Well Done My Faithful Servant!
30/March/09 18:36 Filed in: Observations
There was
also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had
lived with her husband seven years after her
marriage, and then was a widow until she was
eighty-four.She never left the temple but worshiped
night and day, fasting and praying. Luke 2:36-37
Today we went to the memorial service for a dear lady named 區勵意 but most people just called her 四姑 (Sei Gu) which means something like fourth sister. She was 94 years old when she passed away last week. We have known her for the past 13 years.
Sei Gu lived a fairly unremarkable life, from a worldly perspective. She only traveled about 45 miles away from her place of birth. She never married. She only had about 3 months of schooling while she was growing up. She wasn't rich materially but the funeral home was full of people today.
Born on 12 June, 1915 in a small area near GuangZhou, CHINA, Sei Gu was one of 3 children. When she was still young, her mother moved to Macau to find work. The family were traditional Buddhists but found little peace from these practices. While in Macau her mother became very sick. A Christian friend visiting with the family introduced a Christian minister and through this friendship Sei Gu came to receive Jesus as her Lord. This was actually the satisfying end to a dream that Sei Gu had a while back about the Lord Jesus.
In 1955, as a young believer, Sei Gu went to work at the newly opened Macau Baptist Primary School. She continued to serve at the school for the next 50 years. While working at the school she learned to read the Bible. That she could read the Bible is nothing short of a miracle having never gone to school for any significant time as a child. She became a leader among the women in the church and even taught Sunday School Bible study classes for older women. Sei Gu never missed a prayer meeting and for over 50 years as pastors, leaders, members, others came and went she was always there.
Sei Gu lived her life by 3 principles:
1. Every day read the Bible and Pray:
When she was over 70 years old and her eye sight was failing, she prayed, "God, there are lots of things I can no longer see, but please help me to still see and read the Bible." God answered her prayer and she was able to daily read the Bible until the day of her passing.
2. Keep God as the center of her heart and always be together with Jesus:
Her life was found in Jesus and offering her life to Him was her daily goal.
3. Live a sacrificial life:
When Sei Gu was sick or hurt she would pray, "God, please heal me and have mercy on me so that I don't have to use my money for the doctor. Instead, I can use my money for other more important things." She would then use her money to help others or as an offering.
We will miss the example she set with her simple yet profound life of obedience and sacrificial service. Her dedication to the Lord set her apart in ways that no amount of money or education or worldly success ever could. Today her heart's desire is realized as she will be with her Lord forever and ever.
Today we went to the memorial service for a dear lady named 區勵意 but most people just called her 四姑 (Sei Gu) which means something like fourth sister. She was 94 years old when she passed away last week. We have known her for the past 13 years.
Sei Gu lived a fairly unremarkable life, from a worldly perspective. She only traveled about 45 miles away from her place of birth. She never married. She only had about 3 months of schooling while she was growing up. She wasn't rich materially but the funeral home was full of people today.
Born on 12 June, 1915 in a small area near GuangZhou, CHINA, Sei Gu was one of 3 children. When she was still young, her mother moved to Macau to find work. The family were traditional Buddhists but found little peace from these practices. While in Macau her mother became very sick. A Christian friend visiting with the family introduced a Christian minister and through this friendship Sei Gu came to receive Jesus as her Lord. This was actually the satisfying end to a dream that Sei Gu had a while back about the Lord Jesus.
In 1955, as a young believer, Sei Gu went to work at the newly opened Macau Baptist Primary School. She continued to serve at the school for the next 50 years. While working at the school she learned to read the Bible. That she could read the Bible is nothing short of a miracle having never gone to school for any significant time as a child. She became a leader among the women in the church and even taught Sunday School Bible study classes for older women. Sei Gu never missed a prayer meeting and for over 50 years as pastors, leaders, members, others came and went she was always there.
Sei Gu lived her life by 3 principles:
1. Every day read the Bible and Pray:
When she was over 70 years old and her eye sight was failing, she prayed, "God, there are lots of things I can no longer see, but please help me to still see and read the Bible." God answered her prayer and she was able to daily read the Bible until the day of her passing.
2. Keep God as the center of her heart and always be together with Jesus:
Her life was found in Jesus and offering her life to Him was her daily goal.
3. Live a sacrificial life:
When Sei Gu was sick or hurt she would pray, "God, please heal me and have mercy on me so that I don't have to use my money for the doctor. Instead, I can use my money for other more important things." She would then use her money to help others or as an offering.
