what a testimony!

November 3, 2003

"we want to thank the many Christians from different chinese churches in toronto for praying for cecilia. during these darkest and most agonizing days in our lives, our hearts have been filled completely with fear and sorrow. but here, before God, we receive peace and strength. our hearts were filled with anger toward the abductors of our daughter. but now, before God, we know that everybody is a sinner, and we all need God's forgiveness. therefore we are also willing to forgive the abductors of our daughter, but please return cecilia to us as soon as possible!" - from a statement by sherry xu & raymond zhang at a prayer service for cecilia zhang at young nak korean presbyterian church last night.

what a testimony to the city of toronto. :) let's keep pressing on after the heart of God for this family.

"and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (romans 8:28 [NIV])

an expresion of joy

November 2, 2003

on thursday, my professor asked a question to shin matsunaga about some of his works that include human figures with outstretched arms. she asked him why he used those representations in his work and he simply said that it was a universal response for joy. when people are joyful, they raise up their arms to the heavens. that's their response. how true that is. one of the most joyful times in my life was when i found out i was accepted into the york/sheridan program. i ran upstairs, raised my arms up and spun around in a circle. it was almost instinctive. but i think shin's explanation could go one step deeper than what he offered to us. i think the reason why we naturally raise our arms up when we are joyful, is because it POINTS to the One where all joy originates from. it's pointing us back to the One who is deserving of all glory, honour and praise. in worship, sometimes we raise our hands (aka outstretched arms) to God as an expression of our hearts to God. it's the same action! we raise our arms in joyful experiences and in worship. why? because it all points back to Him, where everything begins, where life itself began.

"because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. i will praise you as long as i live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands." (psalm 63:3-4 [NIV])

what are you passionate about?

japanese designer shin matsunaga gave a presentation to us on thursday for our class about his work and design. it was really quite interesting. what captivated me about this guy was how passionate he was about design. that's what has kept him going in the industry for so long (something like 35 years). it's what driven him to do the things he's done (he's done some amazing work, let me tell you). passion drives us to do the things we do. passion drives us to press on in midst of difficulty. passion affects all that it comes in contact with. passion influences things.

but can i say that passion in CHRIST does more than all that. it changes things. it changes us. it changes those around us. you cannot deny a person who is passionate about something, because their case for it is so unmistakenably evident in everything that they do. and in most cases, it rubs off on others. passionate people have a way of affecting the lives of others, just like the way shin's passion for design affected the other students in my class. but passion, in its raw state is somewhat transient. one person's passion doesn't necessarily reflect that of another. and so, perhaps for a fleeting moment, a connection is made. but simply for a fleeting moment. a brief passing of time. in Christ, however, passionate followers have the potential of affecting real change in people (through the work of the Holy Spirit). when we live radical and sold out lives for the cause of Christ (aka we're passionate about Christ), people will see that. and they will wonder. in a me-centric society, any thing that opposes that norm is unusual and will be a motivation for much questions. and when they ask, we'll be prepared to respond to them.

what are you passionate about? who are you passionate about? your response to that, will influence the way you live your life.

being transparent

November 1, 2003

one of the most attractive qualities of any human being is transparency because there's no false-pretenses or second-guessing. what you see is what you get.

we aren't looking to meet others who are impervious to the world. we aren't looking to meet 'super Christians' who go through all of life with smiles on their faces in all circumstances (please don't midunderstand me here). we are drawn to people who are like us (socio-economic class, ethnicity, etc). we are drawn to people that go through the journey of life and experience it like any other human would: cry in moments of sadness and joy and rejoice in times of happiness. emotions are natural. they are wired inside of us and to deny them is to deny what God has given us.

the world isn't looking for people who will deny these emotions, ones who will simply put on a "happy face" during times of extreme trials. the world is looking for transparent people, real people. people who are honest about the way they are feeling, not ones who deny it. what separates us, what sets us apart, however, is the way we choose to respond. because despite the way we feel, we have a different understanding of things. we have an understanding that God is in control of the universe, that He is exceedingly capable to provide for all of our needs. that He knows what's best for us and that He loves us in a measure that is beyond anything we could imagine. and so, we can respond accordingly. that is what differentiates us from the world. in times of extreme sorrow, suffering or persecution, we can still testify and praise our Father in Heaven.

it's in being transparent that people can see the true reality of our faith. because it's no longer about talk anymore. it's about the way we live out our lives in our day to day. it's about the magnification and exaltation of Christ in all things, so that He would get the glory.

"live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 peter 2:12 [NIV])