Month: August 2018

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Our family loves to dine out at restaurants and whenever I have an opportunity, I ask our servers the same question, “Did the chef make anything for your family dinner?” The usual answers are chicken, tacos, or fried rice dishes-comfort food, simple and quick to prepare.

 

While most answers are expected, a few surprises have emerged. One restaurant served different dishes for the different tiers of workers. The servers were served one dish, the dishwashers another-a meritocracy of family dinners. One seafood restaurant served a chicken family dinner, unusual since there were no chicken dishes served on their usual menu. Another restaurant served nothing, all employees had to provide their own meals and were given no discounts at the restaurant. Needless to say, several of the servers rolled their eyes and grumbled when I asked this question. Contrast this with another restaurant, one founded in 1980 by a well-known chef, in an era before social media and celebrity chefs hosted cooking shows and contests. In response to my usual question, I received this enthusiastic answer.

 

“We eat the same dishes you eat!”

 

“Really?” After dozens of mundane responses, I was quite surprised to hear this revelation.

 

“Oh yes! We are treated very well here!”

 

Indeed! This restaurant had been in existence for nearly forty years and there was still a month-long wait to obtain a reservation. Clearly, its popularity was undiminished and the chef-owner desired to honor her employees by offering all of them the same privileges as her dining patrons. There were no tiers of privileges; there were no lesser meals not served on the regular menu. They received the same blessings as everyone who desired to be there. The gratitude and joy of her employees were palpable.

 

…Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,  but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Acts 10:34-35 (ESV)

 

God’s blessings are the same for all believers and He shares His blessings with all who confess and repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There are no tiers of blessings; there are no substitute blessings. There is only the promise that He will forgive our sins and grant us eternal life and salvation through faith in His Name. We are treated very well!

 

In Jesus Christ, we are invited to the greatest family dinner of all, sharing a meal with the family of God.

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

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Global warming.

Every record hot day or new brush fire raises this harbinger of doom, but it wasn’t always the case. Just a few decades ago, the catchphrase was global cooling. Don’t believe it? Here are magazine covers from the 1970s warning of dire predictions of a catastrophic global freeze. Hardly anyone remembers these ominous warnings since all have been replaced with the latest environmental hysteria.

I am not stating that global warming does not exist, but a few years of elevated global temperatures need to be taken in context with overall climate changes, especially when just a few years earlier, environmentalists were issuing the clarion call for just the opposite. Are the global warming of recent years and the global cooling of a few decades earlier within the statistical realm of normal climate variations, or is something permanent occurring? Has the Earth experienced past dramatic climate changes? No question. There were several ice ages and periods of global warming, lasting eons. The Bible also records, in great detail, the first and greatest climate change this earth ever experienced-the Great Flood.

Few stories in the Bible stagger our imagination more than the Great Flood. From the depraved state of man that led to God’s judgment upon the earth to the stirring story of Noah building an ark and issuing warnings to all who would listen for over a hundred years, the flood brought about cataclysmic changes over the entire earth, affecting not only all living land creatures but also radically altering the population of the Earth.

And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.”

Genesis 6:19-21 (ESV)

Pundits love to lock onto seeming inconsistencies with this account. One glaring problem they focus upon is how Noah could transport two of every animal type and store enough food for all? At the least, wouldn’t the carnivorous animals be driven to a mad frenzy seeking to eat dozens of their fellow passengers? Not so!

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Genesis 1:29-30 (ESV)

Before the flood, all animals, including man, were vegetarians. The dimensions of the ark were sufficient to store enough plants to sustain Noah’s family and the animals for several months, while they were afloat.

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

Genesis 9:3 (ESV)

It was only after the flood that God permitted the eating of all animals. Thus, the flood brought about great climatic changes and equally startling changes in animal behavior. Before the flood, man’s life spans were hundreds of years. After the flood, lifespans reduced with each successive generation, reaching our current ages. Before the flood, the climate was comfortable for all. After the flood, famines, floods, and all other uncertainties of the weather became commonplace, including global cooling and global warming.

For many years, I questioned the authenticity of the story of the Flood. No longer. With every event in the Bible that I initially found difficult to comprehend, I discovered it was my ignorance of the Bible, rather than the cleverness of man’s analyses that was my stumbling block.

Global cooling? Global warming?

In our lifetimes, we may never definitively answer the questions about climate change, but for the most cataclysmic weather change the earth has ever experienced, God provided all of the answers and explanations; I was simply unwilling to carefully investigate them. God’s Word is always consistent, complete, and eternal Truth.

The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of God will stand forever.

Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)

Amen!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/D5uXY5UP9qw?feature=share

I was a fourth-year medical student, rotating on my hematology-oncology elective. My preceptor reviewed the patient’s history and laboratory data with a rare blood disorder. 

