Amid the intensifying hype of Presidential hopefuls and the depressing blight of economic recession, Easter celebrates the risen Lord that offers the best and brightest hope of all mankind.
The racial divide much discussed recently focuses on the Black and White and how their votes will shape the outcome of this November's general election. Barack Obama, half black and half white, promises to unite the country. That is certainly a noble goal worth our clapping at and clamoring for. But can he do it? That is the question to be answered.
When Christ came, his first and foremost goal was to reconcile mankind to God, and in so doing, reconcile mankind with each other as well. If we judge the present division among all peoples, especially within Christendom, one may conclude that even Christ has yet to fulfill that noble goal. So has Christ failed?
Nay!
In one of the parables about the Kingdom of God, Christ clearly illustrated that wheat and tare would grow together until the day of harvest, when the tares will be bundled for burning and wheat gathered for keeping. It appears then that division and conflict between good and evil will be inevitable at the present age. Even within those who profess the name of Christ, Christ sternly warned that not everyone who acknowledges his name would enter the Kingdom of God, save those who do the will of God.
In the end, while every nation, every people, and every language will be fully represented in the Kingdom of God, the ultimate United Nation, not every individual will be united there. Those who heed to the call of unity with God will also live in heavenly unity with each other. Those who reject the call of unity with God will live in another kind of reality apart from God.
Thus, even God does not eventually unite everyone in one camp. A choice of life and death is given. Then what does it mean to unite Black and White, and, may I add, Hispanics and Asians? It seems to me that racial unity is loosely maintained on the ground of mutual respect for their not easily reconcilable differences. Unity that is totally blind to diversity (be it color and creed and whatever else) is not realistically attainable. Unity despite diversity is seductively inviting. A possible Presidency is being built on that promised hope.
In a racially segregated society, separation from fellow citizens is socially painful. In a depressed economy, separation from job and wealth is financially painful. In the practice of faith, dying to the old self that is at war with the new self is spiritually painful. In the twilight hour of one's life, imminent separation from loved ones and breath of life is emotionally painful. In the age to come, separation from God the life giver is eternally painful.
Life is full of painful experiences and choices. The way of suffering (Via Dolorosa) on Good Friday also leads the way to glory on the Easter Morning. Those of us who are still breathing live before the sunset of Friday. Those who have died rest in the quietness of Saturday. All will wake up on a future Easter Morning, some to eternal life, others to eternal death.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Measuring Richness: Forbes's vs. Jesus's Way
One way of measuring one's richness is by tallying up the accumulated personal wealth, the sort of thing Forbes magazine does once every year. Forbes has just published the roster of the richest 1,125 earthlings who amassed at least one billion US dollars worth of personal fortune in 2007.
China, not counting Hong Kong's 26, contributed 42 to the list, including 28 newcomers. The richest Chinese is Yang Huiyan at the tender age of 26. She has inherited her father's real estate empire valued at $7.4 billion. The runner ups are Lu Zhiqiang ($3.9B) and Huang Wei and family ($3.4B), all real estate tycoons. A few others became rich in the businesses of solar energies and internet. Reported in the Special Edition of Forbes magazine this week is a fellow named Shi Zhengrong who founded Suntech, the world's fourth largest solar panel maker. He is also becoming a champion for environmental protection.
A second way of measuring one's wealth is Jesus's way (Luke 21:1-4), based on how much one gives away. The poor widow was lauded by Jesus as the most charitable giver in the Temple court, since she gave all she had. Embededed in the Forbes magazine's article about Mr. Shi is a box comparing national charity. U.S. tops the list by giving 1.85% of its GDP, followed by a distant second, UK (0.84%) and third, France (0.32%), and others, Brazil (0.29%), South Korea (0.18%), Germany (0.13%), India (0.09%), and China (0.05%). Apparently China has a long way to go before catching on with the spirit of charity. Mr. Shi so far donated $2 million in China (including $82,000 for erecting a statue of Buddha at his hometown's temple) and $5 million to Al Gore's climate change organization. Ms. Yang Huiyan did better with $32 million donations last year. China had 1,369 charities at the end of 2007, a third of which were run privately.
The two types of richness occasionally go hand in hand. Most fortunately, the world's wealthiest men, Warren Buffett ($62B), and the once wealthiest for the last 13 years, Bill Gates ($58B), are also the most charitable givers. In fact, virtually all of Warren Buffett's and Bill's fortunates will end up in the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation. I salute them for their generosity.
It is worth noting that four of the 53 richest Indians made to the top 4, 5, 6, and 8 spots. The top fifth guy is building a 27-story home. Hmm, I wonder if he will change bedroom every other week. The youngest billionaire is a 23-year old Harvard dropout (sounds familiar?), Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, an online social utility that connects you with people around you. Boy, if only I knew better, I might as well stand a chance to be ranked among the richest.
But hey, I am already among the richest, being a co-heir with the King of kings and Lord of lords. I guess this kind of richness belongs to neither of the above categories. It is definitely not accumulated by my personal effort, nor is it inherited due to blood or familial relation, but fully endowed by the grace of God. Best of all, this last type of richness is forever enduring, wholely unlike the earthly fortune.
Have you got it? Why not come to Jesus and share his richness beyond measure? Feel like a zillionaire now!
China, not counting Hong Kong's 26, contributed 42 to the list, including 28 newcomers. The richest Chinese is Yang Huiyan at the tender age of 26. She has inherited her father's real estate empire valued at $7.4 billion. The runner ups are Lu Zhiqiang ($3.9B) and Huang Wei and family ($3.4B), all real estate tycoons. A few others became rich in the businesses of solar energies and internet. Reported in the Special Edition of Forbes magazine this week is a fellow named Shi Zhengrong who founded Suntech, the world's fourth largest solar panel maker. He is also becoming a champion for environmental protection.
A second way of measuring one's wealth is Jesus's way (Luke 21:1-4), based on how much one gives away. The poor widow was lauded by Jesus as the most charitable giver in the Temple court, since she gave all she had. Embededed in the Forbes magazine's article about Mr. Shi is a box comparing national charity. U.S. tops the list by giving 1.85% of its GDP, followed by a distant second, UK (0.84%) and third, France (0.32%), and others, Brazil (0.29%), South Korea (0.18%), Germany (0.13%), India (0.09%), and China (0.05%). Apparently China has a long way to go before catching on with the spirit of charity. Mr. Shi so far donated $2 million in China (including $82,000 for erecting a statue of Buddha at his hometown's temple) and $5 million to Al Gore's climate change organization. Ms. Yang Huiyan did better with $32 million donations last year. China had 1,369 charities at the end of 2007, a third of which were run privately.
The two types of richness occasionally go hand in hand. Most fortunately, the world's wealthiest men, Warren Buffett ($62B), and the once wealthiest for the last 13 years, Bill Gates ($58B), are also the most charitable givers. In fact, virtually all of Warren Buffett's and Bill's fortunates will end up in the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation. I salute them for their generosity.
It is worth noting that four of the 53 richest Indians made to the top 4, 5, 6, and 8 spots. The top fifth guy is building a 27-story home. Hmm, I wonder if he will change bedroom every other week. The youngest billionaire is a 23-year old Harvard dropout (sounds familiar?), Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, an online social utility that connects you with people around you. Boy, if only I knew better, I might as well stand a chance to be ranked among the richest.
But hey, I am already among the richest, being a co-heir with the King of kings and Lord of lords. I guess this kind of richness belongs to neither of the above categories. It is definitely not accumulated by my personal effort, nor is it inherited due to blood or familial relation, but fully endowed by the grace of God. Best of all, this last type of richness is forever enduring, wholely unlike the earthly fortune.
Have you got it? Why not come to Jesus and share his richness beyond measure? Feel like a zillionaire now!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Going Green
Going red is for the health of our heart. Going green is for the health of our heart's love, the environment that we are to take good care of.
My elder daughter Sarah is one such green activist at home. Not only does she preach what she believes, she acts as well. While taking a walk in the neighborhood with our dog this afternoon, my wife told me that Sarah would pick up a trashed can on the road side, take it home and place it in the recycle bin. Recently, Sarah recycled worn out shoes at a local Nike store.
