I Love New York X Creativity in Adversity X RWC+CBC

Stitched composite of Taipei 101.

In the past few days I've been continuously reminded of the city. Flipping through television channels I come across 'Friends' and 'What Not to Wear' all based in NYC. And today I watched 'Julie and Julia' which was based in Queens. -_-

Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city. -God of this City, Hillsongs

'Art and Culture Desert'
-says my mom in Canto. Hong Kong is known as the Art and Culture Desert.
When it comes to the pursuit of our passions, I wondered as we watched 'Julie and Julia', why it is that we fall short of persevering and discipline to obtain all that we dream about? Yet when it comes to characters in movies, we are so eager to cheer on the protagonist to keep pushing on forward? Most of us, in our eagerness to get to the end, some way in the middle of it all, forget why were pursuing it in the first place thus give up.

When I look upon people I admire be it a famous company or just a friend, it is not the final outcome nor the product that they present that I respect. It's the idea that they persevered till the end which sticks out to me. When I hear a friend who is learning German wholeheartedly or someone else who may be pursuing a dream job via refining their portfolio, I respect the amount of discipline, effort and perseverance they placed in making it happen.

Personally I have trouble finding that perseverance, straightforwardness and discipline to pursue one thing. And I guess I have trouble accepting people, particularly in Toronto, for their lack of a motivation to get out of their comfort zone. Perhaps I am being too quick to judge, only seeing certain people and their choices in life therefore overgeneralizing. To them, they'd settle in Toronto because Toronto is home. To me, they're settling too quickly. To them, every city is generally the same. Yes I agree in terms of scape, but not when it comes to the people.
You learn so much more beyond the four walls of a home.

So they call Hong Kong the 'Art and Culture Desert' hence initially why I didn't want to stay too long lest I lose the artsy side of me.
Yet, where better to start off, in a place that has nothing? If I stay in NYC, whatever I do would be affirmative, but, if I start in HK I could bring something new. Like Julia Child brought french cooking to America, can I not bring design/art to Hong Kong? I'm not saying that this is now my pursuit in life because I don't have that desire to, but creativity is always born out of adversity.
As a Vogue writer said, "A daughter of a self-made man inherits a mixed blessing: she is cushioned by the luxuries her father has earned, yet she lacks the hunger that shortage inspires. Our nation of immigrants abounds with examples of hard work rewarded. But what happens to the next generation? Can excellence thrive in comfort, or is it born of deprivation alone? Which is the greater factor in success: good luck or hard work?"

In Hong Kong, I suddenly had the hunger to be immersed in art/design because I noticed its absence. Yet in the four years I lived in NYC, surrounded by galleries, events and museums, I took these all for granted always saying "I'll visit it next time."

Who knows, perhaps in the next while in Hong Kong, God will refine these gifts of mine. Creativity is born out of adversity, great design out of frustration.


In Union Square when I looked up and saw the clouds. I noticed two planes 'intersecting' and thought it would make a great representation of my life in transition right now

But the point of my post was actually supposed to be on this:
Sunday Service back in Toronto.
I love how God answers some prayers in the course of a few minutes. I asked for Him to block out all distractions, and He did, literally.
My home church in Toronto is at the point of major shifts and changes, birthed out of brokenness as a body.
When I first heard about the pastoral uproar, I thought, "oh here we go again. Politics over God, comfort zones established and amnesia ensues. And here we go again, none of the congregation is allowed to know exactly what happened therefore rumours surface because we're all kept in the dark. Where's the transparency?"

I was annoyed and slightly upset, even though I don't really see CBC as a 'home' like I do with Remnant Westside in NYC, because I felt that it was becoming stagnant, rigid and program-heavy.
Still I didn't know what to expect on Sunday from a church I've been absent from for over half a year.

RHCBC is broken. Yet in that brokenness I still see a passion and hunger for God. While it is caught in a net of politics and Christian critics, there is still that cry to seek for God. As Bobby lead worship, I could see the evidence of this desire in the way he spoke about the church how he lead the congregation in meditating on the songs. You dance over me, while I am unaware.

He lead us into this song by Lincoln Brewster, Amazed, and I was so moved by meditating on the lyrics to the point of tears (ummm I used to think that was reserved for charismatic churches but I guess that's not so!). Tears not out of the desire for attention or to prove my holiness, but just out of gratitude.
How deep, how wide
How great is Your love for me

I don't know why those two lines did it for me. I've just caught a glimpse of that love this past year and just a fragment of that makes me tremble.
I am grateful to God for so much right now, much of it not out of my own doing, but Him just moving in my life. I'm excited, for once, to see where He's taking me this time. Now I move beyond what Remnant and living alone in NYC have taught me with the full knowledge of His presence. This past year has been the craziest, weirdest and most exciting year of my life thus far(not exaggerating): by using my greatest stumbling block, being friends and relationships, He brought me closer to Him.

God, if You're there, I'll go wherever You will go.