It's That Time of The Year Again...

When we all reminisce on the past calendar year and think about new goals for the following one. So here goes nothing! Quick story that I've probably already told in an older post: Every year, I always have New Year's Eve service at church with my parents. I've been doing the same thing for the past 21 years. We always have short service at church, do the countdown, and wish everyone blessings for...

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Read Read Read

I hate reading. Well, I used to hate it. Ever since I was a kid, my parents made me do those summer reading list things. And the selection of novels were terrible. I hated every book I picked up. To me, the stories were never interesting. I don't remember exactly what made them unappealing. Of course, there were a few exceptions. I thoroughly enjoyed A Series of Unfortunate Events. And you can maybe...

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Stuck Between Two Worlds

I'm stuck between two worlds. And I don't know exactly where I belong. Of course, I'm stuck in a world that I'm not necessarily a part of. Because we know that we're IN this world, but not OF it. But this isn't the dilemma I'm talking about. Let me explain . I'm a business major. But I'm also passionate about being creative through writing, photography, film, etc. And I can't quite fit into either...

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How It Once Was

I had a life-changing opportunity to create a short film this past summer. And to be honest, I'm still wondering how something amazing like this came into my life. But let me share my personal thoughts about this film I wrote. For those of you who haven't seen it, you can watch it here. Whatever you thought after seeing this film is probably what I thought. I have my own criticisms as well. And...

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Only Child Syndrome

I always thought this isn't true. But based on my one minute of research on this topic, I realized that I have some elements of "only child syndrome". If you didn't know already, I'm an only child. And there are pros and cons to being an only child. Being an only child was terrible at an early age. You have to deal with loneliness all the time. Apparently there are two ways how only children cope...

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Ignorance Is Bliss But...

It seems true that ignorance is bliss, but I don't think it's healthy. I'll use The Walking Dead as an analogy for my argument. And no, I won't spoil anything. But apparently there's a huge argument on whether I die or not. By me, I mean Glenn because I apparently look like him. Go see for yourself on my Instagram. If you don't know anything about The Walking Dead, let me give you a quick summary....

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I'm a Prideful Person - And That's Not Okay.

If you remember, I wrote about a book I've been reading titled Wild at Heart. It has really challenged me to ask questions I never thought about. What defines a man? Where does my heart lie? Where do I find my source of power and strength? What is my name (not literally, but spiritually/metaphorically)? My biggest question at the moment is where I find my source of power and strength. More specifically,...

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Sometimes You Just Gotta Sit

I like to stay busy. I like being productive with my time. I like optimizing anything and everything I do. There are always things to do. And I feel very awkward when I don't have anything to do. Seriously. When I finish my tasks for the day, I begin to worry that I forgot to do something. I was thinking about what our "work" entails when it comes to being a Christian. If you're familiar with scripture,...

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Wild at Heart

I started reading a book titled, Wild At Heart by John Eldredge. And I have to say, it's quite inspiring. I've only read through the first few chapters. But I can try and explain it in a nutshell. As a Christian, I believe we were created by God. That being said, the book highlights how we were created. Men and women, according to Bible were created differently. Man is described to be created from...

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Literal Vomit. #WordVomitWednesday

A couple of my JP fellows started this trend of #wordvomitwednesdays. It was to encourage us to write and keep our creative minds going (I think?...). But anyway, here I am writing in my delusional state of mind. Ironically, I literally threw up monday night. Random fact. I haven't thrown up since middle school. But anyway, I've been bedridden for the past 36 hours. And I've finally managed to stay...

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Self(less or ish)ness?

Last night I went to Tori Kelly's concert here in Austin. It was amazing (for the most part). What made it less amazing was the people. Ugh. People are so SELFISH. For example, there's was a group of 15ish people who cut in line before the concert. And there was a couple who tried to push their way in front of me. Then one of them had the audacity to ask me "Can you move bro?" No I can't move because...

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Uncomfortable

I listen to hip-hop, believe it or not. I know I don't look like a guy who would listen to that kind of music. Justin's so boring. Justin's so serious. Justin only listens to jazz or classical music. SURPRISE! Hip-hop is probably the last genre anyone choose to be "Christian". But I'm about to surprise you with an artist, who I think is pioneering into the hip-hop industry. ANDY MINEO: caucasian,...

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I'm A Sinnah

I know I've already made a post like this a while back. But I always have to remind myself that I'm a sinner. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. I need a savior. Thankfully, all of my flaws and failures have been accounted for. And I've received a grace that no words can possibly explain. This past weekend was a strange experience for me. I felt empty, tired, burnt out, and lifeless. I felt extremely...

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What Makes a Good Leader?

Earlier today in one of my management classes, we discussed the attributes of a good leader. We spent a good portion of the class listening to Simon Sinek, who is a great speaker and very knowledgable. He gave a TED talk that revolved around a single question. What makes a good leader? Or what are good attributes of a leader? According to Sinek, humans have developed the concept of community. From...

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Grace Runs Deeper.

I want to share a short story about this past Friday. I attended one of our ministries called "East Austin". Let me explain it in a nutshell, even though I've only been once. Basically, a handful of our college members head over to an after school program for elementary kids. We play with the kids, worship with them, and read bible stories with them. Honestly, I only went to take pictures. And...

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"You Ain't Gotta Do This..."

Random story for the day: I was walking to meet a friend for coffee. On the way, I pass by a moving truck and thought nothing of it. That is, until I heard, "Aye! Yo! Smile man! You ain't gotta do this s***." I looked over confused at who this African American guy is talking to. He was talking to me. I was still processing the fact that he was talking to me. So I looked at him for a solid 10 seconds,...

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Need vs. Want

I was reading Psalm 50 this morning, and it got me thinking about my needs versus wants. This is a pretty big idea, if you think about it. Your needs and wants can be applied to almost every part of life. Initially, everyone thinks about your material needs/wants. Do you need that extra money to get that extra thing? Do you actually NEED that upgraded computer/car/phone/etc? Or do you WANT all those...

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I _____ My Life.

If you were to fill in this blank, what word would you use? Do you "love" your life? Do you "deal with" your life? What about "hate"? I came to think about this for the past few days after hearing a few strangers talk at me. And yes, I mean they talked at me. Let me explain. This past weekend, the most random occurrences happened to me while running some errands. First, I went to pick up some...

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Doing Good Is Contagious.

That's the motto at Jubilee Project. And you should check out their Youtube channel if you haven't heard of them! That being said, my two weeks at the JP Fellowship has come to an end. And God has taught me so much in these two weeks. Community Can Be Built In 2 Weeks If you don't believe me, then go to the Fellowship. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it happened. It was amazing to witness how 14...

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Jubilee Project Fellowship (so far)

It's only been 2 full days here at Jubilee Project Fellowship. And I've already learned/experienced so much. The people here are unique, amazing, talented, and diverse. I wanted to share a few thoughts. It's amazing to see how people from all over the world can come together, put aside their differences, embrace each other's uniqueness, and collaborate together. On top of that, we are able to be...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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1 Chronicles 18:11.

"King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek." I was doing a quick morning devotional, and I came across this verse. At first, the verse doesn't seem like much. It's just part of a typical Old Testament story. But then I read it again. This verse stuck in...

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Boston and New York.

So it's been about half a week since I came back from my week long vacation. If haven't guessed already, I went to Boston and New York! 4 days in Boston and 3 days in New York. It was my first time going there for a vacation break. Here are some things that I learned and experienced. It was very cold. Very cold. Negative 15 degree wind chill. Therefore, I wore a thermal, long sleeve shirt, sweater,...

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2015: Godliness with Contentment

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of...

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