Recently, I've been feeling really tired. Even though I get enough sleep - like 8 or 9 hours, the energy of my youth is waning. I've been going this intense pace for awhile, and it's taking its toll on me. But God is still gracious even in my tiredness.
Last Friday, I spent the whole day in my pajamas. It was cold outside and I was so comfortable just reading, studying, and watching Filipino dramas all warm and cozy in my pjs. So when afternoon rolled around and I knew I had to get ready for AWANA, I was really not in the mood to go anywhere. But I still got up and got dressed. As I was driving to my church, I prayed that God would give me the energy and desire to minister to the kids, since I was feeling so tired and didn't really feel like going. I think it's because I've been thinking to myself... "What you're doing doesn't matter. Why are you in ministry? Why are you in seminary? You're not in the right place. You're not using your gifts. You're not applying anything you're learning. You should do something else." And then discontentment ensues...and I just feel drained.
But God is so gracious to me.
I get to AWANA and God gives me the opportunity to share the Gospel to 3 kids from the neighborhood who have been coming for awhile which I'm so thankful for and I had some sweet 1-on-1 time with one of the high school girls (since she was the only one who came, but I actually really like these 1-on-1 times. I'll have to admit, 1-on-1 time is probably my favorite.)
In these times of ministry, I felt so refreshed by God. My soul really felt revived from pouring out. It's easy to get fat on the overload of spiritual food that I'm taking in at seminary, and I'm so thankful that God's put me in a place to exercise some of the stuff I take in.
Other things I'm thankful for this past week:
~Got to meet Mark Dever, author of "9 Marks of a Healthy Church" and "Deliberate Church," and founder of "9 Marks Ministries" at a Q and A Sesh last Tuesday evening after he spoke at our chapel. I was happy that he answered my question and realized that prayer is really powerful and that I take this for granted many times after he answered my question.
I asked, "How does a small church develop a plurality of elders when there are limited resources?"
The main gist of his answer was to pray. He also said that some churches hold too high of a standard on elders, and that they might have qualified elders in their church, and just need to recognize them. But prayer is key.
Interestingly, I noticed out of a group of about 20-30, I was the only woman at the Q and A sesh.
~The victory of Manny Pacquiao! woot! that was an exciting fight! And I'm cheering in solidarity with all of the other Filipinos in the world. good times watching it at Ate Bon's house with her family. I feel like I've been bonding alot with her extended family...haha good times.
~UCLA reunions: Good times seeing UCLA friends at Keo's housewarming party. Yay makes me really happy :) I miss UCLA.
~Finding biblical allusions in Norma Jean songs. Hardcore music is so apt while reading the judgments of the OT prophets. Found out that Norma Jean is playing "Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child" at the Nov. 25th show that I'm going to! So stoked!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Hope in Habakkuk
I don't know what I was thinking when I enrolled to take Greek and Hebrew at the same time. I'm now suffering the consequences of my youthful ambition. haha. I am crazy.
This past semester has been hard. Not only academically, but ministry-wise, life in general has been hard.
I was talking to my friend Stephen today, explaining to him how I was writing a research paper on Habakkuk because I feel like Habakkuk is quite relevant to my life right now. We were talking about Habakkuk and Job are different because where Job experienced very personal suffering in his own life and family, Habakkuk cried out to God because of the injustice that he saw around him. Just as Habakkuk cried out to God asking why there was all this evil and suffering around him, these past few weeks I've been crying out to God asking Him why all these hard things are happening around me - not necessarily even to me, but to people around me.
In Habakkuk's case, there was all this evil happening around him in Israel, and then God responds saying that He's raising up a nation, the Chaldeans, to carry out punishment, taking over Israel. Habakkuk doesn't understand why God is using a nation that is even more evil to carry out justice. God responds, saying He'll bring about justice to the Chaldeans also in His own time - and that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4). So at the end of Habakkuk, there is a beautiful prayer showing Habakkuk's trust in God's justice even if he doesn't necessarily understand what's going on around him.