We will miss the example she set with her simple yet profound life of obedience and sacrificial service. Her dedication to the Lord set her apart in ways that no amount of money or education or worldly success ever could. Today her heart's desire is realized as she will be with her Lord forever and ever.
Happy Birthday Surprise
29/March/09 22:04 Filed in:
Serving Servers
Jen and Sarah
Earlier this year we thought, “Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to take a gift to our Service Industry friends on their birthday?” Thinking, “Yes, that’d be great!” we pulled together some gift bags and gift items and checked the calendar. We’ve been giving out gifts for a few weeks now but this last week’s was the most fun yet.
We went to visit Jen during our Wednesday afternoon class time. Five of our regular students joined us for the visit as well as a couple of other people. When we arrived at Jen’s restaurant, she was happily surprised to see us. The timing wasn’t great because there was a bit of a crowd when we arrived. But Jen quickly arranged several tables together for us all to be seated together. After getting everyone settled she started taking our orders - never once asking why we were there. Since we have visited her during work hours in the past, she didn’t think anything was different.
Sarah asked Jen if she knew why we were there. Jen replied, “no, but just this morning I was thinking about you and that I hadn’t seen you for so long.” Sarah said, “Well today is a very special day. Do you know why today is so special?” Jen said she didn’t know what was special about the day. That’s when Sarah let the cat out of the bag. Sarah said, “Jen, today is your birthday and we’ve come to celebrate with you!” As I was at the other end of the table, all I could do was watch really as Jen’s face screwed up tight with her fight against the tears. She lost and in no time the tears were flowing. She had to excuse herself and go into a back room to regain her composure. At this point I’m feeling like maybe we made a mistake.
Pretty soon Jen was back and smiling again. She explained that she had totally forgotten that it was her birthday. She had been so busy with work all day and no one else had remembered. She was simply overcome with the moment and the joy of us all taking time to remember her birthday. While she was still working, we managed to share gifts with her and spend some time visiting and having fun being together. On our way out the door about an hour later, someone in the group started singing “Happy Birthday” and Jen’s tears of joy ran again.
Not everyone we share these gifts with is so touched. Still, I am constantly amazed at how far a little bit goes in a person’s life. A little time. A small gift. A few words in the calendar to help us remember. All add up to make a significant moment in a person’s life.
I read this quote some time back that goes something like this:
“People may forget what you say and do but will always remember how you make them feel.”
Reflexes
17/March/09 15:50 Filed in: Observations
reflex: any quick, automatic or habitual
response
Sunday night I went to play badminton with a couple of friends. I am a fair if somewhat irregular badminton player. This night I was completely thrashed by a player 30 years my junior. At one point as I was desperately lunging to get a drop shot close to the net I realized that my reflexes are just not what they used to be. I’ve lost a step. I’m unable to get everything moving quickly enough to respond to the lightning speed of competitive badminton. Any 40 somethings out there looking for a game? Because I’ve about had it playing people 30 years younger than myself.
As I was walking home from the thrashing, licking my wounds and bemoaning the loss of my physical reflexes, I was reminded of a parable in Matthew 25 that I have been studying. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us that when He returns He will sit in judgement on the nations of the world. He will identify two groups - sheep and goats. The sheep are going to be invited into His Kingdom while the goats will be sent away for eternal punishment. The difference between these two groups is not a matter of theology nor is it a matter of race/gender/age/education/social standing etc. The difference between the two groups is the way in which they responded to the needs of people around them. The difference is between those who reflexively served those in need and those who reflexively ignored the needs of those around them.
This got me to thinking: I know my physical reflexes are diminishing with time. But how about my spiritual reflexes? Am I sharper to see and quicker to respond to the needs around me than I used to be? Do I automatically respond in service or do I pull back at the first sign of need? Is serving others becoming more habitual over time or less? I certainly hope that I am growing sharper, more automatic and habitual in my responses to the opportunities to serve people around me. While I have to live with slower physical responses, I expect that my spiritual reflexes should continue to improve and get faster and faster over time.
