being filled in by one standing guard there is a nice depiction of how intercessory prayer bridges the gaps in life.  And ultimately, it is the Messiah who is able to bridge the gap between God and man that was due to sin.

Salads and more

It was our annual all-church picnic this weekend.    I was able to keep my sausage pasta hot using my normal potluck warmer; but, in the future, I think it is just easier to go with something like a fruit salad.  As usual, it was nice to fellowship with others in a relaxed setting; and I was even able to help out with some set-up and assuring that the food was evenly distributed among the tables.   It's interesting that I was able to use my past experience from serving with the Forever Young potlucks years ago.   And, it was fun and I felt cared about when one of the elders asked me to partner with him for the baloon toss; and another one got the group to cheer me into joining the watermelon-eating contest.  It also shows that I no longer just fly-under-the-radar quietly in the background anymore.

This week, I decided to just make a variety of different salads; and it would've made for an interesting salad buffet lunch if I had friends over.

• The Fruit Salad was easy; but, it actually took quite a bit of time to cut up all the fruit
• The Mediterranean Salad turned out quite well and I would definitely make it again; though next time, I will ensure that I add the dill weed.  I made it out of couscous, tomato, cucumber, olives, green onion, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt
• The Asian Salad (cucumber with carrots with salt, honey, and vinegar) is a good go-to dish, since it is simple and tasty
• Hummus served with carrots and celery sticks is healthier than using pita bread or chips
• Radish Kimchee could be served as a "salad" as well
• The strawberry, onion, green leaf lettuce salad really goes well with the ginger-orange infused olive oil and raspberry vinagrette
• The Mexican bean salad could use some work - next time, instead of using the mexican seasoning, I would stick to fresh cilantro, onion, and tomatos (for a "salsa"-type dressing) added to kidney beans, garbazo beans, and corn.  And, it actually tastes better when served over some green leaf lettuce.

The salads were fun to make; and would probably make for healthier eating this week.   On top of that, it would be good for this hot weather we've been having.

 And then, after church on Sunday, I was able to make myself useful by helping with the slides for the Ross Jutsum Concert.   He had shared a really touching and encouraging email from his daughter, which is a reminder that it's nice to take time to send notes to encourage others.

Over the weekend, I had once again asked "Why?" when it seemed like even the little things in my life were hitting bumps in the road.   My life has definitely no longer been peaceful sailing, and I sometimes it feels as if God seems to have taken his protective Hand off of me; but, I know that is not true.   He holds me in the palm of His Hand and has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.  And, it seemed like God was answering my question when I asked it, because as soon as I turned on the radio, the lyrics of "Blessings" reminded me that "this is "not our home" and that blessings, healing, and knowing Him better can come through our tears and challenges.  The verse about the greatest disappointments and achings of this life revealing a greater thirst this world can't satisfy, reminds me of the series on the Holy Spirit.   I am grateful that the trials of this life do draw me closer to my God.  Amen.

Nehemiah 5

Additional challenges arose as Nehemiah had to deal with problems related to finances.  The nobles and officials, contrary to God's commands, were charging usury against their poorer brethren, causing hardship to the point subjecting their children to slavery due to mounting debt.

Nehemiah reacted with righteous anger against this oppression of the poor, and its effect of disrupting their unity and the work of God in rebuilding the wall.  Yet, he stopped to ponder what should be done before taking action.   He rebuked the oppressors, based on the Word of God; so that they had no response to defend their guilt.  He also encouraged them to do right, to fear God, to not hurt their testimony, and to follow his example. Then, he had them publically swear an oath to right their wrongs.   As a result, unity is restored and the LORD is praised.

Then, when Nehemiah becomes governor of Judah, he continues to reverence God and not place any additional burdens on the people, by not taking the food typically alloted to governors.  The passage closes with Nehemiah's prayer to God, demonstrating that he is able to effectively lead because his own walk with God is right.

This passage reminds us that when we are doing God's work, we can often face many challenges.  They had previously overcome ridicule from enemies, tiredness, threats, and internal fears; and now this.  Nehemiah shows that we should be angry against sin; but, he also shows us that we can more effectively deal with problems when we seriously think about it, lovingly confront the offenders, turn to the truth in God's Word, and encourage fixing problems through leading by example.  Most importantly, our walk with God should be consistent and right.

Huntington Library,Good Eats, and more

It was another full weekend, starting with a trip to the Huntington Library and Gardens.   It's been about ten years since I was there last, and as always, it is such a beautiful place to visit.   The Chinese Garden and the Children's Garden were new additions, which I saw for the first time.   The Chinese Garden really did remind me of some of the places I had visited in China.   Once all the construction is completed, it truly would be a serene place to enjoy the view of the garden and lake amidst the architecture and sculptures.  The Children's garden had some nice "tunnels" and passageways I could imagine children exploring; but, it was such a beautiful garden that any adult would also enjoy it.  It's always nice to see the usual favorites:   Sculpture Garden, Rose Garden, Main House (esp. the Library and Blue Boy painting), Japanese Garden, etc. And, the Stained Glass wall in a part of the main house that seemed almost like a chapel area was absolutely beautiful and evokes feelings of reverance and stillness.   Even though it was part of the Main House, I had never remembered seeing this before, so I don't know whether it was newly put in.

