Onward to Glory We Go!

The notorious Covid year has come to a close. With the vaccine finally out, fear and apprehensions are easing up. Kudos to the people who made this miracle drug available in record time. Unless some new evil genius out there tries to pull another fast one, we will be safe(r) for now.

Pondering on what’s ahead this year, my mind raced back to the last chapter of the book of John. Jesus had already been crucified, buried for 3 days and had risen from the dead. The disciples knew he was alive because they had seen him walking and talking with them. But Jesus was no longer like them because He would bodily come and go as He pleased. They would never see Jesus go to sleep, wash his face, groom his hair… things were definitely different. After 3 1/2 years of incredible made-in-heaven escapades, their leader was gone and life was back to a boringly normal existence. How do you top those miraculous years? What were they to do now?

Then Peter, the leader of the pack said “let’s go fishing!” No one had any better idea so they picked up their nets and jumped on their boat. But the fishes weren’t biting. All they were getting was an early morning tan. And then a stranger on the beach cried out to them to throw their nets towards the right side of the boat. Weird! But following the unorthodox advice, suddenly there was so much fish their nets were about to tear. John was the first to realize that was no stranger — that man was their Master!

I imagine the victory song of Don Quixote from the Broadway musical of “Man of La Mancha” playing in the background as Peter, exuberant with rekindled joy, jumped out of the boat to greet Jesus — ever ready for the next chapter of their great adventure. “Here we go! The team is back!”

After their hearty breakfast, Jesus pulls Peter (originally named Simon) to the side for some heart to heart talk:
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

It took a few more hints from Jesus until finally Peter realized, there was indeed another adventure in store. But this time, Jesus wasn’t going to be with them physically but spiritually. Their training was over and they were to make their own decisions now. They were to feed their own sheep/disciples. Like any adventure there was going to be struggle mixed with hope and joy … BUT definitely NOT boring. They were to be ambassadors (representatives) of their Master. Their mission was to teach the world the wonderful truth of God’s love and the blessings (oh the many blessings!) for those who carry the torch.

This New Year, we have a choice: Life as it was in 2020 or life as it could be … filled with REAL joy. If you’re a believer and have no joy, you probably missed the secret spice of the adventure because there SHOULD be joy no matter the circumstance.

Be safe, be healthy, and remember: Don’t die without embracing the daring adventure your life was meant to be. TGIF people!

Raoul

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
— Henry David Thoreau Walden

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA  for sharing this joke.

Video: Chest Hair Removal

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Video: One English Word Puzzle

Thanks to Debbie of Moreno Valley, CA

Video: Do You Love Me?

Thanks to Mike of New York

Don’s Puns

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, BC who sent this pun

Parting Shots

Thanks to Naomi of N Hollywood, CA

Thanks to Tony of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Mel of Washington, D.C.

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Peter Paul of South Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Maling of New Manila, Philippines

The post Happy New 2021 appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Rumors

Depending on who you talk to, you will be getting different perspectives about COVID 19 (ie. a strain of the Corona Virus [named after the pointed crown shapes of this particular virus seen under a microscope] CO for Corona, VI for Virus and D for disease … I like to think of it as the Virus ID number 19). News junkies seem to be more worried than the regular folk.

Last year, May 1, started a new era in Japan called Reiwa when Emperor Akihito abdicated his crown for his son. Reiwa means “auspicious, peace, harmony and fortunate.” The Japanese can call it anything they want but so far this 1st year of Reiwa is hardly fortunate because with the Corona virus, years of expensive preparation for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo may be all for nothing. Reiwa is no match for the Chinese zodiac.

Did you know that 2020 is the year of the RAT — the creature blamed for the Bubonic Plague which started in 1345 (also the year of the rat) and spread the next year to Europe?

Did you know that the first victim of the virus here in the US, an unidentified 30 year old, who had just visited Wuhan, China, comes from Snohomish County, Washington which is about an hour away from Redmond, WA and that he worked for Microsoft? That’s why they do not want to reveal his identity — Microsoft is afraid of legal liabilities.

Lastly, did you know that I just made up everything above?

Rumor mongering. Sprinkle a little fact and embellish them with a juicy narrative and boom! You’ve got a fresh rumor! It’s so easy to make one up … especially in this day and age of the internet and the world of fake news.

No wonder people are panicking. They believe everything they hear. The US has enough food (and toilet paper) to take care of everyone and yet the grocery shelves were empty when I went to buy bananas 3 days ago. (At least I was able to buy the most important thing — ice cream!)

