All that Jaz

my walk with Christ that jazzes

2011-08-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't been back to my own blog for over 4 years now!! Can't believe it still exists. I found out that I didn't even do part II of my article about my Dad's journey to Heaven. Oh well, it's never too late to pick up the pen again, in this case, to get my fingers going on the keyboard again.

This summer has not been an easy one, besides living in the hottest part of the country. I know it is time. It is time for me to document my journey with God again, and wait and see what God will do next.

Seeing My Dad Off Part I

2009-06-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

The journey of seeing my Dad living through the last episode of his life was never planned. A day after we celebrated his 57th birthday, he left this world with a passport to Heaven which he was given few days before his departure.

My Dad’s cancer was diagnosed in March of last year. It was shocking at first because he was seemingly active and healthy only two months before that. He went through a long and excruciating open brain surgery to remove his brain tumor in April. His condition seemed to stabilize after the surgery. All he needed was a few special kinds of chemo and radio therapies which were considered very mild therapies by the oncologist. To show my support during such critical time, I decided to make a trip to visit him in May along with Matthias. Having the recollection of the month long visit a few months back still flesh in mind, I thought this would be another chance to create sweet memories with my parents along with their grandson. Little did I realize that my Dad was very much changed by his cancer. My Mom did not fare too well either. She was so overwhelmed by my Dad’s illness that she was often in dismal and in constant fear of losing my Dad.

Spending a month with a family you had not lived with for the past 15 years under such difficult circumstances did not go too well for any of us. The interactions among all of us were nothing but emotionally charged. Situations often arose where my parents accused me of being selfish. My parents especially resented that my son was taking up so much of my time that I was not able to spend more time with my Dad alone. Needless to say, I was miserable during the month that we were there. With all of my good intentions I made this trip but I found myself angry with my parents and frustrated with the cancer that somehow altered my Dad’s good nature. With all that came a sense of failure, a perception of constantly disappointing my parents and not meeting their expectation. In such desperate time with my husband being thousands of miles away and no church home around, I could only resort to prayers.

One day after a fight I had with my parents, I was praying while sobbing. In the midst of my prayer, a verse appeared in my mind. Matthews 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls..” Humility and gentleness, though they were the furthest thing in my mind, they were exactly what I needed amidst my family turmoil. For the rest of the stay, the verse kept floating in my head and halted any potential bickering with my parents. It kept me from causing further detriments in the already-fragile relationship with my parents. Besides sending me this verse, God also sent a sister in Christ who happened to live in the same building as my parents to reprioritize what I should be asking from the Lord for my family. The lady posted the question of what is more important, my Dad’s salvation or his physical healing. Like being struck by lightening bolt, I realized what I have been asking from the Lord may not be best for my family.

After a month, I left Hong Kong with a disparaged heart, bemoaning the kind of testimony I left in my parents’ heart during a time when they would need the Gospel the most. After returning and over the next half a year, I found myself pondering for what exactly I should be praying. Slowly but assuredly I was led to the conclusion that it was not just my Dad’s salvation but the glory of God be revealed above all else from this whole ordeal.

To be continued.

Waiting Room

2007-09-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Waiting for my turn to get a Medicaid card for my son, I sat along with perhaps a hundred people in a stuffy waiting room. There was AC in the room but I felt like the heavy breathing of people waiting exhausted the AC. There were all kinds of people there, Black, White, Hispanic, Asians, little children, elderly folks, you name it.

I waited for more than an hour before I was called to the window to get the needed documents. I was among the fortunate few who could leave within two hours. Most of the people there had been waiting for half a day already. During the 100 plus minutes of waiting, I came to observe how people treat “the masses” especially the masses of lesser advantage.

