LA

I'm in Los Angeles, California. It's day 3 of my 3 weeks here. And it's been amazing. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I have truly been blessed with an amazing opportunity. And by no means did I do anything to earn/deserve it. So here are a few points to sum up my trip so far.

My Aunt Is A Balla

I've been staying with my aunt for the past few days, and she has shared so much wisdom with me. Her lifestyle has humbled me. And her passion for God astounds me. She lives so passionately, simply, and humbly. In a society where we always want more, she is able to live a simple life without extravagant things. She lives happily.

It's All God's Doing

The people I've met in these past few days are wonderful. It's honestly a small world, and God has brought me to people who have amazing testimonies and backgrounds. It feels so surreal having met the people I've met. Honestly, there are no words to describe this feeling of excitement. As a result, there is no way I can't credit Him for providing this opportunity.

Humility Is The Key

God continues to humble me here as I meet people. It's amazing to hear people's stories and how they have lived their lives. At the same time, we all have a commonality under Christ. We're all here on earth with the same purpose in mind. But we also have our personal convictions in how to fulfill that ultimate goal.

God is good. Period. More updates to come in the following weeks!

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EY.

Summer's finally here, and it's been a month since I've written anything. Things have been a bit busy.

• Finished Finals
• Office Visits for my internship offers
• Friends graduations
• Jubilee Project Fellowship
• English Maymester Course (which I just finished today!)
• Summer School started at UT
• Accepted my offer with Ernst & Young (also known as EY)

So a lot has happened since the last time I've written a post. Honestly, it's nice having a busy summer. I stayed in Dallas for only a week, and I felt like my body was rotting away. The longer you are in college, the less you want to stay at home. But busy-ness can also be a dangerous thing.

I've received a lot of opportunities this summer. Honestly, there are so many blessings in my life. And I haven't done anything to deserve or earn them. For example, I've started working with my Jubilee Project team. That's been such an exciting process. Also, I've officially signed my internship offer with EY! For those of you who don't know what that is. EY is an accounting firm. So I'll be working their during the spring semester of 2014. But like I said, I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with these opportunities.

Back to the dangers of busy-ness. I've found myself being a little too busy. It's good to be occupied and to be productive with your time. However, it's a problem when you lose your priorities. I found myself losing sight of what really matters, which is Christ.

In my case, I began to give credit to myself for the things I accomplished. Whether it was small chores or assignments, I didn't give thanks to Christ. This is obviously not a good thing. If I can't put God at the center of the small things I do, then how could I possibly keep him in the center of the big opportunities I have. More specifically, I don't want to lose sight of Christ in my opportunities with Jubilee Project and my EY internship.

So yeah. That's what's been happening. As you can see, I'm in no way a perfect person. But I want to share my experiences to encourage whoever is reading this.

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A Weekend of Blessings.

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. for the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him."  - Isaiah 30:18

This weekend has been surreal. Too many things happened, and I feel like it has been all a dream (partially because I've been taking a lot of naps). Three crazy things happened this weekend. But I'll keep it concise and share about two of them.

#1. Jubilee Project Fellowship
I applied for a film internship/volunteer position with Jubilee Project. If you haven't heard of them, I recommend that you check them out on YouTube! (https://www.youtube.com/user/jubileeProject) It's a non-profit organization that makes short films and documentaries about social injustice/awareness topics.

At first, I wasn't going to apply because the application requires a 4-6 page script. I've never written a script, so I didn't want to embarrass myself. However, an idea sparked into my head a week before the deadline. I wrote it, and sent it in (Shout out to John Ki, Jooch Kim, and Joseph Hur for proofreading and providing feedback). And as of Friday, I have been accepted into the Fellowship! All honor and glory to God.

I don't know what to expect. All I know is that it's a two week camp to film a short, learn, and meet people! I still haven't processed this amazing opportunity that I've been given.

#2. A-Team
This past Friday, I was announced to be one of four administration leaders for my college fellowship. I have to say that it is such a blessing to have an opportunity to serve the church in this capacity. And of course, I'm very excited to work with my other 3 team members: Lisa, Jennifer, and Yeachan.

