In Loving Memory (1939 - 2010)

陈牧师, thanks for everything. From my earliest impressions, you were always someone so special. Whatever the reason, people around you invariably treated you with respect. As I got older, and began to understand why, I began to become a fan. Your integrity and dedication towards God was so plainly obvious that it was impossible to miss. In a church that has more than its fair share of power-play, you could have wielded so much clout if you had chosen to do so. Instead, you demonstrated the model of servant leadership, always maintaining a humble demeanor, always shunning the limelight. A spiritual giant who always tried to look as small as he could manage.

You baptized me at birth, and taught me in baptism class. You officiated my confirmation ceremony. And as a shepherd, you oversaw our transition from ORPC Mandarin Congregation, until we became Providence Presbyterian Church. Then, in your unassuming manner, you very quietly stepped down and handed over leadership to the next generation. How I desperately wish you could be there when we officially open the new venue at the Bible House.

You had a profound way of teaching in a manner that was simple, without being simplistic. Your life displayed the rare quality of living up to the standards that you set in your teachings. Your integrity, your dedication and your faith were always an encouragement to me, and set an example for me to follow. I saw for myself in your life, the sort of power a man could have, simply by being a faithful servant who is committed to prayer. I remember the story of how even the demon fled when you had merely arrived at the doorstep of the possessed church member.

I will never forget your love for the church, and more importantly, your love for God. I remember the words you spoke in one of your sermons, and the heart-wrenching manner in which you said so – you lamented at the fact that our church has an abundance of talents and gifts, yet there are so few who truly love the Lord. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain it must cause you to look upon your sheep, and to let your heart break over the things that breaks your Lord’s heart.

And now that you have left us, I wonder what happens next. You have impossible shoes to fill. The void you leave behind in the hearts of so many might never be filled again. Such is the special place you occupy in so many of our hearts. In the words, of Edmund Chan, you were a living myth, now forever immortalized in our hearts as a legend.

Thanks so much for all you did, for all your gave, and for all you meant to so many of us. I couldn’t have put it better than Ray Boltz did, and so I end with what I feel would be such a fitting tribute to you and your life.

Thank You
I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me;
We walked upon the streets of gold.
Beside the crystal sea.
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name.
We turned and saw a young man running
And he was smiling as he came.

And he said, "Friend you may not know me now."
And then he said, "But wait,
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer,
I asked Jesus in my heart."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you
And said, "Remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry.
You didn't have much money,
But you gave it anyway.
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I'm here today."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came
Far as the eye could see.
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity.
Little things that you had done,
Sacrifices made,
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven, now proclaimed.

And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes.
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord.
He said, "My child, look around you.
Great is your reward."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

-Ray Boltz

Easter Reminder

Easter Sunday came and passed, and it turned out to be a pretty meaningful one for me after all. I had pretty much ignored the onset of the season of Lent, and hadn’t really spent a lot of time nor effort preparing myself for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But the Passover meal we had in Life Group on Thursday helped put me in the right frame of mind.

It was a very simple message on Easter Sunday, but one that inevitably left an impression on me, since it echoes my impotent writings on this blog about the need to change and be different. Perhaps my bias towards CEFC made me a lot more receptive to whatever the pulpit had to say, but the fact is, I came out of it without that jaded emotion I typically have with regards to a message that actually had precious little that was new to me.

Maybe it was almost as if God was reminding me that at 31 yrs old, there really isn’t too many turning points left behind for me. With all the impending changes that’s happening around me, I need to keep my eye on the ball, and not find myself somewhere else from where I wanted to end up.

So even though this blog doesn’t have much to say, it serves as a reminder to me that I need keep the goal in mind, and make changes to return back to the path instead of staying in my deviating course.

A Footnote:
I had no idea how much discussion my previous blog post would generate by the FOUR people left in the world who still read it. So the FINAL word on it is:

1. I am NOT putting myself on a pedestal, and judging Henry. I DON’T think I’m better than him. I am perfectly capable of doing exactly what he did too. Just that it doesn’t mean I can’t dislike what he did. So that’s all it is: I DON’T LIKE what he did, and it resulted in me losing my good opinion of him.
2. It WASN’T an emotional and intense discourse that I was voicing, merely a case of putting down what was in my mind. I am perfectly calm and have pretty much resolved the issue already.
3. I DON’T disike HIM, just what he did. Unfortunately, the net result is that it inevitably affected my relationship with him. But it also DOESN’T DESTROY the relationship. (unless he chooses to not accept my right to my opinion, and decides to burn bridges.)

And that’s that.