Happy New Year!!! :)

Wow! I really took a long break!!! Even break from doing my daily devotions... ;)

The trip to Florida sure was tiring... it wasn't relaxing at all. Although wife didn't like that place too much, but I think we still had sufficient fun over there... I thought it's cool to take the wife to travel around the world in half a day in EPCOT! ;) Especially considering that she had been 'trapped' in the USA for about 4 years now. Anyway, detailed pictures are posted in wife's blog.

As tiring as that was, best part of the vacation was of course the fact that we were all by ourselves! Without my parents. Without IMing people(cause wife had not internet connection at the hotel)... and without kiddie cat! So it was a real good bonding time for me and the wife!

Although I didn't do my devotions during the break, I did keep on finding spiritual programmings on TV though. PBS had a program talking about how Moses delivered the Jews from Egypt... and the other evening was about power of prayer... how prayers shaped America's past from the beginning to the Civil War and then to relatively modern times of Martin Luther King Jr. and Caesar Chavez... quite interesting programming...

Oh, another cool thing that happened during the trip was that I finally was able to fly on all of Boeing's planes!!! We flew on 777 to Atlanta... and then 767 to Orlando..., then we flew back on 757! In the past, I've only been on Boeing 747(for international) or 737s or AirBus/McDonnel Douglas planes on domestic flights... so now the only plane left is the 787!!! ;)

Anyway, the rest of the weekend was much more relaxing. We pretty much just 'chilled' at home... watching more Heros and I also played Gran Turismo quite a bit!!! I honestly don't know why I'm such a lover of driving race cars... even if it's just in video game... it's safer and cheaper this way. I just have this need for speed I guess..., I must appeared to be crazy to my wife... to drive cars around in circles again and again and again..., but of course each lap is unique and I'm trying to achieve my perfect lap!!!

And surprisingly near the end of this relaxing break, wife ended up having an argument with her mom on the phone. I'm not sure with 100% certianty what they were talking about cause they spoke mostly in Taiwanese..., but I think I get about 60~70% of what was said. After the phone conversation is over, after the crying is done, could I say anything to help her feel better? No, I don't think so. However, I could do things to help her feel better! So we just took a stroll at Target! To find some good deals and get her mind off things... ;) In real life, we can't all agree on everything, that's impossible, we're just designed and built differently. However, it's important that we let each other know that we do love each other no matter what. What does love means? I think it means letting other be right even if you do know with absolute certainty that you are right! Just as Christ's talk about letting other strike you on the other cheek type of deal..., but of course there's a limit. Christ is not going to allow us to strike him and crucify him forever...

Pastor Jim talked about 'where will you sit in 2008'. He talked about 4Rs: Remembering, Repenting, Redoing... or else the Lord will be doing the Removing!!! Are we remembering our own sins or other people's sins? After we repent, after we make a directional change... are we moving toward that new direction? That's where 'redoing' comes in. For me, that's the hardesst part. Sometimes it seems my 'repentance' wasn't genuine enough because I often repeat my same mistakes over and over again... even on the race track! ;) So should we just quit the game?

We all have our different weaknesses. It's perfectly 'normal' for us to screw up, to fall... God knows we don't normally live perfectly and fly up into the heaven like Jesus..., but of course we shouldn't use our weaknesses as 'excuse' to live screwed up lives or to never try to get back up... for us Christians, I suppose we ought to constantly ask for God's help to Redo things God's way. It may "feel" horrible for a while such as the Israelites did in the wilderness for 40 years, but no pain no gain I suppose. Either we enter into the promiseland or we will be Removed by God and perish. May the Lord Our God strengthen me so that I can complete my journey hand in hand with my wife. May the Lord help us, whether it's more faith or healing or whatever... Please make us more like You!

Today's reading was about Paul, my favorite apostle! ;) For sure this was a guy who remembered his past sins, repented and then re-did a lot of things for God. Yes, Lord, although we are weak, but You are strong! Teach us how to rely more on Your perfect strength from this time forward! Thanks!