20-22 Covid-19 Daily Reflections

  Another aspect of Christmas is to accept the unexpected. It is the story of a woman who was waiting for her wedding day. She was about to be married to a righteous and loving young man. God had another plan for her at that time. God chose her to be Jesus' mother. Sometimes I think we romanticize the Christmas story. Everything in her life changed. After being told that she was pregnant, which was God's divine selection, she had to inform her fiance that she was expecting and the child was not his. The account of Jesus' birth told us that Joseph was not sure what to do with the news and planned to leave her quietly (he didn't leave her). Just imagine the gossips and the ridicule that they had to endure. Mary did not resist the unexpected. She was able to understand the privilege that she had in being chosen by God to bring Jesus into the world. What would be your answer to God if you are in her position? All of us have had to deal with the unexpected in 2020. We heard ...

  Maybe it is the right time to have some reflections about what Christmas really means. As we approach this Christmas Season with many uncertainties, it might be healthy for us to ask what we can be certain about as we are approaching 2021.  One thing we know for sure that human sufferings are real. We don't have to look very hard to see them. A lady, who was in line in front of me we waited to pay for our tree, told me that her mother died from Covid-19 in June, and it has been hard on her and the kids. I asked her whether she was able to talk to someone about what she is going through. There was not a word for a short moment. She then told me that she had never been comfortable to seek help. "Maybe, you want to give God a try", I told her. Surprisingly, she was not resisting my suggestion. I shared with her that Christmas is the time to discover that God is not indifferent to our pains and suffering. This conversation reminds me that we just have to be available, and G...

    Alberta has won the first prize in the category that it has no desire to win, the most Covid-19 infected province in Canada. After a business meeting today, I decided to have a quick shopping trip to a major shopping mall in Calgary to get a sense of how people are doing in general. Yes, stores have tightened up their safety protocols. In general, some people seem to cope fairly well with all of the regulations and restrictions while being out. Others might not. Here are some of my other observations: Christmas is only one month away, and many people have tried their best to be excited about the coming holidays. The familiar statement we have heard has been: "We have no ideas what to do for Christmas". Some even talked about not having a tree because their family members won't be home for Christmas. People seem to be in a hurry although they don't have much to do. Some people drive like a maniac in parking lots. Emotional stress has taken the better part of who pe...

  Life has changed a lot in 2020. We are not enjoying the same "freedom" we had a year ago. Some people begin to be cynical towards all of the safety measures that their governments have introduced. Others have resigned to the fact that life will not be the same anymore. Many Americans don't seem to care about the virus as they travel this Thanksgiving week to be with their families. Many governments have allowed casinos and pubs to be open while shutting down religious worship gatherings. Every state in the US and every province in Canada seems to have different approaches and regulations towards the pandemic. We certainly live in a very confusing time. What should we do, and how should we act when we don't seem to have the information we need? I was sad that many of my siblings could not come to my father's funeral. My heart was pondering in many ways as I went for a walk the evening before the funeral. As my heart went into quietness, I learn to understand how ...

I met with a young accountant this week for lunch. He wanted to share some of his thoughts about his family, his upbringing, and some of his ideas careerwise. It was exciting and refreshing for me. He then asked me about how to be with those who suffer as he begins to encounter some of these situations personally. He was not just talking about death. He has some friends who are recently going through broken relationships, sickness, loss of employment, and more. It was the dark valley of death in Psalm 23. How can we there for people who are going through such a painful period in their life? Being present is helpful. We cannot help people by being absent. Facebook and other social media communication won't cut it. We need to have the willingness to be there and to listen. Don't try to understand because sometimes we don't. Listening without judgment is how we show our compassion. Being present also reveals our commitment to care for people. Covid-19 has presented some serio...

One of my favorite exercises is walking. I like to walk alone sometimes because it helps me to think over things that have been happening in life. It is a significant part of my solitude. I don't walk just to get the cardio exercise I need. I also walk to exercise my spiritual muscles. I remember the conversations I have had with God during many of my walks. Many of them are very humbling because it was about how I have been avoiding him. Christians talk a lot about walking with God. We know the image of being carried by God when our walk with him becomes too tiring. So what does it mean to walk with God in our daily life? It is an act of worship. As we walk with God, we slowly learn how to let Him take the lead. We know that we don't know where we should go on that specific day and what are the issues we need to face. We learn how not to fight back even though we are terrified. It is an act of worship because we eventually acknowledge that we need to surrender ourselves to him...

