The Magic and Miracle in the Movies : Harry Potter

An Introduction

As this is a time of lots and lots of movies, I thought I would finish what I have started on a short blog series on my view of magic and miracles in movies.  Honestly, there are probably quite a few movies out there, so I am not quite sure how many of these blogs I will write.

To start off with, I am usually kind of mum when it comes to movies.

The only thing I usually say is, "I am not a big movie person."  But in all honesty, I did watch quite a bit of movies in the past and some of the ones deemed as classics, I usually watch over and over and over.

In the last decade, there has been a few movies that has caused some stir in the Christian community.  One such series of movies/books is Harry Potter.

Now, some of my utmost conservative Christian friends will think when they first look at the title, "Blasphemy!  Harry Potter has magic, wizards, witches, and talking (whatever)!"  Yes, I guess there are those elements in the books and movies.

But then, I would say the same for The Chronicles of Narnia.  There's magic, wizards, witches, and talking half human-half goat people.  Heck, there is Santa Claus in the Chronicles of Narnia! (Gasp, really?)

In most of the movies I will dive into, these movies have a common theme that usually goes like this:

• There is evil in the world.
• Someone comes and saves the world.
• There is generally some kind of sacrifice or heroic deed that comes along with saving the world.

In my first dive into a movie, I'll be analyzing the books/movies of Harry Potter.


Harry Potter

Harry Potter is probably the best selling series of books in the past decade.  I have read the first 3 books (then I got bored; you will find that I am a horrible reader, I can't seem to finish a book or series of books).

For me, I am more of a visual person, so watching the movies were really fun.  Taking my "Christian" hat off and watching all 8 movies in series, I was left with a lot of oohs, ahs, how cute (when Daniel Radcliff was still young), and "Wow, I didn't see that coming."  Although, on the surface, it appears to be another kid's story of wizards and witchcraft, it really have a great over-arching story that was rather complicated to follow.

In summary, Harry Potter's life from age 11 was magical and adventurous.  The story starts off with him being recruited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Skipping some of the smaller stories in the storyline, Harry learned of his past that his parents were murdered by a evil wizard named Valdemort.  As a token of remembrance, Valdemort etched a lightening bolt on Harry's forehead.  Harry was the child that Valdemort could not destroy.  Harry later finds out that there is something tied to this lightening bolt (a horcrux) as Valdemort tries in vane to find him and capture him.  The horcruxes were Valdemort's soul split into various parts.

In the last book (and 2 movies), Harry comes to face Valdemort in a final match.  As I recall, Valdemort may not have known that this last little piece of himself is etched in the lightening bolt.  Harry knew, so offers himself as a sacrifice, so that Valdemort eventually kills himself by trying to kill Harry Potter.  But as with these type of movies, Harry comes back to life and moves on.

You might ask, why did I bring up Harry Potter?  Well, as a young Christian back in the early 2000's, it was somewhat engraved in my brain that "magic" is bad.  But stepping into the real world after graduation, I realized that although "magic" might be bad, there is bad "magic" (as in evil) and good "miracles" (things that of God and the Holy Spirit).  I learned to see a lot of things through different lenses and arguments.  [Hence, let's go back to the Chronicles of Narnia...maybe next blog.]

Somehow, conservative Christianity fails to tell us that as adults, we can watch these movies and read these books.  I understand for children, it might be wise to stay away from magic so that they do not believe it in but how can you tell your children to stay away from C.S. Lewis, a Christian author, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia?

Going back to Harry Potter, it can be simply summarized as the message of a boy who came into the world as a hero to save people from the evils of Valdemort and his evil dark magic.  He came as an orphan and had a purpose from the time of his infancy.  Truly if you did take away the "magic" out of the story, it won't be quite Harry Potter.

Birthday Reflection 2013

Every year, around this time, I often reflect on the past year and what I have accomplished (or not accomplished).  I try not to think about "getting older".

My thoughts brought me to a friend who recently past away.  I went to a memorial service for her not too long ago.  She was about 65.  I made my travels to Kings Mountain to this memorial service on a gray afternoon.  Now, if you have been to Kings Mountain, you would know that there is not much going on.  It's a pretty sleepy town; a good town to retire in. The only thing that really happens is high school football and sports.  And maybe the Christmas parade.

The service was held in a United Methodist Church in downtown Kings Mountain.  If you have been to a traditional Methodist church, it can be quite... well... boring.  The service started with some usual hymns and prayer.  Then the reverend started his message. 

You can tell that this reverend really knows my friend.  She was pretty involved with the church, so I'm not surprised at how much he talked about her.  In the wake of her death, many friends and former students called into the church to expressed their condolences and well wishes for the family. 

One interesting story perked my attention.  It is regarding a AME pastor who was a former Spanish student of my friend.  (My friend was a retired high school Spanish teacher.)  This pastor used to be a trouble maker in high school and was in the wrong crowd.  But my friend challenged him (not sure how) in that if he past high school, she would give him a little book about John Wesley.  It is probably the same little book she gave me when I went through high school.  I thought that was a strange little gift to give a troublemaker. 

Well, this pastor did read the book and was very moved by John Wesley's work and practice, that he went on to become a pastor of an AME church in California.  When he called to talk to the reverend, he had already cried for days mourning the lost of a friend who God have used to changed his life.

It reminded me of my own journey.  This friend invited me to this same Methodist church many years ago.  Through high school ministry, I got my first taste of Christianity which later gave me the foundation on me accepting Christ.

It also reminded me that every little action we take as Christ followers can greatly affect a friend, a colleague, a teen, a child.  You never know where God can take a person and what God can do in the hearts of people.

What's in a Holiday?

When I was young, I celebrated most of the common holidays and festivities typical in America.  Alongside, it was fun to learn about the different holidays and the meaning behind it.  As I grew older and learn more about these histories, I always find something more fascinating or weird or peculiar about the holiday.

Take for instance Halloween.

