Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Mending Wall - by Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Listen Online: http://robertfrostoutloud.com/MendingWall.html

(For better living: Ask the Holy Spirit to heal our wall.)

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun,

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

The work of hunters is another thing:

I have come after them and made repair

Where they have left not one stone on a stone,

But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,

To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,

No one has seen them made or heard them made,

But at spring mending-time we find them there.

I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;

And on a day we meet to walk the line

And set the wall between us once again.

We keep the wall between us as we go.

To each the boulders that have fallen to each.

And some are loaves and some so nearly balls

We have to use a spell to make them balance:

'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'

We wear our fingers rough with handling them.

Oh, just another kind of out-door game,

One on a side. It comes to little more:

There where it is we do not need the wall:

He is all pine and I am apple orchard.

My apple trees will never get across

And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.

He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.

Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder

If I could put a notion in his head:

'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it

Where there are cows?

But here there are no cows.

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offense.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That wants it down. ' I could say '. Elves' to him,

But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather

He said it for himself. I see him there

Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top

In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.

He moves in darkness as it seems to me

Not of woods only and the shade of trees.

He will not go behind his father's saying,

And he likes having thought of it so well

He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."

Greyhound and Rabbit

What might make you stop and think about what it is you should be doing with the days and years ahead, what it is that is worth all your heart, all your might and all your soul? The following story may make you think.

Once upon a time there was a man who was involved in adopting retired greyhounds. As each new greyhound came to his shelter he would ask the same questions, curious about why the elegant and swift dog stopped racing. The man inquired of the greyhound,

“Why are you not running any more? Are you not as fast as you used to be?’

“No,” the greyhound responded, “that is not the reason. I am just as fast now as I always was. I continue to win all my races.”

“Well, then, were you not making enough money for your owner?’

“No, actually with each race the money I brought in for my owner increased. He became very wealthy because of me.”

“Did you stop racing then because you were not getting enough press?”

“No, that was not the problem. I was quite famous. I was getting plenty of press. When I raced I was on the front page of every sports section.”

“I don’t understand,” the man responded. “Why did you stop running?’

“Because I discovered that the rabbit I was chasing wasn’t real.”

Everyday we need to make lots of decisions about what is worth pursuing- perhaps it will be a career, a relationship, perhaps we will chase health or wealth, or all of the above. What will truly merit our time? What is lasting? What’s real? How do we decide?

Perhaps we can stop chasing the rabbit that isn’t real, and discover the passion within us.

Everyone of us holds a part of someone else’s story, just as someone will hold a part of ours. Each of us carries a piece of the puzzle of life’s meaning. You will recognize this piece that belongs to you and you alone, if you do not let what doesn’t really matter distract you, if you discover what is your passion, what makes your heart leap. You must hold on to that part of the puzzle with all your soul, as though your life depends on it, because it does.

In each of our lives, there is at least one missing piece and the only way to find it is in others. Our goal is to seek those others as if our life depends on it, because it does. We can’t solve complex math problems without the help of a calculator.

Remember that all things in our lives that we spend so much of our time and energy creating are built on sand. It is only our relationships to others that endure.

Sooner or later, a wave will come and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up. It will just vanish. When that happens, when life knocks us down, when we don’t get what we think we deserve, only those of us who have somebody else’s hand to hold will be able to stand up again.

Sometimes the harshness of life, its disappointments, its pain, it unfairness leave us speechless. Sometimes personal circumstances turn us into despair. But if we know what is our passion, what makes our heart leap; it will carry us through those inevitable times of disappointment and uncertainty.

Don’t pursue success and happiness as ends in themselves; like the greyhound chasing the rabbit, we will inevitably be disappointed. It may fill our time and our pockets, but it won’t fill our soul. We will be busy, but we won’t be fulfilled.

True success and happiness are by-products of doing what it is God loves, what moves us in the very depths of our soul.

Be part of, and contribute to outreaching to someone who needs God. Remember what matters; what lasts; remember what is real. I invite you to join me in pouring our heart and soul into the Badminton Outreach Ministry. Its mission is: "Have Life Abundantly (John 10:10)". I have no doubt that its fruitful harvest will be both real and lasting. Through life, we all need God.

The Amazing Tree of Life

Thankfully
Refreshing
Endless
Eternity

= TREE

Faith and Hope

Faith insists that the victory is now.

Hope assures that victory will come.

Often time, we are too shallow to lose faith, and too narrow to dim hope.

May God find us faithful and hopeful until Christ returns.

A Place to Be

At the edge of the endless sea, your heart pumps slower. . . your eyes see farther. . . your ears hear deeper. . . your mouth smiles wider. . . and your nose hmms lighter.

I'd rather wake up over there. Seriously.

Fruit of the Spirit

There are 3 clusters of fruit from the Spirit: (1) Love, Joy, Peace, (2) Patience, Kindness, Goodness, (3) Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. The first cluster is God-ward or upward, the second Heart-ward or inward, and the third Man-ward or outward. These clusters are all from God the Spirit, and not from human being whosoever. That is, no one can possibly manufacture any fruit of the Spirit. Where do they come from? The secret lies with the filling of the Holy Spirit. Being Spirit-filled means being totally controlled by the Holy Spirit in both our words and deeds. The more we ask God for the filling of the Spirit, the more likely we will harvest the fruit of the Spirit. Thank God, He won't give us rocks if we persist in our asking. The fruit will ripe into Christ-like characters which enrich our lives inside out. Yes, there is a sweet sweet Spirit in this place, only if you ask for His filling.

Tabernacle - M:i:3 - May 19 (Sat)

Mi3 will be a field trip to Getty Museum. We will do a treasure-hunt for every artifacts we learnt about God's ancient worship center in the Old Testament time. We will divide into small hunting groups to look for paintings, sculptures, crafts, etc. that are related to what were found in the Tabernacle revealed to Moses - altar, lampstick, seruphim, the ark of covenants, etc.

To reward ourselves for our hard-work, we plan to have lunch at Getty Cafe. So, take time to study the Tabernacle before the field trip.

Coordinator: Pearl & Covinna.

