Before summer began, I worried immensely (without action) of what I should do during the summer. Having only 2 more summers in my life, I felt that I needed to be productive: either get an internship or a job. Since I did not have to take summer school, I didn't want to waste my summer. The uncertainty of summer scared me, but my friends encouraged me to have full faith in the Lord during this time. This is the time I began to learn about being certain in my uncertainties, which I can blog about another time...
The terrible flaw of mine is that I always have to be on-the-go, or else I'll feel unproductive. It's terrible because I often neglect worshiping the One who must be worshiped. Worshiping at the feet of my Lord like Mary is what I long to do, but I always stand back up because I have "something to do".
Oh Catherine Catherine... is how Jesus would begin my rebuke.
But sitting quietly is always trying Lord!
So that is exactly where God placed me to do this summer, sit quietly! (very quietly actually...)
A few weeks before summer began, I received a random call from my mom asking me if I was interested in working at a bank. What the random... Although I'm sure my mom knows I'm always looking for a job, I didn't tell her that summer. I sent in my resume and waited... The only way I could pass the weeks was to know that I did nothing to earn this job and if God wanted to take it away, it was fully His to take away. I thought, maybe He wants me to enjoy this summer ha ha ha. But all by His grace, I got the job! Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm (soon to be 5pm). A consistent schedule is exactly what I needed, although with traffic time at home is limited. But overall, this is where I needed to be.
Working as a receptionist, I get a lot of down time. This is perfect because I could read, write a little of my blog, read other people's blogs, and think quietly. Sitting alone for several hours has definitely helped me avoid the summer spiritual stunt that happens so commonly and casually. Because of where God has placed me, I've been learning a lot through reading. If I didn't work as a receptionist, my books would be collecting dust. So I'm thankful for such an opportunity to make money and be mentally productive - dwelling upon the things of God. I'm most glad that God wills for my growth throughout this time :)
I'm also thankful for Ruth. I met Ruth here at the bank. She referred me for my job and has been kind to me since then. Although I am only working temporarily, I have learned a something about the working atmosphere (in an office with "grown ups"). Not everybody is willing to help you. But the warmth of her smile is enough to help me know that I can always trust her to help me. I'm thankful for her kindness and I hope to get to know her better!
I hope God will use me here to show the love of Christ through my speech and actions. Please pray that I will love them selflessly! cus I'm so selfish and so sinful to the CORE ahhhhh
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Food in My Stomach: Persimmon
Honestly, my original intent was to post foods from restaurants or cafes, but I accidently left my memory card at home when I went to eat, so persimmon will do.
Since I've been home, I've been deprived of sweets or any form of snacks. Indeed, this is a good way to lose weight, since I baked so much during the school year. But when my cravings came back, I dug high and low for something to relieve me. Yes, I do have a sweet tooth.
What I find were dried persimmons. Although fruit was not exactly what I was looking for, this sweet delicacy did the job fairly well, and I was pleased.
It was not only sweet, but nutritious:
This oriental fruit is native to china and belongs to the family of Ebenaceae.
Persimmon comes in 2 different categories: astringent and non-astringent. And they are both deeelicious.
This fruit is has health promoting nutrients such as vitamins (A,C, and several B), folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper. It also contains high levels of minerals, antioxidants, and are high in dietary fiber (soluble)! How wonderful! But be aware of the core (soft white part), I hear it can cause constipation.
Here is the nutrition facts for a medium persimmon (168g)
calories 118
total fat: 0
cholesterol: 0
sodium: 2mg (0%)
total carbo: 3g (10%)
dietary fiber: 6g (24%)
sugar: 21g
protein: 1g
vitamin A (55%) C (21%) calcium (1%) iron (1%)
There is nothing better than creepy pictures with food :)
I ate all the ones at home, but they were good while they lasted.I will be digging up more treasures around the house when my sweet tooth comes back!
sources:
http://www.brighthub.com/health/diet-nutrition/articles/58563.aspx
http://www.harvestofthemonth.com/download/Fall/Persimmons/pers_edu_2.pdf
Since I've been home, I've been deprived of sweets or any form of snacks. Indeed, this is a good way to lose weight, since I baked so much during the school year. But when my cravings came back, I dug high and low for something to relieve me. Yes, I do have a sweet tooth.
