Loving old friends - part 3

A friend whom I haven't seen in awhile recently Facebooked me telling me he was in town, and wanted to see if I would like to meet up. I was quite surprised by his message, because when I was a young Christian, he was one of the giants of faith at my fellowship, so being the shy me, I never mustered up enough courage to really speak to him. Sadly though, I heard from friends that he had been struggling in his relationship with God in the last few years, and as I headed to dinner, I really didn't know how I should go about conversing with him. Should I pretend like things are same old? Or should I ask about how he's been doing? I couldn't not care for a friend's eternal well-being, but if I asked, I feel like I would be prying...

And of course, God is amazing! Because even without asking, this brother just poured everything out, and my heart broke as I heard his story of pain and hurt. But by God's grace, I was able to share my experiences with him, which weirdly, he seemed able to relate to. Even though this brother still has a rough journey ahead, but I trust that God will be there leading and guiding his every step. May God heal his heart, and remind him often of Jesus' amazing, unconditional love for us!

Cultivating a heart of repentance is love!

Lately, I've been a little short-tempered, especially at my dad. This is really horrible, because it's has not only been been hurting our relationship, but it has been making me a really bad witness for Christ! I try to be good, but unfortunately, just like Paul says, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."

So what do I do? I cry out to God, because I know that only God can overcome sin as deeply rooted as this. I believe and trust that when I acknowledge my sin, and turn back towards Him, that He will give me the courage to do what is right. This courage and strength is not something that I have myself. What's most encouraging though, is that over and over again in the Bible, God shows us that having a repentant heart is what we need, not loud acts of worship or sacrifice. And so, I pray that God will help me to cultivate a heart of repentance, so that I can love others well!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving weekend and my family LOVES to celebrate it...by inviting friends over for a nice turkey dinner and eating lots and lots.
I can't wait!
I really love to bake so I made pumpkin cheesecake! The first time I made it with friends, the crust burnt and I felt it wasn't sweet enough so I decided to go for Martha Stewart, which requires more time and a few more ingredients. Try it!

Loving D

There's a sister I know, whom I think must be one of the smartest people in the whole wide world. I know she must have a stash of letters following her name, but I can count the number of times on one hand that she has talked about her degrees. So it wasn't a surprise when I found out that she moved to Hong Kong, because the number one consulting company of the world recruited her, and merely 2 years after joining the company, she was already promoted to manager.

Now this sister is definitely a type-A girl, but she handles whatever the stress the world throws at her with much grace. Although we don't get to see each other too often, since her job has her all over the world, but every time we do see each other, we can just pick up wherever we left off last. I'm so thankful for her. :)

Today is this dear sister's birthday, and I felt like an email, or a regular ecard wouldn't do the trick (she's been put on a really tough client), so I put together a picture of us on the beach, as an encouragement to her to keep steadfast, and stay hopeful!

Sending God's Truth to others is love!

In encouraging others today, instead of merely replying emails with "I will pray for you", I also sent people Scripture verses, because I believe that God's Word is the Truth; it can not only bring hope, but has the power to heal. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

In fact, "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So could it be, that when I send others the Word of God, I'm actually sending a bit of God Himself? Woah! That blows my mind...

Praying for the 1040 tour is love!

JMA's most recent post told of obstacles they have been encountering on the 1040 tour. JMA called for us to pray, and pray we must, because that is the most important thing that we can do! Send JMA your prayer to support the tour!

Here's my prayer:
Our Father in heaven,

You are amazing and wonderful! We give you thanks and praise and all glory for the work that you are doing through Jaeson and the 1040 team. May You protect them, physically and spiritually, and bless the work of their hands. May You lead them and give them wisdom. May You fill them with the Holy Spirit and help them to stand firm in the Truth. God, may You help them with any and all logistics involved with the tour. May every vacant seat be filled at every single showing. May every heart be turned back toward You!

Father God, may You rain down Your love upon each and every single person who attends a 1040 showing, or watches the 1040 film. May Your love and Truth fill their hearts and souls. May we be empowered by Your love to live a life that is worthy of Your calling. Father God, we be humble and contrite in heart, leaning on You always, and loving You with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

In Jesus' powerful and mighty name,
Amen!