Yesterday I mentioned that transition demands us to pray. How do we pray, and what we are praying for during transition? Sometimes it is a challenge to pray while going through our transition. Our thoughts are all over the place during such a time. It might be helpful to think through why we need to pray. Pray that we learn how to be compassionate to one another. We seem to lose our patience very quickly these days because we feel like we are walking on the edge. There are many more questions than answers. Being compassionate to one another might be a good idea because it will slow our emotions down and help us to see things better. Pray for the generosity of our hearts so that we will be able to discern what will be the next step we need to take. Generous hearts will be free to ask more questions without expecting answers immediately. Our generosity will open doors for others in their lives, and it will also open doors for our lives. A generous heart will create opportunities all aro...

    Due to the delay of the flight home last night, I had some time to think about my meetings with my daughter, nieces, and nephews, although they were outdoor and brief. Montreal somehow has lost its place as a critical destination as both of my parents passed away. We are a very mobile family and scattered all over the world. I guess we are going through a needed transition in our family as a whole. The next generation of our family is gifted in their own ways and finds their place to make a difference in the world. Transition demands more intentional prayers: As I listened to my children, nieces, and nephews, I have decided that I need to pray for them more individually. There are so many moving parts in their lives, and they need to be aligned with God. There are many decisions to be made. Faith and knowledge need to there when they make them. Loving them now is to be more prayerful more than ever before. Transition demands courage: Being gifted is one thing; having coura...

  This is the first Christmas we don't have two of our kids home. Covid-19 is such an evil thing. It has destroyed our freedom and ability to gather together in worship. It has robbed away the most meaningful time for many families at Christmas. It has created so many challenges for us to be with families and loved ones when needed. We just love to have our kids home for Christmas. This was the first time in my life that I did a funeral for a family member and we could not gather together afterwards. It went against the dynamic of grieving. I felt rather strange saying goodbye to a niece at the graveside. She was very close to my dad and I knew she needed to talk. What killed me was that I would love to hug many of them, but I couldn't.  This trip was the first time I flew since March. I love to travel to see places and to catch up with friends. Travelling has been how I keep up with old friendships and discover new places at the same time. I have met many people but...

I got up early this morning to pray. I am thinking a lot about my father and my mother on this day as we are going to lay our father to rest later this morning.  I came across this prayer by Vienna Cobb Anderson a while ago. I think it is fitting to share it with you. God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life. We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of ourselves. We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome u...

I arrived in Montreal in the early evening yesterday. The whole province is in a locked-down mode so there is very little to do. I cannot even visit my sisters and their families. So I decided to drive to the neighbourhood where my parents opened their restaurant more than 40 years ago. It certainly brought back a lot of memories. The whole area has been gentrified in recent years so the building where the restaurant used to be has been modernized quite a bit. My thoughts were certainly about my parents when walked through the area. Life is a gift even though it can be so hard at times. My parents approached their first few years in Canada that way. It was not easy but they never gave up on life. They were able to work with one another well. Culturally, my father was the one that made decisions for the family. In reality, my mother had a lot more influence than many knew. Life begins with every day when we wake up. There is no need to talk about yesterday without h...

  I am leaving today for Montreal to be at my father's funeral. I have been thinking a lot about the meaning of legacy as I read other people's tributes to him. He would be the first one to say that what he accomplished in his life was not that big a deal. So what we think about when we consider legacy? The legacy of knowing God: Knowing God is not that simple for us sometimes. We have the gift of making things more complicated than they should be. When we are afraid of discovering who we are, it becomes more challenging to know God. We can't know God without having the desire to have intimacy with Him.  The legacy of being a lover of God and His people: What we love reveals the essence of the true God in our lives. We cannot claim that our lives are about Him while there is little evidence or none to indicate so. When we learn to love people, we will appreciate the capacity that God has given us. Our ability to love depends on our freedom to acknowledge others as God's...

  I am writing this while waiting for Telus to change the sim card of my phone. I have been thinking about my father a lot more as his funeral is approaching. My faith tells me that he is better off where he is now. Yet, the human side of life is still dealing with missing him. As I think about my parents' lives, I come to the conclusion that we don't really have much to be complaining about with anyone. Take risks so that we can discover the real meaning of life. The most dangerous one was to leave Vietnam in 1975 and leaving much of whom they were and what they had accomplished behind. It was not easy because both of my parents lost their worldly identity by coming to Canada. Believing in God is another "risk" we take. We can never prove God's existence. We believe in who Jesus is because we have sufficient evidence but not conclusive evidence. My parents left Vietnam and came to Canada. They were hoping for a new life. Believing in God is trusting God for that ...