Most children and even adults in the U.S. celebrate it without really thinking what is behind the holiday.  Many who have gone through school here may later learn that Halloween may be seen as a Catholic holiday, a holiday to scare off evil spirits in preparation of November 1st, All Saints Day.  But in essence, the holiday traces back to the pagan holiday of Samhain (an old Celtic/Irish festival) where the doors of the Otherworld is open for the spirits and the dead to come out.  In reading up on some of it, it's a lot of reading and which I won't go into the details.  My guess is that when the Catholic missionaries reached Ireland and converted the Celts to Christianity, in order to "win them over", Halloween was created so that they would be warding out the dead and not celebrating the dead.  Many of my conservative Christian friends do not celebrate it because of the ties to the pagan holiday.  Why in the world do some churches have Fall Festivals is beyond me?  It kind of negates the negated. 

My take now: You will find in the United States that capitalism reigns.  So any holiday that comes up, American sales it at its best.  In years past, I try not to partake in it.  However, it doesn't stop me from carving out a pumpkin really for a creative outlet during the fall.  Pumpkins are quite colorful when things are starting to die.

What about Christmas?

I know I'm going to make people mad by saying this.  I think there are some viable hints in the Bible as to when Jesus was born, there is not really any concrete date when that happened.  Many Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25th (only a handful of Orthodox Christians celebrate it on January 6), which started in the 4th century.  But in doing some reading on this, another occurrence happened on December 25th: The Roman Southern Solstice (Winter Solstice).  Where I think it's always great to celebrate Jesus's birthday, it was again another creation by early Christians to have the newly converted Romans/gentiles celebrate the True Light of the World instead of the Winter Solstice which is a celebration of more light coming and probably celebrating mythological gods behind Winter Solstice.

My take now: Again, U.S. is the capital of capitalism.  Where it needs to be centered on Christ, most Americans are confused by it being a day of decorating their houses and trees and buying as many things to do so, and buying the many things to give to others.  Are we buying simply to show off our wealth?  Or are we truly buying to share with one other, with those in need, and volunteering time to help one another? 

Christmas often time has brought me some sadness.  I did not have a typical American upbringing and as my brother and I got older, Christmas started not to mean anything to us.  Although I do decorate a tree and buy gifts for my cousin's kids, that's pretty much it.  In reality, everyday of the year should be a celebration of Christ, not just Christmas.

And Easter...

In the the research that I have found, the name "Easter" stems from an old Germanic word for the germanic goddess Eoster who is a goddess of fertility and the dawn.  There are other theories of how Easter is Easter from the Latin but most resources I have found links the name back to the old Germanic word.  How and why that happened is any ones guess.

In the springtime and before Christ, many pagans celebrate the beginning of spring by honoring the goddess of fertility and paint eggs (another sign of fertility) and somehow bunnies are in the mix (and we know what they do)...  Even many used to celebrate the beginning of spring as also the beginning of the year. 

However, what we know now as Easter (the celebration of Jesus's death and resurrection) is probably the one holiday that might make the most sense in the time of celebration.  Most of us know, Jesus had the Passover meal before he was cruxified and raised again.  Passover is legitimately held in March or April, on the 15th day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar.  In other languages, like French and Spanish, they instead use "Passover" (Pacshal and Paque) to denote the holdiay.

My take:  Although not as much, America will always take a holiday to sell stuff.  Because of the concrete evidence of timing, I truly think that this is the one holiday that Christian should and must celebrate. It is by far the most important holiday to celebrate as a Christian because this is not only the death but a ressurrection of The Christ and a ultimate celebration of the rebirth within us.  Also, what I have noted above in timing with the Resurrection after Passover, it just makes sense.

However, I think the name should be changed so it does not reflect the german goddess of fertility.

In Summary

Some folks may argue all they want.  But with more of a mindset that not everybody is from a Western culture, sometimes people may get confused with American traditions vs true Christian traditions. 

Why do we argue about Halloween, for example.  Even the mere arguing that Halloween is wrong is not going to make a Christian a better Christian.  It might even make them look stupid because they are just asking for a fight.  I take the stance of being a visible witness, be approachable, and have people ask why I may not partake in Halloween.  (I do admit, I do carve pumpkins.)  I truly gave up a long time ago.  Really.  Christ can speak so much better into the hearts of people than I can.

Christmas, I am on the other end of the argument.  People come up and asked why do we celebrate Christ birth if there is so much commercialism?  That, honey, I do not know.  But what I can say is that we need to celebrate Christ everyday and the birth of ourselves into His Kingdom.

The real message is the message of Christ Resurrection.  He dies for the SIN of the world (the noun Sin) and has won the battle for us.  If we focus less and divert from arguing, and tell the story of His Resurrection, that may win more over than you can ever believe.

I Know My Father

I recently started a job in Huntersville, NC.  The company I work for is fairly close to where my dad works.

In a recent drop in for lunch, I was comfortable enough to walk into the kitchen, said, "Hi Dad."  And placed my order.

But what if I didn't know my dad worked there?  Would I have the same comfort in just walking into the kitchen and say, "I want to order the ."

Two things strike me about this visit.

I know my father.  I knew my father well enough to just walked up to him and said, "Hi."  Of course, he was happy to see me.  He never said, "Get out of the kitchen, I'm working!"  He stopped whatever he was doing (peeling shrimp at the time) and started to talk to me.  More like, "What do you want to eat?"  (God provides food!)  In any case, I knew my father and how he would respond to me if I walk in for lunch one day.

Go to where He works.  Many times, we missed this mark about being Christ followers.  We have our own ideas of where God is working and just want to go, go, go.  But what if God is not exactly working the way you think He's working?  No doubt, God is working everywhere, but where is your heart and how is your relationship with God?  (Go back to previous paragraph.)   How well do you know your Father?  How much are you delighting in the Lord where He can gives you the desire of your heart that matches you?  One person who works well in Asian may not be a good fit for another Believer.  I knew where my dad is working and I was comfortable enough to walk into the kitchen.

Hoisting a Flag for Freedom - Galatians 5:1

Most of you know, I was born in Hong Kong when Hong Kong was still a part of Britain.  I guess you can say that I was a British citizen for 3 months before coming to the United States.