What I find were dried persimmons. Although fruit was not exactly what I was looking for, this sweet delicacy did the job fairly well, and I was pleased.
It was not only sweet, but nutritious:
This oriental fruit is native to china and belongs to the family of Ebenaceae.
Persimmon comes in 2 different categories: astringent and non-astringent. And they are both deeelicious.
This fruit is has health promoting nutrients such as vitamins (A,C, and several B), folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper. It also contains high levels of minerals, antioxidants, and are high in dietary fiber (soluble)! How wonderful! But be aware of the core (soft white part), I hear it can cause constipation.
Here is the nutrition facts for a medium persimmon (168g)
calories 118
total fat: 0
cholesterol: 0
sodium: 2mg (0%)
total carbo: 3g (10%)
dietary fiber: 6g (24%)
sugar: 21g
protein: 1g
vitamin A (55%) C (21%) calcium (1%) iron (1%)
There is nothing better than creepy pictures with food :)
I ate all the ones at home, but they were good while they lasted.I will be digging up more treasures around the house when my sweet tooth comes back!
sources:
http://www.brighthub.com/health/diet-nutrition/articles/58563.aspx
http://www.harvestofthemonth.com/download/Fall/Persimmons/pers_edu_2.pdf
Sunday Reflections: Let No One Despise You for Your Youth
key verse: 1 Timothy 4:12
Currently, our church is lacking a youth pastor (or English speaking pastor), so the elders have been teaching in rotation. Today, Elder Kwon spoke on the unique and important period of youth.
According to an internet search, youth has a bad connotation. The young are often criticized as disrespectful, irresponsible, disobedient, lazy, rebellious, etc. However, this is time when we the young should be building a foundation for life, one that we can build upon as we grow older. The 3 practical things for building a foundation were:
1. Make a strong and healthy body (physical condition is very important)
2. Increase your knowledge and make your mental/intellectual level higher
3. Press onto know God and grow spiritually
Through a good foundation, even young people can be used greatly for God. Elder Kwon mentioned Joseph and Daniel, who were both very young. They were both in the teens when God used them; yet, they were both faithful men of God and God used them mightily.
However, we must look ultimately to God's standards, and not that of anyone else. As asians, we should especially not see adults' opinions as supreme. On the other hand, we are not to boast about anything God has gifted us with. Instead, in all humility, we are to be an example. Sometimes keeping the mouth shut is the best thing you can do, cus actions do count :]
But anyway, sorry for the delay in posts. It's been kind of crazy, and I especially couldn't log on cus I forgot the password haha. I will try to be more up to date!
Currently, our church is lacking a youth pastor (or English speaking pastor), so the elders have been teaching in rotation. Today, Elder Kwon spoke on the unique and important period of youth.
According to an internet search, youth has a bad connotation. The young are often criticized as disrespectful, irresponsible, disobedient, lazy, rebellious, etc. However, this is time when we the young should be building a foundation for life, one that we can build upon as we grow older. The 3 practical things for building a foundation were:
1. Make a strong and healthy body (physical condition is very important)
2. Increase your knowledge and make your mental/intellectual level higher
3. Press onto know God and grow spiritually
Through a good foundation, even young people can be used greatly for God. Elder Kwon mentioned Joseph and Daniel, who were both very young. They were both in the teens when God used them; yet, they were both faithful men of God and God used them mightily.
However, we must look ultimately to God's standards, and not that of anyone else. As asians, we should especially not see adults' opinions as supreme. On the other hand, we are not to boast about anything God has gifted us with. Instead, in all humility, we are to be an example. Sometimes keeping the mouth shut is the best thing you can do, cus actions do count :]
But anyway, sorry for the delay in posts. It's been kind of crazy, and I especially couldn't log on cus I forgot the password haha. I will try to be more up to date!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Living by the Word: Dying to Self
Knowing what you want is easy
Taking care of yourself is easy
Defending your desires is easy
Dying to yourself daily is hard.
