2 Cor 5:11-21

The point(s) that Paul makes here is that we need to have a mindset that wants to communicate Christ. We need to persuade mankind that Christ is the answer and the motivation or compelling factor should be Christ's love. We were bought by His love with a purpose. Our view for people should not be as common and something we take for granted but rather with a dire purpose. Why dire? Because ALL are precious in His sight and need to be reconcilied to Him.

Key verses: v 14, 17&18 and v. 21

Good weekend, albeit short! Came home and went out to dinner with Irene to finish off a certificate at a local restaurant. Sat - got up early, spent some time @ DMV (quick) and got a haircut. Then we went into Manhattan to the NY Public Library where Ray Pun gave us a great tour and saw the Three Faith exhibit - very well done and had dinner at Champps ($10 bucks off coup!). Real tired and went to bed early for church. Good service, message and meeting with the retreat speaker. Went up to New Rochelle to see U. Ralph and pray for him and then Delly bound with little incidents (just rising gas prices 6c at the same place from Friday to Sunday!). Got a chance to chat with and pray with Daniel!!! Also did some great FB chats with some old friends!

Short workweek! Yahoo!!!

Prayers to the usual and esp for GG who has his test tomorrow!

Praise for today: Praise Him for His provisions!

2 Cor 5:1-10

O to have that perfect body! Not just in the visual sense, but in the eternal sense.  A body where there is no sickness, disease, pain, deterioration and where we need no rest for it because we will praising God with it all day long! Every piece of clothes will fit perfectly and in style too! No more gym and dieting, no more calorie counting! Dessert before entree before appetizer! That is what God promises!

Paul speaks of our nakedness in v. 3 as a means of defining sin as Adam and Eve has done in the Garden. v 7 - we live by faith and not by sight. And it is by that faith that we believe and are saved. v. 10 - for we must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one of us may receive what is due him (or her) for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

I am looking forward to this weekend to see Irene since we haven't see each other in nearly two weeks. I am also looking forward to see Dave as well and my weekly update/prayer time with GG. Then it's back to the grind for 2 1/2 days and then it is down to FL with Irene to catch 5 spring training games!!! Can't wait to crankup the shorts and the t-shirts!

Praise for today: That He will provide bodies for us that will endure and will be perfect and then we will be truly be in the image of Christ!.

2 Cor 4

Pretty deep chapter! Paul initially speaks of how we have to lose ourselves and our secret and shameful ways! That's tough enough itself and could probably take a lot of blogs and soul-searching to get past that one. How necessary it is to do and be that so that the light can shine through and truly have His agenda not our agenda running our lives. The god of this age (or his age) is still blinding us and especially the lives of unbelievers.
The analogy of jars of clay (hence the singing group) is an interesting one. I look at the jar as an instrument to carry things that the hand cannot hold - wine, water, sand, etc. Yet, it is strong but brittle yet it is formed by a potter that can change and reuse the material when the structure becomes compromised. Our bodies are like that in that we also have to be changed to proper hold the material (the Gospel and the HS) so that it can be drawn upon when and if needed.
The last part of the chapter is really exceptional since it talks about faith - that we set our sights on things unseen rather than what is seen, not the temporary but the eternal.

The last few days have been interesting, reconnecting with, a mere click of a button, people that I have lost touch with over the past few years. I pray that I can be light to them...

As always, still praying for my peeps - family, friends, sick and the lost.

Praise for today: not having to wear my winter coat and the snow that is almost gone! Praise Him for being a compassionate and loving God!

2 Cor 3: 7-18

Bottom line - God's glory through Christ lasts forever. We are so fortunate to see His glory through unveiled eyes (like Paul did when he finally saw after the scales fell from his eyes). To me v. 17 is the key verse - as the song says - we are free to praise, dance and to live for You. The unsaid question that is being asked in v. 18 is are we being transformed daily into His likeness, or are we being stagnant in our growth? Are we moving towards sanctification each day.

Prayer continually for those whom I have mentioned in the past.

Praise for today: That while He is invisible, He allows me to make Him visible to others (thanks Mark Harris!)

2 Cor 3: 1-6

Sorry for the gap... Still had a great time at church on Sunday- one of the kids that I watched growing up attends GCTS in Boston and came back to deliver a great message. Had a great prayer meeting with a lot of confessions and few but necessary requests.