Because I was born in Hong Kong, I do have a special tie to both Chinese culture as well as British culture.

There are a lot of things I like about the UK.

• I like the Beatles and most all British music.
• I like the movies and TV shows (James Bond, Mr. Bean, Doctor Who).
• I like the long history it has, like the Medieval times, wars, marriages to gain power, Stonehenge, the interesting lineage of royalty, and UK taking over so much land around the world.
• I enjoy British style tea.
• I like to watch soccer, although I am more of a fair-weather watcher.  Yeah, all I know is Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, and maybe a few others I have seen my overseas friend cheer for.
• I like a lot of books from the Victorian era.  

Don't get me wrong.  I also like Chinese culture. I mean, I am Chinese...

Just recently, I bought a Hong Kong British flag.  It looks like this.

Hong Kong British Flag (1959-1997)

My dad asked, "Why did you buy the old flag?  That is not Hong Kong's flag now!"
Okay, dad, I know, I know.  This is not the current flag.  Which looks like this...

Hong Kong Flag (1997-present) : Showcasing the Hong Kong Flower

But I explained, "Dad, when I was born, Hong Kong was an British Overseas Colony.  I feel more of a connection to this flag than the current flag."

I explained further that to most Hong Kongers who remember British Hong Kong, this flag is a sign of democracy.  Freedom.

My dad said, "Oh..."  (Lately, I have been voicing my opinions more boldly, especially when it comes to international politics.  I think he is taken aback by my passion for international news.  Thanks, Dad, for teaching me to read the newspaper and made me more aware of international affairs.)

Freedom

U.S. Flag

In living in the United States for a majority of my life, I have seen freedom in many ways.  Freedom, to me, is a privilege.  Freedom was given to us, that we're not under a dictator or a government that is constricting our freedom.  We should, in wisdom, use our freedom, but not abuse our freedom.  Examples of freedom is that we can say something about our government.  Or we can worship however we want.  Or we can say anything in media or press.

Many people I see do stupid things everyday.  I asked myself, "Why are they doing stupid things?  Don't they know we have people out there who fought for our freedom?"  Why do people paint graffiti (freedom of expression or tacky artwork)?  Or why do people go rob banks?  Why do people steal or kill?

So, although we have these freedoms, people still stupid things and abuse the freedom.

To take it to another level, Christ has given us a freedom beyond our imaginations.  Freedom, to me in this content, is a gift.  Just like anything with God, He didn't have to give us anything as we have fallen before.  But Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Those who call themselves Christians, why do some of us abuse this gift?  Once you realized how much God loves you, and love us, and has sacrifice His son to give us this freedom from the slavery of sin, you soon realize how you should respond.  

On my last trip to Hong Kong, I watched a program segment on the right for freedom of speech.  It was a bit surreal for me when a local radio personality was arguing that the people of Hong Kong should follow Chinese rule in regulating radio speech (less opinions).  Others said it is against the current rule of "One country, two systems" where although under the Chinese government as one, Hong Kong still keeps democracy for 50 years after 1997.  (In other words, age out the generation who were under British rule...).  I never been in a country that would argue about something this simple.  To me, we normally have the freedom to argue whatever we want.  Here, they are arguing the right to simply speak out.

Connections: The Power of Vulnerability

Most of my life, I had the challenge of connecting with people.

Maybe partly because I am Chinese American, who start school not knowing a single word of English.  The initial steps of making friends were hard if you do not speak the language.

Then there is the sciency mind that God has given me.  Most people in engineering and the science field are stereotypically socially awkward.

Or maybe because I’m Asian.  Most Asians do not always open up in acknowledging mistakes.  Most Asians also do not try to challenge authority.

But whatever it is, I realize we live in a society that is influenced by success, wealth, and technology.  With 10% of the world population ever experiencing such wealth, we indeed live in a high-speed society.  But there is still some common threads as humans that we connect with each other in an authentic way beyond success, wealth, and technology…

The Power of Vulnerability

I visited my very good friend who lives in Wilmington and she introduced me to a TED talk with Dr. Brené Brown.  Dr. Brown is a Licensed Master in Social Work (LMSW) and currently a research professor at the University of Houston.  (TED stands for Technical, Entertainment, and Design.  This organization invites people from the science, entertainment and design field to talk about different aspects of life and society.)  In this particular video, The Power of Vulnerability, she explored how and why people need connection and the power of vulnerability through a 6 to 10 year research. 

Why is it important to be vulnerable to feel connected?

What I got out of the 20 minute talk was this:

• Sense of shame is the fear of being disconnected.
• Sense of worthiness is the sense of being loved, belonging and believing that they are worthy. 
• But how do people achieve this?  What do these people have in common?
• They are wholehearted and they have the courage to tell their story with their whole heart.  They are not afraid to be vulnerable.
• Vulnerability is a beautiful thing.  
• We are born imperfect.  We are hardwired to struggle.

Most people would think being vulnerable is a weakness (in a later video, Dr. Brown talks about shame, how people think vulnerability is a weakness).  But being open and honest with oneself can be freeing.  

In my Asianess, I struggle with being open and to challenge myself in many areas of life.  I think in the Asian culture, Asians tend to be respectful to the elders, to listen and learn and to obey.  But the fault in that may lie in me not being open and share my thoughts.  Most Asians do not always want to challenge authority directly but in a round-about way.  And most Asians may not want to challenge themselves.  Ultimately, am I honest with myself?  Am I ashamed of my mistakes?  Fear of rejection?  Is that shame I feel, that I am not the "norm", keeping me away from being connected to people and challenging myself?

That is when God came in...

'But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.'  

~2 Corinthians 12:9~ 

The very fear of weakness keeps us from connecting with people.  Even if we are in a position of authority and wealth in our community and jobs, each of us have that "weak spot".  When we accept Christ as our Savior, it comes with an understanding that God loves us even when we're weak and vulnerable.  It is He who makes us realize how fragile and vulnerable we really are?  When we are imperfect, God is strong.  We were born to struggle and figure things out in life.

