Reflections

Simply Begin Again – Podcast 133 (5:50)

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Ever feel stuck or discouraged about moving forward? Here is a simple exercise that makes all the difference.

Transcript

Welcome to the Sabbath Cafe Podcast. This is Episode 133 – Simply begin again.
For transcripts and more episodes, please go to sabbathcafe.substack.com.

Hi everyone! Thanks for listening to the Sabbath Cafe Podcast. And welcome to our first episode of 2025. I hope you all had a good holiday season and had a good restful time.

Usually me and my family, we take a break in some downtime at the end of the year. And so by the time January rolls around, supposedly we’re all ready to go, right? I was very excited. I had a great break with a lot of new ideas. And so I thought, “Great. January started, new year. I am ready to go and jumping into all these new projects.”

But sometimes, when you’re so excited about a vision or all these things in your mind and you sit down at the table to start working on it, all of a sudden, you feel so intimidated.

I think for me it’s a few things all mixed together there’s the self-doubt of starting new projects, and then just trying to get back into anything after a break always takes time. And I know for sure that the first couple of tries, I will be making mistakes just because I’m trying to remember some of the things… trying to warm up.

And as a recovering perfectionist, I often get stuck at this stage. I don’t know why, but the idea of making mistakes often keep me from moving forward.

And a few years back, I learned about this exercise of beginning again, how to begin again. And it has been so helpful for when I feel paralyzed in the process.

This is actually an old Franciscan advice or exercise. Basically, it’s to treat yourself as a beginner. And whatever project or whatever you’re trying to do, just think of yourself doing it as a beginner. And it sounds simple, but it’s such a powerful tool.

When we begin again, we wipe the slate clean. We just toss away any expectation of ourselves and just reconnect and focus on what we need to work on.

And it also helps to get rid of any guilt or shame you may feel about taking a break. The feelings of guilt and shame, they only keep us stuck looking at the past. They don’t really help us move forward. And so when we begin again and start over, we can kind of put those things aside and simply jump back into the process.

This is so helpful when you want to make any long-term changes. Whether it’s about exercising, eating better, or just building any new habits, it takes time for these new routines to form and to adapt. And so whenever you find yourself falling back into old habits or quitting new routines, there’s no need to beat yourself up. Just simply begin again.

This idea of starting and restarting as a beginner is also a great exercise for us folks who wrestle with ADHD tendencies. This practice removes so much of that self-criticism that we always hear in our thoughts that brings the guilt and the shame. And so this exercise is remove those things so we can simply move forward and start to re-engage with the process.

If you have ADHD tendencies, you know what I’m talking about. Even before we start anything, that critical inner voice almost always has already killed any motivation. And so whenever I feel those old voices starting again, I just have to remind myself to simply begin again. Then I can just stop all those criticisms and remove all that self-sabotage.

And so if you have been thinking about starting or restarting any projects or habit in the new year, I hope you will give this a try. Simply begin again and just take that next step.

Treat yourself like a beginner and enjoy the process of learning and discovering.

Treat yourself as a beginner and give yourself the grace to practice without any expectations.

Learning to begin again really helped me get unstuck so many times in my process. I hope it’ll be helpful for you too.

And that’s it for this episode.

For transcript and the podcast archive, please visit sabbathcafe.substack.com.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.

Time of Transition – Podcast 132 (6:18)

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Looking back, 2024 was an exciting year for me. Looking forward, I’m even more excited for 2025. Let’s go!

Transcript

Thank you for listening to the Sabbath Cafe Podcast.
This is Episode 132, A Time for Transition.

Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us. This is Michele.

Time flies. I can’t believe that we’re at the end of 2024 already. This year went by so fast. It totally felt like a blur. So by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, I felt like I was done for the year. And so I just stopped and took a break.

And I journaled about some of the key events that happened this year just to jog my memory. And I wanted to get a big picture. And after I did that, I realized I did a lot of new and different things this year. Totally not what I expected at all.

For the past couple of years, I was mainly focusing on painting, watercolors, and I was doing a couple of other things too. So in the beginning of 2024, I thought that’s what I’m going to continue working on. But it didn’t quite turn out that way.

And back in spring, I ended up helping at my local election for the very first time. I know, something totally different. I met this gentleman at my local coffee shop. Now, we had a completely different culture and background, but when I heard him speak about his heart for the community and his vision for my area, I totally connected with it. And so I just decided I was going to join his team of volunteers.

And we happened to be a bunch of people with completely different backgrounds and cultures. We had Muslims, we had Christians, we had Indians, and pretty much all the different people groups that made up my community. And so it was really exciting and I had fun.

And most of the friends that I had reached out to to kind of share about this election, they didn’t know what to think about my new project. But it was amazing to just be able to step out of my comfort zone for a cause that’s really close to my heart and to just really connect with different people – to find other people out there where we share the same vision.

And the interesting thing is I have been praying for my area since 2022. Things were not going in the right direction. And so I’ve just been praying for God to bring about change. I just did not expect that God will bring me into the community as part of that change.

And later on in the year, I volunteered on another project, also community-based. And so I see God opening new doors and taking me in new directions and just being more involved with my neighbors and the area that I live in.

