more than just the turkey.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

[Psalms 100:1-5]

==========

on sunday during our church's thanksgiving service, i was blessed to hear the message given by Pastor Lubaton of Faith Calvary Baptist Church. the title was "Be Thankful...For the Lord is Good!" oh man, what a great reminder of how absolutely undeserving we are for the wonderful blessings we are given (everything from the luxuries we enjoy or the very air we breathe!). but beyond that, how absolutely undeserving we are to have a sovereign God who abundantly pours out His unconditional love to us.

i'd just like to share the points that Pastor Lubaton presented.
some very important reasons why we should be thankful:

1) we have a sovereign God- there are no accidents/coincidences in life. God is in control of ALL things, though our flesh and pride often sways us to think otherwise.

2) God loves us unconditionally- though friendships and relationships can easily falter, we have the assurance that God continues to love us regardless of our condition, no matter how disobedient we are/were. God's love is so grand that He gave His only Son for us (which constantly boggles my mind!). God's mercy is so great that, only through Christ, He saves us from what we deserve by offering forgiveness for even our ugliest sins if we choose to have faith in Him. God's grace is so amazing that He continues to provide for us even when we do not deserve such blessings. because of this unconditional love, there is eternal salvation and eternal security.

3) we are forgiven- we've all made our mistakes, but they were not mistakes in God's eyes, they were part of His precise plan for our lives. how completely incredible to know that we can be forgiven for all our past failures when we humbly repent of our sinful lives and constantly strive to turn away from those sins and be like Christ. through our faith in Christ, our debts are completely erased and we should be eternally grateful.

4) we have direct communication with God through the Holy Spirit- God gives us so many things. sometimes we focus on the blessings more than the blesser. regardless if something good or something bad is happening, the Lord just wants our praise. how wonderful to know that through prayer, we can offer Him praise and cast our anxieties on a faithful God who grants our requests if it is according to His will.

it's not about what we receive, but who God is. when you have a problem, who better to go to but God himself who provides all things, gives all things, and loves us without question.

happy thanksgiving, lovelies!!

victory lap.

during my visit to the academic counselor:

me: "so I just need two more classes??"

counselor: "yes, now let me check if you have enough units... oh... wow, yes, you definitely have more than enough."


next quarter:
+ psychology of language
+ coaching sports
+ astronomy
+ beginning poetry
+ but hopefully history of jazz instead of one of these.


time's running short to enjoy all this free knowledge.
ah, the perks of being a super senior.

in His time

thank you Lord for being patient with us
even when we are not.

Lord, would you please continue to work
in the hearts & minds of those who are searching?

forgive us for shaking our fists
when things do not comply with our timeline.

although we do not see immediate results,
dear God, we know you are doing great things.

weAk 7.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
[Psalm 28:7]

Lord, you know that i am exhausted and drained.
would You please revive me, dear God?
please allow me to again acknowledge
that there is a purpose and perfect plan in all of this.
i continue to commit all my work to You.
i can see You are already doing
great things in these young hearts,
which i am so overjoyed and grateful for.
You would not give me anything that i could not handle.
and beyond that, there is nothing You cannot handle.

Lord, humble me to find rest in You.
and with all of this, grow me to praise You
despite the circumstances.


Lord, be my strength.

let's GO.

when i think about the Lord

how He saved me, how He raised me
how He filled me with the Holy Ghost
how He healed me to the uttermost
when i think about the Lord
how he picked me up turned me around
how He set my feet on solid ground

i've been thinking about this song a lot. what an absolute joy to know that God loved me, even before my own parents loved me, way before i even knew who He was. He picked me up, turned me around, set my feet on solid ground! PTL!

it makes me want to shout hallelujah!
thank you, Jesus!
Lord, you're worthy of all the glory,
and all the honor and all the praise!
Hallelujah! thank you, Jesus!
Lord, you're worthy of all the glory,
and all the honor and all the praise!

