It's the most wonderful time of the year! 2013 greetings!

-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When it is all stripped away...

-
Image
I first heard of CRASH Japan  through facebook, after March 11, 2011, when the terrible earthquake followed by the tsunami hit Japan.   CRASH Japan , or Christian Relief Assistance Support Hope serves local churches in Japan by mobilizing the body of CHrist to bring help and hope to people affected by disasters.  Our church raised some money and sent it to assist as part of our response.  We also told everyone to pray. But I have to admit part of me assumed Japan would be 'fine'.  After all, Japan isn't Haiti.  They have money, I told myself.  They have technology.  Yes, this was terrible, but they will be fine.  The Japanese people are a very resilient people. And as other world news happened and took over the old news of Japan, so I also began to 'move on'.  I did wonder every now and then how Japan was coping, especially as CRASH Japan's facebook page reminded me every now and again that there was still work there.  But these...
Read more

Easter Reflections: Mourning

-
Image
 I wasn't supposed to write anything today, but my mind keeps on wandering to what happened between the time Jesus dies and the time the women find that He is no longer dead. Today, my mom reminded me also that tomorrow, resurrection Sunday, happens to be the Chinese festival of Tomb sweeping. And today, I see that the covid-19 numbers continue to climb and the ICU's continue to see more and more people. It is easy to miss on all of this, but as I bring these to my consciousness, I actually see a lot of mourning, pain and death. The disciples just got the shock of their lives and I wondered if they are still in shock, a day after Jesus truly is dead.  Joseph of Arimathea truly took Jesus' body down and with Nicodemus, they embalm Jesus and they truly bury him. I have seen death in my life (see previous blog posts on death: Facing Death,   So this is love too , Head on , among others [search: death]) and I wonder if the disciples are still in shock.  Just a day ago th...
Read more

Needs vs. Wants

-
Image
Lately I have been thinking a lot about the way I have been living out my life.  I have to admit, I have been living a much more consumer driven lifestyle.  I find it almost comical sometimes how God teaches me lessons, or flashes a warning sign in front of my eyes.... Several months ago Samuel came home after church with a craft item (yes, more crafts!) - but this time it caught my eyes.  It was a 'needs' vs. 'wants' craft.  The teacher asked the students to stick magazine cliparts on either one of 2 columns:  needs or wants.  My son glued some pictures of pizzas, peas, robots and toy cars on the sheet. As I looked at that and discussed what Samuel did and 'check' to see if he really got the lesson (after all, we mothers need to follow up right?) - I felt increasingly uncomfortable inside me.  Yes, I want my kids to learn the true value in life.  Yes, I believe this is how God wants us to conduct our decisions in life....but No, this is NOT...
Read more