The new projects that I’m working on, that is going to continue into 2025. And so I start to see that God is giving me a new focus that is heading into the new year. So when I got a chance to just kind of stop and look back at what I did this whole year, I start to see a theme of transition, of change and new opportunities that God is shifting me into.

And what is interesting is also that I’m sensing this on a larger scale too. A lot of the friends and my prayer partners that I talk with, we all sense a newness, a time of change and transition.

And actually, as we look back and review the major milestones in 2024, I think I’m starting to see that the shift is already happening.

And so as we are on the cusp of 2025, also a time of transitioning, I just want to invite you to look back at your year, and see what are the new opportunities and major milestones that you’ve had and what are the new interests that’s caught your attention.

I just want to encourage you to be bold and to take up new projects, walk through the new doors if you get the opportunity. If the door opens, Give it a shot. Be ready to try different things.

Something I’ve learned this year is that God’s opportunity can come at any time. And this may also mean that we need to finish up and close up certain projects that we have been working on to make room for new ones. And so be mindful to see what are the areas that it’s time for us to close so that we can get ready for new changes, be ready for new people and connections.

And so I just wanted to take this chance and share about what I’ve been feeling in my spirit.

And I have to be honest, I am excited and looking forward to 2025. Thank you so much for your support for me this year. I look forward to sharing the new things I’ll be learning.

See you next year.

Thank you so much for listening to the Sabbath Cafe podcast.
For transcripts and more, please visit sabbathcafe.substack.com or sabbathcafeblog.com.

Thank you so much for listening and we’ll see you next year.

My thoughts about Sabbath – Podcast 131 (9:27)

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The idea of Sabbath and rest seem to be a major theme in my life and God often brings my focus back onto rest and the heart of Mary. Maybe this is a good time for me to chat about this topic…

Transcript

You’re listening to Sabbath Cafe Podcast. This is Episode 131, What Sabbaths Means to Me.

Hi, everyone! Thank you for listening to the Sabbath Cafe Podcast. This is Michele. This week, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving here in the States. And I just want to take this time to say a quick thank you for listening to us. You are a great encouragement to me, and I’m so grateful. Thank you.

So recently, I met up with a friend who found my podcast. Since he has a break right now, he jokingly mentioned that he just may take a Sabbath break. And I realized I never did an episode on the Sabbath. Maybe this is a good time to start this conversation. And so here are my thoughts.

And I’ve been thinking about this idea for a long time also because it’s such a counter-cultural idea. Because the Sabbath rest quintessentially is to stop doing.

If you ever are curious about the idea of Sabbath and what it is, it’s just about stop doing work and becoming who you are and stop striving. I think that makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. Because they assume that what it means is that we are not doing anything at all. That being passive or that having a Sabbath time is being passive.

But what I realize is that when I’m doing something or when I’m moving because of people’s expectation, it pushes me to a place where I’m reacting. And more often than not, I’m reacting. And when I’m reacting, I’m not getting God’s guidance. I’m not able to sense the Holy Spirit’s recommendations or insights. And that just brings us back to the story of Mary and Martha.

In the New Testament, there are two sisters. These are Jesus’ contemporaries. So they’re actually real people in biblical times. And there’s one section where Jesus went to Mary and Martha’s house.

I think both Mary and Martha really loved and just think it’s such a great honor that Jesus stopped at their house. But both of them responded very differently.

So when you look in scripture, it says that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to everything he’s saying. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

And Martha was, of course, kind of overwhelmed. So she said,

“Jesus? Why are you not telling Mary to help me? Don’t you care that I’m left to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.”

And Jesus said,

“Martha, you’re worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is necessary. And Mary has chosen what is better and will not be taken away from her.”

I think I am so much like a Martha. Oftentimes, I find myself in a situation. My first reaction is, what is the situation? What can I do to manage it? I would jump on it and do all this stuff.

But I think what God is saying is to remind me that I’m no longer alone, right? God is not expecting me to do the work by myself anymore. And God is wanting me to learn Mary’s heart, to remember that to sit with Jesus is better.

And that in itself, I think, is the essence of Sabbath.

The other day, I decided to have a day where I’m not worrying about all the situations in my life. I decided that if anything came up, I was going to just give it to God. I’m going to remember to not be anxious about anything but in everything, present my request to God.

Just some of these things where I’m not fixated on things that I currently have no control over and that I just have to wait. And so instead of being fixated about these things, God’s just been reminding me to give thanks and to think about the things that are true and really just to bring my thoughts back to Him.

And that really, I think, has just been such a great breakthrough. Because the rhythm of what I’ve been doing is, like I said, it’s been a really busy season. And so a lot of what I’ve been doing is planning, hosting some families, I had to plan a lot of events.

I just really felt like my whole being, I’ve been just going from one task to another to another. And I felt like I was so busy that I couldn’t stop. That when I stopped doing-when I decided I’m going to put the tasks away- instead of feeling peace, I felt even more anxious.

And I realized that doing these tasks, finishing these tasks, had become a runaway train in that sense. I’m trying to keep myself busy to distract myself from a deeper sense of frustration.

Sure, I can continue to keep this lifestyle going, this rhythm going with all of these excuses. Oh, you know, these are really important. I need to take care of my parents. I need to be praying and I need to help do whatever.

