October 2009

Common sense tells us that if we constantly stretch a rubber-band for a long period of time, it loses its elasticity. This principle also applies to how we handle stress. If we are under stress for a long period of time without giving a period to relax, we lose our ability to quickly recover! Therefore, it is highly recommended to relax from time to time.

Wise words, but how can we relax if we are always under pressure? Even when we try to slow down, others demand us to keep going. Their expectations, words like “you should . . . you ought to . . . you must” hit us like tumbling waves, one following another. Before we know it, we are under water, suffocating. When we fall short of their expectations, we get even more frustrated. It is like putting salt on a wound, which is not a good feeling at all.

There is a classic example in the Bible about being stressed out. Many of us are familiar with the story of Martha, who seemed to have the quintessential “Type A” personality. She welcomed Jesus and His disciples into her home, who were probably unexpected. As the occasional host, I understand it’s embarrassing when guests come unexpectedly because there’s no time to prepare and clean the house. Martha was all stressed out trying to do her best to cook for and serve her guests. In the meantime, her sister Mary was really enjoying herself by doing nothing. All “Type A” people understand why Martha was so upset.

Well, let’s face it! Everyone has his or her reason to be under stress. Life is stressful, but I’m amazed how some can handle more than others. By “handle” I mean to really be able to deal with pressure, instead of seeming fine from the outside, while burning from the inside. Those who internalize stress will one day explode, and who knows what will happen when the pressure erupts one day? It seems like I am writing about myself! I have a “Type A” personality and internalize a lot of things so this story of Mary and Martha serves as a friendly reminder of a few lessons I could learn with regard to attitude.

The story described Martha as being distracted. She was distracted by Mary’s idleness. She blamed Mary for being irresponsible. She was distracted by Jesus’ response to the whole situation. She assumed Jesus didn’t care. Distraction is an energy zapper. It draws so much from us that we don’t have enough energy to accomplish our tasks. When we get into a downward spiral caused by a combination of stress and distraction, we are doomed!

Jesus gave Martha a remedy for her to release her stress. In one sentence, Jesus gave three instructions: Don’t worry, don’t get upset, and do one thing at a time. Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives us something to do, but doesn’t get us anywhere. Being upset clouds our minds, disabling us from seeing the true value of what we do. Finally, if we concentrate and do one thing at a time, we will become better at it.

Before I sign off, I would like to invite you to read the story in Luke 10:38-42. One of Jesus’ instructions is to sit at His feet and listen to His teachings. Happy reading!

Pastor Larry

Pastor's Corner by Pastor Larry Tong

October 2008

With election coming up next month, let us talk about politics. This is a topic I seldom speak on in a public arena. What is going on with this country has brought me to reminisce on the Rise and Fall of Nations. The Rise and Fall of the different dynasties in China is too complicated to analyze, and since my knowledge of the Chinese history is limited, so I spare myself not to write about it. Since the United States is profoundly influenced by the Western culture, I thought of the similarity between the once seemingly unshaken Roman Empire and this once great country we now reside. The Fall of the Roman Empire should serve as warning to this country.

What can we learn from the Roman Empire? I would like to just list a few areas. This is by no means an exhaustive comparison. First, they were in denial. Before Rome fell to the Germanic’s attack in 476 A.D., there were already many barbarian tribes that grew into power in various parts of Europe, yet the Roman emperors were too pre-occupied with their own agenda and ignored the dangers that were lurking to devour them. Do we see a similar attitude in the United States? This country continues to be the “World Police”, and tries to overpower anyone who opposes her idiosyncrasy, and failed to recognize the rise of the Islamic terrorist power, who refuse to accept America’s agenda which is dispersed all over the globe.

Second, Rome ignored the moral decline. Debauchery, indecency, and lust became part of the societal way of living. Homosexuality, prostitution and abortion permeated every level of society. Little did they know that the moral fiber was rotten to the core! When the moral fiber is damaged, the morale of the people will decline. We are living in an era that has no more moral compass. Broken families, same-sex parents and marriages, abortion, extra-marital affairs and co-inhabitation are far too common. This moral decline affects our children more than we could ever imagine. When the moral fiber is broken, so will the family. When families are broken, so will the society. When society is broken, so will the country. If Americans don’t wake up in time, maybe we are going down the same path as the Roman Empire did.

