Meeting Title: Robert Tseng’s Personal Meeting Room Date: 2025-06-12 Meeting participants: Henry Meng, Robert Tseng
WEBVTT
1 00:02:49.430 ⇒ 00:02:50.290 Henry Meng: Hey, Robert.
2 00:02:51.740 ⇒ 00:02:56.710 Robert Tseng: Hey, Henry? Sorry I am just at the microwave, taking my lunch out.
3 00:02:56.920 ⇒ 00:02:57.240 Henry Meng: Okay.
4 00:02:57.240 ⇒ 00:02:58.140 Robert Tseng: Right over.
5 00:02:58.340 ⇒ 00:03:01.179 Henry Meng: Yeah, I was feeding the baby, so I missed the time.
6 00:03:01.380 ⇒ 00:03:02.100 Robert Tseng: Oh!
7 00:03:03.360 ⇒ 00:03:03.900 Henry Meng: And.
8 00:03:04.910 ⇒ 00:03:09.169 Robert Tseng: You don’t mind, I’ll be eating because I have a lot after.
9 00:03:10.720 ⇒ 00:03:11.650 Henry Meng: Yeah, no. Problem.
10 00:03:12.800 ⇒ 00:03:13.870 Robert Tseng: Alfred going.
11 00:03:14.870 ⇒ 00:03:18.120 Henry Meng: Good, good, little busy.
12 00:03:19.980 ⇒ 00:03:20.780 Robert Tseng: Bless you!
13 00:03:21.170 ⇒ 00:03:21.820 Henry Meng: Thanks.
14 00:03:27.750 ⇒ 00:03:31.059 Henry Meng: Yeah, yeah. All good, though. How was your trip?
15 00:03:32.440 ⇒ 00:03:39.200 Robert Tseng: Trip was really good, I think. Especially. I don’t know if I told you I went to Kenya. Oh, yeah, I told you I got stuck in.
16 00:03:39.200 ⇒ 00:03:45.199 Henry Meng: Oh, yeah, I figured it had to be somewhere, not in America. So
17 00:03:45.300 ⇒ 00:03:47.410 Henry Meng: because they don’t do safaris in America.
18 00:03:47.660 ⇒ 00:03:53.583 Robert Tseng: Oh, I didn’t. I guess I didn’t mention it was Kenya. But yeah, we were in
19 00:03:55.830 ⇒ 00:03:58.570 Robert Tseng: We have. We have some friends that are world.
20 00:03:58.730 ⇒ 00:04:02.589 Robert Tseng: They’re like missionaries with world vision. They basically run like a
21 00:04:04.490 ⇒ 00:04:09.459 Robert Tseng: they’ve built like a community center. And like the remote village like.
22 00:04:09.610 ⇒ 00:04:12.189 Robert Tseng: not like 2 h away from Nairobi.
23 00:04:12.690 ⇒ 00:04:17.070 Robert Tseng: It’s close to like one of the national parks there. So we went and did a safari drive there.
24 00:04:17.300 ⇒ 00:04:22.343 Robert Tseng: And we chose to self drive, and it got stuck because it was raining.
25 00:04:22.790 ⇒ 00:04:33.219 Robert Tseng: There was like thunderstorms like tree fell on the path, and everything. So it was. I didn’t end up getting to our camp until like 3 30 Am. In the morning, and.
26 00:04:33.220 ⇒ 00:04:33.960 Henry Meng: So.
27 00:04:33.960 ⇒ 00:04:43.947 Robert Tseng: Yeah, it was. It was pretty pretty wild, but it was a very encouraging time. There were 4 of us in the car, me, Rachel, then our friend, and then her mom.
28 00:04:45.720 ⇒ 00:04:48.179 Robert Tseng: And yeah, I just feel like everybody was really.
29 00:04:49.000 ⇒ 00:04:55.950 Robert Tseng: really calm about it. And I appreciated her mom. Was like our friend’s. Mom was like
30 00:04:56.460 ⇒ 00:05:05.049 Robert Tseng: just praying and just just super at peace with the situation. So I feel like that really helps everyone. So
31 00:05:05.170 ⇒ 00:05:06.850 Robert Tseng: yeah, I don’t know. I feel like,
32 00:05:07.720 ⇒ 00:05:10.620 Robert Tseng: yeah, really admire kind of the faith
33 00:05:11.130 ⇒ 00:05:16.919 Robert Tseng: that she had. And and that situation. And it wasn’t. It was helpful for me, too, as I was like.
34 00:05:17.430 ⇒ 00:05:31.747 Robert Tseng: I was just going with the problem, solving mode, trying to figure out how to get ourselves out of it, which fortunately, like one of my ideas, ended up working. But it just took many, many hours before we we got it.
35 00:05:32.250 ⇒ 00:05:35.730 Henry Meng: Okay, yeah. I’m glad you guys are safe and sound.
36 00:05:36.070 ⇒ 00:05:47.899 Robert Tseng: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think it was great just being there. I mean, I think I’ve told you that I lived in Kurdistan for like a year after I graduated
37 00:05:48.300 ⇒ 00:05:52.779 Robert Tseng: I always thought I was gonna live in a developing country and do missions work there.
38 00:05:53.249 ⇒ 00:05:59.120 Robert Tseng: So I feel like it was just good to be reminded of some of the things I enjoy about
39 00:05:59.420 ⇒ 00:06:04.050 Robert Tseng: being in a place like that. Kenya was really great. So, but it.
40 00:06:04.050 ⇒ 00:06:04.430 Henry Meng: Nice.
41 00:06:05.600 ⇒ 00:06:09.550 Henry Meng: Yeah, I’m not that big on travel, so I usually don’t.
42 00:06:09.930 ⇒ 00:06:11.347 Henry Meng: Don’t go anywhere.
43 00:06:13.800 ⇒ 00:06:18.220 Robert Tseng: No, I’m sure it’s hard to with the family and everything now so.
44 00:06:18.220 ⇒ 00:06:23.450 Henry Meng: Yeah, now it’s hard, but people do it. So I I don’t know. Yeah.
45 00:06:23.850 ⇒ 00:06:32.860 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I mean, there were still crying babies on the flight to Kenya. So clearly somebody was bringing their their kid over. I don’t know. It was really rough.
46 00:06:33.340 ⇒ 00:06:34.420 Henry Meng: That’s cool.
47 00:06:34.960 ⇒ 00:06:35.580 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
48 00:06:36.080 ⇒ 00:06:38.519 Robert Tseng: How was how have you been the past couple of weeks?
49 00:06:39.437 ⇒ 00:06:43.180 Henry Meng: Pretty good. Yeah. Work’s been a little busy. Yeah, mainly focused on work.
50 00:06:43.510 ⇒ 00:06:52.739 Henry Meng: I actually I realized that I wasn’t spending as much time in the Bible as I was before. And this is already like
51 00:06:54.070 ⇒ 00:07:00.170 Henry Meng: below my like previous, like level of Bible.
52 00:07:01.240 ⇒ 00:07:01.870 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
53 00:07:02.050 ⇒ 00:07:08.781 Henry Meng: Activity. I guess. So yeah. But I don’t know. It’s okay.
54 00:07:09.270 ⇒ 00:07:16.570 Henry Meng: I I like, I like my job and it feels purposeful. I think that.
55 00:07:17.930 ⇒ 00:07:23.630 Henry Meng: yeah, I think that guy can work anywhere. And yeah, so yeah.
56 00:07:30.670 ⇒ 00:07:38.150 Henry Meng: yeah, I don’t know. I’ve been experimenting a little bit with like AI in various contexts.
57 00:07:38.260 ⇒ 00:07:43.039 Henry Meng: So yeah, I don’t know just trying different ideas. And
58 00:07:43.340 ⇒ 00:07:47.100 Henry Meng: I feel like I have a kind of high bar for what I’d want to like
59 00:07:47.650 ⇒ 00:07:50.630 Henry Meng: like put into the world, if if anything.
60 00:07:50.950 ⇒ 00:07:55.099 Henry Meng: but at least as pure personal kind of curiosities it’s been.
61 00:07:55.340 ⇒ 00:07:57.469 Henry Meng: It’s been kind of kind of interesting.
62 00:07:58.720 ⇒ 00:08:04.600 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I mean, I know you. You shared that error book that you wrote with AI with me. What else have you been looking at?
63 00:08:05.290 ⇒ 00:08:11.949 Henry Meng: So I actually generalize that into a complete like, like agentic, like publishing house.
64 00:08:13.460 ⇒ 00:08:14.200 Robert Tseng: Oh, well.
65 00:08:14.640 ⇒ 00:08:19.850 Henry Meng: It can literally like, write a whole book. You could just set it to run in a for loop, and it’ll just keep writing new books.
66 00:08:22.810 ⇒ 00:08:23.530 Robert Tseng: Crazy?
67 00:08:24.670 ⇒ 00:08:34.580 Henry Meng: Yeah, and surprisingly easy. And then I’m working on like a prototype of a
68 00:08:35.140 ⇒ 00:08:40.009 Henry Meng: financial analyst like a stock picker. This has some
69 00:08:40.419 ⇒ 00:08:43.880 Henry Meng: relation to what I do for work.
70 00:08:47.840 ⇒ 00:08:53.688 Henry Meng: And then I made another one that’s like, so I just like vibe coded
71 00:08:55.101 ⇒ 00:08:58.718 Henry Meng: basically, let me see if it’s still still up.
72 00:09:00.460 ⇒ 00:09:02.800 Henry Meng: Here, I’ll show you. I’ll show you what this is.
73 00:09:06.900 ⇒ 00:09:08.719 Henry Meng: So if I’ve coded this app.
74 00:09:09.010 ⇒ 00:09:15.670 Henry Meng: and it’s basically a social media feed with only AI generated content.
75 00:09:16.550 ⇒ 00:09:19.579 Henry Meng: But it’s like faith oriented so.
76 00:09:19.690 ⇒ 00:09:20.540 Henry Meng: And you can dial.
