I Saw That It Was Good

God created and saw that it was good. We waited, listened, groaned and saw that it was good.

"The wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?" -Ecclesiastes 8:5-7

The chapter ended with "then I saw all the work of God" that nobody could find it out or even under the sun.

A man may not know what is to come. But when everything came according to God's will, he saw that it was good! He understood that his brain is like a mustard seed compared to His. Now the man yearned for more of the unknown.

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Under One God

God has established the first people group, after the fall of mankind, after He rescued them from a 400 years promise of being sojourners in a land that is not theirs since Isaac's birth. He called the people group "Israel" and He said, "you shall be my people and I shall be your God."

It doesn't end here because Israel didn't live a "happy ever after" in promiseland. They knew from experiences that they will continue to struggle to live under one true God in harmony. There are 12 tribes within Israel. They got their cities and pasturelands allotted to them. The people of Gad, the people of Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh were given the land on the other side of the Jordan, apart from the rest. The Jordan is like a boundary between them given by the Lord. Out of the fear of the rejection, they built an altar not for sacrifices but for rememberance of their one God.

The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” http://bible.us/Josh22.34.NKJV

We belong to one God as one Church.

Did we forgot that any true patriots shall sing this, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Indeed, "under God" was added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954 not 1892 when it was first written. But our congressmen created the rememberance of their one God within the boundary apart from Englishmen.

We live in one nation under one God.

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The Spirit of Alzheimer

All of us have some trace of the spirit of Alzheimer in us. We have the tendency to wander away from the Father whom we love due to our busyness.

Whenever we are too busy, we tend to forget things due to the stress. Whenever we began to forget things, we may begin to joke about having Alzheimer's disease. Whenever we joked, we ignored the fact that our busyness caused us to forget although it is temporary. After that, we grabbed some rest to recover and continue.

The study doesn't discover the source of Alzheimer 's disease yet. But it shows that anybody can get it at 30's, 40's, 50's, or 60's. It doesn't happen at an old age. We don't know if our busyness and stress caused the disease, but our body and mind eventually wear out as we aged. So Alzheimer may sneak upon you unaware. However I don't want us to focus on the disease of Alzheimer, but the spirit of it.

In the holy passion, we may do many things daily. We wanted to be those productive vessels. However, in our busyness, we are proned to leave a bit of dust on the Bible, our favorite prayer spot, or even in our heart. We felt that it was unnecessary to wipe off a bit of the dust until it gets thicker or until it sneak upon you unaware.

There are some churches or individuals with the spirit of Alzheimer out there that were once on fire for God. Once.

I want to be like Caleb. For at 85 years old, he still believed that he could possess the land as he did when he was 45.

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Relational Exhaustion

"Our family knows us well. They know our dark side. They know our failures. Teresa's family knew she was sarcastic. They knew she had a biting sense of humor. But they had grown used to it. As it had developed over the years, they learned to tune it out. They had come to anticipate her comments. It's not that her mother really liked that side of Teresa, but she had grown numb to it. In fact, she often didn't even notice her daughter's occasional tirades." -Simple Small Groups

It is challenging for us all to be everlastingly direct with one another in love. We may be afraid of conflicts. Or we may feel exhausted from many conflicts in the past. Thus we may become numb to those problems that we forgot that God has called all of us to love one another even though those conflicts. Jesus told Peter that he has to feed the sheep if he loved Jesus. Peter didn't understand at the time. But Jesus knew. Jesus encouraged Peter through his questions, he conflicted Peter. "Do you love me?" That was so direct! Peter was offended, but he grew from it! Jesus then told Peter, "Feed my sheep". He also redefined Peter's definition of love.

What about our discipleship?

Are we being direct with our disciples? Do we ask them some difficult questions or conflict them when no one would do it?
-"Hey, that joke had worn us all out. Let's have a real chat."
-"How about trying to find a solution to your complaints?"
-"Hey please email me next time."
-"You may need to get out of the shell first."

They need our feedbacks to improve their social skills. We would be abandoning our call to disciple those people or be discipled by them if we don't help one another to mature. We need to be able to create a stronger bond within the circle by setting some boundaries and some depth.

Jesus didn't leave Peter alone with the surfaced definition of love.

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Inclusive Church: Karoke Program & Other Resources

St. Clair Shores Deaf Church in Detroit, Michigan presented various resources that created an inclusive church. Pastor Ron Dettloff obviously had used up all of his 31 years of experience as an interpreter and a pastor. He started his ministry in 1980. I saw the evidence of warmth between him and congregation and between Deaf interpreters and Deaf blind.

