40 Days of Prayer and Fasting

After a weeklong holiday full of tension and angst... we've decided to come together to pray and fast during our 40 Day Prayer Journey. 

Day 3... and we've settled to praying together after dinner at the dinner table. The kids don't resist... it's almost like those days when we prayed as a family during advent.

As for fasting...  SW is fasting Crash Royale.  NN is fasting Tik Tok, Youtube, IG, and her favorite game Rock Blast.  Joyce is fasting Royal Crush... a mobile game she's been playing for over 2 years.  And me....I'm fasting speeding.

Not even 6 hours into day one... NN started to regret overfasting.  And now on Day 3... they've re-neg'ed.  SW is now fasting social media but he can play Crash Royale.  NN still fasts Rock Blast... but she's changed her fasting to doom scrolling.  She can still watch long videos.  

Heh... let's see how long this lasts.  

Family Altar

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 125

Just one of those days today where we were so efficient, we got done with dinner by 6:15PM.  Some ppl don't even get off work until 7PM, let alone eat dinner, let alone eat dinner as a family.  I felt so blessed that we had the rest of the night to spend together.

Ended up having an amazing Family Altar night.  Neither of the kids wanted to copy today's bible verses... which is cool.  The whole copying thing is controversial and overrated, in my mind.  Rather, we spent the time reading and sharing today's Psalm.  Ended up talking and sharing for almost 45 minutes... about God's mercy, His miracles in our lives, and how he's mercy, compassionate and never failing.  

After that... we played cards.  Played 擋床 (a game I invented) and played the much hated "Four Corners", but I changed it up a bit and played "Four Corners of the House." A wholesome, Spirit-filled, family night.  Counting my blessing every day.  

旁觀者不得依牙鬆鋼

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 47

For all the greatness that Awana is... the teachers are still struggling to find their sealegs with Zoom Awana.  Listening to them teach is worst than listen to a Catholic homily.  Joined in on the phun earlier this evening to make things a little more interesting.

When the teacher started asking questions... I started feeding SW and NN the answers. Hehe... the first one caught the teacher off guard. "Ok.... that's good.  Any other answers?"  Then the second one... the teacher couldn't help but say, "Did you two memorize the entire bible??"  Dude... this is Awana!!! And he just recited one of the memory verses.

Hehe... it's all good.  It got to a point where... SW and NN were raising their hands and the teacher said, "Anyone one want to answer??"

What....?!?!  Nothing wrong with having phun while learning about the bible, right?!?!?

Family Altar: Things that are difficult

Needed to take a spin to the daily sharing of "Happy Moments" during Family Time.  So instead...decided to share "Something Difficult" (有咩好難?) during the day.  And we can pray for another to overcome our difficulties.... Nui-nui, with a very serious face said, "我今日Poo-poo 好難."

Journaling

One of Joyce's online retail stores sent her a 2014 planner.  Nui-nui started playing with it... and yesterday, after a fantastic day at Happy Hollow, she wanted to write, "Today I went to Happy Hollow with Daddy" on January 20th.

So starting today... I decided that after she shares her "Happy Moment" during Family Time... she'll immediately write it down in her special book.  And thus begins.... TWA Journaling.  And get this... after a few months, I'm going to start journaling in Chinese. 

Family Altar - Day X

Family Time the other day... Nn shared her happy moment:

"I am very happy today, because Bah-B said he'll come pick me up yesterday and he didn't.  But he came today."

ZING!!

Today's Family Time... Nn shared her happy moment:

"I am very happy today, because Bah-B picked me up three days in a row!"

BURN......

Family Altar - with the Franciscos?!?

Hosted a little Christmas party at my place tonight.  Towards the end of the night... when everyone's left except for the Francisco's... I decided to call a "Family Time."  Their kids were still a bit hyperactive from the ice cream and cookies and opening of presents.  So I figure I can sit everyone down for a few moments and calm down. 

Poor Chris and Mel... not really sure what I was gonna do, but they played along.  Everyone did their share... they said something happy that happened to them during the day.  And then I read from the bible.  Picked the most appropriate verse of the night.... the wise men bearing gifts to Jesus. 

Quickly turned that into a blessing.... that little Cathleya and Jeremy will always remember the greatest gift of all.  And to always, always cherish that gift... and return it by loving others. 

Chris definitely received by osmosis.... and he started opening up about taking the kids to Midnight Mass.  Mel kinda tucked away respectfully.  And the kids....?  They are so precious.

Thank you Jesus...for giving us a chance to have Family Time with our friends.  May they be inspired by your Spirit to continue praying and blessing one another. 

Family Altar - 薪火相傳

The other night, we had fellowship at our house. It was more an excuse to have hotpot than fellowship.  But towards the end of the night, Nn demanded we have Family Time.  So the Yu's joined us for family time... after I told them during dinner how it's transformed our family!

Just like normal... we started by sharing a happy moment for the day.  Then I read a verse from the bible... and we blessed one another. 

The next night... Roy texted me, telling me that their first "Family Time" was from Mui-mui's Children Prayer book.  A simple prayer about protection.