Real vulnerability is beautiful when we freely tell God what is in our hearts and our minds.  Real vulnerability is being real to oneself and others, and allows us to empathize with one another.  We were born to have relationships.  We were born to have a relationship with God.  We were born worthy to be loved and to love others.  

In her study, Dr. Brown says those who are vulnerable tell their story with a wholeheart: these people have a willingness to love with no guarantees.  They have the courage to be imperfect and compassionate to themselves and others.  They hold back nothing. 

I end with these verses in Philippians 4:4-7 “ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Why I Love Owls

I sit in front of my computer on a Saturday night, itching to blog something.
As I sat, a thought came to me.  A question to myself, "Why do I love owls?"
For some of my friends out there, you guys know I love owls.
Cartoon ones, real ones, crafty ones.  Just any kind of owls.

So, I thought, "Hey, just as an easy blog entry, I'll blog about 'Why I love owls'"

Why I Love Owls

It all started on my trip to Hong Kong in 2012.  My cousin's friend was selling rings.  When I looked at a few, I thought, "Aw, this one is cute!"  Since then, I started loving owls.

The more I think about this the past few months, the more I realize this doesn't make any sense.  What is so special about the owl?  I started researching about owls and what they do, what they are like, what kinds of owls are there, etc.

Then I realize, I am kind of like an owl.

• I like to stay up late.  Like a night owl.
• Perceptive, knowledgeable, always sitting on my perch and watching stuff.  As an engineer, I am always analyzing the world around me.  Why does x does y and how does it equal z?  An owl may not really do that but don't you think, that owl is sitting on a branch, looking around his/her world, just observing and analyzing the land around it.
• I'm kind of quiet, at first.  If you were in a house with me, I walk around very quietly.  I spook my dad many times.  WHoo goes there!?  One of the first visits to Hong Kong, I even scared my grandmother! (Age 7)
• Solitaire.  I'm actually not so solitaire but I guess I am don't mind being by myself most of the time.  I'm in between an introvert and an extrovert, so while I don't mind being with people, I also don't mind being by myself.

The Beauty

I general, animals are beautiful creatures of God.  The owl is no different.  There is something majestic and royal about an owl.  How they carry themselves is very pompous.  But if you watch an owl, even baby owls, there is also something comical about the birds.

I love watching birds fly.  Although I haven't watched an owl fly in person, I could imagine the power of their flight through the air.  Owls are created to hunt at night and spy out mice in the field, so I would think once they locate their target food source, they are like a bullet.  I can also imagine them flying around at night, very stealth like.  Like a hidden airplane. 

The Science

 I could really bore you with some science.  There are typical owls (the most famous is the great horn owl) and the barn owl (the ones that kind of looks spooky, with a heart-shape disk face).

Great Horn Owl (typical)

Barn Owl

Then there are the scientific names, Strigiformes (the order for owls), Strigidae (family name for typical owls), and Tytonidae (family name for barn owls).  All you need to know, it's from Greek and Latin.

Even the word "owl" comes from a mixture of Norse, old English, and old German, mimicking the sounds of the owls.

The Cuteness

I have watch a few owly educational shows and seen a lot of photos.  Especially the owlets (baby owls), these guys can be very comical and cute to watch.  They have an interesting expression, especially with those big buggy eyes.

Owls on Coffee

Conclusion

 I hope this gives you guys a glimpse of why I love owls.  There are probably a lot more thoughts and explanation of why I love these birds so much but at 12:27am, I can't think of any right now.

When I Grow Up

Recently, a manager at work asked me, "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Not always wanting to bring out the religion card, I said in general, "I want to travel the world."

He asked, "Doing what?"

"Helping people."

*Boom*  He called me out.  "Like a missionary???"

"Um, yes," I said.

So, our conversations dove into a lot about being Christian and one common theme came out, "It's not about me.  It's about Him and making this a better place."

From the Beginning

There is always something about the travel and the journey to another place.  When I was 7, I took an airplane ride with my family to visit relatives in Hong Kong.  I remember being delayed, stuck in South Korea coming from Seattle, being in Hong Kong for well over 6 weeks, then to come back via Tokyo Japan and finally made it to Charlotte a day late, and missing the first day of school.  (Circa 1987.)  Looking back, I didn't quite mind the journey as much as I knew we were going to land somewhere.

My first impression of Hong Kong: wow, it feels like America.  There's McDonald's (yay), English (although, I thought it was funny that "harbor" was spelled "harbour"), grocery stores, and modern pharmacies.  I remember it was very hot and humid.  Some of my cousins speak some English.

But some things I got used to (and in many of the past Hong Kong trips): driving on the left side, double decker buses, really good dim sum, drinking hot tea (when it is like over 30 degrees C outside), learning to drink Hong Kong style milk tea (a Hong Kong version of British tea), lemon tea from a box... Okay, just drinking A LOT OF TEA... Learning that KFC served white rice as a side, good "biscuits" (aka cookies) that are not too terribly sweet, the sweltering heat in the summer months, getting sick every other time I go there, learning and relearning the bus/train routes, and there are probably a slew of other things.

Since that one trip and many others, I always like to travel and visit other places.  Most importantly, to experience another culture through thought, food, habits, and everyday life.

I never knew...

When I later became a Christian, I never knew that there was a thing called "missionaries."  Some of the most famous ones you might think of are Billy Graham (technically, maybe not, but he's been everywhere), J. Hudson Taylor (missionary to China), and most recently, the Tebow's (Philippines).  I know quite a few others who are either currently serving overseas or on fur low or just doing other things now. 

So, God gave me a heart to go somewhere soon after I become a Believer. 

Granted, I am not your typical people-person.  Part of my personality and part of my DNA is that I am a logical thinking engineering woman, through and through.  I'm not necessarily an introvert; I don't mind being around people most of the time.  However, it takes me a while usually to get to know anyone.  I am observant, reserved at first.  I don't always do well in large crowds of people.  I do much better in smaller circles of friends.

So, the conversation I had before with this manager got me thinking, "How does a normally reserve person impact the world, possibly in another continent?"