77 00:09:20.980 ⇒ 00:09:23.120 Henry Meng: You can dial your maturity level
78 00:09:23.240 ⇒ 00:09:30.110 Henry Meng: and and also write like a brief bio of like who you are, what kind of like content. You want to see.
79 00:09:32.520 ⇒ 00:09:34.580 Robert Tseng: Wow! This is awesome. It’s like.
80 00:09:34.580 ⇒ 00:09:35.979 Henry Meng: That it kind of works.
81 00:09:37.900 ⇒ 00:09:38.640 Robert Tseng: He is.
82 00:09:39.200 ⇒ 00:09:45.560 Henry Meng: I use Claude? 4. Yeah, just with like cursor. Just use cloud force on it. And then
83 00:09:45.950 ⇒ 00:09:47.694 Henry Meng: it works really well.
84 00:09:48.280 ⇒ 00:09:51.189 Henry Meng: Does it load anything? Oh, it looks loads only for me. It takes a while.
85 00:09:51.190 ⇒ 00:09:55.302 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, it takes a while. But I guess they they you run all of the
86 00:09:56.590 ⇒ 00:10:02.650 Robert Tseng: the quick. I mean, yeah, it just you don’t have it like cached, or whatever you it just like. Run when you load it.
87 00:10:04.069 ⇒ 00:10:08.379 Henry Meng: Yeah, I could potentially have, like, just a random pool of things.
88 00:10:08.380 ⇒ 00:10:12.079 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, just like to have something there when someone opens it. But.
89 00:10:12.600 ⇒ 00:10:13.640 Henry Meng: Yeah, it’s
90 00:10:13.920 ⇒ 00:10:18.320 Henry Meng: yeah. I didn’t. I didn’t invest that much time into it. I I just tried to get it like working. And then
91 00:10:21.090 ⇒ 00:10:22.829 Robert Tseng: Wow! That’s cool.
92 00:10:23.410 ⇒ 00:10:28.799 Henry Meng: I thought it would be a cool concept, because, like, we’re so used to that like infinite scroll mechanism.
93 00:10:28.800 ⇒ 00:10:29.360 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
94 00:10:29.360 ⇒ 00:10:36.180 Henry Meng: But what if you like, replace the content with something a little bit more like more, you know, like.
95 00:10:38.210 ⇒ 00:10:41.620 Henry Meng: build like that will build you up in your faith and stuff like that, and.
96 00:10:42.500 ⇒ 00:10:43.140 Henry Meng: Yeah.
97 00:10:45.760 ⇒ 00:10:49.850 Robert Tseng: Does it draw from your publishing house for the content.
98 00:10:50.190 ⇒ 00:10:51.530 Henry Meng: No, no, it’s just so. It’s it’s.
99 00:10:51.530 ⇒ 00:10:52.080 Robert Tseng: Not okay.
100 00:10:52.080 ⇒ 00:10:53.690 Henry Meng: A blank slate kinda.
101 00:10:53.690 ⇒ 00:10:57.020 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, it’s just like, okay, yeah, that’s cool.
102 00:10:57.020 ⇒ 00:11:01.529 Henry Meng: I was. I was gonna like, try to extended so that the like
103 00:11:01.720 ⇒ 00:11:04.500 Henry Meng: as you like content, it’ll adapt
104 00:11:05.300 ⇒ 00:11:07.479 Henry Meng: to show you more or less of
105 00:11:08.100 ⇒ 00:11:11.220 Henry Meng: less similar things to what you’ve liked or shared.
106 00:11:12.240 ⇒ 00:11:17.470 Henry Meng: But and then I kind of gave up because it was. It was like a little little hard.
107 00:11:17.960 ⇒ 00:11:18.410 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
108 00:11:18.990 ⇒ 00:11:19.680 Henry Meng: Yeah.
109 00:11:19.680 ⇒ 00:11:20.789 Robert Tseng: How long will this take you.
110 00:11:21.190 ⇒ 00:11:22.759 Henry Meng: Maybe like a few hours.
111 00:11:24.630 ⇒ 00:11:27.470 Robert Tseng: No, this is about. This is very good.
112 00:11:27.720 ⇒ 00:11:34.367 Henry Meng: Yeah, I I enjoy the the experience. But I haven’t really used it that much since I made it.
113 00:11:36.030 ⇒ 00:11:39.372 Henry Meng: but it shows you the potential. There’s like a lot you can do
114 00:11:41.370 ⇒ 00:11:44.700 Robert Tseng: Did I tell you about like the Romanian like
115 00:11:47.410 ⇒ 00:11:49.700 Robert Tseng: like Bible, AI app kind of thing.
116 00:11:50.480 ⇒ 00:11:52.149 Henry Meng: Yeah Bible chat. I think I’ve.
117 00:11:52.150 ⇒ 00:11:52.950 Robert Tseng: Bible chat.
118 00:11:53.090 ⇒ 00:11:54.290 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, you’ve seen it.
119 00:11:55.612 ⇒ 00:11:57.539 Henry Meng: Are they like legit.
120 00:11:59.110 ⇒ 00:12:01.449 Robert Tseng: They’re not efficient. Yeah, but.
121 00:12:02.025 ⇒ 00:12:02.600 Henry Meng: Yeah.
122 00:12:02.740 ⇒ 00:12:11.389 Robert Tseng: Yeah, which is crazy. So they raise like 20 million. And like, they’re they’re they are. I mean, they do 20 million arr. But I think they raise around of like.
123 00:12:11.390 ⇒ 00:12:21.840 Henry Meng: Definitely like it’s Bible based content. So it’s not really about the people that built the tool like you could, you could have like a non-christian like printer that
124 00:12:22.000 ⇒ 00:12:24.010 Henry Meng: prints out Bibles, and that’s.
125 00:12:24.010 ⇒ 00:12:24.630 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
126 00:12:24.630 ⇒ 00:12:26.259 Henry Meng: Doesn’t detract from the content. Yeah.
127 00:12:26.260 ⇒ 00:12:31.545 Robert Tseng: Oh, totally yeah, no, I I’m I’m saying it’s it’s crazy. Cause like, well, it’s kind of like the I
128 00:12:31.810 ⇒ 00:12:33.580 Henry Meng: They found a market opportunity.
129 00:12:33.580 ⇒ 00:12:37.190 Robert Tseng: Yeah, mean, do it better than the libel app, obviously. And.
130 00:12:37.190 ⇒ 00:12:38.230 Henry Meng: Yeah, definitely, yeah.
131 00:12:38.530 ⇒ 00:12:45.920 Robert Tseng: Yeah, so and it’s most of the content is AI generated like they have. Their team is like less than it’s like less than 10 people. So it’s like.
132 00:12:45.920 ⇒ 00:12:47.010 Henry Meng: Because yeah.
133 00:12:47.200 ⇒ 00:12:49.950 Robert Tseng: It’s crazy. Oh, yeah, yeah.
134 00:12:49.950 ⇒ 00:12:54.969 Henry Meng: I think, in a lot of ways. There is a big demand for Christian content.
135 00:12:56.360 ⇒ 00:13:05.259 Henry Meng: But there’s not a big demand for the Christian content that’s currently out there. And it’s it’s like.
136 00:13:05.790 ⇒ 00:13:12.900 Henry Meng: so demand is there? It’s just the product hasn’t been created yet to like tap into that demand, I think, yeah.
137 00:13:14.190 ⇒ 00:13:15.139 Henry Meng: pretty cool.
138 00:13:17.050 ⇒ 00:13:30.030 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I think about by coding like Faith related stuff when I just haven’t sat down and done it. So it was cool. I was like, I feel like this is like an idea that I had in my head. But I just like didn’t actually put it down. So it’s cool to see that you did it.
139 00:13:30.030 ⇒ 00:13:33.395 Henry Meng: Yeah, I can. I could probably share the code with you. If you want
140 00:13:33.620 ⇒ 00:13:34.230 Robert Tseng: Hmm.
141 00:13:34.600 ⇒ 00:13:37.380 Henry Meng: I don’t know if it’s checked into a repo, but.
142 00:13:39.010 ⇒ 00:13:41.100 Robert Tseng: Can can I share this link with friends.
143 00:13:41.340 ⇒ 00:13:45.470 Henry Meng: Yeah go for it. It’s like, it’s pretty like
144 00:13:46.100 ⇒ 00:13:48.990 Henry Meng: crude. I guess it’s not really like perfectly tuned
145 00:13:49.770 ⇒ 00:13:55.230 Henry Meng: I got. I mean, you gotta share with people who appreciate the potential. And we can. You know, it’s not really about where it is right now. Yeah.
146 00:13:55.230 ⇒ 00:14:01.579 Henry Meng: there’s still a lot of bugs like some of the buttons like. If you do them in the wrong order. That looks like they’ll mess up your feed, and I don’t know.
147 00:14:02.895 ⇒ 00:14:04.210 Robert Tseng: No.
148 00:14:04.390 ⇒ 00:14:06.410 Henry Meng: Yeah, feel free to share. I I that’s
149 00:14:06.810 ⇒ 00:14:13.128 Henry Meng: yeah. That’s always like, my hope is that someone will find it useful and
150 00:14:14.670 ⇒ 00:14:15.310 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
151 00:14:16.980 ⇒ 00:14:17.849 Robert Tseng: Super cool?
152 00:14:22.180 ⇒ 00:14:24.600 Robert Tseng: Well, yeah, I guess. How. How have you been doing? Spiritually?
153 00:14:27.230 ⇒ 00:14:31.241 Henry Meng: Pretty good, I think, like nothing. Nothing’s really changed too much. We’re just
154 00:14:32.120 ⇒ 00:14:35.229 Henry Meng: We’re kind of just taking it one day at a time. And like,
155 00:14:37.820 ⇒ 00:14:42.900 Henry Meng: yeah, just doing what needs to be done every day. And it’s like, you know, no big
156 00:14:43.470 ⇒ 00:14:48.079 Henry Meng: no big ups and downs. Recently, I think, and that’s a blessing in itself.