Third, Romans had an enormous appetite for sport and increasing brutality in achieving the height of excitement. It seemed that the people were thirsty for blood. They got excited to see people die. Those who watched the movie Gladiator know exactly what I mean. This type of behavior signifies a view of devalued life. Have you watched some of the extreme fighting lately on TV? Personally, I don’t know how it can be called “Sport”? We value more of our rights than a human life. No matter how you look at abortion, it is removing a Life like removing cancerous cells. When a country begins to devalue Life, there is no hope for the future because the greatest asset in a country is Life, not technologies. Unfortunately, the country doesn’t see it that way.

What can we do? Well, we need to have a change of heart. With a new heart, we can re-discover the value of Life, Moral obligation and God-centered agenda. The only way to have a new heart is to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. When Christians begin to implement the Scripture in their lives, the decline will stop. We need to do our best to help the government by putting moral individuals in high offices and vote to pass moral laws that protect families and our children.

Before I sign off, there is an encouraging statement I would like to share with you. It is taken from II Chronicles 7:14. It says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Pastor Larry

October 2007

According to the Associated Press, there was a lawsuit filed by a Senator in Nebraska in mid-September. The Omaha Senator, Ernie Chambers, sued God! The lawsuit accused God of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause even more death still. The Senator claimed that God can be sued because He is everywhere! In his lawsuit, Chambers claimed that God has made “terroristic” threats against him and his constituents, inspired fear and caused “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of million upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants.” He also claimed that God has caused “fearsome floods . . . horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes.” He was seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty! According to him, it is perfectly normal to sue God because everybody is suing somebody.

When I read this news, my reaction was that of a shocking feeling. I was shocked to see someone could be so silly. Doesn’t he as a public servant has anything to do? How ridiculous can it be! This Senator, I believe, represents many people who don’t take responsibility for their actions and instead, put the blame on someone else’s. With global warming, scientists agree that the condition of this world is rapidly changing for the worse. Many so called “natural” disasters are a direct result of global warming. And we all know who caused global warming. It is easier to blame God for causing this “problems” than to fix our problem. The whole world is driven by “greed”, which the Bible labeled as “the root of all evils.” To that end, pollution and global warming resulted in unpredictable changes of weather pattern; food supplies from rivers and oceans are becoming more and more toxic; and the once “fresh” air is filled with toxins. We all know toxic chemicals are major cause of many types of cancerous growth. Sure, there are National and International laws to keep this problem under control, but whenever there are rules and regulations, people will find ways to either break them or find loopholes to get around them.

I recently went to a medical seminar and learned that scientists have identified that many types of cancer such as some types of breast cancer and prostrate cancer are caused by chronic and uncontrolled stress. Now, does God want us to have stress? Not only does He not, He asks us to relax; not to worry about tomorrow because there are enough things to do for today!

Before I sign off, I would suggest that instead of blaming God for the pitiful condition of the world, we should try our best to do what God expects of us. He wants us “to do Justice”, “to love Kindness”, and “to walk humbly.” To do justice is to do the right things, and not to give ourselves excuses not to. To love kindness is to care not only our own interests, but to extend our generosity to others. Finally, to walk humbly (with the Lord) is to respect God by respecting the things He created and the people He loves. We may not be able to change the global world, but if we do what God wants us to do, we will change our little world.

Pastor's Corner by Larry Tong

October, 2006

During this time every year, we are busy putting together a group of brothers and sisters to serve as church officers for the next two years. This year is no exception. While we are preparing to engage in new challenges for the upcoming year, and finishing up what needs to be done for the rest of this year, we also need to once again remind ourselves that ministries are not performance-based. This is particularly important for church leaders (officers) to remember.

I went to a Church Growth Conference one time and attended a special workshop in the area of “how to reduce stress in ministry.” I figured I needed to learn from the speaker with this kind of expertise. To my surprise, with the speaker was an assistant who acted like his personal attendant who followed and tended to his needs, including carrying his materials and putting his jacket on for him after he finished the workshop. What he said during the workshop made sense, but I could only look on with envy. I found myself thinking, if I had an assistant tending to all my personal needs, I probably wouldn’t have as much stress as I experience.

I’m not saying anything bad about the speaker, but serving in God’s eyes is very different from ours. The theme of the Gospel according to Mark is, “Jesus is the Humble Servant.” The author recorded Jesus relentlessly going from place to place addressing the needs of others. Jesus sought out the abandoned lepers, the sick and outcasts who longed to be accepted by society. If you want to know what ministry is all about, read Mark. Even our Lord, the God Incarnated, came to serve, and not to be served. How much more we should be as His disciples!