  I found myself praying for families who have lost their loved ones due to Covid-19. As we prepare for our my father's funeral on Nov 21st, we realize that things are not that simple due to many unknowns. As the second wave of this pandemic is raging on in Quebec, we have fewer certainties about how things should be and what we can do. That does create some degrees of stress for many of us. I am thankful that we as a family are together at this time and learn how to support one another. It might be a lot more headache if we don't have that. As I prepare for my father's funeral service, I reviewed many common prayers for those who died. I like to share one with you and take a different view of the prayer by reading it as a prayer for the living. "Incline Thine ear, O Lord, unto our prayers, wherein we humbly pray thee to show thy mercy upon the soul of thy servant, whom thou hast commanded to pass out of this world, that thou wouldst place him in the region of peace an...

  We are right at the high point of the second wave of the pandemic. The numbers of infections are higher across North America. It is not easy to know where things are heading as various levels of government are trying to decide what to do. More and more people I know have got infected and sick. It is a stressful time for many small business folks. Some are trying very not to lay people off, but it is not an easy thing to do. a) Endurance is the key at this point. We are getting tired of dealing with all of the new restrictions and protocols. We are also tired of not being able to see people, to travel, and to do what we want to do. It is very trying for some people because of their needs and personality. We are fed up with everything and become careless. b) Kindness is what we need to embrace. There is no need to be angry and frustrated. It doesn't help us to see things any more clearly. Let us aim to slow down and be kind to one another. There is enough unkindness in the world th...

  The nature of evil has been written and discussed in theology and philosophy throughout the ages. Ancient Asian philosophers pondered on whether humanity was either born to be good and learned to be evil or born to be evil and learned to be good. Eventually, suffering will be mentioned. Buddhism talks about we can never be satisfied even though we have all we wanted. Then comes the root of human suffering. Christian teaching refers to human suffering as being separated from God because of our fallen nature. Suffering is a real deal. Doing good doesn't grant us a suffering-free passage through life. Sometimes we ask questions like why good people suffer? Where is God in suffering? When is it going to end? Somehow the real deal is being seen as a bad deal. We don't like it. There are many forms and expressions of human suffering. Covid-19 pandemic has underlined emotional suffering among seniors as they are isolated and separated from their families. It also points toward the r...

    Pondering is essential in our life of faith. Sometimes we need to look beyond the trivial happenings to see God's work. The stress of the day can capture our minds, and we cannot think clearly. Our hearts can be overwhelmed by our human emotions, and we cannot feel any hope. The verse that I would like to share with you today is from  Psalm 64: 9 "All mankind shall be afraid. They shall declare the work of God, and shall wisely ponder what he has done." What shall we be our fears? The lack of righteousness is what comes to my mind as I ponder on this verse. I think that I am tired of watching the news on TV these days because of the outright contempt that News Channels have towards God. There is an intentional disregard for God and a celebration of unrighteousness. All-day long, we hear different propaganda about our human progress while witnessing the collapse of our civilization. The lack of moral compass in decision making in our time is what destroying our exercis...

I went for a walk after a business meeting yesterday. It was a difficult day because a client has to make some difficult decisions in the next few days so that they can make it through the second wave of Covid-19. It is a lot harder to make these decisions because it has nothing to do with the performance of the people who are about to be laid off. I want to understand what it means to be compassionate during such a time.  To be prayerful about what we have to tell these employees. Prayers will give us insight into what we might be missing in caring for people. I have done this many times before and it does not mean I will get it right without praying. I pray over every single name in my walk with the understanding that I am dealing with people's life and future. Not to be defensive toward emotional responses that people might throw back at me. I hope that I won't take things personally when people are angry and frustrated. Listening is important in this process. Some mig...

    Today is Remembrance Day in Canada. It is the day when we take 2 minutes of silence at 11:11 am to honor our fallen and remember their sacrifices. We were poppies as the symbol of this day. That was why I took exception to Wholefoods for banning their employees from wearing them. Academics might have different opinions about whether we are designed naturally to rage war against others. One thing we know for sure is that human history is full of war accounts. We go to war against one another because of religious reasons, racial differences, economic expansion, ideology, threats against one another, and our needs to be superior. Sometimes we have more noble reasons to go to war. It can be a fight against injustice in the world. It can be our need to protect the lives of many others when someone is threatening them. Some religious people believe in the idea of the Holy War (War on behalf of God). However, we need to be aware that many atrocities are being done in God's name a...

