Ken's Birthday 11:50 PM

Today is Ken's 28th Birthday. We had a great time celebrating in McNellie's. There's no big birthday cake, no big production but pure fellowship among dear friends. We joke, we laugh. It's fantastic.

It's such a blessings to know Ken and Kristi, such an adorable couple. It's kinda funny actually. We live, we wait, we wait and one day out in the blue, Ken and Kristi showed up at our door step, ready to join our small group and the rest are history.

This is definitely one of the fantastic things that God had planned and brought us together. God really has plan for each one of us and the secret to receive His blessings is to trust Him and follow Him.

Smooth Project, Not 11:42 PM

Tonight, I am trying to pull all my efforts to finish up that long lasting video project (the one I mentioned in my post a few days ago). Guess what? The DVD authoring software kept crashing and crashing as if it holds a grunge against me. After several hours, I did some work around and it finally cranked out a DVD. Then we reviewed it on the DVD player only to discover that there're some glitches on the editing ... Now, I have go back to re-work.

Although an unexpected challenge has presented to me, I quickly turned away from the discouragement and moved on. As what Joyce Meyer mentioned in her "Seven Things That Steal Your Joy", if we let the "bad" things that happened to us linger around, they will eventually steal our joy in life. To battle it, we can start by switching our thinking to something positive and good. For me, I know the video project will eat up more extra time to complete, but it is so close to completion and I am capable of making the tweaks. It will be alright.

"By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a Godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence." (2 Peter 1:3, NLT)

After all, the purpose of doing my work with excellence is simply an answer to the call of action to follow Christ who does all things well.

Cherry Tomato Harvest Time 11:08 PM

It's so fun to be able to collect a small harvest of the cherry tomatoes in our patio today. The tomatoes are so round and smooth. We carefully hand-picked over a pound of them and gave them a good wash. I noticed a few of the tomatoes are overly ripe that they splits in the middle. If you give it a taste, you'll discover that they have lost the sweetness once there.

As you might have heard the verse, "...The harvest is great, but the workers are few..." (Luke 10: 2, NLT) What I discovered today is that if we don't take the harvest time seriously, some of the ripe fruits may go bad. Not only it's a big waste, we don't know the lost can be restored in time either.

This experience makes me re-examined my attitude towards the "mission" and its importance.

A Downside of Being An Immigrant 11:21 PM

My brother told me that he has changed the wedding day to Jan 1 of 2011. So my trip to HK plan has changed yet again to accommodate this event. Lois and I actually are quite excited because we'll be spend Christmas season in Hong Kong (which is the most beautiful time of the year.)

I don't remember when was the last time I was in HK during December; probably since 1992. Time really flies. And what I missed the most is the precious time to spend with my folks in holiday seasons. And this is one of the down-side each immigrant must faced. And with that, God makes sure I don't take it for granted.

Did you take the special time of the year for granted? Got caught up with the materials? Preparing for guests like Martha?

Focus on Work 11:30 PM

I have been working on a video project all day. This project has lasted for a year now and we are down to the home stretch. While my mind is telling me just to hurry and get it done but my heart is telling me to continue to work with excellence and don't let the hurry affect the quality of the piece. Thus, I spent time tweaks after tweaks to make it as good as it possible. Get all the details into place. So there goes my Saturday but I don't mind at all. I actually quite enjoy it. (But I do wish my computer can render and preview faster though.)

I must say, it isn't easy to have this attitude. I once lost interested in continue on this project because it was dragging it's feet for so long. But God has given me grace. Thus I want to share this verse with you: "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:8, NLT) Let's meditate it and make it ours.

Overwhelmed By Work 11:45 PM

I have been overwhelmed by work for awhile now. Some may say "it's a good problem to have these days." Oh yes, it's a blessings but it also presents a set of challenge that can stress one out. Imagine a juggler trying to juggle while talking on the phone and walking at the same time. Yep, I feel kinda like that sometimes. But I keep thinking about what I've learned from God that He would never give me more than I can handle. So I should be able to overcome this. However, I know it's so important to not keep focusing on how overwhelm my workload but to focus on each one thing done at at time. If I treat it like taking a bite of ice-cream out of the bucket one at at time, I would be able to finish the whole thing without "stress" and darn enjoy about it as well. And it's easier to say than done. I need to continue to work on this.

Finally Become a Contributor 11:53 PM

Couple years ago, I was trying to submit to become a contributor of a large online stock photo company but the work was not successful for some reasons. I knew my pictures were good enough so I was very disappointed and put the re-try in my back burner but I couldn't get rid of that needle.

Finally, I re-try it again 2 years later and with the right subject and submission this time I was able to get approval without problems. I am happy.

The lesson is this: Don't give up. Perseverance really pays off. Most importantly, have faith in God and His plan for you.

Harry Potter Movie Series 11:59 PM

Lois and I went to watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince tonight. We love Potter's series because it's so witty, so creative, just down right fascinating. However, the whole theatre was completely silence right after the show as if you are entering to a funeral service. (if you know the story, you'll know why.) It's amazing of how everyone attached to the story. I like this movie but not as much as the previous ones because it raises so many questions and have even more unclosures. We definitely going to watch the long awaits final chapter of the series in the future. But I am afraid we will have to wait for awhile again.

Life is just like that. Wait is part of the game. Sure enough, technology offers us some instant gratification such as news, email, watch a video, shopping... but the great things are usually the ones we've to patiently wait for, or even work for. A reservation in an A-grade restaurant, an oversea vacation, a professional degree, a great wedding, a deeper faith in God.

This is a very cool verse, "Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city." (Proverbs 16:32, NLT)

Allergy and Stress 11:31 PM

I have been bothered by allergy and stress lately. The situation was so severe that my headache and breathing took away my focus and strength to get work done. Fortunately, I can pray and I have a "brother" pray for me as well. I don't know why I have to experience the difficulty but God taught me that by going through tough time, I can grow closer to Him and learn to depend on Him.
Finally, I can get some strength back to catch up with some work.

I am learning not to think too much ahead and live one day at a time. I like to work efficiently and be a perfectionist but I know it's important to pace myself and not to be too hard to myself. Afterall, there aren't any shortage of people who is hard on me.

I hope you can pace yourself and pray for strength as well.

Family Matter 4:10 PM

My dad called me today and tell me that he and mom accept our invitation to United States to visit us this fall. I am excited (and concern about juggling between taking time-off and work).

When I was young, I couldn't grasp the "treasure" of family relationship nor I took the time to understand it. As time goes by, my experience and wisdom have taught me how precious it is. Like "time", once it passes you by, you will never get it back. Maybe those revelations molded me to respect the elders and gracious to the youngsters.

There's a saying in Hong Kong that each family has a difficult "family matter" bible to read. I am sure we all can relate to that. Although I am not a father yet, I do feel the pressure and responsibility of being the head of the household. Regardless of what each situation is, what really "matter" is family.

My Second Lend to Kiva 11:38 PM

Tonight, the Holy Spirit leads me back to the Kiva site to help someone. Her name is Juana Huilahuaña Robles. She is 50 years old, married, and the mother of 7 children (3 of whom are deceased). She completed her elementary school education and lives in the Quicañamaya area (Peru). Kiva is helping her to raise 3000 soles to buy cattle for fattening. With my last piece of contribution, Juana finished up her loan raising request. I am so happy that she can start her business with the cattle soon. It's really a blessing to offer hope to another person, it's even happier to know that God uses me to bless someone else.

Matthew 5:13 said, "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless." (NLT) This verse is good. Let's challenge each other do take this verse to heart and turn it into practice.

Keep Feeding 11:25 PM

Lois and I both like to plant herbs in our yard. Our latest addition is a basil plant (almost 1.5 ft tall). It's just so beautiful and smell so good. But summer time is so hot in Tulsa. The ground dries up very fast. The plant looks so tired with just one day without watering. This scene reminds me of how my spiritual life is. In some seasons, I can do well and maintain my spirit high for awhile but sometimes it just doesn't last for a day. I need to continue to be fed by God and ask for His wisdom or I will wither.