- When I Think About the Lord by Shane Barnard

at rock harbor, the current series is "a life that demands explanation". do you live your life set apart from the world? does your lifestyle make people curious to know what makes you so happy, so hopeful during the good and the bad times? even though you profess to have Christ on the inside, do your outward actions reflect that? does the joy and peace of having Christ in your life make people ask questions? are you a light? do you stand out in a crowd of non-believers?

it's been a blessing to hear about this topic of being "set apart" from the world and hearing church friends excited to live radically for Jesus. it scares me to get lukewarm, going through the motions of "that Christian thing", getting too comfortable with my faith, which hinders my own spiritual growth and also stunts the growth of His kingdom. it's like holding in an all-powerful cure to all diseases from everyone in the world because of laziness or fear of how someone's going to respond. that's just silly.

a resident sent me a video of jaeson ma sharing a message at the University of Texas (i encourage you to watch both parts). he explains that often time, today's Christians are so caught up in having people come to them. come to church, come to bible study. and while that it is all good to be bold enough to invite people... instead, he suggests to GO. go out and preach the gospel, go and talk to strangers, go and take those risks, go and serve the Lord. leave the security of your comfort zone. im really trying to do this and i've learned it ain't easy. it's scary and i still doubt myself, but i think that's where the problem is because it's not about me. it's about giving these daily missions to God because only because of Him and through Him and with Him can we find the strength to actually do anything at all.

pray for boldness.
pray for wisdom.
pray for opportunities.

=========

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone
who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect,
[1 Peter 3:15]

it may seem difficult to explain so much,
but dear Lord, give me the courage and wisdom to try.

lost.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
[Psalm 34:18]

=========

lately, my heart's been set on the lost. for those searching for identity, for those trying to find meaning, for those trying to find a purpose in life, for those trying to attain happiness. the things people try to fill those voids with just set them deeper into isolation and doubt. i know... i've been there. there are a lot of people on my prayer list and i pray that--in His time-- they will see the joy and peace they can have in a life centered on faith, grounded on the Creator of all things, provider of all things, sovereign over all things.

God gives you this very life to enjoy, all He asks for is your life in return. some may argue that submitting in that way leads you into a life of restriction, limited by a set of strict rules. but it is not that at all. i'd say it's a pretty fair trade. by devoting your life to a good & faithful God, you receive the free gift of eternal life, free from the shame and guilt of sin because of a sacrifice made on the Cross. you gain this hope that despite of all that shady business you were involved in before, you are made completely new, wiped completely clean. i can't get over that fact, so simple but so ridiculously amazing! it's seriously so incredible and mind-blowing how an almighty God who created the most ginormous things on earth could care for a single person, forgiving you for things that may even be difficult to forgive yourself for. because of this, you'll want to abide by His commandments, you'll want to give your praise and show your gratitude to this wonderful God for taking you in... no matter what you've done before, no matter how broken you are, or how unworthy you feel. truth is, none of us deserve what He offers, but praise God for his grace and mercy that He gives out of His abundant love.
praise God for everything.

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

-Who Am I by Casting Crowns

on my heart.

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
[Matthew 28:18-20]
===========

I'm not backing down
I will stand my ground
Lifting high the name of Jesus

Holding out Your light
To a world in need
Living out the love of Jesus

Though the battles rage
Your blessing still will come

(CHORUS)
To the ends of the earth we will go
To the ends of the earth we will go
Fill us with power
Fill us with power

For the truth of Your word we will stand
For the truth of Your word we will stand
Give us your courage
Give us your courage

Be our strength and song
Till the battles won
Cause your face to shine upon us

Stretch your hand to say
Our God never fails
Nothing is impossible for you

Though the battles rage
Your blessing still will come

Would you breath on us (x4)

- "Give Us Your Courage"- Tim Hughes
=========

dear Lord,
guide me through this time of making big decisions.
please give me wisdom and courage.
purify my motives
& let the desires of my heart be pleasing to You.

breathe.

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

[Psalm 131:1-2]

wow.

time, moola, energy, patience, technology, people, friendship, comfort, protection, His Word, guidance, love, understanding, peace, joy.
whatever it is... God provides.
=========

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

[Matthew 6:31-34]

translation.

“In every temptation let us look up to a crucified Christ, who is fitted and qualified to support tempted souls. Oh my soul, whenever you are assaulted, let the wounds of Christ be your city of refuge where you may fly and live.

Let us learn, in every trouble which presses us—whether it be sin, temptation, or any other evil—to translate it from ourselves to Christ. And all the good in Christ—let us learn to translate it from Christ to ourselves.”

—Thomas Brooks, The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures