Loving God and Loving Others

I love markets in the morning. Breakfast vendors flipping pancakes and frying eggs, the Chinese version of a breakfast burrito. Wooden stools and makeshift tables crowd the sidewalks; people come out of their apartments for their daily breakfast fare. Spread on the ground, a man on his stomach crawls his way through the throngs of people. A radio, strapped to his back, blares Chinese opera. Notice me, he says. He's on the ground. It's easy to miss him. People avert their eyes, dodging him with near misses as they clutch their saran wrap thin plastic bags tight. My daughter and I walk through the market towards violin lessons on the other side. I love early mornings, I tell her. I am reminded why I'm living here in this country. While the rich seem to be getting richer, the poor, well, it's the opposite. A soy milk lady's stand. She pours freshly made soy milk into plastic cups for potential customers. An old man sits on a small stool fixing bikes. A pile of sp...

Discouragement flooded my heart the other day as I thought about an emotional breakdown I had last week. Really? I thought I was over that. Why do some of the same things that I’ve been dealing with for years continue to come up? Haven’t I experienced victory in that already? Can it be that I need to continue to learning that lesson until I go home to meet You, Lord? Am I growing? Is there fruit? How can I change? Is there hope for one like me? Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4) Fruit bearing comes only by way of abiding.   How do I then abide? What does this mean? Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2 The Master Gardener prunes me that I may bear more fruit. Less of me and more of Him. That was John the Baptist’s prayer. It’s mine, too. But i...