157 00:14:48.320 ⇒ 00:14:49.100 Robert Tseng: Yeah,
158 00:14:51.930 ⇒ 00:14:53.660 Henry Meng: Yeah, I don’t know. How about you.
159 00:14:58.810 ⇒ 00:15:03.039 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I think I mentioned yeah, just re being reminded of like
160 00:15:03.910 ⇒ 00:15:09.460 Robert Tseng: feel like reawaken some of the convictions I had before. So about like
161 00:15:11.450 ⇒ 00:15:19.500 Robert Tseng: missions, and kind of like where I I if praying, praying for
162 00:15:21.840 ⇒ 00:15:24.080 Robert Tseng: I don’t. I mean I don’t. I don’t think I
163 00:15:24.560 ⇒ 00:15:30.924 Robert Tseng: I have like a place in my heart right now that I’m praying for outside of New York City at this point. But
164 00:15:31.510 ⇒ 00:15:32.780 Robert Tseng: yeah, I don’t know. I can just
165 00:15:33.420 ⇒ 00:15:48.190 Robert Tseng: be on the field, be able to encourage, like the missionaries there like, interact with the kids and just see the opportunity. How hungry they are to know, know Jesus. And yeah. And also like, just development work is exciting. I think when you
166 00:15:48.850 ⇒ 00:15:49.750 Robert Tseng: okay,
167 00:15:52.030 ⇒ 00:15:59.830 Robert Tseng: I mean, I had a bunch of ideas to kind of help their organization as well. So I’ve been. I mean, I may like consults like here and there to see if they wanna.
168 00:16:00.180 ⇒ 00:16:07.939 Robert Tseng: I just like, you know, a AI AI enabled tutors and stuff like, I think that’s that’s something that they could use use helped.
169 00:16:08.720 ⇒ 00:16:10.899 Robert Tseng: So yeah, I think that just that gave me a
170 00:16:12.970 ⇒ 00:16:16.240 Robert Tseng: I don’t know. Sense of excitement again.
171 00:16:17.673 ⇒ 00:16:25.830 Robert Tseng: And just being able to see like, okay, well, the work that I’m doing right now, like God, may use it to like less. Like
172 00:16:26.630 ⇒ 00:16:32.280 Robert Tseng: is missionaries and other people like later on, like this was clearly an opportunity where
173 00:16:32.610 ⇒ 00:16:35.219 Robert Tseng: some skill set and like was able to.
174 00:16:35.490 ⇒ 00:16:43.219 Robert Tseng: At least, I’m not like heavily involved, but be able to to see how my I could. I could be used to to help help them that way.
175 00:16:44.880 ⇒ 00:16:48.240 Robert Tseng: And then I mean, just devotionally like.
176 00:16:48.350 ⇒ 00:16:54.659 Robert Tseng: I mean, we’ve been out of the routine for a while, so I’m just glad to be back and kind of get back into the the flow of things.
177 00:16:56.170 ⇒ 00:17:03.560 Robert Tseng: I feel like this week coming back and going to the prayer room been pretty distracted. I feel like.
178 00:17:04.359 ⇒ 00:17:05.119 Robert Tseng: And
179 00:17:05.440 ⇒ 00:17:12.450 Robert Tseng: yeah, I know it was pensa call Sunday outset on like this past week. But yeah, I don’t know. I think there was just something about
180 00:17:12.660 ⇒ 00:17:21.770 Robert Tseng: feel like the spirit voice has just been more muted, maybe, from just like all the travel, and just like not really trying to lean, lean in. Too much. So.
181 00:17:22.152 ⇒ 00:17:26.449 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I’ll be going to like a church pray tonight, later in this evening, trying to like.
182 00:17:27.030 ⇒ 00:17:33.410 Robert Tseng: yeah. Try to intercede and see if I, if God wants to, how to reawaken like that.
183 00:17:34.820 ⇒ 00:17:36.509 Robert Tseng: re-recombatting my heart.
184 00:17:37.750 ⇒ 00:17:38.659 Henry Meng: Okay. Okay.
185 00:17:40.300 ⇒ 00:17:43.690 Robert Tseng: And then there’s a book I’ve been reading doing like a devotional.
186 00:17:44.540 ⇒ 00:17:51.089 Robert Tseng: It’s called Drawing the Circle. It’s like a 40 Day Prayer book kind of thing. So doing it with. A few friends.
187 00:17:52.580 ⇒ 00:17:57.849 Robert Tseng: Yeah. So I think there have been some really good reflections there. Happy to share, like kind of
188 00:17:58.030 ⇒ 00:18:01.309 Robert Tseng: 1 1 of them. If when we, when we get to
189 00:18:01.580 ⇒ 00:18:04.119 Robert Tseng: kind of sharing about what God has been saying.
190 00:18:04.550 ⇒ 00:18:05.170 Henry Meng: Oh, sure. Yeah.
191 00:18:05.170 ⇒ 00:18:07.010 Robert Tseng: Yeah, but yeah, so.
192 00:18:07.980 ⇒ 00:18:09.284 Henry Meng: Yeah, I feel like,
193 00:18:09.810 ⇒ 00:18:15.129 Henry Meng: Sometimes this this notion of like experiencing God
194 00:18:15.430 ⇒ 00:18:19.020 Henry Meng: in some tangible ways, overemphasized, in my opinion.
195 00:18:21.450 ⇒ 00:18:26.370 Henry Meng: I think, like God is self-evident in everything around us
196 00:18:27.220 ⇒ 00:18:32.360 Henry Meng: like you could, you know, you could look at the stars, trees.
197 00:18:32.770 ⇒ 00:18:37.090 Henry Meng: water, like all you know, all these things around us like God created it. God orchestrates everything.
198 00:18:37.250 ⇒ 00:18:42.580 Henry Meng: and it’s it’s like the the heavens and earth declare the glory of God.
199 00:18:42.960 ⇒ 00:18:43.540 Robert Tseng: I don’t.
200 00:18:43.540 ⇒ 00:18:47.430 Henry Meng: So it’s not really like, yeah, God doesn’t need to like.
201 00:18:48.720 ⇒ 00:18:54.700 Henry Meng: Give us a spiritual feeling, for you know.
202 00:18:54.820 ⇒ 00:18:59.170 Henry Meng: I guess sometimes I don’t know. I think not. Not sure exactly what I’m trying to say, but like
203 00:18:59.350 ⇒ 00:19:03.603 Henry Meng: it’s, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to not feel spiritual.
204 00:19:09.130 ⇒ 00:19:10.850 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, no. I get what you’ve.
205 00:19:10.850 ⇒ 00:19:13.220 Henry Meng: I would say, that’s where faith is even more necessary.
206 00:19:13.600 ⇒ 00:19:14.170 Robert Tseng: It is.
207 00:19:14.370 ⇒ 00:19:17.680 Henry Meng: Faith has proven even more in
208 00:19:18.750 ⇒ 00:19:21.890 Henry Meng: in the absence of of a reason to believe.
209 00:19:29.570 ⇒ 00:19:30.499 Robert Tseng: I think they’re
210 00:19:30.980 ⇒ 00:19:37.132 Robert Tseng: yeah. I mean, they’re definitely seasons where, like, I don’t really feel anything. Other seasons when I feel a lot
211 00:19:38.140 ⇒ 00:19:44.410 Robert Tseng: I think particularly going to. I’ll make a more like a missions trip, or whatever. And then coming back like this.
212 00:19:45.010 ⇒ 00:19:54.009 Robert Tseng: people talk about like the mountain high experience, and you have to come down from the mountain as well. So like, you know, Moses, when he called the glow up, and then he came back, and he had to like.
213 00:19:54.310 ⇒ 00:20:04.830 Robert Tseng: I convinced, like a Senate, like group of people like, I think that’s perhaps how I feel. It’s like, Oh, I had all this excitement over the past couple of weeks coming back. And it’s like
214 00:20:04.990 ⇒ 00:20:06.479 Robert Tseng: things just feel muted.
215 00:20:06.910 ⇒ 00:20:07.570 Robert Tseng: Bye.
216 00:20:08.040 ⇒ 00:20:13.891 Robert Tseng: yeah, I mean, I know it’s just a feeling. So it’s not really like something I am too concerned about. But
217 00:20:14.420 ⇒ 00:20:20.340 Henry Meng: Yeah, yeah, but the least will be the greatest.
218 00:20:20.440 ⇒ 00:20:27.980 Henry Meng: So the least in all respects right. Even the least spiritual person
219 00:20:28.590 ⇒ 00:20:32.469 Henry Meng: might actually be greater in faith than the most spiritual person.
220 00:20:33.620 ⇒ 00:20:34.280 Robert Tseng: Hmm.
221 00:20:39.680 ⇒ 00:20:40.310 Henry Meng: Oops.
222 00:20:40.720 ⇒ 00:20:42.269 Henry Meng: Just a thought, I guess.
223 00:20:42.560 ⇒ 00:20:43.790 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah.
224 00:20:49.390 ⇒ 00:20:55.640 Henry Meng: And by spiritual I generally mean, like spiritual activity, like you’re doing a lot.
225 00:20:55.870 ⇒ 00:21:00.609 Henry Meng: But there’s a certain sense of like sitting and abiding with Jesus.
226 00:21:01.660 ⇒ 00:21:02.080 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
227 00:21:02.080 ⇒ 00:21:06.430 Henry Meng: That that is ultimately more important than the activity.
228 00:21:07.370 ⇒ 00:21:07.980 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
229 00:21:08.730 ⇒ 00:21:12.409 Robert Tseng: Have you read the book? Sit, walk. Stand by. Watchman. Yeah.
230 00:21:12.410 ⇒ 00:21:13.419 Henry Meng: Yeah, yeah, I like that one.
231 00:21:13.780 ⇒ 00:21:16.549 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, no. It’s a, yeah.
