Romans 8

For Growth Groups we've been studying about the Holy Spirit. Our study last week led us through Romans 8 which I've admittedly always glossed over because of it's wordy passage. But a careful read through reveals how poignantly God loves us and empowers us to live as His sons and daughters through the Spirit. What a gem!

Below is a video of David Crowder's "How He Loves" with a few snippets of John Piper and Matt Chandler 'preaching it'. Hope it encourages you as it has for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUUmhnOPBdE

Blessings

Grandma Ho

It has become increasingly clear to me that the lifeblood of our lives is composed of stories. When all is said and done, we are largely defined and remembered not by our wealth, accomplishments or feats of greatness, but in the stories shared by those we love.

So what stories define my dear Grandma?

To be honest, most of the stories I have of Grandma are framed in black and white, passed on from my mother, uncles and aunties. These stories talk of life in the 60’s, when life was harsh and unrelenting. They resonate with me more because I was too young to remember much of grandma in my own memory, having left for Canada at too young an age. Much of what I do remember revolves around vacations when Grandma would visit, and me being naughty while she was ever-so-patient. The Grandma I knew never spoke of the past, never brought up the hardships, and never complained about the difficulties she had endured.

The last three years of being in Hong Kong has given me new appreciation to Grandma’s life. She is the most long-suffering woman I know. She has endured so much and had the kindest heart to keep giving of herself. She sacrificed everything for her children without demanding anything in return.

Last mother’s day after eating at a restaurant at Tin Hau, mom asked us to walk with her to the North Point Ferry Pier. She explained that many years ago, she would regularly take the same route with Grandma to deliver food to Grandpa’s clothing business. The two of them would often take the long lonely journey back home to Sham Shui Po together. As they traced their way back in the dark emptying streets, their hearts would often be filled with sorrow and grief at the seemingly injustice of life.

That night, as dad, Michelle and I followed mom on her journey into the past, I couldn’t help but see the story come to life. I saw the shadows of mother and daughter cast ruefully on the faded buildings. I watched them meander silently through the crooked alleyways towards the dock that would shuttle them across the harbour. No words. Just two silent silhouettes. 

For me, this story encapsulates Grandma: she loved fully without condition. In a culture where value is placed on the fleeting emotion of romance, she loved based on principle. She loved an undeserving husband, a brood of children often too young to understand, and loved at her own expense. Grandma fought tooth and nail to give her children and grandchildren the best she could afford even when it cost her much suffering. She is the embodiment of love that gives, and even to her last days, she hung on to make sure everything was right with her children.

I do not know a more stalwart woman, who despite her tiny frame possessed so much courage and determination to live and press on. May we all take a page from her life and live with the same gumption and conviction. Rest well in heaven, Grandma - real life has just begun!

New School, New Year

Rivendell. Shalom.

So much has happened the last few weeks since we got home from our holidays in Canada. As usual, the summers are too eventful to be documented fully here. There were meals, parties, weddings, and even a trip to a comic convention. All this spent with family and friends made our time particularly special. But at the end of it, we knew it was time to start our school years again and begin our new adventure.

So we literally haven't stopped since the day we got off the plane. The following morning I had supervision duties at UCCKE (my old school) and was slated to do one more day of duty the day after which would clash with my new job's orientation. Thank God a typhoon came and took care of that hassle. There has never been a more perfectly timed answered prayer. 

So after that single day of sitting in an staff room for 8 hours all by myself, my time at UCCKE came to an official close. I'll miss the quirky local kids, taking kids out for lunch across the street, or standing for 40 minutes every Monday and Thursday for cheesy Assembly meetings. 

And thus our new adventure of working together at CAIS began. After 3 years of hearing Michelle tell me all her stories about the school, I was excited but also a little apprehensive about working there. After all, I was coming in as her husband - that's who I was known as. I was so pleased to find a staff that was warm and vibrant who not only saw me as Michelle's tag-along, but as one of them.

The last three weeks have been a tornado of throwing up bulletin boards, stapling lettering and organizing desks and trays. All things I have missed since not having my own classroom. It's like my life has turned into a flurry of colour after three years of monotony. I can't say what the next few months will look like since I've noticed teachers are creatures prone to complain, but I have promised myself not to complain about anything I experience this year since every day is a huge blessing from what I've had in the past. I'm so thankful for this job, for these colleagues, my lovely kids, and this calling to be a part of their lives. 