Early this afternoon, Sarah went one step further with her green campaign from verbal reminding to written cautioning. One note sticking above a light switch in our kitchen lists six green rules that we are to observe.
1. Use a reusable sponge or rag to clean up spills rather than paper towels.
2. When printing a document, use both sides of the paper and change the margin settings to an inch or lower (go to page setup).
3. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours.
4. Save energy (and lower the electric bill) by turning off the lights and television when you leave the room.
5. Unplug all plugs when you're not using them. It draws energy just by being plugged into the power outlet.
6. Recycle all old sneakers @ letmeplay.com/reuseashoe to find out how to donate them to create sports courts.
On the door to our garage, we are reminded to "bring a canvas tote to the mall or grocery store; most plastic bags aren't biodegradable".
Sitting in the bathroom downstairs, I read six more points of green rules:
1. An estimated 100 billion plastic bags end up in landfills every year. Bring your own tote to stores!
2. Switch to low-energy fluorescent light bulbs. They last up to 10 times as long as regular light bulbs.
3. Clean the lint filter in the dryer regularly. A dirty filter uses up to 30% more energy to dry clothes.
4. Buy clothes made from organic cotton, which doesn't harm wildlife or the environment.
5. Instead of using the dryer, try using a drying rack. You'll save electricity and the jeans won't shrink.
6. Shorten your showers by two minutes and you'll conserve about 10 gallons of water.
I made a mental note of not using the paper tissues too liberally. Unbeknown to me then, my childhood days were as green as one could get when I used solid dirt balls to wipe after visiting toilet (a dirt hole dug beneath the ground with two parallel planks lying across the hole for crouching down).
On the door of the second floor towel closet, a note reads: Use one towel and one wash cloth per week!
Being somewhat of a sloth, I certainly have far exceeded that requirement.
A note above the light switch on the stairway asks: Turn off lights when you leave!!
Next to the night light switch, a note says with triple urgency: UNPLUG plugs when you're not using them!!!
Let's all go green and do our share to preserve our God-given environment. Let green reign.
My elder daughter Sarah is one such green activist at home. Not only does she preach what she believes, she acts as well. While taking a walk in the neighborhood with our dog this afternoon, my wife told me that Sarah would pick up a trashed can on the road side, take it home and place it in the recycle bin. Recently, Sarah recycled worn out shoes at a local Nike store.
Early this afternoon, Sarah went one step further with her green campaign from verbal reminding to written cautioning. One note sticking above a light switch in our kitchen lists six green rules that we are to observe.
1. Use a reusable sponge or rag to clean up spills rather than paper towels.
2. When printing a document, use both sides of the paper and change the margin settings to an inch or lower (go to page setup).
3. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours.
4. Save energy (and lower the electric bill) by turning off the lights and television when you leave the room.
5. Unplug all plugs when you're not using them. It draws energy just by being plugged into the power outlet.
6. Recycle all old sneakers @ letmeplay.com/reuseashoe to find out how to donate them to create sports courts.
On the door to our garage, we are reminded to "bring a canvas tote to the mall or grocery store; most plastic bags aren't biodegradable".
Sitting in the bathroom downstairs, I read six more points of green rules:
1. An estimated 100 billion plastic bags end up in landfills every year. Bring your own tote to stores!
2. Switch to low-energy fluorescent light bulbs. They last up to 10 times as long as regular light bulbs.
3. Clean the lint filter in the dryer regularly. A dirty filter uses up to 30% more energy to dry clothes.
4. Buy clothes made from organic cotton, which doesn't harm wildlife or the environment.
5. Instead of using the dryer, try using a drying rack. You'll save electricity and the jeans won't shrink.
6. Shorten your showers by two minutes and you'll conserve about 10 gallons of water.
I made a mental note of not using the paper tissues too liberally. Unbeknown to me then, my childhood days were as green as one could get when I used solid dirt balls to wipe after visiting toilet (a dirt hole dug beneath the ground with two parallel planks lying across the hole for crouching down).
