Recently I read a study about the relationship between gratitude and longevity that involved thousands of participants over a long period of time. It showed that those who experienced gratitude tend to live longer than those who did not experience gratitude. Further, the study showed that those who experienced gratitude tend to have a better physical and emotional well-being. And one of the groups that was identified with a high level of gratitude was the religious folks. Well, it is nice to know that gratitude pays off.
The Bible is replete with the admonishment to be grateful to God; one of the places where we can find it is in Philippians, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (4:6-7). It is so easy to be distracted by life’s problems that we often miss seeing all the good God has given us and done in our lives. We can’t get rid of the problems we are facing by wiping them off our minds. What the Bible teaches us to do it to pray about everything, to bring everything to God’s attention, and “thank Him for all He has done.”
In her book, My Lord, What A Morning, Marian Anderson, the first African American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, writes that she cannot remember “a single complaint” from her mother who worked as a cleaner in a store; she’s always thankful. Marian grew up to be like her mother; she was humble and grateful for her gifts, and she always attributed her success to God, not her doing, as testified in the book’s foreword by her nephew, James Anderson Depreist, who himself was a world-renowned conductor. One humble and thankful mother bred one humble and thankful daughter, who later bred one humble and thankful nephew.
Pastor Paul
This week two people that I knew from my middle school years passed away: a classmate and a classmate’s mother. My classmate reportedly did not even know that she was sick until it was too late. Within months she succumbed to her disease and died. The mother of my classmate fell but, in the hospital, she developed an infection and within days, she passed on. I always remember my classmate as a hardworking student; she was friendly and helpful. The mother of my classmate was also friendly and welcoming; even though we hung out a lot at her home, she never complained. She smiled a lot.
In his book, A Time For Being Human, Eugene Kennedy writes, “We need to remember that our most important gifts to each other are on a small scale . . . . all those small occasions, small moments, and even small talk in which we can find and celebrate life together.”
Those who have lost their loved ones will tell us that is true. What they remember about their loved ones are not big moments or grand celebrations but rather small moments and celebrations. So, give each other these small gifts; they are the most important gifts we can give. Do not try to make a big impact; leave that to God.
A church is a place for small moments. Every week we come, we do the same thing: we worship, we fellowship. Some of us stay longer for choir rehearsal. No big moments, the same routine week in and week out, but through these small moments we get to know God and each other better. And through these small moments, if we are open to looking within, we will also get to know ourselves better.
In the same book, Eugene Kennedy reminds us that we all have a story to tell. The question is, then, “What story am I telling?” Is it science fiction tales, or stories we wish were true? The precious gifts we can give to others is the real stories of our lives with God.
Pastor Paul
Oom Anton Tan told me a story that made me chuckled. The other day while he was at a donut shop, he spotted an old lady. Wanting to be friendly as he walked by her, he greeted her, “Good morning.” The old lady looked up and warmly reciprocated the friendly gesture by exclaiming, “Happy New Year!” I guess we will never find out what went wrong: the hearing or the thinking. Or maybe both. 😊
We don’t always hear or think correctly; God knows that, and we should know that, too. It is for that reason we need one another. Salvation is personal; it must come from a personal awareness of our need for God’s grace and forgiveness. Spiritual growth is not personal; it can only happen if we live with one another in a close community. We can only grow if we listen to and learn from one another. Together we spur one another and discern God’s will.
In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster comments on the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst of them.” He says, “There was the assurance that when a people genuinely gathered in His name, His will could be discerned. The superintending Spirit would utilize the checks and balances of the different believers to insure that when their hearts were in unity, they were in rhythm with the heartbeat of the Father . . . . His will plus their will plus unity equaled authority.” God’s works are best done together.
It is in the body, where different parts are recognized and in full operation, where checks and balances are not only welcome but also put into practice, the will of God will be revealed and discerned correctly. So, it is OK to say “Happy New Year” even when it is still July because what counts is the thought and the joy of saying hello. Afterall, what God blesses is not the greeting itself but the greeter.
Pastor Paul
There are times when we think how much better and manageable life would be if we had known what was to come. If we had known that something awful was to happen, we would have at least been more prepared. But I am not sure that I agree with this logic all the time. Yes, there are times when I wished that I had known certain things before they happened but looking back, I must also say that if I had already known everything that was to happen, I would have been paralyzed by fear much more so than more prepared.
In his book, Hearing God, Dallas Willard writes, “In faith also we come very slowly to appreciate what is happening to us.” He argues that there is a good reason for God not to reveal everything to us and that we must struggle to understand it. He explains that it is in the process of struggling that “we grow to the point where we can appropriate and assimilate the content of truth as it becomes clear.” The chances are, if we had known or understood everything, “we would not have had the courage to proceed.” By making us go through the struggle, God is preparing us for what is to come.