To the world, I can defend my "rights", the right to my desires; and the world would stand beside me, urging me to take care of my "needs". And overall, I've always tried to serve myself to a reasonable amount, but what is a reasonable amount, according to the Bible?
How this came about:
After our 4th roommate dropped from our apartment at then end of Spring quarter, Christina, Caroline and I began rummaging around for a new apartmentmate. However, many of our friends were already settled into their own apartments. Although there were possible candidates, their future situations were uncertain. Some people began throwing suggestions, but by then I did not believe I could feel comfortable with a new apartmentmate. After all, our apartment was set since Fall quarter. The original idea was that if nobody could live with us, we would triple in a one bedroom apartment, where the three of us could be roommates. But soon enough, I began to fall in love with this idea, the idea of comfort, seclusion, and overall, taking no risks. After trying to defend why I wanted this, God used my good lady friend to convict me to think harder and look harder as to why I wanted this. In the end, I could not put a firm finger on why this would not be the best idea.
While living alone with the three of us would not be sinful in itself, my heart at the roots was sinful. I just wanted to be comfortable at home, not willing to bear with just anybody, but only some people. Looking back, it's odd because there is no guarantee that I will have less conflict with the two girls compared to a new apartmentmate. I actually thought God would spite me with greater tension and conflict if we tripled... ha ha. However, I should have feared what was true, and not something that was only possible (possible being spited by God).
Truth is...
I was not whole-heartedly willing to set aside my comfort if a sister needed an apartment to join.
Preferences should stay preferences and not our end goal.
Furthermore, if Christ himself came to serve than to be served (Mark 10:45), how much more should I want to serve a sister regardless of how well we would get along. And to add to that, Christ never sought comfort in serving another person. Overall he didn't seek luxury. His one desire was to obey God; and that included serving and ultimately dying for us all. In comparison I fall SO SHORT! Grumbling about such little things... -_-
2. Running with Excellence
Well, now that I understood how skewed my thoughts were, I could repent of my sinful thoughts and live just the 3 of us for many other reasons. I wanted to grow intimately close with Christina and Caroline, and avoid tension with a 4th apartmentmate. A 4th apartmentmate would bring additional trials and conflicts (not that us 3 wouldn't). Avoiding ANY hardship would be anybody's instinct.
However, the word of God tells me other wise. Hardships and trials are good!
This thought was revealed to me by my good lady friend, which really caused me to search for answers. In Romans 5:3 it states:
3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
With a new apartmentmate, it would indeed increase conflict and decrease comfort, no matter who it is. Yet it would be well worth it. Why? Because the results are endurance, character and hope, and His promises are too good to pass up on.
In addition, I was reminded of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30:
14"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
15To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
17So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
18But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying,
'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'
21His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little;
I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'
22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents;
here I have made two talents more.'
23His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little;
I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'
24He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man,
reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,
25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'
26But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not
sown and gather where I scattered no seed?
27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received
what was my own with interest.
28So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who
has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
I know I'm not being thrown into hell as the servant was, but I do not want to be the one who lamely sat around doing nothing with the talent he was entrusted with. Instead, I want to be the faithful servant who made good use of what was allotted, and hear "Well done, good and faithful servant!" I want to run the race full force.
3. You reap what you sow (application)
When I first struggled through this whole ordeal, my dad referred me to Galatians 6:1-10:
6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Although most of it is directed at serving the ministers of the church ("one who teaches), verse 10 clearly indicates that we should do good to everyone, especially to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to sow to the Spirit and reap! :D How exciting would that be. Although I could sow in many different ways, I should take every opportunity to do so. Of course I will struggle because of this decision, and I may even want to go back on what I said; but truth is truth and that is that. Whatever be the path, I'll take it!
My dad's advice: purposefully inconvenience yourself at least once a day for somebody else.
p.s - sorry this post is late!
Taking care of yourself is easy
Defending your desires is easy
Dying to yourself daily is hard.
To the world, I can defend my "rights", the right to my desires; and the world would stand beside me, urging me to take care of my "needs". And overall, I've always tried to serve myself to a reasonable amount, but what is a reasonable amount, according to the Bible?
