LifeChurch

The CEO of a large corporation invited a number of guests to a very famous restaurant.  All six people ordered the same steak for the dinner.

Near the end of the dinner, the CEO told his personal assistant, “I would like to see the chef.  It has to be the chef and not the manager or the owner.”

When the personal assistant noticed that the CEO left the half of his steak, he was worried what might happen next.  Nonetheless, the assistant told the manager that the CEO is requesting to see the chef and also hinted him that the CEO didn’t finish his dinner.

Hearing the news, the chef was very nervous and concerned, especially knowing who this man was.

The chef approached the CEO and asked, “Is there anything wrong with the steak, sir?” with a shaky voice.

“Oh, no!  Not at all!  You are a great chef!  I really enjoyed the steak dinner tonight” the CEO answered and he continued, “I am eighty years old and I don’t have the appetite as I used to.  Therefore, I couldn’t finish the steak.  The reason I wanted to see you is that I was concerned that you would worry about the half steak left on my plate.  You might wonder why I didn’t finish the dinner and even blame yourself for it.  I just wanted to make sure that you know it wasn’t your cooking.”

This is a story about, Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic Corporation.  He is known as an expert in management.

1 Peter 2:18 says, “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate but also to those who are harsh.”  However, it would be easier to submit to someone who is considerate and caring as Mr. Matushita.

May we be considerate and other-centered this week as we show the love of Christ.  Have a blessed week!  ^_^

A story is told in Talmud about 3 friends.

One day a king sent a messenger to a man to get ready to appear before the king.  The man was in fear and unease about the order to appear; so he decided to request his friend to accompany him.

This man had three friends: the first friend was closest of three and the man was very fond of him.  The second friend was close but not as close as the first friend.  The third friend was just not a close friend and he didn’t pay much attention most of the time.

The man asked the first friend since he is closest but he refused the request without any explanation.  Thus, the man asked second friend and his friend said that he will only accompany him to the front of the palace.  A bit depressed, the man asked the third friend.  However, the third friend happily agreed and told him that he will speak well to the king when he can.

The king in this story represents GOD and appearing before the king symbolizes DEATH.  In other words, this story is an allegorical lesson of what will accompany a man when his life ends on this earth.

The man’s first friend is MONEY.  We are closest to money and fond of it.  We like it, we want it, and we can never have enough of it, but we can’t take it with us.

The second friend is FAMILY.  When a person dies, his family will accompany him to the entrance but no farther.

The third friend is GOOD NEED.  We may have not been close and didn’t think of much when we were alive but this good deed will speak kindly of us to God. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

This story is just a little hint that we might want to be close to the “friend” who will accompany us all the way.  ^_^

It was in July, 1915 when the passenger cruise ship called SS Eastland rolled over while tied to a dock in the Chicago River and brought 844 deaths.

In midst of horrible tragedy, there were many heroic things that took place.  One in particular was by the man, Charles Williams, who happened to cross Clark Street Bridge when he saw what was happening.  He immediately jumped into the water and pulled people out one by one.  At times, he almost got drown because some people were grabbing unto him too tight.  At the end, he rescued 23 people and recognized as hero.

Years gone by while R. A. Torrey, an evangelist, was speaking at a church in Los Angeles, and he mentioned of this heroic Charles Williams and his risk in saving lives.  At the end of the service, a man approached Pastor Torrey and introduced himself as he is that man, Charles Williams.

Torrey asked him, “What do you remember the most of that event?”

Showing a bitter smile and Williams said, “Out of 23 people I have rescued, not a single person came and thanked me.  This is what I remember the most.”

This reminded me of the ten lepers who came to Jesus and got cleansed (Luke 17).  Out of 10, the Bible says, only one returned to thank Jesus.  Maybe the other 9 were planning to come back to thank Jesus, too, but out of sheer excitement, they forgot.

I wonder if we forget what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, in midst of our hectic schedule.  We should definitely slow down, pause, and thank God for His sacrificial love shown in His Son, especially the Passion Week and Easter approaching.

Don’t wait… let’s thank people around us who have been blessing to us.

A mother went to her son’s kindergarten parent-teacher conference.  The teacher told the mom that her son can’t even sit still for 3 minutes without getting distracted and move around.

On the way back home, the mother told her son, “Son, your teacher was impressed that you can sit still for 3 minutes when you couldn’t even for a minute before.  Others were very proud me for having you as my son.”

