A repost of a blog repost from Steph Yu from Jason Ma:
Interestingly, that next weekend I had an interview with a rock band called "Switchfoot" for our TV show. The band had just released their first cross over secular album called "The Beautiful Letdown". When I interviewed the lead singer Jon Foreman I asked him a simple question, "Jon, why did you guys title this new album The Beautiful Letdown?" He responded, "Jaeson, that is a good question. You see, everything in this life can let you down. Right now, the chair I am sitting in could break and fail me. In a few minutes I can go up and sing on that stage to thousands of people, but when I get off the stage my health could fail and I could lose my voice forever and never be able to sing again. I have a beautiful wife, but I could go home and find out she has been unfaithful. You see, everything in this life can fail you. Everything in this life is finite, meaning it doesn't last, but only one thing is truly infinite and will last forever. Yes, everything in this life can and will let you down, but the beautiful thing about it is this, when everything lets you down in this world it leads you to the one thing that is truly beautiful..... the unfailing love of Jesus Christ."
Friday, December 26, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Oswald Chambers
Currently I am reading from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, which my lovely roomate - Liz - is letting me borrow since she brought it back after Thanksgiving break. I know it's a little late, but I really liked the reading for December 18th...as it it something that I can relate to, but I am constantly seeking God to be more faithful in Him and not anything else:
"Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don't ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.
The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsiblities on us. He expects no complaning on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use as He used His own Son."
"Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don't ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.
The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsiblities on us. He expects no complaning on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use as He used His own Son."
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Work, Community, and Thankfullness
"What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to HIm whether you are well or sick." -Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest
Well....I am currently in week 4 of my new job! I am working with an after school program in the downtown LA area with a group of 6th graders along with another associate teacher and my lead teacher. It's been good, challenging, and definitely a growing time altogether. I hadn't had too much work directly with a group of middle-schoolers before, but I am growing to learn their quirks and attitudes, and grow compassion for them that God desires! I have been enjoying getting to know my co-workers as well through different conversations and staff meetings and potlucks! During my first week there, I looked outside of the playground area to the outside...to the city of where this school was placed......and it was just really neat, because this is a place that I have wanted to be for so long....working at a school in the city....and here I am! Is it everything I expected it to be....I think so, that and more....and I'm growing to love being there and and open to where God is going to lead me from here! Being at the school reminds me of Manila a bit in different ways...mostly because of the limited space of the playground area, as that was 1 thing that I was concerned about while in the Philippines and my concern for the physical activity level for the people and kids there.....so I have been thinking of ideas of what physical activity can truly look like in this small play area. :)
My Servant Partners community....we are currently reading through a book called "Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community", and it talks about Christian community. It has been neat to read through and see how different aspects of what it talks about in the book have played out in my life in Christian community, and/or how they are currently playing out with my SP team and my roomates. Every day I am growing to love my roomates more and more.....and it's not because everything is peachy and great...it's because we will have things that we are struggling with together, or we are having conflict, or we are trying to meet each others' needs through our differences....and THAT is beautiful and that is what the KINGDOM OF GOD is about. I am growing more and more to be open with my roomates and share about what is going on for me....even if there are times when I may not feel like speaking up, we will encourage one another to speak what is on our mind and such. Even among our bible studies through the book of Luke, I am speaking up more when I have a question, comment, something to say about the passage, and that has been exciting for me and helpful to voacalize what is going through my head to the rest of the group.
THANKFULNESS:.....After just partaking in Thanksgiving festivities this past weekend...including my 4 day weekend....I thought I should give thanks to a lot of differnet people and things! These are definitely my praises to God as well:
-A God that loves me through all the ups and downs in my life....and holds when my hand all the time because I cannot make it alone
-A family that through all of our ups and downs has been supportive and loving to me
-Friends from high school that can always bring smiles to my face through the most simplest of joys...like playing pool and eating rootbeer floats!
-Daniel & Scott from work and SP...they have guided me so much for my new job with the after school program and I am definitely grateful for them in my life...not just for work, but for speaking about how God is moving in our lives through different areas
-My Fullerton friends who have been able to visit and I've visited them....and as they have been patient and understanding to my time limitations with SP, but out of following God and being obedient to Him
-My SP Community....from emails & facebook groups before SP officially started...to Manila with the cockroaches, rats, and skits about the SuperMall...to finding new jobs and apartments and chillen at one another's apartments....to studying the book of Luke with 13 new lens' of the bible...to sharing more deeply and openly with one another from our past and current experiences....I have been blessed and challenged with all the ups and downs of my team and look forward to what the future holds!
-My Servant Partners Supporters...to all the people have been in prayer for me since I first mentioned the words "I might become a missionary in the inner-city", and have sent money to help support my trip to the Philippines and conferences that will occur throughout the internship.