How this came about:
After our 4th roommate dropped from our apartment at then end of Spring quarter, Christina, Caroline and I began rummaging around for a new apartmentmate. However, many of our friends were already settled into their own apartments. Although there were possible candidates, their future situations were uncertain. Some people began throwing suggestions, but by then I did not believe I could feel comfortable with a new apartmentmate. After all, our apartment was set since Fall quarter. The original idea was that if nobody could live with us, we would triple in a one bedroom apartment, where the three of us could be roommates. But soon enough, I began to fall in love with this idea, the idea of comfort, seclusion, and overall, taking no risks. After trying to defend why I wanted this, God used my good lady friend to convict me to think harder and look harder as to why I wanted this. In the end, I could not put a firm finger on why this would not be the best idea.
While living alone with the three of us would not be sinful in itself, my heart at the roots was sinful. I just wanted to be comfortable at home, not willing to bear with just anybody, but only some people. Looking back, it's odd because there is no guarantee that I will have less conflict with the two girls compared to a new apartmentmate. I actually thought God would spite me with greater tension and conflict if we tripled... ha ha. However, I should have feared what was true, and not something that was only possible (possible being spited by God).
Truth is...
I was not whole-heartedly willing to set aside my comfort if a sister needed an apartment to join.
Preferences should stay preferences and not our end goal.
1. I am to die to myself, think eternally, and selflessly love&serve
Truth is, I am not in this world to serve myself and find my ultimate comfort in the things of this world. Instead, I am called to take up the cross and die to myself daily (Luke 9:23). Putting another person's preferences above my own would be dying to my preferences, especially when I begin living with somebody less familiar. However, I was not ready to do so. I wanted to drop the cross when I got home from school. I felt I deserved it. Now don't get me wrong, rest is good! It reveals our humanity, our dependence, and is good for our humility (not too much, that's called laziness). But I was lacking my dependence on God, despite all the verses assuring me that God will strengthen and sustain me if anything came my way (Psalm 55:22, Psalm 40:31, 1Thes 2:17). Moreover, my true home and rest will be in heaven, as it is promised in Heb 4. So to seek comfort in this world is foolish and unsatisfying. Furthermore, if Christ himself came to serve than to be served (Mark 10:45), how much more should I want to serve a sister regardless of how well we would get along. And to add to that, Christ never sought comfort in serving another person. Overall he didn't seek luxury. His one desire was to obey God; and that included serving and ultimately dying for us all. In comparison I fall SO SHORT! Grumbling about such little things... -_-
2. Running with Excellence
Well, now that I understood how skewed my thoughts were, I could repent of my sinful thoughts and live just the 3 of us for many other reasons. I wanted to grow intimately close with Christina and Caroline, and avoid tension with a 4th apartmentmate. A 4th apartmentmate would bring additional trials and conflicts (not that us 3 wouldn't). Avoiding ANY hardship would be anybody's instinct.
However, the word of God tells me other wise. Hardships and trials are good!
This thought was revealed to me by my good lady friend, which really caused me to search for answers. In Romans 5:3 it states:
3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
With a new apartmentmate, it would indeed increase conflict and decrease comfort, no matter who it is. Yet it would be well worth it. Why? Because the results are endurance, character and hope, and His promises are too good to pass up on.
In addition, I was reminded of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30:
14"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
15To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
17So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
18But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying,
'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'
21His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little;
I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'
22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents;
here I have made two talents more.'
23His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little;
I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'
24He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man,
reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,
25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'
26But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not
sown and gather where I scattered no seed?
27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received
what was my own with interest.
28So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who
has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
I know I'm not being thrown into hell as the servant was, but I do not want to be the one who lamely sat around doing nothing with the talent he was entrusted with. Instead, I want to be the faithful servant who made good use of what was allotted, and hear "Well done, good and faithful servant!" I want to run the race full force.
