and the heart of the alvinator.
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Friday, February 27, 2004 Update... Sorry to all my faithful readers out there. I have been kinda' busy, and haven't been thinking too deeply about things. A quick update. Work has been picking up and that makes me feel more excited. The motivation level I would gauge is around 70%, so I think that is pretty good. I would be happy working at an 85% clip. I have my own board to design now, and I am slowly becoming better managed and more productive. I am having my official house-warming party on Sunday, and it's a Leap Year theme. Even though I am moving home next week, it will be fun hosting a party. =P. Other than that, just going through the transitions of young adult life. RW double tonight: leading worship team, and leading bible study. =P. posted by alvin | Friday, February 27, 2004 Tuesday, February 24, 2004 Weekend Recap Had dinner with grandpa in Castro Valley on Fri. night. Always interesting to hear grandpa talk about life. I ate frog for the first time in my life. Since I taste about 20% of food, I evaluate food quality mainly by texture. The texture of frog is slimy, and from what I could taste, I didn't enjoy it very much. Since it was only grandpa and me, I had to eat most of that dish. Anyways, after dinner, headed up to Davis. A fairly quiet drive, and I made pretty good time getting up there. Arrived at Chris/Howe's place around 10:30 p.m., right before Daniel was going to bed. Went running with Howe for about 2.5 miles. Sat. morning woke up and Daniel was already awake. Ended up playing with Daniel for most of the morning. I got him this new dinosaur toy, in which you put a dinosaur on this platform, and the toy IDs what the dinosaur is. Each dinosaur has a chip somehow encoded in it, and a signal is sent out from the toy to the dinosaur. It's quite interesting. I wanted to put the toy up to a spread spectrum analyzer to see how it works. Anyways during lunch, Chris came home, then Howe left for worship practice, and then Kim and Vic came over. I went with Kim and Vic to Sac. to Priscilla's place, since Kim needed to pick up her bridesmaid dress and Enoch was also there. As the girls were trying on dresses, Enoch and I watched the end of the Stanford bball game. We were only planning on staying for like 30 min. but ended up around 1.5 hrs. Good to chat with Enoch. Headed back to Davis to Chris' new private optometry practice. Quite interesting to learn about entreprenuership. The place was pretty nice. Daniel started spinning me around on this chair, and I got a bit dizzy. We had dinner at Dos Coyotes (a mexican place) in south davis. Headed back to Chris/Howe's place to eat ice cream, and then play some more. We played some Chutes and Ladders, and as Daniel was heading to bed, he gave everyone hugs. Unexpectingly, instead of hugging me, he actually tackled me...twice he did this. He hugged everyone else. What's up with that? He basically is already IDing the gender stereotypes of our society. Oh well. Anyways, Vic and Kim headed home, and I was going to turn in for an early night...but then Chris/Howe started me talking about relationships. That opened a can of worms. We stayed up for like another 2 hrs, even though Howe was leading worship the next day. I remember these same types of talks almost 8 years ago, when I was in college. Too funny. Went to DCCC the next day, and that was good. Always good to see old community, and basically say hi to those who watched out for me during my college years. After church, had lunch with Cam in downtown Davis. Went back to Chris/Howe's place and while Daniel was napping, played Settlers of Catan...3 games. I lost all 3 times. There's too many things to keep track of in the game. hehehehe. =P. Had an early dinner at a Chinese restaurant, got some pearl tea at Tapioca Express, and then headed home. Left Davis around 9 p.m. Good drive home, as I was able to call people I haven't talked to in awhile to catch up on their lives. =P. Lots of stuff in Davis has changed. Overall, a good weekend. I wanted to get more rest than I did, as I still need to process WCC. Hopefully soon. Pics coming soon. posted by alvin | Tuesday, February 24, 2004 WCC2004 Album Posted New album posted. Check right hand column. posted by alvin | Tuesday, February 24, 2004 Friday, February 20, 2004 Transitioning Home... It looks like we have found a roommate for my sister. I will be moving home right after my housewarming party. Ironic. I'll position it as a "house-buying" party. A lot of people have asked me why I am moving back home. To me, the home is an investment and a tax shelter. Living on my own or living with my parents are both okay with me. My original plan in moving in to the house was to transition my sister in to make sure she is comfortable, adjusted and settled along with taking care of some of the