Fundraiser Dinner

Last night was our team's Fundraiser Dinner. It went really well and the Lord provided so much! It actually went a lot better than I was anticipating. Anthony, Dr. Mooney, Brandon, and Becca spoke about our purpose there, what we're going to do, and how God is providing today. We had a great dinner and one amazing dessert. We raised a good amount of money for the team, and God is continuing to provide!

Anthony speaking...

Brandon talking about what we're going to be doing while in "Southeast Asia"

Becca speaking about what she's learned thus far

My reaction when Anthony forgot my name while he was introducing the team. Thanks bud! :-)

Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to serve in this country. May God sanctify us as individuals and as a team. I know I definitely need a new perspective to succeed in this endeavor. Also, finals start this week. 'nough said?

I'm in the mood for frozen yogurt...

In Christ Alone

This past week I've been realizing (again?) just how much I must rely on Christ alone. He has reminded me that He is the source of everything. He is the best provider, the best comforter, the best Father, the best friend, etc. I cannot look to man to fulfill these roles. I must instead look to God to meet all my needs.

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my
strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights
of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when
strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in
the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took
on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of
love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to
save
‘Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath
of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the
ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He
rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s
curse has lost it’s grip on me
For I am His and He is
mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of
Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, or scheme of
man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
‘Till He
returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ
I’ll stand

Where My Faith Lies

"...that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 2:5

It seems to me that I am always in a battle of where to place my faith. On one hand, I have the world declaring that I should be a certain person, embrace certain things, and walk a certain way. And at first glance, it may appear valid. After all, its what my "heart" wants, right? Its what my natural man would do, without any influence from the Spirit of God. Is that not the pinnacle of man's goals, to fulfill all desires one might have and in that find happiness? At the very least this is what we are told by the 'wisdom of man'. 

Yet in myself (not because it is there naturally, but because the Sovereign God has placed it there) I find a better wisdom. Wisdom far beyond the wisdom of man, for "the foolishness of God is wiser than men" and in it, the power of God. The power of God to save sinners like myself from walking in the lusts of the flesh and the futility of sin. This power is displayed when, walking with Him, I see to the right and to the left former things that my flesh would have me grab hold of and for an instant I am almost fooled into believing these things to be good. Yet the power of God and the wisdom of God has taught me otherwise. 

By His grace, we are able to shut out the world's voice. Our faith does not have to come from the wisdom of men, and indeed it cannot. Instead let it rest in the power of God, who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. If this is able to save a sinner like me, surely it can save the lowest of men. 

...I'm off to do physics. See you all soon :)

One Fine Day

Yesterday, Michael and I were able to go up into the hills by La Sierra and finish a project that Aaron was a part of a few months ago. This project was very important to us, but unfortunately we were not able to finish it because it got really dark and we had to go to Jen's b-day party. Mike and I never forgot it, though, so here is what happened yesterday:

If you want to see pics of the first try, I put some up in a previous post. It was the biggest rock that we rolled down the hill :) Mike and I were so proud, we felt like doing victory dances. Instead, we went and had a fattening victory dinner. Good enough. 

Spring break has been very productive. I'm almost done with the book I need to read for Minorities in America, and I'm really enjoying it. The Lord this past week has really been impressing on me the importance of living with intention - as per Dr. Mooney's message last Sunday. It really hit a string with me. Thank God that He pushes us into holiness, allowing our flesh to die and our spirit to live. May the Lord put an end to any dominion my flesh has over me! 

School and Such

I decided I needed to include more pictures to make my posts more interesting, so hopefully the pictures will do just that :) I have a lot of fun at school even though it can be stressful, so here's a glimpse of it:

This is a trip to Disneyland where Kim and I found an official Disney hobo. It was incredibly odd to see a homeless looking man sleeping on the bench not because I don't see it a lot but because it was in a park that costs $60 just to get in. After Disney security asked him to refrain from lying down on main street, he left without incidence :)

This is what we do in O Chem lab when we're waiting for something to boil, evaporate, crystallize, etc. Pretty entertaining if you ask me.

This is kinda what we look like when we're actually working :) Here I think we are waiting for our product to crystallize. I think we got a pretty good product (Methyl 3-nitrobenzoate)

In other news, Team S.F. (ask me later if you don't know what that means - probably not a good idea to say that on the internet!) meets for the first time this Thursday to prepare for our trip this summer. I'm excited about meeting regularly, it will give the trip a more formed shape in my mind of what we'll be doing. Even if that isn't accomplished, it will be good to get to know each other more as a team. Check back for more updates on how that is coming along and what we could use prayer for. Hopefully I'll be posting more on how God is preparing me for the trip because He definitely is. Until then, 

Auf Wiedersehen

Condemned Not to Sin Not

"Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, Lord"

"Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."

Meditation on Obedience

"I sought the Lord, and He answered me"

I am always amazed at the reaction of God when I come to him, pleading for mercy, after I have spat in the face of His Son by disobedience. It seems a torturous position for a child of God to be in when obedience is the one thing he longs for and seems to be the one thing that evades him. Could it be that the definition of obedience, rather than obedience herself, has evaded him? Or does he continue as he is treating obedience as perfection, keeping every commandment of God? And if he fails in this endeavor, he is sent away with such a tumult of guilt that no amount of grace can mend the wounds wrought by this cycle of apostasy. 

I am beginning to think that obedience is not synonymous with perfection. And perhaps I am taking far too much liberty in these definitions as I am not a worthy candidate to handle such lofty things and declare my meditations as true. Yet, if not only for my sake, my mind must make sense of these subjects for me to live to God. Could it be that obedience is the understanding that the cohesiveness of both chastity and grace perpetuate a lifestyle that is both humility before God and joy in Him? What I mean to say is that I think obedience is similar to what Romans 4 speaks about as rest:

"Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness"

It is the cohesiveness of both grace and chastity! Our fallen state necessitates grace because of our sin and yet our renewed creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) causes a longing to obey whatever the Father may ask. Our hearts break when we disobey Him  (and rightfully so) but they should never become hopeless if we indeed see that His Spirit bears witness of our son-ship (Romans 8:16). 

God has been gracious to me this morning. He has caused me to remember it was Him who saved me out of sin and this world, and it is Him that will continue to do so: that while I yet fail, He ever intercedes for me. And this truth causes me with great joy to run to Christ, my reward :)