The answer: It's not about me.  It's about Him.  And I want to help people.

It's not my strengths that God put me here or there or anywhere. But a passion for people, maybe certain types or culture, that God will put me there.  In my weakness, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Along the way...

God doesn't make us a lone ranger.  God made us a family of believers and followers of Christ.  Along the way, God will place people or situations in your life to further the kingdom.  Could be a future husband, wife, a group of other like-minded missionaries, a job possibility, an international project.  And so many time, my pastor, Naeem Fazal, had the conversation in service, "What decisions have you made that defines who you are now?  What decisions are you making today that will define who you will be?"

I like how my everyday life of working parallels to the messages I learned from my church and my small groups or the postings on FB.  God has a hand on how He influences me in so many ways.

Growing up

If you ask me what I want to do, I do like to travel the world, maybe plant myself in Asia somewhere, teach English or engineering or whatever, and enjoy the journey God has put me in.  I hope and pray that, just maybe, God will bless me with a husband with a similar mind but knowing if Paul can travel in an unmarried state, I guess I can too and trust that He will have me with other Believers sharing the same journey.

The end.

30-Something : (Extended) Greenway thoughts

Many times when I'm out on the greenway, I sometimes pray to God.  I enjoy the nice serene beauty of the trees, the singing of the birds, and the babbling of the creeks.  It's a time to myself, to be away from work, even from people, family and friends, and just walk or have a nice little jog.  I enjoy God's beauty in the natural surroundings.

In a morning jog, I was thinking and praying about my future husband.

I go through cycles.  Sometimes I tell myself, "Nah, I don't need a man."  Rightly so, I have a well paying engineer/sales job, great insurance, I have a mortgage, a car, and many other amenities and just stuff.

But then sometimes, I feel a sense of needing a man, a need for companionship and to have someone of the opposite gender to understand me.  This is when I start dreaming, "What is he going to be like?"

Many of you readers have been in love (and to those married, you are still in love with your spouse, yes?).  When someone is in love, he or she might want to be more like the other person they are in love with.

• Yes, I want to start eating organic food just like (insert person's name here)
• I want to start playing guitar just like (insert person's name here)
• Wow, he is such a godly person when it comes to finances.  I think I will join his financial class (Crown Ministry, financial peace, insert your class of flavor here).  And please note, you hate balancing your check book.

I hope you get the picture.  Many of us have done this.  Admit it.  I have too.

But in my thoughts and prayers in that morning run, God reminded me of something:

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." ~Genesis 1:27 (NIV)~

Build Your World on Jesus

One other morning, when I wasn't at the greenway, and watching CNN Headline News on a Saturday, there was a segment where the hostess was interviewing two former rappers who turned themselves around to become pastors and/or leaders in their respective churches.  (I think one of them is Rev. Run of Run DMC.)  They co-wrote a book called Manology (which I have a slight interest in reading).  In their interview, they explained that men are attracted to confident women who have "built their world" on things she enjoys.  They took the example of Beyonce and Jay Z.  Beyonce became who she is by what she does: a singer and a performer.  She did not chase other people's dreams, or become someone else.

At the time when I watched this, it made sense.  I need to find what interest me.  But to take it a step further, take interest on what God wants you to do for Him.  Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

In becoming the right person, we all have to acknowledge we are God's creation; He made us in His image.  He wants the best of us and from us.  He wants us to be in love with Him; He is a jealous God!

Sometimes when we are in love, we morph into that other person.  But ask yourself, "Is what he/she is doing of godly worth?  Is this person living for the Lord?"  And of course, take a hard look at yourself, "Am I in love with God?  Am I 'morphing' into what God wants me to be?"

30-something : Secret Sauce... The Secret of Contentment (my verison)

From mid-May to mid-June 2013, my church did a sermon series called “Secret Sauce… The Secret to Contentment”.  As the name implies, the sermon series was about how to be content and was also a walk-through Philippians, about Paul being in prison writing to the saints in Philippi.  In a nutshell, Paul has learned during his travels and while he was in jail to be content in all circumstances.

How does my story relate to a guy in jail?  How does anybody’s story relate to a guy in jail?

Many of us have related to Paul in many of his other journeys as written in the New Testament.  Have you been legalistic?  Paul has been the most zealous, legalistic Jew you have ever seen.  Have you never had faith?  Paul didn’t have faith until he was knocked blind for three days.  Have you starved?  Paul has.  Have you been broke?  I’m sure Paul has been broke many times.  And have you been broken?  Please say yes.  Paul probably has been broken many times too.

And what about being unmarried?  Although it is not known if Paul was married, or have been married, or was unmarried, he wrote to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 7 concerning these things –

³² I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. ³³ But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— ³⁴ and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. ³⁵ I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

Paul writes to Corinth, which was a pretty messed up society in all areas, especially in the area of marriage and issues with worshipping other gods dealing with fertility and the likes.  You get the picture, I hope.  And of course, there are always disputes amongst the followers.  Such as this, to be married, to be unmarried, what should you do if you’re engaged, etc.  But Paul makes it clear: If you are not married, you are concern about the Lord’s affair.  But if you are married, your interests may be divided.

This chapter does go into marriage.  If you are so burning with passion, get married.  If you are engaged, get married.  If you are married, stay married.  But as long as you’re unmarried, live for the Lord.  But that’s not to say that if you are married you cannot be devoted to the Lord.  I know many married Christians who are just as devoted as before they got married.

I believed we’ve all been there: unmarried and we seek to be understood.

But here’s a question: Does it matter if someone, in the earthly sense, understands me?  Probably not.  Ask yourself, “Who gives a crap about me?”  Almost that question, right there, should speak of discontent in your heart.  “Poor me, nobody loves me!”

However, what I’ve learned is this: God understands me and He graciously loves me like crazy.  It’s not so much, from my personally journey, to be understood by anyone.  Like I said, “Who gives a crap?!” 

But God understands.  That’s why He sent us Jesus to save us from our sins and also Paul to write all that he did about legalism vs. faith, starvation, being broke, being broken, and especially being unmarried.