That day, the son ate really well on his own and without complaining about the food.

A time has gone by… the son was in elementary school and his mother was called for another parent-teacher conference.  The son’s teacher told her, “Your son isn’t doing too well.  You should consider giving some tests.”

She welled up in her eyes but she held them.  On the way back home, she told her son, “Son, your teacher believes in you.  You are not dumb and if you try just a little bit harder, then you could even surpass other students.”

The son’s face lightened up and from that day on, he acted more mature and responsible.

Years gone by… this son was in middle school.  Again in the parent-teacher conference, his core teacher said, “I think it is hard for your son to graduate from high school.”

When came back home, the mother told her son, “Your teacher thinks you can do well in high school if you try a litter bit harder.”

The son graduated from a high school with high GPA and he received the acceptance letter from an Ivy League.  On that day, he handed the acceptance letter to his mom and with tears in his eyes he said, “Mom!  I know I am not smart.  I also know that it is your love, patience, encouragement and believing in me made where I am today.  Thank you and I love you!”

I am so grateful for how my children are turning out and there is NOTHING I can take credit for.  It is all by God’s grace and how God has used my mistakes to make them who they are today.  One day, I hope to hear from our children, “Dad, we know you are not the greatest dad but we know you have tried.  Thank you for understanding, patience and believing in us.”

However, for me to hear that… I have to become more understanding, patient, loving and believe in my children TODAY.  I pray that all of our Life Church people to act TODAY that will impact their tomorrow.

A wife asked her husband, “How come you don’t ever buy me cosmetic products as a gift?”

The husband answered, “Because… buying cosmetic products to a beautiful woman like you is an insult to God-given beauty.”

What a wise reply!  Wouldn’t you agree that such positive comment that brings joy and laughter is far better than very expensive cosmetics?

Proverb 15:13 says, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful.”  Affection, affirmation and appreciation are highly effective beauty treatment money can’t buy.

I pray that you would have a cheerful heart that brings smile on your face this week.  ^_^

A wise teacher who was visiting a river to take bath found a group of family members on the banks shouting in anger at each other.  He turned to his disciples smiled and asked, “Why do people in anger shout at each other?”

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, “Because we lose our calm, we shout.”

“But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you?  You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.” asked the saint.

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.

Finally the saint explained, “When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot.  To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other.  The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.  What happens when two people fall in love?  They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close.  The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small…”

The saint continued, “When they love each other even more, what happens?  They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love.  Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all.  That is how close two people are when they love each other.”

He looked at his disciples and said, “So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant.  Do not say words that distance each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.”

What a wise saying!  Paul said in Eph. 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.”  Let’s speak to one another with words that bring our hearts closer such as, “I love you, I for give you, I appreciate you, I am happy to see you, I miss you, I am sorry” and etc.  I pray that Life Church people’s hearts will be drawn closer to one another.

Have a wonderful heart closing week!  ^_^

In the recent Summer Games (2012), Kim Rhode won the gold medal in skeet shooting making her the first American to win 5 Olympic medals (3 Gold, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze) in 5 consecutive Olympic games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012).

Here are other noticeable things about Rhode: she hit 99 out of 100 skeets setting a new Olympic record and tied the world record; and her first medal was in the 1996 Summer Games making her the youngest female gold medalist in Olympic shooting; and she was in Olympic 5 times, that’s the span of 20 years.

In an interview with the New York Times, Kim answered that she shoots anywhere from 500 to 1,000 rounds every day of the week year around.  That is 3,000,000 plus shots with a shotgun.  That’s 600,000 rounds per medal.  When you step back and look at that number, the medals and accomplishments really are not that surprising.

I am sure other Olympic medalists, too, have invested timeless hours, energy and resources into their area of sports.  How many calories have they burned and how have they rejected (sacrificed) other things to focus on their training, we can only imagine.  No doubt there was a natural talent involved, but in many cases, it had to be dedication and determination.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul indicates that life is a race and it’s a race that we are all entered in and there is no exception.  If you we alive, we are in it and thus, we might as well try to compete it well.  We can compare with others and complain how things are not fair for us and even choose to sit the race out but it is to our own demise.  Keep in mind that the starter has fired the gun, and our finish will still be recorded.

