20-22 Covid-19 Daily Reflections

  I was going through some intense personal assessments about my involvement in the ministry in 2020. I knew that God was nudging me towards something else, and yet I was not all that sure. It was a period of seeking God and His wisdom so that I could be at peace. There were also many other voices, and that added to the confusion. A book written by Billy Graham was helpful at that time during that time. There is a verse for every day of the year to pray over. This verse was the one on Sept 30th, 2000. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him." — James 1:5 Lacking wisdom is an ongoing reality of life. Our struggle is the inability to seek God first. Success and popularity can be stumbling blocks for many of us. The longer we are in the ministry, the more we need to come to terms with our depravity of wisdom. We need to remain humble. We need to have the courage to confront our lack of submission to God. Lacking wisdom is common...

  Most doctors and counselors would tell us that a grateful heart is a healthier heart. "Recognizing and giving thanks for the positive aspects of life can result in improved mental, and ultimately physical, health in patients with asymptomatic heart failure, according to research published by the American Psychological Association." A grateful heart knows how to love as it receives the love of God. It doesn't pretend that life is perfect and is aware that God is with us despite our imperfections. It does not demand others to submit. It continues to learn how to yield to God's teaching. A grateful heart is a peaceful one. It doesn't seek discord and tension in its relationship with others and searches more deeply in its understanding of forgiveness. It does not depend on external affirmation for its well-being. It knows that it belongs to God, and that is its foundation of peace. A grateful heart will always discover new ways to appreciate life. It acknowledges th...

It is amusing to see how we can use many song titles in the past to describe what we have been going through since March 2020.   "We are in this together" was the first slogan we heard from our politicians and newscasters. (You Are Not Alone by Michael Jackson) Then came the practice of social distancing and 6 ft part from each other. (Don't Stand So Close to Me by the Police) The universities and schools across our nations were closed. Students went home and did online education. (School's Out by Alice Cooper) We witnessed many heart-wrenching images when children and grandchildren could not hug and embrace their parents and grandparents. (I Wanna Hold Your Hand by the Beatles) People started working from home via Zoom and other forms of online meetings. They started losing track of their day. (Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? by Chicago) Some have suffered from emotional stress, and the only thing they can do is cry when they call their friends up. (Had to ...

There is so much happening in the world today, and it is almost impossible for us to discern what is true. Tension and angst are what we commonly experience in human relationships these days. We utter threads at each other. People don't talk to one another because they disagree. People get upset because they have different stands on issues. We are experiencing the nature of evil in the world, and we don't even have the honesty and courage to name it. The following three manifested aspects of evils are in our society today. Unbelief: We are now showing contempt toward God by expressing our unbelief towards God. The spirit of unbelief has dwelt within the hearts of many leaders who are responsible for the well-being of nations. There is a void that comes after unbelief. What don't know how to discern meaning, exercise trust, and entertain hope. We feel deep restlessness because we have no idea how to deal with internal and external conflicts. We become fearful and insecure. I...

"Who do you say that I am?" was the question Jesus asked the early disciples when they were distracted by other people's opinions about who He was. Maybe that is the same question Jesus is asking us as we try to find ways to deal with everything that is going on around us. Perhaps, we need to address that question when we try to find answers for life. Jesus is about life everlasting. We should not be bogged down by the here and now while dealing with the calamity of the world. Regardless of where we stand on the issue of this pandemic, all of this shall pass. There is always life. We should be responsible for what we know and pray earnestly for what we don't. Jesus' life on earth was about service. He paid the highest price for our broken conditions. He didn't demand privileges. He spent time with the outcasts. He expressed compassion toward those who were condemned and rejected. He crossed human barriers to express God's love and compassion fo...

Tattooing is a taboo topic among some Christians. Personally, if I tell you I have a theological conviction against tattoos, it might just be my way of hiding from the fear of being judged by my cultural heritage. I don't have one because I just don't dare to let someone poke my body with a sharp instrument. I have encountered many people with tattoos for various reasons. I hired somebody who was an inmate many years ago. He had tattoos all over his body. He told me that each image had a story about a significant experience in prison behind it. Some of the tattoos were better than others. I appreciated the stories behind them because I learned a lot about how God revealed Himself to this fellow through his interaction with other inmates. A young widow decided to have a tattoo of her late husband's face on her belly. She showed it to me (Too much info, I know). I did not know what to tell her except asking whether she sees herself remarried. What would happen the...

Sometimes it takes a severe crisis for us to explore some other things to do with our time. One of the jobs is dog walking. Dog walking is perfect for some people. I am always impressed by people who can walk 6 to 10 dogs at the same time. It is a great job to have during this Covid-19. There is nothing uncertain about it because dogs need to go outside to have some exercise and play. There is no restriction because these folks are outside most of the time, and it is hard for anyone to come close to less than 6 feet to them. It is also a healthy physical activity for dog walkers. It is an essential service whether the governments agree with that or not. One of the young men I know has begun to push his shoe painting business harder. He creates an image or design that a client asks him. It demands some imagination and some artistic inclination. Every pair of shoes has its own expression and message. He prefers that more than looking for work. He gets to know more people, an...