Everything seemed so natural to them. I saw a lot of laughter and laughed myself. I quickly compliment the body of Christ on the platform when I was asked to present my testimony and my ministry. My uncle and aunt had beforehanded spread the rumors about my visit, thus they asked me to share so I did. He then shared my compliment as a great example of edifying others not self in his sermon. In Proverb 30:32 it says that it is foolish for us to lift ourselves up. So as a guest there I complimented the church and then the church complimented me. That's the blood flowing!

With that flowing blood, I believe that this church strived to include everyone, including two Deaf blind and people with the inability to read. I saw the members rotating naturally to interpret for the Deaf blind without anybody scheduling the rotation. I saw the members signing the music by reading the red-colored lyrics syncing the voices from the CD that were created through the Karoke program. I saw some members, with or without the inability to read, volunteered to sign the signwriting (www.signwriting.org/about/what) verses to us. I saw that I am a guest among the Body of Christ feeling at home. That's the blood flowing!

Now I look forward to visit another church in another state, Wisconsin, this Friday as a guest, who might get on the platform once again due to a rumor of a guest speaker, before returning to DC.

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Crazy Red-Eye Greyhound Trip

KoI've had a red-eye flight. A red-eye train. But never a crazy red-eye Greyhound trip until two nights ago. The trips were Milwaukee to Chicago and then Chicago to Flint, Michigan with 1.5 hours of layover.

I may have forgotten some of my "refusing skill" out of respect. Thus I've accepted few helps at different times. What a mistake! Or was it a wonderful learning opportunity? Two black basketball player looking guys each began to talk to me. One at the beginning of the trip in the back and one at the end when I changed my seat into the front. They would talk nicely at the beginning and then start to ask for text number, and then say things like "You are beautiful", "I like you", "I will pray for your ears and you pray for my imperfection", "You broke my heart" and even "Well, you will never know! You could marry me!" Blah! He simply tried to convince me to share my number!

How did I respond?
I said a thank you. I refused to share my text number. But when a guy mentioned that he will pray for me, acting holy as he took his worn-out pocket Bible out, I turned my offense light on. Instead of nodding, I took out my pen and paper to share Exodus 3:10-12 with him. For even God created the Deaf and had His purposes for them on the earth, so please don't try to pray for my deafness to go away unless WE know that it's God's will.

My politness wasn't enough. He continued. Yet, there is another option than being mean or being a cold-shoulder to him. Even with his flattering, I showed him another way for a short time. But this test came negative, so the talk had to end. I began to nod at his nagging comments and get into my book. No divine opportunity for this trip.

Let us look into the biblical options:
-Acts 13:50-51 says that the Jews stirred up against Paul and Barnabas, but they shook off the dust and went into other city to be filled with the Spirit and joy.
-Genesis 19:9-11 says that the men pressed hard as Lot passively tried to change their mind with his daughters without cutting them off, but the angels took Lot back before he gave his daughters to them and shut the door, and then they blinded the wicked men.
-Luke 9:54 says that James and John wanted to aggressively call for the fire from the heaven to destroy the people who didn't welcome Jesus.

I could talk to anyone, even those big men (in public where it is safe to do so). But when time wasted away as they wanted the thing that we cannot give, we got to turn away in a Christ-like manner.

We don't need to be passive Christians who allowed them to push us. Yet we don't need to express our unChrist-like attitudes to turn them away. BUT we can shake the dust off and get out or turn away. Neither we accept their attacks nor try to attack them.

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Jungle Jim's

My friend took me to a food shopping at Jungle Jim's at Cincinnati, Ohio. It was A-to-Z grocercy! In fact I found several new items to purchase such as buffalo cheese and ghost chilli. We also had several adventures within the grocercy!

First, we went into the tricky construction portable toilet. I posed for a fun picture before my friend went into one. As I waited for her, I noticed that a guy came in as two other guys came out. I was befuddled. How could two guys fit in when one came in before they came out? Then I decided to enter where my friend entered and ended up in a hallway toward restroom area. Duh me! I didn't have to wait. It was hilarious.

After that, my friend asked me if we should purchase a wine. I wondered why. She led me toward wine cellars. Awkward. I looked at them. Okay... She told me to look at them again. I laughed. The price tag said $4999.99 for one wine and Priceless for another. They are the rarest wine. I was glad that she was kidding.

Our last adventure was trying to find a treasure. We hurried pass several aisles. She began to slow down. I began to look up, sideways and forward. I knew that her change of pace meant something. She began to touch some items. I searched for any unique items that might led me to treasure. She waited. I searched. Finally she told me to look up. Viola, there it is! Its a mini cave full of treasures. Thus our adventure ended. We left rich!

Go to Jungle Jim's International Food Market!

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The Counterfeit Miracle

It is easy for us to settle down with something that seemed like a miracle. This seemingly-like-a-miracle is a trap. It blocked the true blessings from God. This very thing often came when we are in the urgent need of something. We are quick to receive a blessing that doesn't come from God. A counterfeit blessing may come in a form of a job, a relationship, a roommate, a project or anything else that we possess.

