20-22 Covid-19 Daily Reflections

  I have been pondering about a conversation I had with a friend who works in development work in a small nation in Africa. She was discouraged that they had not been able to get help to drill more wells for water. They have been asking for help, and it is very slow coming. Yet, without any asking, they have received offers for vaccination for kids. The question she has is: "Why should kids get vaccinated while having no clean water and food?" Children in many parts of the world have been dying due to the lack of water and nutrition. Even in Canada, some First Nations Communities struggle with not having enough clean water. I am willing to bet that they have also got vaccines before any other needed help. Have we become so obsessed with one human predicament that we overlook everything else? I have felt that in various aspects of my work and interaction with people. I understand the arguments from both sides of this conversation. However, we cannot get away from the sad reali...

Here is the link you might need to read to have a better understanding of the men and women who decide to go to Ottawa with various truck convoys from different parts of Canada this weekend. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/meet-the-truckers/wcm/6540bdca-f724-46cb-a83e-73df651f3bdf/amp/ I am sick and tired of the language of some news outlets who describe these folks as extremists. These are folks who are the backbone of our nation's economy. They are hard workers who happen to have their own convictions and reaction to what has been going on in this country. It is naive and a mistake to look at it as an anti-vaccination grievance only.  It is about regular people are getting tired of a minority government behaving like a dictatorship regime by taking advantage of the pandemic. People want to have open conversations about the issues that Canada has to encounter. They don't want to be afraid of the PM using hateful language whenever they don't see eye to eye with him. It...

  This weekend is Lunar New Year. It is the Year of the Tiger. In Vietnam, it is a whole week of parties and celebrations. Many traditional ways guide people to prepare for the New Year's Celebration. One of the traditional practices is "Li Xi". It is a blessing when the older generations give the younger generations money in red envelopes. The notion of blessing exists in all cultural traditions. Maybe it's the reflection of God's goodness to humanity. So it is good to be the youngest at this time of the year. The flowers we often see during New Year are Hoa Mai Vàng ( Ochna integerrima ). Every house would have some branches of this type of flower. It is about welcoming the New Year with vibrant beauty and life. We cannot avoid talking about Lunar New Year without talking about food. Bánh Chưng is non-negotiable during Tết ( New Year). Bánh Chưng is a traditional Vietnamese food made from glutinous rice, mung beans, pork, and other ingredients. Some people would...

We are annoyed when we see shopping carts left right in the middle of a parking lot. Sometimes I wonder why people don't seem to care about what they do. How hard is it to take them back to their parking stall? The danger and the inconvenience that may hurt others are sometimes dangerous. When we fail to do a small thing well, we are just getting smaller. Selfishness will reduce the meaning of our own identity. Small actions are not small when we get them done at the right time and place. They will lead us to significant growth in life when we are diligent about it. All great journeys start with a single step. When we undermine the action we take in dealing with small decisions in life, we will be overwhelmed by their consequences in the long run. Most university students learn that they will eventually fail their final exams if they don't take their weekly assignments and mid-term exams seriously. A person will learn not to rely on their spouse if he (she) continues to fail in...

How often have we heard people talk about their marriage problems due to the lack of appreciation? We can say the same thing about business partnerships and friendships. Volunteers stop helping a specific non-profit organization for similar reasons. Appreciation is the bloodline for human relationships. What does it mean? We have to be intentional. People feel special when we are intentional in our interaction with them. It means letting other people know how special their presence is in our lives. Many pastors have failed this test because they are so preoccupied with other things while having conversations with their members. We have to be attentive. We have to listen more and talk less. Paying attention to others is willing to walk in their shoes at times. It is about having the freedom to identify with their feelings and embrace their thoughts. We have to be accountable. We show our appreciation for another with our accountability. We express our appreciation for one an...

  Some people might think that professional athletes are spoiled, self-serving, and lack personal grace. Some of them might be guilty of these charges. However, I have met many of them who are loving, kind, giving, and trying to uphold their responsibility to the community. One of the young men I have learned to respect is Sadio Mane. He plays for Liverpool Club of the Premier League. Sadio Mane, a Senegalese soccer star, earns approximately $10.2 million annually, taught us an incredible lesson about life when some people commented about his cracked iPhone. Here was his response: "Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, and two jet planes? I starved, I worked in the fields, played barefoot, and I didn't go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. I have built schools and a stadium; provide clothes, shoes, and food for people in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very...

I have listened to many immigrants and refugees, who recently moved to Canada, about their reasons to leave their homelands. For many of them, it is about the future of their children generations. It is about having hope and opportunities to have a decent life. Many of them left war impacted homes, discrimination, and poverty to seek a new life here. The first generation is the one that has to pay the price and pave the way. I have also listened to many parents who have serious concerns about the future that their children have to face. Some are afraid of the lack of hope and opportunities for their kids because they believe that the governments intend to kill small businesses by taking advantage of the pandemic. Some are more concerned about the direction we are heading morally. Some express skepticism about the kind of education their children get in school. It is time for God-fearing men and women to stand up and say enough is enough. We cannot overcome economic poverty ...