These are all just excuses to keep me going for that next high. And I know that if I’m honest with myself, I know that’s what I’m doing.

And so that’s when God sort of gently tapped me on the shoulder and just kind of go, let’s take a break and get focused on him.

And even as I’m recording this right now, I think that tendency to strive is still there.

And I have to remind myself to just in my heart to kind of go back to that place… of just being with God and just resting in Him and not worrying about how this podcast is going to turn out.

And it’s not, I think maybe it’s not that we don’t do things, but it’s really our attitude.

In our heart and minds, are we turned towards God or are we distracted and overwhelmed by the busyness and the needs that surround us?

Something amazing happens when I turn away from the works of my hands and start to turn my focus back onto Jesus. Usually, there is a reset and a realignment.

My thoughts and perspectives can realign with God’s perspective. Instead of focusing on the situations, my thoughts can now be shifted back onto Jesus.

Instead of replaying the negative outcomes in my mind, I start to remember how God has been faithful through the journey and His promises start to come back to me.

And over the years, I have learned that God really knows best. As my heart starts to let go of the burdens and the worries that I’ve been carrying, the peace of Jesus now starts to flood my soul.

And I can sense God’s kindness and peace in that stillness again. And then I remember what Sabbath is all about. That Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

God is spirit, but we are still made of flesh. And through the practice of Sabbath, it helps me to reconnect with God in my spirit even as I go through my day-to-day routines in this very real material world.

So no matter what kind of season you are in, I’d like to invite you to take a Sabbath break with me. It can be a quiet morning or a few hours in an afternoon. Set your to-do list aside and just spend some time focusing on Jesus. It may just be the recharging break that you are looking for.

And that’s the podcast for this week.

Thank you so much for listening to the Sabbath Cafe podcast.

For transcripts and more, please visit sabbathcafe.substack.com or sabbathcafeblog.com.

Thank you for listening and we will see you next time.

Understanding Addiction-Thoughts on “Dopamine Nation” by Dr. Anna Lembke Podcast 129 (10:00)

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We all love to enjoy life, but what if our pursuit of fun and enjoyment actually had the opposite effect?! Check out my latest podcast episode.

Transcript

Welcome to the Sabbath Cafe Podcast. This is episode 129 Understanding Addiction: Thoughts on the book Dopamine Nation. Please be aware that this episode will include topics on addiction and compulsive behavior.

Hi everyone! This is Michele. Thank you for joining me on the Sabbath Café Podcast.  This week I want to talk about this book that I read that has had a profound influence on me. The book is called The Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke. Dr. Lembke is actually a psychiatrist at Stanford University.  

I first picked up this book just at a bookstore. And I was really curious about it because I know that it was a book dealing with addiction. I’ve known people, whether it’s family or friends, who deal with nicotine addiction. They are chain smokers. And I know people that are recovery alcoholics. And so when I picked up this book, when I saw the title about “Dopamine Nation”, it just really hit me.  

If you don’t know what dopamine is… dopamine is the pleasure hormone. And so what it is is that when we get that fix… whether it’s just binge watching your favorite show, and you just click on that next episode, we get a pleasure.  We get a sense of high from it. And that high, biochemically, is a result of a shot of this dopamine hormone that’s released into your brain to give you that sense.  And also, the subtitle of the book is called “finding balance in the age of indulgence.”  Now who would not want to find balance? 

And so the first thing I did was I went and listened to a two hour podcast by Dr. Anna Lembke. Just because that was the fastest thing.  Actually, she has done many podcasts on Youtube. So I’m going to put the name of the book, Dr. Lembke’s name, and one or two Youtube videos that I really liked in the show notes and the transcripts.  Please go to www.sabbathcafeblog.com.  And this episode is episode 129.  So go to the website and look up the show notes. I really highly recommend anyone who’s interested in this area, this topic, to just spend some time to listen to the podcast. 

And so the amazing thing is after I listened to the podcast, I was just so encouraged that I actually finished reading.  And the book was even better. Because in the book, she actually includes a lot of the patient cases. Like I mentioned before, she is a practicing psychiatrist. Her official title is that she is the medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine. Wow.  

And she’s not just one of those people that has a lot of theories when she writes the book. In the book, you can read many of her patient’s case stories. And Dr. Anna shares these stories to show us the steps on how to break the cycles of addiction and start new habits for recovery.  And that just really gave me hope. 

In my experience being in the Christian community, I think addiction is one of those areas that really honestly people don’t like to talk about. Because there is a stigma of shame. Everyone who I know that wrestles with that almost always feels like they’re suffering because… or that they’re stuck in it because they don’t have enough self-discipline…or if they just tried hard enough… or have accountability that this will go away, that this will be fixed. And that’s a very simplistic way of looking at it.  And I think what I’ve come to learn is that addiction is a very complex issue. And even though choice and discipline do play part of the recovery, but there are so much more elements involved with that.   

