tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79270990611824114592024-03-04T20:04:47.007-08:00In Search of Wisdom: Ruminations of The SageThe story of a fool, who fell in love with Wisdom.
"For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her" (Prov. 8:11)The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-48317873912873665052013-04-19T23:04:00.002-07:002013-04-19T23:53:14.924-07:00Ale Chrystusem: "But, Christ"
This is the first post in four months, and unfortunately, the first post I've finally found time to write of this year. After three very eventful and incredibly busy months at work, this comes once again at a time of upheaval and uncertainty in my life. The locomotive that held my plans for the rest of the year, along with prospects that seemed rosy and promising, was The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-76528842858445804902012-12-31T22:59:00.003-08:002012-12-31T23:02:52.525-08:00Jesus, Be...
Christmas and Advent have come and
gone, New Year's Eve is suddenly upon us. I just got back home from a
beautiful candle-lit New Year's Eve service at Willingdon Church. It was
a fitting and memorable way to end my year, surrounded by the gathering
of faithful men and women to remember God's faithfulness in our lives
over the last year, hear His Word, and place our trust in The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-23303530261578908912012-12-07T00:17:00.001-08:002012-12-07T00:17:31.905-08:00Advent 2012, Day 3: God Arrives On Time
"'Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,' says the Lord of hosts." - Malachi 3:1, NKJV
400 years of silence followed that proclamation from the mouth of the prophet Malachi. I wonder how many generations passedThe Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com1Vancouver, BC, Canada49.261226 -123.113926849.1783265 -123.2718553 49.344125500000004 -122.9559983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-10705077175607132662012-12-04T16:25:00.003-08:002012-12-04T23:35:56.339-08:00Advent 2012, Day 2: With Us, For Our Sake
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14, NKJV
"We needed not only God for us, but God with us." That insightful observation came from Kelly Boyce, writing for the second instalment of Gordon-Conwell's Advent devotional. Contemplating the passage of 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10,The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-52640727249078908332012-12-03T00:27:00.001-08:002012-12-03T09:28:19.095-08:00Advent 2012, Day 1: A Fire Lights The Darkness
"'Is not my word like a fire?', says the Lord..." - Jeremiah 23:29, NKJV
"Gather ‘round that fire this Advent season. It is warm. It is sparkling with colours of grace. It is healing for a thousand hurts. It is light for dark nights." - John Piper
This is the first post of December, and the beginning of Advent as Christmas approaches. As a tumultuous year of challenges, ups The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-54266530727821807952012-11-11T21:26:00.001-08:002012-11-11T21:26:25.618-08:00Of Whom The World Was Not Worthy
Standing with the persecuted church
"Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-88998419242148300122012-11-10T23:56:00.001-08:002012-11-11T00:28:39.254-08:00The Searing Ruination of Stolen Water
“Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it’s hard to get it back in.”- H. R. Haldeman
"CIA Chief Resigns Over Extra-Marital Affair" [1] were the startling, yet matter-of-fact words that populated one news site as it displayed. But I doubt if any sentence summarizes the gravity and tragedy of this episode, and every other like it, as the opening words of a similar article The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-42632042089601594872012-11-05T23:48:00.000-08:002012-11-09T17:12:17.388-08:00To The Last Drop Of Blood
Image Credit: Andrej Anei [1]
A sermon preached by Pastor John Neufeld at Willingdon Church two weeks ago has given me much to think about since I poured out some of my internal conflict and consternation in my last post. At the time, I was really wanting a new day [2] and a fresh start on a new chapter of life, after what seems to have been a rather trying year that has left meThe Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0Vancouver, BC, Canada49.261226 -123.113926849.1783265 -123.2718553 49.344125500000004 -122.9559983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-43643119399076571432012-10-14T22:29:00.004-07:002012-10-14T22:54:13.437-07:00Can I Have A New Day?
"I took his sheet, all soiled and blotted
And gave him a new one, all unspotted..."
It's approaching almost 2 months since my last post. As the weeks went by, things seemed to have almost ground to a halt on this blog, and people have been asking why - over e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and of course, in person. The curious thing was that I myself didn't really have an answer for The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-84070376083295676122012-08-19T22:52:00.000-07:002012-08-19T23:07:30.063-07:00I Will Suffer. And Suffer Well.
"It's granted to you, it's given to you, it's a gift to you, with a big bow, that you will suffer."
- John Piper
Today at Willingdon, the sermon happened to be about a topic that I haven't written about on this blog for quite some time - more than a year, in fact. It was about God's role in the reality of pain and suffering, appropriately titled "How Can A Good God Allow The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0Vancouver, BC, Canada49.261226 -123.113926849.1783265 -123.2718553 49.344125500000004 -122.9559983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-84637870029609195002012-08-12T22:11:00.002-07:002012-08-12T22:21:37.555-07:00Birthday Reflections
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the almighty" - Ps. 91:1
Another birthday has come and gone in the three months since I've last posted. So much has happened, so much has changed - especially me. Time on God's clock has ticked away, but it has not been idle or wasted.
Through trial, doubt, difficult The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-12299548711076272212012-05-02T23:53:00.001-07:002012-05-06T00:27:07.825-07:00Nothing Is Impossible: The Gospel and My Grandfather
"When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:25-26, NKJV
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..." - Romans 1:16, NKJV
My mother and "new" The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-83272389154884923752012-05-01T23:50:00.003-07:002012-05-02T00:34:20.365-07:00To India and Back Again
This is a quick post before I go to bed (again), after having woken up about an hour ago. I'm still trying to recover from the accompanying jet lag after returning from a vacation trip to India on Sunday. I thought I'd use these few minutes to update the blog. I was too busy to write while on my trip, and didn't have access to an internet connection everyday to do so.
