Lesson from a Poem

   One of my dear friends from Church shared this poem with me yesterday. It served as a refreshing reminder that the things of this world are empty, and only Christ can satisfy your desires. People are often seeking for material things to fulfill the deepest longings of their hearts. We are born with a stinging void in our hearts that yearns to be fulfilled by something or someone. However, we usually turn away from the open arms of God and seek after the worldly things to satisfy us. The author of this passage (Bethany Spence) beautifully portrays the longing of a young girl's heart as she discovers the only One who can fulfill her.

Filled

by Bethany Spence

She sits and she wonders

Who will it be?

Who is the right one

Who truly loves me?

For years now she's searched

But was never satisfied

While searching she realized

She's empty inside

She found no one to fill her

No one like she's dreamed

Every one worth nothing

All shallow, it seemed

So she sits and she ponders

On a bench at the park

What will he look like

The boy who wins my heart?

Lovesick, she sighs

When out of the blue

Came a lonely old woman

"May I sit beside you?"

She nodded and made room

The the woman began to speak

She spoke of Jesus

And tears fell down her cheeks

"He love you", she said

And she gave her a smile

"He laid it on my heart today

To talk to you for a while."

The the woman got up

And left her alone

She was crying and shaking

How could she not have known?

It was Jesus who loved her

His name she repeated

And right then she knew

It was Him that she needed

So she bowed her head

Her heart ready to be spilled

And from that moment on

To the brim she was filled.

Newest Lego Creation

   My 11-year-old brother Robert is a builder. God gave him the most creative, mathematical, and detailed mind I have ever seen in someone his age. Every time he proudly presents one of his newest lego creations to the family, we are always amazed by his remarkable talent and skill for constructing things. One of my favorite designs of his is pictured above. Being a musician, I found a very unique appreciation for this piece. The intricate details on the violinist and cellist are truly amazing to examine. A couple weeks ago, he presented this to our violin instructor and she was completely awed by his work. I can't wait to see how God uses his incredible mind :)

From Drab to Delightful

"Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."   - Psalm 27: 11-13 (emphasis added)

   The portion I bolded in the above passage is primarily what I want to discuss :) In the Hebrew language, one of the literal meanings of the word "goodness" in this passage, is "beauty". The Psalmist here writes about his pursuit of the beauty of God. He desires the faultless refinement that only the Lord can give.

   As a newly-wed housewife does to a mis-matched bachelor pad, she rids the house of plain items and replaces them with pleasant ones. When she spends time making her dull house an attractive home, she is ushering in beauty and warmth. This is what happens when Christ comes into our lives; he takes our filthy rags and replaces them with His perfect righteousness. Before Christ, we are repulsive and distasteful, but once we are filled with His glory, we become new, fresh, and appealing.

   As a follower of Christ, we should continually be filling our minds with things that are good, pure, noble, and beautiful. When we meditate on the things of Christ, we are pursuing His holiness and His peerless beauty. It is important to break any habits you have or thought patterns that are unpleasing or unglorifying to God. Take those trashy areas of your life, lay them at the feet of Christ, and ask Him to fully replace them with His irreproachable beauty.  

   Find an unkempt corner of your home today and purpose to rid it of its shabbiness. Practice making the world around you delightful and appealing. Value the things that are lovely and always pursue the beauty of Christ.

Love 101

   What is love? This pending question has tried to be answered by Jane Austin writing her romantic novels, Beethoven composing his passionate music, and Thomas Cole painting his affectionate portraits. One of the greatest desires of mankind is to love and have their feelings reciprocated. How can we define this pleasurable, captivating, feeling?

   Today, people casually use the word "love" for almost everything;  we can love our parents and love onion rings. Although we feel for our parents much differently than we do food, we use the same phrase to define our affection toward both. The world's definition of love is a lifeless, bleak thing. According to our mislead culture, love can be understood as either sinful lust or just strong admiration for another person. God's concept of love is completely different than what our world thinks. Love is a powerful action, whereas it is usually misused to defining a mere feeling. If love is a verb, how exactly do we act?

   In 1 John, its says that "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." It is impossible to love without personally knowing and serving God. Those outside of Christ cannot truly love one another. In essence, God is love, and those who do not follow Christ cannot truly love.

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." - John 14:5

   Obedience and love are completely inseparable. One of the ways we express our love is through our obedience. We love our parents by obeying them, just like we love God by keeping his Holy commandments laid out in Scripture.