Two of my colleagues in the Bible school where I teach are now not only retired from teaching, but they are also retired from thinking. One is already fully demented while the other is half-way there. The other day I spoke with him and his wife over the phone. He can still answer me whenever I ask him but that is how far our conversation goes. He can no longer tell a story or explain anything; his answers are limited to one or two words, “Yes, no, thank God.” I told him that he’s one of my favorite preachers and that I learned to unearth the spiritual treasures of the Bible from him. Now he is fading away.
We do not know what will become of us and we need not know it. When the time comes, we’ll be ready because God has prepared us.
Pastor Paul
The story in the Book of Esther takes place during the dark period of Israel. Because of their disobedience to God, they no longer live in the Promised Land; instead, they live in a foreign land, Media Persia, now the country of Iran. In this book we can read how God uses Mordecai and his cousin, Esther, to deliver Israel from annihilation schemed by the king’s right-hand man, Haman. What is interesting about this book is that we cannot find the word “God” in the entire book. We can only find the act of God, how He saved His people.
To me, the Book of Esther mirrors that which takes place in the lives of all God’s people. We do not always get to hear His voice, but we can always see His act—how He walks before us to prepare what is to come, how He walks beside us to lend support when we need it most, and how He lives in us to whisper His promises and His love.
The fact that the name of God is not even mentioned doesn’t mean that it is omitted. It is not mentioned because in a deeply intimate relationship between God and His people, both are already present in each other’s heart. We are in His heart, and He is in our hearts.
At the age of nine, C. S. Lewis lost his mother; she died from cancer. Years later, reflecting on his loss, Lewis poignantly writes, “With my mother’s death all settled happiness, all that was tranquil and reliable, disappeared from my life. There was to be much fun, many pleasures, many stabs of Joy; but no more of old security. It was sea and islands now; the great continent had sunk like Atlantis.” The loss of someone who is so close and so beloved takes so much of us that each day we live, we still feel the loss. There is no need to say the name because the person is still here, in our heart. God is not there; He is here, in our hearts. Sometimes words are necessary to convey what is in our hearts but not always. More than knowing, He also feels what we feel, and He has already acted. We will see it.
Pastor Paul
In the Bible we can only find one incident in which a father cried over his son. It’s King David, who cried over the death of his son, Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33). He wished it were he who had died in stead of his son. It’s an expression of regret for not doing more to prevent the family’s mayhem from happening. Had he been more decisive to Amnon for raping Tamar, full sister of Absalom, maybe all this havoc would not have happened. Had he been fairer to his son and embraced Absalom after he returned from self-imposed exile after he avenged Tamar by killing Amnon, perhaps this great tragedy would have been averted. By wishing it were he who had died in stead of Absalom, David expressed his guilt. He could have and should have done more but he didn’t. He failed as a father.
Many men can relate to David. Many enjoy success in their careers, but many can’t say the same about their families, about their roles as fathers. Many of us carry this load of guilt for not doing enough or for doing what we should not. So, blessed is the man who can walk through life with his head up and hands down, who can say humbly that by the grace of God he has done what he should. He is like, “a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3). Please note that the psalmist is correctly describing a man who “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly” and whose “delight is in the law of the Lord.” Such a man, such a father is what the world—and the children—needs more than ever before.
If I may add, not only delights in the Lord, but also in his family. May this brief poem in Streams in the Desert remind us of what is truly important in life, “Measure your love by loss and not by gain, not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth. For love’s strength stands in love’s sacrifice, and he who suffers most has most to give.
Pastor Paul
Eighty-years ago last Thursday, June 6, began the military operation to liberate France and Western Europe from Nazi occupation. That day is known as D-Day, the day when thousands upon thousands of Allied Forces landed on the beach of Normandy, France. Out of the more than 150 thousand Allied soldiers who landed and fought, ten thousand died. This week some of those soldiers who are still alive went back to Normandy; and some went back for the first time. The oldest is 104; the youngest is 98, barely eighteen years of age, then.
Watching the commemoration and the interview, I cried. There was one thing that I noticed during the interview: None focused on self, they all talked about what they, as soldiers, did. One summed it well that it was something that had to be done and they just got it done. No fanfare, no self-adulation. One of them even said that he was so touched that people still remembered it and even appreciated them for what they did eighty years ago. They’re called heroes, but none called themselves heroes. They’re simply soldiers’ doing their jobs.
There were a couple of takeaways that I’d like to share with you. The first is the tombs of unknown soldiers in the military cemetery in Normandy. The epitaph written on the cross reads, “A comrade in arms. Known to God.” Perhaps they’re so badly disfigured that no one could identify them. They were unknown to men, but they were always known to God. What an assurance for us even today; we’re always known to God, no matter how badly disfigured we are.