“We have several treatment options, which one should we choose?”

I confidently rattled off the options and presented my reasons for selecting what I surmised was the optimal treatment. Listening intently, he nodded and with a measured response stated, “You’re half right, but not for the reasons you think!”

He explained the therapeutic approach and challenged me to review the disease and explain my error. Chagrined, I researched the topic that evening and realized I had an incomplete understanding of the biochemical pathways. I shook my head and resolved to be more diligent with my studies. 

And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.

2 Chronicles 25:2 (ESV)

Amaziah was the King of Judah. He started strong and committed to serving God, avenging the villains who murdered his father, King Joash. God blessed him and led him to victory over the Edomites, but at a great cost. Amaziah was seduced into worshipping the gods of the Edomites, encouraging the rest of Judah to follow his blasphemous example. God punished Amaziah and eventually killed him by the King of Israel.

I have been half right or have not approached a task with a whole heart. The results are usually mixed, and, like my encounter in medical school, embarrassment may be the worst outcome.  However, I don’t ever want to be half right with God. God desires me to serve and love Him freely with a whole heart, not from compulsion but from gratitude for what He has done for me. When I fail, it is because I have an incomplete understanding of who God is, a faith that is weak and unwilling to surrender my will to God. 

Half right and not with a whole heart is a sure recipe for failure with God. 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life. 

The civil defense sirens startled me. It wasn’t the first Tuesday of the month, was this a true emergency? I turned on the television and saw the warning flashing across the screen. This was no drill. Tornado!

 

It was the first month of my medical residency in Denver, Colorado. My apartment was located across the street from the University medical center. I stood on my second-floor balcony and spied several of my neighbors on the street below. I scurried downstairs to join them, confident they would know what to do.

 

A dark grey swirling vortex was aimed squarely in my direction. I had never seen anything so frightening. Even if the tornado did not strike my apartment building, what about the medical center? How could thousands of patients and hospital workers be evacuated in time? Nervously I turned to a neighbor and asked, “Shouldn’t we go inside?”

 

Nonplussed, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Nah. We’re okay. I’ve seen this before. If it gets a little closer we should probably head to the basement.”

 

“Uh…okay!” He was a native of Colorado, me, a newbie transplant from Hawaii. He must know what he is doing, I convinced myself. Agonizing seconds passed, bringing the twister closer. The winds were whipping the trees and debris around me and I was now terrified. Even if others were not leaving, I knew I must. And then, miraculously, the ominous funnel pulled up and the huge storm cloud moved away.

 

We were staring at a threat that could destroy all of us in an instant. Perhaps I was naive, inexperienced in the nuances of tornadoes, but I soon learned that my fears were justified. Five minutes later, the tornado touched down a few miles away and completely destroyed a large warehouse complex. The next day, I confronted the same neighbor who was so confident that the tornado would do no harm.  He also heard about the eventual outcome of the wayward tornado. His cockiness and confidence evaporated as he shook his head and said, “Yeah…we were really lucky. Didn’t think it would do that!”

 

With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. Proverbs 7:21-23 (ESV)

 

I often fall into the trap of false bravado, thinking I can stand up to temptations and dangers of Satan and his schemes. Like the short sightedness I displayed in trusting everyone around me as the tornado approached, in times of crisis, I rely upon my own strength and downplay the threats. The naive and self-assured young man in this passage from the Book of Proverbs is my mirror. I fall victim to smooth talk and clever words of others, all while careening toward destruction.

 

This was my life for many years. This degenerative cycle was finally broken when I confessed and repented of my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Through faith in His Name, I began to see how trusting in myself and others, while initially compelling, would only lead to further despair. I needed a Savior. I needed God who could provide the perfect answers to life because He had been tempted in all things that I faced but never succumbed to the lies of the world and Satan. He was obedient to God, the Father, and through His life, death, and Resurrection, showed me the better way to lead my life, in service to Him.

 

My confidence in the power of my life would have cost me my life, my eternal soul. Thanks be to God for saving me and granting me the peace that surpasses all understanding!

 

Amen!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

The bill was for $497.80. Received from a directory service, it was an invoice billing me for placement of my company’s address and contact information in their latest publication. How convenient, except, I never agreed to purchase this service. It was a scam, but I needed to be sure. I checked all of my credit card bills and emails. Did I inadvertently order this service, thinking I was availing of another? After several days of investigation, the answer was evident. I was being fraudulently billed for a service I never received, and I almost believed the lie.

 

This is the same lie that Satan perpetrates upon me. He deceives me with the scam that I owe him for the happiness in my life, but by subtly sinister methods. Satan convinces me that my education, my job, my family is all because of my efforts alone. When I believe this, I am worshipping Satan, not in a pentagram or cult gathering, but in my own body and mind. I worship at the church of myself.

