Rescued by Jesus. Rebuilt by the Spirit. Responding to God's grace.
Hungry, angry, lonely, or tired? You might be ripe for a spiritual attack. But what is it, and how does it work? It was one of those days. I had a long day at work, followed by a stressful commute that took longer than usual and involved more than one close call, fraying my nerves. […]
Definition of Lament: intransitive verb : to mourn aloud; wail transitive verb : to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : to regret strongly (from the Merriam-Webster dictionary) I had to write a personal lament for a seminary class. It wasn’t hard. At all. Not after an emotionally draining week. Last Thursday, my […]
Feeling discouraged? Maybe you just need a nap. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves. (Psalm 127:2 NIV) It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. It’s not that I have nothing to say. I have a lot to share. I […]
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Cor. 12:26-27 NIV) Oh, Houston. My heart aches for you when I see the images. Water. Everywhere. Homes […]
What lessons can a divided church learn from the 1st century church? Members of my church’s men’s and women’s groups take turns writing devotionals each week, going through books of the Bible verse by verse. We are currently on 1 Corinthians. When my turn came up the other day, my assigned passage was 1 Corinthians […]
What good is faith if it doesn’t inform the way you live? I collect toys. I used to collect so many, it was pathetic. Or awesome, depending on how you look at it. My old room at my parent’s house looked like a booth at Comic-Con, stocked floor-to-ceiling with action figures, vehicles, and playsets, mostly […]
<< Previous episode What’s the point of arguing? I guess it depends. When two people have a disagreement but both are willing to hear and consider the other person’s perspective, an argument (or should I say, “heated discussion”) can be constructive. But when one or both of the parties involved are unwilling to hear the […]
My father passed away exactly one month ago today. I was at a retreat this morning, and as much as I had been looking forward to it, I found it difficult to engage fully. I found it challenging to sing songs of worship, even though my mind was agreeing with the lyrics on the screen […]
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55 NIV) It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Life has been more hectic than usual these days. In early April, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Shocking, as he wasn’t a smoker. My wife, kids, and I […]
For most of my life, I have struggled with the question, “Who am I?” And I’ve been buying the wrong answers from the enemy, who is in the business of spiritual identity theft. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1970s. Not the easiest time or place to be Asian. And to complicate […]
<< Part I Fight or flight? Three different friends of mine recently encouraged me to read A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards, who challenges the reader to identify which king he or she is most like: Saul, David, or Absalom. Certainly, no one wants to be identified with Saul, who was jealous, angry, […]
Does God call us to pursue our passions? I used to organize a premarital class, and in every session, someone was bound to ask the question, “What do you do when the passion dies?” Passion. It’s overrated. Sure, passion is exciting, infectious, and contagious. Passion is synonymous with desire, obsession, and zeal. When one thinks […]
<< Previous episode God can use what you already have. Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. (Exod. 4:2 NIV) Moses had a staff. David had a slingshot (1 Sam. 17:40). A little boy had five small barley loaves and two small fish (Jn. 6:9). What […]
Does God call us to blind obedience, or does He expect us to engage the intellect He has given us? It was fourth grade. Our class was working on globes made of balloons wrapped in papier-mâché. We traced the shapes of the continents onto paper and cut them out, then began to glue them into […]
The most valuable lesson I learned from one teacher wasn’t even part of the class. The seasons of life. I remember wedding season. As a young adult, I attended wedding after wedding as my peers kept deciding to tie the knot. It was fun. Cute slideshows. Prime rib dinners. The Macarena. Then came kids’ birthday […]
What happens when two leaders have conflicting visions and convictions? Is only one of them discerning God’s will? While praying through a long stretch of unemployment in 2006, I received an impression that I would get paid to go to Bangkok and write a movie in June of that year. So when a producer contacted […]
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30 NIV) The last thing I ever wanted was for my new bride to watch me go […]
I was on my way to a time of silence and solitude when I had to go through a roundabout. Not a fan of them. They’re messy, a free-for-all with cars entering and exiting at different points, trying to cross to their lanes without colliding with any of the others doing the same. What’s up […]
How you live your life can be more important that what you have to say. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… (1 Peter 3:15 […]
I haven’t posted anything new in nearly a month now. My apologies to my dear readers who have been awaiting the next episode in the story of my Ransomed Life. Three things have kept me from posting: 1) I’ve just been busier than usual lately; 2) it has been difficult for me to write the […]
<< Previous episode I was a new believer, on fire for Jesus, eager to do something for God. I talked to pastors to get direction. I read the Bible. I prayed. All the while, I’d ask God what I could do for Him, and through it all, I’d receive no clear answer. Frustrated, I decided […]
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God is with us”). Matthew 1:23 NIV I took a break from blogging for several weeks last December. One of the reasons was the San Bernardino attack of December 2, 2015. I didn’t feel that posting about […]
