Dear Dad.

Thank you.

Thank you for teaching me all the things I know about life. You guided me in a way that shaped me into a follower of Christ, and that's the greatest gift any father could give to his child. 

You showed me what it means to be a man of God. A man of God is someone who can admit his flaws and mistakes, repent, and be restored. He is someone who can show respect and compassion to anyone. And most importantly, he is willing to follow God to the ends of the earth - no matter the cost.

Thank you for praying for me and blessing me every night. I took those nights for granted. But I now look back and recognize the love of God through you. You showed me how to pray to our Father in heaven. And you reminded me that He provides all things that are necessary - peace, wisdom, guidance, grace, and love.

Thank you for teaching me to be wise in what I do or say. You showed me that we shouldn't act on impulse. Rather, we should be slow to speak and seek God for discernment. As an ambassador of Christ, we are called to be mindful of others and their well-being. We are no longer focused on ourselves. Instead, we are focused on becoming selfless like Christ.

Thank you for providing for me, just as our Father provides for us. You've given me more than I deserve - just as God has blessed me beyond what I deserve. Through this, I know to be grateful for everything that I have. And I know to be content with whatever is received and taken away from me.

There is so much more to say, but I'll leave it at this: you've discipled me into a follower of Christ. And as I grow up, there is no need for you to worry. I can assure you that you have brought me to God. And I have complete confidence in Him, who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

Happy Father's Day,

Your Son.

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My Time In LA So Far

I've been in LA for about two full weeks now. And I have to be honest about some things. Living here hasn't been the most glamorous and awesome lifestyle. It can get lonely out here sometimes.

When I came out here, I thought about seeing my friends every day after work. But work life isn't always like that. Sure - sometimes you make plans to meet up with friends during the week. But a lot of the time, people can be busy.

It's definitely not like college where you can go over to your friend's place when you feel like it. And LA makes the situation more difficult. It's hard to get around here. And traffic can play a huge factor into how you schedule and make plans.

So I've been spending a good amount of time by myself at home. Don't get me wrong - I've gotten plugged into a nice church community. But there's something that has been irking me during my time here. It's a feeling of emptiness - maybe loneliness.

As I was praying about this, I think God gave me a hint of what he's trying to teach me. The question He arose in my head was "Can you be completely satisfied in me?"

I'm currently living with my aunt, so I'm not technically by myself. But we both have our own schedules. However, I think God is trying to use my aunt to teach me the lesson in the question. I wrote about the my aunt about a year ago, but let me re-explain.

My aunt never got married. She's around 60. And she is the epitome of a what it means to be a woman of God. To my best understanding, this is her schedule....

She gets up at 4AM, prays until 6-7AM, eats, reads scripture, goes to seminary classes, meets and prays for other members in her church, comes home, eats, reads more supplemental material for scripture, watches the news, and sleeps.

Her entire life is immersed in Christ. She lives, eats, and breathes Christ. She even has papers taped on all her doors saying "SMILE - God loves you". It's such a simple lifestyle. And I wonder if she ever gets tired of it. I never asked her myself, but I think it's safe to say that she never gets tired of it. She's always laughing, encouraging, and serving.

So maybe that's the answer to my question. My aunt is the perfect example to the question "Can you be completely satisfied in God?" And I have the blessing of being able to live with her.

So I have a question for you guys - can you be completely satisfied in Christ? I hope we can all learn that one day. And I hope I can learn my lesson by the end of this summer.

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