 It h as been 32 years ago since we moved to Alberta. We came out West in responding to a ministry assignment I took on at the time.  It was a challenging beginning for us as a family as we knew no one in Alberta. The ministry portfolio was demanding at the time. We went through a lot and learned to depend on God in many ways. Someone asked me recently how I would sum up the experience I had during these years. Expectation to be surprised by God: Sometimes, the blessings of God are unexpected. It is not about having an easy time with life. It is about having a meaningful time with God. As we learn how to yield to what God desires for us, we are open ourselves to many unexpected events in life. Engagement in God's revelations even though we have no complete understanding. Sometimes we fail to see God's participation in our life if we only look after our comfort and convenience. God's revelations always bring about changes in our hearts and minds. Endear ourselves...

These are a few aspects of life that we have to deal with more intimately as we adapt to many changes. Some of the changes are easier than others. Many of us have discovered that we don't know our spouses or kids as well. Some of us have gone through some serious soul searching about what it means to be who we are and in relationships with others. We know that  working adjustments  are among the easiest ones. If we don't get it right away, we always have the second or third chance to correct it. Work continues to happen, and work demands are always there. Some of us have found it hard to work at home when our spouses have to as well. Somehow we feel  we have no break from each other  even though we hardly interact. We soon realized that our conversations could not be superficial anymore. We enter a very uncomfortable domain of relationships. We discover that we don't know how to talk to one another. Our social life has also changed  because of social...

The election result in Canada reflects where we are as a nation. We remain divided as a nation as ever. The truth is that we can do without this election because the outcome is almost the same as what we had after the 2019 election.           2019   2021 LIB.     157     156 CON.   121     121 NDP.      24       27 BQ.        32       32 Green.     3        2 (The result for 2021 is not official at the time I wrote this blog) Maybe the PM and the Conservative Leader need to step down and allow their respective parties to elect a new PM and a new leader. The PM was hoping for a majority mandate, and he didn't get it. That is a defeat by itself. The Conservative Leader was hoping to form a new government. He didn't get it eithe...

  Many years ago, a young university student asked me about my definition of love. My answer was: "Loving someone is knowing what is good and beneficial for him (her) and offer that before being asked." A loving husband would offer his wife a chance to get out of the house soon after getting home from work because she has been with their three young children all day. Walk with someone back to his (her) to their university dorm at night because they feel unsafe to do that alone. It might just be more helpful than asking someone out for a drink on campus. Decide to donate to a local food bank by not going to our favorite coffee shop for a month. The last time I checked, it cost a charity in my city about $3 to provide a meal for someone who needs food. What does it mean for us to love one another and offer what is beneficial to others before they have to ask us? How are we going to protect each other physically and emotionally? What sacrifices do we need to conside...

I have listened to many perspectives about what we should do in dealing with the pandemic. It is easy to criticize the politicians for the decisions they have to make. I don't envy them because it doesn't matter what they decide, some people will be unhappy. "It depends on where you look"  We can look away or look at a challenge in life, and we will have a different understanding of what we are dealing with. We can pay attention to the negativity of life or show favor towards the positivity of life, and we have a complete life experience from one another. We can listen to a news report and decide to ask or not ask questions, and we will have different perspectives of what we hear. We can talk about our rights as if it is the most critical aspect of life, or we can consider the well-being of others. We can be preoccupied with the corruption of our politicians, or we can decide to show support towards the exhausted medical staff in ICU units across the country. We can b...

I listened to someone recently about how her inability to forgive her father has weighed her down since his death three years ago. He was an addict, and he could not help himself to get out of the habit. He tried his best to be a dad and failed miserably. She had mixed memories of her time with him. She had to grow up so fast as she drove him to one rehab after another. They never had enough food. She remembers many lonely walks to school alone. Her mother was too depressed to help. She was angry at him for the loss of innocence in her childhood. She was ashamed of him because of his inability to be her father. She was impatient with him because he could not do anything right. She didn't know where he was for days because he was homeless. He eventually died from an overdose. He is gone, and she's now left with a tremendous amount of unexplainable guilt. She feels ashamed because she doesn't have a forgiving heart towards him. She remembers many unpleasant conversations she ...