The waiting room at the Medicaid office was big enough for about two hundred people, but it had no speaker system. Staff would call out clients’ number indicated by a small monitor inside the staff station of the office where only people right in front of the station could see. If a client sat at the very far corners of the room, there was no way that they could hear the staff calling their numbers or see it on the monitor. I noticed that a few people almost missed their turn because they had no knowledge of their number being called. At one point, one of the clients was so frustrated that she would stand close to the staff station and repeat loudly the numbers called by the staff. It was certainly quite an awkward scene for the staff. The staff members there were all well-dressed, compared to their clients in their waiting room. Nonetheless, their expressions were mostly solemn, with the exception of one or two carrying a smile when greeting clients. Seeing those faces, I wondered what the staff saw in their clients. Do they see them as people with flesh and bone, just like them, but needing some help medically and financially, or do they see the clients as merely objects that come to the office for whom they process papers? I found out the answer for myself when it was my turn at the staff station, at least from the one staff member with whom I made exchanges.

With no smile on her face, she simply told me that my application number was not in the system. After verifying with another number I gave her, she told me to sit down and wait some more. Having waited for another what seems like a life time, I was called by the same lady again, and this time she gave me my needed documents. It seemed to me that she really had to rush to the next client since she was hardly delighted to answer the one question I asked.

Don’t mistake me here for ranting out against the Medicaid office or building up a case of distaste for the bureaucracy of the American government. My experience at the Medicaid office, if not pleasant, was in fact very humbling. On one hand, I accepted the help I very much needed and I was glad and thankful to get it. On the other hand, it makes me appreciate more the mercy and grace God has bestowed upon me. Unlike the staff in the Medicaid office (in my particular experience), God doesn’t see those who are needy as the “masses.” Psalm 139 tells us that God knows everyone of us by our name when we were in our mother’s womb. He sees us as individual, each and everyone as his precious child.

Like the people waiting at the Medicaid office, we in one way or the other, are in need. Imagine yourself at the Medicaid office, unlike what I described in the above, the staff actually recognizes you right away and greets you with love and warmth, and offers all they could do to help you. You would not have to wait in line, and you get their full attention right away! That is how merciful God is towards us when we come to Him with a request. In fact, Jesus had been in our shoes before as He himself has experienced firsthand some of the difficulties we face in this earthly life.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

God knows our needs and our weaknesses. It is up to us to lay them on the altar and let Him take care of you. Unlike the Medicaid’s office waiting room, the waiting room of God is spacious and welcoming, and you get His attention right away. Let us break any barrier between us and God and come to His altar. He will always be there listening with open arms.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Humility -- Coming to the End of Myself

2007-09-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Stepping into the Medicaid office, the atmosphere almost smothered me. I never thought I had to succumb to this level of help. I had seek help countless times before, from babysitting to moving, from learning Algebra to Zoology, I never hesitated to ask for a helping hand, at least not until now.

I heard a story about a “Godly” man who was stranded on the rooftop of his house because of a flood. His neighbors went by in their boat and told the man that there was still room in their boat to fit him in, but he rejected, telling his neighbors that God would send help to him. A while later, a rescue boat with Red Cross workers came by wanting to lend the man a hand. Again, he rejected claiming that God would send him help. Okay. You guess right, the guy was never rescued and he was eventually struck by lightening and died on top of his own roof. He did get his deliverance from God alright—lightening, an “Act of God” through nature.

Though I have strong faith in God, yet it is nothing like the foolishness the man in the story portrays. I know in my current storm, I need help by means that God provides, means like the neighbors and the Red Cross workers in the story of the foolish man. In my case, Medicaid was the mean that God provided (I will explain why and how I got Medicaid for my son in a future article, and why I am assured that God provided it at the right time).

I used to study about poverty issues in my graduate classes, but I never thought that I can come so close to be in this category. It was different when I read about poverty by authors like bell hooks or when I worked at some of the community centers where children affected by poverty spend their after school hours. When you are actually in poverty, the sentiments are no where compared to studying or reading about it. I got to taste a bit of it lately since my whole world has in a way been turned upside down over the last three months (Now I see that it was God working all things for GOOD. Another article).

Like the man on the roof top expecting God’s “divine” intervention, I did not sort out for help at first. Honestly, I have been so reluctant to get help from the government. First of all, to me government help is only for the “poor, and as mentioned above, I could never consider myself “poor.” Secondly, I admit that pride is a big factor in me asking for help. Eventually, it was God who “slapped” my face before I earnestly sorted help to pay for my little boy’s medical bills, and He provided it.

