20-22 Covid-19 Daily Reflections

    Many years ago I wrote this down in my journal and it somehow jumped back at me when I was out for a walk today. "A content heart always finds ways to praise God and a discontent heart always finds ways to test God". How do we know that we are content? Contentment gives us confidence in trusting God while things are not simple and easy. Unexpected events don't throw us off. We don't jump to negative conclusions hastily because someone behaves strangely. Trusting God is not blind. It is a chance to allow ourselves to see things that are not obvious to us physically. It gives us the ability to be thankful for our daily bread. My wife and I were having some homemade chicken noodle soup last week for lunch, we both said to one another that we are grateful for such a simple and yet heartwarming meal. Maybe we learn to appreciate the simplicity of life when we learn how to pay attention to one another and realize God's blessings are not for us to keep. Contentment i

  It has been five weeks since we last experience normalcy of life as we knew it. We are looking for that life to resume although some of us are apprehensive about what that is going to be like. The question we ask each other nowadays is how each other is doing with physical distancing. What have I been able to find helpful in coping with being physically away from families and friends? My prayer life has taken a more reflective direction. I spend a lot of time asking God for wisdom in dealing with the post-pandemic time. It is not just for physical healing. It is for the restoration of hope. I personally believe that regardless of the doom and gloom of the news, God still has a great plan for all of us. I decided to reread some of my old books on Spirituality. The kinds of books that guide me to examine my interior life more honestly. I read these books again because I know that in order to look forward to the future, I need to dig deeper into the presence and allow God to speak. I be

  What should we do when we think that we are right in doing what we do and yet the outcome is less desirable? We know that it happens and yet it is still irritating when it does. Some of us can shrug it off and move on. Some of us allow the experience to be a tainted one. The bigger question is why being right is so important to many of us. We argue we fight, we get angry and sometimes practice passive-aggressive responses when we are told that we are not right. Being validated is important to our emotional health. When others think that we are wrong, the first human response is to fight back. This creates a serious problem in human relationships. I have witnessed men who failed to apologize for their mistakes against their significant others and ended up destroying the good in the relationships. The need for validation can be the root of failing to affirm others. Feeling safe is highly valued by many of us. Somehow being right providing that needed safety. But this form of safety som

  I have been extremely impressed by the following physicians who are in charge of Provincial Health of both Alberta and BC Provinces in Canada: Dr. Deena Hinshaw and Dr. Bonnie Henry. They are both calm, compassionate, firm, clear, and capable. It is more comforting to listen to these doctors than anyone else in the news these days. Dr. Hinshaw is always very clear about the answers she doesn't have. They don't wander outside their areas of expertise. They don't seek attention to themselves. They simply provide the necessary information and process to care for the people of their provinces. For the stress they are under, they still can be seen as women of grace and stability. Leadership is what we need when our nations are going through this time. What kind of leadership? Another person who has come to my mind is the PM of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who has been always kind, honest and no-nonsense when she has a public address about this pandemic. So here are a few thoug

    We have seen the rise of racism and racial tension since the threat of Covid-19 become dominant in the US and Canada. We have heard reports from people about the treatment they received because of their looks. We have seen the news report about an elderly Chinese man with dementia being thrown out of a grocery store physically by another white client because he was ignorantly afraid. As much as Covid-19 is a real threat to us, racism might just be a more serious threat because social and cultural distancing might make it worse. Fear plays a significant role in racism. The best approach we might need to have is to acknowledge that we all have some degree of fear toward people and cultural groups that we are not familiar with. I met some people who have serious concerns about the existence of a specific cultural group and yet they have never tried to befriend or to get to know anyone from that specific group. Fear can be based on ignorance. Fear can be based on a generalization of on

  I had a conversation with a friend who was about to go on a "physical distancing" date. My first reaction was: "you are kidding me!" Well, she was not kidding and was in the middle of putting her makeup on. I just encourage her to make sure that the makeup more intensified so the other party will be able to appreciate her beauty 6 feet away. Believe it or not, that conversation makes me think more about this whole notion of physical distancing (or social distancing as some might put it) and wonder whether it is a real new phenomenon or we just give a name to something or some ways of life that have been there for a while. Our increasing need for privacy and insulation when we build a new home. When I first moved to Calgary, I was amazed by how much Calgarians like their fences. The first question my neighbour asked me when we first move in was whether we would like to fix the "common fence" between our houses. Our increasing need for safety. We create s