&The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-27752233883973600672012-04-13T00:12:00.012-07:002012-04-13T01:14:57.595-07:00The Hurting Lie: What I've Been Hiding From Over the last few days, I've been steadily and increasingly drawn to a significant, inevitable and sobering personal conclusion as I contemplate the lessons that I learned during Holy Week and Easter:
I've been keeping the Holy Spirit at a 'safe' distance, afraid of Him, because I'd been fooled by the lies of those who have misrepresented Him and abused His name. I've been hurt, and The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0Burnaby, BC, Canada49.248869 -122.97379649.191767999999996 -123.04027649999999 49.30597 -122.9073155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-40097243970964624342012-04-10T23:28:00.026-07:002012-04-12T08:52:40.202-07:00Post-Easter Convictions
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path." - Ps. 119:105
This will be a quick and short post, before I end the day in prayer before God and head to bed. Easter is now two days behind me. As I look back on the last week, I'm left with the question:
Where to from here?
This Easter was unlike any other in my life so far. It was the first time that I, by The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-56514893245973915992012-04-08T18:07:00.003-07:002012-04-08T21:37:35.344-07:00Personal Reflections on The Resurrection
Christ Has Died. Christ Is Risen.
Christ Will Come Again.
Today is Easter Sunday, and Holy Week is almost over. Today morning marked the remembrance of the bodily resurrection of Christ, more than 2000 years ago. As I have been reading through the accounts of the resurrection in the Gospels, I wanted to write about how this is personally relevant to me.
The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com1Burnaby, BC, Canada49.248869 -122.97379649.191767999999996 -123.04027649999999 49.30597 -122.9073155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-9163587744700699892012-04-06T19:51:00.002-07:002012-04-06T20:12:54.067-07:00Seeing The Crucifixion Again - For The First Time Holy Week is coming to an end. As I reached Good Friday and the events of the crucifixion, I wanted to understand it better. I wanted not to be caught up with the familiarity of routine, and lose the impact of the grim reality of what happened on Calvary more than 2000 years ago. I came across the following excerpt from "When God Weeps" by Steven Estes and Joni Eareckson Tada. Their littleThe Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-9690045068346720822012-04-05T22:10:00.001-07:002012-04-05T22:42:03.991-07:00Humbled By Humility"...before honour is humility." - Pr. 15:33b, NKJV
I've just settled down for the evening with my ESV study Bible and some devotional books as I try to keep tracking and immersing myself in the events of Holy Week. Yesterday's readings in the Gospels gave me much to contemplate regarding God's meticulous planning and sovereignty over the events of history, as I thought about the The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-15342191903399307572012-04-04T22:22:00.001-07:002012-04-04T22:26:36.189-07:00The Approaching Cross It is now mid-way through Holy Week. In my last post, I thought about Jesus' cleansing of the temple and it's significance. Following the events of the Gospels, it is now three days into the fateful week leading up to Christ's passion, and the silhouette of the cross is emerging over the horizon. Christ is occupied with furious confrontation and conflict with the religious leadershipThe Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com1Burnaby, BC, Canada49.248869 -122.97379649.191767999999996 -123.04027649999999 49.30597 -122.9073155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-88484448675304046692012-04-02T23:39:00.006-07:002012-04-03T17:18:17.528-07:00Judgement Begins At The House of God
Jesus cleanses the temple in a scene from
"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977)
Today being the second day of Passion Week, I wanted to look at an event that caught my attention as I was reading through the Gospel of Matthew yesterday. It refers to Jesus' cleansing of the temple on the day following His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which I reflected on in yesterday's post. On a personal The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com2Burnaby, BC, Canada49.248869 -122.97379649.191767999999996 -123.04027649999999 49.30597 -122.9073155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-1644794224763638022012-04-01T22:13:00.006-07:002012-04-02T09:43:52.677-07:00Hosanna: "God, Save Us Now!"
"All Glory, Laud and Honour"
Image Copyright: The Sage
Today is Palm Sunday, and there are only a few hours left before the day ends. Passion Week has begun, and I want, if possible, to post my thoughts as I go through the week this year.
With all that has been happening over the last two weeks, I wanted to do something different and experience a traditional The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-57009893863056312482012-03-31T15:39:00.007-07:002012-03-31T16:13:49.610-07:00In Search of "Holy Ground""Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."- Exodus 3:5, NKJV
With all that I have experienced over the last two weeks, along with their accompanying realizations have brought me to a point where I think I can understand what has been happening inside me. Given all that has transpired in my spiritual history since childhood, I think my mind and The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-36612977026937782092012-03-29T21:47:00.012-07:002012-03-30T09:45:41.970-07:00Recovering "Sanctity""And He said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com0Burnaby, BC, Canada49.248869 -122.97379649.191767999999996 -123.04027649999999 49.30597 -122.9073155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-44455554485148745722012-03-27T19:49:00.008-07:002012-03-27T23:14:34.447-07:00A Visit To El Shaddai's...And Ancient Treasure! A few days ago, I had driven into Vancouver to visit a Christian bookstore operated by a friend of mine, Mica. El-Shaddai's Bookstore has been operating West Broadway for the last several years, and has decided to close down and liquidate their business. I have known Mica for a couple of years now, and she has been a faithful and encouraging friend, blessing the lives of everyone whoThe Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927099061182411459.post-1634911418352086542012-03-25T00:44:00.000-07:002012-03-25T00:44:28.214-07:00Following Jesus Into The Downtown Eastside"Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered." - Proverbs 21:13, ESV
"By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers...Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:16, 18, ESV
Since the experience of my last post, I have The Sage (湯馬士 凱文)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04731879488188136815noreply@blogger.com5Burnaby, BC, Canada49.248869 -122.97379649.191767999999996 -123.04027649999999 49.30597 -122.9073155