house maintenance activities that need to be done. Once she found a roommate, I was planning on moving back home. To her, she desires independence, as she is 2 years older than me, and hasn't lived on her own since college. I feel I have enough freedom (being the youngest helps), to do what I like to do. And...bottom line...what better landlord than her brother. =P. My father also is more willing to come and take care of house stuff knowing that his daughter lives in the home. My thoughts from the last 1.5 months living away from home. 1. Loneliness: I was battling loneliness in the beginning when I first moved out, even though my sister was around. Only God can resolve/reconcile the loneliness, and I had to rely on Him to sustain my feelings of loneliness. 2. Cooking: I was afriad of the prospect of cooking, but God has watched over me. I think I have cooked like a total of 4 times. As I enjoy growing in new areas, I realized that I don't need much food variety to be happy. I still go home once a week to see my parents and eat with them. Observation...it's easy for food to spoil, as cooking for one person is fairly difficult to make sure portions are small enough. 3. Cleaning: I enjoy a clean home, and if you take small steps to cleaning, like cleaning every couple days, it makes the job easier instead of budgeting time for one huge cleaning binge. 4. Parents: My parents seem well-adjusted to us living away. I didn't think this would be the case. They are finally growing up. 2 eprops for mom and dad. I think also since they knew my situation was temporary, that also factors in to their ability to transition to this lifestyle. My father doesn't get as good as food, since my mom can cook in larger quantities when I'm at home. Overall, it's been an extremely positive experience. As I am a person who takes small steps before plunging in head first to any decision/opportunity, I have logically convinced myself that living on my own is something doable and enjoyable, something I had hesitations about before. posted by alvin | Friday, February 20, 2004 Visiting Davis Spending this weekend in Davis to recover/recoup/process WCC. Will be staying at Howe/Chris and will play with their 3-year old Daniel, whom I haven't seen in like 1.5 years. Looking forward to reconnecting with DCCC members too. posted by alvin | Friday, February 20, 2004 Thursday, February 19, 2004 Dating vs. Courtship Alright, so I haven't posted on this for awhile, and wanted to provide some thoughts from Rick Holland's series. He talked about dating vs. courtship. He feels that many people say the biblical model for dating is "courtship." He says that "courtship" is one of the biblical models and not the only biblical model. His favorite biblical model is that of Ruth. Where Ruth goes in a night to Boaz, and basically uncovers his feet, and then sleeps near his feet. Sketchy, sketchy stuff, right? How about David, where Nabal dies after he doesn't honor David's men, and David then marries Abigail? How come these aren't the biblical models? Well, the idea is that courtship shouldn't be elevated to that of the only biblical model. It is one of the models. His bottom line idea is that of not focusing on the process, but that of the person. The idea that in any of these models, the goal is to discover if you can marry the person. So, it's not how you date, but flows from who you are. posted by alvin | Thursday, February 19, 2004 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 WCC Weekend Recap Alright, bottom line, WCC rocked. God totally met me there. It was a super exhausting weekend, as I got home on Monday afternoon, I slept for like 2 hrs. and still felt tired. I got 4 hrs., 5 hrs. and 5 hrs. of sleep each night, and being the social party animal that I am, I was extroverting a lot. On Sun. night, after the PESI meeting, I got back into the cabin, and Mikey said others were still in Nelson, so I went back out for another 1.5 hrs. hehe...party animal. The main plenary speaker, Bob Sjogren, heads UnveilinGlory. His notes can be accessed here. Choose adult seminar notes. Idea: Cats walk away from hell, dogs walk towards heaven. Key takeaways: 1) Top-line blessings. I learned this from Perspectives, but haven't really thought about it recently. We receive so many top-line blessings from God, but don't distribute it along the bottom-line. How can I bless others? 2) What is my greatest joy/passion? Currently, I feel stagnant as an engineer, and lost that love for engineering. Not sure if I can rediscover that, or it's time to move on. I had a 1:1 time with Bob and he asked me straight out, "Why aren't you in full-time ministry?". I'm like...uhhh....ohhh...and came up with a nice rational answer. My parents and financial commitments. I just bought a house. Pretty big cop-out answers. I didn't have a good answer. So, I need to pray and seek what God is leading here. I gave myself a 2-year commitment when I first started this job, and that ends on Oct. '04. 