Let's hope that Family Time can become a staple in not just our lives... but in everyone's lives. 

Family Altar - Day X

Haven't blogged about our Family Altar time in a couple of weeks.  But by God's grace... it's now a part of our lives; to a point where Nn will request it or remind us that we haven't done it.  And SW will instinctively grab my bible when we sit down on the living room floor.

Last night... after our customary 2-minute family time (yeah... 2 minutes is all we can sustain with a 4 and 2 year old), I thought we should extend the time by going around and have everyone share a "Happy Moment" from the day. Worked out amazing!! Everyone felt happier after everyone was done sharing!!

Then today at church was the annual round of Thanksgiving Testimonies - where PAL gets a little lazy and invites people to share instead of preaching.

Is it me...? Or does every year have at least one testimony (myself inclusive) share on the difficulties of conceiving and starting a family?
 Is it me...? Or does Grace go up every year without pre-coordination?
There's usually an "employment" one.
And more often than not a "health/sickness" one.
This year....we even got a couple of "empty nesters!"

After CS2... I told C-hing, "In 18 years... it'll be us giving those empty nest testimonies."

Ahhhh.... the power of thanksgiving.  As Eric said, 「感恩，係可以扭轉命運！」

Family Altar - Day 5

Family Altar - Day 5

Me: "家庭時間啦!"

Nn: "弟弟！家庭時間啦! 今晚邊個邊bless個啊？"

And that is that....

Family Altar - Day 4 - Prayer Meeting

Family Altar - Day 4

Decided to take the easy way out... instead of thinking of something to do for Family Altar... we decided to bring the family to Prayer Meeting and use that as "Family Time." 

It sounded like a great idea.  We bathed the kids early... ate early.... got them dressed early.  But there's a reason why we haven't gone in months.  And tonight, it reminded us that its past the kids' bedtime and they're way too tired. 

We even left early... immediately after worship.  But both kids fell asleep in the car on the way home.  They weren't in their PJ's so we had to wake them back up...then put them back to sleep.  We left early... had we stayed the entire time and the kids get overtired, our night will probably still be going. 

Geez.... on a sidebar... what happened to SJCAC's prayer meeting?  At the start time... only the Pastors, their wives and the ES MA's were there.  The Children Ministries workers were there.  And there were the four of us - probably the only folks who don't "work" there.  Slowly, the two CS MA's showed up.  Slowly, Danny, Connie and their 4 kids showed up.  I really admire them for their consistency and faithfulness.

Still remember back in the days... Wednesday night was fun! We'll go to PM... meet up with the crowd.... have 2 hours worth of harp and bowl... then go out for late night snack!  Nowadays... PM is reduced to 1.5 hours.  Anyone with infant/toddlers probably are "busy."  Kids that are in school have too much homework.  Where has things fallen....? 

As the head of the household... I truly want to lead my family to Prayer Meeting.  Every week.  Be there at 730 sharp!  Get my kids use to praying... let them know this household is a house of prayer!  Yet....there are just so many obstacles... so many excuses... so many reasons not to go. 

How........?

Family Altar - Day 3

Family Altar - Day 3

Still figuring out what to do exactly... so tonight... the heck with it... make them close their eyes and listen to me read Psalm.  Then I asked them what they heard and saw....

Could barely get through 7 verses without interruption.  SW kept on asking Mahmee (who had her eyes closed), "你做咩瞓覺呀？！"   And Nn couldn't stop giggling...

At the end of the 7 verses... asked Nn what she saw.

First she said she saw Jesus on the cross.... and bleeding...and he resurrected on the third day.

Then she said she saw God!!  And all His friends.... Matthew, Jonah, Noah, Adam, Eve....

So we went along with that and tonight's theme was, "We're all God's friends!!" Woohoo!!

Went through a round of blessings.... and that was all she wrote.

Family Altar - Day 2

Family Altar - Day 2

Rolled out of bed around 5AM this morning.... and still didn't have enough time to finish TWA.  Come Family Altar time... I was holding my journal not really sure what to discuss. Did a quick scan... and ran across the verse, "我們憑著耶穌的血，可以坦然無懼地進入至聖所。" 

So that was the theme for the night... because of Christ's blood, our sins are cleansed and we don't have to fear! 

Then Nn goes on a 3 minute theological rant on the whole story of salvation!!  Wow....

And just like the first night... I bless Nn.  She reluctantly, but fluently blesses Mahmee.  Mahmee blesses SW... and I get the anchor.  HA!  Let's keep this going!!

Family Altar - Day 1

Family Altar - Day 1

We dedicated that we'll set up our Family Altar and at 7PM every night, come together as a family to worship, pray and intercede.  Big words for a 4 and 2 year old... right?

Can't really do TWA with them just yet... maybe another year. 

So tonight, on our first night, I sat them down and told them a simple story -- the story of Abraham and how he listened and obeyed God. 

I then blessed Nn to obey God.
Then I asked her to bless Mah-mee.
Then Mah-mee blessed SW.
And finally...SW came and gave me a hug and repeated after me, "May God bless bah-bee...Amen."

First night... not even 5 minutes.  Let's see how this goes....