    "I feel so restless" is what I am hearing more and more as the shutdown continues. We have different manifestations for restlessness. Some are easier to identify than others. As the weather is getting warmer and becoming nicer, the need to be outdoor and to do things with others is becoming greater. Restlessness is now becoming the greatest challenge for physical distancing. But is it really because of it or something else? Restlessness might be a result of emotional emptiness. We have the need to be filled by others' presence. We hope that it can be overcome by our connection with others. We get busy filling every moment of life with people and activities. However, we might still be alone in our own thoughts at the end of the day. It appears as if no one actually understands us. Restlessness can be a result of a loss. It can be a loss of life, loss of love, loss of identity, and loss of hope. People, I have been talking to, have experienced these types of losses. We

  The common question I have been asked by people recently is whether it is ok for them to feel a certain way. We need to find new ways to renew our strengths so that we can go through this period safely. So here are some of my thoughts while dealing with these questions. It is ok to feel angry and have the urge to hit something. Go ahead and do so. Just be careful not to hurt others and yourself though. It is ok to feel numb. The kind of numbness that might protect us from being emotionally overwhelmed. Being numb and being indifferent are not the same. It is ok not to accomplish your plan for the day. Be gracious to yourself when your emotional battery is depleted. It is ok to reach out to others and be a mess. It is not a bad idea to rely on one another. It is ok not to be able to hold things together and to cry. It might just bring some healing. Holding things inside is not a healthy sight. It is ok to have a glass of wine, a coffee or tea, and give us a chance to relax. And no, I

    What do we do when our heart is being afflicted? Affliction is what many of us have been experiencing for the last little while. Some have discovered that their relationships with their family help in dealing with affliction. Some have decided to go and give a hand to those who need help. Some have begun to pray quite intensely and that grants them peace. One thing many of us have seen that people have become more generous with their resources, their talents, and their gifts. The amazing thing is when we do these things, we discover a new strength to endure in our walk with those who suffer. I am grateful to see the support from Canadians and Nova Scotians for the families of those who lost their lives this past weekend. The common message to these families is: "You are not alone." Let us hope that our character will be sharpened and corrected in some ways as we learn how to live with an afflicted heart. New hope will surface. It is the kind of hope that helps us have our

  At least 19 people, including a police officer and a nurse who had been a front line worker against COVID-19, were killed by a shooting rampage by a gunman who drove a fake police cruiser and dressed like an RCMP officer in Nova Scotia. There are at least 16 crime scenes and the police don’t even know for sure that all victims have been accounted for. Monday morning many churches across Canada rang their bells as a sign of solidarity with the people of Nova Scotia and the families of these victims.  My mind was heavy because I know some people there. Nova Scotia is one of my favorite provinces in Canada. I did a wedding in a community not too far from where the shooting rampage started. I preached in a couple of churches in the same area. It is in many ways evil and senseless acts.  The phone calls on Sunday evening and early Monday morning were full of grief and disbelief. The best way to be is “being there”. No wisdom can fathom evil, no word can capture the immense sadness. Now th

  It is always healthy to have a thankful heart. When we are thankful, we become aware of how we have taken many aspects of life for granted. A thankful heart is not fearful and resentful. It has an amazing capacity to bring about healing in the lives of many others. It is an open door to hope and sometimes courage. Have you heard that an 85-year-old nurse in New Brunswick, Canada who has re-enlisted herself for service? She actually just retired about 4 months ago. She is basically thankful that her skills are needed and she wants to help to lighten the load of the nursing staff at the nursing home she used to work at. Her family is concerned about her well-being but she is not. People like her inspire me. Having the ability to make necessary adjustments is critical in having a thankful spirit. No one really likes to be around people with a cranky spirit. We might need to re-evaluate our expectations of ourselves and others during times like this. When we learn how to stop complaining

