Clay Jar? Crackpot?

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:7-9)

If you feel like a failure now, don't forget God can still use you and me, just as we are! Here is a story I have received (quite a few times) via e-mail. I don't know who is the original author.

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?"

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path.

It is Finished!

Why did Jesus say, "It is finished." on the cross?

Jesus Christ fulfilled a promise that was made by God long long ago, before you and I were born:

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:25-28)

This is why Jesus Christ could say, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:6-7)

As parents, we all worry about our children from time to time. Do you want them (and ourselves) really change? Hold on to the reality, the objective truth, and the saving promise that was fulfilled!

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC

Fit for a King

"When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel." (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).

Moses recorded these words long before the Israelites had kings. God instructed Israel's kings to make personal copies of God's law, keep the copies with them and reread them often. However, they did not obey and got into a lot of troubles. Read 2 Kings 23:1-3 to find out how centuries later, the young king Josiah renewed the Covenant.

I woke up thinking about Po and other people of faith. None of us can control how long we live on earth. Can loving parents really protect and lead our children forever? Are we teaching our kids the principles of living from the Bible?

Remember this: What matter is not how long we live but how we live!

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC

Making a Difference

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24)

I came across a shocking news tonight inside a newsletter that I put aside in my busyness. In the February Newsletter from Child Evangelism Fellowship, I read, "Po-Wen Ching, Feb. 11, 1975 - Feb. 11, 2006. Po served at CEF International Headquarters in the Recruitment Department. He was called to His Lord on his 31st birthday while helping some friends move."

I met Po-Wen in 1999 when he came to California. Jeanne told me about his work at CEF and I invited him to share at a forum with our Sunday School teachers. He was only 24 years old then. But he had been teaching kids for a long time and was already an elder at his home church in Seattle. Po shared how he (being a very active little boy without a dad) was having troubles after he and his mom arrived as refugees, how someone at the church reached out to him, and how his life was never the same. That's why he so loved to teach kids! Although that was the only time I met Po, I stil remember his enthusiasm in the Lord. Not too long ago, I was still telling someone about Po's testimony.

I couldn't help but search for news. I found something from his wife and friend: "A place to share our thoughts, memories, and words of encouragement about our big brother Po-Wen Ching...although taken from us too soon, his legacy will live on in eternity... WE LOVE YOU, PO." Check this out.

Life or death, Po points people to Christ. "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15b). How comforting it is to know that Po lives eternally! What amazing grace!

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC

Another Columbine?

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:20-22)

On this anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School attack in Colorado, five teenage boys were arrested. They were accused of plotting a shooting rampage to kill other students in their High School in Riverton, Kansas.

These suspected teenagers are 16 to 18 years old, apparently loners who like playing violent video games on the computer. They planned to kill about a dozen popular students. There are speculations that there might be bullying, name calling, chastising at these suspects.

Are they merely copy cats? Victims seeking revenge? Conditioned to violence? Whatever the reasons, there is no justification to murder. It is true that kids can be very cruel to each other. Parents need to know what is going on in their children's life and seek help early.

Thank God that a woman in North Carolina saw the warning signs on Myspace.com, chatted with one of the boys to get more details, and reported to authorities in her state.

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC

An ABC Basketball Star

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:25)

If you live in the Bay Area, you might have heard of a local high school basketball star who is an American Born Chinese. If not, here are stories from his high school in 2005 and Mercury News and in SF Chronicles this year.

Listen to an interview with his mom at a recent Chinese Radio Talk Show. Click on 4/18/06, fast forward to 17:16 and play the recording.

If you read the essentials of Jeremy Lin listed at the bottom the San Francisco Chronicles, you will find that his favorite book is the Bible. Praise the Lord!

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC

Internet Addiction

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)

A young man does not want to have Internet Access at home because he is living alone. I was curious about his decision. "Well, for one thing, there are a lot of temptations on the Internet." I listened attentively as he continued. "Games, pronography, e-mail, chat, IM, ... Even if they don't poison your mind, they waste your time."

Computer and Internet can be very useful tools but should not be used excessively. Using computer only in public places (e.g. library, work, school, family room or public area in the house) may be inconvenient but it reminds us there are other important things in life (such as playing outside or talking with someone face-to-face).

Pay attention to the Internet usage of your children and teenagers. Watch for warning signs. Listen to the 4/13/06 radio broadcast on Controlled by the Web to get a basic understanding. If your kids cannot choose to stop, you may have to call for professional help!

The young man is wise to avoid temptation and seek what is pure and right. He chooses to keep himself accountable to friends, parents, and God.

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:9,11)

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC

Students Rising Above

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)

Sometimes we look down at people younger than us. I have heard statements like "I know because I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice" from parents to their kids.

Other times, we look at people in hardship and assume they could never make it. Personally, I like "against all odds" type of stories. That's why I enjoy watching "Students Rising Above" news stories and specials on KRON 4. The series feature low income, at-risk Bay Area kids who are overcoming tremendous obstacles (e.g. living in poverty, without parents, being homeless, and raising siblings). All of them want to go to college. Check them out.

Next time when your children tell you they hate school, calm down. Instead of scolding them, or just talking about how hard it was for you when you were young, gently show them stories of these real students who are motivated to grow and learn. May be you can be proactive and share these kinds of modern day real stories with your children. Count your blessings and design a plan to help one of these students in needs.

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC

BART Out of Service -- Better Late Than Never

"What does the worker gain from his toil?" (Ecclesiastes 3:9)

Last week, BART had a lot of unhappy customers. Earlier the week, there were delays that people complained about. Then on Wednesday evening, during the heaviest commute time, BART was completely out of service for more than an hour. All the trains (approximately 60?) in service at the time had to be parked at the closest stations.

Officials of BART blamed mistakes made by their own employees for the Wednesday meltdown. Up to 35,000 passengers were stranded from 5:27 p.m. until service was restored at 6:38 p.m. Apparently, an software update caused the entire computerized system to crash. Why did they upgrade the software? Because they were attempting to prevent software problems that had caused minor delays on both Monday and Tuesday!

It is scary to know that all the trains disappeared from the monitor screen and BART did not know where the trains were. You are telling me the entire BART system was shut down because someone update the software during the business hours? What happen to the weekend only (and after midnight only) upgrade that companies do to minimize impact on customers? What were they thinking? Why can't they wait?

Okay, before our own impulses get kicked in, let's be thankful that nobody was hurt or killed. It could be worse.

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC