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Merry Christmas!!!!

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:57:43 GMT

Christmas will be here in a few days. It’s always a busy time as we approach the year-end. Many things have happened since my last entry here. It’s no doubt that 2007 is another year filled with blessings from God. I have high hopes for 2008 and believe that something significant will happen next year. I have faith in the Lord and I am eager to ride the adventure of life with Him.

As you are reading this message, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays can’t and will never replace the true meaning of this season. It’s Merry Christmas for Christ sake. Recently a good friend and co-worker of mine gave me the following devotion from “Our Daily Bread.” I want to share with you all.

Let us at all costs avoid the temptation to make our Christmas worship a withdrawal from the stress and sorrow of life into a realm of unreal beauty. It was into the real world that Christ came; into the city where there was no room for Him, and into a country where Herod, the murderer of innocents, was king.

He comes to us, not to shied us from the harshness of the world but to give us the courage and strength to bear it; not to snatch us away by some miracle from the conflict of life, but to give us peace – His peace – in our hearts, by which we may be calmly steadfast while the conflict rages, and be able to bring to the torn world the healing that is peace.

When Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus to the Lord, Simeon said to them: “Behold, the Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35)

Christmas is not a retreat from reality but an advance into it alongside the Prince of Peace.

Once again, Merry Christmas!!!!!

Amazing Grace

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 02:56:31 GMT

I watched the movie "Amazing Grace" with Matt and Patty earlier today. It is a movie about William Wilberforce, an Englishman who initiated the ban of the slave trade movement in the Great Britain, and then the rest of the British Empire. The movie is well done and moving. You can tell from the movie that he is a very devoted Christian who at 1 point was thinking about being a priest and living a life of solitude. However, God did not give him an answer that way. He wanted William to remain in his position as a politician in the House of Commons. His interactions with John Newton, the author of one of the greatest hymn of all time, Amazing Grace, were full of energy and God's grace. He became a man of great importance not only in the world of politics, and also for the better life of mankind in general. He was full of compassion to the people around him and the folks who were suffering out there. His faith to God was incredible. I really admire his character and this movie made me want to know more about this great man of God.

Sometime I found myself struggling with the same issues William dealt with. What's the calling of God to me? Should I remain in my current position or do something else? Should I stay or relocate to somewhere else? What does God want me to do? Does God remain silence because he knows what's ahead of me? Although I know well that I won't ever be as great as Mr. Wilberforce, I do want to live a life that I can contribute something good to the world. How would I do it? There can be a list of questions that I can ask. I am eager to see how God unfold the journey of my life 1 chapter at a time. He continues to amaze me. May be just like the hit song from Carrie Underwood, I'll let Jesus takes my wheel. I tell myself to live by faith, and hold on tight.

The hymn "Amazing Grace" was sung and played a few times throughout the movie. It gave me an additional meaning after I watched this film. Whether you are a Christian or not, I highly recommend it to you all. The uplifting side of the human spirit would truly inspire you.

To those of you who have wonder where I have been since the last entry almost 3 months ago, long time no see. It's good to be back!

Quote of the Day

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 20:55:05 GMT

I read my Streams in the Dessert's calender and really like what it said today.

Therefore, as God's chosen people ..... clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness .... (Col. 3:12)

Our lives touch others but once, perhaps, on the road of life; and then, perhaps, our ways diverge, never to meet again. A word spoken pleasantly is a large spot of sunshine on a sad heart.

I find it quite uplifting. Hope you like it as well.

Have a great weekend!

Being Thankful

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 03:46:50 GMT

Ever since last nite, I have been thinking about how thankful I am for the last 30 years. Although there have been ups and downs along the way, it has been a pretty good life so far. On my way home after the church prayer meeting last nite, I prayed and gave thanks to God for everything He has given and done in my life. If I remember it correctly, my mom said I was born in the morning of the last day of November. Since Hong Kong is 12 hours ahead of Grand Rapids, I was born 30 years ago last nite.

I tried to make it real low-key for this big birthday but somehow my co-workers were still able to give me a very pleasant surprise earlier today. After the departmental meeting this morning, my co-worker brought out a big birthday cake and I shared it with everyone in the department. I also got a Happy 30th balloon by my desk, which I believe my sister Karen will get a kick out of that. Speaking of Karen, I talked to her and my parents on the phone for a little bit this morning as well. In the evening I went to my American family for dinner and everyone was there. My American Dad made my favorite "Georges" Fried Rice and the kick-butt BBQ ribs. It was nice to see and celebrate this occasion with every one in the family in this special day. It's a low-key birthday, but very meaningful.

Let's show some pictures!

