December: God of God

Merry Christmas!

What is the first thought that pops into your head when that phrase is spoken? Could it be shopping, presents, Christmas trees, lights? Or could it be family, food, football, basketball? 

There's nothing wrong with any of theses, but what we often forget is why we, as christians, celebrate Christmas. 

This month, I chose Enfield's God of God. This song embodies not only our Savior's birth, but tells the story from the prophet Isaiah, leads to His death on the cross: the reason why Christ was born, and his resurrection. 

God of God by John Julian (Chorus by Enfield)

Deep in the prophets’ sacred page,
Grand in the poets’ winged word,
Slowly in type, from age to age,
Nations beheld their coming Lord;
Till through the deep Judean night
Rang out the song, Good will to men!
Hymned by the first born sons of light,
Re-echoed now, Good will! Amen.

Born to reign in us forever,
Born a child and yet a king
Born His people to deliver
Let us all in anthem sing,
"Hallelujah, the Messiah has come!"

That life of truth, those deeds of love,
That death of pain ’mid hate and scorn,
These all are past, and now above
He reigns our King, once crowned with thorn.
To Him who sits upon the throne,
The Lamb once slain for sinful men,
Be honor, might, all by Him won,
Glory and praise! Amen! Amen!

O God of God! O Light of Light!
Thou Prince of Peace, Thou King of kings,
To Thee, where angels know no night,
The song of praise forever rings!

Christ was born. Christ was born so that he could deliver a sinful race: to die for a filthy people and make them right with God. Since God is a holy God, He and sin are separate. They cannot be mixed. And since God is a just God, sin must also be punished. Apart from God, we are sinful men and we are condemned and His wrath is all we deserve, "but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved-" (Ephesians 2:5-6). 

This is why we celebrate Christmas :)

Chaos: Temporarily Closed

Praise the Lord that this semester is over!

This semester has been one of the craziest I've been through. 

I can't thank the Lord enough for sustaining me through this chaotic semester. He has really taught me to trust in Him to provide for my needs. My studies were taking a toll on me and I really wanted to just stop. Stress is no fun. My nose was literally in a book everywhere I went (or in my laptop writing research papers). The last three weeks were the most chaotic. An online class that I had neglected due to another online class has finally caught up to me. Professors in all classes were assigning last minute projects. So in total, I had three weeks to complete 10 exams, write 6 papers, 3 presentations and study for 5 finals. Praise the Lord for giving me the strength and endurance to finish strong. 

A trial that I went through in the last couple weeks and still am going through is getting my classes for the following semester. It's been crazy. Not only has tuition gone up nine percent, but we have been limited to 15 units maximum. Along side this cap, we also have fewer classes with fewer seats. I felt threatened. I had a really late registration date and I couldn't do anything about getting my much needed seat in my much needed classes. I sat back and watched my classes fill up. 

Prior to my registration date, I have sent all my possible future professors multiple emails, letting them know about my unfortunate position. There were so many hoops I had to jump through. Trusting the Lord was a difficult thing to do. It was all there: I knew I had to trust in the Lord to provide, but applying it was a whole other issue. I know that no matter where God puts me, He'll be glorified best. I realized that this was super similar to my housing situation last August. The Lord is good and He'll provide for his children. May I continue to praise Him despite my own circumstance.

James 1: 2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Throughout it all, the Lord has provided me with encouragement and much support from the lovely people in my lives. I thank you all so much for your prayers, love, and keeping me focused on Christ. It means the world to me. I can't thank you enough. 

Aside from this hot mess... a lot of fun happened too.

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Amen.

November: Come, Thou Fount

Oh my, it's already the end of November. :( Everything has been so overwhelmingly busy that this month's song is barely making the deadline. I've got approximately two weeks of school left and a butt-ton of projects, papers, exams and other miscellaneous things to take care of. My prayer this whole month was to continually praise the Lord despite my own circumstance and it was most definitely a challenge. However one way I kept Christ as the center of my focus despite the chaos around me was to preach and review the gospel daily.

This month's song is: Come, Thou Fount sung by Page CXVI

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

I am bound for the kingdom,

Won't you come with me?

