Last weekend, I had a chance to “skype” with my in-laws from my hometown. It is great to talk to them face-to-face through network, even though the network is sometimes, a little bit moody – voice and facial expression tend to be out of phase, once a while. In the past, we relied on phone lines to call them. Not only we couldn’t see their faces, but also they would rush to end the call due to the pricey minutes of the call. This reveals the fact that there is always a price, could be either monetary or non-monetary, to pay when communicates with others.

Last Friday night, we had a small group gathering at a friend’s house, discussing a topic called “win-win communication”.  I was the one supposed to bring in “necessary” equipments for the discussion; due to the nature of presentation was using a video. Before the gathering starts, the host family called me and checked to see whether I have the equipments ready, most importantly, if I have a computer. I told them, “yes”.  The bad is I didn’t even bother to check the equipments loaded in my car since I assumed the equipments have everything ready. Not until the gathering was about to start and I was setting up the equipment, I then realize that I forgot the computer. So, we were forced to use a different set-up in order to start the meeting. I apologized to them for doing such a “lose-lose communication” demonstration from the beginning.

In the video, the hosts focused on sharing their personal experiences and views on how to achieve a good communication in marriage and family life. According to the hosts, we need to realize that:

1. God establishes the marriage. (Genesis 2:20-22)

2. Spouse is one’s bone of the bones and flesh of the flesh, not the children. (Genesis 2:23)

3. A man has to leave his parents and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. This does not mean we should ignore our parents and don’t love them. (Genesis 2:24)

4. Husband and wife can be as frank as both were naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:25)

5. Husband and wife need to commit to cultivate their communication – nothing can affect their mutual relationship.

Most of us would agree with me that a healthy family would result in a healthy society and therefore a strong nation. Conversely, a dysfunctional family would cause a great harm to  children’s growth and results in a great damage to the society and weaken the nation. A healthy family is characterized by a win-win communication among family members. Because they are well communicated and having a strong relationship. Considering ourselves in the God’s family, do we have a win-win communication with our Heavenly Father? Are we committing to cultivate a good communication with Him? These are questions worthy of our pondering.

To “skype” with our Lord is always a hotline and is always available – There is no bandwidth limitation and therefore there is no stuttering like a moody network in this world. The only requirement is we need to come before Him and talk to Him face-to-face frankly. Oftentimes we may prefer to hide from Him because of our wrong-doing that is not pleased to Him. Please remember that He is waiting on the other side to “see” us. He promised, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 我們若認自己的罪 ，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。(1 John 1:9)”

My dear brothers and sisters, have you “skyped” with our Lord recently? Please don’t forget that He is waiting to see us and to talk to us.

Last Friday, before I left for the day at my working place, my wife called and told me that she forgot to bring in soy source and spice for tonight’s celebration of Chinese New Year at our church. I wrote them down and then rushed back to home to pick them up. After that, I went to pick up two young guests on my way to the celebration.  While traveling, I was still thinking whether I forgot something or not.  Suddenly, I remembered one thing that I lack: I need to bring in the non-slip liners for the hotpot stoves in order to prevent the stoves from gliding on the table. “Too bad, it is already too late. I need to figure out an alternative”, I told myself.

The likelihood of running such kind of “oops!” experience oftentimes is high, especially when we are in a rush. Its consequence sometimes may just cost us some nuisances or inconveniences; but on the other times, it could cause serious issues. Imagine that you are going to meet a person you love but forgot to bring something important. As a result, your plan was ground to a halt. How do you feel? One of such “oops!” news recently is the famous singer Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, who was rushing to see her after a long drive to airport, only to find that he forgot to bring his passport and therefore their romantic meeting was halted.

My friends, one way or another, you may encounter the same “oops!” surprise in your daily living. Have you ever thought about that when each one of us needs to stand in front of God to receive His judgment at the end of this worldly life, what will He say?”  The phrase “There is one thing you lack” comes into my mind. I agree that no one will ever be able to reach God’s standard. The question is “What is the one thing that you lack but is deemed to be the most important from God’s view?”

In the Gospel of Mark chapter 10, when the rich young ruler inquired Jesus about how he may “inherit” eternal life, Jesus told him that there is one thing he lacks. Jesus said, “Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me. 你還缺少一件 ：去變賣你所有的，分給窮人，就必有財寶在天上 ； 你還要來跟從我 。(Mark 10:21b) ”.  The point Jesus wants to teach us is we cannot rely on our own works, talent or wealth to receive the eternal life, the only one thing that is important is to believe that He is the son of God and only through Him we can be saved.

My dear brothers and sisters, we may constantly feel that we are lacking one thing in our life; either one pair of shoes or one piece of dress in our closet, or one tool in our garage, etc, but we need to remember king David’s experience, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing (Psalm 23:1)”.  It is a very important insight that we should not overlook. Let’s be reminded from Jesus had reminded Martha, “few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. 但是不可少的只有一件；馬利亞已經選擇那上好的福分，是不能奪去的”. Hope we all will be able to receive what is better in God’s eye (Luke 10:42).