232 00:21:18.180 ⇒ 00:21:24.380 Henry Meng: Yeah, so it’s complex, because our tendency is to want to do things.
233 00:21:26.070 ⇒ 00:21:26.680 Henry Meng: Yeah.
234 00:21:26.680 ⇒ 00:21:27.330 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
235 00:21:34.080 ⇒ 00:21:35.430 Robert Tseng: I think like
236 00:21:36.410 ⇒ 00:21:46.439 Robert Tseng: But like, I think, even in that book, like sitting is like an active. It’s like an active posture. I’m not saying like, it’s like, it’s filled up activity or whatever like. But even just like being able to
237 00:21:47.570 ⇒ 00:21:53.009 Robert Tseng: that, they’re tuning out noise like, really focus. And yeah, I think to to
238 00:21:53.500 ⇒ 00:21:56.980 Robert Tseng: have Christ be magnified in your field of vision.
239 00:21:57.350 ⇒ 00:21:58.120 Robert Tseng: It’s
240 00:21:58.700 ⇒ 00:22:04.219 Robert Tseng: man. I suppose you can’t do it unless God draws the Holy spirit draws you near to himself. But
241 00:22:04.920 ⇒ 00:22:09.289 Robert Tseng: yeah, I don’t know. I just feel like for me. There’s ebbs and flows of life.
242 00:22:10.310 ⇒ 00:22:14.739 Robert Tseng: Yeah, sometimes I’m sitting there in prayer, and my mind is like wandering the entire time. I’m like.
243 00:22:14.980 ⇒ 00:22:15.330 Henry Meng: Yeah, but.
244 00:22:15.330 ⇒ 00:22:16.299 Robert Tseng: But if there are the.
245 00:22:17.210 ⇒ 00:22:24.720 Henry Meng: Sorry, just quick thought! There! Would you say that when your mind is wandering and you catch it in the middle of like praise
246 00:22:24.850 ⇒ 00:22:26.089 Henry Meng: or worship.
247 00:22:27.110 ⇒ 00:22:30.610 Henry Meng: Do you feel a sense of guilts from that.
248 00:22:32.930 ⇒ 00:22:40.706 Robert Tseng: I think it’s I don’t know if it’s necessarily guilt. I think it’s more just like, what am I? What am I doing?
249 00:22:41.030 ⇒ 00:22:45.069 Henry Meng: Condemnation right like it’s an internal kind of condemnation.
250 00:22:47.461 ⇒ 00:22:51.309 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I mean, I guess I guess so.
251 00:22:52.730 ⇒ 00:22:53.670 Henry Meng: Yeah, and I, I guess.
252 00:22:53.670 ⇒ 00:22:54.000 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
253 00:22:54.460 ⇒ 00:22:55.559 Henry Meng: Yeah, I think
254 00:22:58.480 ⇒ 00:23:07.660 Henry Meng: I guess what I want to get at is that there is no condemnation, because Jesus knows that we’re flawed human beings he loves, that we’re flawed human beings.
255 00:23:07.990 ⇒ 00:23:10.789 Henry Meng: and he ultimately died for us, so that
256 00:23:11.170 ⇒ 00:23:20.967 Henry Meng: it doesn’t matter that I got distracted. And also, yeah, maybe you could say, that’s a sin, right? Maybe it’s not at the level of sin, but 20 to an extreme. It would be sin right?
257 00:23:21.380 ⇒ 00:23:27.100 Henry Meng: and but where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.
258 00:23:28.310 ⇒ 00:23:29.270 Robert Tseng: So.
259 00:23:29.970 ⇒ 00:23:38.570 Henry Meng: I’m not saying like sin is a vehicle for grace, but it’s like it without without sin, showing us
260 00:23:38.850 ⇒ 00:23:40.580 Henry Meng: how much we need Jesus.
261 00:23:41.480 ⇒ 00:23:44.590 Henry Meng: We? There’s no grace of receiving Jesus, I guess.
262 00:23:45.910 ⇒ 00:23:50.720 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I I feel like it’s less.
263 00:23:51.790 ⇒ 00:23:54.749 Robert Tseng: I don’t know. In a situation like that. I don’t, really.
264 00:23:56.600 ⇒ 00:24:03.189 Robert Tseng: I don’t view it as like, oh, I’m sending against God while I think about other things. I mean, maybe that’s like the implicit message, I think.
265 00:24:03.310 ⇒ 00:24:06.529 Robert Tseng: But I don’t know this like maybe when I was
266 00:24:06.660 ⇒ 00:24:20.010 Robert Tseng: younger I used to view things more and like, is this in Is this not sin? Is this Christian, and not Christian? Or whatever I think it’s more out of like. I’m here because, like, I want to show up and connect with God, and like
267 00:24:20.960 ⇒ 00:24:28.640 Robert Tseng: I’m not or like, and I just want to find my way back to him like I I’m not really like really thinking I’m not real. I don’t really frame it. And like
268 00:24:29.550 ⇒ 00:24:34.079 Robert Tseng: sin or not sin like, I mean, I just, yeah, I already accept that, like everything.
269 00:24:34.740 ⇒ 00:24:36.320 Robert Tseng: even what I consider to be.
270 00:24:36.320 ⇒ 00:24:36.680 Henry Meng: Okay.
271 00:24:36.680 ⇒ 00:24:44.450 Robert Tseng: Here and just and probably not here. So it’s like, so I’m just okay. Yeah.
272 00:24:44.450 ⇒ 00:24:51.800 Henry Meng: Like basically saying, like, like, you came to church for a specific purpose which was to worship.
273 00:24:52.070 ⇒ 00:24:58.580 Henry Meng: Yeah, you’re getting diverted from your purpose, and
274 00:24:58.980 ⇒ 00:25:03.430 Henry Meng: it sounds like you’re saying that anything that’s not
275 00:25:04.870 ⇒ 00:25:11.029 Henry Meng: the thing you came to church for is distracting you from God.
276 00:25:11.450 ⇒ 00:25:12.389 Henry Meng: Is that right?
277 00:25:20.320 ⇒ 00:25:29.370 Robert Tseng: yeah, I mean, I guess I mean, I’m anticipating like, Oh, well, maybe I can find God in my like distraction, or whatever as well. And it’s like, okay, well.
278 00:25:30.620 ⇒ 00:25:31.670 Robert Tseng: yeah.
279 00:25:35.740 ⇒ 00:25:37.080 Henry Meng: Yeah, I just feel like there’s a maybe.
280 00:25:37.080 ⇒ 00:25:37.590 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
281 00:25:37.590 ⇒ 00:25:47.669 Henry Meng: Perspective. There is that like sense of wonder like, Oh, God made my brain this way. Like to to, not, you know, be fixated on one thing for too long, and I don’t know.
282 00:25:47.670 ⇒ 00:25:48.170 Robert Tseng: Yes.
283 00:25:48.170 ⇒ 00:25:51.520 Henry Meng: I think there’s a lot of ways to view it that don’t necessarily have to land in like.
284 00:25:51.750 ⇒ 00:25:55.849 Henry Meng: oh, I have to be laser focused on on this thing, or else you know.
285 00:25:56.260 ⇒ 00:25:56.840 Robert Tseng: Hey?
286 00:25:57.880 ⇒ 00:26:05.109 Robert Tseng: Okay, yeah, that’s yeah. That’s that’s a that’s a thought
287 00:26:10.490 ⇒ 00:26:11.823 Henry Meng: I don’t know. It’s like,
288 00:26:18.260 ⇒ 00:26:19.691 Henry Meng: yeah, I think like,
289 00:26:25.380 ⇒ 00:26:27.279 Henry Meng: I think there’s also a way in which.
290 00:26:30.220 ⇒ 00:26:33.060 Henry Meng: and maybe depending on your theology, like.
291 00:26:33.980 ⇒ 00:26:36.719 Henry Meng: you know, God directs our attention to things.
292 00:26:37.090 ⇒ 00:26:49.090 Henry Meng: And it’s it’s yeah. It’s not necessarily like.
293 00:26:55.160 ⇒ 00:27:00.079 Henry Meng: yeah, I don’t know. I think there’s a possibility that, like God, wanted you to
294 00:27:01.130 ⇒ 00:27:02.810 Henry Meng: tune your attention to something else.
295 00:27:03.380 ⇒ 00:27:04.030 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
296 00:27:04.740 ⇒ 00:27:09.010 Robert Tseng: And there there are times when I’m more open to it than others. I guess
297 00:27:09.160 ⇒ 00:27:17.579 Robert Tseng: I think particularly coming off a trip and then coming back. And it’s like, Oh, I want to feel more grounded and like what I’m familiar with.
298 00:27:17.730 ⇒ 00:27:23.169 Robert Tseng: like where I know I feel like I feel close to God, and like, I hear him. And whatever. And
299 00:27:24.220 ⇒ 00:27:31.260 Robert Tseng: yeah, like, kind of reentering that kind of spaces, it doesn’t come
300 00:27:31.430 ⇒ 00:27:35.335 Robert Tseng: naturally like I feel like it’s takes work to get there.
301 00:27:36.490 ⇒ 00:27:39.882 Robert Tseng: yeah, to like, build up the habits again, and
302 00:27:40.840 ⇒ 00:27:46.419 Robert Tseng: and all that. And I think it’ll never look exactly the same. I think this this fluid, like things, will.
303 00:27:46.740 ⇒ 00:27:49.440 Robert Tseng: Things will. Things will change. But I think
304 00:27:49.690 ⇒ 00:27:57.579 Robert Tseng: is, maybe that’s the mindset that I’m in this week. It’s like, I’m trying to get back to what I consider to be a
305 00:27:58.150 ⇒ 00:28:09.340 Robert Tseng: good place with God. And yeah, I guess it’s not like I ever left the good place with God. But I just didn’t necessarily feel feel that way when.
306 00:28:09.520 ⇒ 00:28:14.330 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I was just yeah, I.
307 00:28:15.010 ⇒ 00:28:15.870 Henry Meng: Yeah, I mean.
