God in the Midst of Trials

This morning Pastor Xavier Ries at Calvary Chapel of Pasadena preached on book of Acts. While Pastor X's messages usually consist of spitting out fact after fact (he calls it inductive), they are always very informative and applicable. No doubt, his messages are heavy like a solid Bible study, but sometimes that is what more of today's churches need during a sermon, not just fluffy words and simple catch phrases.

Everyone goes through trials and hard times. Christians are no exception. After Jesus' death, his apostles were spreading the Word of God (Acts 5). In doing so, the high priests were jealous and wanted the apostles executed. Afterwards, the apostles' lives at that time were spared. Pastor X pointed out that the apostles weren't crying or complaining about the whole ordeal. In fact, in Acts 5:41, "the apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."

What would this ChowDown have done? Knowing how weak I am sometimes, I probably would have been terrified. I genuinely hope that this would NOT be the case. But I know that God can give anything (exceedingly) to those who call on His name. Lord, please use me as your servant, your child, and your follower. Help me and everyone reading this post to have godly courage and boldness knowing that You "have the whole world in Your hands."

Show Some Love

My wife is so terrific! I came home tonight with a nice home-cooked meal on the stove. She stir-fried: (1) a tasty noodle dish with grilled chicken, and (2) succulent mussels with Chinese veggies in a wine/ginger sauce. I have been shown some love!

I wonder what's for dinner tomorrow night. =)

Big Daddy Vlady

I know I'm late but I have to write a post about this. Go Big Daddy Vlady! Vladimir Guerrero won the home run derby!

Baldness

If you are a girl and your significant other is going bald, or if you are a guy and are going bald, what should the guy do:

1. comb his hair forward
2. balding is beautiful, leave it alone
3. shave his head
4. shave his head and use a magic marker to simulate hair
5. wear a wig
6. wear an Angels cap
7. cosmetic surgery (hair implants)

If my hairline receded so far that I couldn't look at myself in the mirror, I'd opt for #4. =)

Chinese Tea Ceremony II

Andrew's tea ceremony and wedding were a hit! Although it was about 90 degrees on Saturday, everyone enjoyed themselves to celebrate Andrew's momentous day.

So, for those of you who don't know what happens during a tea ceremony, here are the details:

1. Groom had to first sing some songs and dance before entering the house. We were standing outside for over 15 minutes waiting for Andrew to sing some love songs. We brought two large baskets of fruit and a whole pig for the bride.


2. We ate. Had lots of dim sum and regular Chinese food.


3. All of the elders drank tea with the wedding couple in exchange for red envelopes.

The ceremony was cool too. It was my first time being a Scripture Reader and to light the candles. One awkward moment was when one of my candles didn't light up. Boy, were my arms shaking and heart pounding. Thankfully, James came over and saved the day!