Some 2 thousand years ago, Jesus had been performing miracles and been giving amazing teachings. Rumors started to spread. People made a lot of assumptions and they spread their rumors about him. At one point Jesus asked Peter who the people said he was. Peter answered: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” [Matthew 16:30]. In other words, people were saying Jesus was the reincarnation of their dead heroes.

Jesus then asked Peter a more direct question: “Who do you say that I am?” If you know the answer to that question, you’ll know that Peter gave the right answer. It wasn’t something he logically concluded but it was a profound answer from God above. Some questions (like who is God) can never be answered from human logic but from divine intervention.

I’m not worried. I keep away from crowds and wash my hands but I’m not worried. I may not have all the answers but I trust in a loving God who knows exactly what He is doing.

Jesus denounced the cities where most of his work had been done because the people did not repent of their sins. It was business as usual. But Jesus, still with outstretched hands, offered his peace — “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28-30

Is it business as usual for you? Or are you pondering your mortality? Who do you say Jesus is? Have you found rest?

But this is just me.

Help those who are in trouble but keep safe. TGIF people!

Raoul

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA  for sharing this joke.

Video: Cheers Virus Episode

Warning: this may seem insensitive to some.

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. for sharing this video taken from the long-running TV sitcom Cheers.

Video: History of Toilet Paper

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA. for sharing this video about the odd history of the humble toilet paper. Isn’t rather odd that this is the one product that Americans are scrambling for during this pandemic? As some wise man said: “This confirms that there are more A*** than we thought we did.”

Did you know that the Romans shared a sponge at the end of stick for doing their business?

Of course in Asia, they don’t have this shortage because most of them wash instead of wipe. It’s actually more hygienic.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Naomi of N Hollywood, CA who sent this joke.

Thanks to Chuck of Whittier, CA who sent this joke.

Thanks to Mike of New York who sent this joke.

The post You’re Just Fine appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Bah Humbug!

I was chatting with 2 friends this morning and I found out that they were modern-day Scrooges. They didn’t like the stress, the surprises, and especially the obligation to give gifts. I was disappointed that they didn’t see any joy in this festive season.  But as the conversation unfolded the source of their bitterness was deep pain — a loss of a mother, a loss of a father, etc. How could I blame them? They could only see the fake commercial side of Christmas. I was reminded not to judge the Scrooges in my life but offer sweet patience and understanding because my friends shared the original tale of young Ebenezer Scrooge whose bitterness grew from a broken heart,

We live in a fallen world infested with fallen creatures. Since childhood, most of us are taught about truth, justice and love so bitterness understandably kicks in when our high expectations are dashed when “life” happens. Our traumas can easily transform us into little Scrooges.

The other night I was reading the scriptural verses in the book of Matthew pertaining to the birth of Christ. Three gifts were given to the Christ child by the wise men from the East: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.  Some scholars guess they came from the area in Iraq maybe even as far as China. Tradition has it that one of them was dark skinned. The statues and religious paintings depict him with African dark-skinned features but Africa is South not East of them. So I’m guessing he was more probably Indian because India also had a strong astrological science at that time. And it wasn’t three Kings but a three men of science who probably traveled with a whole entourage. And they arrived in Bethlehem where the child was born long after the actual birth. They followed a star. It could have been Halley’s comet but whatever it was it stopped right on top of the location of the child. And it wasn’t on the birth day they arrived but no more than two years after because the jealous King Herod ordered babies killed two years and below (read all of this in the book of Mathew).

There was a symbolism behind the three prominent gifts. Gold to acknowledge that he was to be king; Frankincense to acknowledge that he was God and fit to be worshiped; And then we have this strange fragrance used in funerals called Myrrh. I can just imagine Mary, the young mother, looking at the strange gifts: “You sure you got the right address? Thanks for the gold and the frankincense but this myrrh stuff … isn’t that for burying?” I’d like to think these majestic visitors came to visit Mary and Joseph at a low point in their early marriage to remind and encourage the young couple that they were living a prophecy. Apparently, even at his young age, Jesus’ mission to suffer on the cross was already predetermined. Jesus was to die for all of us including the Scrooges among us. If you think about it, Jesus was the ultimate bitter-sweet Christmas present. His birth was a fulfillment of a promise given since Adam and Eve … a gift of love from a father to his children … an unselfish gift to impact the whole human race.

This Christmas what’s at the top of your wish list? A tech gadget? A dress? A new car? How about a gold ring? How about accolades for being the king of your industry? How about a funeral package?