 

…He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44 (ESV)

 

Satan beguiled me into believing that I was indebted to him. God, through His grace and mercy, reached out toward me, and gave me the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, for my salvation.

 

Scammed.

 

If I paid Satan the debt he accused me of owing him, I would lose far more than my life. My soul was on a path to destruction until God showed me the Truth and I confessed and repented of my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Thanks be to God that He unmasked the greatest scam of all, believing only in myself and Satan’s lies.

 

Praise God!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

 

B.H.A.G.

 

Big Hairy Audacious Goal!

 

Authors James Collins and Jerry Porras coined this quirky term in their 1994 best-selling business book, “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies”. All companies set goals, commonly ranging from months to a few years. The B.H.A.G. is a goal with a far-reaching vision of ten to thirty years to complete. In the author’s’ own words, “A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines.”

 

I have participated in several organizations that have proposed a B.H.A.G. While some bordered on outrageous, most were laudable goals and if ever achieved, would be a credit to the leadership and participating employees. Interestingly, in my limited experience, few if any B.H.A.G. were ever achieved because the organizations were either acquired or closed due to financial insolvency-a B.H.A.G. unfulfilled.

 

Does God have a B.H.A.G. for us? Most certainly!

 

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had sinned for the first time in their lives. They succumbed to the temptation of Satan. God immediately pronounced judgment upon Satan and already had a plan, a big, hairy, audacious goal, not limited to ten to thirty years in the future, but looking far ahead to thousands of years.

 

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

 

God would take the initiative and restore the relationship with man, broken and stained by sin. He would send His own Son, Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer who would take the penalty and judgment for our sins that we justly deserved.

 

…Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.

Acts 2:38-39 (ESV)

 

B.H.A.G.

 

Thanks be to Jesus Christ for completing and fulfilling the Big Hairy Audacious Goal for all of us-salvation and eternal life!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

 

“Dad! They haven’t touched their food!”

 

Our family was dining at a restaurant and our tables were packed a little closer than we preferred.  We were seated next to another young couple and although we could not hear their conversation, we did not need to, we saw it. For the next hour, barely a word was exchanged between them as they each took pictures of the restaurant and their dishes, immediately posting on social media sites and text messages. It was several minutes later when they both embarked upon eating, but not wasting the opportunity, they each held their food in a fork or spoon with one hand and deftly maneuvered their smartphones to capture the event through video and still shots. Their text was insightful.

 

#Awesome Food!#

 

Texting and social media have transformed the way we communicate with others. However, when it replaces actual voice conversation, a slippery slope has been engaged. It is the current social currency, enamored with letting others know first that one is participating in an event before taking the time to enjoy it for oneself or even understanding its true significance. The breadth of the experience can be shared through photographs, videos, and texting, but the depth can only be fully experienced as an emotional bond between the participants when the conversation is engaged.

 

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

John 6:15 (ESV)

 

In this Bible passage, Jesus Christ had performed the miracle of feeding over five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. If this event occurred in today’s digitally connected world, social media sites would be overwhelmed with postings. Jesus eschewed the obvious sensationalism of the event and took the time to impart the true significance, the depth of the meaning of the event. He knew the people were completely focused upon the breadth of the event, even desiring to crown Him King. Jesus avoided any effort to undermine the true significance of the event. In a conversation with His disciples, immediately following the miracle, Jesus said,

 

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

John 6:35-36 (ESV)

 

If I was texting about the event, I would post the same text as the young couple, completely mesmerized by the sheer spectacle. Thanks be to God that He not only delights my eyes and senses but cares for my soul and relationship with Him.

 

#Awesome Food!#

 

Indeed it is!

 

Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

Early in my pathology residency training, I knew I wanted subspecialize, but which field? I saw merit in all of the specialties, from the board certifiable subspecialties of dermatopathology, hematopathology, and neuropathology to expertise in medical and surgical specialties such as nephrology and urologic surgery, cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, and rheumatology and orthopedic surgery,  requiring a pathologist to bridge the gap between the clinician and the microscopic slide. To communicate the pathologic findings, the pathologist needed to communicate with the respective specialists, becoming adept with the terminology and treatment nuances. It required the subspecialist pathologist to learn an entirely new specialty.

 

The dilemma was how to quickly gain experience in another medical specialty while still carrying a full load of work training as a pathology resident. The answer was a full immersion in the journals at our hospital library. On weekends and after work, I would spend hours perusing the medical specialty journals; one week it was pulmonology, another week, gastroenterology, and so on. As I read the articles, I imagined myself interacting with the specialists, conversing in their language and advising them on treatment options based upon the pathology diagnoses. After several months, the specialty that resonated the strongest with me was dermatology. I had found my specialty-dermatopathology!

