Make Me Salty Again!

Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

The note in my bible says: "if a seasoning has no flavor, it has no value. If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they are of little value to God. If we are too much like the world, we are worthless. Christians should not blend in with everyone else. Instead, we should affect others positively, just as seasoning brings out the best flavor in food."

This verse struck me in two ways.. For one, I realized how I've lost my saltiness over the past couple months.. and secondly, I realized that i've been blending in with the world.. pretty much getting lost in it. But I want to come back!

I read this verse, and it asks the question I was thinking.. how can I be made salty again? But it doesn't give me a direct answer. It only tells me the negative consequence. But then I sat here, and closed my eyes and asked God my first question in a long long time, HOW?? and these words came to mind... Prayer, Obedience/Persistence and Devotion.

Lately, I've been blending into the world way more than I have since I started college.. And I kept using the excuse that If I blend in to the world, I'll be more relatable to my non-christian friends.. so that I can help them later! Plus it is all just harmless fun! But all that's happened is that I've slowly drifted from God because I've stopped praying, and devoting time to him.

Not that having fun with your friends is not good! but it was the part where, at the same time, I gave up my time with God.. But I know what he wants me to do. He wants me to meet with him obediently and daily. He wants me to show my faith and devotion by coming to him every day. And I know that if I show my faith and gain his trust, he will start to reveal things to me. It's just so hard to be disciplined.. So this would be my prayer request! Help me!

Pokemon and Non-Christians: Gotta catch 'em all?

Helloooooooooooooo!

First of all, congrats on getting 1st at the SG Sports Day! Good thing my ankle hurts because the only place we could have gone is down. And yes, I've been MIA the past couple of weeks. I won't name excuses so I'll just say I'll be back soon!

Earlier today, I had lunch with our SG leader, Ken, and we had a good talk about a bunch of things. One thing that came up in our conversation is the topic of introducing Christianity to non-believers. My closest friends at school, including my roommate, aren't Christian. I don't know. It just happened that way. For example, my roommate is a Japanese kid who grew up with parents who are atheist. I know that your parents play a big role in what religion you are. Like many of you, I have Christian parents so it was natural that I would be Christian too.

But what about those people who aren't born and raised in Christian families? How easy or hard is it to become a Christian if you're not surrounded by it at home? I think that it's extremely hard. Case and point: How many Christians do you know? Dozens/a lot. Now, how many Christians can you name that didn't grow up in a Christian environment? For me, I can name...none.

This came up because I want to preach the gospel to my friends, like my roommate, and bring them to church. Who doesn't want to?? But how are we supposed to accomplish this? It seems like a daunting task. I'm still working on figuring this one out. But when I do, expect to meet my roommate sometime in the near future!

Have any of you tried bringing a friend to church? How did it go? Any suggestions?

P.S. Sorry if you read this post hoping there would be something about pokemon. But if you want, here's the first thing that came up when I searched for pokemon on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDX1m0Y2Vkg

whaddup

Dang its real encouraging reading everyone's blog posts. there soo fun and really reflect who you are as a person i like that. other than that i have nothing really much to talk about but idk this week and the past week have been so happy. The weather probably has something to do with it as Superman is healed by the rays of the sun i think we are healed as well. the days are so bright and productive and you wake up hearing the birds and winds haha gay. but its the truth everything is going well cuz the sun shines.

also election is this sunday. i hope everyone does well and really tries there best and votes for the candidates who are the most well rounded to run the positions that they run for. ill keep the elections in my prayers. but other than that,

peace and love

Be proud of your accomplishments

Genesis 1:25

“God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”

I was reading verse and on the side it noted, “People sometimes feel guilty for having a good time or for feeling good about an accomplishment. This need not be so. Just as God felt good about his work, we can be pleased with ours. However, we should not feel good about our work if God would not be pleased with it. What are you doing that pleases both you and God?”