I wish the Scrooges among us could understand the magnitude of this gift packaged in a young child because this is a gift of grace that erases all bitterness. Only then will one experience the true joy of Christmas.

But this is just me.

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for sharing this joke.

Don’s Puns

Sent by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Funny Video

Photo Bomber

Sent by Jackie of Whittier, CA

Parting Shot

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA who shared this:

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA who shared this:

The post Do You Have Salt? appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Back From My Mission

Did you miss me? My apologies for not sending my TGIF joke to you these past 2 weeks. I was in a far flung area in Southern Philippines caring for my Dad. As you probably know, I requested prayers for his faith in Jesus. To my delight, my wife led him to receive Christ in his heart a few minutes before we started our trip to the airport. In fact, it was my Dad who started the conversation. My wife merely went along with his flow of ideas. So, even before my great Father-Son adventure, God had already answered my request. Words cannot express my gratitude.

Dad almost died on the plane. The air was too thin for him and he ran out of his meds. He was already hallucinating. The only reason he fought so hard to survive was because he didn’t want to die in the “friendly skies.” When we got back he didn’t want to go to the hospital but I’m glad that we did because he had pneumonia. The lines were so long because there was a diarrhea and dengue fever epidemic. He’s settled now and he is back to normal. I miss him.

Some people wonder what this strange Christian ritual about “accepting Jesus” is all about. First of all, nobody earns “brownie points” for leading someone to Christ. There is no quota that needs to be filled. Genuine Christians share their faith because their own lives have been changed for the better and they want others to experience the same truth of the kindness, the love, the grace (a gift they do not deserve)  that they enjoy. If you were a slave and were set free, wouldn’t you want to set others free as well?

Some may question whether conversions are real. Only God can answer that. No one can truly say if anyone truly accepted Christ. The Bible says “by their fruit, you shall know them.” — ie. by their changed lives, you will know if the transformation is real. Ours is not to question but to share the good news. Our words may fall on deaf ears but that does not matter. We still share — just as the good news was shared to us.

My Dad, in his 90s, is a baby in Christ. How I wish I could be with him and help him to walk in his new faith. He has so many questions. But I have to trust that God will fill in the gaps where I cannot. In all this I am thankful that even if something were to happen to him now, I know he prayed to receive Christ. The world has this concept that one has to work for salvation … that one has to do good works, go to church, give to the poor, sacrifice, pay for indulgences … but that isn’t true. These are man-made rules. Perfection and “brownie points” are not necessary to enter heaven — for it is by grace alone (paid for by Christ by his suffering, death and resurrection) that we are saved.

But of course, this is just me.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”  — Ephesians 2:8

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for sending this joke.

Video of the Week

Funny Boxing Stare Downs
Sent by Naomi of Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who shared this.

The post War Strategy appeared first on Traveling Archive.

If you have been a subscriber of my TGIF email for several seasons, you know that today (Good Friday) is the one Friday in the year when I do not share any jokes in deference to the Christian faith … for it is on this day that Jesus was crucified on the cross because of His love for mankind.  If spiritual topics offend you, just move on and we’ll see each other again next week.

Ambassadors to the Nomads

I met two truly fascinating people last Monday. Jack & Jill are camel-riding missionaries on furlough from their adopted land in Africa. Both are College grado but rather than choose a lucrative profession in America, they go to one of the poorest places in the world.

When you think of missionaries, you think of people who plant themselves in some far away island in order to spread their Christian faith. Yes, Jack & Jill do all that but what complicates the logistics is their “island” is a “floating island.” They minister to desert nomads who have no permanent address. Not only is their “island” in constant flux but the people they come in contact with also change. It’s only the Nomads’ annual journey that brings them to the area. You can imagine how many years it has taken them to build any kind of relationship.

Another big impasse is the Nomads use a language unique to that area. The “Nomadic Translation Book for Dummies” is yet to be published. During their first year, they used pictures and finger pointing to communicate. It’s been almost 10 years now and they have yet to figure out how to engage in philosophical concepts. How does one even approach the concept of God to these illiterate camel-riding Muslims?

Thankfully, the Nomads think Jack and Jill are mere oddities and not dangerous. The nomadic aspiration in life is to be considered a noble and generous person. There is a story of a rich man who owned many cattle and he was so generous that he would kill (not a goat but) a cow for every stranger he would meet. So many strangers later and he ran out of cattle. He became a street beggar. Today people would point at this beggar as a noble man. It is the Nomad’s ambition to be like this street beggar.