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I want this post to encourage you all. I'm not here to brag. Honestly, I don't deserve any of these blessings that I've received. I continue to find fault and flaws in my life. But I want to testify that God blesses those who wait upon Him.

God wants the best for us. What Father doesn't want the best for His children? However, I believe that it's important to wait on His schedule and His time. If we truly believe that He knows WHAT is best for us, then we should also know that He knows WHEN is the best time for us. Let me go back to the two things I shared.

#1. This past school year, I've had a desire to try filming. I had so many ideas I wanted to create. But school kept me busy. I became frustrated because I didn't have an opportunity to try my interests. Throughout each semester, I found myself complaining. I even began to question my major. But God answered my prayer and gave me an opportunity.

#2. Ever since my freshman year, I wanted to serve on A-Team. But they were for the wrong reasons. Business always tells you, "it's a good resume builder". That was my reason. It's a stupid reason.

Side note: If you're doing something just to put it on your resume, then your priorities are messed up. But that's a rant for another time.

I had all the wrong reasons to want to be on A-Team. Eventually, I didn't think much about A-Team. I didn't see it as something that I needed, but rather as something that I would gladly accept if I was called to serve. I was at peace with whatever happens.

So there you have it. God taught me to be patient. To wait on His time and to be at peace with whatever happens and whenever it happens. So I hope you pray and ask for patience. I hope you can pray to wait upon the Lord. He'll bless you at the right moment.

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"Jesus Wept"

"Jesus Wept" - John 11:35

If you want to memorize at least one verse of the Bible, I think think this is the shortest verse. But I believe it's also a verse that has so much weight and meaning to it. If you're not familiar with the background of this story, then I'll do my best to sum it up in a nutshell. Again, I'm not a pastor. So I'll probably make mistakes. Therefore, you should read it for yourself.

There was a man named Lazarus, who was very sick. Mary and Martha, who were very close to Jesus, ask him to come see Lazarus.

"So the sisters sent word to Jesus, 'Lord, the one you love is sick.'" - John 11:3

Long story short, Jesus decides to wait two more days before making his way towards Lazarus. Spoiler alert: Lazarus dies by the time Jesus comes to see him, Mary, and Martha. When Jesus arrives, he sees Lazarus and brings him back to life. The end.

But why did Jesus weep when he arrived? He's the one that showed up late. And he knew that he was going to raise Lazarus back to life. If he already knew that Lazarus was going to be revived, why did he weep with Mary and Martha?

The rest of this explanation came from a Judah Smith sermon. Surprise. To put it simply, God is a PRESENT God. Although he is not bound by time, he is a present God for our sake. In this story, Jesus took the time to be present with Mary and Martha. He wept with them EVEN THOUGH he knew what was going to happen afterwards.

Think about it this way. Let's say you're talking to another person. In the middle of your conversation, the person becomes angry because he/she knows what you're GOING TO DO against them. That wouldn't seem very fair, would it? It's ridiculous that a person would be angry at you all the time because he/she knows that you're GOING TO hurt them in the near future.

Think about God's situation. He knows when you're going to rebel/deny Him. He knows exactly what you'll be wearing, where you'll be, what time it will be when you sin against Him. But He loves you as you are in the PRESENT moment. He loves you now EVEN THOUGH you have sinned and will sin against Him. That's how unconditional His love is for you. He will always love you NOW. I think that's amazing.

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Twenty One Years Old.

As I'm writing this, I am one hour away from turning 21. But honestly, nothing will be any different. Sure I can legally drink and whatnot, but I'm still just a imperfect person trying to follow Christ. It's just like what my dad wrote me in my birthday letter...

"So now you are legal (whatever that means to you). But we are not defined by the laws and ways of this world. We are defined by His way."

Each year, I get to look back and see how dumb I was the previous year. I think about how I worried about the most insignificant things. I think about how funny it was when I took something too seriously. And I question, "how could you have thought/acted like that back then?" I've had a bad habit of judging myself harshly. But now, I think God has shown me a new way to look at things.

We're always going to make mistakes. Past, present, and future. But it's not what I do that defines me. My practices do not dictate my position/identity. Rather, it is what Christ has done and who He is that defines me. My identity in Christ determines how I practice/live my life. I've been reminding myself of this fact for the past few days.