This made me realize that sometimes I don’t acknowledge or celebrate enough on the small or big accomplishments I have made through hard work and perseverance. Often times, I would tell myself not to boast or brag because otherwise, it wouldn’t be a humbling thing to do. However, this made me realize that any accomplishments or actions that do not go against the works of God are meant to be celebrated and recognized with joy. Lastly, the last question in the application “What are you doing that pleases both you and God?” made me assess the activities I do throughout my day. And honestly, I didn’t have much that I could find that would “please God” nor did I find much to anger Him either. But that makes me so…NOTHING haha.

 So, if you guys were to look at your daily lives, how much of it could you say would be pleasing to God?   

Jeremiah

People have favorite bible characters.  Sounds kinda weird like choosing favorite sports athletes and cartoon characters and stuff.

I've never had one because I honestly have a poor handle on the Word.  My knowledge of the bible is laughable.  But I always had one favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.).  I randomly came across this verse when I was struggling with life like 4 years ago.

During Passion Week, I randomly decided to read the book of Jeremiah - and now I know that this is the right book of the bible for me to read right now.  Jeremiah struggles with being incompetent (like all bible leaders), passion for God, and spreading the word of God.  I feel the same struggles infiltrate my life.

I've honestly only read 2 chapters, but I'll let you all know how it goes.  So far, so good.  He's the biblical Kobe to me. (JK that's blasphemous)

1,2,3 God.

I came up with this thing while reading the book of James. I think it’s a good way of measuring where you are with God and if you are doing it correctly.

Step 1) James 1:5-8- “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

Step 2) James 1:22 - “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Step 3) James 1:12 - “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

We can’t be half-minded when we ask the holy-spirit to reign in us. If we want to grow in God and learn more about Him, we need to convincingly invite him in without any hesitation. Because even with the smallest of doubts in our minds, this will make us “double-minded” and we’ll get nothing out of it. Once we’ve received His wisdom, we mustn’t be dormant in what we know. Instead, we must implement it in our daily lives and take action. I think this part is the hardest for many of us; knowing is easy but taking initiative of God’s plan is much harder to do. However, if we are able to persevere through the trials and temptations during this process, God will bless us in the areas in which we asked and prayed for. 

So, which and what are you?

VP

so after long consideration and advice and criticism from multiple people i decided that if nominated i was going to run for VP. I go into this race with expectations not too high but the least i can do is try.

alot of people if they were to hear that i was running would take it as a joke for many reasons and yeah i dont blame them. i havent exactly been the best kid around but we all make flaws, we all struggle we are all humans agree? so despite everything i hope it turns out and future prayers of congratulations to the next pres and pc.

also i like our sg we have a good group of people. but with so many big personalities all bunched up in one room, things may happen. About 4 times a sg session there are those moments of silence. we all know exactly what im talking about. why is it that this unexplained phenomenon occurs? well there are many theories of why this might happen but lets not talk about those. instead we should acknowledge it when it occurs and do something funny everytime it happens.

until next time
Peace and Love

Watch your mouth! and...

Proverbs 12:18-22

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue last only a moment. There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace. No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble. The lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.” 

I met up with a close friend today and I was reminded of the following things: the way you choose to express your opinions and thoughts will really impact how others will feel, be honest no matter the circumstance and be a righteous, humble man. Like the verse in proverb states, reckless words can be like a sword because what we say can ultimately damage or mend one’s soul and mind. The closer we are to that person, the more impact and damage we can have with our words. As a result, we must learn to use our words and tongue in a way that can be understood pleasantly even if we are confronting a wrongdoing they have done. Also, truth and righteousness must always be the foundation of our faith and life. If we choose to bring in specks of falsehoods and deceits into our life, little by little we will find it convenient to tell a lie rather than facing the truth. In the end, the path of little lies will be self-destructive in living a lonely deceit-filled life rather than an open true relationship with those around you. Therefore, we must first seek righteousness and be honest to others and most importantly, ourselves.

Today's SG

This is not a knock on other small group meetings, but I felt that today's was very enjoyable for good reasons.  Many times it's hard to talk about our struggles, things we suck at, things we need to improve on. And I feel like a lot of times, in small group, we try to discuss those things - not that it's a bad thing, because it's good to depend on small group for accountability and such.