  Some of us might remember the movie "Sleepless in Seattle". It might be a good time to start writing a script for a movie about "Restless in America". After 4 weeks of being shut down, there are signs of serious restlessness in the USA. People have begun to protest, expressed their displeasure about not being able to work, and to go about their "normal life". They would rather take the risk of allowing the virus to be spread out of control than have no ability to feed their family. For some people, it is a matter between life and death regardless of their choice. That is a grim picture of reality. Restlessness is emotional, physical, and spiritual. We can be so anxious in our restlessness that reasoning becomes a hard commodity. We sometimes can get to a state of despair so we are willing to take unthinkable risks. We can become so unsettled and we might react violently. We lose our sense of balance and well-being. Our view of the world is getting narrow

  Many things are happening in the world today that I don't understand. Many voices are crying out to be heard and I cannot fully discern their messages. There are many things that we need to respond and we just don't know how. Our mind is overloaded with information. Our heart is overwhelming by various emotions. Our spirit is troubled because of the immense suffering of the world. Sometimes we wish we can just have a moment of stillness so that we can become more in touch with what is truly important. What is important? That is when discovering the writing in Philippians 4:6-7 is helpful during such a time like this. I find myself surrendering to God when praying this prayer. Please join me if you are able. Have a blessed weekend. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

    We have heard the news reports about many incredible acts of courage and compassion from the front line workers at different hospitals around the world. Just a few days ago, we heard about the 99-year-old vet who has been walking to raise money for the fight against Covid-19 in the UK. He initially was hoping to raise one thousand pounds. He has raised more than thirteen million pounds. We learned that many people have made homemade non-medical masks just to give them away to others. We have witnessed the generosity of many individuals and businesses who have given generously to folks who have no food, no medication, and in some cases no shelter. Sadly, we have also learned that many have lost their lives while caring for others. That is the highest form of giving. When it comes to human suffering and loss of life, we should not be too preoccupied with the mere numbers of the stats we read. One human loss of life is too many for God. When we lose a loved one in this pandemic, it is

  It is rather unsettling to go out in public places these days. People have become a lot more observant of where they are. We might know what the right thing to do and yet are afraid of not doing it right. Every human being can pose a threat and there is an easy feeling all around. It is like walking among the walking dead. It is no longer a pleasure to go grocery shopping and take our time to look around (assuming that grocery shopping is a pleasure). Now it is a "mission" to get it done well, completely, and safely.  There are five major struggles we need to acknowledge because they impact our faith in the goodness of God. We feel insecure. The absence of "normalcy" is the cause of our insecurity. Simple things seem to be either impossible or enduring. Normal social life. Perhaps we have taken many simple things of life for granted. The framework of life has been altered drastically and we are faced with helplessness. That should be the beginning of our new step

  Worries sometimes can take us so far ahead into the unknown future that we forget all about today. It might be healthy that we start each day with thankfulness. Be thankful that today happens. The more often we can do that, the more we can treat each day of our life as a gift. No one would know for sure that waking up every day is a certainty. So today happens because God allows it to happen and for that alone, I am thankful. When we are thankful, it is easier to be positive about life. It is the kind of positivity that centers itself on enlarging our life's meaning and its influence. It is pointless to be alive when our life doesn't have any meaningful impact on anyone. We are then called to empty ourselves in the act of caring for others. Positivity is not just motivational. It is devotional toward our greater purpose of life. But it is a challenge to commit ourselves to a life of service because we might discover that we are in some ways ill-equipped and bankrupted. We mig

  I spent a lot of time this past two weeks listening to people. It is the best I can do for them. It is amazing to see how people can come up with answers for many questions they have about life when they give themselves a chance to look beyond themselves and to believe that they have a lot to offer to others. Obviously, the majority of these conversations are about what we are going through with Covid-19: how we feel, what we can do to make things better in life isolation, and what is life going to be like after? Here are a few things I took the liberty to record.          19 acts of kindness to reclaim our humanity in dealing with Covid-19: Staying home, be with your loved ones and God Get in touch with your grandparents, parents and your immediate family Write down your thoughts, your feelings and your personal self-discovery  Donate to a food bank and a shelter Buy masks for your neighbors if they cannot find one themselves. Make them if you are able Order take out for someone who