It has not been an easy lesson, but indeed a lesson I very much needed. Only with a helpless state of mind did I truly come to humility and relied solely upon the providence of God. I have read stories of many Godly people who did not come to true humility until they got to the end of themselves.

Joni Erikson Tada, the founder of Joni and Friends ministry who have helped countless families with special need children, came to the end of herself when she became paralyzed from a diving accident. But because of the accident, she seek out for God, and God has been using her disability to reveal His power, mercy and grace to millions others through her ministry. In her memoir, she wrote “I know I wouldn’t know You… I wouldn’t love and trust You.. were it not for … this wheelchair.” She was THANKING God for her disability. Imagine that.

Another great Christian of our time, Chuck Colson, a key figure from the scandal of Watergate during the Nixon’s era, remarked that one of the “paradoxes” in life is “out of defeat and suffering in life comes victory.” A brilliant yet self-righteous man, Colson was sent to jail for his involvement in the scandal. Admitting to his own fallible nature, he surrendered wholeheartedly to God during his imprisonment. Thus, out of his true humility came a ministry that has brought hope to millions of the forgotten and untouchable prisoners around the globe. Like Joni, Chuck Colson was also grateful for his misfortune—his incarceration.

The prime example of true humility, however, was never helpless or in need. His true humility was part of His divine nature. As the Son of God, Jesus condescended himself and became poor, all for our sake, so that we can become rich through his poverty (2 Corinthians 8:9). His utmost humility was brutally displayed through his excruciating death on the cross, but His victory was also shown through his resurrection three days later.

True humility brings out victory, as illustrated by Joni Erikson Tada, Chuck Colson, and preeminently through Jesus Christ. I do not know where God is leading me to through this humbling experience at the Medicaid office, but I am assured that victory will come out of it, though it may not be the victory as defined by the world.

I pray that you do not have to come to the end of yourself to obtain true humility. Come to Jesus today and receive true victory in life through His resurrection!

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Original article posted on
http://www.helium.com/tm/576598/humility-coming-myself-stepping

God—Beyond and Above History

2007-08-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

In my last trip to Boston, MA, we visited the Freedom Trail. On the trail were many historical landmarks that had monumental value in the making of American history. One of those was a building where revolutionary heroes such as Samuel Adams, James Otis, and John Hancock gave their famous speeches that led to the revolutionary war, and famous abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison spoke for the liberty for the slaves. This building, which was also nicknamed “the Cradle of Liberty,” is Faneuil Hall. It was built in the early 1740s funded by a wealthy merchant called Peter Faneuil. From then till now, the building has hosted debates of numerous historical events, all the way from the Revolutionary War, to the Civil War, and to the current war in Iraq. In other words, Faneuil Hall has been a silent witness to more than 200 years of American history. A building like Faneuil Hall is definitely adorned and cherished not just by historians, but by ordinary tourists like me.

Indeed, a building that carries such historical value has impressed upon the hearts of so many people across the generations, but what about something that is so much more than history itself. Like Fanuil Hall which bore witness to the birth of a great nation and its invigorating history, God was there when the universe was created, and God has been there all along during the making of history itself. In fact, HE was the creator of this universe, and is the author of time.

Historians recognized the value of Fanuil Hall and the historical events that it bore witness to, but what about the value of God who was the witness of ALL history? He was the God who parted the red sea and sent manna from the sky to his beloved, and the God who was the mastermind behind David’s defeat of the giant Goliah . He was the One who sent Jesus to die on the cross for all of our sin, the One who many of the great saints for whom they gave their lives witnessing. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not just the God of Biblical time, He IS THE God we worship in these present days, at the current moment of time.