  This is not just a cartoon. It expresses the sentiment that many of us have in dealing with the political correctness environment. We can be condemned or censored by social media very quickly. I recently learned that my texts inform people my latest blog posting via FB Messenger can be viewed as abusive by FB. Honestly, I don't think I am abusive in my writing by any means. Avoidance becomes acceptable. We no longer have the desire or willingness to talk about things that matter because we can't. So there is a very unhealthy avoidance going on in our society. We cannot learn from one another because we cannot share our understanding and stand. This form of avoidance can also damage our desire to care because it is rooted in indifference. A new marginalization is born: We marginalize one another by not considering others' ideas and opinions. What we have experienced is the erosion of freedom of expression. We use a new set of terminologies to disguise our newly created for...

  I wrote this note to some of my friends last year when we discussed the meaning of our interaction with God. Different people have different approaches to their interaction with God according to their circumstances. Let us consider a few possibilities. When things are going well - There is no need for God: We are often guilty of this. We don't pray as much or become very mechanical in our prayers. We begin to feel the distance that exists between God and us. When things are not going great - Why me? God? Jesus did not exclude Himself from suffering. So why are we surprised when we have to suffer in this world.? It is part of following Jesus. When things are not going anywhere - Where is God? Self-pity is not that uncommon. We might not have the freedom to acknowledge it. We don't have the wisdom the look for the lessons we need to learn about God and ourselves when things don't go well. When others' lives are going well - We ask why them and not me, God? J...

  Nothing can be more painful than the sudden passing of someone we know. Today a friend of mine will have a memorial service for his beloved wife who passed away a week ago. As I think about who they are as husband and wife, I am grateful for the impact her life has on others. Loving parents can leave behind memories that will never die. The children always remember the encouragement and the challenges they receive from their parents. Loving parents are like a shield that protects their kids from external harm while challenging them to grow. They are teachers, counselors, and providers for their kids. Devoted spouses will always carry their significant other beyond where he (she) can go on his own. They are both each other's partners and fellow journeyers of life. They will experience many moments of joy and sorrow together. They celebrate the births of their children with hope and their life success with both pride and humility. They laugh and cry over serious and silly events of...

Football is on my agenda for every weekend in the next few weeks. Football is a game of intelligence, teamwork, discipline in execution, precise decision-making, careful preparation, and display of human strength. Some of my Vietnamese family members who don't understand the game think it is for BIG FAT men in tights hitting each other. We can see a good football team before they enter the playing field. We can see whether a team is ready for the game or not but the spirit in their dressing room. We can feel their focus and readiness. How can we get ready before we enter the playing field of life? Who are our teammates? What kind of spirit do we have a community of faith? A good football team doesn't believe in luck. It creates its own opportunities. Players believe in each other's ability and skills to make a play. They stick to the game plan and the playbook. They don't panic when they are behind. They believe in each other and the team as a whole. What skills and opp...

I most likely get a headache when we have a Chinook weather pattern in our area. It can take me out of commission if I don't anticipate it on time. My body usually tells me. Some people suffer from a horrible migraine headache. The weather might get warmer during a Chinook, yet we are not well enough to be outside. That is our dilemma. Sometimes we pray for a break from what we suffer in life. Yet, when we have relief from it, we are not ready to manage it properly and end up blowing it. I have encountered that in trying to help folks with addiction. We try to help, give them a clear break and encourage them to get better. Some abuse it and find themselves in worse situations. Maybe, we can say the same thing about our inability to deal with our chronic condition of sin. We know that some behavior, action, or thought will be lead us to the barren land. We still pursue it or keep on doing it. We find ourselves either in utter loneliness or brokenness. We act surprised ev...

  Flying is not all that fun these days. We are not free to sneeze when waiting in line to check-in. We have to be sure that we have all of our paperwork together. Everything is automated in most airports because we try to avoid human interaction as much as possible. Have you ever tried to take your mask off for every single sip of coffee during your flight? It is not easy to remember. My first flight after the pandemic began was in March 2020 from Montreal to Calgary. It was a strange feeling to be at a deserted airport in Montreal. It seemed to be so unreal. Everything was different. Many of the passengers were actually airline employees. They were on their way home while knowing that they might not have a job in a few weeks. My first feeling was one of not knowing about tomorrow. I had heard from relatives in Vietnam of how everything shut down. Life stopped, as some of them put it. I got my answer during my time of prayer was to continue to reach out and communicate God's prese...

