Pastor's Corner by Pastor Larry Tong

May 2008

First thing first: I like to acknowledge mistyping a word in the January’s Newsletter. I quoted an article from Mercury News about a drunk driver. I mistyped that Bill Cole is the husband of Sara, but instead should be ex-husband. I apologize for the error.

Pastor Larry

My wife and I went on vacation to Dallas, Texas for a week. It was a refreshing time for us to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of ministries. We really enjoyed the slower pace of life. During the week, we had a chance to reflect on our walk with the Lord, the way we do ministries, and affirming our calling as pastor and pastor-wife. We also had a chance to visit and worship in a striving “traditional” church. We spoke with the senior pastor, Charles Swindoll, very briefly, and I told him that I am one of his secret mentees, who really appreciate his authenticity and transparency. Truthfully, what makes Christians different from the rest of the world is our authenticity and transparency. This is particularly true for leaders of a church. Our laughs, our cries are all done in ways to show that we are normal people, even though we have been born again. Though our spirits are enlightened, yet we are still bounded by many of our daily struggles, and we suffer the limitations of having a depraved emotion and a fragile life.

Then we have to come back to face reality after a short week! Of course, it doesn’t take too long after we get back to turn up our gears to once again dive back to a much faster pace of life. I think most of you agree with me that Life can be stressful. It doesn’t matter at what stage of life you are in; you will still face many challenges. Therefore, it is best to learn some stress management strategies. If we can identify the stressors, which are things that produce stress, it may help us to enhance a manageable control over them. Counselors tell us that it is impossible to remove all the stressors. About the only thing we can do is to manage them. After years of struggling, I’m still learning. But one thing I experienced over and over again is that if I have a calm spirit, I can handle much more stress. Since I can’t control the number of stressors, therefore, I need to learn to handle my very own emotional state. How can we develop a calm spirit? It is by having a positive attitude, because negativism draws a lot of energies, and thereby eliminates what is in our “tank”. We also need to set our priorities. We often spend a lot of energies on the non-essentials, and leave us with not enough strength for the essentials. “Trim-line” our works and make them effective is helpful. Of course, ask for help and learn to say no also help. I think the most important element is learning to forgive—ourselves and others. Set ourselves free of any bitterness because having a bitter spirit certainly will crush our souls, and affect our outlook of life. Our mental and physical health is important to us.

Before I sign off, I like to mention that the Bible have already given us the best remedy. It says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) Therefore, develop a cheerful heart because God loves you. If you haven’t done so, pick up a bible and read the Word of God because in it, you will find treasures of Life.

Pastor Larry