I have (in my head knowledge) known that the God who forgives and loves me now is the God of Biblical time. However, it is only in trying times that the Alpha-Omega concept of God daunts on me. Think about it, the God who took care of large-scale events (in head counts) such as crossing the red sea, famine and feeding the huge crowds, as well as smaller scale incidences such as the conversion of Paul and the healings of the blind and lame, is the SAME God who is overseeing me at the present time. If He could deliver on such a large scale, He can definitely deliver me in whatever circumstances and storms that I am going through. All we need to do is to trust Him.

If something as unanimated as a building like Fanuil Hall can make such great impression in the hearts of so many historians and tourists, I should be a lot more impressed by this God who IS the Alpha and the Omega.

After thought: My husband suggested I used the Statue of Liberty as an example rather than Faneuil Hall since the former is much more acclaimed than the later. Nonetheless, Faneuil Hall was built much earlier than the Statue of Liberty, and it did witness many of the historical events since the birth of this nation. In other words, I feel that Faneuil Hall would be a much closer match to the point of my article than the Statue of Liberty. I chose to keep it the way it is rather than adjusting the example to make it more generic.

Note: Original article posted on http://www.helium.com/tm/462189/beyond-above-historyin-recent

W...A...I...T

2007-08-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

WAIT. A four letter word that sounds so simple and effortless. It is part of our everyday life. Wait in line to get on a bus, wait in line to get checked out at the grocery store, wait to be served by a waiter at a restaurant, wait for your appointment at the doctor’s office. An average person spends hours just waiting each week.

Waiting seems to be a popular topic in love stories. I just watched the movie The Lake House where the leading character had to wait on and off for four years to finally get together with the love of his life. I would consider his love for her genuine for the fact that he waited. When a man is willing to wait for a woman or vice versa, it shows his or her virtues. In fact, waiting for your true love is so precious that ministries such as True Love Wait appeals to so many young people.
Besides romance, prolonged waiting can also be seen in family relationship. Waiting for reconciliation with your children, waiting for a prodigal child to repent and turn around, or waiting for someone to call you mom, in the case of infertility, often occur to an average person. Nonetheless, no amount of waiting could trump how long God has been waiting for us. Isa 30:18 says, “Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.”

Ever since the fall of men, God has been waiting for us to repent and come back to Him. Not only has He been waiting to show us his grace and mercy, He is also holding his wrath back. Isa 48:9 “For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off” Holding back His wrath is another way God waits for us. God is continuing to wait even to this day. If you count the time now from the time Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, it IS a very long time indeed. Yet because of His mercy, He keeps on waiting for us to turn to Him. The moment we turn back to God, however, does not mean there is no more waiting Philippians 1:6 says “that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God is working on us and waiting for us to become “perfect” in His sight, which is the day when Jesus Christ comes again.

God waits for us, but often, we wait for God as well. God knows the future and He knows how His waiting for us would result. Nonetheless, we certainly are not wise enough to know the future. Thus, our waiting for God takes faith. The prime example of waiting for God is Abraham. He waited for the birth of Isaac until he was 100. Hebrews 6:15 says “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” Abraham kept on trusting when his aging body told him otherwise; he waited for God to do His work. Other grand examples of waiting from the Bible are: Jacob, who waited fourteen years before he could marry Rachel, and Joseph, who suffered for years before he was finally discovered and promoted by Pharaoh. Though they did not wait for God directly per se, yet they waited for God’s guidance and deliverance. Even Jesus waited thirty years before it was the right timing for Him to start His ministry according to His Heavenly Father’s plan.

Like waiting in a doctor’s office, sometimes all it takes to wait for God is to have some patience. Psalm 46 reminds us that “Be still and know that I am God.” Being still sounds easy enough right? If you think it is easy, think twice. Ask my four year old boy to be still for you for one minute, and you know sometimes how hard it is to “be still” for a pro-longed period of time. It is especially hard to be still and wait for God’s deliverance when His deliverance seems no where to be found. In such circumstances, we often resort to act instead of to wait. Even the Father of Faith, Abraham, acted unwisely (the birth of Ishmael by Hagar) before he finally yielded to God completely and willingly waited. I have learned a great deal about waiting for God this summer. No it is not easy and yes sometimes it is downright tormenting. I have pleaded with God so many times but the words of this psalm seem to best elicit my sentiment at those tormenting moments. It is from Psalm 88:13-14

"But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?"