Today's sermon is actually a rerun from last year's "At the Movie" event. It talks about how short our days are. Everyone's days are numbered. Do we have anything that we want to do before we die? Do we have any regrets? What we do or not do are completely up to us. Each day is a new opportunity to live a purposeful life given by God. We can't get back what has passed but we can look forward and make each day count. Hopefully to live in Him and in His purpose.

Seafood Buffet Night 3:40 AM

Tonight Lois and I visited the Vision Buffet in one of the casino in town. Seafood buffet limite special they called. The food was okay for me but the sitting area and the service were great. We had a nice time out. But what makes it worthy to go to the blog is that we had to walk half a mile from our parking to the restaurant because the official parking area are still under construction. Lois and I got to hold hands and walk under a summer night outside! That's special. When you have odd and long working hours, you missed out a lot of what the nature has to offer. Although we understand we've a lot of things to do at work, we intentionally try to take time out to do something, just little things to brighten up the day. Otherwise, we will be the slave of work again. Life is more than that.

God teaches us to "enjoy life" in a good way. Check out this passage, "18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past." (Ecclesiastes 5:118-20, NLT)

So workaholic folks, give yourself a break in a work day and replenish yourself.

Religion or Relationship? 11:59 PM

Today, we watched a sermon on "Religion or Relationship?" by Joyce Meyer. Joyce talked about how we are so easily being sucked into conforming with the legalism of religion but not focusing on building a relationship with Christ.

You see, God examines our hearts, our every intentions, our deepest, most guided thoughts. (as seen in the Bible) So why are we still fooling ourselves by thinking we can get by with our conscience intact. God teaches me that if we want to follow Jesus, we would need to be crazy about Him - like mad love. Remember when we were in fall with someone, we will do whatever it takes to make your beloved happy even if we look silly or being embarrassed. Only if we're radically in love with Jesus, we can be willing to discard our stature, our tendency of self-seeking. And the chain of legalism, and social pressure will finally break free.

Are you ready to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ?

Annoying Flies 11:55 PM

The temperature was so nice last night that I've decided to turn off the AC and turn on my attic fan. Little did I know, I've invited a dozen of flies into my home. While I was feeding my cat in the cat room today, I have noticed 4 or 5 flies are wondering around and showing off their flying skills. So I bought my trusty fly-smasher and started a war with them. Yep, the war zones include cat room, kitchen, office and the living room. I know there're still couple of flies around but I am gonna call it off for now and deal with it tomorrow.

Life is kinda like that. Sometimes we thought it's a good idea to do something (such as turn on the attic fan), but there could be unforeseen consequences follow. This reminds me of Proverbs 3: 6-8 "Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones." (NLT)

Our wisdom is quite limited, not need to be impressed by it. Ha Ha.

God Wants My Attention 11:43 PM

Through out the whole day, I have been knocking on walls. Nothing seems to be going my ways. I finally got so worn out and fed up so I went to take a bath and start reading the "Seven Things That Steal Your Joy by Joyce Meyer". And God started to talk to me.

The problem is that I have been trying to use my own ability to tackle the day and tried to do what I planned. I marched right into the war zone after the long weekend without inviting God with me. Thus I had it roughed. Go figured.

I am glad that God reminds me of how great He is and He forgives. (He has a much bigger heart than I do.) So I spend time with Him and make peace with Him.

After the bath, I was refreshed and inspired. I went to work on my second shift and got quite a bit of stuffs done. This time, more joy and less stress.

God can make a difference in your lives. Have you asked Him to be a part of daily lives yet?

Rest But My Mind Isn't 11:34 PM

Public Holiday usually doesn't mean much to my household since we drive our own business and usually it takes over our daily lives. But we have decided to take it easy this weekend because we know we'll have to deal with many major tasks and mountains of projects in the coming weeks. It's not that easy though, even I am physically resting, tidbits of thoughts about work and challenges force their ways into my mind through out the day. In times like this, I wish to shut off my brain and just to watch a movie or something.

God said in the Bible, "You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed." (Exodus 23:12, NLT) I guess my ox and donkey could be my macbook pro, my server and my wacom tablet.

Independence or Dependence 11:48 PM

While many are celebrating the Independence Day, I am pondering about the benefit of independence. Although it sounds cool to be independent, it's also the reason why we are in this messy environment right now.

The idea about joyful living has been haunting me this whole week. I received it through worship, sermons, reading and devotion ... God is telling me to depend on Him, not on a few selected things but on everything. This message is all over the Bible. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7, NIV) See the word "all" in there? I think the reason why it's so hard to totally depend on Him is because our little inner voices are telling us that we need to hold onto some controls or we'll lose our security. We like to have some control because we can see the result faster, we don't have to wait and hope that God would act on our needs. Since when we made better decision than God? Since when we can really provide ourselves security?Honestly, it's all about having the faith to trust in God completely.

To let go of ourselves is not an easy thing to do but it's the right thing to do. Otherwise, where can God fit into our lives? This is the constant struggle for many of us, me included. As apostle Paul said that we don't do the thing we know we should but the we continue to do wrong instead. It's evident of how weak we are.

I think the solution is to take the leap and trust in Jesus and live in Him, not in ourselves, everyday. Only that we can get enough strength to live according to His word. Depending on Jesus is the ultimate independence.

Refuel Propane Tank 11:27 PM

Tonight, we finally got our propane tank exchanged and refueled. You got to like the fresh-off-the grill food. Whether it's onion or steak, it's all good. The irony is that I've been wanting to have the tank refuel for many months now but due to my expertise on procrastination, I successfully put it off for about 9 months! Why I did what I did? Let's see what the Bible said about procrastination, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:10, ESV) It is so true. What if the task was not about refueling a propane tank but is a particular task that God personally assigned me to do?

I remembered when I ask someone to do something for me but he keeps postponing it, I would find someone else. I rather pay the person who's genuinely interested and capable of doing the job the assignment instead.

I believe fighting procrastination is a part of the training to become a faithful follower of Christ. "Lord, help me to act more diligently and get rid of the bad habit of procrastination so I can be a better servant of yours. In Jesus name, Amen."

Learn to Think 11:26 PM

We all have to make many decisions every single day, "What's the first thing I have to do when I get to my desk, what to do now and what to do later, what to eat, when to eat, should I take a break to go outside for a few minutes since the weather is so beautiful, oh I should probably stick with what I am working on now since there're so much to do."

If you are like me, you will discover that there are so many things to take care of everyday that you don't really have enough time to think. You would rather get some stuffs done than to think. The problem is that sometimes if we don't think things through, and we could suffer the consequences of the seed we sowed. For example, sometimes I choose to research for a solution of a project that is not due now instead of working on the one that has the closest deadline. Why? I think about the potential difficulty of that future project and can't get my mind off it so I try to find a solution first. And the irony is that my research is usually half-baked and I have left myself little time to complete what's truly urgent and get stress out big time. In the other words, I think about a potential problem but I didn't think about choosing the right time to act on it.

It's important for us to have the wisdom to think. Because our thoughts always transform into action. And what we do is important to us and also in God's eyes. Are we obeying our Lord? Are being being a good steward – of the time He has given us each day? Roman 12: 2 said, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (NLT)

You see, by changing the way we think, God can transform us to be good, pleasing and perfect. And that includes of how we live and act on our daily lives.

Respecting God 12:32 PM

A few days ago, we've all heard about the sudden death of Michael Jackson, and today, I have received an email from a friend about untimely death. I think God is trying to tell me something.

It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sow, that shall he also reap."

Here are some facts about men and women who mocked God:

John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said:
'Christianity will end, it will disappear.
I do not have to argue about that. I am certain.
Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him' (1966).
Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency.
Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During A show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ),
while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said:'God, that's for you.'
He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner.

The man who built the Titanic
After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be.
With an ironic tone he said:
'Not even God can sink it'
The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic

Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show..
He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her.
After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said:
'I don't need your Jesus'.
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment

Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
'Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell'.
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

Campinas (IN 2005)
In Campinas , Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend.....
The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car:
'My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.'
She responded: 'Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside Here.....It's Already Full '
Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died,
the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact.
The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer)
said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written..
In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle..