Tabernacle - M:i-2 - April 27 (Fri)

Mi2 will focus on our own personal Tabernacle - the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit - in every believer's heart. We will discuss some practical ways to manifest the Spirit for the common good in our daily life. We will discover how we can, optimistically, walk by the Holy Spirit, and pessimistically, try not to grieve and quench the Holy Spirit. Without a doubt, we all need the Holy Spirit's power to fan up our inner passion to live a God-pleasing life.

Fruit of Your Labor

The fruit of your labor is ONENESS among the whole congregation during the FCBC 55th Anniversary. Thanks to our badminton friend, Kathleen Chai, who captured this lively moment that afternoon, we can witness how EVERYONE was praising God together during CSAF’s performance.

Encore! May God be glorified!

Jesus - the Ultimate Eternal High Priest

In the Old Testament time, the Israelites depended on the Levitical High Priest to shoulder their sins (both transgressions and trespasses; intentional and unintentional) as he entered into the Holy of Holies to perform the ritual of sprinkling the blood of sacrifice onto the Mercy Seat, on the Day of Atonement year after year.

When Jesus finally came and died on the Cross, His precious and incorruptible blood was shed once and for all, not just to cover all sins of man, but to take away sins of the past, present, and future. Unlike the temporal atonement nature of animal blood, Jesus' blood has permanent reconciling impact. Unlike the blood from the imperfect world, Jesus' blood-line is divine --He was conceived by the Holy Spirit with 100% deity, yet he lived and breathed on the planet earth as 100% human for 33 years. He was sinless -- Although He could have sinned during Satan's temptation in the wilderness, Jesus, the Second Adam, passed His test with flying colors.

More importantly, Jesus is the Ultimate Eternal High Priest. On the Cross, He finished His 'impossible' mission and take away man's sins once and for all. And He is victorious, and is now interceding for all Christians at the right-hand side of God the Father every night and day. His salvation is free for everyone. But the power of His precious blood is only effective for everyone who accepts and believes in Him.

April's Group Meeting Topic: Our first Tabernacle study on March 23 provided a quick walkthrough of the Tabernacle building structure and its furniture. In April's group meeting, Part 2 will focus on our life-style applications of Tabernacle. We will discuss some practical ways to make God's Presence come alive in our daily life. Given that the Holy Spirit has already been dwelling within every Christian's heart in the New Testament church, how can we, either as a group or an individual, effectively magnify the Presence of God? May we all fan up our inner passion to live a God-pleasing life. Amen!

The Oracle of Pi

Pi a simple concept, the relationship between a circle's circumference and diameter: Multiply the diameter by pi — 3.14159 — and you get the circumference.

Supercomputers have computed pi to more than a trillion decimal places, looking always for a pattern to unlock its mystery. And for centuries the number has fascinated mathematicians.

And so is the secret locked in the Tabernacle, which was patterned after the one long existed in heaven. The striking difference is that God revealed the secret of Tabernacle Himself in minute details through the Scripture. And the details revealed in the chapters of Exodus are much more manageable than exerting our crude human brain power to memorize the infinite digits of pi.

In God, all thing is possible. In man, all thing is futile, unless spiritually discerned.

(Incidentally, today is March 14, the Day of Pi. The world record belongs to Chao Lu, a Chinese chemistry student, who rattled off 67,890 digits over 24 hours in 2005. It took 26 video tapes to submit to Guinness.)

Tabernacle : Decoding Mission Impossible

The Tabernacle (model shown) was architected by God Himself. When Moses ascended to Mount Sinai immediately after leading his people out of Egypt, he received two important sets of instructions directly from God: (1) the Law (i.e. the Ten Commandments), and (2) the Tabernacle (i.e. the Tent of Congregation).

After receiving the Law, the Israelites naively thought they could keep the law, out of their own strength. But in the book of Exodus, right between the chapters about the Law and those chapters discussing the Tabernacle design, the Israelites departed from God by worshipping their own man-made idol, the golden ox. Little did they know that it was an impossible mission in keeping the Law by their own strength.

Fortunately, God provided Jesus as the better way to deal with our sins. The Tabernacle is an object lesson for Israelites on God's salvation; it is a picture, type, and shadow of God's plan of salvation in Christ Himself.

Through studying the Tabernacle, we hope to see God's salvation plan with better clarity. As a personal application, let us reflect on how much we really desire God's presence every day. Dig deeper on this : If God departs from you one day, can you really tell?

Keeping the Unity of the Spirit

As I ponder upon my experience in keeping the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph 4:3), I see the picture of a multitude of Christians intertwining and forming the fabric of our lives. Everyone is striving towards a common goal - reconciliation with the Lord.

My related experience occurred during the critical vote for separating CSAF into two different fellowships - CSAF and CSYAF. Through this process, there were numerous town-hall meetings, heated debates and arguments, active group petitioning, etc. All in all, they reflected CSAFers' genuine concerns about the future of their fellowship.

Thank God, the vote that approved the separation was exactly 2/3 of the total memberships. No more and no less. God was indeed faithful. We peacefully evolved into two healthy and growing entities. It's all because of the unity inside the heart of every CSAFers - the Holy Spirit.

My Former College Roommate

At the 2007 CSAF Chinese New Year Celebration night, there was a new face half-way through the program. He was looking for the English-speaking fellowship group but failed to find any. So someone invited him to join our Chinese-speaking group. I didn't even recognize him at my first sight - he was my former college roommate at USC, who led me to Christ in our shared apartment. I was aesthetic to see him again. His voice remains pretty much the same tone and slow speed. He asked me directly, "Just what actually prompted you to accept Christ that night?" I replied, "I was all along ready to believe in Jesus ever since my high-school years. In His time, God sent you to come along to close the "deal" that evening. It's that simple." God is good. We will definitely have some reunion gatherings to catch up with one another's life. And I'm eager to exchange our spiritual growth stories since the day we departed after graduation. I pray that we can be edifying to one another. Amen!

Speaking the Truth in Love

Eph 4:15-16 says, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, ..., grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Recently, I tried to speak the truth in love, thinking that my words could build one another up. My words appeared to have back-fired; I was portrayed as needlessly spreading negativity. Nevertheless, I have peace in my heart. I also learned the proper principles for "speaking the truth in love": (1) the Contents must be True, (2) the Motivation must be Good, and (3) the Attitude must be Beautiful. What an unfathomable art in speaking the truth in love.

