Let’s start with my son’s wedding…
At the end of May this year, on the afternoon of Pentecost, my son Junan got married. The wedding was held outdoors in an art center with a vast lawn, towering trees, and a medieval castle in the suburbs of Philadelphia; the banquet was held in an exhibition hall with walls covered with modern art creations.
The couple started planning their wedding last year and confessed frankly that they were new to society and had little savings. They just wanted to have a simple wedding they could afford, and only invited close relatives, close friends and church friends. For me, this is a big blow! Jun'an is my only son, and my son's wedding is only once in my life. You must give me a chance (even if it costs me everything) to invite my relatives, colleagues, and friends! I have more than a hundred relatives in the United States, including my child’s father, four sisters, and dozens of descendants. Plus my close friends don’t have a quota of three to five hundred, which is definitely not enough. However, although the two children were extremely determined, fortunately they were reasonable and were willing to let me participate in deciding the venue, and also reserved forty places for me among the one hundred guests. Fortunately, my relatives and friends understand!
Their wedding notice (the first invitation date card) and wedding invitation card were completely handmade and sent out by themselves. The bride’s dress was tailor-made stitch by stitch from the fabric she bought herself. They designed the venue decoration themselves and taught their friends about it. It was all done with help, photography and video were all helped by friends, and the bride’s makeup and hair were all done by herself. The two were concerned that the church they attended was a so-called inner city church (church in a poor old city), filled with "poor" young people like themselves who had low incomes but were committed to serving the disadvantaged. The gift list was posted on their wedding website Not only are there not many of them, but they are all low-priced items. Even if my friends are trying to help persuade them to entertain guests with peace of mind, these uncles and aunts can "afford the red envelope money" to help and will not lose money. They only replied that they do not expect anything in return, and they only hope that everyone will celebrate with them. .
At the wedding, there was nothing I needed to do except dress beautifully and dance with the groom’s son during the banquet.
The result was a wedding as beautiful as a fairy tale! A relative praised: "It was an unforgettable wedding!"
Frankly speaking, since they got engaged last summer and started preparing for their wedding, I have found that I have to re-examine my own values, worldview, and cultural outlook, and reflect on how much of the heavenly cultural values I have been working hard to promote have been implemented in my life. among.
I found that when I decided to rely on the culture of heaven, I would no longer be bound by the world's sophistication, fully respect and accept their decision, and enjoy their true, frank and beautiful wedding.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Scottish doctor James Mac to Taiwan as a missionary. After that, groups of missionaries came to Taiwan one after another, living out the model of heavenly culture before our eyes, and becoming the faith inheritance of my own family and many other Christian families. How do these heavenly cultures behave? This is the focus of this issue following the last issue dedicated to Millennials (please refer to the “Kingdom Outreach Unit”).
In such a changing world, God the Father’s timeless heavenly culture and heavenly values allow us to enjoy a free, beautiful and rich life. Such a culture can naturally have a dialogue with any culture (please refer to the "Kingdom Community Unit" - Preaching the Gospel to Parents), can build a home where faith is passed down (please refer to the "Kingdom Relations Unit"), and can live a practical and enjoyable life. This great book (see the "Kingdom Culture" section) will prepare you to be a competent steward in the world (see the "Kingdom Talents section").
Of course, please don’t miss the two extremely exciting travel camps in the Kingdom of God next year─please refer to page 6 and the introduction on the back cover. details.
As I was writing this general preface, Professor Wen Yingqian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kingdom of God, reminded me to pray urgently for dedication. It has been exactly ten years since the publication of Kingdom of God Magazine. This issue marks the beginning of the eleventh year. We are deeply grateful for the past ten years. In addition to our well-organized team of volunteer editors who have served faithfully, we have been working silently on the Kingdom of God cultural mission field for ten years. We also express our gratitude to every supporter. We do not have fixed support from a financial institution, church or individual, but God the Father gives us what we need every year so that this ministry and this magazine can continue to reach you.
Author profile Gao Lili is the founder and CEO of Kingdom of God Christian Association. He has served as a senior executive in large American companies for many years and is currently in full-time ministry. He often lectures and leads camps throughout North America and Asia, and is extremely responsible for training leadership and management models that are in line with God’s will.