When I was going to college - decades ago I was impressed by the amount of clubs and groups that organized on campus. Twice a week, there would be dedicated club time with no classes and a chance to participate. I was always torn between the Chinese club (to meet girls, ha!) and IVCF (to grow in my faith) - God chose for me the latter and I was drawn to meet great people like the late Barbara Benjamin and Russell Weatherspoon (who is a gifted speaker). I gave a little sermonette at church where I remember using the words, " when you are there "selling the club" and presenting the Gospel - you are your own wares." How similar is this passage! The letters of recommendation should be how we conduct our lives worthy of our calling and that we can and should draw all men to God and His saving grace. When we draw our strength and our lives show our commitment - we can be our own letters.

My prayers go out to my s-i-l's family and U. Ralph who is entering the final stages of his life. His last few years have been torturous and has taken it's toll on the family (particularly Marlene's since they are bearing almost all of the physical, financial and emotional responsibility. Marlene told me that somehow "my prayers gets answers and results". How I wish that were always the case... Still I will pray for them in all of their needs.

Praise that GG passed his INDOC test and there is a very technical one next Tuesday, so I will pray for him and his test again - hope what Marlene says comes true! Prayers for David who is home alone and for Irene who is coming back today from FL.  Not too praiseful or thankful for the snow (4 inches) however.

Praise for today: He is faithful and just to forgive all of my sins.

2 Cor 2: 12-17

The famous Macedonian call! If it were not for that call a major part of the world would not have received the Gospel. I think the key verse for me to think about is v 15. We are the "aroma" of Christ. An aroma telegraphs the coming or the presence of something that is ready to be partaked - good or bad. In our case we, as the aroma of Christ, need to be "partaken for good" for those who have or are in need of the Good News and bad for those who reject it. Paul calls it the smell of death or life. I pray that I am the aroma of life to those that I come in contact with.

Now after work, heading home to my small group and a long weekend. Too bad the wife is out of town, just me and David. Oh well, do I smell the aroma of Mexican food tomorrow night?

Praying for Irene and her travels with the Wongs to FL. Also for GG as his test is coming up as well and for a good weekend with Dave!

Praise for today: v.14 - that God will lead us in a triumphant procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the knowledge of Him.

2 Cor 2: 1-11

For some reason, Paul did not make his 2nd trip to Corinth. He obviously had good reasons,but his use of the word "painful" is something not to take lightly. Obviously he had spent a lot of love and energy in this church plant. There may have been certain individuals, by the tone of his charge that had caused him angst. The ruling body there must have addressed this in their own way and perhaps to an extreme because Paul is seeking to forgive, comfort and restore that person. How it is easier said than done! However, if anyone can truly know what that means to a person is Paul, himself.

Church dissention by a few always harms the body as a whole. While it is important to voice a view, there is and should be a trust that God will never give a person or a church second-best. There is never a time that Satan should have the victory in God's house.

Glad to see the weather change if not for a brief time. I am tired of the snow and cold and am looking forward to see some baseball in a few weeks.

Praise for today: that the Cambodian team is safely home and I praise Him for His faithfulness and his mercies.

2 Cor 1:12-24

Paul talks here about his relationship with that church. He was planning to visit them after receiving the Macedonian call (in Acts) twice - going and coming. That was huge given that his time and travel was precious and planned by God to inspire a new Church globally (at that time). Whether he was going to get there or not, his love and devotion to that church never waned. It is to me the same how I view my relationships, when I say something to them - whether for a future visit or get together or even praying for them. Do I take my words lightly or do I have the same conviction for them as Christ has for me?
God is the only one whose promises and perfect will for me is absolute and not contingent upon anything!

It has been a decent week so far - weather has been good, got to the gym 2 days thus far and plan on going tomorrow. Work has been decent as well. Keeping the family in prayer and glad the Cambodian STM comes back today. Life is good...

Praise for today: Praiseful for a successful Cambodian STM effort that God's name was lifted up. I praise Him for provisions for me and my family - help me to concentrate on needs not wants.