"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." - Proverbs 25:11 (NIV)

CSAF Hand Motion Team at FCBC 55th Anniversary

The FCBC "Praise Celebration 55" on March 25 was a great success. Word is not enough for me to express my gratitudes for God's grace upon FCBC, and in particularly CSAF, as we celebrated His wonderful goodness over the past 55 years.

I am thankful for the overall sense of ONENESS, especially when AFers did their very best to sing and dance in response to His wonderful works among us. CSAF's hand-motion and singspiration were marvelous!

Thanks to all AFers who participated, especially:
... Afternoon Praise Celebration Committee - who labored through the planning since day #1,
... Grand Praise Team - who led the whole congregation into joyful praises,
... Powerpoint - which gingerly reminded us that "Wedding" is one of our many AF activities.
... Hand Motion/Vocal Team (incl. CSYAF's Gary & Janice He) - who demonstrated that true unity in the Lord also comes with the full package of wide smiles, heartful laughter, and beautiful choreography. A special thanks to Eva & Elam for helping re-discover AFers' hidden jewels (dancing talents).

I cannot wait to see the event's DVD capturing our presentation. From my vantage point on stage, everyone in the sanctuary was on his/her feet waving hands along with us. And the best of all, I haven't seen such a spirited participation in one accord during worship for a very long time. I'm sure that God is pleased as we offer our very best with gladness.

Below is the music links for the songs presented:

1. 冰天的太陽 - http://audio.xanga.com/Queenie_Nuts/fd8af245092/audio.html

2. 奇妙雙手 - http://www.hkacm.org/music/album/king/king11.ram

Walk By the Spirit

Through the transcript of Minister Chris Tomokyo's sermon at the English worship last Sunday, I learned about 3 practical applications on "Walking by the Spirit" for the Thinker, the Feeler, and the Doer. If you are a Thinker, you should "Walk but Don't Stop", because you may be discouraged when your ideas didn't work the first time. If you are a Feeler, then "Walk but Don't React", because you rely too much on your emotions. If you are a Doer, then "Walk but Don't Run", because you will soon run out of energy.

God the Father will always have the best timing for us to effect great things in our life. God the Spirit will remind us the best way to walk by the Spirit. If we heed His Words often as taught in the Bible, we should be able to appraise all things and see the spiritual values behind them through the eyes of God the Son.

Sing a Prayer With Your Heart

Every Time I Pray ... God Will Make a Way ... Above All ... He ... Who Has Promised ... In His Time.

Now ... Hum Along in Silence

EVERY TIME I PRAY
(Ng Wah Lok & Voon Yuen Woh)

I will come to You in prayer
I will seek Your face
I will stand within the gap
There will I intercede

For every time I pray
I move the hand of God
My prayer does the things
My hands cannot do
For every time I pray
The mountains are removed
The paths are made straight
And nations turn to you.

I am weak and helpless Lord
You, my strength shall be
Guide me with Your gracious hand
There will my victory be.


GOD WILL MAKE A WAY
(Don Moen)

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way,
He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness,
He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today.

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way,
He will make a way


ABOVE ALL
(Michael W. Smith)

Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all


HE
(Richard Mullen)

He can turn the tides
And calm the angry sea.
He alone decides
Who writes a symphony.

He lights ev'ry star
That makes our darkness bright.
He keeps watch all through
Each long and lonely night.

He still finds the time
To hear a child's first prayer.
Saint or sinner call
And always find Him there.

Though it makes him sad
To see the way we live,
He'll always say, "I forgive."

He can grant a wish
Or make a dream come true.
He can paint the clouds
And turn the gray to blue.

He alone knows where
To find the rainbow's end.
He alone can see
What lies beyond the bend.

He can touch a tree
And turn the leaves to gold.
He knows every lie
That you and I have told.


誰曾應許
(曲/詞：盧永亨)

誰曾應許，一生不撇下我；
每段窄路，誰陪我去走過？
誰還領我，於青草恬靜處躺臥，
豐足恩惠比海沙更多﹗

誰曾應許，天天看顧著我；
晝夜眷佑，連頭髮也數過﹗
誰還以愛，驅走心裡懼怕怯懦，
那懼路途捲動著旋渦﹗

因你是我主，我避難所， 我盾牌和詩歌﹗
你是我的高臺，我隨時幫助﹗
來吧﹗用信心，讚頌和高歌，
你永在我心窩﹗ 唯你有永生江河，
除你以外不倚靠別個﹗

我究竟算甚麼？神你竟這般顧念我


IN HIS TIME
(Unknown)

In His time,
He makes all things beautiful
In His time,

He makes all things beautiful
Lord, please show me everyday
That You'll do just what You say

In Your time,
in Your time
You make all things beautiful
In Your time,
In Your time

Forgiveness : The Way to Happiness

The virtue of forgiveness ran through my ears three times in a row over the past weekend:
(1) At a Mandarin Fellowship group sharing on Friday, the leader quoted from a U.S. survey that one of the top three ways to gain happiness is to forgive. Another way is to be altruistic, i.e. having unselfish interest in the welfare of others. I don't quite remember the third way. It has something to do with being religious.

(2) At my Team of Love group sharing on Saturday, the air suddenly smelled apologetic. There were public apology for wrong attitudes, followed by hugs of forgiveness. I could literally 'hear' the release of built-up inner pressure through uttering of the three magic words "I am sorry".

(3) During the Sunday sermon, a visiting preacher quoted from Phil 4:19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Though the message was mission focused, it dawned on me that as we forgive one another in Christ Jesus, our heavenly Father is glorified AND He will richly meet all our needs, including the healing of our hurt emotion and lifting of low self-esteem.

My take home lesson : there is always healing joy through forgiveness in Christ Jesus.

Vision of Badminton Ministry

I propose this slogan for our upcoming Badminton League as part of our long-term vision to outreach to unbelievers : FAIR, FUN, FRIENDSHIP, and FELLOWSHIP. God will certainly smile if we Christians and unbelievers act and play on the court as a happy FAMILY.

