Thoughts

Chai Love

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 1 comments

I love living near the Vic Market.

This afternoon, Roy and I were coming back from an appointment on Swanston St and decided to take a shortcut  through the markets.  I forgot it was Wednesday and while Night Markets is usually crowded and crazy, at 4:45 pm vendors were setting up and it was the perfect time to browse.  Who can resist the smell and sight of the Korean twist potato or the stands of quirky goodies?

One stand caught my eye in particular.

It was a tea shop and they had various boxes of tantalizing flavors – orange licorice, mint jasmine, etc. The one that made me forget about my New Year’s budget was a little brown box with a heart on top labeled “caffeine free chai: certified organic, fairtrade, Aussie-made.”

Roy waited patiently while I sniffed the sample, recalling scenes of Uni nights working on papers or Manhattan winter mornings walking to work.  The smell alone was enough to send me down a memory lane as distinctive as Marcel Proust’s madeleines in Remembrance of Things Past.

Once I was home, I carefully prepared my tea with soymilk and honey and sat down to enjoy it to its fullest.  Every sip and swallow, I fell in love again.

And just as marketing planned, I began to read the writing on the box as I relished my cuppa.  The company name is “love chai” and they are a member of 1% For the Planet, donating to over 2,000 environmental organizations worldwide.  They provide a recipe for “the essence of love chai”:

  • 2 heaped teaspoons of patience
  • 1 heart full of love
  • 2 handfuls of generosity
  • 1 handful of understanding
  • a dash of humour
  • with a sprinkle of kindness
  • … serve to anyone and everyone with love!

That’s not such a bad recipe.  If only drinking this cup of tea could somehow infuse those character traits in me …

But perhaps the idea is that the process & packaging portray a philosophy of hope – hope that such a world is possible.

I believe it is.  For God lives.  And God is love, and love is –

kind and patient,
never jealous, boastful,
proud, or rude.
Love isn’t selfish
or quick tempered.
It doesn’t keep a record
of wrongs that others do.
Love rejoices in the truth,
but not in evil.
Love is always supportive,
loyal, hopeful,
and trusting.
Love never fails! (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, CEV)

So as I drink my chai love and listen to this song (below) by Brandon Heath (my favorite song at the moment), I can almost taste the assurance of the promise: Love never fails.  

No matter how much I fail – God never fails.

We’ve Live!

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 0 comments

When Tanja and Nadine sent me the website preview, I was elated to see what a great job they had done.  Kudos to Grid33 Design.

We’re also excited to officially launch The Exchange this Saturday!

Roy will be sharing a thought-provoking message about failure.  I don’t know about you,  but I have failed many times – especially in the same things!  In those moments, I think, God must be so tired of forgiving me for the same things... and I wonder, how much is too much?  Is there a limit to grace?  And, can I ever truly change?

If you’ve ever been discouraged by failure, or if you want to explore ideas on how to experience spiritual growth, don’t miss out this Saturday’s talk and discussion (we start at 3 pm).

In the meantime,  here’s something to think about*: 

Samson was one guy who made a lot of mistakes.  No, let’s call them what they were – intentional, rebellious acts defying God and what He had called Samson to do.  God had given him extraordinary abilities and opportunities to be a champion for social justice and a reformer of religious and political Israel.  But if you read about his life in Judges 13-16, you recognize a pattern of behavior: desire, reveal, anger, destroy;  desire, reveal, anger, destroy; desire, reveal, anger..  you get the idea.   Before Deliliah there were others.

Samson’s life was a roller coaster of deceptions and disasters.   So why is his name in the Roll of Faith found in Hebrews 11?   Of Samson and the others listed there, it says, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16, NKJV).

Not ashamed?!  Of Samson?  I blush for Samson – how could God proudly claim Him as His?

It’s the mystery of the Christ-centred worldview.  Intrigued?

 

* Roy’s talk is not about Samson.  But he will be addressing the concept of failure from a Christ-centred worldview.  This is just to get your mental, spiritual juices flowing.