308 00:28:15.870 ⇒ 00:28:16.380 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
309 00:28:16.380 ⇒ 00:28:21.190 Henry Meng: Jesus and Gethsemane was that it maybe didn’t. He definitely didn’t feel.
310 00:28:21.190 ⇒ 00:28:22.309 Robert Tseng: Yeah, definitely, this new one.
311 00:28:23.750 ⇒ 00:28:24.340 Henry Meng: Okay.
312 00:28:24.520 ⇒ 00:28:25.110 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
313 00:28:25.300 ⇒ 00:28:30.240 Henry Meng: But ultimately that’s exactly where God wanted him to be to fulfill his purpose. So I don’t know.
314 00:28:30.560 ⇒ 00:28:31.160 Robert Tseng: And.
315 00:28:31.160 ⇒ 00:28:34.645 Henry Meng: Yeah, I’m just like questioning the assumption that like that.
316 00:28:35.750 ⇒ 00:28:38.600 Henry Meng: I have to feel something to know that God is present.
317 00:28:39.190 ⇒ 00:28:39.850 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
318 00:28:44.310 ⇒ 00:28:45.160 Robert Tseng: yeah.
319 00:28:46.160 ⇒ 00:28:53.565 Robert Tseng: yeah, no, it’s not like I felt like God was absent while I was away, either, like, I just experienced his presence in different ways. And
320 00:28:54.790 ⇒ 00:29:00.606 Robert Tseng: yeah, no, no, that’s that’s that’s fair, I think.
321 00:29:05.940 ⇒ 00:29:06.530 Robert Tseng: yeah.
322 00:29:06.530 ⇒ 00:29:11.539 Henry Meng: And yeah, it’s ultimately like, you know, whatever like inspires your faith and
323 00:29:11.850 ⇒ 00:29:16.079 Henry Meng: joy and hope and peace, you know, that’s that’s ultimately what matters.
324 00:29:16.650 ⇒ 00:29:17.230 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
325 00:29:17.230 ⇒ 00:29:17.830 Henry Meng: And.
326 00:29:25.380 ⇒ 00:29:30.729 Robert Tseng: Yeah, what about you? What have you been processing these days?
327 00:29:39.820 ⇒ 00:29:47.129 Henry Meng: I guess. Yeah. Been pretty like, actively doing things for work. Family. And
328 00:29:50.270 ⇒ 00:29:53.639 Henry Meng: yeah, I mean that pretty much exhausts. And you know, punishers and everything.
329 00:29:56.700 ⇒ 00:30:03.820 Henry Meng: Oh, so yeah, I haven’t really had a lot of time to like
330 00:30:04.700 ⇒ 00:30:07.091 Henry Meng: meditate on things recently, I guess.
331 00:30:08.410 ⇒ 00:30:10.680 Henry Meng: yeah, which, yeah, I guess. Like
332 00:30:10.790 ⇒ 00:30:13.269 Henry Meng: to your point. Yeah, I do kind of feel
333 00:30:13.420 ⇒ 00:30:17.600 Henry Meng: that I should be doing a little more. But I also think that
334 00:30:20.510 ⇒ 00:30:23.470 Henry Meng: that God will create the opportunities for that too.
335 00:30:23.950 ⇒ 00:30:24.580 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
336 00:30:29.910 ⇒ 00:30:30.500 Henry Meng: Yeah.
337 00:30:35.670 ⇒ 00:30:41.109 Robert Tseng: I mean, this has been good. I think. The the the passes are the reflection. I was gonna share
338 00:30:44.490 ⇒ 00:30:51.950 Robert Tseng: like we were as the the Prayer Book was kind of leading me towards John 9 one to one to 5. It’s
339 00:30:52.240 ⇒ 00:30:58.070 Robert Tseng: Jesus. Encounter with the blind man outside the city, where he like spits on the mud and puts on his eyes.
340 00:31:00.590 ⇒ 00:31:05.409 Robert Tseng: And like the disciples, paradigm is like, oh, what happened to the
341 00:31:06.470 ⇒ 00:31:12.790 Robert Tseng: like? What sin did this man commit, you know, or his family commit that he was like in this position, and it’s like.
342 00:31:13.800 ⇒ 00:31:18.177 Robert Tseng: if I were to like kind of abstract it more. It’s kind of like.
343 00:31:19.230 ⇒ 00:31:27.589 Robert Tseng: yeah, I mean, in our human understanding, we try to assign reason, or just like an explanation, to like why things are the way they are. And like Jesus, response
344 00:31:28.200 ⇒ 00:31:33.029 Robert Tseng: was, Yeah, I mean, he, he rejects that notion. But he doesn’t provide another reason.
345 00:31:33.970 ⇒ 00:31:37.120 Robert Tseng: He just focuses on like, yeah, this.
346 00:31:37.390 ⇒ 00:31:44.960 Robert Tseng: like his condition is so that, like the works of God, could be displayed, you know, and like he, he assigns it a mission. He doesn’t give it a reason.
347 00:31:46.100 ⇒ 00:31:55.590 Robert Tseng: And so yeah, like, I think that’s maybe like a nuance between like praying.
348 00:31:56.110 ⇒ 00:32:00.320 Robert Tseng: Or again, you know, it’s something to distinguish in prayer when we’re like.
349 00:32:02.040 ⇒ 00:32:07.400 Robert Tseng: I guess the the book kind of teased it up as like what is the difference between like praying
350 00:32:08.530 ⇒ 00:32:13.150 Robert Tseng: through something versus like praying away something.
351 00:32:15.210 ⇒ 00:32:21.980 Robert Tseng: And I think, yeah, I mean, even in our con, I’m just kind of
352 00:32:22.290 ⇒ 00:32:26.030 Robert Tseng: trying to process it live. But like as you’re as we’re talking about.
353 00:32:26.600 ⇒ 00:32:33.890 Robert Tseng: Yeah, maybe a lot of what we do. And by what we feel like we should do is yeah, driven by a sense of guilt. Or you know
354 00:32:34.760 ⇒ 00:32:39.180 Robert Tseng: I I do sometimes like find myself envying.
355 00:32:39.650 ⇒ 00:32:50.800 Robert Tseng: like the person that doesn’t live with any guilt, or like any perceived guilt like I just think about like my brother is a very fluid person. He just kind of lets life come to him.
356 00:32:51.810 ⇒ 00:33:01.709 Robert Tseng: Never feels like there’s any obligations which is an ideal like, I think it’s late led to a lot of chaos in this life, I can see. But also, like.
357 00:33:01.830 ⇒ 00:33:08.390 Robert Tseng: yeah, he never feels like he has to do anything, and I mean it. Just
358 00:33:08.770 ⇒ 00:33:13.150 Robert Tseng: there’s a there’s a certain freedom perceived freedom in that, whereas
359 00:33:13.550 ⇒ 00:33:17.970 Robert Tseng: it’s not like I feel like God is like yapping in my ear, telling me what to do, but like
360 00:33:18.030 ⇒ 00:33:46.184 Robert Tseng: I don’t know. I think there are. Obviously there’s like I I have a moral code like I have like things that I feel like I should stay away from, or should or should not do. There’s a lot of that internal dialogue running through my head, and I’m always trying to discern like, is this my own voice, or like, I tell God, hey! I’m hearing this like, is this from you, and like there’s like, there’s always this dialogue going on in my head like it’s always there’s always conversation. So whereas, like I don’t know what goes through my brother’s head. But
361 00:33:46.670 ⇒ 00:33:52.280 Robert Tseng: yeah, it’s like, I feel like I’m always finding a reason for like what the decisions that I’m making. And I’m like
362 00:33:52.820 ⇒ 00:34:00.237 Robert Tseng: trying to say that that’s from God, or like it’s from faith or whatever. And I suppose I don’t. I don’t really know.
363 00:34:05.000 ⇒ 00:34:08.719 Henry Meng: Hmm, so so, okay, so what I got from that was,
364 00:34:11.460 ⇒ 00:34:13.289 Henry Meng: yeah. So starting with the verse,
365 00:34:14.920 ⇒ 00:34:21.330 Henry Meng: yeah, like, you said, there’s a difference between, like the causal reason for how things got to be the way they are, which
366 00:34:22.050 ⇒ 00:34:29.960 Henry Meng: you know God obviously knows, and could explain to us that you literally like knit, knit the blind man together in his mother’s womb and
367 00:34:30.219 ⇒ 00:34:32.280 Henry Meng: led to his current state.
368 00:34:33.679 ⇒ 00:34:37.580 Henry Meng: But the and that’s what that’s the
369 00:34:40.710 ⇒ 00:34:44.000 Henry Meng: That’s what they were looking for as an explanation.
370 00:34:44.000 ⇒ 00:34:44.610 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
371 00:34:46.150 ⇒ 00:34:57.040 Henry Meng: But I guess ultimately the the causal sequence didn’t matter to Jesus, and he only cared about
372 00:34:59.810 ⇒ 00:35:02.200 Henry Meng: Like the kind of purpose that
373 00:35:02.500 ⇒ 00:35:07.539 Henry Meng: that the situation was designed for, which is, yeah, God.
374 00:35:07.840 ⇒ 00:35:10.619 Henry Meng: And technically, that’s true of everything right, like.
375 00:35:10.840 ⇒ 00:35:12.950 Robert Tseng: That’s that’s everything.
376 00:35:12.950 ⇒ 00:35:22.008 Henry Meng: Orchestrated by God for His glory, you know natural disasters, and whatever God gets glory out of those somehow.
377 00:35:22.790 ⇒ 00:35:33.799 Henry Meng: but yeah, I guess. Like, yeah, maybe my takeaway, there is like, it’s not so important to
378 00:35:36.740 ⇒ 00:35:41.240 Henry Meng: So to know exactly why we have to do something.
379 00:35:41.380 ⇒ 00:35:48.790 Henry Meng: but just to know that whatever God has purposed for us, or to the
380 00:35:49.010 ⇒ 00:35:51.409 Henry Meng: the situation for us to be in right now.