And one key thing that I learned from this book is to understand how our brains are wired to handle pleasure and pain.   Because one of the main motivations for people that wrestle with addiction and compulsive behavior is that most of the time, we’re trying to run away from pain by pursuing pleasurable experiences. There’s a sense of escape. But what I’ve learned from this book is that this idea of chasing after pleasure to avoid pain is actually counterproductive. The result is that we will end up experiencing more pain and less pleasure.  And why is that?  It’s because our brain is actually wired to have pain – or to experience pain and pleasure in a balanced way.  So Dr. Anna was illustrating it.  It’s like having a teeter-totter in our brain.  So with pain on one side, and pleasure on the other side.  And our brains are wired that when one side have more experience… So let’s say that you have more pleasurable, more fun, more satisfying experiences, the brain would actually secrete chemicals to push down on the pain side, and lessen the experience of the pleasure.  So the brain is actually fighting against our trend.  

And this is totally counter-intuitive because I think for all my life, I’ve always been trying to avoid painful experiences. I deal with them. I process through them because that seems to be what God always recommends for me: don’t brush these experiences… don’t brush these feelings under the carpet. But face it, process through it, and then you will be free from it.  You will be healed from it. That is the right process that God seem to always be teaching me.   

After I read Dr. Anna’s book, I feel like wow, I now understand why God seems to be recommending that. And what I learned from the book, and Dr. Anna includes a lot of… goes into these into a lot more detail.  And I don’t want to try and teach that here because I’m still processing through it myself. But one thing I have learned is that when I face difficult things in life, to not try and run away… and try to go to my coping mechanism. But to actually deal with the challenges and negativities, and to learn to process through them.  

And I just want to thank Dr. Anna for writing this book, and just for her work in helping so many of her patients to come to recovery.  And I just want to encourage anyone out there listening that if you also feel like you’re stuck in a compulsive behavior, if you’re stuck in some kind of addiction, and I don’t care how long it has been.  If it’s been decades.. If you just want to change, but you don’t know how, and you feel like you’ve given up.  Just go and get this book right away. Again, her name is Dr. Anna Lembke, and the book is called Dopamine Nation. It’s a wonderful place to get started to have some understanding and to take the first step towards having more information to understand why we do the things we do.  And to understand how our brain is made and created to function so that we are working with our bodies and not against it. 

And that if anything you get out of this [podcast] today, I just want to say that there is hope for anyone stuck in addiction.  And Dr. Anna also shared a lot of examples on patients that have success with prescription medication to deal with chemical dependency. So there are a lot, a lot of paths out there to recovery. And I just want you to know you are not alone. There is hope for anyone dealing with addiction.  So if you get a chance, search for her name on Youtube, check out her book.  Just do the next thing. Take the next step to your recovery.  You can be free. You can be free from addiction.  

So that’s what I wanted to share with everyone this week. I’ve just been so excited about this book. Thank you for listening to Sabbath Café Podcast.  This is episode 129.  If you like more information on this episode or on the transcript, please visit www.sabbathcafeblog.com.  And we will see you next time.  Have a blessed week. 

Would You Like A Gift? (Podcast #128 & Transcript 5:09)

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I always ask God for a gift during this season. This year, why don’t you ask Him for a gift too? He just might surprise you.

Transcript

Would you like a free gift?!  I love a freebie!  Especially during Christmas season.  I’m learning to be generous this year.  At first, I felt like Golem from LOTR… holding my gold [ring] very tightly.  But I’m getting better at sharing now.  Whenever I give, it opens my heart in a way I didn’t expect.  Giving is interesting… the more you give, the easier it becomes, and giving has truly brought joy to my heart. 

Ah, but that’s not the key thing…Looking back, partly of why I was learning to be generous is because God has a generous heart and also loves to give.  And as I learned to give, I began to understand more about God’s heart as a Giver. 

There’s something about giving that brings joy to my heart.  It’s not really about the size of the gift or how expensive these gifts are. I find more satisfaction in giving someone the right gift at the right time.  Often, I’d pick up something at the store – because it was on sale –  just to give it to someone who needed it later that week!  It’s as if God prepared a gift for them at just the right time. As these “coincidence” happens more often, I began to see how God is so good at gift-giving!  He is like the best Santa!  

As I reflect on my journey with God this year, I am so grateful for what God has given our family.  But even more so, I’m amazed at how God has just been generous with everyone around me!   He’s been generous with my neighbors, friends I met online, and even at my favorite boba shop.  I’ve just seen God’s heart to want to bless people in so many ways. 

God truly has a generous heart.  He has always been so confident and encouraging whenever I ask or pray.  It didn’t matter how big the problems were or how little faith I had, He was always kind and ready to show me a path forward.  

In this special season, if you feel burdened about anything in your life, why not talk to God about it?  If anyone you know is sick, ask God to heal them.  If you have a financial need, go ahead and ask God to pay that bill.  If you need a job, tell Him about that too.   

This year has taught me how generous and creative God can be.  So don’t be afraid to pray or ask God about what you want. I used to wonder why we have to “ask” God or pray about things.  Doesn’t He know our needs already?  And if He knows about it, and hasn’t done anything, why would it matter if I prayed about it? 

Then God kind of showed me that there are a few things missing in my logic.  The first thing was that God actually takes our words very seriously.  He respects our decisions and boundaries. And when we pray, we’re actually inviting God to come into our situations.    

Also, God is very relational, and He loves to partner with us even when He can do everything Himself.  So the praying process is like our dialog with God.  We share our concerns with Him, and He can show us what He sees, and more importantly, how He plans to answer our prayers. 