Life is hard for all of them. They live a life of daily labor for survival. Of course women are properties. The dominant male owns several wives. Ideally, the wife is a first cousin. Surprisingly there are no reports of abnormality. They are Muslims because they do not know any other religion. They ostracize anyone who defects from their faith. To do so is akin to a death warrant. Despite the language barrier, one woman accepted Christ. God works in mysterious ways. This pregnant woman survived a miracle. Her water broke but her baby didn’t come out until 10 weeks later. They prayed for her. The baby is healthy. No complications. She keeps her growing faith a secret from everyone otherwise she will be disowned, divorced and anyone who would take her in would also share her demise.

The nomadic culture is not very far from the culture of their ancestors in the 1st century. On this Good Friday, 1,986 years ago, a man of love and peace was beaten, tortured, ridiculed and condemned to die by hanging on a wooden cross. His crime? Proclaiming that He was the son of God. Solid historical testimonies and writings give evidence that three days later, this man rose from the dead. Since that day, his followers have shared this amazing, incredible Good News. God is a god of love for He gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. “Spread the word,” Christ said. Millions of martyrs later and his followers are still spreading the good news. Do you think people would give up their lives for a false narrative?

You wonder why Jack & Jill chose to raise their children to grow up in that miserable hell hole. But when you see Jill’s welcoming wide-brimming smile and Jack’s calm demeanor, you know there is a genuineness in them that big city folk like us lack. I can only imagine the world in America as seen from their eyes. It must be a land of wasteful plenty with ungrateful irresponsible people. Luxury does that to us. In their faces, I see rest from the harsh desert conditions but I also see joy in their loving hearts. I see Jesus Christ. He is alive. He is risen.

TGFGF (Thank God For Good Friday) people!

p.s.
Please let me know if you would like to support them. I will pass along your email.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
— Romans 1:16

The post Good Friday Message: Nomads appeared first on Traveling Archive.

“We all pray to the same God” — nice thought but is that true?

“All dogs go to heaven!” — another nice thought but is that true?

When people make these kinds of statements, do they really believe it? Or are they fishing for a cosigner to agree with them … as if adding to their number of “believers”  will turn the cosmic wheel of truth towards their reality? With all due respect, TRUTH isn’t a popularity contest! 

I don’t know about you but I believe in an absolute truth. There is black. There is white. There may be 50 shades of gray but there is only one black. In music, the key of C is not C sharp or B. A tensile deviation from the standard strings of a piano will produce an awful chord.

A dear friend of mine is dying of brain cancer. Her memory is almost gone. When she still had her facilities, I tried to explain that Jesus Christ died for her and it wasn’t how good she was but her faith that was the measure of her salvation. But she dismissed my message and said she already knew all about it. She said she grew up in church. Knowing her, I knew her understanding was different from mine. Anyone can proclaim they are Christians but their actions speak louder than words. I’m not a better person nor am I that knowledgeable. All I wanted was to compare notes. I only wanted to share. But she had her own ideas. A fireman cannot force you to leave a burning building.

For all you know, she genuinely had faith. Problem solved! Yet I wish I had persisted because now it’s too late. Her brain’s gone.

Do we all pray to the same God? Do all dogs go to heaven? For my friend’s sake, I sure hope so because we only have one chance in life.

Of course this is just me.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
— Hebrews 9:27

TGIF people!

A Second Opinion

Shared by Lois of Whittier, CA

This is my all-time favorite joke, so I probably have already told it to you. It was told by one of the funniest guys who ever lived, the talented Rodney Dangerfield.

Here’s a LINK to Rodney’s website which has a lot of his material.

How to Survive a Knife Attack
Sent by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Very practical approach to a knife wielding predator. Short and funny.

WATCH VIDEO

Scammers in China
Sent by Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Tariff Wars with China cover the news. Here’s a video explaining how scamming is done in China. Of course not all Chinese are scammers but sadly it is an essential part of the Chinese culture. If you’ve purchased shoddy stuff from Ebay, you know what I’m talking about. I know a personal friend who moved her whole family to China to train the locals. There was a contract for her to teach for several years but as soon as they learned how to do things, they let her go. This video is pretty long.

WATCH VIDEO

Positive Words
Sent by Naomi of North Hollywood, CA

Snopes.com says this video about Thomas Edison isn’t factual but the lesson is still good. Words are pretty powerful. Be careful how you use them.

WATCH VIDEO

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Parting Shot

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA who shared this photo

The post Second Opinion appeared first on Traveling Archive.