誰曾應許

曲/詞：盧永亨

[ Hear this song on the Web : http://audio.xanga.com/crazycat1101/1a2cb199314/audio.html ]

{括弧內顯示歌詞出自那一聖經章節}
Web Source: http://try.ckefgisc.org/~ccc/W&P/txt/%BD%D6%B4%BF%C0%B3%A8%A5%A4%C8.txt

誰曾應許，一生不撇下我，
（申31:8上 - 耶和華必在你前面行；他必與你同在，必不撇下你，也不丟棄你。）

每段窄路，誰陪我去走過？
（箴4:12 - 你行走，腳步必不致狹窄；你奔跑，也不致跌倒。）

誰還領我於青草恬靜處躺臥，
（詩23:2 - 他使我躺臥在青草地上，領我在可安歇的水邊。）

豐足恩惠比海沙更多...（詩139:18 - 我若數點，比海沙更多；我睡醒的時候，仍和你同在。）

誰曾應許，天天看顧著我，
（詩33:18 - 耶和華的眼目看顧敬畏他的人和仰望他慈愛的人。）

晝夜眷佑，連頭髮也數過！
（賽27:3 - 我—耶和華是看守葡萄園的；我必時刻澆灌，晝夜看守，免得有人損害。
　太10:30 - 就是你們的頭髮也都被數過了。)

誰還以愛，驅走心裡懼怕怯懦，
（約一4:18上 - 愛裏沒有懼怕；愛既完全，就把懼怕除去。）

哪懼路途捲動著漩渦...
（詩 46:3 - 其中的水雖匉訇翻騰．．．也不害怕。）

因你是我主　我避難所　我盾牌和詩歌
（詩46:1上 - 神是我們的避難所，是我們的力量
　詩28:7上 - 耶和華是我的力量，是我的盾牌；
我心裏倚靠他就得幫助。
　詩118:14 - 耶和華是我的力量，是我的詩歌；
他也成了我的拯救。）

你是我的高臺　我隨時幫助
（詩62:6 - 惟獨他是我的磐石，我的拯救；他是我的高臺，
我必不動搖。
　詩46:1下 - 是我們在患難中隨時的幫助。）
（撒下22:3上 - 我的神，我的磐石，我所投靠的。他是我的盾牌，是拯救我的角，是我的高臺，是我的避難所。）

來吧用信心　讚頌和高歌　你永在我心窩
（詩28:7下 - 所以我心中歡樂，我必用詩歌頌讚他。
詩98:4 - 全地都要向耶和華歡樂；要發起大聲，歡呼歌頌！）

唯你有永生江河　除你以外不倚靠別個
（約4:14下 - 我所賜的水要在他裏頭成為泉源，直湧到永生。
　詩73:25 - 除你以外，在天上我有誰呢？除你以外，
在地上我也沒有所愛慕的。）

我究竟算什麼？神你竟這般顧念我！
（詩8:4 - 便說：人算甚麼，你竟顧念他？
世人算甚麼，你竟眷顧他？）

My First Band Experience

I just got off from my very first band practice of a Praise team - with keyboard, base guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, vocalists, etc. It was an eye-opening experience for me, because I've never played guitar in a band, nor have I jammed music with so many people at the same time.

God created music not only for us to praise Him, but also our own enjoyment and satisfaction. The joy of being able to hear other instruments while playing mine on the guitar is indescribable. You need to be there yourself to feel it. In a word, it is very very 'JEN' (非常'正').

May God be pleased as everyone in the Grand Praise team does his/her best to exalt and praise Him. Amen!

Displaced Person

I remember long time ago I read a novel for my freshman English class titled "Displaced Person". These two words have stuck in my mind for a long time. Recently, I learned from the cover story of "Westways" - AAA magazine - that a person by the name Will Rogers (he was supposedly a famous rich cowboy with an Indian heritage back in the early 1900s) had once said, "I never met a person I didn't like."

These eight words also stuck in my mind as I pondered my new year resolution in 2007. I have been blessed by my CSAF small group this year in that everyone has tried to support one another in love. How I wish that Will Rogers' motto continues to live on among us that no one (whether belivers or unbelievers) will be left displaced or disliked. May we work harder to appreciate one another. In God's eyes, no one is of absolute zero value, and everyone is eternally priceless.

Can Fate Be Changed?

On Dec 23 evening, we were blessed by more than a handful of new unbelievers joining us at our CSAF Christmas Outreach Program. There were many laughters, smiles, hugs, and heart-to-heart talks inspired by our speaker, who raised an interesting question: "Can we really change the fate of our life?" And I'd like to share some of my thoughts.

Before I accepted Christ, I inclined to think that if I worked hard, and did my very best to rise above the average crowd, I would be rewarded with a good life. In other word, I thought my future was in my hands.

After I became a Christian, my value system has changed completely. I believe that God is omniscient; He is wise enough to predestinate my future, and absolutely capable of counting every strain of my hair. He knows my every thoughts and deeds, and He certainly knows in advance exactly how my life will play out. From this perspective, my fate seems "fixed" or "pre-destinated".

But thank God for giving us our freedom to choose, which is the key ingredient for true and genuine love. Even though God is a love-sick Father (as evidenced by His 'favoring' the prodigal son and the lost sheep in the Bible), He certainly doesn't want to force us to love Him. He wants us to choose to love Him, and choose to believe in Him.

Can our fate be changed? My answer is both yes and no. I believe our fate cannot be changed in terms of our heritage, identity, race, parents, siblings, and even our upbringing experiences. However, I believe my fate has already been changed right at the moment when I made my decision to trust in Jesus as my personal savior. I am absolutely 100% sure that my fate is now destined for heaven, not hell; and for eternal life, not hopeless perishment.

Climb on the bandwagon before it's too late! The journey to eternity has just begun. "O Lord, I'm amazed at Your love for me. ... What can I say? ... Thank you Lord!"

The Heart of the Ocean vs. the Unfathomable Riches of Christ

The "Titanic" movie featured Kate Winslet as Rose wearing "The Heart of the Ocean" - a huge blue diamond that she SECRETLY kept long after the historic disaster. Towards the end of the movie, you see a glimpse of her life lived out to the fullest, with photos of her flying an airplane, riding a horse, volunteering in community service, etc. That Titanic SECRET propelled her into attempting some "wildest" things she never dreamed of had she not gone through such a life-changing experience. Likewise, the SECRET of the "unfathomable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8), as revealed through Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, is epically important to Christians today.