Here are a few pictures of the classroom as it was being set up, and a few shots of the kids.

"A World Awaits" - Narnia Themed Door.
The name tag is as official as it gets!

The back wall

Kids on the second day.

Working on their Duty Group crests

This group is called "Scottish Chickens with 22 Eyes"

"Why Scottish?" I asked.
"Uh, because it's more special than just Salty Chickens," they replied.
"Oh, ok!"

My hope and blessing to you all is that in every season of life, in the dry and the plenty, you will always see God's goodness and purposes for you. May He be your reason for service and may His pleasure be your reward.

Grace and peace,


Tins

Candles!

Yay! So we finally got around to doing a project for our home together. We've been talking about decorating our place for ages with ideas we see on Pinterest and Etsy, but came across this project on Instructables and decided we HAD to do it. 

The link for the project can be found here if you're interested in making candles too:

Blockagon Candles

First, we melted some stick candles from Ikea.
We reused the wicks. We used about 15 in total.

These are the paper molds that we folded. As you can tell, the white one is no good.

We painted over them with latex wall paint to seal all the joints from leaking.
I recommend doing 2 layers. We only did 1 and it leaked from the cracks.

As the wax was melting, we selected our colors for the candles.

Plop! There goes the crayon.

It's melting!

Pouring the first candle!

Success. High five!

Our first batch done. 

The giant mess on the stovetop.

Figuring out which crayons to melt next.

We left the first batch out to harden overnight.

The next morning. Time to peel!

Repeat process. Batch 2: Blue, Baby Blue, and Lime Green.

Altogether.

Smiles

So all in all, we are so proud to have actually worked on a project together. The entire project cost around 40 HKD and took around two evenings.

Philippian Joy

I confess that I struggle with being joyful. More often than not I find myself complaining instead, whining about how someone has wronged me, how things are not going according to plan, or plotting how I can fix the situation if I try a little harder. I can't help but wonder, after years of following Christ, is this the mark of a Christian life?

Our recent Growth Group Bible Studies at St. Andrews have been particularly refreshing for many reasons. Besides the fellowship, it has been invigorating to explore anew what it means to live with joy as Paul did and wrote about in the letter of Philippians. The apostle Paul talks about contentment and joy in the midst of staggering circumstances. Rejected, abandoned, maligned, persecuted, beaten and whipped, hungry and cold, and imprisoned now as he writes his epistle, Paul lists his lot in life. And what do I get upset about? A long line at the grocery store.

What's the secret to Paul's contentment?

Paul says in Philippians 4:4-7,

^"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

"Rejoice", Paul says. Such a simple command he says it twice. These words would otherwise be cheap and pithy if spoken by any normal man. But Paul is not normal. He's well acquainted with hardships. He is radical for Christ. Christ means everything to him to the point where he would much rather die than live. And yet in the midst of his toil and labor he says, "rejoice."

Is this even realistic for us as everyday Christians? How do we rejoice? How does one begin to have a vibrant life that is full of joy and vigor towards an uncertain future? Surely there is a way to live like this.

As Christians what is there worth celebrating and rejoicing in, especially in a world that is broken?

Rejoicing in Christ's victory over sin and death: This is the heart of the Gospel, and the crux of our human existence, that, as the lyrics of this song so aptly explain, a "Holy God in love became perfect man to bear my blame. On the cross he bore my sin. By His death I live again." Jesus' death on the cross assuages a God who should rightly and justly pour out His wrath upon me. I rejoice because Christ took that wrath in my stead and now I stand righteous before God. The problem of sin is dealt with.  

Rejoicing in our relationship with God:  Paul exhorts us to rejoice and live with a gentle spirit. Why? He says, "the Lord is near." Why does God's presence make any significant impact on our daily lives? Considering that we are often left to struggle through life alone, it is a great comfort to know that God not only walks with us, but is intimately acquainted with who we are. Moreover, he desires for us to know Him and walk in fellowship with Him. In verse 6, Paul tells us to present our requests before God. We have no business presenting our requests before the Holy God of this universe unless He invites us into His presence as His child. What a privilege. There is much to rejoice for. 