It is as if God has turned His face away from me and no longer hears my cry. “Why God, are you not here to get me out of this?” At those moments, I actually feel like I am the most cursed person in the world and no one, not even God wants to hear my plea. Yet, God is still listening for “He will never leave you, nor forsake you (Deut 31:6).” God will answer, but it is up to us to wait. In His perfect timing, He will provide His answer for us. We have been so misguided by Hollywood movies that often deliver near-perfect ending to life situations in a time span of approximately two hours (length of the movie). Though the main character waited for four years in the movie The Lake House, yet it was only about two hours of movie time before he finally got to meet the girl of his life. Don’t we all wish sometimes our wait could pass by just in two hours?

Of course, things in real life don’t usually just change in two hours. In this culture of instant gratification, we have been so “hollywoodized” that we want to see the rainbow when the rain has not even started. But if we do take the time to wait, to take in God’s guidance, protection and strength DURING a storm, we could get so much more than just being delivered from the bad situations. Although I am not much for the Hollywood versions of reality, I am however very much in agreement of what Morgan Freeman in his role of “God” said in the movie Evan Almighty, “Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?”

Sometimes a bit of waiting through a trial is the exact opportunity God has in mind for us to develop such virtues.For those of you who don’t know this God I am talking about personally, He is waiting for you. For those of you who do know Him, WAIT for Him. “Blessed are those who long for Him.”

Trumping the American Citizenship--A Perfect Citizenship

2007-08-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

Observing the citizenship oath ceremony today, I noticed the joy and excitement of the 400 plus folks from various backgrounds. The thrill they exhibited after the oath was overwhelming. Husbands hugging newly naturalized wives, children kissing newly naturalized parents, the scene of such precious moments could put one to tears. I am quite certain that many of these folks could tell you long tales of their process in becoming a US citizen. Some of these tales may entail plenty of hardship, suffering, poverty, persecutions and other tantalizing experiences. The cost of a US citizenship definitely comes with a heavy price tag (not just in monetary value) for some of these folks, including my husband, pertaining to the time and money (for lawyers) we spent on his citizenship.

Though it is widely objected by much of the world nowadays, I would still undoubtfully argue that being an American citizen is one of the utmost honors one could ever have on this earth. It is so well illuminated in the song by Lee Greenwood “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free…I’d thank my lucky stars, to be livin here today. ‘ Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can’t take that away..” It is no wonder that so many people sacrifice so much to become naturalized American citizens and/or have their children become the rightful citizens born in the United States. The freedom that comes with the citizenship, as highlighted by Lee Greenwood, is worth all the investment these naturalized citizens made.

There is, however, another kind of citizenship that could guarantee so much more than an American citizenship. It not only comes with liberty for the rest of your life, but it also provides a perfect destination after your life journey ends—Heaven. It is the citizenship in Christ. And the price tag is—FREE! Jesus Christ paid for it on the cross 2000 plus years ago.

Phil 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Being an American means you are free from the grip of tyranny, from the dictatorship of any demagogue. In fact, the freedom that comes with American citizenship is illustrated in black and white in the Bills of Right—the freedom of speech, religion, assembly, press and arms. Being a citizen in Christ elicits something even more powerful that all those freedoms. Citizenship in Christ offers the ultimate freedom—the freedom from sins, or being free from the imprisonment of one’s sinful nature. And, should I mention again that you will be guaranteed a place in Heaven after death?

You say that there is no free lunch. What is the catch in this citizenship in Christ deal? When one swears in as an American citizen, one will have to relinquish his/her allegiance to one’s indigenous country or citizenship of birth. Today during the ceremony, when the matron of the ceremony read through the list of the candidates’ countries of origin, a man loudly pronounced that Palestine was omitted. When being told that US did not recognize Palestine as a country, the man still insisted he was from Palestine. Though he went ahead with the oath to ceremonially denounce his loyalty to his previous “country,” I as a spectator couldn’t help but to be skeptical of his professed loyalty to his new country. Likewise, becoming a citizen in Christ would require one to deny his loyalty to this carnal world, not just verbally but wholeheartedly.