Often, God wants to take me on a journey when I pray.  I’ve brought many problems to God this year, and I’ve been amazed every time at how He resolved things.   So this Christmas season, why not ask God for a gift?  No matter what you wish for, I know He can and will do something awesome for you. 

And that’s it for this episode.  I want to wish you a very merry Christmas and a very happy holiday!  Thank you so much for listening to us in 2023, and we will be back in 2024! 

For transcripts and more, please visit www.sabbathcafeblog.com 

Season of Breakthroughs (Podcast #127 and transcript 8:46)

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When I was little, I didn’t find the story of the hare and the turtle interesting. The turtle sounded slow and boring to me. Only when I grew up did I realize that little story actually holds the secret of getting breakthroughs.

Transcript

Hi Everyone! Thank you for listening to the Sabbath Café Podcast. This is Michele. It’s so good to see you again. Lately I’ve noticed many breakthroughs in the areas I’ve been focusing on. Some I’ve been working on for months, and some I’ve been planning for years. It’s so exciting to see these changes happening, and I’ve been very encouraged. I wanted to come on this space to share some of that encouragement with all of you. And here’s my story

This season, there’s been a lot of changes. We moved into our house 5 years ago. We haven’t been able to really get things set up, and just 2 weeks ago, we finally rearranged and set up our living space. Which is amazing because we had all these ideas and plans through out the years, and just nothing clicked… we didn’t have that synergy moment. Finally… we were able to get this project done over a weekend!

And so it’s just amazing to me. That seem to sum up a lot what I’ve been going through in this season. It’s that there are quite a few things that I’ve been involved in where we’re making slow progress… like snail paced… one step at a time… one step at a time… and just not really seeing much result, And yet suddenly… like in the last month or two…we just saw a lot of things starting to shift… whether it’s with my husband’s work, or with my father’s health.

I think some of you who’s been following the podcast know that I was care-taking for my father for the last couple of months… so a lot of things just feel like that old adage, right? The hare and the turtle. The race between the hare and the turtle – and slow and steady wins the race. And I really felt like it just so exciting to see breakthroughs.

I was actually taking him to his chiropractor today, and I noticed his fingers are moving a little bit more. And it’s amazing because that’s what was affected. I don’t even think my dad saw that, but I saw that. And it so encouraged me that we’re going down the right path. It so encouraged me. And it just made the last 6 months of countless hours of chauffeuring, of driving… just so worth it. It’s interesting because this is the accumulation of all those times, all those little pieces, little steps we took towards that.

And it just reminds me… because the world we live now, we love instant downloads. I used to joke around that we are the “microwave generation.” I like my water heated up in 30 seconds rather than boiling on the stove for minutes, right? We can have things cooked in seconds… we have downloads in seconds, milliseconds. We like to have things instantaneously, but I realize that… if you want change that lasts… if you want significant breakthrough or shifts. Or if you want to learn a craft… most of the time, it takes a long time. It requires a process of small steps to get there. The process takes a while. But if you continue to take small steps, you will get there. You’re just have to keep going… even when you don’t see anything changing. Even when you don’t see any encouragement.

And even with my podcast it’s similar. Many of you just started to tune into me probably in the last 6 months or so… but I’ve been working on this podcast, I was just looking at it, for 3 years. it took me at least 2 years of making episodes until it hit a stride.

Also some of you know that I’m an artist. I found my old sketchbook. And I realized I started a sketch book as just a pure novice – having no skills, no lessons, nothing. My first step, first venture into this creative realm was 10 years ago. 10 years ago. And just looking through my sketch book it really reminded me how far I’ve come.

And so I’m just looking at all of these things today, it took me 10 years… of just this consistent…taking steps toward that one goal. Consistently just taking steps. I think if there’s one expectation I had of myself… it’s to continue to engage.

Begin again. I learned that great phrase – to begin again. That has just helped me tremendously in my journey. To begin again is an idea of where you just pick up where you left off and you just continue forward.  You allow yourself that grace to just continue forward. And what I find is that you remember a lot of these past skills. The work you put into it, it has created a certain pattern – an imprint in you, so that when we begin again and move forward, we’re not moving forward from scratch. Most of the time, it’s actually good, because you’re moving forward, you’re remembering those old skills, but there’s something that’s just a little bit different than before, because you’re different now. And that’s how I feel… is that I’m different, after those breaks, and so my creativity projects, my creation, and even my podcasts and things… they’ll take on a different spin. They’ll take on a different light. And then I kind of run with that. Slow and steady. Just keep taking the next step. Begin again and take the next step.

And so it’s been a wonderful breakthrough season for me. And I just want to encourage you if you’re also in that journey where you feel like you keep taking that thousand-step journey, and you don’t know where you’re going, and you’re in the middle? You’re in the “messy middle” as we like to call it. I just want to encourage you that you’re on the right path. You’re on the right track. You may not see anything happening, but remember that inspiration that got you started. And just take the next step. Keep walking through that next door that opens up. .

Breakthrough are breakthroughs because they’re unexpected. They’re the suddenlies. But you won’t see it until the breakthroughs are right in front of you… which is like a split second. But breakthroughs happen because of a consistent journey… because of that slow and steady journey. All we have to do is to re-engage with the process. Re-engage with the process and take that next step. Keep taking that next step. And if you don’t know how, just begin again!

