coffee, tea, or me?

the perennial learner

i have the whole library all to myself on this fine Sunday afternoon ... working hard on my message for the plenary session of Asian Baptist Congress in Chiangmai, Thailand. the library has always been one of my favorite places, ever since i was a student at SLU, TBTS, and ABGTS-Baguio ... and now that i'm a teacher, i still somehow feel that there is still so much more to learn that a whole lifetime would not be enough. just like last Friday a student came to my office and asked me about images and visions, symbols and figures of speech, their relationship to interpretation of the Book of Revelation ... gee, i almost felt "embarrassed" that i do not have answers to all his questions ... but it's good that the better part of me reigned and took over ... yes, i have to be humble enough to admit that i do not know all the answers ... i do not know everything ... the more i know, the more i realize that there's so much more that i do not know! the message during chapel that morning was a great encouragement and challenge to me. the passage was taken from 1 Cor 8:1-3. The verse that says "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" strikes me the most. Even if i did not satisfy the student's intellectual curiosity, did he feel my sincerity to openly discuss with him, my willingness to spend time with him to wrestle with the problems, my availability even in the midst of my hectic schedule, my humility to admit my limitations and not put up a front?!? on the other hand, this incident and the chapel message motivated me to learn more ... to study more ... to be a perennial "student" and "learner"

double celebration

Happy Happy Birthday to Janice (April 12) and Cindy (April 17)! Our Coffee Club went to a Hot Spring in Tienmu to celebrate their birthdays ... we had hotspring bath, plenty of delicious food, big tall glass of coffee that made me wide awake until the wee hours of the morning, and a lot of laughter!

at last

at long last, the red elevator is functioning after 2 weeks of "boycott" ... although it is a good exercise to climb the stairs but the elevator saves me a lot of time especially when i'm in a hurry.

one glorious day ... two sad news ... three prayers

Today is Easter Sunday! The day when our Glorious Savior rose from the dead and triumphed over death and Satan to bring us hope and a glorious future! However, this is a one sad day for my family ... the father of my sister-in-law passed away after a long battle with sickness, although death relieved him of pain but it still brings sadness to my heart because he has been good to my brother and his kids ... moreover, it's sad that mama and I are here in Taipei so we cannot attend his wake and funeral. It's also a sad day because one of my nieces went to Shanghai today for training for 3-weeks and will start to teach English in Shanxi. Although there is no difference in the distance since I'm here in Taipei and she was in Manila previously but at least when I go home to Manila before, I can see and chat with her ... but now she will be absent from family gatherings ... we will surely miss her ... but I know we all have to let go to let her become independent. Hence, I pray that the Lord comfort the hearts of my sister-in-law's family and wipe away their tears. I also pray for the safety of my niece and her spiritual and emotional maturity in China. I also pray for the miraculous healing of a DCBC member who has sort of a recurrence of cancer.

break the fast

well, what's so special about the dumplings for dinner? nothing! it's just that i'm having dinner starting tonight after fasting 100 dinners to pray for our seminary's registration with the Ministry of Education. God is so gracious that the Registration Fund is now almost NT$70 million and we are only short of NT$30 million. God is so good and faithful! I've written about this in the Seminary Newsletter entitled "Triple Blessings."

swollen

my brother's left foot got swollen because of gout attack so he wasn't able to sleep the whole night ... but the worst thing is wrong timing because the elevator is still out of order ... medicines won't work that fast so what is needed is injection to make the swelling subside ... he has no choice but to walk down the stairs ... the good thing is i got my car so i could drive him to the nearby hospital.

long climb

wheewwww! the elevator is out of order for more than 10 days now ... still waiting for spare parts for this 22-year old elevator before final repair could be done. that means my slim figure will need to continue daily exercise of manual climbing of 7 flight of stairs for a few more days ... hopefully not weeks!

the sun will come out tomorrow

it appears dark outside, but the sun will still come out tomorrow ...
it feels cold around, but the sun will still shine tomorrow ....

there are so many sad news lately--relatives and members who are sick, problems with people and institution, dissatisfaction with self and others, but hey! life will never be perfect but as people who calls on the name of the Lord, we have to keep on hoping ... keep on believing ... keep on trusting!

busy yet blogging

it's an irony that i keep saying that i'm busy and pressured and yet i am blogging now ... well, actually i am offering myself a catharsis (remember i'm a psych grad) ... to use blogging as a way of expressing and releasing my tension ... and also to filter my thoughts and emotions ... to regroup myself ... and it helps! the previous blogs i posted just now has actually made me look at my situation in a brighter perspective ... and left me more hopeful .... knowing that the Lord is with me ... He will not give me anything that He and I cannot handle together ... thank You, Lord for being here with me and for me!

intimidated

i feel intimidated to teach the Master of Ministry (M.Min.) students. who? me?? usually people say that guys are intimidated that's why they are hesitant to approach and court me ... so i'm still happily single hahaha ... but people who know me well do know that i don't intimidate people and in fact i am sweet and gentle (when i'm sleeping hehehe) ...

anyway, why am i intimidated by the M.Min. students? because of 2 reasons: (1) they are experienced pastors who know enough, so what else can i impart to them? (2) they are older by age and by batch (most of them graduated from this seminary before i did) ... so in their eyes, i'm just a little girl, so how can i be credible enough to become their teacher?

it is in times like this that i need the encouragement of 1 Tim. 4:12 ... and come to think of it, i went through a similar situation when i was pastoring DCBC wherein most of the members are older and more experienced than i am. that experience has taught me that people will respect me not because of my age or experience ... but people will respect me for who I really am--my commitment to God, my integrity as a minister, my devotion to God's word. i am doing my best to prepare for the course academically but i also need to prepare myself spiritually ... so as to reach my goal as a teacher: not only to inform or explain, but also to inspire my students to love God and desire His words! i always remember the words of a pastor i looked up to: "average teachers inform, good teachers explain, great teachers inspire" ... i want to be someone who inspires and touches people's lives!

pressured

just came home from the library ... i'm supposed to be relaxing because we do not have classes today and tomorrow--holiday today because it is Taiwan's "All Saints' Day," tomorrow because it is Friday so it was "sandwiched" for a continuous 4-day holiday over the weekends. well, that was also what mom thought, that i will be "free" and idle, so i can wash the clothes and do some errands .... when would i ever be free and idle?? it's as if that will never happen ...

so why did i go to the library? to study and prepare for my upcoming new intensive course for the Master of Ministry students for 3 consecutive weeks starting April 29 (Sunday evening and Monday morning until afternoon). i feel pressured not only for this course but also for the plenary session of the Asian Baptist Congress in Chiangmai, Thailand on May 4. then, i also have to preach in the chapel on May 25 and another intensive course in Taitung on May 27-28. i also have to prepare and take charge of the ABGTS D.Min. enrollment (deadline on May 15) and comprehensive exams on June 11; and another preaching on June 17 .... and all of these besides my regular teaching and administrative tasks .... ohhh myyyy! why are all of these crammed in together!!! i feel pressured and overwhelmed just like what i went through in late December of 2005 until the first week of January 2006 when i was busy preparing for my paper to be presented at the Bangkok Symposium. Lord, once more i need Your grace and strength .... just as how You saw me through every time i go through such hectic and crazy schedule, i ask of You to lead me on ... to see me through ... i know that Your grace is sufficient for me!

new haircut

got new haircut now ... i wanted a bob-cut so it will be more manageable ... my "natural" hair tends to "fly-away" when it gets a bit longer (ear length) ... long hair makes me look "old" ... i miss my hairstylist in Baguio who just know what to do with my hair and make me look good =0)