Giving up your freebie parking discount is love!

At some shopping malls in Hong Kong, you can often get a discount or a full redemption for your parking fee if you spend money at the mall. Us Hong Kongers love this, because in such a tiny city where space is so precious, parking can be quite costly!

I drove my dad to lunch today, and while we were there, he ran into a good friend, who eventually joined us for lunch. We had a good chat, and it was quite interesting listening to the two go back and forth with juicy stories from the past. When it was time to go, we only got one receipt that could be used to redeem one parking ticket. And without further thought, I of course handed it over to "uncle". It wasn't every day that we got to see him!

Not insisting on your own way is love!

Today, I got in a disagreement with mom. She wanted to go left, and I suggested that going right was better. I insisted and persuaded, but she would not budge! And even though I still think that my way is better, but I stopped trying to insist my own way upon her, because God says that "love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful."

I do pray though that the next time I encounter a similar situation, that I'd be more graceful and loving in dealing with it. God wants us to be loving and gentle to each other, just as He is to us!

Showing tourists around HK is love!

I was in TST with a friend tonight, and it felt like I was in Shanghai, because there were sooo many 同胞 (fellow countrymen) here for Chinese National holidays. Although I sometimes get frustrated with some of the habits that they bring to the city (e.g. squatting, spitting, shouting, squeezing into your personal space etc.), I am thankful that they are here to support the Hong Kong economy, and ooo and ahhh at the beauty of this city. So, welcome, fellow citizens....

Tonight, I met 2 ladies who were visiting from 江苏 (Jiang Su). They were looking for a good local place to eat. Unfortunately, the place where we were standing had nothing around the area. Instead of just pointing them in the direction that they should go, my friend and I walked them to the MTR station and showed them on the map where the best local places could be found. We also taught them how to get home at night. I hope they have fun!

Spending time with someone is love!

Today is China's National Holiday, and what does that mean? A day off work!! And today was extra special too, because the weather was so beautiful. The morning dawned with clear blue skies, some puffy white clouds, and a gentle breeze telling you that autumn is here. In short, it was Cali weather in HK! Whatever burden one may have, it's weather like this that makes you go, "ahhh, life is good."

So of course I wanted to take every minute of the day to relax, stroll around outside, and gaze into the great mountains and oceans of Hong Kong. Little did I know though that God had other plans in store for me. Halfway through the day, a sister called to ask for my company. I can think of a thousand and one excuses to tell her that I was busy, but I knew that God wanted me to love, so I took some time out to spend with her instead. In the bustling fast-paced city of Hong Kong, time is often the most valuable gift you can give someone!

Interestingly, just the other day, a friend sent me an interesting reminder about the gift of time:
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son.. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you.. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him... He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word.. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away..

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture.....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked..

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package.. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.


"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box.. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch..

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover.. Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most was...my time"

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

Loving my coworkers - Part 3

To be very honest, I'm not a big fan of receiving wedding invitations, especially invitations to weddings for people I'm not very close to! It makes me question if they're just asking me for money... I'm horrible, I know.

Well, recently, there's a coworker, whom I work with on occasion, who sent me a wedding invitation. Given what I mentioned above, the regular me would gripe and groan. But, given the 365 day love challenge, what a great opportunity for me to show some love instead! So, although I couldn't physically make it to her wedding, I thought it would be nice to send her a blessing via some red pockets!

"I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

Loving my mom - Part 3

Everyone has their pet peeves. Some people don't like others touching their feet, while others can't stand massages. I don't like ears. My own ears, I'm ok with, but I don't really like touching other people's ears, whether that is helping someone put on earrings, or cleaning them out.

Well, recently my mom got some water stuck in her ear, and it was really annoying her, so she asked if I could help. I really really really didn't want to. Giving her a massage, helping her clean her closet, or even giving her a pedicure, I'm ok with, but ugh... ears are a sensitive thing for me.

Needless to say, it took a lot of persuasion and prayer for me to give into helping her, after which I found out that it really wasn't too bad after all! Maybe God did have a purpose in mind when He created our ears ...

Loving others means stepping out of your comfort zone!