It took the US about 25 years to normalize the diplomatic relationshi Clinton visited Vietnam to make that official in Nov 2000. People remember him having a bowl of Pho at Pho 2000 in Ho Chi Minh City during that visit. (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.afar.com/places/pho-2000-ho-chi-minh/amp). Both nations have been trying to come to terms with that war, and that will take time. Vietnam has changed both for the better and the worse. She is not alone in that aspect of being a nation that is trying to catch up with the rest of the world. I have come back a few times for different reasons. I have my own reservation about what is happening in the country. However, I have been encouraging people to visit it because it has so much beauty and history. Recently, I have been helping a professor in Vietnam to give some Zoom lectures to one of her classes. It was good to listen to younger generations of Vietnamese who were born after President Clinton's visit. Life is happening...

Have you ever been wrongfully accused because you have decided to do something you believe you need to do? It happened to me recently. These folks did not give me the time to explain my thoughts behind my decision. It was rather interesting to see to their reactions because the terminologies they used to tell me how wrong my choice was can also apply to them. Of course, I didn't say that. It was only my naughty thought. Wrongful accusation reveals the troubling fear of relationships we have with ourselves. We don't want to hear each other out. We just have to state our stand and feel protected. Self-protection can be damaging to meaningful relationships when we do that in fear. A wrongful accusation can rob us of an opportunity of learning from one another. When we accuse another person, we most likely will not listen to him or her well. We decide to get to the destination without the appreciation of the journey. In some ways, it might show us our emotional immaturity. Wrongful...

  What does it mean to have authentic faith these days? Somehow we have our authenticity based on the facts that we are right. We cannot be right all the time. Does that mean that we can never be authentic? That is a challenge we have to deal with one another these days while we disagree. So what does it mean then? We need to become more aware of our lack of godliness. We might think that we do the right things. Are we doing them for the right or wrong reasons? Being right with God is more than just doing what is right. It is about having our hearts and minds aligned with His. It means that we might have to die for those we don't like and have very little in common withaa. We will not have all answers for human suffering. God asks us to suffer with those who suffer regardless of the reasons for their suffering. Being compassionate in the Christian faith is more than being kind to people we have an affinity with. To be authentic in this case is to learn how to be one with Jesus in a...

  "I've developed a new philosophy... I only dread one day at a time." - Charlie Brown. Well, many of us cannot say that at this moment. One of the damaging side effects of Covid-19 is many people are feeling unsettled about life.  The combination of fear and isolation is challenging. Some have lost the motivation for work. Some have lost touch with the meaning of being alive. The consequences are far more severe than we can imagine. What are the effects of fear? Many studies have been done on the biological and psychological impacts of fear on people individually and corporately. On an individual level, we know it weakens our immune system. The more the daily news intensifies the coverage of Covid-19 as if it is the only calamity that humanity has to face today, the more it creates a wrong perception of reality in some people's emotions. That doesn't help people to fight the virus. What is the impact of isolation? Anxiety and depression are common. So...

When it comes to Covid-19, we are more divided than ever. I don't think it is helpful to use labels to describe one another as we go through this time. The division exists in various groups of people: the scientific community, the medical experts, the theologians, the business community, the political leaders, the ethicists, and more. We don't just contradict one another. We also deal with self-contradictions. Some people are still not sure about the severity of Coronavirus. Some are very concerned. The most damaging threat to us is not Covid-19, but our spiritual disobedience of God's plan for us. That is the Christian belief. I have met some people who argue with me about the notion of absolute morality and tell me that there is no such thing. Well, one of these people got mad at me a few years ago when all slapped his face (not hard but enough to make a point). He was not pleased and told him that I felt perfectly right about doing so. He should not be angry ...

I see had dinner with a young couple last Friday. After dinner, the young lady had a hard time locating their car key in her purse. I told them that "Looking for a car key in a woman's purse is like trying to find our identity." It sounded like a naughty comment. However, the more I think about it, it makes sense. How are we going to find our life identity? (How is one going about to find anything in one's purse?) Here are some suggestions I have come across. Empty it. That is a good idea. It is not anti biblical to consider emptying oneself to find one's identity. We have to be free from all of the entanglements of life so we might discover what God has given us. Shake it out. It is a bit more aggressive than just emptying it. Things might bunch up together inside, and that makes it hard to identify them. We need to shake off all of our ungodly desires and habits in order to see God in us. Clean it. It is always good to have a clean purse (I only assu...

  Maybe it is time for Christians to consider a new playbook while dealing with challenges that we are up against in recent years. The old playbook didn't work. It leads us to the pathway of compromise and indifference towards ungodliness. Somehow Christians have chosen our need to be respected by the world over our need to be obedient to God. We have not had a voice in world affairs because it is not that different from the others. So what the new playbook should be? Let us consider Nehemiah's leadership example as our guidelines for the new playbook. Play 1: We believe that God calls us to Himself. It is not about a political system or leaning that He calls us to live accordingly. It is about the redemption of the world. Let us not get distracted by any other messages. Having steadfast faith is essential in this play. (Nehemiah  Nehemiah 1:1-11) Play 2: We need to learn to be truly honest with God, the world, and ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid that we don't even e...