Paul says that when we rejoice and bring our petitions before God in gratitude of the gospel and full knowledge of His goodness, peace comes. Peace comes as our focus shifts from our problems onto a God who is big enough to deal with them. 

At the end of the day, our responses in light of our circumstances reflect our theology. And while people often hesitate to talk about theology, we are not discussing doctrine or creeds but rather our simple perception of how we see God. Our response to life shows our basic perceptions of the character of God. Our fear in the midst of adversity shows a mistrust of God's goodness. Our anxiety in the face of trails reveals an incomplete view of God's sovereignty. Our tendency to grasp at control shows a stubborn unwillingness to relinquish life to a God who is all-powerful and all-wise.

Conversely, how we respond with grace and joy in our suffering proclaims a God who loves us, who is for us, and has our good in store. It reflects the belief of the essential truth Paul argues in Philippians 1:6 as he declared in confidence that "He who began a good work in [us] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus". God desires our sanctification. He started the process at the cross, guaranteed it when he rose from the grave, and will stop at nothing until we are refined in his likeness.

We need to reorient our perspectives and retrain our minds to see God in a truer light. We need to engrain this habit of praise and rejoicing in our daily lives so we reprogram the way we think of God. For me, this begins by daily rejoicing in the gospel and the relationship I now have with my God. It begins with letting go of falsities that God cannot cope with the problems of this world, handle the issues in my life, or know the deepest longings of my heart. He can, will, and does.  

I'll end by quoting Tim Keller who writes this in his book Counterfeit Gods. 

Rejoicing is a way of praising God until the heart is sweetened and rested, releasing its grip on anything else it thinks it needs.

My prayer for you and me is that we'll find our rest in the sweetness of Christ where all of our longings and needs are fully met. It is there we will find peace and there we find God. 

Blessings.

Winds of Change

There's been a lot on our minds lately, so much to share and not really the timing and arena for it. Still though, I'd like to share a photo from today.

This is the 3A class (probably my favorite, but teachers should never say that right?) because they were my first homeroom class when I came to UCCKE. Today is Neo's last day at school before he goes for a 3 month exchange in Germany. As his departure dawned on me, I realized that it's a sad goodbye for many reasons.  It is a reminder to treasure every moment with the students. You never know how many more you'll have with them.

This is the best banana EVER

I've never been more touched to receive fruit, much less fruit from students. Usually kids give their teachers apples, right? Today I got a banana from my homeroom class from last year.

It came at the perfect time after being marauded by a parent during PT conferences on the weekend left me seriously questioning my own teaching competence and future. It's nice to know that some kids still care and appreciate the time and energy you spend on them. I always try to remember that recognition in our field is always just a bonus - we never work for it or chase it because if we left it to kids to affirm our motives we'll always be sorely disappointed. We teach because it's a calling. But the thank you's and bananas are nice bonuses.

So, thank you, 1C class. I love you guys too!

Passover Meal

This year celebrating Easter was a little different. At first I was set on giving up something for Lent, but soon realized my motivation was wrong in doing that because I was not intentionally setting out more time to spend with the Lord. Lent became a way for me to detox from bad habits instead of looking forward to the passion of Christ and the good news of His death and resurrection. But as it would turn out, this Easter season still turned out to be very meaningful.

Last Thursday, traditionally called Maundy Thursday happened to be the Jewish Passover. I'd never made connections to the Passover during Easter time but then again I've never been steeped in tradition either, coming from an evangelical root. I don't even know what Maundy means. But on Thursday we gathered for a meal at church. It was a time to fellowship and see Christ's sacrifice in light of the Passover tradition of Egypt. One really neat thing I learned as we ate roast lamb and drank red wine over the table at church was that the gospels never did mention the supper contents of that last meal Jesus had with his disciples. There was no dinner menu or passover recipe. Perhaps the writer really did want to signify that Christ was to be the Passover Lamb, the the Bread of life, the perfect sacrifice.

On Friday morning we went to the good Friday service at church. We were reminded anew of the immense sacrifice it took for God to assuage his anger and wrath against us and pay the penalty of our sin. To think that Christ not only bore our sin (the very antithesis of who He was and the very thing he hated) but also bore the Father's full wrath and fury against the sins of mankind boggles my mind. And yet Christ not only took it, but considered it pure joy to endure the cross. Some of the hymns we sung were so masterfully arranged to complement the liturgy. It really helped me deepen my understanding of God's love.