Nonetheless, that is really not a catch but rather a “buy one get one free” kind of deal. You see, once you take on the citizenship in Christ, Christ Himself will give you the guidance, power and strength to separate from this world while living in it. It is something that can only be achieved supernaturally.

Well, No brainer isn’t it? Free from sin, heaven, and “supernatural” power, and no price tag attached, could any country offers citizenship better than this? All we have to do is to hold out our hands and take this FREE gift. Isn’t the citizenship in Christ PERFECT?

Article originally posted on
http://www.helium.com/tm/457192/trumping-american-citizenship-perfect

My Version of "If God Loves Us, Why is There so Much Pain in the World"

2007-07-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

Funny how the "why" questions don't usually pop up when good things happen, but when bad things happen, we bombard God with why why why. We often take good things in our lives for granted. We ascribe all the credit to ourselves when good things happen. "I worked hard. I deserved this big house!" "I was smart and I knew it would work!" Sometimes we even ascribe it to something as vague and cheesy as "luck"- "I was lucky that I didn't get hit by that truck!"-rather than giving credit to the One who truly is behind all things good.

I have been very humble these few years to learn that God has a lot to do with the good things and blessings in my life. Isaiah 29:11 says "The Heaven and earth are yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom! We praise you for you are in control of everything. Riches and Honor come from You. You are the ruler of all mankind. You alone control power and might, and it is in Your discretion that men are made great and are given strength." Doesn't that say it all? How can I not be humbled by the magnitude of His greatness and power from this verse! I believe that it would take a total paradigm shift for many people in this country to realize that good things come from Him.

We have been taught from very young that we can do anything if we give our 100%. Little do most of us know that this Almighty God is behind all the results of our labor and is in fact the provider of the strength and ability we have to accomplish anything.

Okay. Enough said about good things. After all, the topic is if God loves us, why is there so much pain in the world. From the world's perspective, things around me currently are definitely far from being good. In a children's book my son loves to read a lot, A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, the main character in the book experienced a miserable day as a boy and as a student. Comparatively, I should title my book "A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad SUMMER." My circumstances at this very moment are certainly beyond my understanding and control. In fact, many things that happened to me and my family in the last few years would be considered as miserable and bad luck by many folks. To name a few, financial crunches to a point of almost zero balance in my bank account, heavy debt, my son's kidney problem and stay at the ICU, my husband's layoffs are just a glimpse of the storms in my life for the past three years and at the present. Nonetheless, again and again, God has taught me to put down the crooked spectacles from this earthy world, and take up His binoculars, seeing "bad" things in a way I have never seen before.

When we try to see things from God's vantage point, it could become like the song says "and the things on earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glorious grace." A verse that reminded me to correct my perspective is Hebrew 12:7-11.
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

It talks about God's discipline for those who He loves. I will not say that God is punishing me at this point for something I did or did not do, but I believe my circumstances are a way God is disciplining me. From my educational background, discipline could be translated to positive guidance and training. When I look at my circumstances with God's binoculars, I certainly can see that God is training me for His purpose. The best part of this is, we can share in God's holiness as a result of His discipline, and yield a harvest of peace and righteousness. Thus, instead of grumbling, I am learning to praise God in this storm and thank Him for His discipline.

To conclude, I would like to use Dr. Warren Wiersbe's quote from his Back to the Bible's devotional writing"Your perspective doesn't change the painting or the facts, but it does change your reaction to the facts. So we need to go into the sanctuary of God. We need to know from His point of view what it means to live for the Lord."

The orginial article was posted on
http://www.helium.com/tm/457074/funny-questions-usually-things

All That Jaz from Jazmanian

2007-03-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

All that Jaz may include, any, all, or none of the follwing:

.....Funnies from Mazmanian

.....Jazmanian's working progress

.....The Beginning of Wisdom.. from the best seller of ALL TIME

.....Miscellaneous