381 00:35:51.560 ⇒ 00:35:57.870 Henry Meng: and the actions that are available to us, and the choices that we make out of that pool of potential actions
382 00:35:58.060 ⇒ 00:36:00.940 Henry Meng: it’s all working for, you know.
383 00:36:01.310 ⇒ 00:36:03.540 Henry Meng: are good, and also for God’s glory.
384 00:36:04.300 ⇒ 00:36:04.940 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
385 00:36:06.320 ⇒ 00:36:14.669 Henry Meng: Yeah, so that’s that’s interesting. And yeah, as far as like,
386 00:36:21.540 ⇒ 00:36:27.189 Henry Meng: yeah, I think it’s yeah to to expand on that like, yeah, like you said, you know, if I
387 00:36:28.890 ⇒ 00:36:31.242 Henry Meng: if I’m doing something
388 00:36:34.070 ⇒ 00:36:37.479 Henry Meng: or you know, let’s say an impulse comes into my mind, and I have to.
389 00:36:37.860 ⇒ 00:36:40.049 Henry Meng: I want to know if God is telling me to do it.
390 00:36:43.130 ⇒ 00:36:48.879 Henry Meng: And I want some like, basically like an explanation, like a explanation
391 00:36:49.810 ⇒ 00:36:55.640 Henry Meng: or or kind of like a justification for why I end up doing it. Oh, yeah, this guy told me. That’s why I did it.
392 00:36:55.880 ⇒ 00:36:56.680 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
393 00:36:58.950 ⇒ 00:37:00.210 Henry Meng: I feel like
394 00:37:00.720 ⇒ 00:37:07.340 Henry Meng: maybe it’s the other way around is like, because I did it. God got glory from it somehow.
395 00:37:07.340 ⇒ 00:37:08.010 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
396 00:37:08.010 ⇒ 00:37:10.160 Henry Meng: And so I don’t know. So it starts with.
397 00:37:10.160 ⇒ 00:37:10.890 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
398 00:37:10.890 ⇒ 00:37:13.690 Henry Meng: The the finished kind of product.
399 00:37:14.530 ⇒ 00:37:19.239 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, we start from like, everything you know is accomplishing
400 00:37:19.500 ⇒ 00:37:22.847 Robert Tseng: the per like, the purpose of glorifying God. And
401 00:37:24.350 ⇒ 00:37:26.750 Robert Tseng: yeah, rather than trying to like.
402 00:37:27.260 ⇒ 00:37:30.260 Robert Tseng: I mean, at least for me, it’s definitely like a selfish.
403 00:37:30.450 ⇒ 00:37:37.929 Robert Tseng: you know, self motivation. It’s like, I want to know that I’m becoming more like Jesus. And so I want to feel like
404 00:37:38.250 ⇒ 00:37:40.240 Robert Tseng: the decisions I’m making.
405 00:37:40.710 ⇒ 00:37:42.990 Henry Meng: Like a higher percentage of them.
406 00:37:43.330 ⇒ 00:37:54.450 Robert Tseng: I can justify ours, because God told me to do that. And I don’t really think that’s how it works and or like this not seems to be that Jesus didn’t really seem to disciple
407 00:37:54.810 ⇒ 00:37:58.539 Robert Tseng: as disciples in that situation that way. So.
408 00:37:58.760 ⇒ 00:38:03.589 Henry Meng: Yeah, no, I think that’s that’s that’s good. I mean.
409 00:38:03.840 ⇒ 00:38:06.849 Henry Meng: yeah, definitely, we all want to be more like Jesus.
410 00:38:07.430 ⇒ 00:38:14.150 Henry Meng: And then, yeah, it’s tempting to want like a a user manual. Basically.
411 00:38:14.290 ⇒ 00:38:14.910 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
412 00:38:15.870 ⇒ 00:38:16.560 Henry Meng: And
413 00:38:20.520 ⇒ 00:38:24.980 Robert Tseng: Because it also helps with like telling other people how to follow Jesus. You know, it’s like.
414 00:38:25.400 ⇒ 00:38:29.739 Henry Meng: But I think that’s the thing. It’s not a formulaic, and it will be formulaic.
415 00:38:29.740 ⇒ 00:38:31.010 Robert Tseng: It never was. Yeah.
416 00:38:31.370 ⇒ 00:38:32.720 Henry Meng: You know we can.
417 00:38:33.140 ⇒ 00:38:44.489 Henry Meng: We can tell people what work for us but to prescribe it, to prescribe what works for us to other people. I feel like it’s always very risky unless it’s like, yeah in the Bible, right?
418 00:38:44.710 ⇒ 00:38:45.300 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
419 00:38:45.710 ⇒ 00:38:51.450 Henry Meng: Yeah, so yeah.
420 00:38:52.040 ⇒ 00:38:58.450 Henry Meng: yeah. But I don’t think it’s I don’t think it’s self. I mean, it could be selfish, but it doesn’t mean that
421 00:39:01.080 ⇒ 00:39:07.940 Henry Meng: God wasn’t glorified via your kind of self, self-centered, maybe like
422 00:39:08.320 ⇒ 00:39:12.450 Henry Meng: deliberation, like, like, I think, like, ultimately, yeah, like.
423 00:39:13.160 ⇒ 00:39:19.000 Henry Meng: you know, God still gets the glory, because obviously you’re spending time like deliberating on how to honor him.
424 00:39:19.363 ⇒ 00:39:20.089 Robert Tseng: And like.
425 00:39:20.090 ⇒ 00:39:26.060 Henry Meng: Even if even if it’s like selfish like, I want to be able to say clearly, like I heard an audible voice from God.
426 00:39:28.500 ⇒ 00:39:31.160 Henry Meng: At the end of the day, like it’s, you know.
427 00:39:31.830 ⇒ 00:39:35.720 Henry Meng: you’re still like the motivation is right. You’re trying to be like Jesus, you know.
428 00:39:36.120 ⇒ 00:39:36.710 Robert Tseng: Hmm.
429 00:39:37.180 ⇒ 00:39:37.770 Henry Meng: So
430 00:39:39.870 ⇒ 00:39:43.559 Henry Meng: So interesting! How this ties into my my passage!
431 00:39:44.440 ⇒ 00:39:45.480 Robert Tseng: Oh, yeah. Okay.
432 00:39:45.480 ⇒ 00:39:52.630 Henry Meng: So my so I I didn’t like prepare anything super
433 00:39:53.070 ⇒ 00:40:02.620 Henry Meng: thorough for this. But yesterday we had our young adults grouped by church, and we read a passage from 1st John, chapter 2,
434 00:40:03.113 ⇒ 00:40:08.779 Henry Meng: and it’s specifically talking about Antichrist. So it’s kind of the opposite of what you’re saying. It’s like, you know.
435 00:40:09.220 ⇒ 00:40:11.900 Henry Meng: not be like Jesus. But this passage is talking about.
436 00:40:13.595 ⇒ 00:40:18.554 Henry Meng: You know, it says, do not love the world or the things in the world. So it’s like the things to avoid.
437 00:40:18.780 ⇒ 00:40:19.270 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
438 00:40:19.270 ⇒ 00:40:21.380 Henry Meng: You know, and
439 00:40:22.340 ⇒ 00:40:33.129 Henry Meng: specifically, I want you know. So there’s let me summarize the passage real quick, so it says, like, Don’t love the world. The world is passing away along with its desires. But whoever does the will of God abides forever.
440 00:40:34.380 ⇒ 00:40:38.480 Henry Meng: So basically don’t choose what’s temporary. Choose what’s permanent.
441 00:40:38.820 ⇒ 00:40:46.010 Henry Meng: And then you’ve heard that Antichrist is coming. So now many Antichrist have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
442 00:40:46.504 ⇒ 00:40:55.360 Henry Meng: But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge, etc. Etc. And whoever denies that Jesus is the Messiah
443 00:40:55.800 ⇒ 00:40:57.359 Henry Meng: is Antichrist?
444 00:40:59.050 ⇒ 00:41:06.639 Henry Meng: And yeah, whoever confesses the son has the father also.
445 00:41:06.760 ⇒ 00:41:19.960 Henry Meng: and then and then it says, Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you. Then you, too, will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He made to us eternal life.
446 00:41:20.370 ⇒ 00:41:24.780 Henry Meng: and then last little excerpt.
447 00:41:28.590 ⇒ 00:41:44.610 Henry Meng: But the anointing that you receive from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you, but as his anointing teaches you about everything and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you. Abide in him.
448 00:41:45.170 ⇒ 00:41:47.859 Henry Meng: So couple thoughts to pull out of this?
449 00:41:49.910 ⇒ 00:41:55.347 Henry Meng: So one is like, what’s the purpose of this passage? Is it really like to
450 00:41:56.580 ⇒ 00:41:58.650 Henry Meng: to tell people what not to do
451 00:42:00.380 ⇒ 00:42:07.283 Henry Meng: Well, it kind of is. But if I look at verse 18 here, it says,
452 00:42:09.560 ⇒ 00:42:19.699 Henry Meng: As you have heard, that Antichrist is coming. So now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. So in one sense it’s
453 00:42:19.820 ⇒ 00:42:24.760 Henry Meng: confirming. So the the proliferation of evil in the world confirms
454 00:42:25.020 ⇒ 00:42:29.269 Henry Meng: that Jesus is the Son of God because he predicted these things.
455 00:42:29.540 ⇒ 00:42:36.719 Henry Meng: And we also know the urgency is the last hour. So so there’s a lot of
456 00:42:38.290 ⇒ 00:42:44.419 Henry Meng: It’s not necessarily like, yeah. And and then also,
457 00:42:45.100 ⇒ 00:42:51.950 Henry Meng: verse 21. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
458 00:42:52.180 ⇒ 00:42:57.320 Henry Meng: So he’s not telling them anything they don’t know. He’s telling them something that they already know.