Yes, I know. I am officially in the "Elite" 30s group. People said that 30s is the new 20s now , and I still feel, and hopefully, look young!

It helps to look young when I am surrounded by my nieces and nephews :) Look at my youngest nephews; they are all fascinated by the big b-day cake!

I thank God for his grace, all the blessings, and the lessons I learned in the last 30 years. I don't know what the next 30 years will be like, but God knows as He holds my future. I have peace and confidence as I face the future. May I continue to be a man after His own heart!

Great Thanksgiving!

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:10:45 GMT

I just had a 4-day Thanksgiving weekend not too long ago. I stayed in GR the whole time and it was very nice and relaxing. I went to Mom and Dad Georges for the big turkey dinner on Thanksgiving day and the whole family was there. I cherish the time together as a family coz I really don’t how many more Thanksgiving meals I will have with them. It has been a big tradition for me in the last 12 years, from Michigan to Iowa and back to Michigan. There are so many unknowns in the future, but I trust that God will make a way for me.

I have invited my roommate Wen, Moon and his wife, Anne to the Georges for Thanksgiving. They had a great time and enjoyed the feast and the fellowship with the family members. They had fun with the kids there as well. Speaking of the kids, Moon teased me that I am a very good candidate for marriage as I am very good with the kids. Wait a minute here, with his logic, it sounds like I am more ready to be a Dad than a husband though. Don’t you think?

Other than eating a lot, I have watched a few movies on DVD during the break. I also saw “Stranger than Fiction” at the theatre and it was a pleasant surprise. With Will Farrell in the movie, I was expecting a comedy instead of a drama. I don’t know that he can act! This movie is a story about the life of a Senior IRS auditor and how his life has changed once he started hearing a “voice” depicting every single detail of his life. It’s a very interesting story. The movie makes you think and motivates you to live your life to the fullest. Highly recommend it.

The world of audio books

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 19:05:03 GMT

Wow, can’t believe it’s less than a week away from Thanksgiving. Radio stations have started playing Christmas music already. Time always flies by this time of the year. Before we know it, a new year will arrive.

Life seems to get a bit less busy after the music outreach last month. It didn’t take me long to get myself working on other areas of my church responsibilities. It’s the year-end crunch and also time for review for this year and planning and budgeting for next year. After 4.5 years as a deacon, I’ll be stepping down and become a layperson again in 2 months. I am quite excited & looking forward to the new beginning and have been thinking and praying what ministries I can be more involved in. I know I’ll try to stay away from church admin work as far as I can. J Meanwhile, I gotta work hard to get many things done before the year-end. May the Lord give me strength and wisdom as I deal with all the meetings and planning ahead of me in the next few weeks.

Ever since I checked out some audio tapes from the library a month ago, I have been addicted to the wonderful world of audio books. After “the Last Juror” by John Grisham, I have been listening the 12 books of the “Left Behind” series and just finished with the 4^th book, Soul Harvest. It talks about what happens to the people of God and the world after millions of believers were gone after the rapture. It’s a very fascinating series and make me want to study and understand more of the prophecies in the book of Revelation. Sometimes I imagine myself as Buck Williams, one of the main characters of the series, and the decisions I will make in different circumstances. Hopefully, I don’t have to deal with those dilemmas after the rapture, as I won’t be here then! J

I have watched a few movies the last few weeks and highly recommend “the Lake House,” with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, and “No One Less.” The later one is a sweet movie directed by Zhang Yi Mou. Check them out and let me know what u think!

Rollercoaster Weekend

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:22:35 GMT

The busy weekend was finally over. We had our annual music outreach on Saturday and it went quite well. Since we have many folks who have joined the praise team or choir for the very first time and I am the praise team leader for this event, I was pretty nervous about it all the way to Saturday evening. We had a rehearsal on Friday night and God taught me a lesson then. Although we still made quite a bit of mistakes, I have seen the tremendous improvements among the praise team members and choir folks. They have worked very hard in the last few weeks. God doesn’t ask us to deliver perfect music; He asks us to commit our hearts to worship him. With a different point of view, everything became so beautiful. I can feel the Holy Spirit working through us on Saturday night. It was a touching night with wonderful music. Praise the Lord!

Yesterday our church had a farewell party to our beloved friends, David and Jane. A big crowd was there for the party and many people gave their testimonies. It was a very touching and emotional event. They have touched so many lives at our church and made an impact in lives from little children or elderly folks. We thank God for the blessings we received through this godly couple. They have done so much for our church through different ministries. Many times they have done it behind the scene. They care so much about the people around them. I truly hope and pray that we can continue their great work at our church and make an impact on each other’s lives. It’s sad to see they leave, but I trust that God’s plan is better than what we can imagine. My best wishes will always be with them. As you read this, please say a prayer for their safe travel to Dallas, Texas. They are leaving GR today and hopefully get there by Wednesday.