In this race, you don’t have to run faster than others, but only your best.  The Bible teaches us to run it in such a noble, honorable, and faithful manner that you when you finish, you will be a winner even if you didn’t come in first place.  Compete so that even if you do not win all of life, you will not be ashamed of how well you finished.

There are roughly 775,000 words in the Bible.  If we read one word for every round Kim Kim practiced, we would complete the Bible every few years.  These days, a person that has read through it completely just once has already distinguished themselves from the pack.  How much more blessed would we be if we had read through it 5 times or a dozen times?

May we be faithful in hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and mediating the Word!

This photo was taken in Hamburgin 1936, during the celebrations for the launch of a ship.  In the crowd, one person refuses to raise his arm to give the Nazi salute.  The man was August Landmesser.  He has already been in trouble with the authorities, having been sentenced to two years hard labor, for marry a Jewish woman.

We know little else about August Landmesser, except that he had two children.  By pure chance, one of his children recognized her father in this photo when it was published in a German newspaper in 1991.  How proud she must have been in that moment.

This story reminded me of young Daniel who was taken to Babylon.  When other brilliant young men were indoctrinated by Babylonian education, culture and faith, Daniel and his friends didn’t.  The Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…”

What a commitment!  Instead of utilizing the opportunity to advance in Babylonian kingdom or purely going along with “everyone else,” Daniel lived by his conviction based on his faith in God.  That’s something I should learn.

August Landmesser… I am proud of you, too!  I pray that all Life Church people will live out their faith without compromise that our next generations would be proud of us.  As Moses prayed, “May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children.”  (Psalm 90:16).

So it says that the first modern-day lottery was started in 1964 in the state of New Hampshire.  Did you know that the state of Massachusetts, started their lottery in 1972 with 50 cent tickets and a drawing once a week.  Now, it has evolved into over 30 different games and the national sales hit almost 60 Billion in the year 2011. 

What’s the odd?  The probability of winning a regular lotto is about 1 out of 14 million and the Mega Millions lotto winning probability jumps to 1 out of 175 million.  According to National Lightening Safety Institute, the odd of getting struck by lightening is 1:280,000.  Meaning that an average person would have 40 times more getting hit by lightening than winning a lottery.

In Colorado, the lottery organizers spend more than $400 million dollars each year trying to lure residents to gamble on lotteries.  However, Massachusetts Lottery Ad leads to what I want to say today.

In the ad they offer two choices for how to “make millions.”  Here is a quote: “Plan A: Start studying when you’re about 7 years old, real hard.  Then grow up and get a good job. From then on, get up at dawn every day.  Flatter your boss. Crush competition ruthlessly.  Climb over backs of co-workers.  Be the last one to leave every night. Squirrel away every cent.  Avoid having a nervous breakdown.  Avoid having premature heart attack.  Get a face lift.  Do this every day for 30 years, holidays and weekends included.  By the time you’re ready to retire you should have your money.  Or Plan B: Play the Lottery.”

So what it is that they are saying, “Hey if we can have it quick and easy why not?” and isn’t it similar mentality for many Christians?  Even though Jesus said “come follow me”, we tend to “sit and wait” while hoping we would become committed believers who are mature in Christ.  There is no “quick and easy” way of following Christ.  Jesus made it clear in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Yes, following Christ and becoming more mature in faith take sweat and sacrifice.  So no “lottery Christian lifestyle” allowed in Life Church!

A story from an unknown author…

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.  She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her grandmother took her to the kitchen.  She filled three pots with water.  In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.  She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.  She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.  Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.  Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.  She did and noted that they got soft.  She then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.  The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.  The granddaughter then asked. “What’s the point, grandmother?”
Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity–boiling water–but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting.  However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.  The egg had been fragile.  Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior.  But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked her granddaughter.

The same question should be asked of us.  When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?  Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?  We often think we are strong in faith and yet when we are hit with hardship, we become soft and compromise our faith.  Maybe we are like eggs.  Though we think we are gentle and humble in spirit and yet when challenge arises, our heart turns hard, stubborn and unyielding.

We should be like the coffee beans.  In hot water, the coffee beans changed the water.  When we are pressured and when we are stricken with challenges in life, may we release the fragrance of Jesus in our dealing that others will be blessed by us.

I pray that all of Life Church people would become more mature persons in Christ who influence their surroundings in this new year.  “For when I am weak, then I am strong”  (2 Cor. 12:10).