 

I soon learned that a full immersion could be helpful in other areas of my life. Ever since my first trip to Japan, my heart has been burdened to reach out to the Japanese people, a country of over one hundred million and less than 1% are believers in Jesus Christ. As a third generation Japanese-American, I can speak some Japanese and read at an elementary level, but it was the cultural nuances that were still very foreign. While I identified with certain behaviors, others were mystifying.

 

I immersed myself in classic books and documentaries about Japanese history and culture. For the first time, I began to understand the behavioral subtleties of the Japanese people, manifest in my life but diluted after two generations displaced from Japan. Like the confidence I gained from my full immersion in the medical journals, I felt more comfortable and willing to speak to other Japanese nationals.

 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)

 

Jesus Christ completely immersed Himself in our humanity, becoming fully man and experiencing all of the joys and sorrow of humanity. He did it to pay the penalty for sins that we justly deserved. He did it so we know that every temptation and every pain we face, He also faced, persevered, and triumphed. We have absolute confidence that He completely understands our every need.

 

Full immersion.

 

We should follow the example of our Lord and do the same for anyone with whom we desire to share the Good News.

 

Amen!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

It was the final performance of our high school production of a Shakespearean play. My classmate and I had small but entertaining roles with a lively sword fight at the end. The director cleverly staged the scene and had us chase each other through the seated audience, adding to the revelry. A few hours before the performance, he turned to me and said, “Hey, let’s do something cool! When we do our final sword fight, let’s swing at each other but intentionally miss and destroy the papier-mache statue between us!”

 

“Ha! That would blow everyone away! No need to keep it for another performance, right?”  His suggestion was brilliant!

 

“So on our final sword fight, we’ll look at each other, nod, then we do it!”

 

“It’s going to be great!”

 

Eagerly anticipating our prank, we snickered through the performance as we stole glances at each other. Finally, our scene was on. We chased each other around the audience, yelling and swinging our swords, before arriving at the statue. We stared each other down then swung our swords at the same time from opposite directions. The papier-mache statue exploded into a cloud of paper and dust! For a second the performance stopped as the entire audience stared at the spectacle in amazement. We did not think the entire statue would disintegrate! We knew exactly what was going to happen, but when it occurred, we were still caught by surprise!

 

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Matthew 16:21 (ESV)

 

Jesus Christ repeatedly told His disciples that He would suffer and die and on the third day, be raised through resurrection. Yet when all these events occurred as He predicted, they were still in disbelief, even denial. The angel present in Jesus’ tomb reminded Mary Magdalene, the first to see the Risen Christ, of His promises.

 

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

Matthew 28:5-7 (ESV)

 

From the first sins of Adam and Eve, God promised us a Savior who would redeem us of our sins and restore the broken relationship between God and man. Through thousands of years of prophecies, God kept reminding us. He kept His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ. All who confess and repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will have salvation and eternal life in His Name.

 

Even when I know the outcome, am I still surprised? Yes! And still grateful to God’s love and compassion to all who place their trust in Him.

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

I needed to do well on my spelling test. I studied all night and memorized the list, but now, the most important step. I quickly reached into my pants pocket and grasped my lucky rabbit’s foot. Feeling the sharp claws protruding from the fur, my eight-year-old heart was reassured. 

 

I carried a rabbit’s foot for many years. There was no rational reason except I thought it could only help my life, and I didn’t stop there. I added a good luck frog from Japan, a jade Buddha, and even a cross, given to me by someone seeking a handout on the street. Oh yes. Hedging my bets. Stacking the deck. You can have it all, even as a young child. All these and other cliches were fulfilled in my quest to have every god and auspicious amulet on my side, even if I didn’t truly believe any of it. I was hoping that one would someday emerge as the triumphant deity, the all-powerful warlord of destiny.

 

So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

2 Kings 17:33 (ESV)

 

After hundreds of years of idolatrous living, Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. The Assyrian King sent people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to live in the land. These people also brought their gods and continued to worship them. The remnant of Israelites attempted to teach them to worship their God, which they accepted but continued to worship the other gods. 

 

My behavior was no different from the people who settled in the land of Israel. Seeking to be in sync with my naive concept of cosmic justice, I thought I could have it all and serve all gods, oblivious to the obvious contradictions. Years later, the One True God, revealed Himself to me and I confessed and repented of my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Only then did I truly learn that I can have it all, through belief in Jesus Christ!

 

As a child, I carried many gods with me, hoping that one would someday triumphantly emerge. As an adult, God rescued me and revealed my true destiny did not reside in a rabbit’s foot but in an eternal relationship through faith in Jesus Christ. 

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.