Eventually, you will see that breakthrough around the corner. Even if you feel like it’s the messy middle. I just want to encourage you… whatever journey you are on… If you felt discouraged, it’s okay. Take a break, take care of yourself, and then begin again

This is the season for me to see a lot of different breakthroughs. And I’ve been so encouraged, and I wanted to pass that encouragement to you. Keep going, keep walking. It’s okay if you’re in the messy middle. And slow and steady, you will win that race.

God bless you, thank you for listening to Sabbath Café, and we will see you next time.

Changing seasons and finding closure (Podcast #126 and transcript 6:31)

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I just finished a pretty busy season recently, and took a journaling break. What I discovered was unexpected, but exactly what I needed to finally have closure. Here’s my story.

Download the bonus guided journal worksheetDownload

Transcript

Hi everyone welcome to the Sabbath cafe podcast.  I hope you’re doing well.  

The last couple of months really felt like they flew by for me because since January I started helping out my parents. I helped them with some part time care-taking and I also drove them to their physical therapy appointments.     

Also, my husband started a new job.  And to make things work, we had to really make sure that we’re on a strict schedule so I can help with my parents and still make sure my family’s needs are met.  And that turned out to be a lot of work for me.  Thankfully, the therapy program finished recently and so my schedule is more flexible now. 

And just reaching this milestone and seeing how my parent’s condition have improved, I was so encouraged. Now you’d think that this would mean my stress level would come down.  But for some reason, my emotions were still wound up really tight.  And so I realized that I probably need to sit down and unwind my thoughts.  So one afternoon, I had some time, and I decided to journal.

And journaling is my go to tool to try and process my thoughts anytime I feel like I have a lot of emotions jumbled together or I feel like my thoughts are going way too fast and I’m not quite sure how to change or shift them… I would purposely spend some time journaling. All I’m doing is just to write out my internal thoughts on paper.  And then, when I’m able to see what my real concerns and perhaps even uncover underlying fears,  then I’m able to actually deal with these issues and move forward.  

And what’s interesting was that as I was writing down my thoughts, I started to see how much of my heart and my thoughts still revolved around my parents and my caretaking role. I discovered that emotionally, I wasn’t quite ready to let go yet. 

Actually, their recovery process is only about half finished.  But, over and over again, I sense the Holy Spirit speaking to me that this is a good time for me to take a step back.  And God reminded me about the things I’ve put on hold, and that includes my own family’s needs. And even though I am still helping out with my parents,  it’s actually a good time for me to shift my focus back to my own life and continue down my path.  

And I find myself asking… “But they’re still in the middle of this healing journey.  If I let go, then who will help them?”  And that’s when God reminded me about what things looked like back in January… and it was pretty difficult.  And to see how far we’ve come, and how much things have improved. It just really hit me how faithful God has been through the whole process.  He was  the one who started us down this path of healing.  He was the one who took care of my family, and answered my prayers. And that He will be faithful even in the next season.  And it’s time now for me to let go of the responsibilities I took up in the last season, and to entrust my family to God so I can start my new season too.

After I had processed though these thoughts with God, I felt much more at Peace.  Even though my family’s healing process is not finished yet, I feel much more ready to release them into God’s hands.  In a sense, through this time of journaling and reflection, God was teaching me how to have closure.  Even when my emotions may not be ready to let go, but when I took the time to reflect and think back on this last six months, and how faithful God has been.  I was more ready to trust God with all of the questions I still had. 

After I went though this exercise, it really helped with my attitude. I find myself having an easier time trusting God about my family, and becoming more excited to see what new things God has in store for me. 

Often, we’d go through life changes without spending time to reflect on what happened before or to dialog with God about any questions we still have.  Even if we move into the next season, these lingering thoughts may open doors to doubts or regrets in the future. I’m grateful that God didn’t ignore any of my concerns and He helped me work though them, so I can be at peace moving forward.  

If there are any questions or thoughts from your past that often pop up, I would encourage you to not ignore those thoughts and to dialog with God about them.  Maybe you can find closure and peace in those areas too.   

And to help with that process, I’ve created a guided journal PDF.  You can find the PDF and transcript for this podcast at www.sabbathcafeblog.com.  

Thank you so much for listening and we’ll see you next time!             

Demystifying AI (Podcast #125 & transcript – 8:16)

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“AI” is the trending topic all around me. From engineers to artists, everyone is amazed at what AIs have been able to accomplish, and wonders if we will truly be replaced by AI. I was curious too, and did some research. Here are some of my thoughts.

Reference Videos

Transcript

You’re listening to Sabbath Café Podcast Episode 125 – Demystifying AI.   

This is a very complex topic. I’m only touching on the basics  here. I’ll include helpful videos links along with the transcript at www.sabbathcafeblog.com.  Now on to the podcast. 

Hi everyone welcome to the Sabbath cafe podcast. in this episode I’m going to talk about something that is the hottest topic around. We’re going to talk about AI. 

Recently a lot of people around me have been all over this topic. The academia and general public love ChatGPT. They’re very impressed by it. Wow. You type in this descriptor of what you’re looking for, and in a second or two, ChatGPT will put together this paper for you. So the academia world have been very impressed and also very alarmed – understandably.   