3) Moving Forward: I went to a workshop on "steps to the missions field: why is it not a straight line?" New term: Mid-Term missions: 6 months to 3 years. I like this new term. The key take-away from this workshop...take steps to move forward, don't be stagnant, move ahead. I need to move ahead. 4) Adding Weight: The 2nd workshop was that of "marketplace ministry: lay evangelism." The speaker from last year's conference Lee Yih, heads the Christian Entreprenuers Association currently in Boston, and was the workshop speaker. Picture a scale, and all the influences a person needs before the scale tips and they become a Christian. He re-emphasized the importance of adding weight to people's lives. He encouraged us to constantly try to add weight to people's lives, and hopefully one day they will tip. From last year, Christianity is the only business in which you don't get paid on the close, but only on the call. Most people come to Christ through lay people, not full-time ministry workers. =P. 5) On Marriage: Well, I guess I was reminded by Anthony, who consulted with Wayne Fong, that the person you marry should be one that helps to broaden your ministry. Being single, sorta' only allows ministry to the same-sex. Being married, allows a tag-team approach to ministry. So, marry someone who can broaden your ministry. Action Items: 1) I'm looking to go back to China this year. I need to keep the vision alive and take steps forward to see if God is leading me there. Even working there for a couple months/years would be an eye-opening experience, anyways. 2) Career: I need to pray and seek guidance as to what I want to do with my career. I am lacking motivation. However, I am going to strive to be the "best board designer" that I can be, instead of the "top 'IM'er" on the west coast. 3) Going to be more proactive in trying to build non-christian relationships, and seek more accountability with others who can relate to this world christian journey (and who understand dog theology). Alright, had a chance to re-sync with a lot of old friends. Our fellowship will have a post-WCC processing time sometime later. Looking forward to it. posted by alvin | Tuesday, February 17, 2004 Friday, February 13, 2004 Happy Valentine's Day For the past 4 years, my Valentine's Day has been spent at WCC. What better way to spend a day of "love" then with 400 other young adults interested in seeing God's plan fulfilled in the world. To all my readers out there...a very happy valentine's day to you. Eprops all around. =P. posted by alvin | Friday, February 13, 2004 Thursday, February 12, 2004 On Love... Why does love gotta' be so difficult? Quoting from the article: "Arons hinted Wednesday that the separation may be partially because of Ken's reluctance to get married." Sad to see them break-up, but hey, God heals all wounds...even plastic hearts. =P. At least they can still be friends. posted by alvin | Thursday, February 12, 2004 The Depth of God I had the chance to go to the stanford biblical counseling class again this past tues. I am just so impressed by the character of the teachers. These two walk so close to God. They always mention how they see their children seeing the modeling and transformation of their parents to become more like Christ. Steve always mentions about his children and saying, "If God can change daddy..." I was challenged to really examine how much depth am I seeking from Christ. Do I sit at his feet and just marvel at His glory? Do I allow His Words to impact, transform, renew and challenge me? One of the most common phrases I hear at RW is the "life-giving joy of the spirit." This is the question I ask myself. Am I experiencing God in the way He desires. I think in the times in which I am deep with God, this question doesn't even come to mind, but when I'm not deep with Him, I think about this. =P. Anyways, I thought this was interesting. 1 Sam. 10:17-23, "17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah 18 and said to them, "This is what the LORD , the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, 'No, set a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans." 20 When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri's clan was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the LORD , "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage." 23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!" Saul was hiding when he was introduced to the Israelites. He was already anointed by Samuel in the prior chapter, and now he was being introduced as king. Why was he hiding in the baggage? =P. posted by alvin | Thursday, February 12, 2004 Tuesday, February 10, 2004 On Cleaning I realized that I enjoy cleaning, or at least the aspect of when it is finally finished. I guess a lot has to deal with the concept