Operation Christmas Child

It was a while back before, but it was too fruitful to forget.

Like another event, I can't find the words to describe the experience.  Maybe one day I will.  But for now, see for yourselves what God did on November 21st:

Some numbers:

• 30+ Junior High Youth
• 1 1/2 hours of packing
• 56 shoeboxes filled with gifts and notes
• $595 money donations for shipping
  

God is good.
I love Eureka.

Summer Rehash

Just when I thought things would actually cool to a legit fall weather, I find out it's going to heat up to the 90s again.  Global warming is funny.

Speaking of high temperatures, I suppose this would be a good time to update about my busy summer.  In between our church's annual youth retreat and a friends' wedding, so many things happened and .  I was gonna try to be make it into a somewhat coherent show-and-tell, but I'm a little all over the place now and so I'll go with it.  Besides, doesn't things like "organization" and "planning" sometimes ruin the fun?  =)

Here it goes:

On NYC: I haven't visited in 13 years so it was nice to see what's new around there.  Times Square, Wall Street, 9/11, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Queens Bridge, Greenwich Village, New York Harbor, Serrendipity III....just to name a few places we checked out.  And I can't forget the several pizza parlors and the world class cheesecake we devoured along the way.  I'm STILL editing / uploading all the pics from the trip, so you can check on my progress here.  Mental note to self: go in the late autumn or spring season for milder weather.  I'm serious.

On AOW Missions:  Sick.  Amazing.  Blessed.  For the first time, our drama ministry did a tour around churches and other different venues in the South Bay to minister through performances and community outreach.  God was everywhere and led us together along the whole way.  You can read my debrief letter here for more of the big and little things He did for us.

On worship leading: I recently had a conversation with a friend about the delicate balance between spiritual leading and good musicianship in musical worship - specifically the latter.

I feel like a good amount of the time, we focus on trying to glorify God so much with the "right" passage, prayers, and songs, that we forget how important it is to skillfully set that mood w/ instruments.  Keeping on top of the tempo.  Staying in key.  I know I'm not the greatest in doing all these things, but I am being faithful with these musical gifts I've received.

During our conversation, my friend's words also showed me how ridiculously EASY it is to approach worship with a critical heart.  People turning their attention to the worship leaders and focusing on their shortcomings.  Are people so stuck in their own bubble of opinions on what they think worship should be like, that they miss the whole point of simply worshiping God?  It's discouraging to see that happen - for people to put all that responsibility solely on the worship leaders and sometimes taking NONE of it themselves, especially being spiritually prepared when they walk through the doors.

But here's the cool part of the whole thing:  it's not really his/her job.  God is still in control; He lets all the good and bad and even the ugly be in some way a praise to Him through the music, even when it's not "perfect" and it doesn't "please" us.

On that note, I'm truly grateful for the encouragements and growth I have received from serving alongside worship leaders this past year.  They are rock stars in my book.


And there you have it. Everything behind my eyes when I look back at these past three months.  Thanks for reading.  This was fun.

Weekend of Freedom

A taste of how I spent my weekend:

To put what we learned in wider perspective: Freedom brought by the Good News is not truly good news unless it reaches the poor.
 

Hope you all had a Happy Fourth. =) Feel free to share how you spent it.

Easter Sunday 2008

Christ is risen....

...He is risen indeed. =)

Praise God for such a special Easter that was marked with jubilant music, a complementing skit and a unique message that shined new light to this resurrection day. I don't think words can explain well - it's just God's touch for that morning.

Several offered their thanks and compliments, but I'm just happy that the skit tied so well with the sermon and the message clicked with everyone. Mostly, I'm thankful to God for this serving opportunity and pray for our ministry to do an even better job on the next occasion.

"Happiness is fleeting, but JC is 4ever." ~ C.C.

**Used in Creative Chaos**

Eureka Leadership Core Prayer Retreat

A weekend of prayer, worship, and bonding with God and each other. More on this later. =)

Youth Camp 2007

Currently Listening United We Stand By Hillsong United From The Inside Out see related

Just got back yesterday from our annual Youth Camp (my third time!) up in Mile High Pines, and I probably should strike while the iron is hot with my thoughts on what now appears to be one of the most blessed weekends to experience every year.

1. Although I wasn't granted the age group I preferred this year, God continued to ever amaze and fill my heart with wonder as I served as a counselor to the 7th and 8th graders. It was SO encouraging to hear the younger ones really take a stand to commit / re-commit their lives to Christ. The key thing now is how to help them progress forward in their walks with their hearts and minds evermore seeking out our God.
   