And it’s also a trending topic with the artists and creators. People want to know if AI can really take our place in making “art.”   And just how using AI will affect us as content creators in general.  Since I have  a tech background, and I’m also an artist, I thought I’d share some thoughts on this topic.    

So first, let’s take a quick look at what AI really is. AI stands for “artificial intelligence.”  I know AI seem very impressive to everyone…. But, “Artificial intelligence” is simply a sophisticated computer program that combines the power of a huge database with statistics and probabilities. So it can come up with the most likely answer or behavior that matches your request.  AI doesn’t create out of thin air. It doesn’t “create” the way that we do.  Because at it core, AI programs are still just machines that process data – lots of data – and putting them together in a pattern that is most likely to fit your goal. 

Now don’t get me wrong, these AI programs are amazingly complex, and what they’re able to do, is really impressive. And that’s why it often gives the people the wrong idea that  programs like ChatGPT  must be really smart or experienced because a real person would have to be smart and experienced to do the same thing.   

But that’s simply not true.  ChatGPT is not an expert of Shakespeare literature simply because it can give you a paper in Shakespeare’s style.  It simply analyzed Shakespearean text, found common words and patterns, and generated a paper that matched those patterns.  Ultimately, it couldn’t understand the love between Romeo and Juliet…it has no idea what love feels like.  Similarly, an AI “art” generator may be able to put out an image that looks pretty to some, but AI doesn’t understand what beauty is – until someone defined it in their database.  Computers are excellent at finding patterns and copying them… but it doesn’t think, process or feel like a real person.  

The artificial intelligence program cannot make anything new. It needs information or data that someone else has already created… so they can analyze it and learn the pattern.  So mainly I think of an AI program like a fancy tool.  And the “AI art” engines are really image generators.  And I feel like they’re kind of an automated Photoshop program… a “smart” Photoshop program. 

And the tool to me is simply a tool.  The problem comes up when we as people start to depend on the tool to do the work  that we are supposed to do. 

I recently saw a short video where this little boy – probably in elementary school- went to his room to do math homework.  And when his mom went to check in on him, she found out that he was secretly asking Alexa for the answers to his math homework.  So he was whispering to Alexa: “what is 54 – 27” (or something like that) and Alexa would whisper back the answer to the math problem.  And when I saw it, it just dawned on me… this was the perfect illustration.  

I’m sure this little boy was thinking… why does he need to learn math and do these stupid math problems when he can simply ask Alexa for the answer.  I’m sure we all wondered when we were young why we needed to learn math when we have calculators. But what he didn’t realize was that the purpose of his homework was not about getting the right answer.  It was to help him understand and learn the basics skills in math and problem solving.  Ironically, these simple skills are the basic building blocks to making a complex machine like Alexa. 

In a similar way, as we start to engage these AI tools all around us, I feel like we also have to be careful why and how we use them.  What are we trying to accomplish?  We have to be careful not to sacrifice and give up our own learning and creative process along the way.  

Lately I’ve been learning to focus more on my creative process instead of focusing on the end result.  And in my studio time, I often start just by playing around and experimenting colors and styles, and mediums. In the process, I’ve learned so much just about technique and styles.  And most importantly, this play time has done wonders to stir up creative new ideas. The result of these experiments weren’t always pretty.  But I’ve been learning so much just from this organic process.    

Learning and creating anything is hard work.  And it can be very tempting to use AI as a short cut. But as we move forward, I think we have to be careful to guard our own learning process and not to “contract” that out to a computer program.  At the end of the day we have to remember that there’s no substitute for work… there’s no substitute for going through the learning process… in putting paint to paper… or putting words on a page.  And no amount of AI can replace the good old creative process. 

So I’m curious about some of your experiences with AI… with ChatGPT.  And with some of these AI art generators. How has AI affected you? I love to hear about it.  

And that’s it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. You can find resources and transcript for this episode at sabbathcafeblog.com.  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to Sabbath Cafe Podcast on Apple or Spotify. Have a wonderful week, and we’ll see you next time. 

Podcast #123 – Small Steps Lead To Big Changes (5:26)

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I’ve been watching lots of 15 second mini videos lately. It’s easy to forget how much time it actually takes to bake a cake or cook a meal. Real life moves at a much slower pace. The road to success often starts with small and ordinary steps and takes much longer than 15 seconds.

Welcome to the Sabbath Cafe Podcast. This is episode 123: Small steps lead to big changes 

When I was younger, I used to want to do “big and great things” that can influence a lot of people. But as I get older, I’m learning that in order to do the “big things”, I need to start taking small steps because it’s these small steps that will help build up the skills and experiences that I need to eventually tackle something bigger and more significant.  

I lived next to a piano teacher when I grew up.  Everyday, I’d listen to the beautiful piano music that flowed out of her house.  And after a lot of begging, my mom finally agreed to let me take piano lessons.  However, when I started taking piano lessons, it was nothing like the beautiful music I’ve heard her play… Instead, I was only doing beginner exercises that sounded a lot like chopsticks, and I felt like I was fighting with my small and stiff fingers all the time. 

Like everyone who’s ever learned an instrument can tell you, these early lessons are repetitive and very easy.  But, even though these basic exercises feels simple and maybe a bit boring, it’s actually very important to practice them every day, and do them correctly.  Because they build muscle memory and muscle strength that your fingers need to play the piano well. And eventually, one small exercise after another, I could finally play those beautiful and sophisticated piano pieces like my teacher.   

