Grace Upon Grace

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Fri, 03 May 2013 01:53:30 -0400

my roommate

Fri, 03 May 2013 01:49:08 -0400

one moment she’s wearing a sleepy smile and contemplating whether to name her water bottle Hunter or Ian, the next moment I look at her and she’s fast asleep. ><

It's the small things..

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:58:02 -0400

texts from people who care.
finding moments of prayer.
smiles from strangers.
catching up with a friend.
hearing “have a good night!”

hehehehehe. we embrace awkwardness ❤

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:07:27 -0400

hehehehehe. we embrace awkwardness ❤

The most convicting thing he said was this, “Don’t worry about how God will use you, worry about...

Wed, 01 May 2013 01:40:58 -0400

The most convicting thing he said was this, “Don’t worry about how God will use you, worry about your relationship with Him.” That quote profoundly impacted me that moment. Up until that moment, I was constantly thinking about my future, especially on what I want to do in ministry when I got back. But when he said, I knew immediately God was talking to me.

This is certainly true of everyone. Many of us feel like we get our significance from all the things we do for God. Many of us feel entitled to many things because we are placed in certain ministry leadership. But none of that brings true significance to us. One thing I live my life by and try to teach everyone I meet is this, you are not significant because of the things you do for God, but you are significant because you are a child of God.

Confidence, Light, & Thanksgiving

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 03:00:35 -0400

2 Corinthians 3:4-6, 4:5-6

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ through God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31, 1:4-9

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who basts, boast in the Lord.”

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge -even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you- so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hebrews 13

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:09:00 -0400

Sacrifices Pleasing to God

13 Let brotherly love continue. ²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for therebysome have entertained angels unawares. ³Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. ⁴Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. ⁵Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

⁷Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ⁹Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.¹⁰We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. ¹¹For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. ¹²So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. ¹³Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. ¹⁴For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. ¹⁵Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. ¹⁶Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

¹⁸Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. ¹⁹I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Benediction

²⁰Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,²¹equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ,to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Pause & Reflect

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:59:28 -0400

2 Samuel 12:24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

“Taking time for reflection allows us to focus our attention upon God’s goodness and strengthens our faith. Sometimes we are so progress- and future-oriented that we fail to take time to recall all that God has already done. Remember what God has done for you so that you may move ahead with gratitude.”

yes, my dad is about to eat a snail. heheh.

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:58:26 -0400

yes, my dad is about to eat a snail. heheh.

Spring~

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:47:43 -0400

Today…

I had lunch with Jenny Kwon.
I had class with Kwang Hyuk and Julie.
I bought a book at Norris.
I had dinner with Hosu and Kwang Hyuk. We talked about our days, spring break stories, and life goals.
I went to a fireside talk about what to do with a psychology degree.
I had an AMASE Exec meeting.
Then I had an Outreach Team meeting.

And now.. my room smells like fries and I really want some.

My prayer request is to keep loving, keep trying, keep believing, keep depending and asking for more grace, keep being open and vulnerable and honest, keep asking for accountability, keep praying… to persevere.

Hebrews 12

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do Not Grow Weary

³Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. ⁴In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
⁶For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

⁷It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, ¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.¹⁴Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.¹⁵See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled…

Ah. God’s Word is good. Believe it! :)

I GOT TO RUN OUTSIDE TODAY :D

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:11:55 -0400

Ok, maybe it was more of a jog/walk. But still, I hope to make it a habit haha.

Anyways, I was amazed to see the beach on this fine spring day… and the transformation that took place since winter quarter. Just like.. one month ago there were huge ice blocks on the shore and floating chunks of mini-icebergs in the gray water. Today, those ice blocks have diminished into fine grains of sand and the water is silky~ smooth and a sparkling bright blue.

If the warmth and radiance of the sun is able to make such a drastic transformation of nature, then why do we so often doubt whether the Creator of that sun is able to change stubborn, prideful, and unbelieving hearts of people? It may take time that seems longer than we’d like and continual prayers for us to trust and have patience, but God is able and today was a simple reminder of that.

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Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:27:26 -0400

elaine.cha. :)

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:23:08 -0400

elaine.cha. :)

My Day

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:46:34 -0400

worked on leadership app till 3am, wheeeee
got up at 8:50am to get to chicago
barely got back on the 11:15am shuttle to campus
quick lunch at allison with brandon, lucas, johan, and a new friend spencer park
picked up 9 helium balloons from heejae for sunah’s birthday :)
(got many stares & smiles walking down sheridan with these)
first class of spring quarter with lee won! got a migraine and wanted to leave…. but would’ve been too conspicuous to leave with all the balloons :P
returned to bobb, said hello to elaine^^, took a tylenol, left to deliver balloons to sunah at norris
met christine noh on the walk over :)
after the delivery I came back to bobb, paid for tuition, dropped a class, added a class
went to my second and last class of the day- HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY. love it already~~~

and here I am now, updating you on my life.

wah, already so busy >< but trying to take things one at a time. other random thoughts:

Fall quarter I took an adulthood and aging class where for one of my assignments I got to interview an 83-year old woman about her life. I promised her to let her read my paper once I finished it, and I still have to go and meet her!!! Definitely must do this before this year ends.
Selling and buying books is stressful.
Ironically, trying to live a healthy life is stressful to me… strange. Maybe because old habits die hard. I’m hoping to learn a lot from my health psychology class on how to move towards a healthier lifestyle!
Juggling commitments is stressful, and yet I still want to commit to more things… -_- This means… my pride is telling me I can handle more when in reality it’d be best for me to prioritize and choose to invest in the commitments I’ve already made.
all this stress has been making me very unwilling to step into spring quarter. but it’s here and I have to embrace that, yo.

Photo

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:09:40 -0400

Our prayers are often like this:

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:17:29 -0400

Jesus, how could you accept me? I’m so awful. I’m a failure. I can never please my parents. I will follow you when I become a better person.

What Jesus tells us is “I love you and I accept you —just as you are. You don’t have to make yourself better to come to me. Just come.

Jesus, I am so ashamed that I have failed. I never get it right. I am such a worm.

Yet Jesus’ message to us is “You are going to blow it. You will fail. You don’t have to do it perfectly. I can live with that. I forgive you. Get up.”

Jesus, I never please Dad. Mom always finds fault with my grades. I just can’t live up to their expectations of me.

Jesus tells us, “You’re right. You can’t always please your parents. Instead, find your identity first in me. Yes, your family is important, but pleasing me is more important.”

—-quoted from Following Jesus Without Dishonoring Your Parents

(Personally, I think Jesus’ words would be more loving :D heheh)

I always gain such deep insights about myself, cultures, and God through this book. A lot of reconciliation and guidance too.

Gotta learn to prioritize my time, even —especially during...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:02:29 -0400

Gotta learn to prioritize my time, ~~even~~ —especially during breaks.

Matthew 11:19 “But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

Help keep me accountable, please! :)

Ah, good-bye winter quarter :) birthday celebrations. long,...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:07:50 -0400

Ah, good-bye winter quarter :)

birthday celebrations. long, honest conversations. endless meetings. prayer. renewed convictions. added uncertainties. unmet goals. plenty of feelings of inadequacy. and yet, through everything I’ve received grace in abundance. Romans 5:17.

God, thank you for bringing me here. And, thank you for always...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:41:50 -0400

God, thank you for bringing me here. And, thank you for always being with me.

Video

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 17:05:00 -0400