From My Reading #5: Bible Verses For A Day Such As This

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." -John 10:10-11

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." -Romans 12:9

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." -Romans 12:12

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." -Ephesians 6:10-18a

From the Notebook #4

Be Thankful #3

Sorry I kind of fell off the map for the last week. Last week was CRAZY.

I'm thankful for God being present and active in all the crazy stuff I go through, both the good and the bad.

I'm thankful for a GREAT spring break! Two trips to Yosemite with great friends, three days of a sports camp for kids, the best, God-redeemed swing dance night, and a crazy-stressful weekend that God demonstrated His power throughout!

I'm thankful for my friendship with Daniel Haynes. (and check out his nifty, new blog here)

I'm thankful that my boss is also a great friend and man of God.

I'm thankful that even my best efforts blow up in my face and cause me to make a fool out of myself. It reminds me that everything worth having is given by the grace of God and not because of my "merit".

I'm thankful that God is orchestrating my future.

I'm thankful for grace offered by Godly men.

I'm thankful for family, both mine and others.

And I'm thankful that great things in life do not come easily. It makes me appreciate them so much more when I do eventually get them. Some things are worth all the effort in the world.

God, may your name be glorified in our lives. May many people come to experience your love directly and through us, and may they come to know You, Father.

"Anything that comes easily and without sacrifice is rarely significant." -Cameron Strang, Relevant Magazine

Life Lessons #1: Yosemite Hiking Trip

(This column will list some good lessons that I've learned through everyday situations.)

1. The path that you think will be easier is sometimes much harder.

2. Sometimes turning back is harder than just pressing forward.

3. Working on a challenge that isn't too easy or too hard for you can distract you from the discomfort of that challenge.

4. Any challenge is better faced with others, rather than alone.

5. If there is a challenge ahead of you that's really hard, but it also must be done, it is a lot easier to do.

6. After you've done something really hard, things that were only hard before are now easy.

7. Always get two extra-large pizzas, not just one.

The Big Picture #2: Wanting to Know the Future

So I recently got into a special academic program at my university. Because of that, I know exactly what classes I'm going to be taking next semester. I have guaranteed spots in my classes for the first time. This is a good thing and a bad thing.

I like the fact that I don't have to struggle to get classes next semester, but I don't like actually knowing what my schedule will look like this early on.

As some of you know, I like to keep everything in my life straight and organized. I don't like forgetting about commitments or losing track of time during big projects. But now that I know my schedule next semester, it's firmly planted on my radar screen, and it's stressing me out.

I often think that the solution to my anxiety about the future is figuring out what it'll look like (such as knowing what classes I'll be taking next semester.) Surely, if I can just know what'll happen to me, I won't be worrying anymore. Surely, if God in His infinite wisdom would just tell me what'll happen, then I could stop worrying.

But if I knew what was going to happen to me in my life, I probably wouldn't want to do it. How much suffering is ahead of me still? How many friends' and family deaths are yet to happen? How many lost jobs, lost opportunities? How many harsh, heart-damaging wounds will I take? How many will I give to others? Others that I love? How many sicknesses, how many cancers will I face before I leave this world?

I don't want to know about those things. I don't want to see my future. Because, as sure as the sun rises in the morning, I would surely focus on the negatives and the pain in my future if I were to see it.

How many joys will I experience? How many people will I get to see put their faith in Christ? How many will I lead there? How much will I get to love my wife? How many times will I get the privilege of sacrificing my desires and rights for her sake? How many times will I get to hang out with my kids at the park on a Saturday afternoon? How much thankfulness will well up in my heart to God on account of the future blessings and faithfulness that He will shower down on me in the future?

My desire to know the future is not the root desire. There is an underlying one, hidden deep in my motives. What I really want is to know that everything will be okay. Knowing the future is just a means to that end, and not a very effective means at that. I would desire to see with my own eyes and determine that everything is okay. But God speaks with words formed from a vision unhindered. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. He has planned amazing things for us, and He tells us to trust Him that it is good; that everything will be okay. Things that I would think are bad He would say are good, and He would be right. Things that I would avoid He would want me to go through.

So if I can take God at His word, I can have complete peace about the future right now. It is God who orchestrates it, it is God who will lead us.

"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousnes, and all these things will be added to you." -Matthew 6:33

Visual Messages #1: Resurrection Loon

Hey, check it out! A new column! This column will showcase art that I've done that I feel has an important message to convey (so not just my normal school assignments, haha)

Here's a piece I painted that I called "Resurrection Loon":


Resurrection Loon by *simon38 on deviantART

The above link will take you to my deviantart.com page, so, totally safe.

I made this in my Interaction of Color class as my final. The assignment was to make an original design in the cultural style of a certain people group. I chose the Tlingkit people of the Northwest Coast Native Americans.

In my brainstorming and research, I learned that these groups of Native Americans actually hated loons. They made an eerie sound that made them the object of negative folklore. But, you see, I like loons, so I thought I'd make a flying, elegant-looking loon in response.

At the same time, I definitely wanted to stamp my faith in Jesus on this piece somehow, because it's the most important thing about me. I put an open tomb on his belly, symbolizing our Lord Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Just like people have the wrong idea about loons, people definitely have the wrong idea about Jesus. But that doesn't change the facts. Loons are awesome. And Jesus rose from the dead.

From the Notebook #3

(I apologize for the sporadic posts these last two weeks. School's been crazy. I hope to be back to consistent daily posts ASAP.)