Sunday night I went to play badminton with a couple of friends. I am a fair if somewhat irregular badminton player. This night I was completely thrashed by a player 30 years my junior. At one point as I was desperately lunging to get a drop shot close to the net I realized that my reflexes are just not what they used to be. I’ve lost a step. I’m unable to get everything moving quickly enough to respond to the lightning speed of competitive badminton. Any 40 somethings out there looking for a game? Because I’ve about had it playing people 30 years younger than myself.
As I was walking home from the thrashing, licking my wounds and bemoaning the loss of my physical reflexes, I was reminded of a parable in Matthew 25 that I have been studying. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us that when He returns He will sit in judgement on the nations of the world. He will identify two groups - sheep and goats. The sheep are going to be invited into His Kingdom while the goats will be sent away for eternal punishment. The difference between these two groups is not a matter of theology nor is it a matter of race/gender/age/education/social standing etc. The difference between the two groups is the way in which they responded to the needs of people around them. The difference is between those who reflexively served those in need and those who reflexively ignored the needs of those around them.
This got me to thinking: I know my physical reflexes are diminishing with time. But how about my spiritual reflexes? Am I sharper to see and quicker to respond to the needs around me than I used to be? Do I automatically respond in service or do I pull back at the first sign of need? Is serving others becoming more habitual over time or less? I certainly hope that I am growing sharper, more automatic and habitual in my responses to the opportunities to serve people around me. While I have to live with slower physical responses, I expect that my spiritual reflexes should continue to improve and get faster and faster over time.
Wait To: PREPARE :To Wait
08/March/09 21:00 Filed in: Observations
This morning in our Bible study group we started
digging into Matthew 25. This chapter presents a
series of three Kingdom parables. These parables
build off the theme of Matthew 24 which is
“you don’t know the day nor the hour so
be ready.”
The first parable in Matthew 25 is about the 10 virgins waiting on the arrival of the bride groom. Five are wise and five are foolish. The wise ones brought extra oil for their lamps. The foolish ones ran out of oil and left to get more before the groom arrived. This caused them to miss out on their opportunity to join the wedding feast.
Through our discussion of this event, we determined that the real difference between the two groups is that those considered wise were prepared to wait. Those considered foolish waited to prepare - and then it was too late.
Of course the main teaching point here is that we don’t know when our time will end and if we wait to prepare - we will very likely be too late. So, we should prepare before it’s too late. However, one thing that can trip people up is this notion of preparing to wait. In our immediate, “I want it yesterday” fast food, instant communication, 24/7 world, we can miss the value and importance of preparing to wait.
“Good things come to those who wait.”
When it comes to Kingdom life, being prepared to wait for the arrival of the King is a virtue. One day He will return and foolish is the one who failed to prepare being too busy to wait.
The first parable in Matthew 25 is about the 10 virgins waiting on the arrival of the bride groom. Five are wise and five are foolish. The wise ones brought extra oil for their lamps. The foolish ones ran out of oil and left to get more before the groom arrived. This caused them to miss out on their opportunity to join the wedding feast.
Through our discussion of this event, we determined that the real difference between the two groups is that those considered wise were prepared to wait. Those considered foolish waited to prepare - and then it was too late.
Of course the main teaching point here is that we don’t know when our time will end and if we wait to prepare - we will very likely be too late. So, we should prepare before it’s too late. However, one thing that can trip people up is this notion of preparing to wait. In our immediate, “I want it yesterday” fast food, instant communication, 24/7 world, we can miss the value and importance of preparing to wait.
“Good things come to those who wait.”
When it comes to Kingdom life, being prepared to wait for the arrival of the King is a virtue. One day He will return and foolish is the one who failed to prepare being too busy to wait.
Mustard Seed Moment
28/February/09 07:34 Filed in:
Serving Servers
Jesus tells us that the Kingdom is like a mustard
seed - small in size but huge in potential.
Insignificant in appearance yet transformational in
application. We had finished our BIble study time
with our friend Donna this past week. Our friend
Jenny wasn’t able to be there due to work
issues. So, I asked Donna to pass along the sheet
of verses that we had used that morning.
That’s when the mustard seed dropped. Donna
suggested that she could not only pass along the
sheet but she could also teach Jenny what she had
just learned. “If I teach Jenny then it will
help me to really remember what I learned this
morning.” Donna said. There it is. A very
small moment. A very small to almost insignificant
possibility. But what potential is embodied in
Donna’s idea. I’m hoping and praying
that this mustard seed moment finds good soil and
does what all mustard seeds are meant to do -
transform.