   
2. Aside from the dancing workshop, the most successful annual activity for everyone is the Bible skit. Every small group performs a skit based on a different Bible passage that needs to incorporate two pre-selected items and the camp theme. This year, the items were a baseball bat and a plastic trash bag. Some of the topics included Jonah & the whale, Cain and Abel, Jesus tempted by Satan, and David and Bathsheba. My group had the second one, so it wasn't that hard. But for the last one...well, uhh...use your imagination?! =)
   
   
3. The worship team from UCSD was really awesome (Go InterVarsity!). So good that I literally lost my voice halfway through the weekend while singing praises to God. I sounded like someone who can rip apart crate boxes just by talking to it.
   
   
4. Games which come out of improvisation as well as creativity are sometimes the most rewarding. Especially when they can build the body, like "Black-&-White"...with pushups!!
   
   
5. Aerobeds are the way to go. =) 'Nuff said.

Below is the song to go with the lessons learned at camp. Thanks for all your prayers and support, and I am already looking forward to what He can do between now and next year's camp. =)

Communion

Communion was held yesterday as it usually is for every first Sunday of the month. After the morning's sermon, our pastoral staff would hand out the bread and cup to those baptized members of the church. We would take these materials in remembrance of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for our sins so we may be free to live our lives for Him.

During this time, the sanctuary was pretty quiet, almost in sorrowful reflection. While examining my own heart and remembering what Christ did for me, I couldn't help but start to form a small smile on my face. And the smile grew larger, almost turning into a huge grin as I consumed the items with everyone else.

Sometimes I think that while we do take time to examine our own hearts before God, it is also good that we take time to enjoy the food and drink that Jesus invited us to take with him. As believers in Christ, we are called to more than just his followers - we are called to be his friends, and he invited us in to have supper with him, to share our loaves and our lives with one another as a Body. There is a lot of hope and good news pouring from this meal that occasionally we should stop, take in His presence that fills the room, and really "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). =)


Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

A Taste of Summer To Come

Graduations are in the air, meaning that summer is slowly making it's way for each of us.

Much is going down this summertime and I am REALLY looking forward to what God has laid out for me to do. A little preview for things to come:

• CEFC Youth Camp (June 29-July 2) - my third outing as a counselor and I'm no less than excited in the opportunity to care, support, pray, and have a great time with my church's youth group.
  
  
• Professional Engineering (PE) Exam Preparation (July-October) - time to study, study, study for my 2-day, 14-hour civil engineering license exam in late October. Review classes and homework will resume in my life. It ain't over yet!
  
  
• China Short Term Missions Trip (July 22-August 4) - God responded to my prayers, presenting me an opportunity to serve this summer and asking if I would say yes. And how else can I respond to the Big Man upstairs? =)
  
  

But first, a little trip up north for the weekend to kickoff the months ahead...

True Love

While sitting in Good Friday service tonight and listening to The Last Seven Words of Jesus Christ, I felt something different than previous services of this occasion. Instead of joining the rest of the three congregations in the sorrowful remembrance for the death of our Savior for our sins, I was really somewhere else this time. I was in a state of awe.

Flash back to the last Sunday of March. AOW was invited to perform a sketch on the notion of false love to introduce the sermon in front of the entire English congregation for the first time. After the sketch (which, by the way, went really well after much hard work in writing, acting, and praying), Pastor Rich delivered on his message of the difference between true love and false love. In a nutshell, false love is self-seeking whereas true love is self-giving and furthermore, self-sacrificing. He drew an illustration of an aged man whose wife has just past away. After burying her, the man turned to his two sons and took them in his arms. He said:

"Boys, it was a good 54 years and it ended just the way I wanted it to end: your mother went first. You see when two people love other as much as your mother and I loved each other, each wants the other to go first. I did not want her to have to go through the pain of having to put me in the grave. If anybody was going to suffer, I wanted it to be me. It ended just the way I wanted it to end: your mother went first."

It was one of the best examples of true love I have ever heard. And Jesus Christ did even more than that - he wanted to suffer the pain and go to the grave first so we wouldn't go through it. So we may live and be free.

When I looked upon the cross that night, I couldn't bring myself to mourn my Lord. I could only look on, with wonder for this amazing grace - the ultimate act of true love by the Son of Man.


"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." ~ John 15:13

2006 CEFC Summer Retreat

Whew! Just got back from UCSD and it was a good time to go away once more, notably out-of-town and into cooler weather.

1. Served once more on the General Affairs team, using my truck and my newly-formed muscles to move anything and everything that was needed for the retreat. The coolest part was using our walkie-talkies on the freeway home, telling jokes and relaying openings in traffic.
   
   
2. It was good to see more familiar faces this year and catching up with those whom I haven't seen for a while. One of the benefits of having an entire church attend a retreat!
   
   
3. Dr. John Vawter spoke for the English congregation on the Fruit of Spirit, the ministry of Christ, and the joy we take in serving our God. I'm still trying to take in and remember all that I learned this short 3-day weekend, but it definitely goes well with the new direction that our young adult ministry going to take this coming year. Please keep on praying for the fellowship.