It was IMPORTANT to PAUL (3:1-5), because God revealed personally to Paul that Jews and Gentiles are now ONE in Christ as members of the Body, sharing God's grace equally with the Jews.

It was IMPORTANT to the GENTILES (3:6-8), because it reconciled Jews and Gentiles to each other and to God, sharing the riches of Christ (e.g. His grace, His goodness, His wisdom, His mercy, His glory, His blessings, His assurance, His Word, His protection, His love, etc.).

It was IMPORTANT to the ANGELS (3:9-10), because they (both good and evil) too learned from the Church "the manifold wisdom of God". God's new creation, the Church, was something new to them. Though Satan knew from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Messiah would come, when He would come, how He would come, and where He would come, no one understood why He would come, as far as redemption is concerned. Nowhere in the Old Testament would Satan find any prophecies concerning the Church, "the mystery" of Jews and Gentiles united in one Body! God hid this great plan "from the beginning of the world", but now He wants "the mystery" to be known by His Church. This SECRET is now in our hands today.

It should be IMPORTANT to CHRISTIANS TODAY (3:11-13), because we would guard these revealed riches and share them (2 Tim. 2:2). When you understand this truth, it gives you great confidence and faith. This is like being given a new map to the endless spiritual treasures. If we understand our wonderful position in Christ, then we should live up to it - and share the blessing with others.

Apostles vs Disciples

During a CSAF Bible Study in October 2006, a question came up regarding the differences between the meaning of Apostles and Disciples. The following summarizes my research findings:

	Apostles	Disciples
Word Meaning	One who is sent with a commission, i.e. a divinely-appointed representative. In general, apostle refers to a small, inner group of Jesus’ followers, such as the women who stood at Jesus’ cross and discovered the empty tomb. [1]	One who is a follower or a learner. The word is rarely used in the Old Testament. Isaiah used the term disciples to refer to those who are taught or instructed (Isa. 8:16). [2]
Purpose	To give witness of the resurrection (Acts 1:15-22), and therefore had to have seen the risen Christ personally (1 Cor. 9:1-2).	To follow Jesus. The word is sometimes used in a more specific way to indicate the twelve apostles of Jesus (Matt. 10:1; 11:1; 20:17; Luke 9:1).
Presence Today	There are no apostles today in the strictest New Testament sense. These men helped to lay the foundation of the Church – the foundation by the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20), and once the foundation was laid, they were no longer needed.	Yes, as follower of Jesus Christ, all Christians are disciples by definition.
Ministry Implication	God authenticated ministry of apostles with special miracles (Heb. 2:1-4), so we should not demand these same miracles today.	In a broad sense, all Christians have an apostolic ministry. “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). But Christians today must not claim to be apostles.
Sources: [1] “Be Rich”, by Warren W. Wiersbe, p. 100-101, Victor Books, SP Publications Inc., 1986, [2] Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, p. 302, Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1986.

Striving for Serious Difference

As a member of CSAF, I have been thinking about what are AFer's values over all these years. Can they be friendship, discipleship, membership, or leadership? An important word captures them all - fellowship, from which generates the power of love, sharing, acceptance, and support.

In various ways, I believe we are all striving to live a difference-making life. Thus, CSAF can be recognized as a place where mature, gifted, and resourceful working-age Christians are striving to make a serious difference in the world around them.

Recently, I read the following famous poem from http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com (Author unknown):

THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD
I dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.
“If you have the time” I said.
God smiled. “My time is eternity.” “What questions do you have in mind for me?”
“What surprises you most about humankind?”
God answered ... “That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money ... and then lose their money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future.”
"That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived.”
God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.
And then I asked ... “As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal them.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.”
“To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”
“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”
"Thank you for your time," I said humbly.
"Is there anything else you would like your children to know?"
God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here ... always.”

Yes, God has always been there. He will guide our way. All we need is to keep growing spiritually and continue striving for a life that makes a serious difference.

To Re-brand or Not to Re-brand CSAF

CSAF is not alone in attempting to rebrand itself with a name change, and there can be all kinds of reasons for doing so, and for not doing so. Indeed, many cities around the world have already gone through, or are considering, changes of identity. For instance, Peking was renamed to Beijing, Bangalore to Bengalooru, Saddam City to Sadr City, etc. These cities were wiped from the global map, primarily because such moves are a long-overdue reassertion of local identity, or their society simply needs to forget all negative memories of the past. But an identity change does not necessarily guarantee an overnight transformation unless the underlying values that define their original greatness are properly protected and strengthened.

Since its inception decades ago, CSAF has been "earning" its reputation through an intersection of three distinctive attributes: spiritual maturity, gifted talents, and resourceful freedom. Any time this group of working-age adult Christians are motivated spiritually to labor together in one accord, there will be no limit to its collective impact both inside and outside the church. But any time we wavered in our purpose, vision, and trust in God, CSAF became wanderers in the "wilderness", as we probably are today.

Being conscious of age, an outsider may see the notion of "Adult Fellowship" as a negative factor deterring the younger counterparts from joining in. But the challenge to any fellowship group is idleness, not age. Being an adult fellowship implies our maturity, thoughtfulness, and experience. A youthful adult would say, "I am old enough to worry, but young enough to care less." It's just a matter of perspective.

CSAF should pass on its values, not just a fancy name. And we should give our younger counterparts a better example to follow in the future. It's the quality of our ministry and the vigor of our attitude towards God that really count. In the long run, a name is no more than just a name, but good work will inspire more good work.

Aging is a natural process we all need to face. The secret hinges on how well you age and what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. A good name may help if and only if we can really live up to the ideologies that the name implies. Unless the new identity or name is bestowed from above by God, like Jacob being renamed to Israel, there will not be any magic bullet to effect a face-lift for CSAF. To all who are willing to fellowship with us, we at CSAF would like to say one thing with a warm smile, "Welcome to AF!"