In our eyes, we measure “leadership greatness” by how successful we are in directing others, but in God’s eyes, “leadership greatness” is measured by the amount of love we have for others, and the willingness to roll up our sleeves and get “dirty” with others to do the “menial” jobs. Today, we measure success by the numbers of church attendance, by the size of the building, and by the variety of programs. This is quite a deviation from how God measures success. He measures success by the things we do for others. He looks for those who are willing to bend their knees to pick up a piece of litter that everyone else ignores on the floor or the kinds of work people often look upon as unimportant.

The road to greatness in God’s eyes is by way of self-forgetting. Jesus “forgot” and “forfeited” His place as God, and was therefore, willing to die on the cross so that you and I can walk on His cross to go to Heaven. As we are walking on His cross, let us not forget to bend our knees to feed the lambs of the flock, as Jesus commissioned Peter to do. Greatness is found in serving others with joy and love.

Before I sign off, I would like to encourage you to get involved in the Kingdom of God. It doesn’t matter whether you have a title of an officer or not, you are God’s servant, and therefore follow your Master’s example to humbly serve others. A reward is awaiting for you to claim: “Well done, good (better rendering is kind) and faithful servant . . . come and share your master’s happiness!”

Pastor Larry

Pastor's Corner by Pastor Larry

October, 2005

Wow, what a sudden change in the weather yesterday (9/20)! There were lighting and thunder, followed by pebble-sized hail, and finally a gush of short but heavy rain. In the end, there was no harm done to our beautiful homes in the Bay Area. Such is not the case in the Southern parts of the country. At the wake of cleaning up the mess created by Hurricane Katrina, and with the rise of Hurricane Rita, it keeps the residents in the Gulf area on high alert. From a tropical storm, Rita has changed to a category four hurricane within a relatively short period of time. I can only imagine the chaos and the stress the people in that region must be feeling and having to endure, especially those who are in New Orleans. It is difficult for us to judge the cause of such a devastating natural disaster.

Again, some good-intentioned Christians claim that God is punishing the city of New Orleans because of city’s annual MardiGras, which basically is a festival to parade immorality. Before we give God a “bad name,” we need to separate our own individual speculations and the truths. When Christians make such outrageous claims, they seem to speak for God, when in fact they have no right to do that. I’m not saying that God is blind to the sins of the world, and it is also true that no unrighteous person can escape His judgment, but how and when He judges is His prerogative. When evil seems to have the upper hand or when immorality is on a rampage, remember what the Apostle Peter said: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9) As healthy Christians, we should not use disasters as lightning rods to “zap” people. We need to have compassion for those who suffer, just as Jesus did when He saw the hopeless multitudes.

It seems not too long ago I wrote about the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, and it wasn’t that long ago we had to face the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. Why are there all these tragedies? Though the time and the hour is a mystery, the signs of the “End of the Age” are clear that there will be tribulations caused by men and nature. Are we entering this so called “End of the Age”? Nobody knows for sure because one may argue that wars and earthquakes have always been around. It is true, but no one can disagree that the magnitude is becoming greater. Come to think about it, how could Jesus and the disciples, especially John, who were not well-traveled nor had they viewed any CNN reports, predicted these kinds of disasters so long ago? The answer rests on the “behind the scene” author of the Bible—God, who remains ruler of history, regardless of how bad this world seems to be heading. His plan is beyond anyone’s understanding.

Before I sign off, I encourage all Christians to take time to reaffirm your faith in Christ. He hasn’t lost control of the world. He is directing this world and all these signs we have seen lately should direct our thoughts to rely on His promise—His Glorious Return. If you have yet to believe in Christ, I wish you to take some time to meditate the value of things you work so hard to build. If there is no eternal value, it can vanish in a matter of hours. All you can do is to watch and mourn! God is preparing an Eternal dwelling for you only if you believe.

Pastor Larry

Pastor's Corner

October, 2004

During one of my sermons, I talked about the importance of having a balanced life. Too often we run into extremes. This is particularly true for Christians, who with good intentions try to do their best, but end up running their lives aground. In the process, they lose their joy and feel despair. The danger of living in extremes is that we are too close to the edge. One slip, and we’ll fall off the cliff.

Recently, I came across some examples that can help us understand this danger. I’ll mention a couple just to let you chew on them. First example, loving and learning from the Bible, but not worshipping it. One time I heard a speaker telling his audience that they shouldn’t put coffee on top of a bible because it shows disrespect. Now, I’m not saying we should ruin the bible in any form or shape, which is the other extreme we should avoid. I’d rather see you make notes or draw pictures to help you understand or remind you of the words of God than to keep it squeaky clean. Another example is being active and involved in the local church, but not getting neurotic about attending every meeting. There are always people who ask, “Is attending all the church meetings a gauge of spirituality?” The answer is, “Of course not!” On the other hand, we shouldn’t be going to the other extreme thinking that we don’t need to attend worship because worship is a private matter or that we don’t need to fellowship with other Christians because we only need God. We need to value what God values. He loves to see His people getting together in public worship and fellowshipping so that the world may learn from us how to worship and see from us the genuine care and love we have for each other.