Are they just coincidence? Or the bible is really the Living Word of God? Our dates are numbered and is completely in God's hand. Are we living the lives that God desires us to be? Are we honoring God and loving Him the way that we know we should everyday?

Respecting God. Starts now.

Promotional Materials 11:50 PM

If you use the internet, chances are you get tons of discount offers, promotional announcements in your Inbox all the time. Some of the promotions are genuine and some are just hoax. So how do you treat those email? Although you might see some great offers, you might choose to ignore them because you are too busy to deal with more information already.

I think our spiritual enemy is using the tactic of information overload to bombard our lives so we grow weary of distinguishing the differences between the truth and the hoax. And leads us to ignore the genuine goodness that God has to offer.

The bible has warned us about this long time ago, "All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing." (Ecclesiastes 1:8, ASV)

The solutions: "28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne." (Matthew 11: 28-30, AMP)

5th Year Anniversary 11:17 PM

Hurray! Today is the 5th year anniversary of my company. God has blessed us and had done great things for Lois and I through our little shop this past 5 years. Although we haven't got a chance to officially celebrate this day yet, we thank God for watching over us in every possible way, and He continues to do that every day.

I must say, running the company isn't easy but we can see it grows and keep getting stronger every day. And that is a great (proud parents like) satisfaction.

We will continue to strive and to use our gifts and talents to honor God through our business and our daily lives. I place my trust in Him.

God Comes to The Rescue 11:00 PM

Have you ever tried to work on a rush project but things just doesn't look right even though you tried very hard for hours? Today is one of those days for me. Out of stress and frustration. I called Lois to help me. Then she said, "Did you pray? Go pray now." So I bowed my head and start praying right then. As soon as I finished my prayer, my design went auto-pilot, I didn't have to think hard and I completed 4 great concepts within couple of hours. I was relieve but I was more amazed of how effective sincere prayer is. Why didn't I think of that before I spent all those hours, trying to make it on my own?

Evidently, God really cares about me and He's always there for me. It's my fault not to seek Him first. Honestly, it's not auto-pilot, God was the pilot and I was the vehicle. If you are facing difficulty in your daily work, free stress out like I did, would you tried to give God a chance? Where do you place God in your work life?

Mental Rest 11:06 PM

Today is a quiet day. Although I have so much to do, I have decided not to push it too hard. I remember when I was young, I would work on every weekends, I tried to get things done as fast as I could regardless of my health. Yes, a typical over-achiever's behavior.

Now, age has taught me to take it easy in between hard battles in a long war if I want to win. If I didn't take it easy, I wouldn't know how tired I actually am. I am still tired but the little mental break can help me to rejuvenate my creativity so I can refocus to get some projects done tomorrow.

Have you taken any mental rest lately?

Transformer 11:30 PM

Lois and I watched the new Transformer movie tonight. Although some critics are not favored the movie, tickets were sold out in the theaters shows after shows. As a big fan of the first movie, this show didn't let me down. I am amazed of how much work the production people had put into creating each robots and mechanism.

So you might asked what God teaches you through that? There are times that we were called to stand firm in the truth. Sometimes the challenges are so great that we have to transform by God in order to succeed. All I have to do is to look at my work load and time frame, I would immediately realized that I have no way to do it all by myself but to submit myself to God and let Him work through me, let Him transform me. If you haven't tried that before, I strongly encourage you to give it a shot. This could be one of the most exhilarating experience you would ever had.

Praise God.

Right or Fast 11:45 PM

Today I design an athletic logo for a university. It has been a very challenging project because many other places have already used the exact same name for their athletic team. As you might know, there are only so many ways to illustrate an idea, so I keep digging and keep researching the relationship between each design element. I try to think like the audience and the player to see what can make the design more exciting. As a result, I have created couple of great options for the university.

God has blessed me with the gift of creativity, but I still have a long way to go. One of the joy of living is to embrace your challenge. Each one of us faces different challenges. Some are easier to overcome then the others, but nevertheless, which path we choose will determine our future. Sometimes choosing the right path requires a longer route, just like when I choose to create a good design instead of ripping off an existing one. It's more important to do the right thing then to do it quickly.

USA Vs. Spain 11:57 PM

I was fortunate enough to watch the USA Vs. Spain FIFA Confederations's Semi-Final today. I am not a big fan of either team but I watched it because USA defeated Egypt 3-0 in the last game and I was wondering if they would survive Spain – which has won 15 straight matches overall and was unbeaten in their last 35 matches. The odds weren't good but I was so impressed with USA's perseverance while up against numerous attacks by the fast and efficient Spain. When the game was finally over, I was floored and tears almost burst out of my eyes.

US soccer team relived the story of "David against Goliath". They were facing the giant. When there was no way for them to get the ball pass the half court; when the goal was continuously being attacked by the powerful strike of Spain; when every player were worn out, they could have given up. But they stayed focus, kept their position and fight. Finally they scored. Twice.

As a small business owner, I sometimes felt like in the position of the US soccer team. People look down on me, projects constantly challenge me. I keep paddle to keep my head above the water, I feel like given up but I didn't. I stay in position, keep my head down and stay focus. And eventually I persevered, I scored. And I believe you can too. Remember, when we feel like all hopes are gone, all we have to do is to look up. God is on our side, cheering for us, supporting us. We will be alright.

Our World Is In Turmoil 11:35 PM

Nowadays our world is in turmoil. Iran is having crisis, North Korean are living in fear, global economy is crumbled, people are living in tents. You might have seen the worst metro train accident in Washington today. As much as I focused on my work, it's hard to just look the other way and pretend I am not bothered. I am not going to think about why God allows things like this to happen but I do wonder what God's heart is thinking right now when He sees this world is being such as mess. Almost all of the turmoils are originated by human. As much as people like to blame the nature, it's human who are not being a good steward of God has given. The fact that we are still alive today is because of a miracle called "God's mercy".

In a small way, I am going to re-commit myself to do a good job to take care of what God has given me – Health, time, talents and resources. Imagine if everyone do this together, how would this world become? Turmoil will ends, poverty will ends, thy kingdom come.

Let's give thanks to what we have and really open our eyes and see what God has blessed us with. Stop complaining and start loving.

Humble Means Weak? 11:58 AM

After dealing with some difficult people this morning, something comes to my mind. How to be humble and be strong at the same time? I understand how important it is not to boast and be offensive to others but it is so hard to act humbly yet not appears to be weak. In the world of business, the interpretation of what a person is mainly by appearance – what they look like, how they dress, their tone of voice, the words that choose to speak. It's almost brutal sometimes. Human is a complex being. People don't take time to understand others as a fellow human being, but fast to judge without mercy. View humble as weak. Maybe that's why there aren't many companies can carry the cross while operating the business. I have been trying and I've to admit, it isn't easy. Actually, according to the bible, judging others is wrong.

I guess I still will choose to be humble even though I might appears to be weak. I rather live right in the eye of the Lord than to please other people. Afterall, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James, 4:10, NIV)

Nevertheless, my goal is still the same, to bless others with the talents and gifts that God has given me. My businesses are just tools to achieve that goal.

A Quiet and Peacful Sunday 11:57 PM

When it comes to Sunday, it usually is quite emotionally racking in my household because another stressful week is just around the corner. Although we haven't started the official work time but we mentally are already on stand by.

Fortunately, today is an exception. Lois and I reconnected and we spent sometimes resting. I think I might have been a workaholic for too long and forgot about taking care of myself.

Having a life beyond work is actually quite good. I can't wait till the day that we get things organized and prioritize so Lois and I can enjoy a work life balance life style that we've been long for.

Facing the Challenge 11:58 PM

Working with my wife Lois has always been a blessing and a challenge. Although we can save money by making our business home-based and doing more tasks by ourselves. Being confining in a close quadrant can easily run into conflicts. By having different opinions, we can discover better ideas but it also can end up ruin our moods and passion for each other.

Lois is my best friend, the closest person to me in the whole world and the love of my life. But sometimes, I am being sucked into work and enslaved by it that I am not being sensitive to her and her feelings. It's really not my nature but it's so hard to overcome it when you let your business to run your lives; all because you are afraid of failure and loss. If you are thinking about getting into home-based business and are very serious about it, those would be a hurdle that you and your family must overcome.

I am glad to have the opportunity to have a deep and meaning conversation with Lois today. We are willing to work things out for the better. In order to succeed logical plan is needed, strategy must be in place, behavior changes will be challenged. But above all, we must have "love" and really value it if we want to endure the roller coaster ride of work & marriage together.

We are putting our trust in God.

Back In Touch 11:37 PM

Today is a very special day because I was able to talk with a cousin of mine for the first time in 20 years. Life changes, time flies, people grow. We're in no exception. But one thing that I am so glad is that before we talked on the phone for long , we've begun to share about our testimonies and how God has worked in our lives. As we shared our faith and encourage each other, we have found something in common – our God and immediately, we have drawn towards each other. I felt closer to him already. I don't know when will I be able to see him again but I am certain that we'll keep in touch and continue to share our faith and perhaps we can do some ministries together.

God is Good. All the Time.

Spoiled But Not Rotten 11:59 PM

If God asks me what have I done today to glorify Him, I would say I am not sure. Although I worked hard, but I didn't give God a chance to be a part of my daily life today. I have been meshing tasks after tasks. Putting God first is easier to say than done.

I am glad that I can have this moment to reflect my day and thank God for His gracious mercy towards me. His blessing is far beyond my imagination. I remembered when parents do something nice for their kids, they don't always tell the kids what they've done for them. On the other hands, the kids usually would enjoy the blessing without a clue nor even bother to ask.

God loves me so much and spoils me in so many ways. "Thank you."

Jesus' Gentleness 11:16 PM

Lois had to drop off our beloved 16 years old cat "mow" to the vet for her first professional teeth and mouth cleaning session today. We had to wait for the most of the day before she can be released in the late afternoon. When we got back from our meeting after lunch, Lois told me that she missed mow already and felt so weird that the house was so quiet. Mow usually would make some cute sounds to ask for food and her sweet face would just brighten your day. I missed her too.

Have you ever looked at someone and all the bad moods would just go away? You would feel like a sweetness in your heart? Yep, "mow" is that person in our lives. We are so happy to have her.

I think God wants us to know how looking into Jesus feel like by giving us "mow". We often think of Jesus' sacrificial love for us, His mighty power over evil. But forget His gentleness. He isn't someone who would seat on the throne and looked down on us. He is with us, He feels our laughter and our pain. He cares, and His gentleness can comfort all our tears and fears.

I thank God for allowing me to call Jesus, my friend and my Lord. And "mow" is at her regular place now, sleeping safe and sound like a baby.

3 Chapters of Psalms 11:46 PM

Many of us have read Psalm 23 but have you tried to start reading from Psalm 21 instead? I have learned that through these three consequence chapters, David encountered some extreme ups and downs. Let's take a quick look:

In Chapter 21, David experienced "JOY" - victory over his enemies through God's help.

Just the next chapter, he was "FRIGHTENED" - "God, God ... my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere? Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer. Nothing." (The Message) 

Then in the following chapter, David said, "God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing." (The Message)

David sounds like a "drama queen", didn't he? But the truth of the matter is that we are so short-sighted, easily distracted and discouraged. We thought our faith is solid but we might not know the whole truth until we are facing some real ups and downs. 

When I first read this passage earlier today, I should be encouraged to know that God got my back; but instead, I was somewhat depressed because I was pretty tired from an early photo shoot under such a hot sun, and then I can't get myself motivated. I did get some minor works done and a proposal out but that's about it. I think I need to put my focus back on God and think about Him more so I can get my strength back like David.

Unusually Busy Monday 11:21 PM

It has been an unusually busy Monday. While I am still waiting for a result on a proposal that I sent last week (patience, patience), I have been blessed with two more new potential projects today. Both of the clients hand picked me to do their projects and I have a third client that called me for a new project that I haven't got a chance to return to him yet.

I think it's so important to keep a good and positive attitude each day. It's no easy task – especially when you're already being snowed under like me. But being unmotivated to do the work will end up losing more time and energy which both are very limited given by God. I do realized that everything is really blessings from God and I constantly try to remind myself about that. For I am weak but He is strong. I would have never survived "Monday" if He didn't give me the strength and grace that I needed.

Unstoppable Marriage 11:47 PM

It's so hot today, so I have decided to hide inside the house all day instead. While catching a breath out of my busy life, I enjoyed a Korean movie called "Unstoppable Marriage" while Lois went shopping. This movie is so funny. The lead actress is a paper doll shop owner and teacher, she has many traditional qualities, and Ki-baek, the lead actor, is a "breast enhancement surgeon" as well as a playboy who indulge a luxurious lifestyle. Being in the opposite ends of the spectrum, they fight like a cat and dog over everything. Even though they hate each other, at the same time, they come to fall for each other and become a couple. Unfortunately, the biggest hurdle is yet to come. Getting each parent's consent is much more difficult. Each one has their sadden past, leads to grunges and pissing contests. Luckily, Eun-Ho (lead actress) expresses her pure, unselfish love to conquer over the selfish gain and they got married at the end.

Some say "love is blind", some immediately think of "passion", as for me, it's about "forgiveness" and "the most genuine and pure kind of care of someone."
"But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love." (I Cor 13: 13)

God Is Able 11:51 PM

Today's sermon was wonderful. Pastor Jentezen Franklin showed me the 5 faith killers.

1. The sense of what we SMELL.
   If we keep lingering with our experience of being burned, being fault by others; we would be depressed, lost confident and lose our faith in God.
   
   
2. The sense of what we TOUCH.
   Remember when Isaac gave his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau by mistake because he "felt" Jacob's hands like Esau's. (Gen 27:21-25) Our feeling is not as reliable as we think. We ought to go by what we hear from God's word instead of our feeling.
   
   
3. The sense of what we SEE.
   If you watch the news for a few minutes these days, your mood will most likely to draw downward and lost faith. But what we see is not the whole truth. We need to focus on God's words and His promises through our faith instead of by what we see.
   
   
4. The sense of what we HEAR.
   Many "Nay Sayers" would tell you it's not possible, it's a waste of time, it's no good. Use your common sense and don't listen to them. Their negativity will get you nowhere but south. Tune in to what God has to say instead. After all, He has never been wrong. Not even once, so who do you trust?
   
   
5. The sense of what we TASTE.
   Put God's word into your poison and you will be alright. For faith places no limitations on God. And God places no limitation on faith.

Our God is almighty. He is more powerful than anything that we have and will ever known and He is very very able. For me, I can't live without Him. My life would be ruined. How about you? Are you counting on your own senses?

Dirty Play - Is It Worth It? 11:30 PM

Work has been rough today. I have discovered from a client that their IT firm has been bad mouthing my company, making false claims about our work because my client is using our services instead of theirs. I understand the economic environment is not at its best but acting unethical wouldn't gain them any 'real' business. Sooner of later, their clients would realize that they have been taking advantage of and leave them.

God taught us to do our work with integrity, honesty and do each tasks with all our heart as if we are serving the Lord Himself. Money isn't everything, after all, God is not short of cash and He will provide and bless us if we do our parts.

Although I have lost most of the day dealing with that issue, but justice prevails.

How to Receive God's Blessings? 11:48 PM

Do you think it's so cool that you can access the bible, devotional materials, christian radios, sermons anytime you wanted as long as you can get online? I found it so very awesome – you really don't have any excuses not to seek God every day.

God reminds me of how people love to get the blessings from Him but not pay attention to the conditions that go along with that. If you go to a grocery store to buy some strawberries, you have to pay for it. Similar format goes with the blessings from God. Although it's ultimately God's personal decision to grant you the blessings, but if you don't read the bible, don't seek Him, don't love Him, being lazy, gossip, greedy, unforgiving, love to criticize others ... it's hard to imagine God would think you are ready for His blessings. This is different than the blessing of salvation because God loves us so much that He's willing to offer this greatest gift to us
completely free as long as we have faith in Christ, His resurrection and give your life to Him.