3. You reap what you sow (application)
When I first struggled through this whole ordeal, my dad referred me to Galatians 6:1-10:
6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Although most of it is directed at serving the ministers of the church ("one who teaches), verse 10 clearly indicates that we should do good to everyone, especially to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to sow to the Spirit and reap! :D How exciting would that be. Although I could sow in many different ways, I should take every opportunity to do so. Of course I will struggle because of this decision, and I may even want to go back on what I said; but truth is truth and that is that. Whatever be the path, I'll take it!
My dad's advice: purposefully inconvenience yourself at least once a day for somebody else.
p.s - sorry this post is late!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Content
Sun - sunday reflections
Mon - food in my stomach
Tues - thanksgiving
Wed - book review
Thurs - hello my name is
Fri - (my day of rest)
Sat - living by the word
(subject to change)
Mon - food in my stomach
Tues - thanksgiving
Wed - book review
Thurs - hello my name is
Fri - (my day of rest)
Sat - living by the word
(subject to change)
Start of Summer
Yes indeed, summer began awhile ago but I'll leave that there...
Why start a blog?
I must admit, blogging is a lot of work, and xanga phase was approximately 7 years ago.But there is a completely different meaning to my life than when I was in middle school, and it sure is not blabbing about what I want people to hear without saying it to their face. So then am I following the trend of many who started a blog? hm maybe haha.
Actually, I wanted to keep a private journal (which I might do in writing), but because it is summer and I don't have much accountability here, I wanted to share what I have been learning and reflect upon them; and eventually have some feedback of rebuke or a chance to encourage another.
Consistency will be a challenge, but as I have hours to spare at work, it will be... easier.
I shall start an official post probably at the end of this week? since I have to wake up for work at 7am :(
On the unserious note
1. I'm officially a CITIZEN of the united states (6/23/10 which supposedly is a "life changing day" -_-). It's not quite the life changing experience, but it was interesting. I got to wait in line for over an hour, listen to a judge studder through a generically touching letter, wave a flag, sign my life away to america and have a xeroxed signature from Barrack Obama. Okay, it wasn't THAT bad, and it was interesting. I especially felt bad cus other people worked hard to obtain it. But anyway, I especially wanted to mention how I was touched that my friends Caroline, Melody, Lily, and Jack attended my Oath Ceremony (and Mish H. joined after). What loving friends I have :)
2. Why not word press? I thought about it, and it's not bad. But I can't come to appreciate the Volkswagen looking logo. End of story.
Sorry if I ramble! Tell me if it's annoying haha. If you're too scared to tell me, anonymously throw a note and run away.
One final word: I'm excited to grow this summer! For the word of God assures me that "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6), even in the summer :D Let the adventures begin!
Why start a blog?
I must admit, blogging is a lot of work, and xanga phase was approximately 7 years ago.But there is a completely different meaning to my life than when I was in middle school, and it sure is not blabbing about what I want people to hear without saying it to their face. So then am I following the trend of many who started a blog? hm maybe haha.
Actually, I wanted to keep a private journal (which I might do in writing), but because it is summer and I don't have much accountability here, I wanted to share what I have been learning and reflect upon them; and eventually have some feedback of rebuke or a chance to encourage another.
Consistency will be a challenge, but as I have hours to spare at work, it will be... easier.
I shall start an official post probably at the end of this week? since I have to wake up for work at 7am :(
On the unserious note
1. I'm officially a CITIZEN of the united states (6/23/10 which supposedly is a "life changing day" -_-). It's not quite the life changing experience, but it was interesting. I got to wait in line for over an hour, listen to a judge studder through a generically touching letter, wave a flag, sign my life away to america and have a xeroxed signature from Barrack Obama. Okay, it wasn't THAT bad, and it was interesting. I especially felt bad cus other people worked hard to obtain it. But anyway, I especially wanted to mention how I was touched that my friends Caroline, Melody, Lily, and Jack attended my Oath Ceremony (and Mish H. joined after). What loving friends I have :)
2. Why not word press? I thought about it, and it's not bad. But I can't come to appreciate the Volkswagen looking logo. End of story.
Sorry if I ramble! Tell me if it's annoying haha. If you're too scared to tell me, anonymously throw a note and run away.
One final word: I'm excited to grow this summer! For the word of God assures me that "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6), even in the summer :D Let the adventures begin!
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