Daniel and me on our hike
Tony Berrios and me at Panda Express
Well....I am currently in week 4 of my new job! I am working with an after school program in the downtown LA area with a group of 6th graders along with another associate teacher and my lead teacher. It's been good, challenging, and definitely a growing time altogether. I hadn't had too much work directly with a group of middle-schoolers before, but I am growing to learn their quirks and attitudes, and grow compassion for them that God desires! I have been enjoying getting to know my co-workers as well through different conversations and staff meetings and potlucks! During my first week there, I looked outside of the playground area to the outside...to the city of where this school was placed......and it was just really neat, because this is a place that I have wanted to be for so long....working at a school in the city....and here I am! Is it everything I expected it to be....I think so, that and more....and I'm growing to love being there and and open to where God is going to lead me from here! Being at the school reminds me of Manila a bit in different ways...mostly because of the limited space of the playground area, as that was 1 thing that I was concerned about while in the Philippines and my concern for the physical activity level for the people and kids there.....so I have been thinking of ideas of what physical activity can truly look like in this small play area. :)
My Servant Partners community....we are currently reading through a book called "Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community", and it talks about Christian community. It has been neat to read through and see how different aspects of what it talks about in the book have played out in my life in Christian community, and/or how they are currently playing out with my SP team and my roomates. Every day I am growing to love my roomates more and more.....and it's not because everything is peachy and great...it's because we will have things that we are struggling with together, or we are having conflict, or we are trying to meet each others' needs through our differences....and THAT is beautiful and that is what the KINGDOM OF GOD is about. I am growing more and more to be open with my roomates and share about what is going on for me....even if there are times when I may not feel like speaking up, we will encourage one another to speak what is on our mind and such. Even among our bible studies through the book of Luke, I am speaking up more when I have a question, comment, something to say about the passage, and that has been exciting for me and helpful to voacalize what is going through my head to the rest of the group.
THANKFULNESS:.....After just partaking in Thanksgiving festivities this past weekend...including my 4 day weekend....I thought I should give thanks to a lot of differnet people and things! These are definitely my praises to God as well:
-A God that loves me through all the ups and downs in my life....and holds when my hand all the time because I cannot make it alone
-A family that through all of our ups and downs has been supportive and loving to me
-Friends from high school that can always bring smiles to my face through the most simplest of joys...like playing pool and eating rootbeer floats!
-Daniel & Scott from work and SP...they have guided me so much for my new job with the after school program and I am definitely grateful for them in my life...not just for work, but for speaking about how God is moving in our lives through different areas
-My Fullerton friends who have been able to visit and I've visited them....and as they have been patient and understanding to my time limitations with SP, but out of following God and being obedient to Him
-My SP Community....from emails & facebook groups before SP officially started...to Manila with the cockroaches, rats, and skits about the SuperMall...to finding new jobs and apartments and chillen at one another's apartments....to studying the book of Luke with 13 new lens' of the bible...to sharing more deeply and openly with one another from our past and current experiences....I have been blessed and challenged with all the ups and downs of my team and look forward to what the future holds!
-My Servant Partners Supporters...to all the people have been in prayer for me since I first mentioned the words "I might become a missionary in the inner-city", and have sent money to help support my trip to the Philippines and conferences that will occur throughout the internship.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Prayer Requests:
-More opportunities to get to talk with and know our neighbors more....we did get to meet more neighbors when we delivered Thanksgiving goodies to them...so just prayer for more open doors, and for us to be bold and to be okay being awkward to getting to know our neighbors more
-Good health...it seems that right about now is the time when people might start getting sick...so just extra blessings for good health among my teammates
-Continued prayer for the rest of my teammates who are still unemployed (3) to find jobs and wisdom in their job searches
-My family....prayer for open eyes/hearts, forgiveness, grace, reconciliation, and God's love to shine through
-Patience and compassion at work with my 6th graders....to see them through the lens of God's eyes....and see them as God's children!
-Good stewardship with the $$income that I am making now
-More opportunities to get to talk with and know our neighbors more....we did get to meet more neighbors when we delivered Thanksgiving goodies to them...so just prayer for more open doors, and for us to be bold and to be okay being awkward to getting to know our neighbors more
-Good health...it seems that right about now is the time when people might start getting sick...so just extra blessings for good health among my teammates
-Continued prayer for the rest of my teammates who are still unemployed (3) to find jobs and wisdom in their job searches
-My family....prayer for open eyes/hearts, forgiveness, grace, reconciliation, and God's love to shine through
-Patience and compassion at work with my 6th graders....to see them through the lens of God's eyes....and see them as God's children!
-Good stewardship with the $$income that I am making now
Some pictures from Thanksgiving break:
Daniel and me on our hikeTony Berrios and me at Panda Express
Jen, Lati, Jessica, Tony, Heather, and me chillen at Jen's place for reminiscing memories :-D
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