  Have you recovered from the drama of the US election? Well, it doesn't look like it is going to be over soon. It is like one of those TV series that ends with "To Be Continued". We will see soon enough whether we are going to see any form of meaningful legal action from the sitting president. We learned a few things during this election for sure. The objectivity of the press is a thing of the past. The press has put themselves in the position of "King Makers" or tried to anyway. It is unfortunate that way. We, the public, are no longer served objectively because of it. There is a more powerful propaganda machine out there, and we need to be critical about what we watch, read, and hear. For example, the message of the press lately is to be against hatred toward a specific race while raging damnation toward an individual daily or the police is acceptable. That is hypocrisy. The political climate in the US won't get better anytime soon. The nation will need t...

  My father passed away yesterday evening in Montreal. Some of you might know that he had Covid-19 and survived. We had been able to see and talked to him via Zoom four times a week until this past week. He didn't suffer much and passed away peacefully with my younger sister by his side. So I am going to take this moment to share with you what I miss about him the most. His unassuming and kind manners: He and mom went through a lot in their life together over the 70 years. He never thought highly of himself and was always kind to people in his life.  His love and respect for my mother: He would never say a negative word about my mother. He always believed in her gifts and respected her decisions. He never put her down or had angry words to her. His perseverance and consistency: my dad was not a giving up type. He might be quiet, but he was very committed to what he wanted to do. He was never boasting about his successes but very reflective about his failures. His love for God:...

  I was walking by a city job site last week. It was a natural gas line upgrading in an old neighborhood. There was a lot of digging noise from different pieces of equipment. I overheard a worker talking to another one: "I know that I will need to something, and I have no idea how to begin." I was with a colleague, and we both looked at each other to make sure that was what we just heard. Well, we decided not to hang around too much longer after that. Another conversation I overheard was in a rather fancy restaurant in Banff. I was interviewing with a client. A customer at a table not too far away from us was complaining about some hair in her salad. Here was the server said to her: "Oh, that happens quite often. It is hard to avoid that." That was not great news while dealing with Covid-19. My client and I looked at each other and quietly made sure no hair on our plates. I have been thinking about these conversations a lot. I know that many of us have gone through ...

  The latest corporate faux pas concerning Wholefoods decided not to allow their employees to wear poppies as a sign of remembering men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for Canada. Wholefoods initially stated that they don't let their employees do that because it shows support for a cause. Later today, Wholefoods backed down after reactions from many Canadians. Some are politicians, some are their customers, and some from the public. All is well now with Wholefoods employees who would like to show their thankfulness and appreciation for those who died for Canada. What do we learn? We live in a time when some people don't appreciate those whose work is to protect our freedom and safety. It starts with the whole movement of de-funding the police. Please understand that I don't undermine police brutality incidents and we need to deal with them firmly and clearly. However, we seem to forget that when wars and horrible incidents happen, we have the privilege to stay far...

The stress is high for teachers these days. Some told me it is challenging to teach with a mask on. Some said that it is not that simple to keep things clean. Some are exhausted by all of the new safety protocols that have to be in place. Many others also experience more stress in their workplaces. We never know how this virus spread. We can do all of the right things, and it won't stop the spread altogether. We can get upset at one another very quickly because we are fearful of the spread of Covid-19. Be aware of our indifferent attitude when we are stressed. I have seen people doing that. We have to know how tired we are and be careful about letting our guard down. Technology might help if we know how to use it to protect ourselves. My approach is to consider safety protocols as something similar to physical therapy exercises. We need to do them regularly and often so that we can be well. Be aware of our limitations when we are tired. There are things that we can do t...

We just have to wait now for the final confirmation of the election result in the US. It depends on where people are on their political spectrums, there will be different commentaries about what should happen next. The US is a divided house. The house with two solitudes. We are now witnessing the decline of democracy in the US and around the world. Both democracy and civilization are fragile when they are to deal with human broken and corrupted conditions. When we don't truly have a consensus about what is right and wrong, we begin to chip away at the foundation of democracy. How can we say to ourselves that we should cherish the system of democracy when we don't have any well-defined way to measure it? In some ways, we should not be surprised by the aftermath of this election because we don't know who we are and where we want to go as a nation. What is missing in the midst of all of this chaotic situation? We fail to have meaningful conversations about the sanctity of hu...