Happy New Year!

I was thinking...

What if there was no such thing as new year? What if months continue beyond 12 months (i.e. December) and never stop? That we number our age not by years but by months? Or for that matter, what if there was no months either, or no weeks and days??? What if we live our lives without any system of counting how much we have lived?

I'm sure we humankind would have come up with some kind of arbitrary system to count our lives, but I'm in awe to remember that the current system we have (days, weeks, months, and years) are actually how God designed it. As I was reading Genesis this morning, I can't stop but think that what God had in mind when he was creating sun, moon, and stars are not just to shine lights to his universe but also to create a system that gives a rhythm to the lives of his created beings. "God said, 'let there be lights... and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years...'" (gen. 1:14).

I used to think that a new year's day is just another day. It comes every 365 days or sometimes 366. We don't suddenly get one year older when the calender turns January 1, or we don't see anything drastically change in the world just because it's a new year. Everything is still the same, nothing has seemingly changed, and we simply start writing 2007 on our checkbook rather than 2006.

But this year, I'm being a little more reflective - maybe I'm getting older... I really think it was God's genius design to give us new years (and new months, new weeks, and new days). He knew we could handle only 12 months worth of mishaps. We need a fresh start, a new year with new resolutions, and new year with new goals and attitudes - in just about every 12 months. Likewise he knew we could only handle about 30 days in a month, 7 days in a week, and no more than 24 hours in a day. You see, God created us and he knew exactly what we could handle and what would be our optimal rhythm of life. To me, he is a genius!

So, I'm thankful this year that I get a new year called year 2007. It's not just another year, not just another day. It means a new start - not necessarily saying the old year was bad or meaningless - but that 2007 is a new year with renewed mindset, recharged energy, and refocused vision. It will be a new year because it will be unlike any other years. Yes, it will repeat many things from previous years but it never duplicate things completely.

As I reflect on 2006 I see how God worked in my lives and around me. It surely was a year of many provisions from God. God did many things in ways that I couldn't have guessed beginning of the year. And now I look forward to another year of surprises and gifts from God. Yes, probably some trials and tests as well. But, one thing I know is that this is how God designed it and that his grace and mercy will be new every morning, new every week, and new every month and year. Happy new year to everyone, and may the Lord bless you with a sense of new hope and new dreams!

A Movie Night (Pursuit of Happyness) and MITC

This past Friday, Kathy and I went out to see a movie called Pursuit of Happyness. Will Smith was in it - with his real son playing the role of his on-screen son. Kathy likes Will Smith and she wanted to see his cute son in movie. And, we heard this was based on a true story about a homeless man.

This movie, as Kathy calls it, wasn't so hollywood-ish. No spectacular special effects, not too many famous actors (other than will smith and his son), and it also wasn't a typical melodramatic feel-good movie which just makes you feel good for holiday season and that's it. It was a rare movie that stayed with me long after we left the theatre that night. And I would think that it really didn't cost the producers too much money to make this movie.

Maybe it was because it was based on a true story about a man who is still alive, Chris Gardner. Or, because it was about homelessness - which has been on my mind for a while these days. Perhaps, it was because it wasn't a movie that I could make a quick analysis at it and move on from it. Yes, it was a story of a man who was motivated to succeed in life because of his desire to care for his son. It is a movie that would give hope to people who might be at the edge of giving up on their life this holyday season. But, for me, it was also a movie that talked about homelessness as a social epidemic. It described the life of a man, but for me it also described the lives of many homeless men and women in this nation.

A few days before I watched the movie, I was also listening to a national public radio show on homelessness. Anyone who is interested, I recommend to listen to their first show called "The Issue of the Homeless - Is there a Solution that Works?."

Yesterday (Sunday), our church did our monthly Mission In The City for December - by going out to Lincoln Park in downtown Long Beach to feed homeless and also to give out some sleeping bags. We also gave out the flyers for the winter shelter just opened by Long Beach Rescue Mission. We know that a meal and a blanket do not cure the homeless epidemic, and we know that there are several professional organizations in Long Beach that do their very best to address this issue most effectively. But, I thought we would still go - if nothing else, to learn and hear their stories. What makes them homeless? What is different about their life to ours? What would God say about who they are, what they are doing, and what kind of future they should look forward to? What does Christmas mean for them other than receiving meals and blankets?

Just like the movie, Pursuit of Happyness, I don't have any easy analysis on homelessness. But, one thing I know is that Jesus Christ was born for them just as much; that God of salvation is still their God; and that they deserve to be happy as anyone else.

I saw a glimpse of that happiness when we were singing Christmas Carol with them at the park yesterday. In fact, they were singing them not as Christmas Carols, but as worship songs. Yes, they were worshipping God just like we would at the church - and more. And, I saw small happiness on their faces and in their voices. For them, pursuing happiness is receiving free meals, finding a winter shelter to sleep in, and singing Christmas worship songs with strangers who visited them. I'm happy that they were happy. But, I also couldn't stop thinking that with little help, they could be even happier in life. What can I do for them? What can our church do for them? Who is Chris Gardner in our lives?