God's blessings to us are far exceed our expectation. Some blessings are what you asked for and some you don't even know you will receive. Just to look back on the things that have happened since I started this blog a month ago would be enough evident to show how He constantly watches over me, feed me, love me.

Have you looked at your life lately? If you feel life is dry, seek Him. Seek Him Now!

School Closes for 2 Weeks 11:01 PM

Tonight, I heard from the news that the government in my home town (Hong Kong) has announced all the kindergarden and primary schools are closed for 2 weeks due to the wide spread of the swine flu. After the incident of "H5N1" years ago, the government took a much more active approach to deal with incident such as the swine flu. Public are being alerted and updated as soon as possible and as frequently as possible.

In contrary, United States is very different. I can listen to the news every half hour in the radio station in Hong Kong but I can't seem to catch any local news on the radio in here.

I wonder how God communicate to us? An active approach or a hands-off approach? Perhaps we, as human, are so busy and so forgetful that even God tells us every half-hour,  we still don't get it. A willingness to listen is very important, it can help us to avoid harm.

A Non-Productive Day 11:39 PM

Today is one of those days that I have planned to be productive but ended up being just the opposite. Woke up by the barking of my neighbor's dog 2 hours before my alarm rang, then followed by unexpected tech support for a client. Here and there – the day was gone.

I usually feel guilty about being non-productive. I always put "rest" in the back burner and not enjoy myself very well. Although I love to do what I do but being in the field for so long and working long hours years after years put a toad on my health and motivation.

In moment like this, I usually think about the verse, "Be still, and know that I am God" but today, a new verse I have discovered, "Only people who have faith will enter the place of rest. It is just as the Scriptures say, “God became angry and told the people, ‘You will never enter my place of rest!’ ” God said this, even though everything has been ready from the time of creation." (Hebrews 4:3) It is very important to have faith in our daily living. God actually will punish the ones without faith.

Rest is alright. Have faith in God that He will take care of me tomorrow just like He always does. Although I am behind today but God will lead me through this.

How to Be Happy? 11:47 PM

A lot of people think about things, family, entertainment when come to "happiness". Many Christians take the verse "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Phi 4:13, NIV) out of the context and establish a god who would do on their commands. They ask for things to fulfill their own selfish desires. I think I might have been guilty of that at some point in time as well.

In verse 4:11-12, apostle Paul wrote: "I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need." The secret of "true happiness" is about "contentment".

We can count our blessings, accept of who we are, even drop the "just because he has, so I ought to have" attitude. But above all, we have to know that having Jesus is truly enough.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness;
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!

It's a promise from God. If we humble ourselves and seek Him first, only then we'll find the fountain of true happiness.

Fear 11:44 PM

I am blessed to watch a sermon on "God is Strong" by Francis Chan from Cornerstone Church in CA this weekend. Below are something that I've learned from God through this sermon.

Experiencing Fear
Sometimes when I walk along a long corridor, I would afraid of a robber might jump out from the dark corner. I would pick up my pace and try to get through the alley as quickly as possible. I was afraid.

When I notice the vehicle behind me keeps following me turn after turn, I would take a long route home and try to let that car pass me by. Although it might be a car from my neighborhood but I was afraid.

I fear of danger, I fear of lost, I fear of uncertainty, I fear of loneliness, I fear of being punished for my sin, I fear ... of many things. Why am I not strong? Why am I allow my fear to affect my relationship with God. Fear draws me away from Him.

The Good News
Indeed, I am weak but He is strong. I found this verse online from the song "Jesus loves me" –

When the nights are dark and long,

In my heart He puts a song.
Telling me in words so clear,
"Have no fear, for I am near."

Joshua 1:6-9 said, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (ESV)

If you feel fear or weak, you can pray the following prayer with me:

Dear God,
Gives me eyes to see the power, boldness and strength you are offering me. I trust you completely Lord. Replace my fear with courage from Your strength. In Jesus Name. - Amen.

Two Tasty Trouts 11:21 PM

It's hard to believe but our newly met insurance agent Alan had delivered couple freshly caught trouts to our home today. The story began with a casual conversation about Alan's hobby during our meeting on some insurance application paper works. He told Lois that if he ever goes fishing, he would bring some fish to us. And he did ... two days later.

I seldom encounter people who does what they said, especially insurance agents or brokers (from our previous experience anyway.) One time, I found out a colleague of mind credited herself about an award winning web site that I design to land a job in an advertising agency.  My old insurance agent sold me and Lois one of the worst life insurance plan there is. If it's not because of Dave Ramsey's FPU, I would have still be blind-sided. So Lois and I felt extra blessed to know someone like Alan. 

I know at some point in time, I did fall short on the scale of honesty. But God doesn't like dishonest people. "Blessings accrue on a good and honest life, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse." (Proverbs 10:6, The Message) So I repent and move towards the target of integrity. Are you living an honest life?

First Time in Aldi 11:54 PM

Remember I talked about "being adventurous" couple nights ago? I got the opportunity to visit the Aldi in Broken Arrow with Lois this evening. I must say, it was both impressive and fun. The store isn't big, it carries mainly off brand items but the store is bright, clean and tidy. The products are decently packaged similar to the brand name ones but the prices are way better. We found it quite helpful to have a store like Aldi in this economic environment.
Photo: Giant strawberry we bought from Aldi.

I used to have some bias on this discount store because of the unknown, thought the food might not be good or fresh or safe but I was wrong. Sometimes, all it take is some courage to take the first step. I think by venturing to new places in a small ways (such as visiting a new restaurant or a store) would help to build up my courage for trying out new and bigger things in life and in business as well.

"Your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will go in. Build up his courage. He’s the one who will claim the inheritance for Israel." (Deuteronomy 1:38, The Message). Courage is something that need to build up, not an end-result of shortcuts.

Strong But Invisible Bond 11:03 PM

I found out my brother is planning to get marry in the fall next year tonight. I hope everything will go smoothly for him on all his preparation and planning. Lois and I are very excited for him but we also glad for my dad and mom. For them, it means my brother is finally on his own, to start his own family – which is a sign of maturity.
Photo: My brother & his fiancée in a pre-wedding photo set. (Taking wedding dress-up photography before the actual wedding day is a very popular practice in HK and it's a very lucrative business.)

It's quite custom for chinese to live together before the sons and daughters get married (very different than the western culture.) It's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse. The family can enjoy lots of time together but it also adds extra burden and responsibility for the parents, in some cases the children.

For me, I don't get the opportunity to stay with my parents very much, maybe 2-3 years together in total. Therefore I am not tired of them, I long to spend more time with them and I miss them often. In some people's eyes, I am not very fortunate but I see it quite the opposite because I know deep down how much we love and care for each other. For some people, they need the reaffirmation of the physical gestures to express their love but not to us (although it certainly wouldn't hurt if we can hug each other.) We have a strong but invisible bond. Sometimes relationship is closer when being apart. It's a very interesting thing and I am not quite thoroughly understand how it works.

I think my relationship with Jesus is sort of like that. Sometimes I feel like He is far away but also close to me at the same time. It's an invisible but strong bond. I am looking forward to hug Him though. He's so good to me and I want to love Him more.

Try New Things 11:48 PM

Today's is a very adventurous day. I went to a new town to do a presentation for a prospect, ate some new food, got a "free" root beer float from Sonic a few minutes before midnight. The feeling of doing new things was so good. And it happened on a Wednesday!

Most of the time, my life is surrounded by routine. Work, Eat, Work, Eat, Work, Rest – the boring cycles. My sensitivity got numbed through the years. I think it's important to continue to try new things in order to stay sharp regardless of my age. As a result, I can see and appreciate what special things that God had planned for me that I wasn't aware of.

When I think of how Jesus lived, I think of an adventurous explorer. He met new people, visited new places, tried new things everyday. One day He walked on water, the next He raised someone from the dead, or turned water into wine. Although I cannot do those miracles, but by offering my willing heart to try new things I can become more like Jesus.

P.S. My presentation went very well. I'll have some more research to do and a proposal to make. Thanks again guys.