If I base my life on myself, then I'll always have good and bad days. It won't be constant. It drove me insane when I tried living my life out this way. But if you base your identity off of Christ who is never failing and constant, then there is no such thing as good or bad days. It makes sense when you read and think about it. But it's difficult to apply it into your life. I'm still trying to work on that. But that's my encouragement to all of you who are reading this.

It's not about who you are or what you do. It's about who Christ is and what He has already done.

I want to give a quick thank you for everyone who surprised me: Jeanne, Rachel, Yeachan, Hana, Dan, David Alaska, DTK, KeeYoung, Eunice, Catherine, Eric, Richard, Su Min, Sharon, Nathan, Jennifer, Joseph, and Jooch. Photo Credit: Sunny.

And for the special gift I got: Nathan, D. Alaska, D. Chang, J. Hur, E. Ryu, Sunny, Jonathan Sok, DTK, Daniel, James, Peter, Richard, Jeanne, and Sharon!

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Are You Satisfied?

At some point in our lives, we'll find ourselves feeling dissatisfied. For me, this dissatisfaction stems from either worries/anxieties or jealousy. I catch myself being dissatisfied no matter what time of the year. For example, I feel dissatisfied when I'm in school because I begin to stress and worry about exams/homework/projects. When I'm on break, I sometimes feel dissatisfied because I compare my vacation to other people's vacation.

I don't want to be that guy. I don't like feeling like this, and I don't know where and how it enters my thoughts. And this has been a prayer request and new year's resolution for me.

 “But godliness with contentment is great gain." - 1 Timothy 6:6

I recently came back from a spring retreat with my college fellowship. One of the things that I remember was that we should be careful in what we pray to God. For example, if you ask God to help you love more, then He'll probably put you in a situation with the person you dislike the most. Or if you pray for patience, God will put you in a moment where you have to wait FOREVER. In my case, I'm praying for contentment in Christ. Therefore, I find myself in more situations of worry/anxiety and jealousy of others. Thanks Obama.

All jokes aside, I'm thankful that God allowed me to realize this now. I get jealous of others. I complain about my hardships to myself and God. I'm a broken person. And this break has been a blessing to see how flawed I am. Now, I'm trusting God to work on me.

Do you find yourself feeling like me? Jealous of others? Worried or anxious about what is to come? I want to encourage you all. Godliness (being aware of God's presence and existence) will allow you to be content in life. And this contentment is the source of true wealth, which is satisfaction. Isn't that what everyone is looking for in life? Permanent satisfaction?

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"Is Your Imagination of God Starved?"

It's been a while since I've posted. But I'll get straight to the point. I've been doing a devotional book that I received from my aunt in 2009. I know what you're thinking... "WOW I can't believe you JUST started it." I'm not perfect, and thankfully God's grace is sufficient. So holla at ya boi if you're imperfect too.

Anyway, I just wanted to share the awesome things I've been experiencing and feeling for the past few weeks. Here's the main question: "Is your imagination of God starved?" I didn't understand this question when I first started the devotional, but it became more clear to me throughout the short excerpt.

My imagination of God does not accurately portray who God is and what He is capable of. And I'm sure your imagination is limiting God's power/image/ability. We limit His power, capability, and ability through our own idols, circumstances, and situations.

For me, my idols can revolve around school. My world and life revolves around school as a college student. Therefore, my circumstances and situations are all school-related. And when I pray to God, I sometimes don't expect Him to answer my prayers. And it's because I limit his capacity and ability to do things in my own imagination.

Sometimes I feel like I'm throwing up a prayer and hoping that God catches it. Sometimes I think, "There's no way that I can finish this (put blank here) in time. It's not possible." Just because I think it's impossible doesn't mean God can't fulfill it.

So I've begun to change my perspective in prayer. God isn't distant. He's here next to you. God can do ALL THINGS, whether you know it or not. Don't limit His power/ability with your deprived imagination and experiences in life. There's so much more that He can do. And we can't possibly comprehend what He is capable of.

Pray with faith, knowing that He is listening to you. Pray with confidence knowing that He loves you and cares for you. Pray, trusting that He knows what's best for you. But also pray in awe of His goodness and grace.

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