What is Christmas?

I hate Christmas..

With all the stockings hanging on the fireplace
With all the ornaments hanging on a tree
With all the gifts displayed under the tree
With all the.. "Ooh! Discounts!!!"
With all the lists and what and who to give
With all the cheers of thank yous this is what I ever wanteds
With all the wishlists, "I want this"-es
With all the boohoos I'll be lonely this Christmas-es
With all the gatherings ending up a shattering
With all the lonely people, sitting quietly, cannot relate with Christmas
Because Christmas is all about love to share, smiles to wear, sorrys to bear

But I don't hate Christmas when it's all
because of being adopted as sons of the Most High
through Jesus Christ the Son of God.
His coming was a celebration.
His second coming will be a more than a mega-celebration.

I don't hate Christmas..
If it's all about reaching out the lonely
And make them feel like family
If all Christmas mambo-jumbo is being set aside
To prioritize the neighbor you're sitting beside
If 90% of the parties is really all about worshiping
The God of heaven and earth who did all the creating

But there is still so much more to know about Christmas
behind all those holiday and festive, and yuletide cheers.

What is Christmas?

Merry Christmas vs. Happy Happy Gifting Season

At this time of year, majority of the people of  the world knows that "Christmas" is when we put up Christmas decorations, make Christmas shopping lists (what's for Junior, for Susie, for godchildren, for Mom, for Dad, for siblings, for hubby-bunny, for beauty wifey... endless lists..), Christmas salary bonuses, that Nativity figurines, Christmas carols and chorale, Santa Claus and reindeers and elves, Christmas movies, Christmas whatevers-just-add-Christmas-as-an-adjective.... It's the happy happy season of the year.

And then there's a few people you might have met who would say, "I hate Christmas." And then we think of

them as heartless or whatever we'd like to call them, The Grinch, The Scrooge. And we just leave them be in their mediocre lonely life, just because they don't know Christmas or hate Christmas, as we continue to celebrate this happy happy season.

Something's wrong. Though we say that Christmas is all about Jesus Christ's coming, "Joy to the World", but we're busy with all those mentioned above. We don't want a grumpy sulky person to ruin our season, right?

Jesus said to love one another, even the unloveables. Jesus said to welcome a person with the gospel, and bear each other's burdens. Jesus said that we reach others; in His authority, we go, make disciples, teach, and baptize. Jesus said to worship and praise Him, to look up to Him. Jesus said that we must look highly of others' interest than of our own.

We are blessed with all those Christmas stuffs and bonuses. Blessed to have your family reunion complete. Blessed for the company of good friends. Blessed receiving so many gifts.

Every Christmas, there are people who dread Christmas. And this is the right time to be reaching out to these lonely and sad (masked by grumpiness) people. Know why these people are so heartless for Christmas. Jesus said the to rich man to "sell everything you have." This Christmas, can you try celebrating Christmas differently? No Christmas adjectives, but let us look to the needs of others and share our blessings. Share the grace freely given to us. Aren't we selfish enough to be enjoying these graces and blessings and forget the unhappy in a happy happy season?

If you are one of those Grinch and Scrooge, I am also talking to you. This season is one of my painful seasons. But I choose not to sulk myself and push people away because I can't relate and understand their cheery celebrations. This Christmas is all about Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, the Savior who died on the cross to redeem His people and bring them to His family, and also reach out to others for our King.

I owe this grace to the people who are lonely this Christmas. It is my challenge and prayer and hope that this Christmas, my parents will allow me to stay away from the house, hope to find someone random or from the streets and invite them for a meal. It is my joy to share to them my Father and King.

Please pray for me, I'll pray that many will be able to read this and hope to do the same, but not as the same as how I'm going to do it. Just use your imagination. Don't wait for someone to come to you because you hate Christmas. Be the one to find someone. Let's do it together in spirit. This is a blessing (and challenge) that you have read my blog. Thank you for reading. May this Christmas truly be merry. God bless you.

An Orphan's Story

When I was in 2nd grade, I started feeling I was an orphan. Ya, I had parents, biological parents, and I lived with them. In 3rd grade, I kept asking my young teen aged aunts, "Am I adopted?"

"No! Of course not. We saw you when you were born. You were so small." "Really?" I asked. "Yes!" was there reply. "If I am not adopted, how come I feel like an orphan?" They didn't know what to answer.

For years, I still thought I was adopted. I was wondering if adoption and being an orphan was a good thing or not, but many more years later, finding out that I really was my parents' child, I hoped that if only I was adopted by another family. That time, I learned that adoption was a good thing. I would even fantasize and stay in that fantasy because I felt safe with a real Mom and Dad.

Growing older and entering puberty, I thought, "God. Who is God? They say He's a Father and He loves me. What kind of Father is He?"

Ya, I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I think, in 4th Grade. Went to Sunday School and Bible Studies. Went to church! But I still don't know God.