Preparing for a Presentation 11:38 PM

Self-Promotion has always been the hardest thing to accomplish for my own business. More than often, we poured all our energy to take care of our customers and their needs; our marketing effort is always being pushed to the back burner.

I have an out-of-town business presentation to conduct tomorrow but I was so behind. So I spent the afternoon to come up with the best way to present it. But selecting and preparing which design to use from my massive archive was a daunting task. Fortunately, Dave and Cyle (from my Men's Group) came to rescue. They helped me to kick start the project and boost the morale in the evening. I was able to keep the momentum going and finished it before dawn. I am so thankful for their help and their friendship. But when I think deeper about the timing, it's really a blessing from God. If it weren't for this presentation, I wouldn't even have this important communication piece.

To tell you the truth, for a long period in my life, I had no one that I could comfortably ask for help. I felt alone, inadequate and inferior. It might be because of my shy personality or how I isolated myself with crazy work schedule. Although I prayed but I didn't see any improvements. That period was "fruitless".

Then all in a sudden, Lois and I began to go back to church and the fire within us ignited again, we became involved with the church in many different ways. And God's blessing started to pour down, we are happier, more fulfilled and we don't feel alone again.

If you are feeling how I felt before – lonely, helpless and discouraged, I encourage you to really let this verse sink in, so you can receive God's blessings – "... seek first his kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33, NIV)

3Ds vs 3Hs 11:59 PM

My Men's Group has finally concluded the study of the "Book of James" tonight with the discussion about prayer. To me, "prayer" is a very special subject. Unlike many other things, prayer can be as simple and direct as just a word of "thanks", or "help" or it can be extremely difficult when facing the what I called the 3Ds – "distraction, distortion and distress".

I feel like my prayer life is better than before but still have a long way to go. God has blessed me with the grace of opportunity so I can practice to spend more time with Him through little prayers through out the day. Sometimes my prayers are "cookie cutter" that I hate to do but yet do it. Sometimes I let my busy schedule override my relationship with God. But the good thing is that I am more aware of it and I am willing to make the effort to change those "bad habits" of mine.

Cyle and I were talking about the right way to pray an effective prayer, we come up with "honesty", "humble" and I was joking that there is a 3Hs. But I couldn't come up with one. And now, I think I have found one more "H" – "Holy". James 5:16, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (NLT) When we confess our sins and God makes us "holy", our prayer will be powerful.

So there you have it, the 3Ds vs 3Hs of my study of James & Elijah.

Trust in the Lord 11:04 PM

We continued the Series of Elijah in our Lifegroup meet today. Elijah had faith in the Lord and His prayers were answered even though the situation might not seem favorable at that moment.

What I have learned is that "Life is not a straight line". Although planning is good but we have to be prepared for some detours. Sometimes we may not end up in the place where we thought we would be but if we look back, it's almost certain that it's always better than we expected. God has been with us the whole time but we just not realized it when we were in distress. It's alright, that's where "faith" comes in. When things don't make sense or seem unclear, God wants us to trust in Him completely. Didn't we trust Him to save our lives? To give us eternal lives? Helping us through "life" seems like a much easier task for Him.

Trust God completely my brothers and sisters! Submit to Him, He has a better plan for us than we can hope for.

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Pro 3: 5-6, TNIV) My very favorite verses in the bible.

A Wedding Experience 11:11 PM

I was fortunate enough to film a beautiful wedding on this hot pre-summer day.  The father of the bride is the man I admire and also my pastor. The bride and groom are such an adorable couple. I knew quite a few guests as well which made me feel much more comfortable during the shoot. This wedding was just right, not too lavish but not overly simple. 

Wedding always has unexpected things happen to photographers and videographers. This was no exception but we scrambled and improvised to get through the evening. After an hour of prep and long 6 hours of holding the camera, my right arm was completely exhausted. My eyes were soared and I was starving. It was an intense workout. Although I did enjoy doing it, I ain't sure if I could do it when I am 60.

When I think of weddings these days, it's hard for me not to associate it with "production". We all have seen some down right outrageous weddings on TV. I remembered an ex-coworker told me his wedding costed him so much that he was still trying to pay it off after 7 years of marriage. It's so painful just to hear that.

One thing that God taught me is the true essence of wedding. God picked two very special people and join them together to become one because He loves them so much and wants them to live their lives to the fullest, so His name can be glorified. Through marriage, the couple can grow closer to God, to experience some of the wonderful joy Adam and Eve once did. So what is the true essence of wedding? It's about "love" – the love between man and wife and God's amazing love. It's a milestone that God had planned for them before they were born. A wedding really shouldn't be a production or be ashamed of if one couldn't afford a lavish wedding. After all, love doesn't require money or materials. If one labeled the concept of love around "money", "materials" or "production", one may be seeking for disappointment in the future.

Lois and I had a less than lavish wedding. We had no professional photographers, videographers, just some friends to take shots for us, no DJ, no big fancy hall, just an activity room in a church. No catering feast, both of our families prepared all the food. (I found it exceptionally blessed to have both in-laws getting along, making meals together even they had only met one time before.) We had only about 30-40 people attended but it was beautiful and peaceful wedding. 12 years later, our marriage is still growing stronger each day and we try to put God first as much as possible. He is the fountain of our "love".

Serving God 11:25 PM

I am so happy to receive an anniversary card from my parents today. Although it is a little late but it completely made my day. In the card, they recalled so many tidbits of experience with us from their first visit since Lois and I got married 12 years ago till their latest visit in 2007. Although we only spent very very little time together, we treasure every moments.

God blessed me with wonderful parents who really understands me and give me the opportunity to explore and walk with God even though it means we have to live in two different ends of the world. It is amazing to see how God brought me closer to my folks by being so far away.

One of the coolest thing is that we all serve God in different ways. My dad is leading 2 churches in Hong Kong while doing mission works in China. My mom teaches Sunday School and be my dad's right hand. My brother and his girl friend are leading a youth group. Lois and I are leading varies groups and a FPU class while serving churches on media ministries and marketing. We often share our experiences and stories over the phone where we encourage each other, pray for each other. I think this is what being a Christian family is all about. (It took us years to get to where we are but it's worthy.)

God is our common thread, our core and our life support. We are all in peace knowing – we really are in good hands.

My Mac is Back 11:57 PM

After 6 days in the Apple Store waiting for repair due to a faulty video component, my baby (17 in MacBook Pro) is finally home. I feel like my arms just got reattached. It was alright to borrow Lois' MBP for a few days but I couldn't do projects as fast and everything just aren't the same. Isn't it interesting that we attached to our equipments so much.

In these recent years, I have developed such a close relationship with my computer equipments that whenever they have problems, my body got sick pretty much at about the same time. I thought it's psychological at first but then it happened over and over again. They are like my "extended body" now.

Faulty Me
Sometimes I feel like this is my relationship with Jesus. If I don't read the bible that day, or not doing the things that I am suppose to; I would have a very uneasy and weird feeling. (Holy Spirit must be trying to guide me back on course.) But one thing that I am sure of is that Jesus would feel much worse because of how much more He loves me than I did to my "extended body".

Through this experience, God teaches me not to be a "faulty component" but to take good care of myself and live according to His words. As 1 Corinthians 12:27 said, "Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body." (CEV)

Apostle Paul showed us the right perspective on life: " I honestly expect and hope that I will never do anything to be ashamed of. Whether I live or die, I always want to be as brave as I am now and bring honor to Christ. 21 If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more." (Phi 1:20, CEV)

Amen.

Unhappy Workers 11:44 PM

We went to a library to retrieve some information with a client today. The 5 minutes process took us almost 2 hours but what really surprised me were how unhappy everybody were (both volunteers and staffs, except the one receptionist who sat at the entrance). Although we were being treated unprofessionally, maybe a little disrespectfully; I couldn't help but feeling sorry for those people.

As a small business owner, I know how important it is to keep the morale of the company high. If the workers aren't happy, so would the customers; and unhappy customers would mean, needless to say, less businesses. But when I think deeper, the side-effect could impact each employee's personal and family lives as well.