and idea of "ownership." Living at home I didn't feel much ownership to the location, since it's actually mom/dad's place, and I was just living there. I did minimal chores (just enough to get by), and didn't do much cleaning. At my new place, I am vacuuming weekly (because it's white carpet, it's worse too), cleaning the bathroom, washing dishes, taking out the garbage, etc. I think I may start dusting too. I guess since the house is smaller than home, things don't seem as large a chore. I have never felt this way before, but I guess it's doing the little things every couple days, instead of cleaning crazily every couple weeks. I like it better this way. =P. This doesn't mean I'll come over and clean your place though. =P. Remember, it's an idea of ownership. posted by alvin | Tuesday, February 10, 2004 Monday, February 09, 2004 Weekend Recap Quick activities recap. Fri. night, solid bible study with small group. I did the RW double, worship team and bible study leading. We played jeopardy during bible study and that was pretty fun. We had 6 people, and Ellie with Jessica were able to win. We then did a quick recap on Abraham. It always seems that our group ends late, and I think it's a factor dealing with the facilitator's ability to end of time. I need to work on that. After bible study, we headed over to Shannon's place. As I am always open to trying new things, we did Pilates. I need work on my "powerhouse." Jokes such as "'Pilates' of the Carribean," and Pilate karate were pretty funny. We ended up playing this celebrity game after Pilates, where each person writes down names of famous people and put them into a hat. We used to play this is high school, but it was called the "hat" game. There are 2 teams, and the names of the people are put into a hat. The first round the player describes the person, and the 2nd round a 1-word description of the person, and the 3rd round is sharades. I did best at the 2nd round, as remembering what was said to first describe the person in round 1 is impt. I didn't know how to describe the Jets or Duran-Duran, during round 1. hahaha. =P. It was pretty fun, especially the sharades portion. Anthony was very happy to know that he was one of the names in there. His imitation of "butterfall" would have made mike proud. On Sat. headed to Deacon's Wong memorial service. It was a fitting tribute to a great man. Read Matt's description. I actually cried quite a bit, especially when they showed video of him in the hospital. I was just reminded how weak we are as human beings, and I guess I don't want to remember him for looking physically weak, but I want to remember him as physically strong, and spiritually strong. I have much respect for the Wong family and the way God has used them to bring glory to His name. Deacon Wong ran the race well, he finished well, he finished strong. God bless you. Afterwards, went home and watched the end of the Stanford/Arizona game. All I could say is that during the winning shot, I was like, "no way...no way..." and was screaming by myself in the house. Crazy ending. After that, ran some errands, and spent the rest of the night working on WCC stuff. I'm the small group coordinator for WCC. So, basically, the small group coordinator needs to find small group leaders, either through registration, or through other methods. Other responsibilities include preparing training materials, including facilitator guidelines along with suggested agenda and outline for small group times. I then need to meet with small group leaders to pass out their materials at WCC. This year, I have some added responsibility. Typically, the data analyst does the small group sorting (about 400 people to sort, arranging out who's in whose small group), with parameters given by the small group coordinator. However, this year, I'm doing the small group distribution. I'll give myself 2 eprops as it is fairly tedious work. I stayed up till 1:30 doing this, and am still not done. Will finish soon. Anyways, it was nice to stay home, as I haven't stayed in for a Saturday in a long time. Church was good, and then I played bball with RW. As Anthony likes to say, when you win, it's "smiles all around." Then, I headed over to PESI pals Iris' and Christine's place for dinner, along with some of their friends. I felt bad for Ken, as Christine teased him like multiple times about his age. It's always entertaining to hang out with Tim. Sharline, Tim's gf, tripped over a parking lot blocker as we were making our way to the cars to go to Max's Opera House. She did a faceplant on the cement, and her face bounced twice on the concrete. We went back inside the apartment, and she nursed a cut nose, along with some scrapes on her hands. Luckily she was okay. We then headed to Palo Alto to have dessert and also to hear Joanne sing, as she is a waitress at Max's Opera House cafe. She only sang one song, Yesu, something...in