The Clallery

When we are dazzled while riding on a carousel.  Jesus’ arms are wide open, “Look upon Me, my beloved child, come towards Me!” When we are occupied by our chessboard of life. Jesus’ arms are wide open, “Look upon Me, my beloved child, come towards Me!” When we are submerged in the loud music of a band. Jesus’ arms are wide open, “Look upon Me, my beloved child, come towards Me!” When we are circulating around a loop, thinking that we are going somewhere. Jesus’ arms are wide open, “Look upon Me, my beloved child, come towards Me!” When we are building our towers. Jesus’ arms are wide open, “Look upon Me, my beloved child, come towards Me!” When we are dwelling in our dream places. Jesus’ arms are wide open, “Look upon Me, my beloved child, come towards Me!” Suddenly, the church bell rings! Jesus is everywhere, and He is with you always. “Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name.” Psalm 119:132

  Title: Back to School - A group of students about to explore new knowledge together Medium: Photo Photographer: Clara Thank you to the rock balancing artist. The rock balancing was made by an anonymous artist along a beach in 2024.

  Title: Back to School - A student listening to the teacher Medium: Photo Photographer: Clara Thank you, credit to the rock balancing artist. The rock balancing was made by an anonymous artist along a beach in 2024.

You are welcome to explore this painting, starting from the top, where two strong hands of our Heavenly Father are reaching out to us in His gracious love through His only Son, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we can be reconciled with our Heavenly Father: redeemed by His sacrificial blood for the forgiveness of our sins, sealed by the Holy Spirit, set free from the bondage of sins, and live freely under the loving guidance of our Triune God in unity towards the purpose of God’s will. As inspired by Rembrandt's painting The Return of the Prodigal Son, the father's two hands are notably different in appearance: his left hand is strong and masculine, while his right hand is soft and feminine. This artistic choice is widely interpreted as a symbolic representation of God's all-encompassing love, embodying both fatherly and motherly qualities.  Dear friends, you are invited: “…In Him (Christ) you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in ...

Based on the Bible passage in Acts 16:25-31, this picture portrays a scene from Acts 16:29-31. The silhouette of Paul, Silas and the jailer in the middle of the painting is a modified profile tracing of a wood engraving, by an unidentified artist, that was published in 1886, depicting Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:31). When I was reading the Bible, I wondered what hymns were Paul and Silas praying and singing to the prisoners in the darkness? Most of the references stated that they were singing Psalm 42:8, 136, 138, and/or the paschal hymns Psalm 113-118, demonstrating their unwavering faith and trust in God to many. God is in control! Bible Passage: Acts 16:25-31 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when h...

  This artwork is accompanied by a Bible passage for re-orienting our hearts towards God’s Kingdom when viewing the hatched Easter egg surrounded by palm leaves as a symbol of victory in Christ. You are invited to open your Bible or the paper scroll inside and read the passage "1 Peter 1:3–12". 1 Peter 1:3–12 (The Message): "3-5 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. 6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your...

Indeed, Abraham’s descendants scattered worldwide, especially after the diaspora of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC when the Neo-Assyrian Empire conquered it. They were as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore scattering all over the continents. Even with modern DNA technology, it is very challenging to trace the numerous assimilated descendants of the ten tribes across the globe. “15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore . Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:17-18)

 

Whether a community welcomes colonization has very much to do with the original culture of the people within the community. The British once colonized Hong Kong and Canada. On the spectrum of welcoming colonization, Hong Kong was more on the positive side than Canada. This might be culturally related. Most Chinese prefer their children to receive education, and the ancient Chinese schooling system was very rigid, with parental corporal punishment on children as a norm, and rigorous Chinese traditional examination systems already implemented. Therefore, when the British came to Hong Kong to establish a Western education system, the Chinese were willing to send their children to study in the schools founded by the British. The parents learned the Western way of raising children, gradually reducing parental dictatorship and corporal punishment of children. On the other hand, the indigenous children in North America were mostly born and raised in rural areas, and their parents were free-go...