God taught me about joy through this verse just now, "You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful." (Psalm 16:11, CEV)

Finding joy in life is not something we can earn. It's a gift from God but we have to open our hearts and minds to receive it also.

I pray that God will open their eyes and their minds to see "joy" and the love of Jesus Christ.

Behind An Award Winning Project 11:54 PM

Today I am excited & blessed to receive 2 Communicator Awards (the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for Communications Professionals) of a project. I remember vividly of the interesting story behind this project.

When this project first started, we were facing some tough challenges of rude criticism from one of the contributor of the client's side who looked down on us. (Being in the industry of over 20 years, I have never encounter anyone criticize my work that way.) Lois and I were very upset and unsettled at time because we knew what we were doing and we poured our hearts and minds to the project. We did not give up, we did not let this negativity get to us, instead we determined to use that as a driving force to make our design even better. We did more research, focus group survey and marketing studies, we poured in extra time to fine tune the design again and again. At the end, the client all give us the thumbs up to start production. But I didn't end there, I put more thoughts into the product even during production, coming up with new ways to present information, added extra features... All I was thinking about was to make a web site that would ultimately benefits my client in different ways. When the product launched, Lois and I not only relieved but also very proud of what we accomplished. And the clients? They were extremely happy with our work. I think they will be very excited when we tell them about this good news over the upcoming thank-you party as well.

Now when I look back at this process, I realized how important it is to be steadfast, to keep my cool, to have faith in Him with all my hearts. But more importantly, I now am in awe and very humble because of the faithfulness of my Lord and His grace upon me and Lois.

Psalm 109 said, "...When my enemies see me, they say cruel things and shake their heads ... I don’t care if they curse me, as long as you bless me ... You help everyone in need, and you defend them when they are on trial."

Botanical Garden 7:36 PM

Lois and I went to the Botanical Garden in the downtown of Oklahoma City today. Although it isn't at its best, we did enjoy the wonderful landscape and the awesome collection of cactus and succulents. They really are my favorite plants. Check out the 10-footer aloe on the right. For some reasons, these two species give me a very exotic out-of-space feel but more importantly, they remind me of the desert – the training places, testing ground of many bible stories. I must go through testing and trials in order to be fully trained and equipped so God can use me in ways to bring Him glory.

Walking through the green house reminds me of how much God likes gardening. He did create the garden of Eden after all. Oh and the first human profession: Not doctors or lawyers or teachers or scientist but simply gardener. "The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it." (Gen 2:15) A humble profession that God appreciates.

I have been taking close-up photography of variety of plants for a few years now. And I continue to be amazed of how attention to detail God is and how His creativity is beyond my wildest dreams. He truly care about His creation. How much more He cares about us?

12th Anniversary 11:59 PM

Today is my 12th anniversary with Lois. We are enjoying a short trip to OKC. We didn't have a hotel booked or any activities planned but God mysteriously lead us to a wonderful new hotel in Bricktown and we got a great price and a great room that overlook the ballpark as well. We had a nice dinner with the thickest steak we've tasted and got to watch a cool flick together in the biggest theater seating in town.

Isn't God wonderful. If we didn't follow His guidance and went to Frisco, we would have missed out all these gifts and fun that God had planned for us.

Lois and I didn't trade any gifts. At this stage, material things don't mean much to us anymore. She did wrote me a wonderful letter and my heart was completely melted. It's the most precious gift that I could hope for.

Lois is the most wonderful person that I know who cares for me so much. We are so different but yet so compatible in a way that is just hard to describe. She said in her letter, "our 12 years of relationship which started from excitement, passion and then steady and then being challenged. Now is so calm and sweet." The peace that we haven't had before. I can't describe it any better.

Through out this 12 years, God had granted us "forgiveness" when we do wrong to each other, He gave us "love" when we needed it, God gave us "grace" to love each other unconditionally.

We don't have much to give, but today, we want to give our marriage to God – to honor Him and to glorify Him. We look forward to how He leads us each day and how our marriage will continue to grow and thus our love.

Having Christ in our lives really aren't boring and constrained; He helps us to put to right perspective in life and learn the value of the purpose driven life. It's awesome. Otherwise, how would I deserve such a wonderful wife as Lois.

Honey, I thank you and I love you so much. You continue to "glow" in me. Happy 12th Anniversary!

Didn't Expect That 11:55 PM

I was excited to go onto a trip to Frisco Texas for the weekend to celebrate my 12th year anniversary with Lois. Lois stayed up very late last night to do research and find fun things to do while I was reading some books and trying to get some sleep.

9:30 – I choked myself awake, felt like vomiting. My body wasn't aching much but my head was spinning and felt horrible. After some hot water Lois gave me, I went back to sleep again. Lois went ahead to cancel the hotel booking.

1:30 – I felt much better and everything was almost packed. We went ahead to try to book the hotel again through Lois' computer, only found out that in order to get the good deal, we need to have the member's number which was in my computer. So I then turned on my Mac and then ... the unexpected happened. No display. The hard drive was working but the display card failed. I went to tell Lois about it and at that moment, we knew the trip wasn't meant to be.

To make the long story short, we took the sick Mac to the Apple Store to wait for it to fix up by next week.

We felt God had helped us along. The whole process began with us helping our friends to move yesterday and one thing lead to another. We are amazed of how each action causes another and somehow we are blessed to find out that the Mac was sick before the vacation then after we get back which will cause much more chaos in the office.

In know if it's many years ago, we would have been very upset that we couldn't go to the long planned vacation and the computer was broken down at the same time. Because of Him, we didn't get defeated by that but give thanks to God and had a nice and day with peace.

It's fantastic to have Jesus in my daily lives.

Fragile Body 11:34 PM

Lois and I helped a couple of friends to move tonight. Although it was not a large scale move but the weather was muggy. I was soaked and exhausted after the trip.

I have to admit that I have aged through the years, my years of office life and in-activities granted me the belly that I am ashamed to admit. But little did I know – my physical shape is much worse than I realized.

However, we are glad to be able to help someone. Isn't it what fellowship is all about?

God told me again that live is short and or body is just a temporary rental property which becomes more fragile through time (kinda like a flower). Like all things, it will decay and someday will return to dust.

How we use this property to really live a meaningful life, to do the right things (things that glorify God) are up to us. Don't waste it.

Turducken 11:26 PM

Today I went to a local meat market/restaurant to try out some "turducken" for lunch. I have heard about it for years now but always too busy to go there for lunch so Lois and I have decided to make a lunch meeting out of it so we have more motivation to go.

Much to my surprise, the store is neat and clean but the "turducken" couldn't live up to the hype. The piece was small yet the turkey and chicken were quite dry and not smooth in texture, and the duck was so little that I could hardly taste it. However, the disappointment quickly turned into enjoyment because the other foods were tasty and the deco of hundreds of Tabasco products really spice things up nicely. I haven't seen bottles of Tabasco that big (see photo). All in all, we had a nice lunch.

I remembered God told us to focus on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy..." (Phi 4:8, NIV); if we linger in the negative side of things, our anger would lead us to disappointments and frustrations.

There's always something for us to appreciate if we're willing to open our hearts and minds.

An Encouragement 11:45 PM

I have been telling Lois how tired and how worn out I am these days. Work is a never ending task, there's always a client is in a urgent need, some codes that doesn't work, a vendor who couldn't delivered, machines fail... My small business is not immune to these challenges. Luckily, I have enough experienced (pay my dues) so I am more prepared. But it also tears me down so much. Thank God for 2 Corinthians 4:16 "So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace."

What an encouragement! Just want I need. 

24X7 Together 11:27 PM

Unlike most couples, we live in the same house and work in the same place – days in days out for almost 5 years now. Yes, we sometimes drive each other nuts and gentleness is out-of-the door. But somehow we always believed that God intentionally put us together this way for a reason. Perhaps we can share our experience to help the other couples.

24 hours together is a training of "Perseverance" and it also give us an unique opportunity to accept each other, embrace each other completely. I must admit, this is no easy task and it's hard to explain until you experience it yourself.

