A Day on my Front Lawn.

Once again, it's time for musings from my front lawn. It really is quite delightful just sitting outside on my front lawn, soaking in the sun, feeling the gentle breeze.

After having a crazy panic attack last Saturday, I spent some time Son-bathing today. I feel much better now, thanks to friends, community, solitude, rest, prayer, nature, worship music, and God's Word.

You bid me come and partake -
'Drink deeply from the divine waters
Of the crystal lake, so pure and clear
Is the water here.'
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
You tell me to take a cup and feel the waters
Of repentance - refreshing, reviving to my soul.
I am filled. I am free
To thirst for more of You.

It was a clear, blue sky. I sat in front of my house, listening to the few cars that drove by. The breeze flowing through the leaves of the trees made a sweet rustling sound. An ant scurrying across the light, green hose, escaped the flooded grass. My toes dug into the prickly, green grass - the grass which makes my skin itch as I flicked the ants off my blanket. The trees lined up to make an entry way to the wilderness of the mountains. This land used to be ancient Indian burial grounds. Am I lying on a chief's grave? I wondered what wars happened in these mountains, long ago, before Los Angeles was a Metropolis, before it was necessary for the suburbian birth.

A painting of a man with white hair (a wig?) and a solemn face with penetrating eyes stares at me from the cover of a paperback. But this is no cheap romance novel. "Religious Affections" by Jonathan Edwards. The picture - Jonathan Edwards, I presume. How very nice to meet you, Mr. Edwards. I've heard so much about you through the decades. Heat and light. Knowledge and affections. Oh, how I want my heart to beat, to long, to desire, to cherish the Greatest Good: God, who is the Ultimate Good. May my life be devoted to this God-ward romance, to this God-ward pursuit.

Feasting on Books. Desirataurus the Dinosaur eats the Leaves in the Library.

Now that I'm finished with summer Greek, I actually have time to read for enjoyment. Yay. I feel like I have book ADD because it's hard for me to just sit down and read one book...After a few chapters, I keep on changing books. haha. I've started so many books that I really need to finish. I'm writing this blog post so I can keep track of what books I need to finish...haha.

Currently on my books that I need to finish list and am actually reading right now. an eclectic variety:
- "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands" by Paul David Tripp
- "Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong" by John MacArthur and GCC leaders
- The Anne of Green Gables series - at least the first 3 books, because I have the 1st 3 books in 1 Volume.
- "Blood Red Sunset" by Ma Bo

My goal is to finish at least these books before the Fall Semester starts.

If I have extra time, I need to finish reading these books which I've previously started (some, many years back, so I might just have to start from the beginning):
- "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer
- "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- "It Is Not Death to Die: A Biography on Hudson Taylor" by Jim Cromarty
- "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn
- "Confessions" by Augustine
- "Callings - Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation"
- "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
- "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller
- "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan
- "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E. B. Du Bois

Books which I own which I would like to begin, but probably shouldn't start, until I finish the ones listed above:
- "Religious Affections" by Jonathan Edwards
- "Spectacular Sins" by John Piper
- "The Vanishing Conscience" by John MacArthur
- "Miracles" by C.S. Lewis
- "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas
- "Cities- Missions' New Frontier" by Roger S. Greenway and Timothy M. Monsma
- "Marcos Legacy Revisted: Raiders of the Lost Gold" by Erick San Juan
- "Teacher Power" by my uncle, Eusebio San Diego
- "Hurt- Inside the World of Today's Teenagers" by Chap Clark
- "All the Tea in China" by Jane Orcut

This is a quite extensive list....and there are so many more that I would like to put on this list but I'll just stop now...

I told my brother that I need to finish all these books before I can buy anymore new free reading books...that'll be hard...haha.

(The title of this post refers to a youth retreat mnemonic.)

whoooo! now it's time to play!

Yay! I survived Suicide Greek! So exciting! God is so gracious!

After Mel and I finished watching the BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice," all the intensity of studying for Greek finally hit me yesterday afternoon. My body is definitely beat. I was joking with Kuya Bryan the other week that I feel like I've aged 10 years over this 1 year of seminary, and he said that my body has probably aged 10 years since last year with the intensity of this past year. ack.
I knew it was bad when my face started twitching a few nights before the final. haha.
I probably should also take better care of my body...(but eating Kogi tacos the night before my final with my brother, Mae, and Marie was so worth it! especially since the Kogi truck was in my hometown, and nothing ever happens in my hometown! haha...mmm so good!)
So I survived, but not without a few casualties...
I think this is God's way of humbling me.

So the Wednesday before our Greek final, Mel, Andy, and I were comparing our 1 John tranlsations and when I read 1 John 3:1 - it suddenly just hit me:

"Behold, what sort of love the Father has given to us, that we might be called children of God, and so we are!" (New Grace Version...as Yen likes to call it...haha)

It made me so happy to be reminded that I am God's child...not just called His child, but I am His child! Yay! So many times, I get caught up in the craziness and stress of studying, I tend to forget who I am in Christ. I tend to think that my identity lies in the grades I get and in the ministry I do instead of in Christ. I love these moments when I feel like God gives me a hug and says, "It's o.k., Calm down, my child. You are my child. I am your Abba." Thanks God, for reminding me of who I am in You despite my tendency to forget. The doctrine of adoption is something I love because I am naturally a legalist. Yay! This truth that I am God's child makes me want to dance or even frolick in a field of flowers and sing at the top of my lungs!

And in these times, I am reminded why I am studying Greek. This is why I love studying - I experience God's love and grace in such sweet and powerful ways.

Thanks for your prayers :)