      On this special day, Christians around the world greet each other with: "The Lord is Risen" and the response will be: "He is Risen indeed!" The resurrection is a unique event in human history. I will agree that one cannot or will not embrace that uniqueness without faith. The faith that goes beyond any human understanding. It was the faith that kept John, one Jesus' disciple, at the foot of the cross. It was the same faith that took Mary Magdalene, who was also at the foot of the cross, to the tomb before anyone else. But it ought to be more than faith. Love ought to have much to deal with this. When many others were either hiding it running, John's love for Jesus made him stay. Mary's love for Jesus gave her the desire to be there for him and to take care of him. "Love is stronger than death" is what we hear sometimes at wedding ceremonies. The love that Mary had for Jesus is based on how much she understood how much she was loved. His d

      Many of us are suffering from information fatigue when it comes to Covid-19. There is nothing in the news except Covid-19. As if that is not enough, we get online to get some more. Eventually, we have no idea what to think, whom to trust, and become somewhat indifferent towards what our political leaders have to say. Maybe it is best that we give ourselves a break from all of that. Give ourselves a moment to be still so that we might be able to hear God's voice in order to reclaim the needed tranquility for our hearts. In the next little while, we all need the wisdom to discern what it is true and what is not so that we won't be manipulated by our own fear, speculation, and confusion. I would rather believe that God has the answers for the mess we are in by either performing a miracle supernaturally or helping researchers to find the answers we need. We need to be confident in that. Release the desire to have control in order to know what it means to be loved by God. Trus

  I was talking to someone this week who lost her grandmother to Covid-19. The conversation was about the fragility of life, some personal regret, some misplaced anger, and deep sorrow. She was supposed to go back to Ontario to see her grandma this May and takes her two-year-old daughter along. Life is full of joy and full of sorrow. That was how the conversation went. She talked about her memories of many visits to her grandparents' farm, going on trips alone with them, making hot-cross buns with her grandma, trying dim sum for the first time, her grandpa's heart attack and his passing...We went through almost 30 years of her life. The last few weeks might have been the most challenging time that many of us have to deal with in our entire life. We might not all experience loss of life. However, we all experience the loss of what life used to be. In some ways, this Covid-19 pandemic has robbed "Joie de Vivre" from many of us. No freedom just to drop by to see friends,

It is invigorating and freeing for us sometimes just to go out and do something to help someone when we don't seem to be able to find answers for the many questions that come my way. It has been an interesting time for many people in my line of work because we were trained to do our job face to face. Now it is "FaceTime", "Facebook Messenger"...and when we see people, we see them with a mask. Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy means "command" and it was referring to Jesus' command to his disciples before his death: "Love one another as I have loved you". It is appropriate for us to keep that command close to our hearts. The needs we see around us are overwhelming and they don't seem to subside anytime soon. We might just feel God 's love when we live it out. Jesus celebrated "Pass Over" on that day. Jewish people celebrate their freedom from slavery in Egypt and "Pass Over" is the name for it. Maybe when we lear

  Being creative is part of being alive and being willing to face challenges with answers and solutions. Being creative is beautiful because it continues to improve the canvas of life with new discoveries in science, a new understanding of the human mind, new inquiries into the secrets of human emotions, new inspiring arrangements of music, new revealing pathways into social behaviors and yes, new engaging experiences of God's presence in our daily life... Being creative tells us that we are on a journey of learning. Learning about ourselves as people, learning about others as we grow to embrace the beauty of human diversity, and learning about God as the author of all that is beautiful and precious. A creative mind will find ways to understand what has been misunderstood, to cherish what has been overlooked in the past, and to accept the fact that knowing everything is the evidence of death. Why am I writing about this for Easter? It is because God is beautiful and creative and wi

  Rejection is not something we can deal with well regardless of our age. Its damages are emotional, physical, and spiritual. Today I was reminded by that reality again as my homeless friend called and told me he struggles with his stay at a shelter. For whatever reason, he does not feel understood and accepted. He would rather be in the cold outdoors but Covid-19 does not grant him that choice. Rejection has its own expressions and languages based on different cultures, religions, and social groups. If we are honest with ourselves, we are all guilty to some degree of rejecting others due to our own biases and fears. The worst thing we can do to another human being is to be indifferent. Recently we have seen and heard about various accounts of how some people have become hostile towards Asians in different parts of the US and Canada because of Covid-19. Rejection can now lead to violence, not just physical violence but emotional violence that damages one's heart. Being rejected by

