How Digital Media Shape My Life

 My smartphone is all my life because I cannot leave my home without it. 

The Prodigal Daughter

The other night my wife and I ran across a friend of mine who was a retired dentist and started to return to college last year. During the conversation my friend exhibited the sentiments of joy and contentment as she could step into the college again and fulfill her dream—being a literature major. Back to her college age, she wasn’t allowed to choose her interested major but obeyed her father and went to medical school and to be a doctor. Now that her children have grown up she could pursue her dream, which is “the second half of my life” according to my friend.

At the end of a wonderful conversation, knowing she and her husband have been in the Lord for many years I asked her, “So where are you going to church now?” “I'm not going to church because I enjoy what I’m doing now. This is another stage in life.” She replied. Stunned and not knowing how to respond to her answer, I said, “Oh! I see.” On the way home my wife and I felt saddened and decided to pray for her.

The next morning after my kids and I prayed over some disappointing events in their schools I began to pray for my friend. As I prayed my heart started crying and tears kept running down so that I couldn’t say a word. I know it was not I and the Father who cried over his daughter leaving away from home and wished her to return to the Father. Then I was reminded of the story of the Prodigal Son, particularly the time when the younger son returned home. “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The father must’ve waited for his son’s return at the door day and night. I don’t know whether the father sent his servants to search for his young son. But it is for sure that his heart ached and his eyes kept watching. As the young son was coming a long way from his house, the father “ran to him, embraced him and kissed him” instead of rebuking him, dismissing him and even rejecting him as a son.

Our Heaven Father is full of love and compassion. Hardly did I truly fathom the depth of the love of the Father when I prayed for my friend—“the prodigal daughter of the Father.” She will return to the Father. This I believe.

Shea Hembrey: How I became 100 artists | Video on TED.com

Shea Hembrey: How I became 100 artists | Video on TED.com

Stay Healthy and Stand by Me

Typically we don't know or care about what's happening in our body until one day our body is reduced to the point of a wreck. We lose our appetite for food and feel exhausted constantly. In regard to the article Alternative Treatments to Cancer, Accumulated stresses and contaminated toxins contained in the body are the two main factors that trigger off the development of cancer. How would you avoid both the causes in order to stay fit and healthy?

Love Until It Hurts

As we continue to look at the story of Cupid and Psyche, Cupid fled away from Psyche at the sight of her mistrust; yet Psyche begged forgiveness and offered to do penance so as to restore relationship with her husband Cupid. Psyche successfully completed a series of formidable tasks given by her mother-in-law Venus though she had gone through trials and tribulations. Psyche overcome obstacles and afflictions because she bore love in her heart.

The word 'love' pronounced as 'tiang' in Taiwanese means 'hurt' or 'pain'. It actually contains a paradoxical concept here, "if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more Love." said Mother Teresa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979. What do you think is Love? Are you willing to sacrifice anything, even your life for a person or a thing you love?

Because You Loved Me

Who has stood by your side as you went through life's ups and downs? How could that person gave your "strength when you were weak", "lifted you up when you couldn't reach"? "I had your love I have it all". We all need to be loved and accepted. What do you like about the song 'Because You Loved Me'? Who do you think is the one in whom you place you faith and trust? Or what is your ideal man or woman? What do you think of the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" (情人眼中出西施)? (進應一甲, 企一甲.乙)

The Power of Forgiveness

At the end of the news story An Amish Massacre, we read that "community leaders sent a representative to express forgiveness" and one of the victims' father showed his mercy and compassion to the Roberts family by saying "please tell them that they are in our prayers." What can we learn from this shooting masscare? If a friend does something mean (bad) to you, do you want to hurt him as much as he hurt you? Do you wish you could get even? Have you forgiven your friend? (進應一甲, 企一甲.乙)