2 Cor: 1-11

I wasn't going to jump into 2 Cor right after 1 Cor but the progression seemed logical and I really wasn't led to go and do 1 Chronicles just yet. The letter starts with addressing our God as a God of comfort. I never really paid much attention to that phrase or that concept before but it makes sense. He uses an extension of the body analogy in 1 Cor which if one feels good, the body feels good and if one part aches then the body aches as a whole. We should share in joys and sorrows - that will make us more emphathetic to the needs of others as well as ourselves. The dangerous perils that they faced in Asia was one that needed to be shared so that they may gain a sense of community and family.

God will and has comforted me when I least expected and when I needed it most. Looking forward to the new and existing truths as I dive into this book.

Praise for today: Praising Him for keeping the Cambodian STM team safe and the works that were done in His Name!

1 Cor 16: 5- 24

Amidst all of Paul's greetings and personal requests at the end of the epistle, he still finds time to throw in a few charges and commands. v. 13 - be on your guard; stand firm in your faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. Interesting that v. 13 is the same number that the Love chapter is found c. 13. Still above all else do what you do out of love. The premise of the whole Gospel and the two greatest commandments are based upon love. So much of what we do is based upon performance - whether it's our own or how we measure and judge others. I find that very little is done out of love. When we as a corporate body look at programs and instituting ideals into practice, do we look at the profit margin or do we look at it as a labor of love? I pray the latter. Paul even ends the letter with the sentiment and expression of love, which should always be the overarching theme.

I praise God for the opportunity to reconnect with GG last night. Good convo and prayer time.

1 Cor 16: 1-4

This passage albeit at the end of the letter is still very, very important for both the giver and the receiver. God is the conduit by which one gives out of faith, duty and love and those who are in the ministry (as well as the churches) live by faith, duty and love. While the NT is not clear about the concept of tithing (as was the case in Genesis and Malachi) the concept to me is greater. We are to lay all at the foot of Christ, not just 10% but all. Someone once told me that when you look at a person's checkbook or nowadays their itemized credit card purchases, you can see where their heart is. Take away the "bare necessities" and analyze our purchases, we can see how much we spend on "kingdom" things and how much we spend on ourselves. I have been praying for our ST missions team that is currently in Cambodia and have used the prior team's video presentation as a springboard to pray. The abject poverty level and the disparity of wealth is enormous yet these people survive and in their hearts, thrive after receiving the Gospel. It took me back to the days in DR where we spent a grueling week while these people spend their whole lives.

We can go "through the motions" of giving, praying and being a Christian yet the bottom line is this. What have we done to the least of these and how have we brought them into the Kingdom. I guess that what makes Heaven appealing to all - especially those that are poor and needy. Just a thought as we celebrate love (or at least the Hallmark and flowers stores say we should). Don't worry, I took care of business.

Still praying for the STM, GG, David and Irene! Also for the Rodgers family and those who are grieving and sick.

Praise for today: Praise Him for his healing power and answered prayer!

1 Cor 15: 35-58

The resurrected body! Paul spends a lot of time talking about it and what it entails. While we should be concerned about it, the fact is that we have to use the ones we have now for His glory! Reaping only comes when there is sowing. We are stuck in our imperfect bodies in our imperfect world with our imperfect brains, heart and soul. Only when we have the HS does the transformation occur. He changes our souls and hearts so we can use our imperfect bodies to do His perfect will. One of my favorite praise songs is "from the inside out" because it touches the heart of this passage. He is everlasting and His light needs to shine in me from the inside out so that others may come to Him and I may work out my salvation. I still think of those that have gone through so much physical suffering yet have nothing but praise on their lips for the King.

When I was younger, I used to fear death more for selfish reasons than for anythng else. Now my attitude is different since I am older ( not necessarily wiser). The last verse is my motivation why - always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in the Lord is not in vain. I just pray that I can and will be light.

Happy yesterday that I had a brief chat with GG and that I trust that he will apply himself like never before to the training and the exams. I pray for him throughout the day constantly. I know that God will eventually give him his wings.


Praise for today: Praiseful for His resurrection and what that means for my life!