We also had Tea at the Huntington Tea Room.   The tea was excellent; the freshly baked scones with the cream and marmalade were good.   There was a wide variety of sandwiches, though the best one to me, was actually the Egg Salad; rather than any of the other more "exotic" ones.  There was also a wide variety of salads, cheeses, and desserts; as well as some caviar.  Overall, it truly was a pleasant and special day - a good way to celebrate a birthday.   Just to note, considering the prices ($20 for weekday admission; and ~$30 for the Tea), outings like this would be for just special occasions rather than common everyday occurrences.  And, the glass enclosed eating area for the Tea House at the Chinese Garden would really be a nice place for a special celebration, for the view of the lake and garden is gorgeous.

Afterwards, I hosted a violin-piano rehearsal.   For dinner, we had Singapore noodles, Chinese noodles, and orange chicken over broccoli and brown rice.   The Chinese noodles probably would've been even better had I pan fried and browned them first.  But, the rest of the ingredients worked well together - mock abalone, baby corn, straw mushroom, snow peas, and carrots with broth.

For my parent's anniversary and brother's birthday celebration, I was pleasantly surprised by the Hibachi Grill buffet in Norwalk.  The food was really quite good - the Korean BBQ grilled-to-order, the crepes made-to-order, the Mongolian BBQ station, and the variety of sushi that was actually made quite well.   There was also the usual fare you would find in a Chinese buffet; and, there wasn't anything I tried that I didn't like.  A few of the desserts were also quite good - a coffee mousse-like cake, lychee jello, and chocolate cream in a chocolate crust.   Seating was actually fine as well, so all-in-all, it turned out well.    There is even a $2 theater of that same towne center, for those who want to see a movie afterwards or before.

Yesterday, I did some additional cooking, using all the leftover ingredients from hosting the rehearsal.   The Pad Thai looked good, but the sauce was spicy.  So, next time, I would just use a different sauce and put crushed peanuts on top.   Everything else looked and tasted about right; and I would definitely do it again, since it was not so difficult - boil the noodles (medium rice stick) and then mix with sauce; pan fry eggs with bean sprouts, tofu (or meat, like shrimp), and shredded carrots; then combine with the noodles and top with toasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts.  I also made a cabbage and carrot stir fry with sesame oil and soy sauce.  It was quite good; and probably could even be eaten cold as a salad (though the sesame oil is a little heavy when cold).  All the other dishes were pretty typical; but, the variety will be nice for food this week.

More Thoughts

It's been so busy lately, that I haven't had much time to write my thoughts down.   Last weekend was a full weekend of learning, with some notable occurrences.

I had been trying to understand why I was a victim of burglary; and what I could learn from that negative experience.   It did enable me to be more empathetic when a friend of mine went through something similar; and, it does help me to better understand imprecatory prayers, like in Nehemiah and Psalms.  It also helps me to relate to the facing opposition passage for this week's lesson.

But, I admit that more than once, I have asked "Why?"    It was interesting that the College Pastor's sermon on Sunday addressed that in his message "Is God Wise?"  Wisdom is discernment of right and wrong; and God is unquestionably all-wise.  So, the question is posed then, why would God allow bad things to happen to good people?   His answer was that God works all things together for good; and that we can trust that things will work out for His glory.  So, I will trust that God has a bigger plan in all this.   Like Nehemiah and David, I will leave the executing of justice to God.    And, if the thief is so moved to repent of his wicked ways and turn to God, I will even rejoice.  Meanwhile, I have a verse near the door of my home where I can see it whenever I enter or exit:  "Be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you."  (Joshua 1:9)

This week's passage in Nehemiah also clearly says to me that opposition and challenges from the "enemy" should not stop me from doing God's work.  That I just need to trust Him, to continue working, and just to make any necessary adjustments and preparations.

The Community Group Leadership meeting on Sunday also reminded me why it was important to continue to follow the worthy calling of declaring the GOSPEL message, for it is a lifetime "job":  Men will never figure out another way to conquer sin or resist temptation, Truth is not relative, All need soul food and a roadmap to heaven. "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."  (2 Corinth 5:20a)

I also had a "conversation with God" after Church on Sunday; and he reminded me that He is the Bridegroom, and that He loves me more and better than any earthly husband ever could.  What a beautiful and incredible promise!

Nehemiah 4

Just as all was going well with the rebuilding, the enemies begin to mock the Jews.  They ridicule them as being "feeble", unable to finish, the challenges they face, and the poor quality of work.   As we will see later in the book, these are not true; yet, were likely intended to discourage them to the point of stopping.

Nehemiah's first response is to PRAY.   Like the imprecatory Psalms, Nehemiah left justice to God to execute upon the enemies.  The people were heartened enough to continue; yet, when they were halfway through; the enemies, now having grown in number, threaten to attack.   And if that was not enough, some internal tiredness, discouragement, and fear set in.  Yet, Nehemiah demonstrates godly leadership by posting guards at their most vulnerable and reminding the people that God is "great and awesome" and will help them fight.  They continued their work, but were also prepared and ready to fight if needed.

What I learn from this passage, is that the first response to opposition and challenges, should be to PRAY.   We should also remember God's power and His faithfulness to overcome and deliver.  We should also not allow the opposition to cause us to stop; but, rather to continue God's work with diligence and preparedness.  Verse 9 is similar to the repeated message in many NT verses to be watchful and prayerful:   "But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."