But I feel that it's very important to raise each other up and to compliment each other as much as possible.  Like David blogged earlier, it's hard to live a self-less life, especially when we should try our best to be humble and not look for recognition.  We are selfish beings, and because we are selfish we do things for ourselves.  But as brothers and sisters, it's important to continue to encourage each other and to build each other up.

Today's small group, with all the awards and fun teasing, was a great example.  Thank you SO MUCH to Elaine and David for setting that up.  I think spending time to compliment each other is VERY IMPORTANT.  I'm not just saying this because I got the Michael Jordan award (but that was probably the best compliment someone has ever given me).  We should continue to vocalize our appreciation for each other and to outwardly LOVE each other.  Although I may not show it, I love you all very much.  Quite a blessing to know you all and to serve you all.  Let's finish the year with a BANG BANG BANG.

Byebye.

BO BO HAE JO.

Proverbs 3:5-8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”

Proverbs 24:24-27

“Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”- peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them. An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.”

I’ve been working at my parent’s store the past couple of days. Normally, I don’t really enjoy working there because of the long hours and the type of customers I had to deal with occasionally. In some ways, working there made me irritated, impatient and anxious. Except this time, it was different.

Ever since the renewed relationship with my parents I felt this strong joy and strength that I’ve been missing. Knowing there was nothing to hide or lie about except for the truth alone…this itself gave me an insurmountable uplifting in my heart. So as I was doing QT I really learned from these two passages one speaking about trust in the Lord and the other about the goodness of honesty. Because to me, this NEW relationship would have never happened if I was dishonest and kept astray from God. Funny thing is, before all this happened I prayed to God to give me strength to be a bigger man of truth. And then he REVEALED me to my parents. I felt so butt-naked and ashamed. But the way in which they reacted was so loving and understanding it made me feel stupid. So all this irrelevantly trickles down to my favorite part, “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” I think God censored this part a little. Just kidding.  Amen.

the men behind the curtain

the man behind the curtain. the people who do alot but yet receive no credit. im not one of those people. i like to be acknowledged for what i do especially if i did something noticeable. but i do struggle with this and not trying to take the credit or at least taking not as much as i should. But in a religion where we shouldn't share too much about stuff for example fasting and in a religion where boasting is taught against, its hard to live. and in a world where we really are humans and the natural human tendency is to accept appraisal from others and boost confidence its like we are caught in a world of contradict.

so what should we do. we cant receive recognition for the good things we do, we cant boast to others about the accomplishments we do so what do we do.

u know i was re-reading over what i just wrote and yeah alot of my writing probably reflects what sort of mood im in at the time of writing. had a cool chill day but the last half was just frustrating and u know what for no good reasons at all just mad about everything and stuff here and there would just add to it.

lemme tell u man satan is strong. really he is but GOD is stringer. but in the earthly sense satan is the master of deceit and lies. he whispers into our ears so he can turn ourselves against ourselves. so with all this in mind i proly dont mean too much of what i wrote earlier and it was just a tangent caused by anger caused by satan caused by nothing if that made sense.

and for no particular reason at all i always seem to look forward to reading ruth and charles's blogs but i do read everyones. so until next time

peace and love

I ran into a brick wall but it was good.

John 15:9-11

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. l Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

These two verses went hand in hand while I was doing my QT today. These past few weeks have been very disruptive and chaotic for me. For a long period of time I was very deceitful and dishonest to my parents about a lot of things. I loved them very much but for my own convenience, since couple years ago I started to make excuses and lies to avoid any unnecessary conflicts with them. Eventually, the somewhat intimate relationship I had with my parents suddenly became broken and distant. Finally, I had to confront my fears or more like I had no other places to run. 

