Projects for the new year!

I have said before that I have stopped making new year resolutions because I will never keep them, and that I will have projects instead.

I know. I know. Call a spade a spade. But humour me. I will have my projects for the year. 

I started it back in 2016, continued it in 2017 and 2018. Missed 2019 and so now it's 2020.

Looking back at Project 2016:

1. Cooking - never lasted even a few months.

2. Knitting - haha...what was I even thinking, I gave up before I even started though I did purchase all the materials.

3. SketchNotes - been-there-done-that kinda deal but it was fun though.

And for Project 2017:

1. Reading - met my book challenge of 20 books in the year.

2. Join a technical choral group - I auditioned for one, got through but after one session, it wasn't what I had expected.

3. Learn a new language - started learning Korean and also to improve my Mandarin.

And as for Project 2018:

1. Reading - I did better completing 33 books out of my 25-book challenge.

2. Language - very disciplined with my Korean though I slacked on my Mandarin.
3. Lose weight - met my weight goal, woohoo! and was able to even go slightly beyond that.

I didn't make any list for Project 2019 but perhaps I do have the same ones:
1. Reading - for the first time since I started my annual book challenge in 2012, this is the year that I failed. I only read 9 books.
2. Language - good going but my strategy wasn't working as well as I expected. 
3. Maintain my weight - success!

And now Project 2020. When I looked at year 2019, I realised that I had wasted a lot of time on a lot of useless stuff. And with that, I have decided to reclaim my time that is to be wasted if I don't change. So my projects for 2020 will be these:
1. Reading - a 30-book challenge. I've just finished one book. Slowing down a bit right now since I'm catching up on my travelogue. Looking forward to getting back into the roll.

2. Writing - get back to blogging again and put my many thoughts into words, and hope it blesses others.

3. New Testament in One Year - I signed up for a communal reading of the NT with friends at church.

4. Exercise - I usually just have 3 but I'm adding one more. I hope to get this much needed thing going. 

Crossing my fingers!

pearlie

Happy Birthday everyone!

It's the seventh day of the Lunar New Year and it's the people's day, 人曰, hence everybody's birthday. 

I wished some friends from China a happy birthday and was surprised when they asked me what it was for. I did a brief search and confirmed that this is generally celebrated by all Chinese including China. 

We discussed it and concluded that most people in China may have lost and stopped most of the older customs and traditions, whereas the overseas Chinese having moved out of their ancestral land have made it a point to maintain as many customs and traditions as they can, and as a result still keeping most of them. 

My family and I, whilst not deliberately celebrating our so-called birthdays, went out for dinner and it was a very nice time of being together, though it was quite tough to hold conversations in a very, very noisy Chinese restaurant! But we had a good time, and good food nonetheless. 

pearlie 

We are sons of God

It is good to start the New Year on a Sunday, beginning it with corporate worship and the preaching of the Word. 

We began with a song of calling, Lift Up Your Heads. It's an old song by Don Moen but it's the first time I've heard and sang it. A very appropriate song to start the year with!

Don Moen - Lift Up Your Heads

Rev Wong Fong Yang spoke today from Luke 3:21-23, on the baptism of Jesus. Rev Wong asked a very good question: why would Luke include this in the gospel, the fact that Jesus was baptized and seen as one baptized amongst sinners when he has no sin? John the Baptist was reluctant to do it, as we read the same account in Matthew, but Jesus insisted that it should be carried out as required by God. 

Rev Wong suggested that Jesus did it in solidarity of the human race and from it we can also see the three eschatological signs:

- the opening of heaven

- the descending of the Spirit

- the audible voice from heaven

The voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." God has shown both affirmation and affection to Jesus, and in the same way, God has also given us affirmation and affection as adopted sons of God through his Son. 

This is a very important lesson for me as I start the new year. I am reminded that I do not need to seek for any affirmation from anyone or from anything I do. We are first and foremost sons of God, we are not affirmed by who we think we are or wish we are, not by our work, not by our accomplishments or lack of. 

With this I will begin the new year being affirmed and loved by God as his adopted son, through Christ. That is my identity, my position - a son of God. 

pearlie