20-22 Covid-19 Daily Reflections

  Do you have enough candies for tonight? Halloween 🎃 is not that important in my celebration calendar. However, we have been giving out sweets because we want to be good with the kids that ring our doorbell tonight. There are only treats and no tricks. I came across this image in a business presentation, and I would like to use it with a Christian twist. Knock, and the door will open to you. We have encountered more questions during the last two years. Answers don't seem to come by that easily. We don't see leaders talking about praying and seeking God for wisdom in dealing with these questions. If we don't knock on the right door, we might be in more serious trouble. Ask, and you shall receive. Our answers to life depend on the questions we ask. The questions we ask depend on our understanding of God, others, and ourselves. We seem to receive more and more chaos lately. Maybe we should reconsider our questions and our hypothesis about life and death. Receive the love of ...

  If we want to be able to help others to grow, we should help them to discover their strengths. That has been one of my commitments as I work with people. How often do we see people who have failed to see the gifts that God has entrusted in them? How often do we discover that our jealously towards others is based on our inability to appreciate the way God put us together? We end up living life wondering what we are missing and fail to cherish what we have. The outcome of all of this is a tremendous amount of stress. Stress, therefore, can be the outcome of our inability to see the blessings of God in our lives. Sometimes God's blessings are very simple and unassuming. Sometimes they can be outrageous. Our ability to acknowledge them in all circumstances is the foundation of our joy. I went to visit a young couple a few weeks ago after they bought their first home. He was an international student who had just graduated from college when I hired him as an engineer. He ha...

  Some of you have asked me how I come up with ideas about what to write. I just watch people, listen to others and read what I come across daily and then pray. Amazingly, we can discover the secret of our souls and the reflection of our minds. This picture was what I came across yesterday when I read up on some postings of people I know. It is true that we might know many people but do we really know them? Do we know what they have carried with them all through their lives? One told me not too long ago how she was damaged sexually by her brothers during her teen years. She tried to escape, but culturally she could not do that easily. Her coping mechanism is one of self-destruction and hatred. She is a beautiful soul with a wounded heart. A young man has an intense resentment toward his father due to his father's drug addiction and criminal activity. He could not remember the number of times the police arrested his dad. He grew up with no father. He is trying to set a different cou...

I have been thinking a lot about why it is so hard for many businesses to hire good people these days. At the beginning of the pandemic, we were worried about people losing their jobs. As we are slowly getting back to normalcy, we discover that it is challenging to hire good people. What is happening? Maybe it has a lot more to do with our hearts. Callous hands and tender hearts might be what we need. Callous hands build nations. We would not have the infrastructures we have today without the perseverance of these hands. It is nothing fancy, just mere hard work. Sometimes when I see a section of railroad that goes through a mountain range, I really admire the sacrifice of many men and women in the past. We are better off today because of their work. On the hard, callous hearts would destroy and rob away goodness. They demand privileges. They offer no solution for what we have to face. Tender hearts bring meaning to hard work. They are generous and giving. They don't ask...

  We might want to ask ourselves nowadays whether we have mistaken the difference between good communication and babbling. We are all aware of the phenomenon of Social Influencers. They have used social media effectively to promote themselves and the brands that pay them to represent. Some can draw a large audience if they know how to use these platforms. Why do we talk or communicate more than we need to? We feel pressured. Sometimes it can be a panic response to the need for acceptance. We feel as if we have to say something in a social setting. We need to show that we have something to say as well. Most of the time, this is when we interrupt others. When we cannot organize our thoughts properly, we might become long-winded. It is a personal discipline to think before we talk. We don't know how to be economical with our words. Much of our messages can go to waste if we are not careful. We are uncomfortable with silence when we don't understand that silence can be a form of co...

  I just learned that a pastor, whom I protected and encouraged during the first two years of his first charge, told his board of elders and some others that I am not a Christian because I propagate the notion of the Motherhood of God. He did not have the honesty to have a face and face conversation with me about the topic. Why Motherhood of God? You might ask. It is not about denying the Fatherhood of God. It is about having a better understanding of who God is when we see God from that perspective. It is not about being untrue to what is written in the Holy Scripture. It is about having a comprehensive understanding of what God says to us in His word. God is neither male nor female. God is the author of all goodness within His eternal nature, and our understanding will never define who God is. The best possible approach is to have the freedom to attribute all good and beauty to God. The Catholic Catechism might have something to teach us in this conversation: "By calling God ...