When I work, I always put all my focus onto it regardless of what's happening around me. As a result, my wife "Lois" is the one who usually emotionally suffered because of my lack of attention to her. Lately, I realized something is changing inside of me; I pay more attention to her throughout the day and try to do little things to help her whether she notice it or not. I think it's the result of spending more time with the Lord and submit more of myself to Him. 

I have learned the treasure of "gentleness."

Today Lois said she missed me so I ask her to sit by my side coz I missed her too. (It's hard to imagine we work in the same place all the time but we still miss each other, but it's true.) She was very stressed out because of something so hard that she has to tackle and she has no confident of accomplish that. I encouraged her, "As long as you did all you can, it's alright to ask for help. Nobody knows everything. You have to persevere, don't let it weight your spirit down. When God sent someone to do something, He always provide help along the way, sometimes with wisdom and discernment, sometimes through another person." I am happy to see her smile again.

Without God's help, I wouldn't be able to gear my focus out of my intensive work to encourage Lois with my time, love and care. The verse, "I can do all things through God who strengthens me." (Phi 4:13) embed in my heart stronger once more. 

Perseverance 11:24 PM

My Men's Group was studying the Book of James tonight and came across the topic of "Perseverance." I have found this a very good topic. God taught me about "perseverance" by allowing me to choose things for myself while I was a teenager. I choose my career, the place I rented, the university I attended to ... The bigger my ambition was, the more I had to endure in order to achieve the goal. I had to work on everything but sometimes, life loves to throw us curve balls. It's cool if someone gets your back but this isn't always the case. You have to face the challenge by yourself sometimes, but I know I was never alone. Jesus was with me. Even in my darkest hours, I have found rest and peace in Him. I was afraid to go to face another day but Jesus allows me to hide in His shelter. He lets me. My moment of weakness taught me to depend on Jesus, to totally trust Him. I looked back now and realized those times of perseverance built a better character out of me so I can be a tool to make His name glorified.

I finally completed my photography site (chrislophotography.com) today – beefed up & beta out. It was many hours of painstaking work and am very tired but I did it. "Perseverance" at work is just as important as in lives. I encourage you to give it a try.

My Turkey Leg 11:45 PM

I have moved to Tulsa for 11 years now and have never been to The Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. Today my little life group took a little trip to visit this castle (our first outing). The weather was nice and we got to do some casual browsing and watching some falcon performances. It was relaxing and fun. The most commenting are actually the people who works there, they are extraordinary nice and with professionalism that surpass many big theme parks. 

Turkey Leg

For me, I encountered a never-before seen experience. As many of you know, "turkey leg" is a very popular food item in the Renaissance Festival. Lois and I ordered one each to chow down 

as our lunch, but while I was working 1/3 of the way, I discovered the middle part of the turkey was still kind of cold so I took the turkey back to the food stand and see if I can have it heated up or a replacement. The lady took my turkey leg and gave me a beef eater sandwiches, all my money back and a new turkey leg on top of that! I totally didn't expect that. Of course, I wasn't mad to begin with but my heart was completely melted with their nice gesture.

This experience reminds me of how Jesus taught me to be nice to others. And now, I realized "nice" can have many different levels. I hope we all can do something nice to others, to encourage one and other, to love one another and perhaps to melt someone's heart once in awhile.

Rocking Lounge 11:06 PM

Today is a special day because we got out of the house and did something different. We went to check out MayFest after church and dine out in Texas Road House with a little shopping in Targets. It's a pretty good feeling to not work during weekend (it's a luxury for me.) 

People go to MayFest to check out different arts and crafts from around the nation. One of the very creative thing that we saw was a "rocking lounge". This craftsmen took the concept of rocking chair to a totally different level. As you can see in the photo, it's like a ride you find in the amusement park, the whole family can site together and enjoy a cool drink in a hot summer day while the whole set can rock back and forth. (comes with a price tag of almost $3,000 though)

The creativity reminds me of something that I was reading a few days ago. 

We know God creates the beautiful world  (Romans 1: 20-21), but not many people talked about what Jesus created. Ah ... He was a carpenter for a number of years before He started to preach in different cities. I would think Jesus would appreciate that rockin' lounge. Jesus also very good at creating stories, check out the plenty of parables in the gospels. But I think the grandest of them all, is the creation of invisible bridge that fill the gap between mankind and God. So we all can have a chance to have eternal life. My Lord Jesus is quite an architect I must add. Wouldn't you agree?

Doing The Right Thing 11:12 PM

If you are a designer or a photographer like me, you would understand one of the hardest thing to do is to keep up with your own web site. I guess we are so overly critical of our works and tried to cook it to perfection requires a lot of time and energy. While we have business to conduct, projects to finish, administrative work to take care of; we always push the task of web update to the "very back-burner". It's not a good feeling because we know it is the right thing to do (afterall, we've all heard the phrase – we can't afford not to.) It's our responsibility.

I have been trying to update my photography web site for several years now. So I finally collect all my energy and courage to give that a shot. I put everything else on hold and dive into it. After many hours, I finally pushed my new (beta) web site (www.chrislophotography.com) out today and felt very relieved. Although I didn't make a dime for the hard work but I did accomplish something.

This experience reminds me of something that Jesus taught me. The value of doing the right thing is not measurable by cost / money. If Jesus decided to have a career as a public speaker, or a motivational expert, He would have been very successful and make lots of money. But He values the opposite of "fame" and "fortune". He choose to do the right thing instead and He knows that it's worthy in God's eye and that alone is enough.

I want to continue to seek His will and do the right thing. I think Jesus would like that.

Joyce Meyer Conference 2009 11:26 PM

Lois and I went to the Joyce Meyer Conference 2009 in Tulsa tonight. It was a fantastic event. Great worship, Delirious? was there performing their new songs (& we sang our heart out); great preaching from Joyce on "Obedience". It's a spirit filled evening. Many stood up to accept Christ to be born again, including a mid-age couple who sat behind us. So Lois and I touched his arm as we prayed together. Hallelujah! Thank you Joyce & Delirious?

I didn't know what would be in store for us on tonight's preaching but it turned out to be perfect for me. I have been studying/researching the subject of "discipleship" this year and a huge part of it involves "obedience". I'm just amazed once again how God feed me spiritually. It's so unpredictable and full of surprises especially in unexpected circumstances. He ties my encounters with scriptures to tell me how alive the Word really is.

Here are some highlights of what I've received tonight:

Radical in Obedience

God intends us to obey. If we do what He says, we'll be able to live the good, joyful and fulfilled life God promises us. But we have to be straight with God first, to make peace with Him. 

I have learned that when I totally give myself to Him, I am able to allow God to anoint me with gifts so we can shine. Deuteronomy 6:23-24 told us to keep His commandments for our own good. Sometimes I'm doing things, good or not so good things, from the wrong motives; the right motive is more important because God looks into my heart of who I really am, not anybody else. 

Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8 said, "Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous – possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!" (AMP)  I have to to guard my heart from "the sin of pride - moral pride, spiritual pride, the sin of self-righteousness" because the closer I get to God, the more I realize I am nothing without Him, all the blessings are from Him. God promotes people with the right character with the right heart.

Grace is not Cheap

Grace isn't an excuse to live a sloppy life. There must be a better way then to continue the cycle of sinning and forgiving. I now realized God gives me the "grace" so I can resist temptations and live a holy life that glorify Him.

I will start by paying more attention on the little things, such as saying "I'm sorry" first to my wife regardless of who's right or wrong. Making peace in the house is far more holy and win an argument.

Once I can handle the small things correctly, then God can put me onto bigger things.

I remembered an intense discussion in my Men's group in regards to why care if God's going to forgive us. The fact is: God forgives us if we ask Him but sin still has punishment. Grace doesn't relief us from the penalty of wrong doing. Don't we want to settle for sin and forgiveness so we can move onto deeper walk with Christ?

Mercy & Just

Quite often we remember God is "merciful" but forget He is also "just."

 "Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit." (John 15:1, AMP) The more I know, the more responsibility I have to bear or I will open the door wide for the enemy.

As Joyce said, "Let's us get rid of excuses and get radical to live for God's glory." Amen.

I thank God tonight.