On the door of the second floor towel closet, a note reads: Use one towel and one wash cloth per week!
Being somewhat of a sloth, I certainly have far exceeded that requirement.
A note above the light switch on the stairway asks: Turn off lights when you leave!!
Next to the night light switch, a note says with triple urgency: UNPLUG plugs when you're not using them!!!
Let's all go green and do our share to preserve our God-given environment. Let green reign.
Friday, February 22, 2008
In Remembrance of Dr. Ray Wu
I am a beneficiary of Dr. Ray Wu's visionary CUSBEA (China United States Biochemistry Examination and Application) program that allowed some 400 Chinese students to come to USA for Ph.D studies in the 1980's. Today, almost all of us are actively engaging in biomedical research in USA, China and elsewhere. Many have attained the once coveted professorship in premiere institutions of higher learning. Some occupy leadership positions of increasing influence in the biopharmaceutical industry. Quite a few have laid hold of prized acclaim to fame in their conquest of biosciences' cutting edge frontiers.
Dr. Ray Wu left us just before Valentine's Day. In a sense, he was valentine and benefactor to all CUSBEA fellows. Shortly after China opened her door to the West, Dr. Ray Wu, an accomplished geneticist and Cornell University professor whose pioneering innovation in DNA sequencing inspired Sanger to achieve Nobel prize winning breakthrough, petitioned Chinese authority to send some of the top young minds to USA for advanced study. CUSBEA program was thus born, as were the physics CUSPEA and chemistry CGP programs championed by others in the same decade.
The CUSBEA program abruptly ceased when the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement was crushed in Beijing. CUSBEA fellows found themselves emotionally torn and physically stranded, reluctant to return to their bruised motherland. A few years later when the memory of pain subsided, CUBSEA fellows began journeying back for family visitation, academic exchanges, and even permanent resettlement in China. Time apparently is the tried and true healer of all pains.
Our hearts now pain again, but for a different kind. We grieve with the family and friends of Dr. Ray Wu. If one's legacy can be measured by what becomes of his influence, then all CUSBEA fellows stand to testify to the great vision and insight of Dr. Ray Wu. Those of us who are fortunate to be very close to him have been telling us how meek and humble a gentleman Dr. Ray Wu was. Indeed that was the first impression I got when I saw him for the first and last time during a reunion last year in Beijing.
Dr. Ray Wu did not really leave us. His kindred spirit indwells among us and impels us to take altruistic interest in others' well being. He reminds me of Christ whom I preach so often. My prayer is this: We long to meet him again, but for the first time by the pearly gate of heaven when we will have finished our race on Earth. May his soul find the blessed eternal peace.
Dr. Ray Wu left us just before Valentine's Day. In a sense, he was valentine and benefactor to all CUSBEA fellows. Shortly after China opened her door to the West, Dr. Ray Wu, an accomplished geneticist and Cornell University professor whose pioneering innovation in DNA sequencing inspired Sanger to achieve Nobel prize winning breakthrough, petitioned Chinese authority to send some of the top young minds to USA for advanced study. CUSBEA program was thus born, as were the physics CUSPEA and chemistry CGP programs championed by others in the same decade.
The CUSBEA program abruptly ceased when the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement was crushed in Beijing. CUSBEA fellows found themselves emotionally torn and physically stranded, reluctant to return to their bruised motherland. A few years later when the memory of pain subsided, CUBSEA fellows began journeying back for family visitation, academic exchanges, and even permanent resettlement in China. Time apparently is the tried and true healer of all pains.
Our hearts now pain again, but for a different kind. We grieve with the family and friends of Dr. Ray Wu. If one's legacy can be measured by what becomes of his influence, then all CUSBEA fellows stand to testify to the great vision and insight of Dr. Ray Wu. Those of us who are fortunate to be very close to him have been telling us how meek and humble a gentleman Dr. Ray Wu was. Indeed that was the first impression I got when I saw him for the first and last time during a reunion last year in Beijing.
