i subscribe to some blogs that come my way. i think this one came to me thru SM. i posted the link last time.
well, the new entry on the road to emmaus caught my eye and i was wondering how people responded to the question asked. interestingly, only two people responded. if you read the first person's comments and interaction with the bible illustrator, it's clear that he doesn't believe in God or things in the bible. i guess after finishing another book in preparation for my course, i was also left with the impression that the churches today need to do better jobs in answering and facing some hard questions that people are having (kinda like this guy). and as much as we would like the world to be perfect, it's just not. somehow God has left us with these hard questions to struggle thru as well...
i don't have any answers for this person about God and why the Holy Spirit are not revealing the Truth to him. i also don't have many answers for many questions that i ask on a daily basis. i also don't believe in mere blind faith. i guess what i am trying to post here is that although i have no answers and i live each day by faith (to the extend of grace God has been able to grant me), i AM saddened by the reality of the response of this person...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
campbell soup
it's raining outside (which is rare for southern CA but regular since i moved here :p)... woke up late because i took a nyquil last night. that stuff is very strong. it knocked me off for good many hours. after i got up, took mochi the dog out for a short walk. i was starving and cold by the time we got back. saw the laus have some canned soup in their storage and took it as a fast meal that's also comforting.suddenly it just made me think of coach wagner from parkview, the one who taught me trig and calculus. he used to work at campbell soup before he became a teacher. i rem one day he was telling the class about how they make soup. somehow a vivid imagery of coach wagner (who later got his PhD but still insisted to be called coach) wearing a white hairnet, carrying a writing board with him surveying the soup making factory.
interesting how certain things trigger certain memories.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
free stuff
been seeing advertisement on the web for "free windows vista premium" "free revlon mascara" "free trial version of living christian material" etc. i guess it's also a part of adjustment back to the life here... although i've always known that there's no such thing as a free lunch and greediness for "free" things will always suck you into spending more money than you thought you are saving, i still clicked on these "free offers" a few times in the last couple of weeks and finding out the gimmicks of these "free" stuff giveaway. most of the time they ask you to subscribe or buy one of the products advertised on their website before they would give the things to you. and every time when i reached this step, i just don't see anything that's worth signing up or trying out (even the so-called "living christian" material... the monthly cost will be about $70 after a 14-day trial period. and you would have to call them to cancel the subscription and i know it would be super difficult to win the tele-marketers in their determination to make money off of you). this morning i got 4 or 5 emails of advertisement. 
(which i also just got my email address off from the mailing lists) i hope i've learned my lesson... 
(which i also just got my email address off from the mailing lists) i hope i've learned my lesson... Monday, January 07, 2008
168 service
yesterday was jan 6, 08. which can be written out as 168. in cantonese, it means prosperity all the way and it was also the date that the Grace Mission Church International (GMCI) had our very first Sunday service. the whole service lasted about 2 hours but i didn't really felt it because of all the excitement and passionate sharing from many pastors both from our own church and those who came as guests.
i had left the house about 7:40am since it takes about 50 min drive (on hwy for the most part) and i wanted to be there to help set up anything that is needed. most of the core group people and their families were there around 8:30ish and everybody helped with anything that was needed. this is really an amazing group of people who are all very willing to serve.
there were about 100 people who came for the 1st service. there was even one family who came from the neighborhood nearby because the wife had a dream the night before about how God wants them to visit a new church. when they drove out from home, they saw one of the beautiful signs of our new church on the street corner so they came.
i pray and hope God will provide more people like this so we can reach the community (about 10% Chinese living in this area and more houses are being built... i can't imagine what would be the racial composition of this community) most of the communities are gated so if we would to build relationship with the unchurched, we definitely need God to open doors for us.
pray for me too... with the responsibilities of coordinating the youth ministry... i need A LOT of wisdom, energy, and creativity...
i had left the house about 7:40am since it takes about 50 min drive (on hwy for the most part) and i wanted to be there to help set up anything that is needed. most of the core group people and their families were there around 8:30ish and everybody helped with anything that was needed. this is really an amazing group of people who are all very willing to serve.
there were about 100 people who came for the 1st service. there was even one family who came from the neighborhood nearby because the wife had a dream the night before about how God wants them to visit a new church. when they drove out from home, they saw one of the beautiful signs of our new church on the street corner so they came.
i pray and hope God will provide more people like this so we can reach the community (about 10% Chinese living in this area and more houses are being built... i can't imagine what would be the racial composition of this community) most of the communities are gated so if we would to build relationship with the unchurched, we definitely need God to open doors for us.
pray for me too... with the responsibilities of coordinating the youth ministry... i need A LOT of wisdom, energy, and creativity...