459 00:42:58.374 ⇒ 00:43:00.980 Henry Meng: So these are kind of like somewhat
460 00:43:01.170 ⇒ 00:43:07.589 Henry Meng: reasonably mature believers that he’s speaking to and so so
461 00:43:10.050 ⇒ 00:43:17.580 Henry Meng: yeah, you you all have knowledge in the previous verse, verse 20, and so
462 00:43:20.190 ⇒ 00:43:28.390 Henry Meng: So that so that brings me to verse 24, which I think gets at what the purpose of this kind of instruction is
463 00:43:28.710 ⇒ 00:43:31.776 Henry Meng: is not so the the
464 00:43:33.370 ⇒ 00:43:38.030 Henry Meng: So the previous context was setting the scene. For here’s what’s happening in the world.
465 00:43:38.890 ⇒ 00:43:41.589 Henry Meng: You know this proliferation of evil.
466 00:43:44.150 ⇒ 00:43:45.340 Henry Meng: And
467 00:43:49.170 ⇒ 00:43:52.306 Henry Meng: And I’m just reminding you of what you already know.
468 00:43:52.940 ⇒ 00:44:05.960 Henry Meng: And it says, Let what you heard from the beginning. So verse 24. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too, will abide in the Son and in the Father.
469 00:44:06.530 ⇒ 00:44:11.739 Henry Meng: So that speaks to me that you know Jesus commands us to abide in him
470 00:44:11.840 ⇒ 00:44:14.660 Henry Meng: right, and then he will abide in us.
471 00:44:16.730 ⇒ 00:44:17.919 Henry Meng: And it’s kind of like
472 00:44:19.330 ⇒ 00:44:29.919 Henry Meng: intertwined right? Like as we abide. Yeah, you abide in us. But this is all saying, Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. It was just the the simple gospel message.
473 00:44:31.720 ⇒ 00:44:44.460 Henry Meng: like, nurture it and meditate on it, and if you do this, then that’s the
474 00:44:44.620 ⇒ 00:44:51.789 Henry Meng: that’s the way to abide with Jesus. It’s not like there’s not. There’s really, you know.
475 00:44:54.440 ⇒ 00:45:03.139 Henry Meng: it’s not just like like, like, yeah, it’s not like a
476 00:45:09.100 ⇒ 00:45:11.400 Henry Meng: yeah. I guess what I’m trying to say is like, it’s
477 00:45:12.330 ⇒ 00:45:14.920 Henry Meng: It’s not a location, right? And it’s not.
478 00:45:14.920 ⇒ 00:45:15.380 Robert Tseng: Okay.
479 00:45:15.380 ⇒ 00:45:17.690 Henry Meng: A a state of mind that I can.
480 00:45:18.436 ⇒ 00:45:23.339 Henry Meng: I can put myself into in this state of abiding with Christ.
481 00:45:23.540 ⇒ 00:45:30.370 Henry Meng: It’s simply a status that is just.
482 00:45:31.050 ⇒ 00:45:34.499 Henry Meng: you know, immutable and guaranteed to us because of
483 00:45:34.830 ⇒ 00:45:40.350 Henry Meng: our standing as Christians and believers in Jesus.
484 00:45:43.270 ⇒ 00:45:51.439 Henry Meng: And and also, I like verse 27. So the anointing that you receive from him abides in you.
485 00:45:52.110 ⇒ 00:45:59.750 Henry Meng: So anointing is kind of like, just like God’s power and presence. I’m inferring.
486 00:46:01.210 ⇒ 00:46:11.590 Henry Meng: Here, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you abide in him. So
487 00:46:12.440 ⇒ 00:46:20.029 Henry Meng: so yeah, that kind of rounds out the whole passage because he’s talking about. Be careful of the people that are trying to pull you away from God.
488 00:46:20.150 ⇒ 00:46:21.899 Henry Meng: pull away from the true faith.
489 00:46:23.260 ⇒ 00:46:26.969 Henry Meng: And but if but if but but the
490 00:46:28.390 ⇒ 00:46:37.569 Henry Meng: the path to life is narrow, and the road to destruction is broad. So if you just avoid all the wrong roads, you’re still not guaranteed to get on the right path.
491 00:46:37.710 ⇒ 00:46:40.480 Robert Tseng: What will guarantee that you get on the right path.
492 00:46:41.040 ⇒ 00:46:42.609 Henry Meng: In abiding in Christ
493 00:46:43.760 ⇒ 00:46:51.789 Henry Meng: is to basically just follow the spirits leading. That’s that’s already been that that already abides in you
494 00:46:52.290 ⇒ 00:46:54.500 Henry Meng: and teaches you everything that you need to know
495 00:46:55.035 ⇒ 00:46:58.860 Henry Meng: and so so it’s kind of like it’s kinda
496 00:46:59.760 ⇒ 00:47:03.440 Henry Meng: so I think it relates back to what you’re saying in a couple of different ways.
497 00:47:03.670 ⇒ 00:47:04.010 Robert Tseng: Correct.
498 00:47:04.010 ⇒ 00:47:12.720 Henry Meng: One is that like it’s ultimately not any of our doing that determines our status
499 00:47:13.080 ⇒ 00:47:19.970 Henry Meng: as Christians, as faithful or not faithful fruitful or not fruitful
500 00:47:20.310 ⇒ 00:47:23.050 Henry Meng: disciplers or not disciplers, you know.
501 00:47:23.420 ⇒ 00:47:28.180 Henry Meng: The only thing that matters is what God has already planted in us
502 00:47:29.040 ⇒ 00:47:31.840 Henry Meng: immutably for the rest of time.
503 00:47:33.200 ⇒ 00:47:34.240 Henry Meng: And
504 00:47:38.700 ⇒ 00:47:42.179 Henry Meng: And he bears fruit from what he’s planted in us.
505 00:47:42.570 ⇒ 00:47:43.260 Robert Tseng: Go ahead!
506 00:47:43.490 ⇒ 00:47:44.660 Henry Meng: He he bears fruit.
507 00:47:45.780 ⇒ 00:47:46.640 Henry Meng: So, yeah.
508 00:47:50.710 ⇒ 00:47:51.320 Robert Tseng: A,
509 00:47:54.340 ⇒ 00:47:59.829 Robert Tseng: yeah, I mean, I really like that kind of emphasizing that last part of the verse 27 like.
510 00:48:00.330 ⇒ 00:48:02.180 Robert Tseng: it’s his anointing.
511 00:48:02.600 ⇒ 00:48:04.169 Robert Tseng: Like, I see. Yeah, like
512 00:48:04.590 ⇒ 00:48:09.750 Robert Tseng: that over time teaches us like that. It’s real and that it’s not counter. It’s just
513 00:48:09.910 ⇒ 00:48:15.379 Robert Tseng: over time, like the fruit bearing of what he planted us is us
514 00:48:16.190 ⇒ 00:48:21.299 Robert Tseng: being that it’s more and more real, like, less than a scab fit.
515 00:48:24.020 ⇒ 00:48:35.680 Robert Tseng: Yeah. And I find that anecdotally to be true. I think I maybe
516 00:48:40.720 ⇒ 00:49:01.309 Robert Tseng: at least on 2 fronts, like 2 dimensions. There’s like the seeing more and more true. Which is, yeah. I think, as you have more lived experience. You experience more of the truth of the gospel, and, as you see, and you know, transform your own life and transform other people’s lives, and I don’t know. Maybe, like as it changes my worldview more and more, and like.
517 00:49:01.470 ⇒ 00:49:08.399 Robert Tseng: I don’t know, like there is like a agreeing in my spirit that like, yes, like this is the truth, and there’s like that feeling there.
518 00:49:08.620 ⇒ 00:49:08.980 Henry Meng: Yeah.
519 00:49:09.940 ⇒ 00:49:12.969 Robert Tseng: And then there’s also like on the seeing that
520 00:49:13.450 ⇒ 00:49:18.019 Robert Tseng: other things are counterfeit, like I think there’s more discernment and like
521 00:49:18.340 ⇒ 00:49:25.685 Robert Tseng: it, you know it looks like, you know, wolf and sheep’s clothing. It looks good on the outside, but I know it’s like the path, at least the destruction. And
522 00:49:26.670 ⇒ 00:49:32.759 Robert Tseng: yeah, I agree. It’s like, so the way of abiding price is not simply by like
523 00:49:33.000 ⇒ 00:49:38.730 Robert Tseng: observing, like, what is not good at trying to avoid it, because that doesn’t bring you
524 00:49:38.870 ⇒ 00:49:46.910 Robert Tseng: something there about. It’s only through following Christ. You don’t accidentally like stumble into
525 00:49:47.480 ⇒ 00:49:52.199 Robert Tseng: the the straight and narrow path like it’s it is like a
526 00:49:54.320 ⇒ 00:50:03.279 Robert Tseng: well. There is a pull factor from from the spirit. And but then there’s like you, you having to in your daily daily walk, daily, following, walking, that that.
527 00:50:03.480 ⇒ 00:50:11.049 Robert Tseng: So, yeah, which is it about like our doing so much? Because our doing?
528 00:50:11.230 ⇒ 00:50:20.300 Robert Tseng: If we, if we measure, like our ability to follow off of our doing. Then we’re just like always. We may seem to always be like straying from the path.
529 00:50:21.710 ⇒ 00:50:25.980 Robert Tseng: That path is not narrow, because it’s so
530 00:50:27.290 ⇒ 00:50:31.480 Robert Tseng: constrained in what it allows us to do, but that it’s like
531 00:50:32.120 ⇒ 00:50:39.610 Robert Tseng: it, only it has to be through the lens of Christ, like it’s really like the it’s only through Jesus that, like
532 00:50:40.610 ⇒ 00:50:42.430 Robert Tseng: of like, whatever
533 00:50:42.720 ⇒ 00:50:48.829 Robert Tseng: we we do is or.do, is is able to be conformed to to this path.
534 00:50:49.400 ⇒ 00:50:50.020 Henry Meng: Yeah.