Dr. Ray Wu did not really leave us. His kindred spirit indwells among us and impels us to take altruistic interest in others' well being. He reminds me of Christ whom I preach so often. My prayer is this: We long to meet him again, but for the first time by the pearly gate of heaven when we will have finished our race on Earth. May his soul find the blessed eternal peace.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
More Tragedy Strikes the Community
Today I learned of another depression-driven suicide in our community.
A chemist went to his workplace and ended his life there, leaving behind his parents, brother, wife and two young children. He had been depressed for at least half a year, under stress from work and family.
I was told that he came to my church a second time last weekend. He made the pivotal decision to accept Christ at the end of a gospel class. I could not imagine what went through his mind before he decided to leave this world of pain and tribulation. I hope he prayed and called onto the name of the Almighty God before his self-timed departure.
Many adults have experienced depression in this pressure-cooking society. Some even attempted suicide. What drives depressed people to the point of no return? The present world apparently has lost all its appeals to those on the verge of suicide. How best to prevent it become a vital pastoral and counseling issue.
If you ever feel depressed, please talk it out to your trusted friends or a church pastor. Their help can lift you up from the valley of despair and depression to the mountaintop of hope and joy.
A chemist went to his workplace and ended his life there, leaving behind his parents, brother, wife and two young children. He had been depressed for at least half a year, under stress from work and family.
I was told that he came to my church a second time last weekend. He made the pivotal decision to accept Christ at the end of a gospel class. I could not imagine what went through his mind before he decided to leave this world of pain and tribulation. I hope he prayed and called onto the name of the Almighty God before his self-timed departure.
Many adults have experienced depression in this pressure-cooking society. Some even attempted suicide. What drives depressed people to the point of no return? The present world apparently has lost all its appeals to those on the verge of suicide. How best to prevent it become a vital pastoral and counseling issue.
If you ever feel depressed, please talk it out to your trusted friends or a church pastor. Their help can lift you up from the valley of despair and depression to the mountaintop of hope and joy.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
A Life Cut Short
I attended a funeral today after last night's Chinese New Year celebration during church fellowship. It was an emotional farewell.
Paul was a hardworking and easygoing family man. His life was cut short under the unbearable weight of depression following type II diabetes diagnosis about four years ago. His sudden departure early in the week made many mourners grapple deeper with the meaning of life. His children, wife, siblings, and friends, while choking back tears, remembered a kindhearted man who loved photography and made his customers as photogenic as technically possible. Pastor Chan, having battled his own type II diabetes for a decade, readily identified with Paul in the uphill daily struggle. Paul's wife thanked everyone and asked for understanding if she calls for help as she copes with Paul's untimely death. She implored us to openly share our inner feelings with loved ones whenever feeling pressured in life.
I learned more about Paul's life during his funeral than before. I'd rather see him snapping the camera and living to a much older age than 56. Nonetheless, I admire his courage to take the painful exit off life's busy highway. Now he is resting in eternal peace that we all long for after our earthly toil.
Before leaving, I consoled the family with words such as "The Lord is our hope" and "Be strong". I confided with the grieving 18-year old young man that my father died when I was 15. That was almost 30 years ago.
Life goes on. Life must continue. Say cheez and smile, brother Paul.
Paul was a hardworking and easygoing family man. His life was cut short under the unbearable weight of depression following type II diabetes diagnosis about four years ago. His sudden departure early in the week made many mourners grapple deeper with the meaning of life. His children, wife, siblings, and friends, while choking back tears, remembered a kindhearted man who loved photography and made his customers as photogenic as technically possible. Pastor Chan, having battled his own type II diabetes for a decade, readily identified with Paul in the uphill daily struggle. Paul's wife thanked everyone and asked for understanding if she calls for help as she copes with Paul's untimely death. She implored us to openly share our inner feelings with loved ones whenever feeling pressured in life.
I learned more about Paul's life during his funeral than before. I'd rather see him snapping the camera and living to a much older age than 56. Nonetheless, I admire his courage to take the painful exit off life's busy highway. Now he is resting in eternal peace that we all long for after our earthly toil.
Before leaving, I consoled the family with words such as "The Lord is our hope" and "Be strong". I confided with the grieving 18-year old young man that my father died when I was 15. That was almost 30 years ago.
