when i say mali

ap stats with ally wu for a year...i'm thankful for at least one friend in one of my classes- regardless of who that friend may be.

carlos

today i met an hispanic man named carlos in santa ana.
at first, i didn't notice him- while i was talking
to someone named xavier (cool name) about reading the Bible.
i suppose it was him who initiated the conversation
when he translated in spanish the words,
"do you read the Bible often?" to xavier.
i noticed, as i went on talking to the homeless
that what wayne said was right- most of them were Christian,
but hardly do they share, in depth, about their faith.
however, carlos was different from the very start...
he shared his testimony without me asking
and by that testimony i have been blessed and encouraged.
being fired from his job, not because of incompetence,
but because of injuries which led to accidents,
being attacked by others simply because he was alone
and had a bike with him, being chased down and shot
by people who claimed that he owed them money,
while he did not have even enough to feed himself,
being told by a doctor that there was no hope for him
to ever walk again because the bullet hit a spinal nerve-
after all of this, he still believed that God had a plan.
"i lost everything, but i did not lose my faith-
and that is enough." words that i think are beautiful.
when carlos was hospitalized, his doctor told him
that there was absolutely no chance for him to heal.
and yet, carlos took the words of God over the words of man.
little by little, he tried to walk and although he fell,
he got up as many times as he could.
little by little, God's grace and power was shown to him
as he took, literally, steps of faith.
now, he walks as if he had never been paralyzed.
praise God!

danielle

there is still
much to be learned
from you...
i'm tired of
the topic of
predestination
i don't think paul intended for us to debate when he wrote of such a thing, but rather
for us to see His glory in all of it. i still have much to learn and i hope that you will still be there to teach me more about the Bible. trust that God has already made a path for you.

salary

every hour...
i get paid 10 dollars
and 10 spider webs
"younger siblings are cuter, but they always lose"

luminous lemon lake

studying romans, ephesians, and revelation
so crazy how different these books are
and yet, there are connections if you look
like for example, in romans, paul talks about
how God gave people over to their sin as
a result for not repenting and worshiping Him.
meanwhile in revelation, Jesus warns the seven
churches that if they do not turn from their sin,
He will remove their lampstands, meaning they will
no longer be acknowledged as churches or as His.
also, paul speaks of predestination in ephesians
and he clearly supports what he says in romans,
that human beings are completely helpless and
that only through the divine grace of God may
they be saved from their sin.
sadly, in revelation, the church of ephesus
is told to have forsaken their first love.
contrary to how the church in ephesians is so praised
by paul for remaining strong in Christ, it is again
referred to in revelation as a church that has
forgotten the value of love in their relationship
with God.
i pray that our church will not forget the reason why we serve.
i pray that we may improve on our spiritual richness and
that we may see His glory shown on earth.
i pray that we continue to seek after God.

amazed

as i stroll around passing fliers, i see all the things that God has created and simply find joy in even the smallest things. peaceful and free.

human

calvinists and armenians
although i believe both sides to be valid
because they are supported by verses,
i am leaning more towards the calvinist view
that we, as humans, are completely helpless
and that we may only receive salvation
by His grace- meaning we are chosen.
however, this does not mean we are special
this does not mean that God loves us more.
as to why i or any other Christian has been
elected, i still do not have an answer.
but i do know now that even though it is
a harsh truth, (it is still the truth)
every human being deserves hell
and God would be justified in sending us there.
but how glorious and powerful is He
who transcends human understanding and
reaches out His hand in love to
save a wretch like me!
"For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..." Romans 3:22-24

ipod tracks

working has been fun.
i found out yesterday
that my boss is Christian
-a pastor's wife actually.