Spent a few hours last Saturday to dig out from a foot of snow piled on my friend’s and my driveways, gave me a good work out.  The good things are we didn’t experience any power outage in our area and the snow was one day only.

As the historic blizzard hit the Northeast region, some areas received several feet of snow locally. It caused many damages and interruptions – schools, transportation, government offices and private companies, etc. were all impacted. Under such condition, personal daily lives are also having various detours and plan changes. Our church originally planned to have a hotpot gathering to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year on last Friday night was forced to postpone. Many friends of us, who were longing for the gathering, were disappointed. I realize that God wants us to learn that He has His own idea and won’t always follow our little plan. God declared to us, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 天怎樣高過地，照樣我的道路，高過你們的道路，我的意念，高過你們的意念‧ (Isaiah 55:9)”

In our life journey, I am sure there will be many detours waiting for us. They could be as minor as schedule change to, as major as lost our endeared friend or family member. This morning, I had a chance to call my brother-in-law who just lost his wife, my sister, in last summer. I could perceive his sadness and heaviness through his voice. I was short of words to comfort him. He told me that he was so used to have my sister taken care of the family. Now in the New Year eve, he had to prepare the gathering meal by himself, knowing that he couldn’t even see her to sit with them. This is a detour in life that most of us would not in favor, I believe.

As detours in our life are unavoidable, the question is how we can pull through them without succumbing. There are at least three imperatives, I think. One is we should not complain and grumble about the situation like the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt . The second is we have to realize that God is in control over every situation – His ways are higher than our ways. The last one is we have to listen to His leading. Prophet Isaiah encouraged us, “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it. 主 雖 以 艱 難 給 你 當 餅 ， 以 困 苦 給 你 當 水 ， 你 的 教 師 卻 不 再 隱 藏 ； 你 眼 必 看 見 你 的 教 師 。你 或 向 左 或 向 右 ， 你 必 聽 見 後 邊 有 聲 音 說 ： 這 是 正 路 ， 要 行 在 其 間 。(Isaiah 30:20-21)”

Sometimes we may feel that He is absent and He is not care about us. We therefore complain and question Him. However, our complaints and insubordination cannot undermine His love upon and sovereignty over us. He is always present even when we feel He is absent. He loves us even we are sinners. My dear brothers and sisters, assuredly our plans will not catch up with the pace of changes (計畫趕不上變化). All we have to do is entrusting our lives to the Almighty God – listen and submit to His guidance!

————————————————————————————————-

Chinese Lunar New Year, which is coming in next week, is a holiday season oftentimes celebrated similarly to the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration at the States. It gives families an opportunity to get together with members who may have been apart for a whole year. For those who are remote in the States and therefore couldn’t enjoy the family reunion time, may have mixed feelings.

One of the important elements in the Chinese New Year celebration is “food”. 🙂  I still remember those good old days living with my parents. Apart from fresh food bought from market, my father would prepare some delicacies by himself with his own secret recipes. One of his famous ones is “marinated pork liver” – in essence, it is a “hardened” pork liver with spices and wine. The process of making this marinated pork liver, as I recalled, is quite lengthy and laborious. A fresh liver would need to be marinated first, then hang it dry the 2^nd day, then re-marinated again. The repeated process of marinating and hang-it-dry would eventually harden the pork liver to a nice and good taste of meat. Throughout the process, there is no machine involved and it takes time with patience to make it. A success one is a hardened but still soft within one.

Except the mixed homesick feeling, you may wonder why I mention this marinated pork liver. In our daily Bible study of the book of Exodus, we may be amazed how God led the Israelites out of Egypt through ten miracles. Do we feel intriguing why God said, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 14:4)”? Does this mean it is NOT Pharaoh’s desire, but God’s intention, to pursue the Israelites? If we read the Scriptures carefully, it reveals that is NOT the case. “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” (Exodus 14:5). This indicates that the first cause of the “hardened heart” was Pharaoh himself, as God already knew it! The purpose of this hardened process is God will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that “He is the LORD.”

Now, let’s go back to the marinated pork liver process. How is it related to our journey of faith? If we consider the marinating spices are like the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, then the hang-it-dry process is as if we are drifting from God intentionally for a period. This process, as you can imagine, would produce a “hardened heart” eventually. It, in fact, becomes a “delicacy” to the evil one. Therefore, two things are worth our attention. One is the worldly desires and the other is drifting from God intentionally due to business. My dear brothers and sisters, let us be alert and be aware that this world and the evil one are trying every possible means to “harden” our heart. Only come to our Lord then we can be alive and well. No matter where we are, we can be sure that our God promised us that “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 我 也 要 賜 給 你 們 一 個 新 心 ， 將 新 靈 放 在 你 們 裡 面 ， 又 從 你 們 的 肉 體 中 除 掉 石 心 ， 賜 給 你 們 肉 心 。(Ezekiel 36:26)”. May He protect you and keep you.