Gene Gu

In the journey of parenthood, few stories offer as much wisdom as Jesus's parable of the prodigal son. This ancient tale reveals profound truths about unconditional love, patience, and the delicate balance between guidance and freedom that every parent must navigate. As a father myself, I've found myself reflecting deeply on what this story teaches us about raising children in today's complex world.   The Parable Revisited Many of us have probably heard the ancient story about the prodigal son. There was a rich man who had two sons. One day the younger son asked his father to give him his share of the inheritance now. The father divided up his possessions and gave his younger son his share. Once the younger son received it, he gathered all his possessions and set off for a distant country. There he squandered all the wealth he was given in wild living. A severe famine came to the country where the younger son resided. Having lost everything, he found himself feeding pigs ju...

We live in a world currently where for most people, money is God whether or not they like to admit it. Secularism and consumerism has grown to such a extent that the pursuit of wealth and material success has become the center of people's lives. Many for the sake of accumulating money have put aside their ethics and compromised their moral values, demonstrating their idolization of money.  Conversely, many no longer place much value in organized religion and spirituality . Some Church's have been vandalized and burnt down. Attendance has declined drastically, and religious institutions hold ever lesser sway over public discourse and personal beliefs. Mans struggle throughout ones life and history has been between whether one serves either God or money. This existential conflict encapsulates the fundamental question of where one's allegiance lies: with spiritual values or material pursuits. Choosing to serve God entails prioritizing principles of faith, morality, and compas...

Where do you get your moral standard of reference? Is it from your teachers, family or your friends? Maybe from your culture or society. If the moral standard from these sources change, are these changes really right than? Is good and evil, right and wrong really arbitrary and can change as often as the latest fads and trends? In the past, certain ancient civilizations had no issues with sacrificing babies, is whether this practice back than good or evil relative?  In the tale about the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, these two cities had rampant mob aggression, violence, wickedness, pride, homosexual and indiscriminate group sexual activities taking place. Outside a man named Lot and his family who God considered righteous, and who were escorted out of the city by a angel, God rained down " brimstone and fire " and absolutely destroyed these two cities and everyone living there.  The people who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah can state their case and make excuses all day o...

Obeying Gods commandments is hard-obviously.  Why did God give out such hard commandments to humans ? Why couldn't he give commandments that are easy to keep? Or wire us in a way that we would easily keep them?  God wants human beings to strive to a higher state of being closer to his own - whether that be spiritually, emotionally, or relationally and this is best accomplished by giving out commandments. The struggle that comes along in trying to follow a commandment consistently spurs personal growth and maturity. God is not looking for perfect people. However, he is looking for people that have a honest humble heart that wants to follow his commandments because he knows by doing so we grow and that is ultimately what God is looking for. Why does God wants us to strive and grow? God wants us to be people that strives because that is who he is. As described in scripture God constantly strives to be patient with his chosen people, the Israelites. No matter how many times the Is...

Today, many Christians remain spiritually stagnant and disillusioned. Why? Because the message preached in churches often lacks completeness. The mainstream teaching emphasizes belief in Jesus as the path to salvation and the promise of heaven after death. While this is central to Christianity, it is not the main point Jesus was trying to get across to his audience. Jesus did not just come to offer salvation; He came to reveal the Kingdom of God and invite believers to participate in its manifestation here on earth. The overemphasis on the afterlife has, in many ways, overshadowed this crucial part of His message. What Did Jesus Really Preach? Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently spoke about the Kingdom of God. Consider these powerful passages: "Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of Go...

What really matters most in life? When all is said and done, the answer isn’t found in success, fame, or fortune—but in four foundational pillars that shape everything else. Whether you want to live with purpose, find deeper meaning, or build a legacy that lasts, these are the four things you must get right. 1. God. Your belief about God has a huge effect on how your life turns out as it affects your worldview and decisions. Most people fall into 3 camps. you believe god exists, you’re unsure if god exists or you don’t believe god exists. No matter what your belief about god is right now, what is most important is the action of seeking God yourself honestly before making up your mind. As the truth about God is not discovered through ones rationalising or feelings, but through seeking. For God has said “you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” and it is up to you to find out whether that is true. 2. Relationships. Success in life ultimately comes down to the q...

    Photo by  DDP  on  Unsplash The church is not an organization or building. The church is the entire body of people around the world who proclaim to be followers and disciples of Jesus. I consider myself part of the church and I have to admit, the church is responsible for the spiritual and moral decline in society.  The church has been called to be the light of the world . However, it has failed to address people who have gender dysphoria or who have same sex attraction with Godly wisdom and love. It has failed to address the narrative on racism in society with Godly wisdom and love. The church is called to be peacemakers , however, it has failed miserably and have instead become just like everybody else. The church has either disengaged from societal issues or have picked sides and contributed to the polarization in society by antagonizing those who share different viewpoints. The church is called to maturity and become teachers in our personal circle...

Photo by Zach Lucero on Unsplash We face a woke epidemic today. There's a large group of the population who think they are morally superior to the general population, who think they are social warriors fighting corrupt establishments that are propagating climate change, racism, and minimizing human rights. Some have gone to such extremes as set themselves on fire  as a protest for their cause. Due to the duality of human nature, there will always be injustices in this world. Climate change is real and racism does exist. However, it is not something that can be solved through complaining, advocating extreme ideologies and policies that would literally cease modern society from functioning. These public issues are also not ones that can be resolved by simply overthrowing any specific establishment or group of people. All of us have our hands dirty and have contributed to these issues whether you are aware of it or not even if indirectly. Therefore we shouldn't be pointing finger...

Photo by Joshua Gresham on Unsplash I was born in a small mining city in the Southern region of China called Panzhihua. I was raised by my grandparents until the age of 4, before reuniting with my parents in the United States. Moving to the U.S I found out my parents became Christians and so as a young boy they started taking me to Church. Growing up in the Church I didn't care much about what was being taught as you would expect of a child. It wasn't until I reached the late teens that I started to think about the difficult questions in life and spirituality.  Questions and Internal Strife When I turned twenty I wrestled hard  and stressed over a lot of life questions. One of the underlying thorns in my mind at the time that I had to get addressed was:  "Is God actually Real? Like really real or is it fiction?  The immediate thought or word that came to mind when I finally admitted the issue to myself was this passage from the bible. "You will seek me and fin...