animals and fruit

how did we forget armadillo?
lately, i've been thinking quite a lot
about the topic of predestination
calvinists vs. armenians
God is sovereign and controls everything.
we say it, but do we truly understand it?
if we consider salvation through grace,
does it mean that our faith in Christ
is not ours to begin with, but His?
there are contradictions between the two.
however, there are no contradictions in the Bible!
if we, as Christians, are chosen to be in heaven,
does that mean that others are chosen for hell?
not necessarily. i would believe it out of character.
God wants all to be in heaven with him-
just as he has intended from the beginning.
as i have been studying romans, i've realized
that although God offers his grace in full,
so that we may be righteously justified before Him,
people give it up for things of the earth.
therefore, He gave them over to their sin.
now, was it the people's choice to turn away from God,
or ultimately God's decision that condemned them to death?
from my standpoint, i believe it was their choice and
that God loved them still, but could not be in the presence
of their sin- lost His children, broke His heart.
now what do we make of this? that God can't save everyone?
no! Christ died on the cross for all.
salvation is already prepared for everyone, because
the price of all sin has been paid. so,
God has made a place for all in heaven- it is His plan.
foolish as we are though, not all want to be saved.
perhaps it is out of guilt and shame that
the wicked do not dare face God and repent.
or maybe it is a self-righteous pride that makes
the human heart so hostile towards forgiveness.
and this is where the calvinist belief plays a role:
God must be the one to choose us, because the evil
in our hearts can not be overcome by free will, but only
by his grace and love may we be able to repent and believe.
however, i believe the armenian belief to be equally valid:
God has done everything for us, however there are
responsibilities that we are given- one of which,
being the most important, is to choose to have faith
in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
i believe both reveal the truth, being salvation requires faith.
but the deliverance of salvation differs.
i want to believe in the armenian belief, because
it suggests that humans still have good in them;
believe me, it is not out of pride, but out of hope
that i wish things to be this way. i hope that mankind
has not fallen so far that we are no longer considered
to be made in the image of God.
---------------------------------------------------
in conclusion, which belief you hold is up to you
...or is it? ^_^
i think the reason why i have not chosen a definite side
is because my knowledge of both views is still inadequate
but at least i know there are a few concepts that derive
from both that only create conflict and fool people.
false: calvinists believe that they are an elitist group
chosen by God and that everyone else is doomed.
true: calvinists know that God's love and grace is universal
and that no one is chosen for hell.
false: armenians believe that it is their choice that saves them.
true: armenians know that Christ has already saved everyone and
that it is by the grace of God that we are given free will.
---------------------------------------------------
reflection: which of the two views would bring
more glory to God?

u got it bad

today marks the first day, that i will be working for a paycheck.
i guess everybody needs to have one of these days.
growing up doesn't exactly equate to maturity though.

with everything

it feels great to return home with no one there.
i screamed out praises to God and lost half of my voice
in the process.
although my life, as i assume, will be incredibly busy
(due to ap homework, sat tests, and college aps),
i have peace.
"how do you love God with everything?"
for now, i do not have all the answers,
so whether you choose to trust my words or not
is entirely your choice.
however, there is one thing i know for sure.
trust in the Word of God
-all of life's answers should be found.
i remember at one point, my brother asked me,
"what do you want to be when you grow up?"
i said, "maybe...a psychiatrist?"
-"why?"
-"because i want to help people with their problems."
then he said to me with a confident smile,
"you shouldn't be a psychiatrist, you should be a pastor.
you want to solve people's problems? give them the Bible
it is as simple as that."

but i'm not a rapper

don't lead out of obligation
unless you want a proclamation
that you only know God enough
to do good works and church stuff
but not out of love
you're supposed to be a dove
you're supposed to be free
anyone who would say otherwise is an enemy
serve with a happy heart
your life- a work of art

anew

i need to work on my relationship with God.

nostalgia

every single friend i have cherished
will someday mean less and less
that is why i hate nostalgia...
memories always playback in my mind
of the laughter that we have shared
and i realize i am alone again...

old self

dynasty warriors 7

captain's blog

starburst and jolly rancher.
yo we're the snakes
we ain't no fakes
we always set the pace
whenever there's a race.
name, family, home, church, and servant
cute counts for absolutely nothing.