  I saw this picture a few days ago from a Facebook posting of a friend. He and I are at the same age, and we are aware of the mortality of life. It is funny because it presents some other deeper truths. We are nappy: Perhaps, we are tired of life's nonsense and are just too tired to care. Sleeping it off can be a healthy way to cope with everything. Taking a nap can also be a way to avoid dealing with people. We are wrinkly: Wisdom and knowledge can be hard to see in aging, but wrinkles are not. We have spent more time overcoming wrinkles than the deterioration of wisdom. Maybe wrinkles are the manifestation of life-long's failure in obtaining discernment. We are squinty: Seeing things is a privilege at our age. The problem we have is what we should do with what we see. The more we see things, the more burden we might have. Maybe we have become more selective by squinting. We are rocky: That is how we relax. A rocking chair might be one of the most used pieces of furniture in ...

  What does this picture tell us? Some might say that it represents the economic plan that some of our governments have for our countries. It reveals some sign of futility.  It is a dead end and has no power. Where do we go to find solutions for our life problems? Sometimes we talk about searching for them from within ourselves. Can we actually do that when we are already bankrupt emotionally and spiritually? We think that we can always generate more power on our own. We then realize that we deplete our resources by the attempt. Be careful about where we choose the plugin. Sometimes we think we can move forward if we discover a new power by being completely independent of God. What if we find ourselves associating with the very same power that took us to where we were in the first place. Now we create our own jeopardy. The new beginning now confirms the end. Maybe we have done the same thing with our fight against coronavirus. We want to fight against physical death, and yet w...

Many young people are looking for the signposts of life these days. Some of them are university grads who have graduated during the pandemic and faced challenges while looking for work in their field of study. Some have succeeded in dealing with them when others are still going through a hard time. The common themes we discover together are the following: Facing the hardship of life should not be a surprise to us. That is the fact of life. When we think that others are responsible for our life challenges, we will continue to live in our self-created imprisonment of pity. No one owes us anything when it comes to our life purpose and direction. Life is not a piece of cake because sin happens. The pursue of happiness might be the worst fallacy of life. It has no long-term and enduring impact, and it denies us the chance to face our internal struggles. Happiness comes and goes, and we don't have any idea why sometimes. Joy should be the foundation of life as we learn to mak...

  We were waiting anxiously for bees to show up this summer to pollinate our raspberries. The bee population has appeared to be in decline during the last few years. Bees play a critical role in providing healthy and stable food supplies for us. "BEES": growing agents in the world. The majority of plants we grow for food need their pollination. Bees transform plants and flowers into living food production systems. They don't do any fancy work. They just work hard, consistently, and systematically. "BEES": makers of many colors in the world. They are responsible for 80% of wildflowers in Europe. Many countrysides in Europe have their radiant beauty because of bees. They can pollinate many kinds of plants and flowers, and they have no discrimination. "BEES": providers of warmth and comfort. Bees have a significant contribution to the growing of cotton around the world. Cotton is one of the most comfortable materials in making clothing. It is comfortable ...

It appears to us the louder people tend to get more attention these days. Some of them might have their conviction in what they are fighting for in life. We are not in the right because we are convicted. It might just mean that we are willing to go the distance for what we believe. Conviction and knowledge do not always go together. Conviction and discernment can also be so far apart. We have witnessed many fast-talking personalities on TV. They seem to have confidence in what they are talking about as we watch. They are willing to attack others with their ill-informed convictions. The more they talk, the more they reveal their own shallowness. Conviction and depth in discernment can be at the two different ends of the spectrum of knowledge. The lack of thoughtfulness can be the result of misguided convictions. We might want to take time to pay attention to the most quiet voice in the room. It does not demand attention, and it may reveal the essential truth of what we are f...

This picture reminds us that kids are back to school. For many people, the beginning of school signifies a new season in the family life. However, many of us have had the feeling that 2021 goes by so fast, and we can hardly notice the changes in seasons. We feel as if something is missing, and we might need to go back to basics to regain some balance in life. So what is our new ABC for life? Acknowledgment: it is a challenge to know how to greet one another in public these days. We cannot build healthy communities without the commitment to acknowledge one another. We can be very quick about seeing our differences instead of what we experience together in life. We extend respect and acceptance when we are able to acknowledge one another openly. We need to talk less and listen more. Bandwidth: it is our mental capacity and energy to deal with human relationships and life challenges. We need to expand our bandwidth when encountering discomfort and unfamiliarity. We can allow ourselves to ...

  Let us continue with my post yesterday. Empathy has been a big word in business leadership training for the last decade. Some even consider it the most significant aspect of leadership. It requires listening and freedom to identify ourselves with other people's life experiences. Yesterday, a manager told me that he is about to run out of empathy in his relationship with one of his team members. He wants to help and yet finds himself in a position of knowing how. We need to balance our desire to understand with our need to convey our honest thoughts and feeling. To be empathetic does not mean to overlook our assessment of what is going on with the situation. It is about tactful honesty while addressing challenging issues. We need to provide corrections without destroying people. Telling the truth in love is an art. Two realities are intertwined. We are created by God and damaged by sin. We need to be aware of our own negative emotions. It might not be a bad idea to acknowledge it ...