Saturday morning a bunch of new friends from church gathered together to go hiking in Sai Kung. The weather has been pretty sub-par the last week and there had been monsoon warnings for the weekend. But everyone seemed excited to go and no one was willing to cancel in spite of the rain. I think we hiked Stage 2 of the MacLehose trail. The scenery we could see ended up being quite grand. We were in the bay where the enclave faced the Pacfic directly and waves would pound into the coast line. Quite a wonderful hike in the drenching rain.

But the best part about the hike was the fellowship. This was a group of friends Michelle had met at church not too long ago taking the Christianity Explored course with a friend. They all came from different backgrounds but had an interest to better understand who Jesus is and what being at church was about. It was so cool to chat with each one of these new friends and hear their stories and get to know them a little better. I realize that this is the story of Easter! That somehow at the cross all our differences and histories are laid aside and we can come together under God's grace and love and commune together as family. That's one of the reasons I love this church so much. It's because I can do tangibly see that truth worked out in the way we serve each other and walk through life together.

Easter Sunday was a mixed day, not that I wasn't happy about it, but perhaps because of the long hike, I was a bit worn out. Also there were a few things that had made me grumpy in the morning which I didn't really let go of until later that set my day off wrong. But since the reoccurring theme in this post is about meals, I want to focus on one on Sunday that spoke to me about communion.

On Sunday, we had lunch with Michelle's uncle Winston, who unfortunately had a stroke a few months ago. He has since returned to HK from San Diego to be closer to family who now takes care of him. He struggles with regaining use of his right arm and speech is now near impossible for him. The last few months have been very challenging for him.

I share this because I believe that meals have a significant place in our theology and application of it- meaning how we live out our understand of who God is and what he desires in this world. In particular I think that times of meals bind us together as a community and enliven us to the imaginations of the Kingdom to come.

What I see from Winston is that beyond the wonderful tastes of the sushi he is treated to at the restaurant from perhaps the dreary everyday monotony he has at home, Winston eats this meal in communion with others. No longer is he solitary but is given this avenue of fellowship with others who will laugh and cry with him. Meals, real life-giving meals, I would say, are those that are not only where physical food is partaken, but where relationships are nourished, persons are edified, and hopes built and rebuilt. Meals are only filling when they are shared with people.

There were a couple of touching moments in our lunch where in the midst of enjoying the good food, an aunt encouraged Winston to work hard and regain some of his abilities. She said that it's hard to understand why at one moment he seemed to have it all an then lose it the next. She told him that in spite of all these circumstances we all loved him and will support him through this trial.

And though I might not agree with all that the aunt says or her methods, I see that though meals might not cause these words to be said or community to be had, they are certainly reflective of a vulnerability to be open both physically and relationally.

Perhaps this is why so many of the Bible's stories revolve around meals. Jacob and Esau's trust is betrayed over a bowl of stew. Joseph and his brothers are reconciled over a banquet. The levitical priests are united over their animal sacrifices to God and the subsequent eating of the food. God communes with us as He breaks Himself open at the cross.

During the lunch yesterday, I witnessed not just food enjoyed, but marginalities stripped off. Winston wasn't just a stroke victim who was once rich a successful; we are not middle-class pity-payers doling out sympathy. We are equal and together, as it should be, at the table of life. We share in food, in our fears and anxieties, celebrate the slivers of goodness to be found, and encourage each other to press on. Winston is not a Christian, but all the same, we gather because he is still crafted in the image of God despite his handicap now. We commune because it is a God-given appetite placed in the recesses of our heart.

Perhaps meals are a foretaste of heaven when we will be united with Christ in perfect harmony, when Christ who has avowed to not drink of this cup during the Last Supper will finally in His elation celebrate His wedding feast with His bride. We are to look to that day as our model and share shadows of that in the time that is now. In the meanwhile, we eat in love and drink to peace, together as we send our gazes heavenbound.

O Great God

I've been listening to some hymns lately. There's just something about songs written ages ago that seem to capture the imagination. In the words, you hear the faint echoes of the chorus of saints resounding truth together. Though this one was not written so long ago, I love how the gospel is so powerfully presented here. This encourages me to walk on for the glory of our Lord.

O Great God

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

Hope it blesses you as much as it has blessed me.