Now a days, we’re so used to seeing a project competed in 15 second videos that we tend for forget that real learning takes time. And real change takes time too. And the process of learning and doing the work often don’t come with the “instant gratifications” that we get from scrolling on our phones. But, when we are persistent, and we continue to take small steps in the right direction. and that we take the time to do work of learning and growing, we get the ultimate satisfaction of finally having real and meaningful growth, and accomplish changes that will last. 

I recently found my old sketch book. To be honest, the pictures looked like kindergarten art projects. Back then, I was simply curious about drawing and sketching, and I made all sorts of mistakes. But when I looked through the pages, it was amazing to see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve grown in the last 10 years. When I started, I had never imagined that my skills can grow to where they are today.   And all I did was simply to keep drawing, keep sketching, and keep creating. Some of my sketches went straight to the waste basket, and a few eventually made it into art shows.  Now looking back, I can see that I learned something from every project whether they looked good or not. Every project taught me something, and they all helped me get to where I am today. 

And I seem to follow the same learning process in the other areas of my life too… When I was working through my anxiety issues, I also started with simple daily habits that eventually helped me to manage my anxiety much better.  

And through these things, I’ve learned the value of making small changes, and the value of doing the little things consistently. These little steps is what it takes for me to accomplish the final goal.  I’ve learned not to despise my small beginnings, and to be patient with the process even when I don’t see the results yet.  

Maybe you also feel discouraged about some of your projects, but don’t give up.  Be persistent and do the next thing.  Our journeys are all different.  Take your next step, and do it well.  Before you know it, you too will reach your destination.  Real learning and real change takes time. Don’t despise these small beginnings because small beginnings can and will lead to big changes. 

And that’s it for this episode.  Did anything specific come to mind as you were listening to today’s podcast?  What are some small steps you can maybe take in those areas?  I hope you can take a few minutes and just write them down.    

Thank you so much for listening, and I hope today’s podcast has encouraged you.  Have a wonderful week, and we’ll see you next  time. 

Podcast #122- Turning A Problem Into An Upgrade (5:20)

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Whether it’s a hotel room or a plane seat, I love getting upgrades. Wouldn’t it be great if life is full of upgrades? Here is my recent “upgrade” story.

Ever since the pandemic, I often hear about shortages of many things.  I’m glad that I haven’t ran out of toilet paper.  I’ve always been able to find exactly what we needed when we needed it. However, recently, I did run into my own “empty shelf” experience. 

One weekend, I needed to get a health supplement for my husband. It’s a natural remedy that works really well for his  medical condition. I used to get them from my local grocery store. But when I got there, what I saw was the dreaded empty shelf.  In fact, it’s not just an inventory issue.  It looked like the store simply stopped carrying it.  It was really frustrating because I had a hard time finding it before.  And now, it seems like the only store that was carrying it is not an option anymore. And I have to start the search all over again. 

And of course my first reaction was panic. It was Sunday morning and we really needed it.  And when my only option didn’t pan out, I felt frustrated.  When I run into an problem, I often feel panic and my mind just blanks out.  Frustration and panic aren’t very helpful emotions.  They make me feel like I want to curl up into a ball and just hide in a corner… which doesn’t help at all to solve the problem. 

Thankfully, I know my own tendencies well. I took a deep breath, and waited for all these feelings to pass.  Deep down, I knew God has a solution.  Even though I felt overwhelmed emotionally, they are just temporary.   And when I calmed down, God reminded me that we actually had another store really close by that offered more organic products.  Sure enough, a quick search confirmed it.  When I got to that store, there wasn’t just one item like my old store had. There was a whole isle full of organic supplements.  And many of these were even on sale!  I never have to worry about finding these again!  

Suddenly, I understood what this lesson was all about. I don’t know why, but when I run into problems, instead of asking for help, I tend to feel like I have to solve it all on my own.  And for a while now, God’s been reminding me to learn to ask Him for help.   But I’ve been hesitant because I don’t like to change the way I do things.  So I’ve been resisting him.  I know, right?  Why do we resist the goodness of God?  Well, change is inevitable in life.  And God’s solution often is so much better and easier than I could ever dream of. When I run into problems, He really is always my best bet. 

Walking with God isn’t just about changing the way I do things.  It’s often about changing the way I think about things. Over and over again, God reminds me that He is ready and willing to help me through any challenge.  If only I would invite Him into my situation, He is happy to work with me to resolve any problem I have.  And this “empty shelf” situation was yet another learning opportunity for me.  As soon as I asked God to show me what He has planned, I found an even better option.  God has upgraded my supplier situation.   And at the same time, He also upgraded my experience of Him as my provider. 

When we run into an obstacle, because of our own perception, we often only see the problem itself.  I’m starting to realize that what first looks like a “problem” often ends up being God’s way of showing me a different and better solution. The key is if I’m willing put aside my initial frustrations and my own perceptions and simply ask Him to show me what He sees instead. 

So what obstacles have you run into lately?  Maybe God also has a better solution waiting for you.  Let’s invite Him into your situation and see what upgrades He has in mind for you.