   "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up..." - 1 Corinthians 13:4

   Love willingly endures trials and hardships. Long suffering can be better defined as patience. True love holds fast and abides for a long period of time. Our love must be lasting and permanent. Since God Himself is love, we should always be looking to Him to see how this action portrayed. God shows patience by still accepting us after we have failed. We are to love others by forgiving them even when they have wronged us.
   Love is kind. We love others by showing them mercy and grace. Jesus flawlessly demonstrated this by helping those in need and not slandering them. He sacrificially loved the people by spending His time with them, gently teaching them, and miraculously healing them.
   Love does not envy. Jealousy usually leads to covetousness and - when it gets out of hand - hatred. We love other people by rejoicing for them when they are happy, and mourning with them when they are hurting. If we observe someone who has triumphed in a certain situation, we must love them by being genuinely glad for them and not putting on a hidden attitude of jealously.
   Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, In order to truly love, we have to destroy our pride. As you may have seen countless times from history, pride destroys rulers, countries, and the lives of ordinary people. Love is accomplished by the complete humbling of oneself. When Jesus came to Earth, He did not come as a "big-wig" or "Mr.-goody-two-shoes". In fact, Jesus was born in a stable and executed his earthly ministry as a regular man (note that Jesus was fully God and fully man) even though He had access to complete power. We have no room to be puffed up and love and the same time. If we want to be great in God's Kingdom, we must humble ourselves and learn to be the servant's of all. Love is humble!
   If we lack any of these above qualities, and I exhort myself above anyone, we do not truly love. Ask God to examine your heart and give you a spirit of true love for others :) Have a blessed day, my dear readers!

To expand upon this subject, please visit this link.

God's Existence

   Do you ever ask the questions: Does God hide Himself? Why doesn't He make Himself known to the ignorant beings who reject Him? Or, why doesn't He just paint "I am the true and living God" across the sky for the whole world to see? Truthfully, I used to be struggling with these tormenting thoughts and constantly asked these same questions to myself. More specifically, my mind usually wandered to the world-renowned Oxford professor: Richard Dawkins.

   Richard Dawkins is a brilliant scholar to whom God gave an incredible mind. I highly respect him for his level of intelligence and proficient eloquence. Although this knowledgeable man has a remarkable intellect and a superior position in the world of education, he is a pronounced and zealous athiest. In 2006, Richard Dawkins wrote a book called The God Delusion where he forcefully argues the non-existence of Almighty God. In short, he completely denies the mere possiblility of the existence of a Higher Power who created the universe.

   Observing the sucess and fame of someone like this man caused me to ask God, "Why don't You reveal Yourself to men like Richard Dawkins who are fighting so hard against You?" Then, in His soverign, gentle, yet powerful way, God answered me. God didn't audibly speak to me, but with a still, small voice He removed the walls of confusion that enclosed my flustered mind.

   Friends, whether you realize it or not, God is openly revealing Himself and proclaiming His existence and majesty every moment of our lives. God's handiwork and proof of His existence is made manifest in every object He created. Take something simple, like the tree. A tree has roots which absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil which allows is to live. It then uses those nutrients to aid in the growing and strengthening of its trunk, the complicated process of photosynthesis, reproducing seeds that fall to the ground and begin to form into their own trees. My question is: How do they know how to do that? How does a tree just "know" how to grow roots, use sunlight and water for energy, make seeds that grow into trees that repeat the same life cycle?

    God does write His name across the sky. The very fact that the sky is, means He is! In fact, He leaves His signature on every leaf, feather, human body, and insect. Please don't confuse this; God is not the sky, but the sky is an object of His very creation. Don't worship the creation, worship the Creator. We may not literally see the sentence "Made by God", but hasn't God proved His existence already? God did not choose to etch His name using letters in the atmosphere, because all of creation bears His mark. Look out across the ocean, observe the stars above you, and marvel at your own hand. Do not all of these things bear the mark of the Almighty?

"Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors..'" - Job 38:3-10

My Trip to Virginia - Part 2

   One of the most impacting lessons I took away from Patrick Henry College was learning the characteristics a godly leader. A leader is not merely someone with a booming voice, commanding presence, and an eloquent tongue. Although these attributes would definitely come in handy as a leader, those are not the key elements required.

   You need to have a humble spirit. No one is going to want to follow someone who is arrogant and haughty. Those who shun the opinions of anyone else because they think that they have all the correct answers, will never be esteemed. Proverbs 11:2 states: "When pride comes, them comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." God deeply loathes and despises pride, which means that we should stay far away from it. Don't take all the credit for the things you accomplish, make sure that you are continually giving the glory to God. 

   Secondly, be a servant! Jesus was the perfect example of leadership and He, the King of Kings, lived His life in full humility. His lowly birth in a stable and His entrance into Jerusalem on a mere donkey demonstrate that his heart was bursting with humility. In Matthew 23, Jesus says "...he who is greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Those who exercise a life of servanthood will often make choices for the betterment of others. Would we not want to follow someone who had our best interests in mind?

   Finally, exercise prudence and discretion on a daily basis. These two traits are essential for a godly leader. When one leads (and everyone does in one capacity or another) and is faced with certain decisions, they will need to have sound judgement, wisdom, and understanding. Proverbs 2:11-12 says, "Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things..."

My Wing

   My week spent at Patrick Henry College was full of convicting yet inspiring lectures. I hope to strive to grow in all of these areas and faithfully execute the vocation that God has called me to. However, our days at Patrick Henry were not full of speeches alone; we had plenty of recreational activities which balanced out seriousness and fun :) 

  At the very start of camp, we were assigned to different dorms and within those dorms, specific wings. There were six gentleman wings and six lady wings. Each wing had a team name; we were the "Southern Belles". One gentleman wing and one lady wing would combine together to form one team, making six teams altogether. Our opposite guy team were the "Arabian Knights". Consequently, we combined our team names and became "The Southern Knights". 

   Throughout the week, the co-ed guy and girl teams would compete with other guy and girl teams to win the envied Party in a Bag. We earned points by arriving to meals on time, participating in games, and making a skit at the end of the week. Long story short, our team ended up winning the Party in a Bag which contained all sorts of delicious junk food, a variety of sodas, and a movie :) It was so much fun!! The way we won it though, was not due to our teamwork talent or our incredible acting skills. In fact, our team was a little dysfunctional at first. As God worked on our hearts, we slowly began to put our knowledge of leadership into praxis.

   Each activity we did involved working together as a team. Although it may sound simple, it took a great deal of time before we actually understood how to a) choose a main leader and b) respect each other as we functioned as a team. During the first couple recreational activities, each one of us all had our own ideas about how to best complete our challenges. That often caused slight frustration because we weren't working together as a unit. However, when we truly understood the Biblical principles of leadership and applied them to our common actions, we began to function like a true team. Once we decided to regard the opinions of others above our own, we began to get along almost perfectly. As previously stated, at the end of the week, our team won 1st place and we throughly enjoyed our Party in a Bag :)
    There were so many valuable lessons I learned during my time at Patrick Henry. I hope to holdfast to what I learned and commit myself to the Lord by constantly applying these principles to my life. I encourage and exhort all of you to be godly leaders with humble countenances, displaying the heart of Christ through your servanthood. God bless you, my dear readers!

My Trip to Virginia - Part 1

   Without a shadow of a doubt, I can assuredly claim that my week spent in Virginia has been added to my "Happiest Memories" list. From spending one-on-one time with my Mom, to listening to inspirational lectures, even to merely strolling the campus, God blessed my trip literally every step of the way. Because there are very many joyful memories I would love to share, I thought that I would write about my experience in two different posts: The first is about the three charming days my Mom and I spent together, and the second is about my timeless experience at Patrick Henry College. 

    After a long five hour flight, my Mom and I landed in Washington Dulles around midnight. Neither of us had slept a wink on the plane, so we were very anxious to get to bed :) We went to pick up our rental car, and realized that we were going to be driving a cutting-edge black Cube. I am very thankful that the Lord was able to provide us a vehicle, but a Cube does not fit our personality at all! However, it provided us with a good laugh at 1 in the morning :) 

   We spent the next two days driving around Herndon, Leesburg, and Purcellville. Those three towns are some of my new favorite places to go. In these cities, I learned to identify and appreciate the beauty in the small, and often unnoticed things. Here are a few photos I snapped: 

   On Saturday, my Mom and I walked around Herndon and then explored historic Leesburg. While we were there, the weather was just perfect. It is kind of what you would call "a perfect day". The sun was shining, the original architecture made it feel like you were walking through history, and we were greeted by friendly faces at every turn. All that to say, the Lord greatly blessed our day.  
    Because we could only rent our car for twenty-four hours, my Mom and I drove back to the rental place and were given a new car. This time, we exchanged the boxy look for a circular style, and traded an angular hedgehog for a sleek bug. Our trip was packed full of unexpected, yet wonderful surprises at every turn!! :)
   To complete our fantastic day, we drove to Purcellville; the home of Patrick Henry College. As we drove down the freeway, I fixed my gaze on the hillside and waited for the roof of the college to come in to view. As its large brick figure emerged from the grassy plains, a large smile etched across my face. After months of anticipation, I was finally here! My Mom drove us throughout the campus as we admired the beautiful facets of the college. We both enjoyed seeing it!
On Sunday morning, my Mom and I wanted to go to church before she dropped me off at the college. Because we attend a Calvary Chapel, we always like to look for one when we travel. Since my family and I have been to Virginia before, we were slightly familiar with the Calvary Chapel in Leesburg called Cornerstone Church. When and if Virginia becomes my home, this fellowship is definitely on my list for potential churches.
   Around 2pm that afternoon, the time came for my Mom and I to say goodbye...for the week, that is. While I would begin my adventures in Virginia, she would fly back home to California. I was so thankful that I got to spend a couple days with her. She is truly the greatest Mom ever and she made my time across the US so much sweeter. Treasure and cherish the time you spend with your parents. I will post part two soon; God bless you, my dear readers!