And it ends in some of my favorite verses of the Bible...
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."
Habakkuk 3:17-19
I'm learning how to rejoice in the Lord even when I don't understand what's happening around me. I'm learning how to mourn with those who mourn, and weep with those who weep - to enter in someone else's pain, to sit with them. It's hard.
On a lighter note, we had a bridal party weekend for Ate Bonnie this past weekend and it was so much fun. It was good times hanging out with Ate Bonnie and the bridesmaids - being girlie with them - doing hair, make-up, watching chick flicks (filipino dramas), taking pictures. I have to admit, that I actually enjoyed it. This is quite an improvement from thinking these "girlie" things were a waste of time like I used to. It used to be painful for me, but now I'm slowly starting to enjoy it. hahaha. I guess I'm finally growing up or "blossoming" as they like to say - maybe just 5 years too late. It's funny when the high school girls at church compliment me for wearing eye-liner and give me make-up tips. It's really strange how one piece of make-up can do so much. It's quite a humbling experience learning all these things actually, makes me see how it actually takes skill and practice. hahaha. I'm finally embracing "being a girl." And it's O.K. since I am a girl. haha.
This past semester has been hard. Not only academically, but ministry-wise, life in general has been hard.
I was talking to my friend Stephen today, explaining to him how I was writing a research paper on Habakkuk because I feel like Habakkuk is quite relevant to my life right now. We were talking about Habakkuk and Job are different because where Job experienced very personal suffering in his own life and family, Habakkuk cried out to God because of the injustice that he saw around him. Just as Habakkuk cried out to God asking why there was all this evil and suffering around him, these past few weeks I've been crying out to God asking Him why all these hard things are happening around me - not necessarily even to me, but to people around me.
In Habakkuk's case, there was all this evil happening around him in Israel, and then God responds saying that He's raising up a nation, the Chaldeans, to carry out punishment, taking over Israel. Habakkuk doesn't understand why God is using a nation that is even more evil to carry out justice. God responds, saying He'll bring about justice to the Chaldeans also in His own time - and that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4). So at the end of Habakkuk, there is a beautiful prayer showing Habakkuk's trust in God's justice even if he doesn't necessarily understand what's going on around him.
And it ends in some of my favorite verses of the Bible...
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."
Habakkuk 3:17-19
I'm learning how to rejoice in the Lord even when I don't understand what's happening around me. I'm learning how to mourn with those who mourn, and weep with those who weep - to enter in someone else's pain, to sit with them. It's hard.
On a lighter note, we had a bridal party weekend for Ate Bonnie this past weekend and it was so much fun. It was good times hanging out with Ate Bonnie and the bridesmaids - being girlie with them - doing hair, make-up, watching chick flicks (filipino dramas), taking pictures. I have to admit, that I actually enjoyed it. This is quite an improvement from thinking these "girlie" things were a waste of time like I used to. It used to be painful for me, but now I'm slowly starting to enjoy it. hahaha. I guess I'm finally growing up or "blossoming" as they like to say - maybe just 5 years too late. It's funny when the high school girls at church compliment me for wearing eye-liner and give me make-up tips. It's really strange how one piece of make-up can do so much. It's quite a humbling experience learning all these things actually, makes me see how it actually takes skill and practice. hahaha. I'm finally embracing "being a girl." And it's O.K. since I am a girl. haha.
Friday, September 11, 2009
There's No Place Like Home.
Praise God! We were able to go back to our house last Wednesday, Sept. 2. Our house is safe and the firefighters put out the fires near my house. I am so thankful for the firefighters, risking their lives to save our homes. I have alot to be thankful for - for everyone who showed their care and concern during this time, and for those who helped me and my family in tangible ways - housing us and feeding us. We are truly blessed, and there truly is no place like home. I'm glad to be back.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Fiery Flames Keep on Blazing.
It's strange and surreal watching the news. I hear them talking about the fire, seeing over 100,000 acres being burned to ashes, less than 1/2 a mile from my house, hearing the street names that are so familiar. This is not something far away, something that's across the world from me. It's happening on my street, in my neighborhood. Strange.
I'm sitting in the Talbot lounge, and I should be studying for both Greek and Hebrew -my semester's quite full and I need to get on top of things. And yet, I hardly feel motivated, so I'll blog to remember this craziness.
Saturday was a weird day:
At 7 am, my dad woke me up, telling me, "Grace, we have to start packing in case we have to evacuate." I groggily ask, "Do we really have to leave?" thinking it's just my dad's paranoia that motivates him to start packing. A neighbor asks him, "Are you going to evacuate?" My dad says, "No, just packing just in case." I go back to sleep. Around 9 am, my dad wakes me up and says, "Grace, wake up, Yo-yo Ma is playing on television at Ted Kennedy's funeral." By this time, my parents are done packing, so they are just sitting and watching the funeral, so I decide to join them, and watch the funeral. Around noon, I decide to get dressed because my parents tell me we're going to the beach at Oxnard to get some fresh air to get away from the raining ashes and smoke. I dress in my beach attire, ask if I should start packing, and my dad tells me to at least pack for a few days in case we have to stay somewhere else because of the smoke. I pack my pink Little Twin Stars suitcase, which holds 3 outfits. I don't really think we have to leave. I start checking my email and facebook, then I try studying for Hebrew, but then I get light-headed. Kuya Joseph and Ate Bon come home after going somewhere in the morning, and Bon tells Joseph he should probably start packing stuff just in case. I hear the helicopters hover around, taking water from the reservoir nearby to extinguish the flames. The sky has an orange, foreboding glow. This is when I finally start walking around the house, trying to figure out what to take.
I really don't have very many valuables. I'm not too attached to many material things. My dad tells me to at least pack my trunk full of stuff, so we each pack our own cars full of stuff. I gather my pictures, my diplomas, my awards, a week's worth of clothing, books I need for the semester, and this is what I put in the trunk of my car. I guess that's what's good about being a poor grad student - I've never really had the money to buy expensive things. I really only have lots of books, but those are replaceable.
After I'm done packing, I take my dog, Chuckie, to my aunt's house, because this smoky air can't possibly be good for him. He's covered in ash. On my way to my aunt's house, I pass many fire trucks, observing neighbors, and police cars. I see the fire. It's on the next hillside, probably less than 1/2 a mile away. Crazy. At my aunt's house, while getting Chuckie settled, my mom calls my aunt and tells her that she just heard on the radio that our neighborhood has been issued mandatory evacuations. I go to my church to park three of our cars, and then from there we go to Oxnard. On the way to Oxnard, my mom gets a call from someone to make sure that we've left our house. It's real. It's our house that's in danger.
I sit on the beach, watching the huge body of water in front of me, and it's surreal that a fire is threatening my house. I try to study Hebrew, but I still can't concentrate, so I write, and then I fall asleep as my parents walk along the beach together. Surprisingly, I'm not as stressed as I should think I should be, and my dad's not as frantic as usual. It's good we left early. God is gracious even in the craziness.
I stayed at my pastor's house on Sunday night and have been staying at my friend, Melissa's house the past few days. My parents have been back and forth from my aunt's house, checking in to a hotel, then going back home, and then going to my pastor's house, then going back home. Our neighbhors have stayed in their homes, so my parents figure it's o.k. for them to be at the house.
These past few days have been strange - being at school, supposed to be keeping up with school work, also trying to keep updated with what's happening, really only knowing what's going on by watching the news. But I'm also very thankful and grateful that my family is safe, that we have amazing firefighters doing the best they can, and that I have so many caring friends and family who have taken such good care of me and have checked up on me during this crazy time. I'm thankful for all the prayers, concern, and being shown God's love in tangible ways. I'm thankful for community. I'm thankful for the body of Christ. I'm thankful that God is in control.
