Lately I begin to appreciate House M.D., the show on FOX, the first show that I’ve ever got interested after the end of Jack Bauer’s 24. There are a couple of reasons for my appreciation, in spite of its adult language and dirty humors that makes it not family friendly, meaning I cannot watch it with my kids.

First, I like the fact that Dr. House is a sick physician, popping painkillers every now and then, even in front of his patients. Unlike those super hero stories, Dr. House is shown with many annoying weaknesses, and he is always pushing the envelope, not because of a heroic venture but because of his obsessions. It surely turns most people off, even though “this bastard is the best doctor you can ever get,” as stated by his boss.

A new mural for the Biblical Arts Center in Dallas to replace the one by Torg Thompson which burned up in the fire a few years ago.
http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/vod/MW131v2_WS

Office Powerpoint 2010 "Five Rules" sample presentation from Long Zheng on Vimeo.

Just came out of our Good Friday service. Trying to feel what the disciples might have felt--maybe, the Beloved Disciple, the one at the cross who saw the whole thing, who took the Lord's mother, Mary home.  How was Mary feeling?  I've heard that nothing in life is worse than having to bury your own child.

I am a PC guy, and never learned to appreciate things with 'i' in front of a device, even though my son works for Apple. I found them visually appealing but intellectually not stimulating. Plus, I like openness (open source) even though I like Apple's survival spirit. Of course Droid is not just a competition with iPhone, it's far ahead of it. But, who cares, it is just a gadget to deploy, not to be enslaved by it.

Saw Avatar last night in 3D, with Cassy. Got some free tickets :). Extremely impressive effects, totally taking the art of movie production to a new level. One spiritual message in the movie for us to ponder is about “seeing.” “I was blind but now I see” type of seeing. To see the eternally liberating sovereignty of God it the ultimate seeing of all. Do you see what I see?

There are seasons of life when we struggle with fear, loss, guilt, and loneliness because we live in a fallen world in which God’s will is not always done. What’s even worse is, when we try to do the right things, we often encounter all kinds of threats and hardship. If you don’t know what I mean, just try to eat right, exercise, or get rid of a bad habit.

It’s easier to go with the flow, join the rat race, and bury our lives in indefinite busyness, than to make tough decisions to fulfill God-given purpose for our lives. The moment we stop burying our heads in the sand, we need a way to manage the elements of devolution around us, such as fear, lost, guilt, and loneliness. In fact, Advent is a season for us to intentionally take our heads out of the sand and clean up at the mess around us. This year, let us tap into King David’s admirable wisdom in handling these elements.

During my early college years, a friend of mine had a motorcycle accident. He showed up at the tea house the next day with bandages all over his head and arm, saying, “Shoot! I thought I would die when I was hit. I wished I was killed instantly because if I was, I would have been in heaven by now. I have been very good lately, going to church and spending my quiet time with God, so I am sure I would have gone right to heaven if I died yesterday. But now I have to start over again, and I don’t know how long I can hang in there to keep myself good; I hope my next accident won’t be at a wrong moment.”

How do you overcome fear, lost, guilt, and loneliness? What do you do when the storm of life strike you with threatening shame and throw you off your life direction? King David went through such situation many times and every time rebounded back to a triumphant life. How he did it? Psalm 25 reveals some of his key secrets and we will unwrap it this Sunday (Nov. 29, the first Sunday of Advent) at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Paramus. So get ready be infused with the timeless wisdom of King David and join us this Sunday.

You can prepare yourself by reading the Psalm 25 below.

I'm in the sunny Phoenix, AZ, with the PCUSA's Spiritual Formation advisory team.  Don't be jealous; it's just 70 degrees out here, in November!  Meetings are held at Palo Cristi Presbyterian Church.  Interesting name, isn't it?    The highlight of the day was to walk the labyrinth at night among the candles and cacti.  Met some interesting people from different parts of the country and heard some interesting stories.  Elizabeth Nordquist, a retired professor of Spirituality from SFTS southern campus, happens to be a daughter of a missionary to Yunnan, China.  She shared with me about her six-month journey back from Yunnan through Sichuan to America in 1951 with her parents and brother when the communists drove the missionaries out.  Small world!  Since, you know, I am a Yunnanese.  I am a forth generation Christian, a rare specie in Yunnan.  It will be interesting to find out who brought the gospel to my great grandfather. Well, it's time for bed, a sanctuary for the spirituality of rest!