Finally, I was surprised to discover that a simple Abercombie & Fitch (a.k.a. A&F) tee-shirt carries a huge $35 price tag. Apparently, the A&F brand has a trendy reputation among teenagers that allows its products to command a high premium as a symbol for "casual luxury". Likewise, CSAF can be a premium "brand" in the Kingdom of God as a symbol for "serious difference", so long as we remain focused on "branding for God" as opposed to "branding for ourselves".

How Do You Spell Success?

S(imple
U(nexpected
C(oncrete
C(redible
E(motional
S(ignificant
S(tory

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)

The salvation story is a simple, concrete, and credible truth, emotionally filled with love, totally unexpected from God Almighty, and absolutely significant in human history.

Without a doubt, I consider God's salvation a BIG SUCCESS.

這一生最美的祝福 (The Gift of Knowing You)

Music by Sandy Yu (Lyrics: Mandarin - Jessica Lee, English - Jeff Nelson, Cantonese - Victor Cheung)

[ Hear this song on the Web : http://218.66.219.140/zmzq/05h14.WMA ]

[ Free music download (size = 2.10MB) : http://www.east.casgv.org/CA_east_Media.htm ]

(國語)
在無數的黑夜裡，我用星星畫出你，
你的恩典如晨星，讓我真實的見到你。
在我的歌聲裡，我用音符讚美你，
你的美好是我今生頌揚的。
這一生最美的祝福，就是能認識主耶穌。
這一生最美的祝福，就是能信靠主耶穌。
走在高山深谷，衪會伴我同行，
我知道這是最美的祝福。

When I see the stars at night, how my heart is drawn to You.
And their light shines Your grace on me, how I long to be with You.
I lift my voice in praise, I will love You with my life,
For Your beauty and Your goodness never end.
Nothing compares to knowing You, You are the treasure of my life.
Trusting in Jesus Christ my Lord, my richest blessing in the world.
In the valleys or on high, You are with me all the time.
Thank You Lord, for the gift of knowing You.

(粵語)
在漆黑的天際間，滿天星星光照你，
燃亮每處，在心窩裡面深刻的感覺到。
在歌聲中奏響，讚美歡呼聲響遍，
直到永遠，讓我一生讚頌你。
一生的祝福永在你，最好祝福是主耶穌。
一生要頌揚主恩典，主恩拯救刻骨銘心。
縱使高山深谷，主必同我共行,
我深信一切祝福永在你。

Copyright 2003 Stream of Praise Music

Know Him Better

Part of Paul's important prayer in Eph 1:17 encourages us to know God better. As Christians, we constantly ask ourselves how much more we really know him after a period of say 5, 10, 15, 20 years and beyond. The difference in the knowledge of God between a 20-year-new Christian and a 2-year-new Christian may not be too significant. God is so unfathomable that the minute you thought you know God, another unknown void will pop up in your heart to urge you to desire more of Him. During my Christian walk, I gradually sensed that love and grace are the most precious lessons I've learned about God. Nowhere else is God's love offered so unconditionally. As a new Christian, I learned the head knowledge that grace means receiving something you don't deserve. As I 'ripe' a little more, I learned that God is a love-sick Father; He values the single lost sheep even more than the other 99 sheep that are still safe in His sheepfold. His grace is truly unbounded. As Philip Yancey painted the most vivid picture of grace, "there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less."

The Bible documented a great deal of human history filled with God's love stories. And His love has explosive power when one faithfully tries to fullfill God's promises (like Abraham). If you find yourself a stranger to the power of His love, you are most likely unaware of His great promises written in the Bible. David understood the power of the name of the living Lord Almighty as he faced the formidable 9-feet giant Goliath. He truly believed that the Lord would deliver Goliath over to him. Indeed, God did honor David's faith. That was God's power then, and His power is still at work today. You just need to have faith that can apply God's objective truth into your own subjective blessing. Try to know God's promises well (in the Bible) and you will know Him better (in your life) little by little and day by day.

Water Gives Life

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Gen 1:1-2)" Water is the chemical compound of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom bonded together. So is the bonding of my life growing up in the picturesque sunset view outside the window of my modest home at Wah Fu Estate. Looking back, my life has been forever netted with fond memories punctuated by waters. After I decided to leave Hong Kong to study abroad in the U.S. many years ago, I took my last lonely trip across the Victoria Harbor on the Star Ferry with two empty suitcases in my hands. There were waters around me then. When my departing flight started climbing up from the Kai-Tak Airport, there were waters welling up in my eyes. As I settled down in the new college campus and spent my first Labor Day weekend at the college president's resort home at a beautiful lake in Indiana, I ploughed through the crystal-clear water on water-ski and miraculously completed my first ever loop around the lake without falling. I still remember the water-cooling feeling through my veins. When I finally dipped into the baptismal pool at FCBC's old sanctuary on that beautiful Sunday afternoon, I was floating in the water of eternity - bonding my future with the Creator of heaven and earth. Amen! Life is good within the perfect will of God. Water gives life!

Is Christ the Only Way to God?

Yes. Christ is the only way to God.

Only Jesus claims to be the Son of God. That is the truth. Neither sincerity nor intensity of faith can create truth. Other religions have some emotional aspects which we need to try to overcome.

Christians are not being bigoted and prejudiced or presumptuous when they say that Christ is the only way to God. As Christians we have no other option because Jesus Christ Himself has said this. Although one may choose to believe whatever he wishes, he has no right to redefine Christianity in his own terms. If we're going to be faithful to Jesus Christ we must take our stand on what He said. Quite obviously, if He is God, this is the only answer. We're dealing with truth that has come to us by revelation, through the invasion into human history of God Himself in Jesus Christ.

God's law says: the wage of sin is death. We do not determine socially the penalty for violating the law of God; the penalty of eternal hopelessness is inherent in the violation. Thank God, Jesus provides the way out of man's hopelessness - Christ is the only way to God.

For a discussion on "Beyond Blind Faith", read Paul E. Little's article at http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/religions/faith/faith2.html

Difference between Protestanism and Roman Catholicism

Rather than getting in a heated debate on religions and apologetics, perhaps it would do well to remind Protestants that, historically, one of the greatest enemies of Christianity has been false religion. It is the growth of such religion throughout the world that has remained the most serious threat to the health of the Church and will continue to do so far into the 21st century.

