*a very merry christmas indeed*
a few images of christmas displays in malls around hong kong... the swarovski star nearly blinded me! and as promised to mark, a pic of my pathetic little sprig of a tree... it pales only slightly next to the one dripping with swarovski crystals...








i also have a few pictures from my church's annual christmas pageant. just go to the photo album link on the left.

4 days til i come one step step closer to the dreaded *ugh* 30!!

*winter warmers*

this is the best thing about winter in hong kong: hot vitasoy in a BOTTLE! available at all fine 7-11 convenience stores. one sip and it turns my shivering frame into a warm toasty bundle of happiness. not even starbucks can compete with this.

*the smell of home*
i love christmas.

everyone has their own reasons for loving this season. i love it for the (nostalgic) hope of snow, the cozy mittens & fireside sips of hot chocolate, the inevitable family feasts (especially the annual new year's day brunch we used to have at the 'cloud 9' rotating restaurant in vancouver), the extended stay at our condo in whistler and days of blissful snowboarding, and my birthday. but it's more than that for me. every year when the nip turns up a notch, my heart begins to get this stirring, this unrest... it's like how bilbo's elven sword glows blue when the orcs are near. except thesignificance of the personification of God on earth is much MUCH better than orcs...

my heart knows its owner is coming, and it wants to go home.

so we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. that is why we live by believing and not by seeing. yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. ~ 2corinthians 5:6-8

*return of the king*
hmm.. there was a minor editorial glitch and this wasn't supposed to be posted yet... anyhoo here it is now...

i'm reliving the trilogy week by week... can't wait.


it's been awhile since i've really updated. i guess sometimes when there's so much to say it's easier to not say anything... it's also because the fear of putting into words something that's been heavy on my heart for a long time and not doing it justice sometimes steers me away. but i feel like i'm at a stalemate at the moment, and if i don't do something to spark the passion again, i will be in danger of forgetting why i'm doing what i'm doing (or not doing what i was doing, depending on how you look at it).


one month and 9 days ago, i officially quit my relatively good job doing what i had always wanted to do, good eventhough i was underpaid. my original purpose was to be able to devote more time in helping the vine in developing parts of the vine center vision, namely the part to do with youth. one of the first things i remember being excited about in hong kong was discussing with koryl about having a 24/7 center where youth can drop in, find refuge, a listening ear, and most of all discover the miracle of living life with a loving, passionate, intimate God. after hillsong last summer, i wanted to begin realizing this vision. i know this is what God has placed before me. but once the other distractions were dropped, i find myself struggling to focus on the unseen (see december 2, 2003 post).


i went to bed last night with this post half-written. i didn't know how much to say. i didn't know what to say. i woke up this morning realizing i (or rather my mind, my soul) had been singing an old praise song all night. this song overwhelmed me and i couldn't get it out of my head.


a God of faithfulness, without injustice
great and mighty is he


and i dreamt that i had signed up for a new wilderness thrill ride, but ended up having to go to a hut in a desert (a desert!!) to wait for something else that was promised me. now in this dream i had become a man, and i was supposed to be waiting for my bride.


is He trying to tell me something?


...


are there any good psychotherapists out there??

*it's what we trust*
this whole "living by faith" thing has been lingering on my mind over the weekend. faith is a funny thing isn't it. it can't be anymore opposite to everything the world tells us. the shape of things we see, the voices in our heads, the stirrings in our hearts - these can all deceive us. but this verse brought to my attention by the unlikeliest of sources (He works in mysterious ways) reminded me of what i need to focus on.


It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. (2 corinthians 5:7)


faith. yes, faith is all i have. faith in the vision God has given me for a 24/7 youth center, faith in my church leadership, faith in sna, faith in derek and i... these are what keeps me going. keep swimming. just keep swimming...


* i'm sorry i'm unable to elaborate right now. it's late and my eyes are heavy...