Latin. I never heard of the song. =P. It was a good time. I realized that I still mumble a lot, and need to enuciate my words more. posted by alvin | Monday, February 09, 2004 Here's to 10000 Wow, my counter has hit 10,000 now. Thank you to all my faithful readers. =P. posted by alvin | Monday, February 09, 2004 Friday, February 06, 2004 Deacon Michael Wong Deacon Michael Wong passed away on Monday. He has been at CBCSJ, for over 20 years. His three children, Jane, Ann and Ben have all been influential in my spiritual growth, teaching me Sunday School, being my youth group adviser, etc. He had a huge heart for missions, and along with his wife, Dora, formed a great partnership in spreading the Gospel. I wouldn't say I knew him that well, as he mostly spoke Cantonese, but I always said "hi" to him at church and he always seemed happy to see me. =P. The memorial service tomorrow at my church is expected to draw between 350-400 people. I'll be there to pay my final respects and show support to his family. Dear God, I rejoice that Dn. Wong has final victory in you, and doesn't need to suffer anymore physical pain, and is currently worshipping in your presence. Thank you that you are the Lord of comfort. I pray that you watch over the Wong family and friends during this time. Be with Dora, Jane/Paul, Ann, Ben/Lisa and allow your peace and comfort to fill them at this time. I pray that the truth in Your Word is apparent to them. Please take them in your arms and hold them close. Allow them to experience your love in deeper ways, and trust that you are in control. Pray Lord against any thoughts that the enemy is trying to place in them. We thank you for the life Dn. Wong lived and the legacy he has left. Amen. posted by alvin | Friday, February 06, 2004 Thursday, February 05, 2004 Hearing God's Voice I have been going through 1 Sam. for my devotions, and I'm taken aback at how clearly God was calling Samuel. So, it got me thinking about how I hear God's voice, and how I make decisions/choices. For me, I seek confirmation from God's Word, confirmation in prayer through a sense of peace in making the decision, rational/logical thought and wise counsel from others. I wish however, I would hear God much more clearly than I do. That's something I desire more of. I have made a lot of decisions in my life on this sense of peace through prayer. However, I would like to see a stronger confirmation from God's Word for decisions in my life. I feel God gives us much freedom in making choices, as long as we are walking close with Him. My Life Decisions Case Studies...short version: 1. Current Job. In coming to my current job, I had the choice and chance to go to Roseville with HP. My mom wanted me to go to Roseville and still stay with HP. I felt much unrest and no peace with going, asking God to reveal clearly if He wanted me to go. I decided not to go, without having any job lined up for post-HP. If I went to Roseville, I definitely would not have been happy. God provided me a job that I started 5 weeks later, got a raise coming here, and have been blessed with a good work environment and with good stock. =P. 2. China in '02. My boss asked me like 5 times to ask if I was still going. He didn't want me to go, and if they didn't let me, I was at the point of being willing to quit (and give up my severance package, because I was going to laid off in Oct.'02...complicated story...ask me if you want to hear it), because it was clear God wanted me to go. I had that tremendous sense of peace in knowing God would provide for me if I made this decision. In college, as a sophomore, I always wanted to go to China, but never had the chance to, as I had co-ops and internships my sophomore to junior and junior to senior year summer. I never had the chance to go, until I actually finished my graduate schooling in '02. It was perfect timing for me, and although I was older than most of the people in the summer program, I had an awesome time, even though it was a difficult/challenging experience. If I delayed going for the sake of the job and tried to go in '03, I wouldn't have been able to because of SARS. God's perfect timing. =P. There are other life decisions, such as stepping out in faith and risk to buy a home, choosing colleges, moving back hoem after college, choosing my first job, pursuing relationships with girls (DTRs), etc. I guess in reflecting on hearing God's voice, I want to hear Him much more clearly than I do now, and be more faithful in seeking confirmation for decisions in my life, especially in His Word. However, I don't want to read his Word specifically to find that token verse that I can use as justification for decisions. However, I do think God speaks clearly through His Word. I guess I don't want to look specifically for certain verses that I can use as justification for decisions, but in meditating on His Word, come to