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...

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...

What is the most important value in the world ? Loyalty ? Faith ? Equality ? Many say prosperity. I believe the most important value is Truth. Seeking the truth for its own sake and not for any other reason. Seeking the truth about whether this life that we have right now is really all we have and death is the end of everything or is there more. Seeking out whether God is actually real. Seeking out ones purpose here on earth. These types of questions frightens many of us as it may seem near impossible to find the answer to them, however what if that is the main reason why each of us are placed here in the first place - to go on a adventure of discovery. How does one define truth? Pontius Pilate the roman prefect that oversaw the trial of Jesus Christ of Nazareth once asked Jesus "what is truth?" The dictionary defines it as "the quality and state of being true" as well as "that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality." I would add to the de...

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 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...