The Journey

Life is a journey. As with any journey, there are periods of adventure and discovery, often in times of sunshine and laughter. Did you also know there are periods of discovery in times of storms? When you are assailed from every direction with nothing to take shelter under?

I am going through a period of deep struggle. The last time I remember feeling this low was while in graduate school. Back then, things were so dark and so bleak that there was no hint of deliverance from the storm. No, I was not going to take my life! Things were just so bad that I was a hair's breadth from abandoning my faith. I had almost decided that I had never received salvation at all (since I do not believe that salvation can be lost), and that my decade-old Christian walk was a complete farce up to that point. I stood at that crossroads and had a decision to make. Out of that 2-year storm came the resolute and absolute belief that my God is real, my salvation is real, and that I will never, ever consider abandoning my faith again.

This storm is different, but still a period of deep struggle. I am not in any danger of abandoning my faith or my faith in God. I can trust that He is good, that He works in all things, and that He works in all things.

I do not know when this storm will be over, but I know it will be one day. It could be 9 months, it could be 3 years... Only God knows. I do not know what the outcome will be. Only God knows. I do not know what (else) will happen during this storm. Only God knows. I do not know what discovery I will make in this storm. Only God knows.

What I do know is God is my Anchor, my Rock. He is my beacon of light in the darkest storm. He will not abandon me, nor will I He. I know that this storm too will pass.

Health Care Reform

This is one of the most divisive topics I am coming across in conversations with people. I support some of the proposed measures, but not all. Here are my thoughts on them:

1. C'mon folks, if the government can't even balance its own budget, what makes you think it can run health care?? They can't even run the country half as efficiently as a CEO runs a company!
2. Nothing in the proposed health care reform mentions anything about cutting the cost of health care -- isn't that the primary reason why so many are without health coverage?
   
3. For those are us who have lived outside of the US and have seen government health care as part of life, none of us want to see it here. Let me just ask you this: why do you think the Canadians and other international citizens come to America for health care? They may have less expensive prescriptions at home, but they come here for health care!
4. Here's a great example of government health care functioning in America -- the Veterans Affairs Hospitals. Most of the veterans I know go to the VA for their prescriptions and tests and stuff, but they go to their own doctors for care. Why do you think that is?
   
5. I agree that insurance companies should not deny coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions. I also feel that higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions is justifiable. Afterall, it is a good incentive for people to take responsibility for their health.
   
6. Being pro-life myself, I absolutely will not allow my money to pay for someone's abortion(s). I am against including abortions as part of health coverage. If someone wants to have an abortion, they can pay for it out of their own pockets. This also means that I do not think having a taxpayer-subsidised insurance company should allow for abortion coverage, whether it is a separate optional coverage or not. That being said, I am alright with abortions being declared a FSA-eligible item (FSA=Flex Spending Accounts).
7. The government insists that every American have health coverage -- I'd like to see that happen. The government will fine every American who doesn't -- if you could only afford crappy health insurance, which is sometimes just as good as no insurance, should you flush away money every month just to avoid paying the fine? Oh, and why should members of the government be exempt from these same programmes required of Americans?
8. One of the goals for the reform is to reward doctors for keeping patients healthy and not just treating them when they are sick. I'm sorry but "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (For the record, you will find those exact words in the Bible. Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31 [NIV].) Duh! The responsibility of your health lies solely on yourself! Science has already shown us that healthy lifestyles ward off many chronic diseases. It's up to each person to put it into practice!
   

Last but not least, this concluding thought is not just about the health care reform debate. It's about how much do we really want the government in our lives. For people who want all these programmes by the government, you believe that you are entitled to something, and I have this to say to you: You are not owed anything and do not deserve to have anything handed to you on a silver platter. If you want what you want, then go out and work 3 jobs to pay for what you want.

Now, back to what I was saying, if we want the government to have all these programmes, where do you think the money comes from? There are only 2 ways for the government to pay for programmes:

1. Raise taxes -- With the exception of one country, all the other countries with government health care have taxes of more than 50% (some up to 85%) of a person's income.
   
2. Print more money -- In other words, deflate the value of the currency, which means everything will cost MUCH more.

Are you still crying for the government to take care of you? Time to wake up and grow up -- that's your own responsibility.

Daylight Savings Time Sunday

It's that time of year again when many miss church services and Sunday School classes all over the country because they forgot to set their clocks one hour ahead. Thankfully, my alarm clock is my cell phone -- it automatically updates date and time. Still, waking up early is brutal for a night owl, and it is especially excruciating on DST Sunday. Top that off with serving at the recording soundboard, which means that I'm supposed to be at church by 8.10am... Ai yai yai!!

For the record, I made it to the soundboard before 8.20am...

Louder Than Words

How do you know when someone means what they say? I believe there is only one thing that proves it: their actions back up their words.

One does not have to say anything. One simply does (or does not).

I care not for empty words. In fact, I do not care much for spoken words at all. Actions speak so loud that words are unnecessary.

Life Song

It is a dreary day out. I am tired and pensive -- good moment for some tea and writing.

"Life is a song to be sung."

Those words reverberated within me when I heard them in a short play this afternoon. My own life song has been filled with loss, loneliness, disappointments, betrayals, struggles, periods of deep sadness and grief, and lots of tears. But it has also been punctuated with joy and laughter, fun, happy times, relief, and gratitude. Together, they will make quite a masterpiece by the end of my life. Kind of like Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 (aka. Sonata Pathétique) -- one of my many favourite pieces of music.

At the moment, my life song matches the dark and wet weather outside. Due to recent events, my emotions have been fluctuating between P.O.D.'s Satellite album and Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor. Friends, I am not at liberty to disclose what is happening, but I really would appreciate your prayers for wisdom. I want to get back onto the happy movement of my life symphony, and I know it is all in God's timing. He is writing the score of my life and He will determine when it is time for the next step, whatever it is.