We have to ask God to give us the wisdom to live a balanced life. The reality is that the more balanced it is, the more tension it will create. Imagine the force you have to withhold while being pulled from both sides of extreme. One time someone asked St. Augustine about the secret of living the Christian life. He replied, “Love God, and do as you please.” Now, that’s balance. In response to this, Ken Gire, the author of The Reflective Life wrote this, “The thought of that is both liberating and confining. Liberating because it means we are free to do whatever we want. Confining because it means our love for God sets the boundaries of that freedom.” A balanced Christian takes God seriously, but does not take himself all that seriously. It means times of discipline should be balanced with times of relaxation, fun and laughter. This kind of balance is not only wholesome, but is healthy. Life is not frowns. Life is beautiful!

Before I sign off, I would like to share with you that a life with Christ will change your perspective from temporal to eternal. Only through viewing Life from an eternal perspective will we find true meaning in this temporal dwelling.

Pastor Larry

Pastor's Corner

October, 2003

Recently, I read an article on “How to survive a heart attack while alone” written by Dr. Daniel Rochman MD. I thought it would be beneficial for you to learn this survival skill.

“Let's say it's 6:15 p.m . and you're driving home (alone of course), after an unusually hard day on the job. You're really tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home. Unfortunately, though, you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far.

What can you do? You've been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course neglected to tell you how to perform it on yourself. Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed to be in order. Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly, and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness!

However, that person (victim) can help himself or herself by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A cough must be repeated about every 2 seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. The deep breaths get much-needed oxygen down into the lungs, and the deep coughing cause muscular movements that squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The muscular squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it to regain its normal rhythm. By following these steps, most heart attack victims can get to a hospital.”

Of course, I don’t wish anyone to have to use this survival skill, and may not be fool-proof also, but knowing something that is so simple, yet has the possibility to save lives, is significant. In fact, there is another simple truth that will not only help you through this rugged life on earth, but also ensure your eternal dwelling. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms . . . I will come back and take you with me that you also may be where I am.” It is a great promise by the Son of God. Unlike reviving from a heart attack, which one will eventually die, this promise provides an eternal security and is fool-proof also because the one who made this promise is the Origin of Life. The only way to embrace this promise is to believe in Him. I don’t want to sound too simplistic, but believing in Jesus means you have to accept that you can’t save yourself.

Before I sign off, I wish that none of you will have to use the technique to revive from a sudden heart attack, but I do wish all of you will believe in Jesus as your Personal Savior. For those who already have, continue to believe in Him that He can carry you through this rugged life on earth.

Pastor Larry

Pastor's Corner

October, 2002

While we were on vacation, my family and I went to a National Wildlife Refuge Complex with an old lighthouse in Kauai, Hawaii. After a short walk, we were at the coastline of the Pacific Ocean overlooking the abundance of different wildlife—birds, seals, and plants.

It was a clear and sunny day. I was able to see far away to the horizon where the ocean and the sky meet. Every wave that crashed on the cliff appeared to be the same, yet they were all unique. The clashing sound from the waves caused me to respect the mighty power of the ocean. Standing by the fence looking at the scenery, I reflected on God’s awesome creation. What I saw was only a minute part of the vast universe He bara (a Hebrew word which means to make something out of nothing, only used with regard to God). I remember what the Psalmist said, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Ps. 19:1) At that particular moment, the “silent” proclamation of God’s greatness spoke to me. I worshipped Him right there in my heart.

Then I saw a few dolphins swim above and below the water, and, after a few minutes, disappeared out of sight. Nature itself is enough to declare the glory of God, and with the living creatures He bara that move gracefully around added to the beauty of God’s creation. When I looked up, I noticed a White-tailed Tropicbird flying solo in the sky. It looked so peaceful. It sure gave me the feeling the bird was enjoying itself as much as I enjoyed watching it. For a moment, I thought the bird was putting on a show just for me, and it helped me to think about God. I thought we, as Christians, are very much like that bird. The purpose of our existence as Christians in this world is to help people appreciate God. Like the bird flying over the sky caused me to reflect on God’s glory, our serving to Him should also help others to praise God. We don’t parade our own beauty, but that of God. That is our ultimate purpose in life.