I read a recent article stated that "Empathy is The Most Important Leadership Skill". Let us consider this conversation. According to Greater Good Magazine, the term empathy is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as  the ability to sense other people's emotions , coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. Being aware of our personal experiences and other peoples' experiences is foundational in developing empathy. It helps us to overcome our bias and ignorance. We embrace understanding by having reflection over our life experiences. We then extend our learning through the experience of other people. Empathy is a key to our appreciation of people's history and background. Not being afraid of emotion and its interaction requires maturity and self-acceptance. Our languages of emotion are more involved and demanding than many of us are ready for normally. Some pe...

  Have you ever been irritated by a soliciting phone call just as you are about to sit down for dinner? It feels as if these calls violate our personal space and time. It is even more troublesome when the person who calls is perky and happy to tell you what you need and miss. That is nothing close to the truth. Marketing study can be so grossly misguided. It is true that solicit call chance to get people on the phone at dinner time might be higher than any other time of the day. However, it is also true that they might not get the most favorable response. We are not in the mood for a sale pitch. We need some relaxation and time to catch up with our family. We have become wearier about fraudulent calls these days. Most people don't take calls from numbers they don't know. If we do, we already have some resistance towards what we are about to hear. The chance for success is low. Why should they try to call when people have decided not to listen anyway? There is someth...

  I went for a walk and started to think about the worst possible outcome of this pandemic. My concern is that we have learned how not to trust anyone and anything. We might end up killing each other in the end. The sickness that has been caused by the COVID-19 might seem to be tame in comparison to what we have suffered relationally. What happens when trust is missing? We won't communicate well. We can see that these days as people lose patience with one another a lot faster. There is a lot more shouting on TV News. People begin to protest more loudly. Friendships have become reserved because wel don't want to talk about controversial topics. We either become agitated or indifferent, and neither option is beneficial for human relationships. We don't want anyone to know what we think and what we do. There is so much invasion of privacy, and we learn to become more and more withdrawn. The lack of transparency has damaged our workplace productivity, church involvement, abilit...

  We cannot undermine the need to support community sports activities these days. I have had the privilege to know people who are tirelessly involved in coaching kids, and I have learned to appreciate their contribution to our society as a whole. So when you get a chance, make sure to say thanks to them. Keeping kids busy and away from the addiction to social media is crucial in building confidence and self-respect. They learn to be aware of their capabilities, develop themselves physically and emotionally, work together and compete to get better. Kids need to know that they are not alone. Many of them feel that way these days. They have the feeling that no one understands them. Their lives can be transformed when a coach affirms, encourages, and challenges them to try harder and get better. Kids grow when they are properly guided and inspired. They embrace life's lessons about perseverance, resiliency, dedication, and accountability. Our society can be so much better when we go ab...

  Hatred means intense dislike or ill will towards someone. It never means honest disagreement and frank conversation. We live in a time when labeling has become common practice. What is the purpose of talking to one another when we cannot express different opinions and thoughts freely? Nowadays, we have to be content with the Language Gestapo that will watch and listen to everything we say. Abusive Languages: what does it mean? If someone doesn't feel good about what we say, does that mean we are abusive? If that is true, we can make a case about abusiveness concerning the contemporary press with its language and treatment towards Christians. We have been under attack for a while now, and no one seems to think that is abusive. The nature of languages is controversial and sometimes uncomfortable. That is how we express ideas, thoughts, and understanding. Agreement Before Reasoning: this is another challenge we have to face in our time. Sometimes we cannot handle disagreements witho...

I sometimes enjoy a glass of wine over dinner with either family or friends. I am by no means a connoisseur of wine or the art of drinking it. I came across this new piece recently about the effect of wine. I am referring to " Scientists have finally worked out the effects of consuming red wine"  by New Scientist. Here is an excerpt from that article: “Red wine increased pleasure and arousal, decreased the awareness of time, slowed the subjective passage of time, increased the attentional focus on the present moment, decreased body awareness, slowed thought speed, turned imagination more vivid, and made the environment become more fascinating,” the researchers found. “Red wine increased insightfulness and originality of thoughts, increased sensations of oneness with the environment, spiritual feelings, all-encompassing love, and profound peace. All changes in consciousness occurred regardless of volunteers drinking alone, in dyad or in group.” Here are some of my takes on it....