Friday, January 04, 2008
Interesting new TV shows
so i was doing my usual activity tonight--watching tv (as stress relieve to all the readings that i need to do for next month). 
came upon two new shows on lifetime tv...
how to look good naked
and
matched in manhattan
(links provided but those who are not living in the US might not be able to see the episodes)
the first show was certainly interesting... unlike the other makeover shows, this is about making women feel their worth in the physical state they are in. of course carson was a little much but it certainly struck a chord with me since weight has always been a struggle. what's more wonderful about the show is teaching women to love themselves as who they are and be smart about how to dress themselves in a flattering way tailored to their bodies... from the first moments of the first show, it is obvious that women might have a false assumption of their physical appearance (my guess is that it's from all these images that we've been fed from the media). it makes world of difference just to have that perception changed. and the 2nd one is almost like the movie Hitch. there were some interesting tips on dating and (for women) where to find men in manhattan (in the 1st episode.... not sure about the subsequent ones). the guy coaches people, gives them tips of what not do to do and what should be done, and sit with them to evaluate on how the dates went. as interesting as these shows are, i think ultimately the message for me is that i need to learn to love myself more and see my worth as who i am. (that will take a while to digest and implement...) so this is mostly for the ladies out there (i think) and also somewhat of a continuation of clichephrase's 2nd blog entry... (er... so now it's only limited for a few eyes to see, huh?
)
came upon two new shows on lifetime tv...how to look good naked
and
matched in manhattan
(links provided but those who are not living in the US might not be able to see the episodes)
the first show was certainly interesting... unlike the other makeover shows, this is about making women feel their worth in the physical state they are in. of course carson was a little much but it certainly struck a chord with me since weight has always been a struggle. what's more wonderful about the show is teaching women to love themselves as who they are and be smart about how to dress themselves in a flattering way tailored to their bodies... from the first moments of the first show, it is obvious that women might have a false assumption of their physical appearance (my guess is that it's from all these images that we've been fed from the media). it makes world of difference just to have that perception changed. and the 2nd one is almost like the movie Hitch. there were some interesting tips on dating and (for women) where to find men in manhattan (in the 1st episode.... not sure about the subsequent ones). the guy coaches people, gives them tips of what not do to do and what should be done, and sit with them to evaluate on how the dates went. as interesting as these shows are, i think ultimately the message for me is that i need to learn to love myself more and see my worth as who i am. (that will take a while to digest and implement...) so this is mostly for the ladies out there (i think) and also somewhat of a continuation of clichephrase's 2nd blog entry... (er... so now it's only limited for a few eyes to see, huh?
) Wednesday, January 02, 2008
some people just seem to got issues...
been living in LA for about 3 months now and somehow it never cease to surprise me of how many unhappy people you might encounter that might also just ruin your day...
for example... this lady in our neighborhood (president of our home owners' association).
i don't understand why every time she talks to people about problems, she always seemed to be super pissed with a tone of belittling you all the time.
a week ago my parents' friend came to drop off the dog. he parked his car outside of our garage for just a few minutes, this lady came ringing our doorbell and chewing me off about the car parked outside of our garage. i mean, what was i to do??? the guy was just there for like 5 minutes!!!
and this afternoon we discovered that the pipe outside of our house was leaking so i called the plumbing service. the man came around 5:30pm (which i didn't think anybody would come out this late in the day... things kinda get quiet after 4/5ish). he's pretty friendly and looked at the leak and was waiting for his supervisor to come to give us a quote of how much it would cost to fix the problem. so i just chit chat a bit with the man. but eventually i decided to just come back in and wait... when i was sitting inside the home, i overheard this lady's sharp voice talking to the man outside.
woman: "what are you doing here?"
plumber: "trying to fix the leaking pipe.. waiting for my supervisor to come..."
woman: "(blabber something about the landscape and plants)... you know this is not their property but the community's property... (blabber something more...) if this is what they decide to do to fix this, it's their decision and they've got to take care of everything (meaning the cost to fix the landscape and plants and such..)"
so as the supervisor came, the plumber took me aside and told me about the conversation and said.. "she was a b*tch. pardon my french"
sigh... why can't people just be nice?
and now we are spending a bomb to fix the leaking pipe outside of our house...
for example... this lady in our neighborhood (president of our home owners' association).
i don't understand why every time she talks to people about problems, she always seemed to be super pissed with a tone of belittling you all the time.
a week ago my parents' friend came to drop off the dog. he parked his car outside of our garage for just a few minutes, this lady came ringing our doorbell and chewing me off about the car parked outside of our garage. i mean, what was i to do??? the guy was just there for like 5 minutes!!!
and this afternoon we discovered that the pipe outside of our house was leaking so i called the plumbing service. the man came around 5:30pm (which i didn't think anybody would come out this late in the day... things kinda get quiet after 4/5ish). he's pretty friendly and looked at the leak and was waiting for his supervisor to come to give us a quote of how much it would cost to fix the problem. so i just chit chat a bit with the man. but eventually i decided to just come back in and wait... when i was sitting inside the home, i overheard this lady's sharp voice talking to the man outside.
woman: "what are you doing here?"
plumber: "trying to fix the leaking pipe.. waiting for my supervisor to come..."
woman: "(blabber something about the landscape and plants)... you know this is not their property but the community's property... (blabber something more...) if this is what they decide to do to fix this, it's their decision and they've got to take care of everything (meaning the cost to fix the landscape and plants and such..)"
so as the supervisor came, the plumber took me aside and told me about the conversation and said.. "she was a b*tch. pardon my french"
sigh... why can't people just be nice?
and now we are spending a bomb to fix the leaking pipe outside of our house...
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