a better understanding what decisions He wants me to make. Again, I feel there is tons of freedom in choices in the Christian walk. I guess a lot of times, although I pray about different decisions before making them, I usually move full steam ahead with what I think is right and logically correct and see if God closes or opens doors along the way. In terms of relationships, the right person at the wrong time is still the wrong person. Wisdom through the years. =P. Whoops...too much relationship stuff...haha. How do you hear God's voice? posted by alvin | Thursday, February 05, 2004 Wednesday, February 04, 2004 Eprop Envy Ever since Christine has posted on eprop envy, my hit count has gone up at least like 15 more per day. She must have lots of e-stalkers...=P. posted by alvin | Wednesday, February 04, 2004 More from Psychology Final Mention 2 or 3 of your gender and other stereotypes that you have learned in your family of origin or from others. How have they affected your behavior and/or perception of others? The 2 gender stereotypes I have learned in my family of origin are the following: a) invulnerability, and b) rigid perceptions. I have grown up bottling up many of my emotions, and learning not to express them. I have grown up valuing competence and decisiveness in my life. My behavior has been affected by becoming less open to new emotional experiences. Sometimes I may look down upon those whose lives are characterized by emotional vulnerability. I need to constantly realize that God has created us differently. In terms of rigid perceptions, I have set certain gender roles into specific categories, and thus living my own life in what the world views as “masculine.” I have challenged myself recently to really expand my thinking and allow myself to experience new activities that help to stretch me from my comfort zone and challenge me to grow in new ways. posted by alvin | Wednesday, February 04, 2004 Tuesday, February 03, 2004 RW Tahoe Trip, Feb. 20-22nd I told Mike Ho that I would post an ad. for the RW ski trip, on feb. 20-22nd weekend on my blog, since I get so much readership...hahaha...yeah, right. If anybody is interested in going, please leave a comment here, and Mike will get back to you. If you have a group of friends, and don't want to go with RW, you could actually sublet a 10-person cabin from Mike. Right now, there are 20 people signed up, 10 maybes, and a total of 50 spots. posted by alvin | Tuesday, February 03, 2004 Near Accident... As I was driving home yesterday, it was raining some, but not that much. I took a right on Campbell Ave. off of San Tomas Expressway, and at a stop sign, some car was taking a left hand turn. He basically looked at traffic from the right hand side, but didn't look at the left hand side. It is a good 300 yards from San Tomas/Campbell Ave. intersection to this stop sign. I wasn't speeding, as 300 yards is not enough space to get that much speed. Plus, it's a 35mph speed limit. Campbell Ave. is a two lane street, and I was in the leftmost lane, near the center. I briefly saw him inching up from the stop sign, and he basically pulled out to take the left turn without seeing me. I was like, what the heck. He finally saw me, and he hit his brakes. For a split second, I was like...whoah...and then I was preparing myself for the impact. I didn't honk my horn because it was already too late. I slammed my brakes. Praise God for ABS. I felt the shaking that comes from ABS. He stopped probably about 1-2 ft. from my car on the passenger side. He quickly reversed back to the stop sign, and I drove home, with my left leg shaking as I was nervous from the incident. Luckily, the car behind me wasn't following close or he would have hit me. Praise God that no accident happened. It was pretty crazy. posted by alvin | Tuesday, February 03, 2004 Monday, February 02, 2004 Weekend Recap After RW, I headed over to Verde to sync up with Christine, Iris and Judy (PESI pals). They were at Verde for a little while, so I saw them for like 2 minutes, after I ordered. They headed home to watch a movie, and I ended up talking with Joanne, Karen and their high school friend Stephanie. They wanted to get a good gift for their friend who is leaving for Australia, and hopefully they settled on a digital camera. Eddie, Karen's bf, showed up after. I know Joanne as a childhood friend, and found her on friendster linked to Daniel's friendster page. She actually served with Daniel in the youth ministry at CBC San Diego. Small world. =P. Anyways, I left Verde around 11:30 p.m., and got home. Woke up around 9:30 the next morning to go shopping with my parents to buy a dining room table. We went to like 4 stores, ate lunch at Lion Plaza (where they have a street named after me), and then bought a table off of Monterey and 101. Went to bro's place later, and spent a good 2.5 hrs. working on his electrical stuff for