1 Cor 15: 12-34

Paul's main thoughts here surround the resurrection of Christ. The crux of our belief is that Jesus did die and was buried and rose on the third day, without it there is no Christianity and there is no Good News. The faith and the hope we have will be tarnished since we have nothing to look back at and/or nothing to look forward to. What makes our belief all the more rewarding is that at the end, He will put all His enemies beneath His feet. What a day of rejoicing that will be! Our task and responsibility is to hold  fast to the Gospel and our salvation and bring others into His Kingdom as well.

Again, my prayers remain for those stated earlier - and also for those who have suffered physically. My prayers are for Heather who has suffered much yet still rejoices! I also am still learning to let go and let God!

Praise for today: that I slept through my alarm and missed my workout so I could get the extra rest I needed. God knows what I need and makes a way! Still will slip it in later, I hope.

1 Cor 15: 1-11

The Gospel is the key to everything! Getting it, understanding it, accepting it and applying it all is the means by which we are saved. v.2 is the working out of our salvation - which is so instrumental. Paul uses the caveat - if you hold firmly to the word I preach. The one thing that turns me off when I meet a person is there lack of a firm handshake. I feel like I'm grasping a dead fish which speaks volumes about that person. It sets the tone for the conversation and leaves a first impression that takes a lot to overcome. So it is with the Gospel. If I grasp it like a dead fish, then it seems that my heart ( and certainly my hand) is not into it. It also reflects my attitude towards God and his precious gift. I certainly won't treasure it enough to share it and "sell" it to others. It's the attitude that Jesus was fighting when he said that he would not acknowledge me before the Father if I don't acknowledge him among men. For Paul, with his background, he felt that he had to work harder (not that he had to) to "work out his  salvation".

I've been doing this blog for a few months now and am starting to gain some strides and traction. Journalizing does make one appreciate their devotions and the Word which affects different people at different times. My prayer was that this would not stay with me but would be a legacy to my friends and especially my family,


Praying for the Cambodian team again @ 6-7 PM and always for Daniel (who's in training) and David (who's influencing young children). I also pray daily for Irene.

Praise for today: I praise Him for blue skies and sunshine (thanks WW).

1 Cor 14: 26-40

Worship must be done for the strengthening of the church. Sometimes we (or I) forget this since we have become so blase\ about this. Yesterday, we had a new format at church to accommodate our guest speaker since he had to bolt for another commitment. The reaction some had was that they liked it since it was a better flow to worship. Our worship must make us "bend the knee" because He is God.

I won't address the women issue, since I haven't made a total commitment to it yet. I am still ambivalent about women pastors - but I really can't express why. I have met some and seen some in action (not just the Joyce Meyers of the world) but haven't been around enough of them to form an opinion. With just a few exceptions, the Word of God was given and was handed to man to lead - not just the family but the church. To me, the onus still falls on us and me as a man. That is not to say that all of the pastors that I have seen which are men are perfect and are not lacking as well.

Still this passage ends with "everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way".

I am praying for GG as he embarks on the first day for the rest of his life. Learning and trusting that I should let go and let God. I am also praying for Roy and Caroline Smith and what they have gone through as well. Lastly, I am looking forward to praying tonight for our Cambodian missions team.

Praise for today: I praise Him for provisions - they like His mercies are new every morning.

1 Cor 14: 13-25

The gist of what I can gather is that we need to desire and express our gifts to the whole body and not just for ourselves. The same can be true of biblical knowledge. We have learned and absorbed more Scripture and biblical teaching in our years than can ever be written. We should be able to defend our faith and teach others based upon the years we have been going to church. To use the same analogy, we go to school and college (4 to 8 years -depending on the trade and the ambition) and we walk out and expect to be a part of the working world and get paid for it. We, over time, become experts of the trade and become teachers. Why can't we have that same motivation and ambition for the Kingdom of God. To say I am not ready or don't know enough isn't just an indictment upon ourselves but it is as the Bible says, "grieves the Holy Spirit".

We can never feel adequate to be a Paul, but that is not because we can't. The same Spirit that resided in the those at Pentecost and what drove the Apostle Paul is in me and you. For me, it was a matter of selfishness and indifference. I thank God that He has dispelled that in me. When we can truly be a reflection of Jesus and His total giving of Himself, the others will come to Him and say" God is really among you".