As I grew older, slowly I began to know who God was. I began to want to know more about Him, more about the Bible. I finished reading the Bible, but I still didn't understand, "Who is God? Who am I?"

Years and years, I was blessed to have biological parents but didn't know God, but my biological father used to read to me Bible stories and pray with me before I went to sleep. Blessed to have "teachers" but failed to help me further understand God and the Bible. Years and years, I grew a longing for the orphans, I could feel their pain and abandonment. Later, I got to experience a true orphan, adopted by some of my friends. He's my favorite kid. I received only one hug from him since he was with us, and I longed to have that hug again. However, began to remember that I too was an orphan.

Now that I am a young adult. I have a Father. I can't see Him, but He sees me. He has been by my side when I was still a wee old. When I was hurt, He was just right there beside me. All those poems and letters I wrote with my little hands and soaked with my big tears, He was reading behind my shoulders. That time when I felt I was an orphan, God was already taking me into His arms, even before I "received Jesus into my life."

But because I can't hear my Father, I can't touch my Father, He sent two of His children to be my spiritual parents, who loved me, taught me His Word, moreover taught me about our Father and told me, "God is our Heavenly Father. God chose you to know Him. He calls you Beloved." It may have taken longer before God brought me my spiritual parents, maybe because He is teaching me more of Him and that people can fail even if they are His children. That He alone is the only Supreme Parent.

God the Father will not leave me nor forsake me, I have been His and I am His alone.

I thank God that He brought me my spiritual parents, but I still pray to God not to take my Mum and Dad, my spiritual parents away, and I pray that Mum and Dad will remain faithful to Him. I do fear that someday God will take away my Mum and Dad, "Father, don't let me have a fight with them and/or our relationship shattered. I'm sorry that sometimes I rely and long more for my Mum and Dad, and less of You. Just don't take them away. Pleease, Father. Still remind me that You alone are my Great Father. Forgive me of my fear, teach me, enable me to trust in you. Please take away my fear."

Quest for a Heart Diagnosis

I started having chest discomforts since 4th grade. But few days ago, we only played a party game of popping balloons. My heart rate shot up to 128 beats per minute. The pain location was where one could feel their heart beat. (My normal rested rate is 67 beats per minute.)

Just posting my expenses (most of my expenses this year are medical expenses):

Doctor's consultation fee: 400
2nd consultation fee: 400
ECG: 300
2D Echocardiogram: 2750
Blood Test: 2328
TOTAL: 6178

My current salary: 4180
Savings from salary: 1180
Planned expense til next salary: 3000

Savings withdrawn: 3520 + 1000 = 4520

Sad. But not worried. There's an inkling not to continue w/ this diagnosis, but better to know what's wrong with me now, before it's too late. I'm not worried for my health nor my wealth. I'm not seeing the doctor to give me peace of mind. With all these blessings laid out for me, even if it means taking away my savings, do I not have to thank God for these blessings: still able to pay for the expenses, good doctors, availability of tests, still able-bodied to visit the clinics/hospitals. I trust in my Father. He has given all these blessings for us to enjoy/use.

Can we not thank Him for these? He gave us a job. He gave us the ability to work. He gave us our salary for us to spend on our wants and needs, and share with others who don't have.

I thank God for all these.

Before my diagnosis, I pray the tests are enough for a diagnosis, so no more tests and expenses. I also pray that the diagnosis is well. But if the tests turn out not enough or the diagnosis is bad, I still praise God. After the diagnosis, I still want to praise Him and proclaim His name to people. I pray that I can serve God. If there be hindrances, I just trust God and still hope and pray that I can still proclaim His name.

Father, forgive me for my selfishness that sometimes I think highly of myself or better than others. Father, enable to think lowly of myself and that others are better than me, that their interests are better than me. Even if I think what they think is illogical or incomprehensible, enable me to trust in your reigning authority and assurance. Father, forgive me, teach me. Help me not to be selfish. In Jesus' name, Amen.

In praise, I can humble.
In sorrow, I can trust.
In others, I judge. :-(

10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel

Error #1: The good we do can in some small way make us right with God.
Error #2: We must be good Christians so that God will keep loving us.
Error #3: If sanctification is a work of divine grace in our lives, then it must not involve our effort.
Error #4: Warning people of judgment is law and has no part to play in preaching the gospel.
Error #5: There is only one reason Christians should pursue sanctification and that's because of our justification.
Error #6: Since we cannot obey God's commandments perfectly, we should not insist on obedience from ourselves or from others.
Error #7: The Ten Commandments should be preached in order to remind us of our sin, but not so that believers may be stirred up to try to obey the commandments.
Error #8: Being fully justified as Christians, we should never fear displeasing God or offending him.
Error #9: The only proper ground for assurance is in the promises of God found in the gospel.
Error #10: Threats and exhortations belong to the terrors of the law and are not to be used as a motivation unto holiness.

Source: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2013/11/05/10-errors-to-avoid-when-talking-about-sanctification-and-the-gospel/