Is Roman Catholicism Christian? In a nutshell, it would seem that there are so many ways in which Catholicism is not biblical that it is logically impossible to classify it as a genuine Christian religion. All this is why the obstacles between Catholicism and Evangelicalism are insurmountable, at least until there is fundamental biblical reformation in Rome.

Bottomline, there is a difference between being Catholic and Christian. This article below( http://everystudent.com/forum/difference.html ) stresses that "the real issue isn't what church a person belongs to, but whether the person individually has Jesus Christ living inside of him or her - if they really have a personal relationship with God."

Note that the present day Catholic doctrines may not be the same as the Roman Catholicism from which Martin Luther fought against so vehemently. Catholic church had their own "reformation," which is called Counter-Reformation. We don't know if the pope himself will be saved -- but Billy Graham in one Larry-King-Live interview called the late Pope John Paul II a brother in Christ.

But one thing is sure : without a genuine relationship with God through Jesus, the Bible warns that we will be spiritually dead in eternity.

Difference between Jesus and the Monkey-king

The Monkey-king in Chinese legend came out of nowhere in the physical realm. It was just out of the author's imagination, trying to mystify (or make real) the story of the west-bound quest for the holy scripture of buddhism. Sadly, many Chinese idolize the fictitious Monkey-king as god.

On the other hand, Jesus came out of virgin birth and invaded human history. He is fully human and fully God, yet sinless. His birth is both for all mankind and for God the Father, whose righteousness attribute compels Him to sacrifice His only begotten Son to pay for man's sin.

Afterall, Jesus is the true King of Kings. He physically lived on the planet earth for 33 years.

Blind Faith vs. Christian Faith

Faith is central to the reality of Christian experience. During Church Reformation, Martin Luther drew a line in the sand and said that we are saved by faith. Faith is the key.

Like it or not, faith is a common occurrence to daily life. We eat the food in a restaurant prepared by people we never met - by faith. Perhaps it was blind faith, but we trust the public health authority anyway. Here, we exercise 'reasonable' faith, sometimes even 'blind' faith as we eat from illegal street vendors.

Faith is only as valid as the object (the person or thing) in which it is placed. In other words, your faith in any person can be only as valid as he is trustworthy. Intense belief does not create truth. Faith's validity cannot be increased by intensity. Believing does not make a wish true. That's why Christian cancer patients are also not healed, despite their steadfast faith. Nevertheless, Christians understand that their future is in good hands - God's Hands.

Disbelief may cost you to miss the boat, and the consequence will be irrecoverable. For instance, a beggar disbelieves that he is actually the heir to a billion dollar inheritance (an objective truth). He will die starving and poverty stricken. The objective truth remains, but he misses out on its benefits because he fails to claim them in faith. Where can we discover these treasures? In the Bible - God's very own Words.

In the realm of everyday human experience, we tend to treat facts as facts. Few of us have trouble accepting the concept that belief can't create, and disbelief can't destroy, objective facts. When talking about God, many people are strangely naive. They say, "Oh, I don't believe in God, heaven and hell", as though that settles the question - they thought that by disbelieving they have supposedly wiped God out of existence. No, the objective truth lives on in spite of disbelief. [1]

Faith sees the invisible but it does not see the non-existent. As Hebrews 11:1 explains it, 'Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.' The eyes of faith see something that is real, although invisible. What blind faith or superstition sees is unreal and non-existent. As we learn to discern between unreality and invisible reality, we discover a world of difference between the two. Everyone believes in something. The object of faith, not the intensity of belief or disbelief, will determine faith's validity. Faith placed in something unreal is only superstition. [2]

Christ is the object of Christian's faith. Your leap of faith will be necessary to believe that Jesus is the only Saviour. Through faith alone you can come to Jesus Christ and invite Him into your lives as Lord and Saviour.

Ref.: [1] "How to Give Away Your Faith" by Paul E. Little, IVP 1966, Chapter 8, p.115. [2] ibid, p.116.

December 25, the year ZERO

The political events around the historical date of Jesus' birth are best known from the writings of Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian who lived from 37 AD to about 95 AD. His testimony has always been considered vital in determining Jesus' birthdate. According to Josephus, there was a lunar eclipse right after the death of Herod the Great, who executed John the Baptist and who ruled at the time of the Crucifixion. And on March 12 - 13 in the year 4 BC, there was a lunar eclipse. Tradition says that these dates are equivalent. So, Jesus was born before 4 BC.

The AD calendar system was calculated by a scholar in 6 AD with the birthdate of Jesus as Western calendar's dividing timeline. But later scholars disputed that this calculation was inaccurate. (For more discussion on topics related to Jesus' birthdate, read http://www.hillsdale.edu/imprimis/1996/Dec96Imprimis.pdf )

The meaning of Christmas is not so much about its underlying date calculation arithmetic as it is about God's Love on earth to give hope and peace to those He cares about. Nonetheless, the most important date in human history is unhesitatingly "December 25, the year ZERO." Jesus' birthdate, whenever it may be, is the only point in time that matters to the faithful when they think of the marvelous work of God at Bethlehem.

Be Inspired by People

The business world promotes that inspiration begets invention. And discipline makes it pay. Innovation paints a dull picture of a lone, sleep-deprived genius crunching numbers in a modest garage. Yes, you can invent by yourself, but you can't innovate that way. You must be inspired. The great people in history don't get innovative by locking themselves in a closed room, they get inspired by connecting with the outside world filled with interesting things, and most importantly interesting people. People are the secret to inspiration. You are inspired by the chemistry of human element. A world that includes the human element, along with the other elements, is a very different world indeed. Suddenly, chemistry is put to work solving human problems. Relationships are built between aspirations and commitments. And the energy released from human endurance fuels a boundless spirit that could make God the Creator proud. Your world that welcomes change is about to meet the element of change: People. Pay attention to them daily.

Let Importance, Not Urgency, Drive.

Developing a good eating habit is important. Feeding a hungry stomach is urgent. Which aspect should drive your diet: constantly eating on the run to beat the clock, or continually enjoying a healthy diet for the long haul? You get the picture, don't you? I hope you do. See you on your 100th birthday.

