20-22 Covid-19 Daily Reflections

  I love this quote from J.I. Packer: “Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms… Confusion here is fatal.” We began with the desire to be contemporary. Nothing is wrong with that until our message is lost in the list of spiritual groceries. We can pick and choose according to our faith shopping list. Soon enough, we find out that we are in a confused midst. We fail to understand that our acceptance of people does not have the approval prerequisite. Loving others is to show them God's love for our deficit. It is a lie when we say to them everything is OK. If that is true, why should we learn to obey? We say to ourselves that we want to have a Seeker Friendly church. It depends on who and what we are seeking? Otherwise, the lack of truth will emerge. When the truth is absent, so is compassion. Tell me why they should be in our congregation. We don't want to be judgmental. So we are willing t...

Is it fair for a trans athlete to compete in a women's competition? Lia Thomas has become the center of attention. Since her declaration as a trans person, she has beaten her female swimming competitors. What do her victories reveal her true character? She has no shame in beating female athletes with her physique of a male. Her declaration of being a woman has real tales. For more than twenty years, she developed biologically as a man. It is unfair and unjust for her to swim against those who are naturally women. The NCAA leadership should be ashamed of how they handle the complexity. They act as cowards in this debacle for the lack of integrity. We have done extensive damage to female sports and negated the advance has been made. It is not about trans issues, but the whole women's sport will soon be disintegrated. It is time to be in touch with our common sense. Accepting a trans person does not mean overlooking the make-up of our genes. Life is indeed far more complex. When w...

  This picture of t his beautiful little old lady tells an amazing story...I learned about her from an Ukranian friend. It is the true-life account of this elderly lady. First, she suffered Holodomor and starvation from 1932 to 1933. Her teenage years were cruelly taken away by World War 2. Life seemed to be without hope as suffering grew. Soon after the war, the Soviets came and occupied her homeland. What next she asked while watching they ruled with tight fists and hands. She had much hope for the future when Ukraine became independent and the Soviet Union collapsed. It was only a dream when the oligarch corruption (1991-2022) enlarged. 2022 did not come with much peace and beauty either. Putin decided that it was his right to put her life through another grinder. Her country hardly recovered from the pandemic. Now people have to fight against the worst destruction from a lunatic. Somehow I believe that she will live, not just survive. She might be feeble, but she is alive. She ...

Here are the seven deadly sins. Pride, lust, envy, anger, greed, gluttony, and sloth are all in. Many seem to think pride is the worst of them all. It has caused great men and women in history to fall. With pride, we have failed to see who we are in God. Nothing seems to be good enough for us, considering all we got. Pride has taken us on the road that many have travelled frequently. Yet, we still cannot find our ways seemingly. We don't see God's beauty in others because of our prideful thoughts. We pursue distructive pleasure knowing we ought not to. Envy, jealousy, and fear take a good hold of our hearts. Joy, hope, faith, and love gradually depart. We cannot pray when our pride is hurt. Tell God that we don't want to be a part of his plan on earth. Our world suddenly is too small, and so is our presence.  We pride ourselves with our own insignificance. The road less travel is where pride will die. It is quiet and yet confident in God's given life. We hea...

Canadian Prime Minister has given hypocrisy a new definition. Here are some of his recent quotes. Here are his comments about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Putin's attack on Ukraine is an attack on the values that form the pillars of all democracies. We have a responsibility to make the case to people about why these values matter so much -- not just to Ukrainians but to us all," How can he have any moral authority to talk about the values of democracy? You copy what Putin did to Russian people while dealing with Canadians who called for your accountability. Please do not take advantage of the war in Ukraine. You wave your dictatorship flag under the Liberal banner without shame. Remark at European Parliament. "Economic frustrations are threatening the stability of the world and driving a deep uncertainty about the future and distrust of government." Our real frustration and fear are not about the instability of the economy. It is about human lif...

Some wrote recently about how the West has misjudged Putin. Putin believes that "Power produces Truth and Truth reinforces Power". We know that the notion of truth in Russia today is questionable. That is why Putin has exercised his power to introduce his version of the truth. We all see the images of Russians cheering him on as their great leader. Now we see his version of the truth has brought him more power. It is a perversion of truth. Sending Russian troops to invade Ukraine is a perversion of power. We might wonder whether he can keep the truth away from his people and what happens to him when they find out. It is not 1930, so it is harder to keep people from searching for more information. Only time can tell us. Mass manipulation is more common these days, and it happens everywhere, not just in Russia. Truth is hard to find because human hearts have become more wicked. We are aware that objective media is not that available anymore. It is impossible for med...