  Blackberry cell phones finally died on Jan 4th. The picture above is one of mine. It was one of the last ones with Blackberry OS. When President Obama got elected for the first time, it was the phone to have. Some people say iPhone killed it. Others say that the lack of vision from the leadership of Blackberry did it to themselves. Smartphones have become a hub for everything we do. We use them more than just for business. We use them for communication and entertainment. We study and work on projects with them. We prepare presentations and create artworks with them as well. Smart devices are now dictating our lives. Many of us have become addicted to them., study,  We become more distracted and disconnected from one another in some ways. We truncate our communication via texts. We become impatient. We might connect digitally, but we remove ourselves from each other emotionally. Our needs for convenience and comfort have also taken us to the point where our whole life is now ...

I talked with a friend about meditation and her need to discover what it means in her life. She is a single parent with a responsible job. After working, helping her kid with schooling, and then taking care of the ongoing demands of life, she does not have much time left. So what does meditation look like when time becomes a precious commodity? It is about discovering moments that we can retreat into ourselves. It is not about how long we have. It has more to do with how free we are when we have a moment. We learn how to be with God when we have a moment. It takes us away from the constant noises of life. We are able to become more in touch with our existence. We need to acknowledge our longing to be in touch with what is happening within ourselves. We don't have to be perturbed by what we have no control over externally. We learn how to embrace the reflection of our desire, longing, and our hope. We focus on what builds us up and restores us. We express our needs for God and His p...

  More than ever before, we need to know what it means to be grounded in the promise that God has for the world. When we ignore His voice, some others will try to distract us. The world is a noisy place. Everyone seems to scream for attention. Being grounded is more challenging than we think. What does it mean to be grounded? Open our eyes and see what God is doing. God is ever-present even though we ignore Him. We need to reclaim our dependence on Him so we might understand what it means to receive His blessings. We have been damaged by the spiritual poverty of those who lead us. They have taken our nations to the point of being bankrupt spiritually. They prefer to hear their own voices as they advocate lies. God opens our eyes to see the truth. Be courageous as we choose to go about God's business in this world. The ownership of the world does not belong to any political power or leaning specifically. People in some parts of the world will go to prison if they say their governmen...

  "I never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain We should not measure education by the number of years and the degrees we attain. Every academic institution has its own bias regardless of the claim about the objectivity of high learning. We don't have to go very far to see how our university education has deteriorated. University as an institution has been influenced heavily by many special interest groups. Education should give us access to knowledge. We don't see the search for needed knowledge as much as the proclamation of propaganda from various causes. It is no longer about searching for the truth. It is about it is what you make it to be. We should be able to debate truth issues without fear and censorship. There are no more free and respectful dialogues about issues and thoughts. University students are afraid of critical thinking because they don't want to say things that might appear to be unacceptable. Critical thinking will be th...

I am a hugger. COVID 19 really kills that joy. Honestly, I do not observe the 6 ft apart protocol while greeting my family members and close friends. I love to hug them. Something is warm and wonderful when we are able to do that. We belong to one another. Hugging affirms the connection we have with people. Sometimes a hug can communicate something that we cannot put into words. We can communicate our feelings and thoughts meaningfully. We can really embrace the other person with all of the joy and hurt. We invite one another into our life with a hug. Nothing can be more precious as an invitation than a hug. It expresses our acceptance and our comfort with one another. I love to hug babies and provide them with the safety and care they need. We display our respect for one another with a hug. Football players do that often at the end of the game. They hug and tell the other player that he played well. It is about the acknowledgement of the accomplishment of the other person. Belonging, ...

What happens in Quebec with the reinstatement of curfew starting New Year's Eve reminds us that we are in a war. I still remember the experience of being under curfew during the Vietnam war. The purpose was to control the enemy's penetration. How do we understand this war against COVID 19? Life is shutting down. We are trying to attack the virus as our number one enemy by creating another casualty of war. The illness that comes from isolation and fear will be something we have to deal with in the future. Much of the pleasure of life has been taken away by this pandemic. We give our way of life a new identity, new normalcy. Families are scattered. Communities are divided. We proudly proclaim that we are in this together. Small business owners don't see it that way as Big Box Stores continue to score record profits. They don't even know whether they to remain open tomorrow or not. We live in constant tension. We feel as if we are being manipulated due to the ...

  We have experienced many new things during the last two years. Some of them demand us to pray more intentionally. Zoom Meetings: not everyone is technologically inclined. Some people need prayer to participate in a Zoom meeting. We pray that we know how to operate the software and remember that we have no privacy anymore. We also pray that we look attentive to what is going on in the meeting because we are sometimes bored to death. Online Schooling for kids: some parents need a lot of prayers to do this well. Surfing the net is fun for kids as long as it has nothing to do with school. School without friends is no fun for kids. They miss out a lot more than we know. Social interaction is crucial in kids' development. Some parents pray that God stops them from "killing" their kids because of online school. Watch our minister preaching online for the first time: we know that not everyone can have an online presence, yet many churches have to go online. Public speaking is ...