Define Specific Goals to BE, DO, and HAVE

I wanted to BE a white-collar crime fighter at ICAC.
I want to BE the owner of a Jook (porridge) Exchange Restaurant.

I wanted to DO bike tours to all state capitals in the U.S.
I want to DO peace-time tour to Jerusalem.

I wanted to HAVE a yacht to flee Hong Kong before 1997.
I want to HAVE a hill-top house facing the Pacific Ocean.

What did/do you want to BE, to DO, and to HAVE?

Divide Time-Specific from Time-Flexible Activities

Activity is typically more urgent when it is time-specific. For instance, your passport has expired. You must renew it if you were to plan a trip abroad.

If an activity can be time-flexible, it is usually important. Following the same metaphor, you must know your final destination in order to plan a flexible flight plan with the best connection and cheapest fare possible.

Both time-specific and time-flexible activities must be carefully dealt with. You should invest more energy in time-flexible activities than in the time-specific activities.

Importance should take precedent over urgency. You will sure be in better shape preventing fire than fighting one.

Navigate via the Weekly Compass

I wish I could tell you that I check my compass weekly. In reality, I am not. In the hustle and bustle of life, you've got to be an exceptional human if your attention spans beyond a day. The course of life will constantly be changing, unless you can escape to another planet. You need a compass of some sort to keep you pointing at the right direction. Your checking frequency will be entirely up to you. The key point is to check where you are heading as often as you can. We all have a biological "compass" to help us point to a productive and balanced life. What compass on earth am I talking about? King Solomon, the wisest man ever lived, has the answer. In Eccelesiastes 3:11 of the Bible, he wrote: "(God) has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." The ETERNITY set in our heart is just like the magnet of a compass, forever pointing to seek for God who has made everything appropriate in its time. Whether you like it or not, you have the tendency to worship God deep down in your heart. Can you feel your "compass" twirling inside your heart? Use it to navigate your life. Then just step back and wonder.

Plan for Productivity and Balance

Knowing yourself is half-way to win a battle. The game plan is to maximize strength and minimize weakness. Often times, the weakest link lies with the way we balance our resources and determine where the productivity sweet spot is.

Low hanging fruit always satisfies immediate pleasure, but it is by no means the final destination. Nonetheless, the act of harvesting low hanging fruit cultivates the beginning of a winning streak that will guide you to final victory.

Productivity begets real results and the path to success. Lacking it, you are just beating air, like running on a treadmill without the finish line. You also need to gain balance, knowing when to take a break, and when to garner up your final burst of energy for the final goal.

Productivity plus balance equal victory. This is your winning ticket in life.

Choose Big Rocks for the Greatest Positive Impact

Livelihood entails two must-have: the endurance to last, and a direction to guide. Mastering both masters life, and lacking either one lacks life. Entering the world, we were like a tiny stream up high at the river source, such as China's Yellow River having its source at a little spring in Tibet. Incrementing our birth years, we drift down to the ocean along countless miles of river course, meandering different places and encountering different people. Counting down to our last days, we reconnect with the immense sea, just as the Yellow River reconnect with the Yellow Sea in geo-convectional cycles. Physical big rocks don't move quickly; they roll along river beds, and erode over time in their course. Spiritual big rocks never erode, they ride along life and help us thrive. Jesus is the spiritual big rock. He can effect the greatest positive impact in life. Need positive life? Choose Jesus.

Surround Big Rocks with Small Rocks

Big ocean liner and small lake boat utilize anchor in a different way. Anchored lake boat still drags along lake floor. Ocean liner's anchor weighs it down even without reaching ocean bottom. Ocean depth is too far to reach anyway.

In life, size matters when stability does. Likewise, agility matters when maneuverability does. Navigating through life requires both. Deep in the open sea, ocean liner has the size and stability you can count on.

Back to the shallow harbor, lake boat ferries swiftly to scenic coves and beach heads. Where small is beautiful, large is comforting. Maneuvering through life, it makes sense to surround the big rocks with the small ones.

How do you line up your rocks?

Realistically List, Check, and Prioritize

Come on! Let's be real. We cannot comfortably keep up with our chores and things-to-do.

The laundry list can only grow. But if you really spend time to prioritize -- sorting out the importance from the urgent matters, you will have some ideas about whether you are investing your time and energy wisely and efficiently.

I used to have three categories of "container" at my email address: File, Keep, and Toss.

I wear a smile more often if I clear my inbox and act on each of them by throwing it into one of the three "container". I would be really really smiling when the file category has just enough everything I need to have for future reference. Better yet, if my memory still serves me well, I'd rather archive them within my brain, or close to heart. I would burst into endless laughter if I don't have to prioritize after all.

Fan the Flame Inside

Let there be light ... inside. Time may have worn out our outer body -- poorer vision, coarser skin, shallower smile, etc. What drives us day in and day out is the passion inside. It's passion that keeps the climber to reach the crest of the Alps, the writer to word the most sensational sentence, the composer to craft the most gracious notes, and the faithful to follow the All Mighty God. When you observe any of these within you, you've got the flame. Keep fanning it -- not only for your own sake, but for other cold hearts nearby.

Enjoy the Good View

I am a fan of good view. If I can afford it, I'd like to live in a house with good view towards the hill or ocean. The space can open your mind inside. And you can truly attach something of value to your thinking -- not necessarily materialistic things, but some things that really last and propel you to the next higher level.

So ... enjoy the view ... attach value to it ... and travel lightly.

Dawn of Music: Heart Songs

This is my original album, Heart Songs , posted at http://members.soundclick.com/topresson.

It debuts several songs I composed (with lyrics). [Click the Chinese-character links below and listen.]

a. 藍天下的神 (Piano / Melody) God Under Blue Sky
b. 只想話你知 (Piano / Melody) Just Checking In
c. 管練的歲月 (Piano / Melody) Time of Trial
d. 奔向彩虹 (Piano / Melody) Sprint to Rainbow

Bonus: 只想話你知 (Guitar / Victor's vocal)

(A special thanks to Jason Dam for his piano arrangements that magically wake up these songs.)