July 27, 2024

I have a few scars and stitch marks on my body. I had stitches on my forehead from when I was around seven years old. I was playing on a truck and fell off of it on my head. In second grade, I was playing with rocks with friends during recess time, and a friend accidentally threw on my left ring finger, and I had to get stitches. In fourth grade, I was playing ball with friends and in body contact with an opponent, his back head crushed my eyeglasses through my skin under my right eye. I have stitch marks there. In high school, I was trying to open a can with a knife and I stabbed my left thumb joint and I got stitches there. Most recently, I had a skiing accident, from which I have a massive scar on my right shoulder. Perhaps these scars aren’t as big compared to some of you that went through major accidents and injuries in life. Whether small or big, these scars last forever. Each scar has a story and it reminds you of what took place whenever you see it.

“When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” John 20:20 Jesus also has a scar. He has nail marks on His wrists and feet. He also has spear marks on his sides. These scars of Jesus remind us of what He went through. He died for us on the cross. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is mentioned as “the Lamb that was slain.” (Revelation 5:6, 12; 13:8) And when we see Jesus again in Heaven, we will get to witness these marks that tell us the story what He went through and feel how much Jesus loves us, that He volunteered to die on our behalf.

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July 20, 2024

Here’s the cool story I shared with you on the pulpit a few weeks ago in writing.

A few weeks ago, I went bike riding with my good friends Kory and Atuhani on the Glacial Drumlin Trail. Our goal for that beautiful, cool morning was 40 miles. About 10 miles into the ride, I got caught in something and crashed. Kory was right behind me, and he tried his best to swerve around, but it was too late, and we both crashed. Atuhani had enough space to stop. Kory’s brake cable was torn, and I had road rashes all over my right side. It was painful, and after sorting things out, we decided to turn around and return.

This is where the cool story happens.

As we neared the first car road crossing, we heard a loud car crash sound: it was more like a pickup truck dropping its load on the road accidentally, but there was no way to tell by the sound. It was loud, and it didn’t sound right. Something happened. We slowed down to watch the traffic and halted at the crossing. We looked to our right, where the loud sound came from. We didn’t see anything. It was really odd. Then, to our left, we saw a Sheriff’s car stopping to let us cross the road. We waved at him to come over, explained what we heard, and asked him to go over and check it out.

We followed the Sheriff (we kept a good distance), and sure enough, this car was on the side, hidden in the trees. The officer immediately exited his vehicle, knocked on the driver's side window, and yelled for a response. Silence. We offered to help, but there was not much we could do. The officer had already called the first responders, and we heard the sirens within seconds. We left the scene to be out of the way for the first responders to do the job. The driver is safe.

I still wonder about that day and think about God's providence and timing. What if we didn't crash the bike? What if we decided not to return? What if the Sheriff's car wasn't there? What if we didn't bother the officer because we didn't see anything? I can't help but think that God had a hand in this to save this driver. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 Each moment, we need to reflect on how God is using my situation for the good of His purpose. We should learn to submit ourselves so that God will use us for His cause, even when we do not realize it.

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July 13, 2024

Swimming is quite a challenging discipline for many triathletes. Only a few come from a swimming background since youth. In fact, many learn to swim for the first time in their adulthood as they decide to take up on triathlons. I am one of those triathletes. 

Swimming is all about form and technique. Without proper form and technique, you will not only be slow, but lose a lot of unnecessary energy and time. With proper form and technique, you have the advantage of going fast with efficiency, and you will be able to ride the bike with fresh strength after the swim.

I took a swimming class in college 20 years ago, and that was it. I could barely remember what I learned. So when I started swimming for triathlons, I had to relearn everything. Of course, I went to YouTube to learn. I would visualize what I learned online, and put it to practice. Even after that, I wasn’t improving. The problem was, I didn’t know whether I had the proper form or not. So, I would ask the lifeguards or other swimmers to record me swimming. Then, I would send it to my expert friends to review and give me tips. Over time, I think I have improved some.

My point is, it takes training, discipline, repetition, and guidance to perfect the art of swimming. That’s what our spiritual life should be about. Paul tells us that we are all running the race. To prepare he says, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:27. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to guide us. We should be trained and disciplined to effectively represent Jesus and share about Him. 

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