It is part of this journey of life to understand God, who He is, and how He has made me.  God has made you the way you are.  God has made me the way I am.  Through this madness of life, He made me go through this journey I’m going through to have faith and understand Him.  It has taken me quite a while to be at this point in life, to be confident, and acknowledged in mind and heart, that He has fearfully and wonderfully made me (Psalm 139).

Of course, this is only a sliver of my thoughts.  I'm sure there are tons more experiences which I can share about the graciously and generosities of God.

Ultimately, I've learned to be content in all circumstances, whether you are unmarried, married, and dealing with stuff in life. 

When I first read this many years ago as a young Christian, I felt at the time I understood what it meant. However, as time goes on, God has shown me time and time again of how to be content in so many areas of my life.

Philippians 4:

¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

30-Something : About that dating, courtship, whatever...

Seriously, if you asked me to write a book about courtship, I would title it I Almost Kiss Dating Goodbye.

Remember some years ago, a guy name Joshua Harris had the audacity to write a book I Kiss Dating Goodbye? Going to a conservative church during college, almost everybody read the book as if it was the second Bible for courtship (or non-courtship). 

Me, personally, I read a third of the book, and I wanted to chuck it out my dorm room window.  It wasn’t baloney to me, but it was borderline legalistic.  Don’t get me wrong, I noted a few good things, about being pure in any relationship with your fellow opposite gender.

Then Harris redeemed himself and wrote “Boy Meets Girl”.  I almost want to ask, “What is wrong with you?”  But then, there is love and grace, which I had to contain myself and not say anything.  Never read the book, don’t care to.

Some 10 years later after my last romantic relationship, I haven’t had a single date.

You have read correctly.  Almost 10 years have past.  I haven’t dated a soul.

Now, you may even ask me (in return), “What’s wrong with you?”

Honestly, I can’t tell you what’s wrong with me.  Or  what’s even right with me.  After a few years of church bopping, I landed in a church with a bunch of “singles”.  Actually, it was a large group of mostly divorced folks.  At first, it was weird, awkward as I soon found out I was the youngest true single (or maybe I should say unmarried) but I found the few who I trust and became friends with. 

Then a few weird, awkward things happened.  I was asked out on dates.  And not from guys my age.  There was one guy who was probably my dad age.  Oh boy…  I had to turn him down, gently.

Then there was a guy who… wasn’t all there.  I had to run away from him.

And then I would get some strange looks from a few guys.  Run away, run away!

Due to other reasons (not because of the above), I left that church.

And I landed at my current church, Mosaic Church in Charlotte.

I think I’ve learned a lot about waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting.  I have been jaded and my thoughts might be a little skewed about the whole dating thing.  I almost don’t want to pray to God, “Please give me a tall, dark, and handsome Christian guy, who loves You and loves the people he serves.”  Sometimes I would make a list of what I want in a man, only to “scratch it” when God reveals something about me that I need to work on. 

“I want him to be rich and famous.”  Eh! (Think of the buzzer on America’s Got Talent.)
“Okay, can he just at least look like Tim Tebow??”  Eh! 
“Okay, at least, can he have blue eyes?”  Eh!
“Okay, God, I give up!”  Eh!  (God is telling me not to give up on my prayers.)

Often times, I felt like a failure to the human race.  Don’t worry, most unmarried women have felt this way.  We go through this stage of life.  It’s quite normal.  Most of us get through it somehow.

However, I almost want to play a game.  Not that we should test God but this is a good game, to test my own faith.

My pastor, Pastor Naeem Fazal, have often challenged us who are still single, “Wait.  I dare you to wait a year before you date again.”  A few sermons on this topic, he will share about him waiting about 3 years before he meant his wife, Ashley. 

I almost want to tell Naeem, very sarcastically, “What about 10 years?” 

And God tells me, “So, what about 10 years?”  If 9.5 years I have waited, why not half a more years.  Or even beyond.

And if I should wait, for God to make me the right woman and the right wife for a guy out there, I shall wait.  "Don't find the right person; be the right person."

30-Something : You Will Make a Great Mother

I've been getting this comment for the past many many years.  Since my college days, I've always volunteered to work with children at whatever church I've belonged to.  Some of my first experiences are to babysitting for children who's parents are in adult homegroup. (Root groups, cell groups, small groups, community groups are also similar names for those of this type of church realm.  The church I was a part of in college called them "homegroups".)  While the adults had their Bible study time, I and my helper would round up the kids in another room and play, watch Veggie Tales (lots of Veggie Tales), read books, and etc. etc. etc.  Kid things.  I would also babysit for parents who go out on their date nights.  (Try 4 hyperactive kids, ranging from 2 years old to 10 years old).  Same things, play, Veggie Tales, read books, but then I had to make sure they are fed, they go to bed, and especially they don't kill each other.

In variations, I've done the traditional church volunteering in children's ministry and teach Sunday classes every other week.  And I've held babies.  Plenty of babies.  Changed their diapers.  Changed their clothes (burp-ups, throw-ups, and other things I'm not going to elaborate).  Fed them baby food, fed them their bottles, and lord knows how many times I have played patty cake.

But always, I get the comment, "You will make a great mother."

At first, in my late teens/early 20's, it never bothered me.  I enjoyed the compliment.  It made me feel important, that I was helpful at my church(es).  I love kids!  But as time passes on, many of my friends got married, and started having kids.

"Oh, don't worry, you will find someone soon.  Just keep praying that God will bring someone to you," or some other variations like that.

Life events happened, my mother became ill with cancer and I felt the last part of my 20's was sucked out of me.  For 3 years, I didn't really make an effort to find a young group in Charlotte to hang out with.   When my mom finally passed away, all of a sudden, I didn't know what to do with myself.  I church hopped a lot when I was in Charlotte, trying to find a group to belong too.  No such luck, for a while.

Every so often, someone will still say to me, "You will make a great mother."  You know what?  I mentally want to wring her necks (and yes, usually, the person is female.  Although I had a co-worker, male, who pointed out to me, "Aw Josey, you will make a great mama."  Thanks....)