Out of all this I realized God and my parents wanted me to face my problems and not hide from them. I needed to “obey his commands” and really be filled with his love. Instead of letting my fears control how I think, if I let myself be filled with God’s’ love I won’t have to lie or make excuses to get out of a conflict.  I need to stop being so anxious and really seek strength in God who will ultimately give me peace in my mind. It's hard to go into detail about what happened but I'm really glad it happened. At least now I can start a fresh relationship with my parents and also, myself. I hope I don't overlook this event and really learn from this and grow. AMENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. wow it is so hot right now.

Accountability

Hello everyone! It sounds like you guys are doing well :) I miss seeing you guys even though I've only spent a couple of weeks with you guys over winter break hahah, but I really feel like our small group and young nak are a part of my family (even though it took a little while to get to that point..) I wish I could be there in person to ask you how you are doing and such.. But sadly I'm always so far away. But thank you guys for always making me feel like I'm home when I am back from school. Maybe it's because I'm away, but I think about you guys and young nak an unusual amount I think.. haha but you know what I mean?.. Kind of like when you have someone or something with you all the time, like family, friends, or accountability etc. and you kind of forget how important and vital it is to you and your daily life.. but then when you are separated from it, you realize how important it is and how much it matters to you! So I just wanted to say that you guys matter to me and that I appreciate you guys and the stuff that you share.

ANYWAY.. I just read these couple verses sent to me in an email that reminded me of why we do this kind of stuff like blogging, and small group etc:
"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." (Heb 3:13) "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb 10:23-25)


I just wanted to pray for young nak, and that we become a body-a church full of encouragement and accountability! Each one of us filled with God's love! I pray that you break down our pride, and get rid of any discouragement we have, or resentment or un-forgiveness or negative judgement and replace it with YOU. Let the love overflow from each one of us and onto others, and let it go beyond our community and into the communities around us! Into our schools, and to our friends. Engulf us and those we encounter in your presence and your love God!! In Jesus' powerful name Amen.

I lose. You win

John 15  ¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
   ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
   ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

I am easily tempted and persuaded in following my fleshly desires that are of the world. My faith in God feels like a flickering light bulb; it's always on and off. The longer this continues, I feel like I end up questioning God and his plans more and more. I am stubborn. 
This passage screams at me to ABIDE ABIDE ABIDE ABIDE ABIDE ...5 more times. I need to stop doubting God's plans for me and just give up everything to Him. I need to trust that in following his word, I will be taken care of. Although a speck of uncertainty in my heart could mislead me, I must have faith. So I pray: give me courage O lord to be honest and real. Wash away my doubts, fears and insecurities I have inside of me. Make me abide in your word and have faith in you. Amen.

Friendship

Proverbs 12:26: a righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Ever since college started, I’ve consistently encountered situations where I found myself debating whether or not I should attend certain events in order to continue the stable relationship I have with the three of my best friends. As I was aware that I easily gave into temptation in these environments, took on a different attitude that didn’t reflect my true self, and been apt to regret my past actions, I still wound up going against my beliefs. However, as I have grown closer in faith with Christ this second quarter, I’ve found that I am less drawn to these types of surroundings. Sadly, I have also found that growing distant from this lifestyle also meant growing distant from these friends of mine.

I’ve realized that God has started to prune out the people that has negatively influenced my life, and started to bring in people that has allowed me to begin my spiritual journey and growth in the Lord. However, I hate to think that these friends that know me inside and out, and have been there for me throughout the toughest stages of my life, are the ones that I now have to keep my distance from because they have started to jokingly criticize and make fun of my decisions in adjusting my lifestyle to become more Christ- like.

Moreover, Proverbs 13:20 states: “he who walks with the wise [will] grow wise, but a companion of fools [will] suffer harm.” The bible also says that we are “not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers… -2 Corinthians 6:14,”  “to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way… -Romans 16:17,” and “to keep away from every brother who is idle… -2 Thessalonians 3:6”

Knowing that my friends are unbelievers and have caused a few divisions and offenses in my past, am I now suppose to "watch" myself from wanting to build that close relationship with them again? Are my best friends really considered to be the “fools” that will harm me if I continue to engage with their actions? To be honest, it hurts to see that my three friends are getting even closer, as I’m the only one drifting away.