  Easter is actually about hope and restoration in the Christian faith. The hope is based on the reality of the empty tomb. It is the sign that death no longer has the final say on our life. Forgiveness overcomes damnation, shame is erased by God's assurance. That is our restoration. Easter is also about the community. The early disciples spent their time together after Jesus was crucified. Even though they were told about his death and his resurrection, they were afraid because they didn't comprehend the immense impact of that very event. However, they were together as they tried to cope with Jesus' crucifixion. I have been trying very hard to integrate Easter Eggs into my teaching about Easter and to be true to the Biblical message of Easter. The best I can come up with is to compare the early disciples of Jesus to Easter Eggs. Some of you might have to come across this saying: "Friends are like Easter eggs. You’re surprised at what you find inside them once you crac

  Today is the beginning of Holy Week according to the Christian tradition. The church commemorates the historical account  Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem as King (Matthew 21:19) on this day. This event was foretold many years before it happened (Zech 9:9). He was greeted with Palm being on his path. Soon after that glorious welcoming, Jesus was arrested and eventually crucified. He claimed to be the Messiah and yet He was not the Messiah that Jewish people were anticipating. Thi account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection forms the foundation of the Christian faith and its message of forgiveness and restoration. Messiah means Savior. Christians believe that Jesus is the Savior who rescues humanity from their broken and sinful conditions.  For the last few days as I talked to different people (Christians and others) about how they are coping with what is happening in the world with Covid-19, many asked the question: "Can we be spared from the worst possible outcome of

  When we face such a challenging time like this Covid-19 pandemic, we are forced to examine our understanding of perseverance. There is a sense of agony in perseverance. The agony that exists between knowing and not knowing. So how we live in such agony meaningfully? A) It is the ongoing discovery of our own inner life. When external life is in turmoil, it is not a bad idea to find stability with the events of our inner life. When I allow God to have His presence in my inner life, I become more aware of a new creative life during external chaos and confusion. B) The act of compassion sometimes helps us to put our suffering in perspective. Therefore, the agony is to love before being asked while suffering. That is the gateway to freedom, freedom from the smallness of our mindful preoccupation. C) We then need to have a good sense of where we were, where we are going and where is our final destination. For me, that is the meaning of being contemplative. When I do that, I might have a be

  Immortality might be what we long after although we know that it won't happen. That longing alone confirms to me that we were originally not created to die. DEATH is a bad deal and if we have a choice, we would want it. Yet, here it is, knocking on the door as our days in this earthy life are numbered. We are broken men and women, in search of answers for our brokenness. Somehow in that journey, we might get a chance to experience healing and to bring healing to others. We then realize that it is such an amazing beauty to comfort others in our own woundedness. So don't be afraid of that journey as we go through this time of Covid-19 pandemic together. Yes, it will bring pain and I won't deny it. Yet, we will be able to see through what can be perceived as unending darkness so that we discover the meaning of bringing comfort to the Suffering. Here is the prayer I pray as I prepare to deal with the deep darkness of my soul while allowing God to restore others to hope and li

    We are so impacted by the news and the info we get from various sources of media. It is overwhelming and hard to discern where the truth lies. We stare at the vast amount of info and we need to have the wisdom to deal with it. Some of us are worried about "getting fat" due to our physical isolation. Most of us are anxious because we don't have a very clear picture of the future. We are worried about our family members who live in seriously infected areas. We have concerns for our kids and grand kids (?) and many other things... The normal compass we used to have to navigate our life is not working and the roadmap ahead is not very well-defined. My encouragement to all of us is to allow ourselves a chance to discover who we are without all of the external distractions, the noises, the fear, the anxiousness, and the desires. Getting to know ourselves and be at peace with that knowledge. So maybe it is not a bad idea to have a new diet for the news in-take and establish