secrets...

...my family has a bunch and
i don't really know any of them.
also, school, can you just stahp?

never stood a chance

as i'm writing this post, i am just regaining my breath and blood is returning
to my limbs...my brother got into a fight with my parents and as always,
i was the odd man out- quiet in my room. after the fight my brother came
into my room throwing a tantrum at my stuff. fearlessly, i laughed to see
if i could quell his rage. it didn't really work...so i challenged him to a
wrestling match. he was like "you think you can beat me in this state? i don't
want to hurt you." and i said "psh...the way you're acting right now, you
look like a little girl!" one to two minutes later i'm on the ground gasping
for air- my vision actually blurred seriously! i hope that calmed him down
a bit...maybe he was acting, because he was smiling at the end. lack of
oxygen migraine attack commence! it was totally not worth getting
whooped. *immediately looks up "cqc takedowns" on youtube*

if you ask me

i'm not that good at mafia...

i'm done talking about what i think should be improved in terms
of church. yes, we lack consistency with prayer and bible studies.
people are leaving and "fun" events are overtaking friday nights
like a zombie infection. conversations are mostly superficial,
talking about video games and poop or not talking at all. cliques
are a must (sarcasm). ambiguities/ debatable topics in scripture
constantly being ignored. and now, questionable implications from
the pulpit. all these things and more- no church is perfect, john lee.
even the most solid teachers and pastors are human, test them with
scripture. disagreements over doctrine are bound to come up, test
them with scripture. people may be closer to certain people, show
no favoritism- love them all. break the surface level discussions,
lead by example and open up. beat the zombie infection- i mean
"fun" events- use them to build stronger God-centered relationships.
seek out those that have left- keep the family together, look for the
lost sheep and rejoice when he returns. have a small group leader
mentality and ask if people have been reading the bible. ask them
what they thought of certain passages and check to see if they
applied what they learned. do it out of love! pray for yourself and
others to believe in the power of prayer! continue to ask others
for their prayer requests! be eager to pray! oh, that i would know
the power of prayer! rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and be
thankful in all circumstances for this is the will of God for you
in Christ Jesus our Lord! thank You for giving me the freedom to
worship You. help me to mature in this truth and equip me for
every good work. all glory be to You. forever and ever, amen.

finial, bronze inlaid with gold and silver, late zhou period

adopt-a-child 2013: compassion
i wish i could have more time to speak. there are many, many things
that i have to say left. like how the motivation for being open and
honest and transparent and for confessing our sins to one another
is love. how when we are willing to break down our walls of pride
and trust our brothers and sisters to be there for us, it blesses both
those that listen and those who speak. we ought to be a community
of grace and be willing to walk through all the difficult parts of life
with each other. for there is therefore now no condemnation for those
that are in Christ Jesus. if you think that confessing your sins, that
you have bitterness, that you struggle with sexual sin, or self-harm,
that you've lied to someone, that you've cheated on a test, that you
idolize media, or any other sin- if you think that being open about it
will cause your brothers and sisters to condemn you, you are wrong!
you are a child of God, you are purchased by His precious blood, you
are forgiven, you are His! and you are now free to love Him and
those around you. what could possibly hold you back?