I often want to ask in return, "But do you think I will make a great wife?  Do you think I can make a commitment of sacrificial love, to be with a man until the days we die?  Do you realize the steps it takes to be a mother?  Dating/Courtship (what have you), getting engage, getting married, being in marriage, then motherhood???"  And then it hit me that I'm asking these questions to myself.  In some ways, it was kind of sobering.  Is there something wrong with me?  Did I get this all backwards?  Wow, where have I wasted my life?

But then what does it matter?  So I often times will calmly smile and say, "Thank you, I hope someday I will become a mother..."

30-Something : Unmarried

"Single"

I really don't like that word.

For me, it speaks of being alone.  All by myself.  

Google-searched adjectives: sole - unmarried - only - lone - individual - solitary.

From this group of words, I like the word "unmarried".  It sounds better.

As a disciple of Christ and my own background rooted in traditional Chinese culture, people are not meant to be alone.  I am not saying, men should be with women, vice versa, as in a married state.  In general, people are meant to have and build relationships with people.  Friends, moms, dads, sisters, brothers, cousins, grandparents, co-workers, neighbors.  Especially in the body of Christ, we are to be a family.  Not a corporation, like in a company or business.

Why am I writing

There are plenty, I say PLENTY, of blogs about 30-something, "unmarried", people.  Why am I starting another one?  The common denominator is that we seek to be understood.  We are of the generation where some of us have gone through college/university and/or have experienced a lot of things beyond our home areas, traveling to other parts of the country and traveling to other countries, seeing the world.  And then especially women (at least in the U.S.), we have more opportunities than ever to gain an education and start our careers.  We're waiting longer to get married, be married.  It's a frontier that most people have never been to before, in previous generations.

So, I hope that these series of blogs will serve its goal to enlighten and help the readers from a Christian perspective.

 

Christ followers like soccer players

Ever wonder why the USA men's soccer team stinks?

Seriously.

We should be good, right? It would only makes logical sense since the United States is one of the leading economical country in the world. We should be able to afford the best coaches, personal and physical trainers, doctors, and other people into this sport.

But that is part of the flaw. Although we are able to employ the best of the best, does this really result in the best soccer players in the country and the world?

I once had a conversation about this with a friend (I don't remember who... someone from another country).  As the conversation went, this person pointed out that kids in some of these countries play out in the streets or local parks.  They play "pick-up" soccer.  There are no rules or boundaries.  They just play.  And most of the time, they play hard and they play rough.

No rules.  No guidelines.  Just a ball and a goal and good old playing rough.  If we play on the national team, we'll learn the rules later (and get in trouble if we break them).  

This revelations happened the other week when I was watching my cousin's son play in his soccer game.  He's now 11 but when he was 4 years old, I remember watching some of his practices.  The coach went over how to kick the ball and show the boundaries of the field and that the ball had to go into the goal.  As they grow and mature, the kids learn more rules.  The field got bigger, the rules got more complicated, with off-sides, and penalties, and how to hit the ball with your head, and how to juggle the ball, and so one and so forth.  But so many rules, does one really learn the game of soccer?

Some times, even showing up to a live game, I somehow feel the game is in slow motion.  There is no action.  No speed.  No passion.  No emotion.  What happened, what is going on?  I realize these kids grew up learning a sport in a very organized fashion.  They never learned to play rough.  They never learned to just go for it.  They learned that from 5:30pm to 6:30pm is soccer practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturday was game day.  Unlike the folks from Latin America who play (for fun) everyday and as much as they can.

In Christian life, why can't we just go for it?  As disciples, most of us in church-America, have grown up in environments where you have to tithe, and you have to dress up, and you have to go do confirmation classes, and you have do the acolytes, and you have to go to Youth Group on Sunday evenings.

But look at Jesus.  He never went through rabbi school, yet he became the greatest teacher on earth.  He never own much of anything, maybe his traveling clothes and a pair of sandles.  Yet, he was the King.  He never played by man's rule.  He played by God's rule... He knew his righteousness was not under the laws (of man) but his righteousness is by the grace of God (written all over Romans).

Just as America had made soccer "legalistic", most of church-America has "legalized" church of do's and don'ts.  Why can't we run free under the grace of God and just go for it?

The Name Change

While jogging at the gym the other day, I was watching ESPN and noticed that Samantha Steele changed her name to Samantha Ponder.

To bring you up to speed: Samantha is a sports caster who covers mostly college sports on ESPN.  In the news last fall, she had a whirlwind romance with Christian Ponder, quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, and they married towards the end of the season in a private ceremony.  I had often wonder (well, not really) if she would change her name since she has already made a name for herself in the world of sports news.

I made a comment on Facebook which goes like this:

Later on during the day, I was talking to a co-worker about a project and he gave me a new title (which every week he gives me some kind of new title; i.e. JCat is a current one, Ninja Cat, etc.)  Then, it just dawned on me that somehow these two connected about name changing.


When Abram became Abraham

In Genesis 17, God made a covenant with Abraham:

⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. ⁵ No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you."

In this case, God wanted to make a covenant (promise) to Abraham that he will be father of many nations.  God was going to do great things through Abraham that God prompted a name change.

When Saul became Paul

Often times in the Bible, we see that names of people changes according to an event.  Paul of the New Testament was no exception.  If you don't know Paul, he was once a jealous Jew who persecuted Christians.  He ordered the martyr of Stephen (Acts 7).  But something drastic happened.  God literally hit him with a frying-pan (or a bright light) and asked him, "Why are you persecuting me?" In Acts 9, you see that then-Saul became blind by the Lord and was left blind for 3 days.  A conversion happened in Saul and he came to the Lord.  Several chapters later, you see Saul (who became Paul in this chapter) was hanging out with Barnabas.  God changed his name to the famous Paul who we know who wrote most of the New Testament.