After several minutes of flying alone, other comrades joined in. It gave a fuller picture of the sky. Suddenly I saw a bigger bird fly up the sky. It was a Great Frigatebird, with a wingspan of seven feet lifting a four-pound body. Most birds that migrant there dive in the ocean to catch fish as food, with the exception of the Great Frigatebird because their legs are too short and weak to take off from the water. Instead, with their size, they force other birds to drop their food—earning its Hawaiian name ‘iwa or “thief.” Like the Great Frigatebird, many things in life or even people around us try to rob us of what we are supposed to do—draw people to God. The only way from falling prey to this robbery is to hold tight to the spiritual food in our mouth, just as the Psalmist said, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19:14)

Before I sign off, I pray that you will consider joining in the flight to reflect God’s glory because He has bara a pure heart in you.

Pastor's Corner

October, 2001

It has been a few weeks now since the 9/11 Attack on America. We’ve seen so much on the TV screen, heard so much through the airwave, read so much from magazines and newspaper, of stories that brought tears to our eyes, and at the same time, a sense of fear and helplessness, especially during the first few days. It seemed that there was a sheer of fear hovering over the whole country. The sense of insecurity overwhelmed everyone; the kind of feeling that was never felt before. This reminds us once again that America, though is one of the better places to live on earth, is not our permanent home.

I am sure glad that President Bush took a first step in the right direction. It would have been too easy to react out of rage from situation like this, but he rallied the whole country to pray first. From the National Day of Prayer, it triggered many prayer meetings around the country. We’ve been hearing about the recovery and the rebuilding of New York City. I have no doubt that it will happen. In time, New York City will be rebuilt to its former glory or even surpasses its former glory. I’m sure the construction will be stronger and its design will be more elegant, but let us be convicted that physical rebuilding is secondary to a spiritual revival. This is what we need in America. And maybe this is what we need in our homes. We spend a lot of effort and energy building our physical home, making it looks “nice,” ensuring financial security and physical safety. Rightfully so, we should, in all diligence, do that, but let us not forget that the foundation of our homes and our country is on its spiritual strength. The Bible says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” So let us keep praying, keep clinging on to God for our families and our country, though you might think He is away, but He is not.

Through prayers, we are able to remember God’s unfailing love and care. This unfailing or loyal love is demonstrated on the cross. The Hebrew word of this unfailing or loyal love is hesed—a very important word to remember. Amidst the uncertainty of the world where we don’t know how long this war on terrorism will last or what the outcome of this will be, we can still trust in the hesed love of God, for in God’s hesed love, there is no forgetting. The world may not change for the better, and even if it would, it will only be for a short time, but if we trust in the hesed love of God, we are promised peace, a peace that transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

This article is an excerpt of the sermon I preached on September 23. Before I sign off, I invite you to accept Jesus’ hesed love for you. It is a free gift by which you could gain a peace that transcends all understanding. And that is Security!

Pastor Larry

Pastor's Corner

October, 2000

"Praise our God, O peoples,
Let the sound of his praise be heard;
He has preserved our lives
And kept our feet from slipping"

This is part of a praise psalm (66:8-9) written for people to sing glorious praises to God who delivered them in the past. Sometimes it was the deliverance from wicked attacks, other times it was the preservation from further decay. Looking back at these twenty years of our church history, we too have had experienced many evil attacks and had made wrong decisions on our own. I think if it weren’t for the grace of God, we would have slipped into a depth beyond restoration. Therefore, I believe it is appropriate to borrow this psalm to praise God for what He has done for our church.

Twenty years is not a short time by any stretch of imagination. In human development, twenty-year old is a turning point for most people. For many, it is leaving the "rebellious and the notion of know-it-all" stage and entering in "Am I ready to be on my own?" stage. We are given the capability to look back in past years and evaluate our decisions. Some were silly, some were defiant, some were great, while others didn’t make any different one way or the other. What makes a person successful is the discernment to glean through the past and have the courage to develop the positives and eliminate the negatives.

What is true for an individual is also true for a church. We should ask for spiritual discernment to evaluate our past ministries and a sincere heart to make adjustments in order to faithfully fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. The world we live in tells us that doing our best sometimes is just not good enough. We are demanded to perform with desirable outcome. Anything short of the desirable is deemed to be failure. But we praise God that He doesn’t look at the outcome. He alone is responsible for what is to come. All He wants from us is to try and keep on trying. At the very end, it isn’t the result that will be rewarded. It is our effort. Time and again, the Bible says, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" Faithfulness is the key word. This is the reason why we praise God amidst all the failures and successes . . . of course from human’s perspective.

Happy Anniversary!

Pastor Larry