535 00:50:50.350 ⇒ 00:50:53.940 Robert Tseng: Yeah, it’s interesting.
536 00:50:54.660 ⇒ 00:50:58.179 Robert Tseng: Yeah, no, thanks for thanks for the meditation on that.
537 00:51:00.480 ⇒ 00:51:12.779 Robert Tseng: Yeah, no, I think is is good. I think there’s a part of me that feels like, Yeah, I don’t know like I saw, like I necessarily prepared like coming. It was like, Oh, we have so much catch up on. I want to like.
538 00:51:13.200 ⇒ 00:51:19.745 Robert Tseng: I want to tell Henry all the things that I’ve been doing, or God has been doing in my life, and it’s like a lot of the doing thing. But I think,
539 00:51:20.340 ⇒ 00:51:25.070 Robert Tseng: feel like today, God was just reminding me that.
540 00:51:28.040 ⇒ 00:51:35.969 Robert Tseng: Yeah, he’s he of what? Yeah, just like a reminder of what it means for him to be the one to establish my steps. And it’s
541 00:51:36.450 ⇒ 00:51:39.020 Robert Tseng: not necessarily it’s not as yeah. It’s not in my day.
542 00:51:41.670 ⇒ 00:51:43.046 Henry Meng: Yeah, it’s hard to
543 00:51:46.170 ⇒ 00:51:50.110 Henry Meng: It’s hard to give up that control, I think. And
544 00:51:50.340 ⇒ 00:51:55.250 Henry Meng: it’s kind of also confusing sometimes, because we have to totally surrender to God.
545 00:51:55.400 ⇒ 00:52:04.399 Henry Meng: but, like, you know, like at work, I have to drive projects, and, like, you know, get things done. So I have to put my hand on the steering wheel. But then, is it really
546 00:52:04.850 ⇒ 00:52:13.629 Henry Meng: you know me driving? Or it’s like, you know, it’s got equipment with everything I need to drive. And then, basically, all I’m doing is autopilot, you know.
547 00:52:14.240 ⇒ 00:52:14.850 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
548 00:52:14.850 ⇒ 00:52:15.530 Henry Meng: So.
549 00:52:16.780 ⇒ 00:52:17.330 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
550 00:52:18.820 ⇒ 00:52:19.530 Robert Tseng: Hmm.
551 00:52:20.250 ⇒ 00:52:20.910 Henry Meng: Yeah.
552 00:52:21.730 ⇒ 00:52:23.800 Henry Meng: So I don’t know. I think like
553 00:52:24.830 ⇒ 00:52:34.633 Henry Meng: 1. 1 thing I take away from like John Piper. God, is that joy is essential, right? Like
554 00:52:39.110 ⇒ 00:52:49.173 Henry Meng: If you’re doing something for God, and it doesn’t spark joy, then most likely, even though it could be the right thing to do, you could still be doing it from the wrong heart.
555 00:52:50.620 ⇒ 00:52:54.519 Henry Meng: because yeah, something in your heart doesn’t resonate with what you’re doing.
556 00:52:55.180 ⇒ 00:52:55.860 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
557 00:52:56.146 ⇒ 00:52:58.440 Henry Meng: And so I kind of just think like.
558 00:52:58.800 ⇒ 00:53:01.650 Henry Meng: And that doesn’t mean we, you know.
559 00:53:03.680 ⇒ 00:53:11.625 Henry Meng: we pursue everything that brings us pleasure. I think that’s still very different from joy, but it requires discernment to know the difference between pleasure and joy.
560 00:53:12.720 ⇒ 00:53:19.460 Henry Meng: but but I do think, like generally aiming to do more of the things that bring us joy.
561 00:53:19.680 ⇒ 00:53:27.650 Henry Meng: and less the things that don’t bring us joy, regardless of whether that intersects with the categories of spiritual versus non-spiritual
562 00:53:28.250 ⇒ 00:53:32.006 Henry Meng: is generally like better right.
563 00:53:32.560 ⇒ 00:53:33.120 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
564 00:53:33.400 ⇒ 00:53:33.970 Henry Meng: And.
565 00:53:36.360 ⇒ 00:53:40.588 Robert Tseng: Yeah, that’s a that’s a that’s a good good way to put it, I think.
566 00:53:41.550 ⇒ 00:53:43.969 Robert Tseng: yeah. From the joy set beforehand.
567 00:53:44.100 ⇒ 00:53:54.040 Robert Tseng: Jesus endure the cross so like even that it’s like the joy that you are pursuing may not be instant. That’s the difference. Pleasure is instantaneous, but joy is like
568 00:53:54.630 ⇒ 00:54:00.310 Robert Tseng: not necessarily something you’ll experience like right away. It’s like, kind of a maybe a gradual
569 00:54:00.470 ⇒ 00:54:02.090 Robert Tseng: build up to it, and.
570 00:54:02.980 ⇒ 00:54:04.800 Henry Meng: Yeah, yeah, just like the.
571 00:54:06.250 ⇒ 00:54:18.290 Robert Tseng: The the time or path to outcome is is different from just like the way that the world perceives like access to pleasure or whatever. So I think there’s some discernment on on that like
572 00:54:20.040 ⇒ 00:54:33.400 Robert Tseng: I don’t know but there are. There are definitely some things that like are shortcuts to joy, and I think our brains are just like wired to be like, Oh, yeah, pattern pattern match like this has brought me some degree of happiness before. Just keep going back to the same thing.
573 00:54:33.540 ⇒ 00:54:48.350 Robert Tseng: I mean, there could be unhealthy addictions, and I definitely like have like certain things that I keep getting distracted by, and that, I know are not operations, and I don’t want to spend time thinking or pursuing those pleasures. But
574 00:54:48.650 ⇒ 00:54:59.770 Robert Tseng: yeah, and then, like, part of is like training myself to like, know? There’s joy in the waiting and and like, I don’t know, like trying to expand my palate, for like things that bring me joy.
575 00:55:00.210 ⇒ 00:55:07.050 Henry Meng: Yeah, yeah, I think it takes meditation like meditating off those situations.
576 00:55:07.340 ⇒ 00:55:15.169 Henry Meng: And yeah, I think it also takes like, like, meditation unlocks different perspectives.
577 00:55:15.400 ⇒ 00:55:19.290 Henry Meng: on situations, relationships, things like that.
578 00:55:19.570 ⇒ 00:55:20.290 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
579 00:55:21.100 ⇒ 00:55:22.129 Henry Meng: I think it.
580 00:55:22.700 ⇒ 00:55:24.331 Henry Meng: Yeah, I like to.
581 00:55:26.430 ⇒ 00:55:35.500 Henry Meng: I like to try to look at or try to get in the habit of like looking at situations and from different perspectives. See? Like, where’s the you know?
582 00:55:36.210 ⇒ 00:55:48.559 Henry Meng: Even if it was you know, even if it was a a what’s the word like a
583 00:55:50.000 ⇒ 00:55:52.709 Henry Meng: even if I got sidetracked. Maybe someone else
584 00:55:53.637 ⇒ 00:55:57.100 Henry Meng: benefited. And you know. So
585 00:55:57.640 ⇒ 00:56:09.609 Henry Meng: there’s always like different ways to think about. Think through situations, and I think God gives us that that perspective to that wisdom to see. There’s a bigger picture, you know. It’s not just about me and my comfort, you know.
586 00:56:10.060 ⇒ 00:56:11.750 Robert Tseng: Yeah, totally.
587 00:56:13.860 ⇒ 00:56:18.350 Robert Tseng: Okay. Well, I know you gotta. We both have calls in a couple of minutes, I mean.
588 00:56:19.237 ⇒ 00:56:26.030 Robert Tseng: I guess we could just text prayer requests, or something we will. We’ll pray for next time.
589 00:56:26.910 ⇒ 00:56:27.660 Henry Meng: Yeah.
590 00:56:29.340 ⇒ 00:56:36.090 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I mean, if you want, I’d be down to do an in person meet up next week or something if you want to change it up.
591 00:56:36.400 ⇒ 00:56:39.959 Henry Meng: Yeah, I think that would be cool. Let me check my calendar up.
592 00:56:41.380 ⇒ 00:56:42.310 Henry Meng: Let’s see.
593 00:56:43.924 ⇒ 00:56:46.664 Henry Meng: Oh, 19th is Juneteenth
594 00:56:48.080 ⇒ 00:56:49.040 Robert Tseng: Do you have it off?
595 00:56:50.520 ⇒ 00:56:53.610 Henry Meng: Yes, but I don’t know if that would.
596 00:56:54.550 ⇒ 00:56:59.779 Henry Meng: Well, actually, if if you ever want to, just like go for a morning like walk or something,
597 00:57:00.070 ⇒ 00:57:00.760 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
598 00:57:00.760 ⇒ 00:57:03.340 Henry Meng: Yeah. Mornings are generally pretty free for me.
599 00:57:03.890 ⇒ 00:57:04.500 Robert Tseng: Okay.
600 00:57:04.670 ⇒ 00:57:11.400 Robert Tseng: cool. Then I’ll I’ll get back to you on what morning it’d probably be. Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, Monday. Tuesdays are pretty crazy for me. So
601 00:57:11.570 ⇒ 00:57:13.520 Robert Tseng: yeah, essentially pretty tied up there.
602 00:57:14.340 ⇒ 00:57:20.549 Henry Meng: Yeah. Sounds good. Oh, so not Wednesday, because I go into the office on Wednesdays. So Friday sounds good. Yeah. Maybe next Friday.
603 00:57:20.550 ⇒ 00:57:22.030 Robert Tseng: Okay, cool.
604 00:57:22.320 ⇒ 00:57:23.030 Robert Tseng: Right?
605 00:57:23.530 ⇒ 00:57:24.309 Henry Meng: Alright, take care!
606 00:57:24.310 ⇒ 00:57:26.260 Robert Tseng: Thank you, Henry. Have a blessed week.
607 00:57:26.260 ⇒ 00:57:27.108 Henry Meng: You, too, see you.