Once upon a time, there was a man named Putin. He appeared as if he was God with his own routine. He raged war against his neighbour for no good reason. He ended up trying to save his bacon. His action did a disfavour to the people of Quebec. Restaurants had to replace poutine with something with more respect. He claimed that he had the support of his people. They either had to choose him or to face something more lethal. He wanted to restore the Glory of the former Soviet Union. That was nothing more than his illusion. He wanted to regain the power that Russia once had. Russians wanted nothing of his crooked ironclad. He needed to take a walk in a dog park in my city. POO-TIN was the name of a waste depository. There was nothing heroic about what he did. Otherwise, people would not mention his name with canine sh_t. How would he be remembered? He was not much more than a deranged pretender. His vision of himself and the world was so out of touch. Russian people's hope and dream ha...

  Philippians 1:27 "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." We live in a funny world. We talk about equality and diversity as if they are golden rules. We don't have it with the ease of travel restrictions. Eight million Canadians still have no permission. We have allowed ourselves to create two different classes of people. The pandemic has become a catalyst for new discrimination that is acceptable. Some might even say they are dangerous to society. Their conviction is the freedom to protect their own body. Why don't they trust in science, some might ask? Science mixed with greed seems to be a mask. It is not right that they have no freedom to live their life. Now the pandemic has become an endemic with regular strife. Some even now practice shaming those who disagree wit...

"Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,  that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes  and not toward selfish gain."  -  Psalm 119: 33-37 We don't ask God to show us His way, so we can just walk away. What needs of the Ukrainian people has God revealed to us? How do we embrace their suffering without making a fuss? We can't choose to walk with God halfway. He asks us to be with Him every day. How can we carry the burdens of others with God? We do so with gladness; no one needs to prod. Understanding God is to obey His commands. Love Him and love one another the way He loves us is all we need to understand. Would we care about the needs of refugees in Poland sacrificially? Let go of our desire for foolish vanity. Our delight in God is based on the longing of our hearts. A heart that discovers how H...

"Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not." - 1 Timothy 5: 13 Like billions of others, I have a Facebook account, I don't use it much, so I can really do without. It was an innocent beginning because it helps keep track of friends. Now I am so sure as social media has created many be wicked trends. It is now the busiest mining business of our time. Governments, businesses, and many others have used it to mine personal information without committing a crime. They spy and monitor what we post and view; our thoughts, political perspectives, and shopping habits to some are not new. Our information is available for sales on the social media market. They sell us as if we are their property to reach their target. Some people cannot get enough of Facebook. It is an addiction that many have by hook or by crook. Others might have used it to cope w...

  "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam  and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46: 1-3 Nothing is more distressing than watching the news these days. Unrighteousness seems to put our lives in disarray. How can we seek God's refuge while facing uncertainty? It requires a narrative that deals with our life history. Our foundation is based on the truth that He created us in His image. With the strength of His mercy, He has set us free from our sinful bondage. He is our help in times of trouble. His Spirit is what we need in our fights against life struggles. He walks us, so fear not. We encounter our most troubling thoughts. The surfing wave of human calamity invades our land. We rest in the faith that God will overcome the evilness of Man.

  “He reveals mysteries from the darkness And brings the deep darkness into light." John 12: 22  The beauty of the pursuit of science is not based on what we know. It is the expanding realm of mystery that we should follow. When we are able to accept our ongoing ignorance, we might see what is really important. Knowledge is a two-sided sword. Remaining in the truth will help us to stay with the core. Science never means to be an end to itself. Being aware of its limitation is how to appreciate its wealth. Some might say it is a well that never runs dry. But be careful that we shall not put it on high. It might answer questions about how things come about. It can never tell us where we spiritually abound.

  "Be still and know that I am God"  -  Psalm 46:10 I hope it doesn't mean I don't strive for excellence. Loving God and His people is how we give credence. I don't think it refers to stopping moving forward with a conviction either. Living in the world and not being of it is what we need to go further. So what does it means then? Maybe we need to go back to how the world began. We were created in the image of God. The liar has tried to take us away from that thought. We are spiritually separated from God because of our rebellion. There is a need to separate ourselves from the dark dominion. Wake up! Oh people, receive what God has to offer. Don't mess up with His plan and think that we have the right to alter. In our stillness, we see the fullness of His beauty. We don't have to be afraid of gossip about the absence of His sovereignty. We will discover the immense power with that same stillness. We then find peace with the freedom to rest.

  Many years ago, it was common for a young man to marry the young lady of his mother's choice. It was culturally accepted and expected. It was not about not having a voice. After all, some people thought she knew who was best for her son. Nowadays, computer algorithms have taken the role of telling us how love matches can be done. A mother once told me that she had got a wife for her introverted male born. My question was: "Did you find her in a catalogue in some hair salon?" A young lady told me that she had received match recommendations for her Harmony profile. Now she needs to take time to discern who would fit her lifestyle. Some scientists and philosophers believe that our entire selves can be hacked. It is not just love. They believe that human thoughts, feelings, and desires can be tracked. Love can be challenging but being surveillance is utterly unsafe. How can we protect ourselves when software begins to analyze us for the state? We need to gain co...