Shyness

When offering help to a stranger one never needs to be shy when their intention is to care.

in my own words

The message of the Bible is …

that there exists a creator of the universe,  of all the elements that compose matter, and of all living organisms.

This creator, God, deeply cares for humans and wants them to know how important they are.

Every person, regardless of their sex, gender, race, socio-economic background, culture, ethnicity, religion, or creed, is significantly valued and cherished.

People have the highest worth to God. He values plants, animals, insects, and nature; but people have a particular interest to Him because he designed them to be his peers.

God wants people to know him closely like a good friend. He wants this friendship not because he needs people, but it’s because he finds enjoyment in interacting with them.

However, even if people aren’t interested in this friendship, that doesn’t change how he feels about them.

A majority of the people in the world have chosen to separate themselves, directly and or indirectly, from God. Directly, by intentionally avoiding and ignoring him or indirectly, by living in ways contrary to his interests and values.

Because God is good and His ways are health promoting, unfortunately living dissimilar to his ways is harmful.  Acting and living contrary to his ways causes harm to one’s mind, emotions, and spirit.  Living this way hurts humans’ relationships, damages their environment, and distances themselves further from God.

Many people do not realize that they are intentionally avoiding God or living antitheticaly to his design. Consequently, they don’t realize the harm that is inflected.

In spite of this, motivated by love, God took the initiative to show people that there is a better way.  He did not do this to judge them. He did this because he wants them to live better.

God has made a way for people to reconnect with him.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

God sent his son into this world in the form of a human being. His son had all the natural limitations and experiences of humans. He ate, slept, went to the bathroom, worked at a job, and followed the rules of society.

His son was the only person in history who was able to live completely according to God’s ways at every moment all the time.

Being in right standing with God, at the end of this life, his son took on all of the negative consequences that came from humanity’s lifestyle. This caused him to physically die. In his death, everything was wiped clean.

As a sign to show this process actually worked, God performed a miracle. He raised his son from the dead.

The son’s life, death, and resurrection made a new door for any person to be close to God again.

Today if a person follows the son, that person has access to know God and to live in his ways.

love

10.30.2011

- Sleeping In

- warm bed, warm clothes

- Lunch with Tran’s

- Ability to learn

- hearing His voice

- reflecting on Rescue 2011

10.29.2011

- rebounding

- burrito bowl

- time with mom

- soup, prayers, and papaya from ptr and daugther

- porridge and prayers for mom

- energy to study

- quiet place to study

- enjoying coffee

- breakfast wit T.C.

- Safety in driving

- Seeing brother

- convenience of using an ipad

- warm clothes

10.28.2011

- healing from cold

- visiting SJSU

- seeing mom

- ability to read and learn

10.27.2011

- coffee and prayer with G.K.

- Pizza!!! with T.C., R.S., and new friends

- Seeing mom

- Sleeping in

10.26.2011

- Learning about east asia

- Free food!  (pizza, wraps, brownies)

- lunch with R.B.,  her support for a letter of rec

- freedom

10.25.2011

- catching up with A.L., her support for a letter of rec

- dinner with dad

faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

We live by faith and not by sight.

‘Have faith in God’, Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth. If any of you says to this mountain ‘go throw yourself into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

Faith without works is dead.

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, it is the gift of God, not by works,  so that no one can boast.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ

Appetite

Develop a hunger for the healthy

thank you

- dinner with dad and mom

- dad making fish and shrimp

- spending time with mom

- seeing jk’s iphone 4s

- hanging out with jk and sm @starbucks

- pizza buffet with wm family

- hearing SL preach from 1 Cor 15

- Enjoying God’s presence wit wm family

- Freedom to sleep in

- more energy

- playing with mom’s ipad

10/15

- learning about casa lupe

- dinner with mike

- chatting and catching up with bros

- lunch with the guys

- sky high with the guys

- playing with mom’s ipad

10/14

- blessing at police station

- smoothly closing card accounts

- DMV was super fast and smooth

- reimbursements

- Saving money, spending less than anticipated!

- everything being taken care of

- time with mom

10/13

- Safely driving home from SD

- Safely driving in spite of missing **

- Lunch with CT

- Lunch treated by CT

- Plenty of gas to get back

- Seeing LV

- Sweetly staying over at the Chins

10/12

- Card games with HC, TC, and MC

- Warm bed to sleep in

- “What do you think” with DP, CP, TC

- Souplantation!

- MC treats me dinner

- playing with puppy tyler

- Safe driving

- Seeing UCSD, ralphs, TJ

- Seeing Prof. E

- Prof. E remembers me!!

- Consent for rec!

- Parking

- Arriving on time

- Waking up on time

10/12

- parking spaces

- warm and furnished room to stay in

- loving dinner made by TC

- Staying awake!

- Time alone with God

- Safely driving from SJ to SD

life

Life is about a relationship.

It’s about deeply knowing, inside out, a person that chose to give you utmost affection.

It’s about discovering a person’s quirks, finding out what’s on their mind, enjoying just being with them.

It’s about adventuring with them.

Life’s true joy is found in sacrificing for those who can’t pay you back; and this is especially magnified when it’s done anonymously.

Life is about choosing to serve someone regardless of any benefit they can give to you; unconditionally giving them your favor; and doing so as much as you can to as many people as you can.

Life is about giving away as much money as you can to the neediest; and in doing so finding out that you have all that you could ever need; and empowering the recipients to realize also how exceedingly rich and provided for they are.

Life is about choosing joy and gratitude daily.  Nothing can bring you down.   Joy is choice.  Love is choice.

Unshakable inner joy is life.   Money is not life. Recognition from others is not life. Physical pleasure is not life.

Life is about changing crap into treasure.  If the world turns upside down; life is about facing it head on.

Life is about making what’s wrong right; life is about an unwavering stand for the truth.  The truth never fails.

Love never fails.

When one stands for truth, they never fall.

When one loves, they always win.

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” - Jesus

farming

Like a farmer who must daily till his land, I must actively nourish and clean up my mind; less it be sapped or littered with weeds  (1) .  Change seems constant;  similarly, as time passes, my worldview continues to be conformed (2).

What will I conform myself to !!!?

Sow; plant; think; apply;

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. “

(1) Honestly, I actually don’t know much about farming but I’m assuming this is this case.

(2) this seems contrary the maxim, “can’t teach a dog new tricks.”

back

Dear friends,

I’ve been chasing a goose.

During this hiatus, I’ve found that goose isn’t too different than chicken.

Maybe much of what I strive to gain I already have been given.

goodness

5/1/2011

- time with mom

- mom recovering !

- kind nurses, staff, and doctors!

- visit from family (A,L,M,R) , generous gifts, support, fruit, chocolate!

- supportive calls and emails

- prayers bringing healing and peace

- visit from S, V, J !

- being able to speak healing to neighbor, C.

- being able to pray for resurrection of J.

- Kind staff that let me use the staff microwave to heat my food!

- Watching clips of NBA playoffs

- gre studying in vmc

- warm bed

- plenty of food and water

4/30/2011

- after prayer, diagnosis shifted !

- mom has physical rest and recovering!

- listening to A. Wommack messages and discussing them with mom

- encouraging messages and emails

- being able speak healing to S.

- subway and 7 layer burrito

4/29/2011

- RW at ALCF!

- Learning the dance with N, R, and K!

- Romans 7 & 8

- Safety in travel

- Jhall – youth really engaged, positive

- Being able to leave Jhall early

- pictures for S2S

- sleep