Ethics

I remember a story told by John C. Maxwell, the world's foremost leadership teacher. He was once asked to write a book on business ethics. To which he replied, "I can't write [a book on business ethics]..." When asked why not, John stated, "There is no such thing as business ethics. You either have ethics or you don't."

John's statement pretty much sums it all up.

By the way, I am happy to learn about Rick Green's run for Texas Supreme Court. He is a stand-up man with integrity, persistence, and a very good head on his shoulders. He has a great passion for the history of this country, and even greater passion for passing it on to future generations. His children can quote The Declaration of Independence from memory -- I was there at the business conference where the following video was recorded.

Any time some person of excellence sticks their head above the crowd or does something the crowd doesn't, he is bound to get tomatoes in the face. Clint Eastwood, Albert Einstein, even Mother Theresa! So in spite of the nasty stuff that is coming, go for it Rick!

Something to enjoy

I was wondering which thought I wanted to post tonight until I saw this. These guys created an awesome video!

What an honour!

I became acquainted with a great man today. Mr. B is a soft-spoken, gentle man born in the early-/mid-1920s. He obviously grew up in the Great Depression. When he graduated from high school, he served in World War II fighting the war in Europe. He told me that they waited in Ireland and England until the invasion -- he was involved in the invasion at Omaha Beach. From there, he eventually moved on into Germany. After his return, he met and married his bride of now 50 years. He has also served in a school district for a decade or two. He is actively involved in the lives of his descendants spanning 4 generations.

Folks, if you ever have the honour of meeting someone from that great generation, make sure you at least shake their hand if you can't spend the time to hear their stories. That great generation is fast disappearing and it will be a loss for society if we don't take some time to learn from their lives. I have the utmost respect for them -- how they have lived, what they have done, and just the class of their distinguished lives. It is a tremendous honour to meet a WWII veteran -- it is by their blood and the blood of their fallen comrades that set the world free from tyranny. Their sacrifice have enabled generations to grow up in a much difference world. Do not take it for granted -- freedom is never free.

To all military veterans of all ages: Thank you! **Salute**

To College Or Not To College

I'd love to add the video here, but I can't. Probably because of copyright issues and I don't pay advertising... Still you can access the video and the full article here.

One of the things I struggle with -- Part 2

So along similar lines as my previous post, I continue to struggle with The Right Thing To Do vs. How To Do It in the sensitive subject of abortion. My personal beliefs cannot and do not condone abortion or even certain methods of birth control, yet when it comes to legislating abortion, I do not know if that is the right way to go about it. Regardless of your right to choice or right to life, should the Government be the one deciding what is acceptable and laying it down as law? Can and should the Government have the power to tell you what to do or what not to do? Does and should the Government have the right to do that?

I have been struggling with this for many years. I am unashamed and unabashedly pro-life. I believe in the sanctity of life. Whether you take the life of a person with a knife/gun/bare hands/car/etc. or you take the life of a fertilised cluster of dividing cells, it is still the taking of a life. (And there is always a price to pay.) Yet should these beliefs be forced upon someone else who has less of a conviction in the sanctity of life?

Let's flip it around. What if the government mandates abortion, making it "mainstream"? Oh wait, we know a country that does that... but let's imagine that happened here in America. How would pro-lifers as "rebels" feel and what would we do?

My struggle ultimately comes back to the issue of government -- to what extent do we allow its power to dictate our life? As I quoted an excerpt from The Declaration of Independence in my previous post, life and freedom are unalienable rights. So I leave you with the following quotes to think about:

John Adams

Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Second President of the United States

[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

(Source: John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. 1854), Vol. IX, p. 229, October 11, 1798.)

John Quincy Adams
Sixth President of the United States

There are three points of doctrine the belief of which forms the foundation of all morality. The first is the existence of God; the second is the immortality of the human soul; and the third is a future state of rewards and punishments. Suppose it possible for a man to disbelieve either of these three articles of faith and that man will have no conscience, he will have no other law than that of the tiger or the shark. The laws of man may bind him in chains or may put him to death, but they never can make him wise, virtuous, or happy.

(Source: John Quincy Adams, Letters of John Quincy Adams to His Son on the Bible and Its Teachings (Auburn: James M. Alden, 1850), pp. 22-23.)

Oliver Ellsworth

Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court

[T]he primary objects of government are the peace, order, and prosperity of society. . . . To the promotion of these objects, particularly in a republican government, good morals are essential. Institutions for the promotion of good morals are therefore objects of legislative provision and support: and among these . . . religious institutions are eminently useful and important. . . . [T]he legislature, charged with the great interests of the community, may, and ought to countenance, aid and protect religious institutions—institutions wisely calculated to direct men to the performance of all the duties arising from their connection with each other, and to prevent or repress those evils which flow from unrestrained passion.

(Source: Connecticut Courant, June 7, 1802, p. 3, Oliver Ellsworth, to the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut)

James Wilson

Signer of the Constitution

Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. The divine law, as discovered by reason and the moral sense, forms an essential part of both.

(Source: James Wilson, The Works of the Honourable James Wilson (Philadelphia: Bronson and Chauncey, 1804), Vol. I, p. 106.)

Robert Winthrop

Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives

Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.

(Source: Robert Winthrop, Addresses and Speeches on Various Occasions (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1852), p. 172 from his "Either by the Bible or the Bayonet.")

Disclaimer: I did copy those quotes from a great organisation called Wallbuilders.

Ps. As uncomfortable as I am with government legislating moral values, I have to give my support towards sustaining a moral society. Separation of Church and State was for the protection of the Church from the influence of the State, not vice versa.