his house. Mom and I made a quick run to Home Depot, while dad stayed behind to do wiring. Dad actually bought wiring for my bro almost 3 years ago, but finally now is putting it up...part of it is because dad has done a lot for my house, and then needed to help bro a bit. Ended up being pretty late for Mel's/Joyce's b'day party in Menlo Park. The food I brought for the potluck, I brought straight home, as I ended up going so late, everyone already finished eating. hehehe. It was a good time, just syncing up with old friends, and celebrating with Mel/Joyce. We headed up to the Doghouse for swing dancing. We got there for the beginning EC lessons, and I was a follow. I was evaluating reactions from the guys as I was a "follow", and only one guy gave me this weird face. The 2nd half of class was an intermediate lindy class, and I got some new moves, which was cool. We danced from like 9:00 p.m. to like 12:30 a.m. Crazy. Nicole, who couldn't make it, and Tina, who is in med. school in SD, and who both are my swing mentors, would have been very proud of me. I went into the circle to dance with both Mel and Joyce during their b'day jam. I was chatting with Mel, saying I remember the first time I came out, and she was one of the first girls I danced with (also one of her first times dancing in the bay area). I would say to her, "okay, let's reset," and then we would start over from the beginning doing the basic step, without even circling. Funny how much we have improved. Mel was awesome during the b'day jam. We headed over to the Rorke house after and ate a lot of junk food, and carrots too. Anyways, I danced so much that night, I came home and woke up the next morning very sore in my calves. Never before have I felt this sore, and even today, I feel some soreness. Next time I will stretch more. Overall, I had a great time. I only got like 4.5 hrs. of sleep, and ended up dozing some during Sunday School. Argh...I need to work on getting more sleep on Sat. nights. After church on Sunday, I went home and spent some time cleaning. It was pretty fun. I then went to pick up my dining set with my dad and then set it up. I went to King's place to watch the Superbowl on HDTV. Let's just say Janet Jackson and Timberlake are sketchy. I thought that the whole thing was pretty much staged, and it was in poor taste. I basically only watched the 2nd half with them, and it was a good game. I knew that once Brady had the ball with only a minute left, the Pats were going to win. The kicker, who shanked the kick-off, was definitely the goat. Some of the peeps played Texas Hold'Em, and I ended up playing Gauntlet on the XBOX. It was pretty fun. We played for like 1.5 hrs. Crazy, how time flies. It was a good packed weekend. Need some sleep to recover. =P. posted by alvin | Monday, February 02, 2004 The costliness of following Christ This started as my weekend recap, but the RW bible study was so good, I wanted to post some thoughts on it. Alright, weekend recap. RW bible study was good. The topic/theme was the costliness of following Christ. It's a tremendous hard/difficult concept, since Christ calls us to sacrifice everything to follow Him. We examined the life of Abraham and the sacrifice of His son Isaac. Personally, God calling Abraham to sacrifice Isaac was crazy. Knowing that the generational line would come through Isaac, it didn't make sense as to why God called Abe to do such. How did Abe reconcile these two conflicting ideas? Well, I think a lot of went through his mind was just trusting God that He was in control in all circumstances. Can't you envision Abe just crying all the time as he was walking for those 3 days to the mountain, and totally bawling as he is tying up Isaac and putting him on the altar. Crazy stuff. Some interesting discussion questions: 1. When talking to his servants, why did Abe say "we will worship and we will return." Why use "we"? 2. Did Isaac have a sense of what's going on? He did ask Abe, where the sacrifice was coming from. Isaac himself showed faith from letting Abe sacrifice him. However, have you ever thought about what issues Isaac had growing up, remembering that his father tried to sacrifice him once? =P. 3. Where was Sarah in all this? 4. Was the sacrifice really much different than what Christ calls us to now? Final thoughts: In examining NT scripture, the cost of following Christ is tremendous. The following verses... Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Luke 14:26 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. Matthew 10:37-38 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. *********** Powerful stuff. I guess, sometimes I don't focus enough on the cost of following Christ, and what it looks like for me to follow Him daily. Something I need to reflect and focus on more. posted by alvin | Monday, February 02, 2004 |
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