One sad thing for this weekend though, the Detroit Tigers didn’t win the World Series title. Oh well, hope they will return to the World Series next year.

Tiger's Town

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:22:39 GMT

Ever since the Detroit's Tigers made it all the way to the World Series, the whole town is talking about them and how proud we the Michiganders feel. Everyone is so excited about that at work and many are planning to watch the games against the St. Louis Cardinals starting this weekend. I still remember when I first came to the States, Steve and Cynthia took me to many baseball games and cheered for the Whitecaps, which is the beloved baseball team here. Although Steve has tried very hard teaching me the rules (1st inning, 2nd inning, etc.), being a sport dummie as I am I still don't understand much about baseball (sorry Steve!) I just don't have the sport DNA in me. But, at least I can tell a homerun, which kinda like I can tell a touchdown in an American football game. As I mentioned before, I would be pretty busy with the church outreach thing till the end of this month, but I still like to watch the games if time allows and I remember it.

Last nite we had a farewell dinner for Jane at the XO Asian Cuisines in downtown. In addition to some of my current co-workers, many of our former colleaques and bosses came for the dinner. It was very nice to see and catch up with them. My American parents came for the dinner as well. They found out that Jane is leaving from reading my blog. It's good to know my blog have faithful readers, but it also tells me I should visit them more often so they can keep up with what's happening in my life. We all had a great time though. Great food, great company, and great to see folks whom I haven't seen for a long time!

Tonite I am planning to go to a seminar about prayer, led by Philip Yancey, whom wrote great books such as The Jesus I Never Knew, at the pizza hut of my alma mater (Calvin chapel ). I am very looking forward to going to that and learning from this great arthor.

GO TIGERS, GO TIGERS, GO DETROIT TIGERS, THE NEXT WORLD SERIES CHAMPION!!!!!

Fall is not over yet, but snow is already here!

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 19:16:34 GMT

Snow came early to Michigan this year. I woke up with a snow shower outside my apartment yesterday morning. It melted on the ground right the way but I could see them on the grass. First snow of the year is quite pretty to watch, but it was way too early this year. The morning TV show stated that cold front is coming though this area and we would see snow from Chicago all the way to NYC. I guess we are not alone out there.

Today is the last day my “ai-ya” sister, Jane, works for our company. We went out to a Chinese buffet nearby for lunch and many folks have joined us. She took many pictures with many people here. I am sure she will be missed by so many of our co-workers. Some of them I could see them holding tears in their eyes. I’ll see her a few more weeks along with David by the end of this month, and then they will move to the “warm” state of Texas. It’s sad to see friends go, but it is really a part of life. May be someday, I would be the one who will leave this city. You never know!

With 2 more weeks to go, our annual evangelical music outreach will be here. Due to various reasons, I found myself heavily involved in the different parts of the outreach again, including many planning beforehand. I was gonna step back from many of the planning and responsibilities this year. I should have left more instructions on the outreach planning before I left the US a few months ago. It can be stressful at times, but I pray and hope that God’s grace is sufficient for all of us. As you are reading this, please say a prayer for me and other co-workers and the Holy Spirit will lead us through all the planning and practicing until that day. He will once again be glorified through the music, sharing, and preaching that night.

I am not done with autumn yet, please give me back the nice fall weather!! Ahhhhh.

Faces & Places Part 6 - Nice to be Back!

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 15:59:46 GMT

Without the following people, my trip back in Asia will be quite different. Let me present them in chronological order:

Enchi and I, taken before the Taipei 101.

Carolyn, Lily, Michael and I, taken at the Nanking Road in Shanghai.

Myself, Jared and Maria (what a beautiful couple!), taken at the botanical garden on the top floor of the Shanghai Postal Museum.

Karen and I, with the amazing HK night scene as the background.

My Ying Wa (Secondary School) buddies, the meal was very tasty, guys!

I went to Shenzhen twice to visit my good friends, Jeff and Amanda, and this is the picture taken at their home with their beautiful daughters. Aren't they cute?

Save the best for last!

Not all the friends I reconnected are shown on the photos above. Many times I wish I have my camera with me so I can take a picture with them. To all of you in HK, Taiwan and China, whether I have known you before I left HK or during my years here in the US, thanks for all the precious memories we have shared together over the years. May God bless each one of you, and keep in touch!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone. I'll let you know whether the moon in a "foreign country" is rounder next time! :)