Life goes on. Life must continue. Say cheez and smile, brother Paul.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
A Super Weekend
This weekend is absolutely super, for more than one reason.
First of all, it is the XLII superbowl weekend. The match between the undefeated favorite Patriots and the underdog Giants was nothing short of being breathtaking, all the way to the last second. The two teams each had a fruitful first scoring drive during the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter. But the score was unchanged at 3:7 to Patriots' advantage for two quarters, giving the same colleague in our betting pool a rare double win for guessing correctly both the half time and third quarter score. The defense on both sides was truly remarkable. The fourth quarter saw the seesaw action between two teams, changing the lead three times in the last quarter, a superbowl record. To me, the single most impressive play in the winning drive was Giants' overhead reception for third down conversion under the sandwiching tackles from Patriots. TV commentators billed this superbowl as the best of all time, topping the previous best between Bills vs. Giants (19:20) in early 1991's superbowl XXV.
I could not help but noticing the coincidence between the two best superbowl games. I began to love watching football soon after I relocated to New Jersey from Buffalo. I was disappointed by Bills' narrow loss to Giants in the last four seconds of the XXV game, despite the fact that both were my home teams. Bills later entered into superbowl three more times in the 1990's but came back empty handed. Seventeen years later, two weeks after I relocated back to New Jersey from Cambridge, I witnessed another great superbowl match, again between two home teams. Sadly, Patriots lost their only and most important game of the season, again narrowly.
The second cause for a super weekend came from my children. My younger daughter came home Friday with a report card for the second marking period, maintaining all As (95-100). My elder daughter won second place in the county high schools' mile-long race for girls on Saturday. My son successfully defended his clarinet first chair title in the 6-county regional intermediate band tryout, besting some 70 clarinetists and outscoring his closest rival by ~8%. Needless to say, my wife and I take great pride in the academic, athletic, and musical accomplishments by our children. Heartfelt thanks go to their teachers and coaches.
Presidential contenders will find another reason for this super weekend. Their prospect of residing in the White House hangs in the balance of the fast coming Super Tuesday's primaries and caucuses in 24 states across the nation.
First of all, it is the XLII superbowl weekend. The match between the undefeated favorite Patriots and the underdog Giants was nothing short of being breathtaking, all the way to the last second. The two teams each had a fruitful first scoring drive during the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter. But the score was unchanged at 3:7 to Patriots' advantage for two quarters, giving the same colleague in our betting pool a rare double win for guessing correctly both the half time and third quarter score. The defense on both sides was truly remarkable. The fourth quarter saw the seesaw action between two teams, changing the lead three times in the last quarter, a superbowl record. To me, the single most impressive play in the winning drive was Giants' overhead reception for third down conversion under the sandwiching tackles from Patriots. TV commentators billed this superbowl as the best of all time, topping the previous best between Bills vs. Giants (19:20) in early 1991's superbowl XXV.
I could not help but noticing the coincidence between the two best superbowl games. I began to love watching football soon after I relocated to New Jersey from Buffalo. I was disappointed by Bills' narrow loss to Giants in the last four seconds of the XXV game, despite the fact that both were my home teams. Bills later entered into superbowl three more times in the 1990's but came back empty handed. Seventeen years later, two weeks after I relocated back to New Jersey from Cambridge, I witnessed another great superbowl match, again between two home teams. Sadly, Patriots lost their only and most important game of the season, again narrowly.
The second cause for a super weekend came from my children. My younger daughter came home Friday with a report card for the second marking period, maintaining all As (95-100). My elder daughter won second place in the county high schools' mile-long race for girls on Saturday. My son successfully defended his clarinet first chair title in the 6-county regional intermediate band tryout, besting some 70 clarinetists and outscoring his closest rival by ~8%. Needless to say, my wife and I take great pride in the academic, athletic, and musical accomplishments by our children. Heartfelt thanks go to their teachers and coaches.
Presidential contenders will find another reason for this super weekend. Their prospect of residing in the White House hangs in the balance of the fast coming Super Tuesday's primaries and caucuses in 24 states across the nation.
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