The days draw close when I say goodbye to Daniel. Unlike college, there was finality, I knew he was coming home - now I trust that he is in God's hands and my prayer for GG is that he will be salt and light. I know that God is his Father and He will protect and provide for him like I can't. Knock 'em dead, Meister!


Praise for today: I praise Him for the sunshine and the Sonshine and the hope and promise that comes along with it.

1 Cor 14: 1-12

I would have love to have witnessed the NT churches back then, full of Spirit and vibrant - seeing God's agenda executed without regard to personal agendas. I would have loved to see the services that would last for hours rather than in a structure of an hour +. To see the church as the family and community it once was and could be.  So many times I see our own little church running at less than capacity and it troubles me. The same things I see in corporate sharing and especially prayer meetings. Our church is a body but it tends to move like an amoeba - with one part moving and the rest eventually following along. How I wish we could not be in that state.

Paul still continues the LOVE theme as the overarching reason why things are done and as God's central focus. To do things for the common good (such as prophesy) is something we should all strive for. I pray that in my eagerness to be more like him, I would follow Paul's charge and excel in things that "build up the church".

Praise for today: I praise Him as the great Physician who heals bodies and souls!

1 Cor 13 - All you need is LOVE!!!

Paul calls love the "most excellent way". God gives us much and demands in turn very little. We can say, do and be all that He wants us to be but what is the motivation, the drive, the essence of why we are doing it? God sent Jesus to us out of LOVE! Jesus, in the same way, sent the HS to us out of LOVE! Our acts of "good deeds" as it says in v. 3 if not done solely out of LOVE means nothing.

I have been married for more than 30 years. I love my wife! There, I said it! It doesn't mean we always see eye to eye. We are at times polar opposites in our habits, desires and especially our sports teams. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't or shouldn't do anything and everything for her. I would die for her. We both have grown independent and partly because of birth order and distance. Still we are reliant on each other for many things and we still have the same common bond through Jesus Christ. I am sure that she wouldn't dispel much of what I have been saying. Nevertheless, we do the things we do for each other out of LOVE!

I love my sons! I know I have said it already and I will never cease saying it and meaning it. I live and work for my family and their well being - otherwise, I would have punched out a while ago.

I love my extended family! Both on my and Irene's side.  While that is expanding, I love them all!

I love my church and the people that walk in and out of it! Growing up there and close relations there are as tight as my family. My NJ/SI family worship group has been together since the 80s and still is growing strong because we LOVE each other and are like family.

I love others... they know who they are. I continue to support and encourage as they do me. Some I have supported financially and while the world may see that as foolishness, I pray that they may see things as I try to - through God's eyes.


Praise for today: I praise God for His love to me for sending Jesus - no greater gift!

1 Cor 12: 12-31

This passage to me represents the crux of the church - diversity yet unity. We all become one at the foot of the cross - whether we are poor or rich, weak or strong, slave or free and it's all because of the Spirit and the baptism He gives us. The analogy of the body to me is the most compelling reason to be a part of a local body. No where in any culture or religion is the entirety of the body considered sacred and something to be treasured. Things are unpresentable because we make them out to be not because God dictates it. Yesterday, I had some abdominal pain and tenderness on my right side which has prevented me from going to the gym. I didn't want to risk further injury so I decided to take a few days off as to not aggravate it further. The pain is similar to when I do my crunches too fast and it "charley horses" up. On top of that, I think I was fighting a fever as well. Still after a few tylenol, I was able to get a thermometer and verify that I was ok and manage through my 11 hour work day.

Back to the passage...  I don't consider myself a "better" Christian or member than others simply because of my title at church. I just feel compelled as I always have done to "fill the gaps" and at the same time try to be "Jesus" to someone. When I was younger (and not really so, so long ago), I always wondered why people and particularly members don't do more and volunteer when the cry for help comes out. Are we so wrapped up with our agendas and wants (not needs) that we neglect this concept of when "one is hurting, we all are hurting"?  Maybe it's me but I don't ever want to lose the desire to raise the bar for myself daily - whether it is to read His word more, pray or contribute and be "Jesus" to someone.

There will come a time when I do step down from my position as I really want to go down south. I pray that whereever I go, my attitude and desires now will manifest into future fruit.

Praying for safety in this lousy weather and road conditions for all.


Praise for today: that God is a great healer and the lover of my soul!