And when not to change your name... (Story of Daniel)

It didn't say explicitly in the Bible but in the first chapter of the book of Daniel, Daniel did not want to defile himself with the wine and food that the king was going to give him and Azariah, Mishael, and Hananiah (aka Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego).  I think along with the food and wine, Daniel did not want to change his name either as this is an identity he had with the Lord.

My point... 

As I approach a stage in my life where I had made a name for myself in the engineering world, I often think, "What if I do get married?  What do I do with my name?"

I think I have a complicated name in the world, for starters.

Josephine is the English name my dad had given me.  He also purposely made it my first name, even though I was born in Hong Kong but he knew I was going to be raised in the U.S.  Most friends who are born in Hong Kong just have a Chinese name.  They later chose an English name for themselves but it is actually not a legal name.  Josephine is legitimately my legal first name.  I have a birth certificate to prove it.

Shuk Yee is the Chinese name my dad had given me.  It is also my middle name.

Chan, of course, is my current last name.

Many of my friends have different rules when getting married.  Some drop their middle name, scoot their maiden name to the middle, and adopt their husband's last name.  Others will drop their maiden name and scoot the husband's name as their new last name.  And now you see THE problem...

If I were to drop my middle name, that wouldn't make sense.  Many Chinese friends call me by my Chinese name.  If I drop my last/maiden name, then when adopting my husband's last name (whatever it might be), it might look strange.  I now have a English first name, a Chinese middle name and , which could be English, Polish, French, Spanish, what have you.  Then people will wonder, "So, what is this middle name?  It looks strange."  People will just be confused.  And a deeper personal struggle is that I will lose my Chinese identity if I were to drop any of the two names.

Names can bring about and define your identity.  God changed the names of Abraham and Paul; he want them to identify themselves as something great and special, that they will do great things for the Lord, and to put away the past of what they used to be.  But then you have Daniel.  Sometimes, you don't want to change your name because you already have that identity with God.

Even God has a lot of names: Jehovah Jireh, Lord, Yaweh, Jesus, Holy Spirit.  
Even Jesus had many titles: Messiah, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor

No matter what your decision is for your name, know that when we become Christians, we put our old self away and become a new being.  God's original plan for us is to have a relationship with us, and that our identity is in Christ.  A spiritual name change occurs.  We are all bride of Christ.  A wife drops her name to change her last name to her husband's name, she become an identity of her husband.  Just like this wife, we as bride of Christ drop our "last name" and adopt a new last name in Christ.

And yet, there are title. In an email with my co-worker, he said, "With all these titles, how do you juggle being such a heavy weight?"

I answered with some humor but ended it like this, "It's only a title, I'm still Josephine."

Then it really hit me that a title may just be a title.  My our identity is in our own names.  We may be mothers, sisters, wives.  Or fathers, brothers, husbands.  We could be CEOs, Presidents, or Managers.  But these titles do not change who we really are.  Just as God has many titles/names, His nature is the same. Just as Jesus had many titles, Jesus is still Jesus.

So, in answering my own question, I'm still Josephine, whatever last name I have.

God's Righteousness

On Facebook, I recently posted an update that says:

There were many lessons on sheep over the course of this past year, so in seeing another sheep lesson... You start to think, "Everything is running together."  Specifically, this lesson for the kids centers around the story of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7).  In summary, Jesus taught the audience about a shepherd and his one hundred sheep.  If one goes missing, doesn't that shepherd go find it?  If a shepherd finds a lost sheep, doesn't he rejoice over finding his sheep?  If a sinner repents, if God finds the bad guys (the lost), doesn't heaven rejoice in a New Believer?  Why yes!

So, after that updated, a string of conversation followed, to which a friend suggested I teach the kids in Chinese and I immediately thought of this Chinese character:

義

This is the Chinese character for "righteous" or "righteousness".  In a simple Chinese explanation, it is just being morally good, or right.  Many years ago, when I was in college, I was introduced to a book The Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis Were Found Hidden in the Chinese Language.  In the book, the author theorizes that after the Tower of Babel, and after God has spread the people to different countries, confusing their language, each language and culture has some parts or story about God, Creation and of course, Jesus.  For the Chinese language, some of the Chinese character can be broken down to many little characters that tells a story, and there are a handful of characters that if you break it apart, you start to see these root "words" (characters) that make up the bigger picture. A lot of the bigger picture points to the original stories or even prophesies of the Bible.  To be honest, after reading bits and pieces of the book, as well as one or two chapters in its entirety, the author doesn't really explain his theories too well.  But the overall idea is very plausible and I think I can take his ideas and run with the explanation as I will describe the word "righteousness" in the following.

With this particular character, righteousness (義), it is made up of two Chinese characters, 羊 (sheep), and 我 (me), and where the "sheep" is above "me".  And within the character, 我 (me), there are yet two other characters, 手 (hand) and 戈 (blade), side-by-side.  From the book Discovery of Genesis, the author explains that this character might demonstrate our general act of worship in order to become right with God (after the first few pages of Chapter 8 of the book, he goes on a bunny trail...).  I believe that the hand holds the blade, which describes "me", who sacrifice a lamb or sheep for worshipping of God.  You see this act of worship a lot in the Old Testament.  Many of the Jews throughout the OT and even today perform sacrifices of animals as a form of worship.

But it's interesting to note the the character "sheep" is above "me" in the word righteousness.  Although this may mean of early days of people sacrificing sheep to God, it's also a hidden prophesy that in the Gospels, eventually our sins will sacrifice the perfect Lamb of God, who is already righteous.  God is over me, my sins!  No more do we have to sacrifice our animals for worship; God has already done it!  Why?  Because God is righteous and just.  

Interestingly enough, my own name, 陳淑儀 (Chan Shuk Yee), the last character is a form of the character righteousness.  When a "stick person" is added on the left side, it gives that character the ability to be used in a name.  You often see this in the Chinese language, when a character is "humanized" so that it can be used in given names.  

There are many characters in the Chinese language that follows this story-telling.  Maybe to give you a homework, here is the character for "boat":

船

The first character of the right means "vessel", the one that looks like this 八 is eight and the one that looks like this 口 is mouth.  Think Genesis and floods.  :)