Why did we settled with the counterfeit blessings?
We often forgot to inquire God. We saw that those things came when we radically obeyed God. We forgot to ask Him if there is anything better coming in our way than those. So we assumed that we had to receive the counterfeit blessing in faith although our holy guts gently whispered us not to.

Does receiving the counterfeit blessing cause us to lose our blessings?
It may block the flow of blessings until we discerned the problem. We will have to purge it out before the blessings come. A lot of biblical history indicated that the kings and leaders had to destroy idols or sins, the counterfeit blessings, among the people before God may pour down the blessings.

You may need to say no because your holy guts say so.

"In quietness and in trust shall be your strength." Is30:15

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Mario Cheers in Clouds

On the airplane, I happened to observe the outstanding set of clouds. I've never seen the likes of it before. They were sturdy and firm. I saw a bison, which later turned into a snake as the plane moves. I also saw the Mario in a clear form cheering as it would in a video game! Or is it Wario?

It doesn't matter who it was. All I cared was seeing them. His beautiful nature revelations. Mario was cheering with his right arm up high. I certainly wished that there was a companion or even a stranger sitting next to me to witness that speculative cloud! Too bad, nobody was sitting next to me. Blame me for selecting the seat that way. So I grabbed my phone, too bad the battery is dying, preventing me from taking a picture. All I can do is to fix my eyes upon that cloud and savour the image.

After that, I thought of Amanda. She once shared the fun facts with the staff when she newly joined the NCC staff team. Unfortunately, she stopped doing that for a while. I believed that she shared something about Mario as her first fun fact on the team! Rad!

So today our speculative Mario cloud cheered toward Airtran flight #701. And then it ascended. Sometimes things come and go just like how the farmers changed the crops in the land and gave a rest to the portion of the land.

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God is the Virgin Mystery

"But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately." Num 31:18

I found it odd that God kept only those young girls who are virgins, not even any young men. I don't think that our God is an old fashioned God. He is the Alpha and Omega fashioned God.

What did He meant by keeping those young virgin girls?

I believe that those girls symbolized the Mysteries. It is not that those girls are the apple of His eyes, but they illustrated something. Once we died to our old selves, we were rebirthed by the Spirit, we turned into the young virgin girls in His eyes. It doesn't matter to Him if we are physically virgins or not before we get married or as we continued to be a single. Leave our old pasts here and change for the future. But it matters to Him if we are spiritually virgins as the follower of Christ.

He, the Virgin Mystery, wanted us to unveil Him a little by little, not all at once. He challenged us to pursue Him out of love. In the end we will see that He is romantic. He didn't intend to give us a hard time with the controlled revelations. We all love surprises, but hated to wait for them. Waiting will be worthy of your time.

In the same way, we may romantically give our friends, our family or our relationship a controlled revelations.

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Personality Type Invalid

As I prepare for a meeting in Ohio with Deaf Teen leaders, I took out my MBTI personality test results, which I took twice in my life. One in my freshmen year of college and one in the end of my college years. Eventually, my results differ.

Why did my results differ? Will it also differs when I take a MBTI test today?

Yes I believe that my result will differ. In fact, it's been a year or two since I stopped wearing a watch, by the leading of the Spirit I believe. In both results, I am very judgmental, I like to be on time and to time myself as I run. Thus my results were ISFJ and ENTJ. I was on the borderline for both I & E and F & T. While my points for J was reduced in my 2nd test. N & S is simply playing a trick on me. Actually, I am playing a trick with myself when I am following God. Thus the result will eventually differs.

What will my result may look like today?
I believe that I may be less judgemental and more of a feeler based on the increase in flexibility. Indeed, some of my friends asked me if I made some decisions according to my feelings. I'm like, "No, I believe that the Spirit is leading me into those decisions, for I am a thinker". I suspected that with God, I looked more like a feeler.

God isn't a one-sided ISFJ nor ENTP, but an omniscient God.

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Patterns Repeated

Two years ago, I had two sleepless nights about those three things: give up Deaflympics, move out into a new place, and cancel my graduate school plans. So I went ahead and did those things before someone told me about Protege program. So I applied and got on the program. I grew a lot from the obedience.

This year, I had the similar pattern within a week or two. It appears to me that I've given up my motorcycle, applied for a new place on July, and this morning I felt the urge that I had to cancel the trip to Guatemala. What is going on?

I don't know, but it must be a pattern-scheme. Okay Honey, I will do whatever You want me to do. Hubby and wiffy thingy, up there and down here.

But our Hubby promised to lay down for us, so we had to wait in faith to see what He will do.

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