The second takeaway is what one of the veterans said, “Freedom is not free.” The words took my breath away. To liberate the 50-mile stretch of land, over ten thousand lives were lost, just from one side of the battle. Freedom is costly and that includes freedom from sin. It cost God the life of His Only Son. The cross is Heaven’s D-Day.
Pastor Paul
We finally took Oliver our dog to the vet last Wednesday. After saying goodbye to him, we released him and within minutes, he was no longer with us. He was 17 years old or over 90 years of human age. The doctor affirmed our decision to let him go especially after he had episodes of seizure, indicative of brain tumor. The doctor explained that at this age, Oliver could no longer see or hear, and that the only language he understood was touch. He knew that we loved him when we touched and held him. That’s his last language.
Words are important and necessary to convey how much we care for someone. However, after a certain age, neither can we hear nor read words of love. At that advanced age, the only language we can understand is touch. When someone holds us lovingly, we know we are loved. When someone holds us roughly and impatiently, we know we are not loved. At the end of life, when we can neither hear nor read, smell, and taste, we’ll be blessed if we are held with love.
Last Wednesday our sister Shinta underwent surgery. Before she went in, we—her two children and I—prayed for her. While talking, I told her children that I could see how much they love their mother. In response, they said that it was their mother who first loved them. They are simply giving back what their parents have given them. Hearing that I was reminded of a simple truth: love breeds love. We who love will be loved; we who hold will be held, even till we’re old.
Henri Nouwen was deeply inspired by Rembrandt’s painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son, but the part of the painting that affected him the most was the drawing of the father’s hands’ touching the boy’s shoulders. Not only did he accept his son back, but he also touched him with his hands. That is how God expresses His love to us when words aren’t adequate. He just reaches out and touches us.
Pastor Paul
Jessy was introduced to Santy and me by a physician friend of ours more than a decade ago while she was seeking treatment here in Los Angeles. At the time she was in her late 20s, looking as healthy as anybody in that age group but inside, there’s this chronic disease called multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord, causing permanent damage to the nerves.
By the grace of God, she is doing remarkably well and continues to lead an active life. In the last couple of years, she has spoken about the disease on a variety of forums to raise awareness of the disease.
This past week Jessy was back for a medical check-up, so Santy and I had the opportunity to meet with her again. In almost everything she said, she always mentioned about the grace of God, and how God had been good to her. She also shared with us her motto in life that had guided her through this journey of living with MS which she summed up in 4 G: Grace, Gratitude, Grit, and Gift. Throughout this journey she has experienced God’s grace, for that she is deeply grateful. But living with MS also requires her to be strong, to have grit, and not to give up on life. Lastly, she chooses to see life, even this disease, as a gift. Hearing this last part made me pause.
It is one thing to accept one’s condition of chronic degeneration but is another thing to see it as a gift. She told us that once she saw it as a gift from God, she could trust God, that He’s in control of it and of her life. She can now rest in Him. This reminds me of Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” The secret place of God is fully trusting Him, so, we who put our trust in God fully will be able to rest in Him fully, knowing that He is near, so near that His shadow is over us. That is Jessy’s secret; a secret that she is eager to share with others. Jessy lives fully because she sees life simply as a gift.
Pastor Paul
The Gospel of John is unique, in that there are stories about Jesus that cannot be found in other Gospels, such as the story of Jesus’ turning water into wine in a wedding (John 2), the meetings of Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3), and Jesus and the Samaritan woman in Sychar (John 4). Another one that can only be found in the Gospel of John is the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8).
John tells us that the incident takes place at the Temple while Jesus is teaching. The scribes and the Pharisees cannot pick a better time and place to put Jesus on the spot. They claim that she was caught in the act but what is strange is that they cannot even produce the man who was supposed to be in the same act. They then ask Jesus what He will do to her, citing the Mosaic Law that requires such an act to be punished by stoning. Instead of answering them, Jesus stoops down and writes on the ground with His finger, quietly.
We do not know what He wrote. One Bible commentator believes that He listed all the sins that these accusers had committed. I think differently. I believe what He wrote was exactly what He later said to them, ”He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” I believe if what He wrote were different from what He later said, He would have said it because whatever it was, it must be important for them to hear. I believe that initially He did not wish to say it out loudly; hence, He just wrote it on the ground. But since they still stood there and refused to budge, He’d to say it to them.
To me this explanation is consistent with the way God deals with us when we sin. There are times He calls us out loudly but in general He just whispers or writes on the ground for us to read it. He does not like to make noises when He warns us or calls us to repent. So, read His writing and walk away from sin; do not harden our hearts.
Pastor Paul