I'm sitting in the Talbot lounge, and I should be studying for both Greek and Hebrew -my semester's quite full and I need to get on top of things. And yet, I hardly feel motivated, so I'll blog to remember this craziness.
Saturday was a weird day:
At 7 am, my dad woke me up, telling me, "Grace, we have to start packing in case we have to evacuate." I groggily ask, "Do we really have to leave?" thinking it's just my dad's paranoia that motivates him to start packing. A neighbor asks him, "Are you going to evacuate?" My dad says, "No, just packing just in case." I go back to sleep. Around 9 am, my dad wakes me up and says, "Grace, wake up, Yo-yo Ma is playing on television at Ted Kennedy's funeral." By this time, my parents are done packing, so they are just sitting and watching the funeral, so I decide to join them, and watch the funeral. Around noon, I decide to get dressed because my parents tell me we're going to the beach at Oxnard to get some fresh air to get away from the raining ashes and smoke. I dress in my beach attire, ask if I should start packing, and my dad tells me to at least pack for a few days in case we have to stay somewhere else because of the smoke. I pack my pink Little Twin Stars suitcase, which holds 3 outfits. I don't really think we have to leave. I start checking my email and facebook, then I try studying for Hebrew, but then I get light-headed. Kuya Joseph and Ate Bon come home after going somewhere in the morning, and Bon tells Joseph he should probably start packing stuff just in case. I hear the helicopters hover around, taking water from the reservoir nearby to extinguish the flames. The sky has an orange, foreboding glow. This is when I finally start walking around the house, trying to figure out what to take.
I really don't have very many valuables. I'm not too attached to many material things. My dad tells me to at least pack my trunk full of stuff, so we each pack our own cars full of stuff. I gather my pictures, my diplomas, my awards, a week's worth of clothing, books I need for the semester, and this is what I put in the trunk of my car. I guess that's what's good about being a poor grad student - I've never really had the money to buy expensive things. I really only have lots of books, but those are replaceable.
After I'm done packing, I take my dog, Chuckie, to my aunt's house, because this smoky air can't possibly be good for him. He's covered in ash. On my way to my aunt's house, I pass many fire trucks, observing neighbors, and police cars. I see the fire. It's on the next hillside, probably less than 1/2 a mile away. Crazy. At my aunt's house, while getting Chuckie settled, my mom calls my aunt and tells her that she just heard on the radio that our neighborhood has been issued mandatory evacuations. I go to my church to park three of our cars, and then from there we go to Oxnard. On the way to Oxnard, my mom gets a call from someone to make sure that we've left our house. It's real. It's our house that's in danger.
I sit on the beach, watching the huge body of water in front of me, and it's surreal that a fire is threatening my house. I try to study Hebrew, but I still can't concentrate, so I write, and then I fall asleep as my parents walk along the beach together. Surprisingly, I'm not as stressed as I should think I should be, and my dad's not as frantic as usual. It's good we left early. God is gracious even in the craziness.
I stayed at my pastor's house on Sunday night and have been staying at my friend, Melissa's house the past few days. My parents have been back and forth from my aunt's house, checking in to a hotel, then going back home, and then going to my pastor's house, then going back home. Our neighbhors have stayed in their homes, so my parents figure it's o.k. for them to be at the house.
These past few days have been strange - being at school, supposed to be keeping up with school work, also trying to keep updated with what's happening, really only knowing what's going on by watching the news. But I'm also very thankful and grateful that my family is safe, that we have amazing firefighters doing the best they can, and that I have so many caring friends and family who have taken such good care of me and have checked up on me during this crazy time. I'm thankful for all the prayers, concern, and being shown God's love in tangible ways. I'm thankful for community. I'm thankful for the body of Christ. I'm thankful that God is in control.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
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.)
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.)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
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 :)
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 :)
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