Hallelujah, we sing.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Unfortunately, the version of this song that I've selected doesn't include the last verse, but I decided to still include it lyrically because it is encouraging to see our end goal after our life has finished and that end goal is Christ. Oh, that day when freed from sinning - Christ will be ours. We can have perfect and holy communion with him when we're in heaven. I can't wait until that day, but until that day comes, may I continually live a life that is both honoring and pleasing to him. Oh, those good ol' gospel centered hymns. How true they ring.

God has truly been gracious to me throughout this semester and he continues to bestow his grace and mercy on me. Praise the Lord for saving me and making me his own. :)

October: I Will Glory in My Redeemer

Everything has been a blur. I've been overwhelmed by how much I have had to do in the last month, whether it be classes, a cappella, church, etc. I haven't had the best attitude about it. I constantly have to remind myself to study well for God's glory.

Despite all this, the other night, I had the opportunity to just sit down and talk with a friend about God. For months, I have been praying for opportunities to share the Gospel with those whom I love and are not saved and the other night, the Lord had granted my prayer.

As I sat with this friend and discussed my faith, praying through the words I spoke, I was able to share the Gospel. A seed has been planted. I can only continue to witness to this friend and live a life that is glorifying to God. After all, the loudest sermon you preach is the life you live. So in light of the Gospel, I've chosen a song that reflected the Gospel.


This month's song is "I Will Glory in My Redeemer" by Sovereign Grace Music

I will glory in my Redeemer

Whose priceless blood has ransomed me

Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails

And hung Him on that judgment tree

I will glory in my Redeemer

Who crushed the power of sin and death

My only Savior before the Holy Judge

The Lamb Who is my righteousness

The Lamb Who is my righteousness

I will glory in my Redeemer

My life He bought, my love He owns

I have no longings for another

I’m satisfied in Him alone

I will glory in my Redeemer

His faithfulness my standing place

Though foes are mighty and rush upon me

My feet are firm, held by His grace

My feet are firm, held by His grace

I will glory in my Redeemer

Who carries me on eagle’s wings

He crowns my life with lovingkindness

His triumph song I’ll ever sing

I will glory in my Redeemer

Who waits for me at gates of gold

And when He calls me it will be paradise

His face forever to beholdHis face forever to behold

This song is a kindly reminder of what the Gospel is and reminds us of who we live for. We do not live for ourselves, but for Christ. What a joy it is to know that we know the truth and that we live in light of it. A joy to know that we have been redeemed from our sins.

Pray for me. Pray for more opportunities to share the Gospel with others. Pray that I may radiate Jesus Christ from my life. Pray for my friend, that the Lord would reveal Himself to him.

Thank you for all your love and support.

1 John 1:5-9

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

September: How Great Thou Art

Here we are again. How in the world did we get to the end of the month so quickly? I'm torn between happy and scared at the same time. There's just so much to do in so little time.

So far this month has been go, go, go non-stop. I don't think I've had a "me" day this month. I've either been doing stuff with my a cappella group or I've been doing stuff related with church and if I'm not doing either of those, I'm doing school work. As much time I think I may have on my hands, time slips through my fingers like grains of sand and before I know it, it's gone. As these deadlines approach, additional projects pop up and new deadlines are added to this crazy and out of control agenda.

Not a day passes by that I don't think about my mama. I've experienced both joy and sorrow. I miss her. I miss her hugs. Her broken english. Her laugh. Her smile. This video sums it up: 

None the less, she is with Christ and I rejoice all the more. My heart is truly glad in what the Lord has given me. May I continue to praise and bring glory to Him, despite my own circumstance. To read the beginning of my mom's journey click here.

This month's song is How Great Thou Art. This song rings true in my heart. The version I'm going to share with you is by Ascend the Hill. You can listen to this version by clicking here. The lyrics are below:

O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made
I see the stars
I hear the mighty thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur 
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul
Then sings my soul

And when I think
My God, his Son not sparing
Sent him to die I scarce can take it in
That on the cross
My burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
When Christ shall come

With shouts of acclamation
And take me home, What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim, "My God, how great you are!" 

Then sings my soul
Then sings my soul

How great your love for us! (Then sings my soul)
You shed you blood for us! (Then sings my soul)
How great your love for us! (Then sings my soul)
You shed you blood for us! (Then sings my soul)

How great your grace for us!
That you gave it all for us!

Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great you are! 
How great you are!
Then sings my soul, 
My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great you are!
How great you are!

How great he really is. Why? 

Ephesians 2:1-10 ¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work inthe sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived inthe passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body^[a]and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴But^[b] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him andseated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

That is why. I feel like that verse is a fair summation of the sing. Despite how quickly or frequently my life is changing, God has remained ever-present and has been the most constant thing in my life. I cannot thank Him enough for all he has done for me. I am unworthy, but I thank Him daily for his grace - that I no longer have to wallow in sin and be a slave to it - living life blindly, arrogantly, ignorantly. He saved me from my sin. I cringe to think where I would be today if it weren't for Christ because I could confidently say that I would not be here in this room typing this blog. I am his. Who am I to be his? Without Christ, I am nothing. Without Christ, my mama wouldn't be in heaven praising Him. Without Christ, life is meaningless.


Then sings my soul: how great thou art!

The Struggle for Contentment

I struggle.

I struggle daily.

I struggle daily with contentment.

"What specifically?" you might ask. I struggle to find contentment in my singleness. There are days where I feel that I am content, but then there are other days where I plunge deep down into the desires of my heart, ultimately my flesh. I'm not saying that having a desire for a husband or wife is wrong, but if it becomes of greater value than Christ, then we have a problem. I recently wrote a letter to a friend who was also struggling with her contentment and let me tell you... I was convicted through it all. The letter should've been addressed to me. The letter reads as the following:

Dearest Claire,

            I am so proud of all that you’ve accomplished: your passion for Jesus and teaching the Gospel to little ones and being selfless in all that you did for others. Alongside your commitment to God, you’ve had other commitments: work being one of them. I know you’re a busy girl and ejoy being busy, but let me give you a piece of advice while you’re at college: Enjoy it. Although I’ve only been in college for a year, it goes by so fast. You’ll hear it from others who have graduated. You’ll have time to try everything you want to try. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. It’s okay to say no sometimes. :)

            Now, onto a topic I’m sooooo knowledgeable about: Dating. Okay, I may not be “experienced,” but I can confidently say that I am well equipped (but not really). First of all, you’re at school for a Bachelor’s degree, not an “M.R.S. Degree.” I know we’ve had these talks here and there, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to GUARD YOUR HEART <3. You don’t have to be in a relationship anytime soon. You have your whole life ahead of you. Being single is just as important as being married. Both are gifts from God. You can do things for God when you’re single that you can’t do when you’re married. The same goes the other way. I’ve struggled with this (and still am) and have used prayer to help me. So, pray relentlessly. Pray for contentment in your singleness. Do not squander the time God has given you. Continue to live your life as Romans 12 commands us.

            If there is any lust that you might have for any man, keep your heart pure by going back to scripture and the cross. Remember what Jesus has done for you: “he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” 1 Peter 2:24. I know there will be attractive boys and men that’ll come your way and it’ll be crucial to know who the boys are and who the men are. 1 Timothy 3 gives you an outline of what your husband should be like. Also, remember that it is the man who is supposed to seek you out and pursue you. Not the other way.

            Before you enter into a relationship, lets examine your heart. Is your heart content with Christ? Is it completely satisfied in Him alone? Is Christ the focus of your life? I truly believe that until one is completely satisfied in Christ, then he or she can have a God-honoring relationship.

            I love you sooooo much. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for you. Again, I am so proud of you. Cling to Christ. Seek Him. Love Him.

           

            Love,

                Hannah P.

Every time I reread this letter, it's a slap across the face. I struggle with guarding my heart. I often let these "crushes" occupy my mind. The desires of my flesh become overwhelming and I begin to feel discontentment in my life. In times that I should be praying, I thinking about what my life could be like with this other person, hoping that my desires would become a reality. I take away from God's time and squander it on the desires of my flesh. 

Thankfully, I've combatted these desires with discipleship from others and prayer, which has helped me tremendously. One of the things that was hardest for me to pray for was that if this desire wasn't of God that he would take this desire away. God has been gracious and has pointed me to his cross. He has reminded me that he is sufficient. 

I know that if it be God's will for me to get married, he will provide a husband for me. A husband that meets all my needs and more. 

A few helpful videos:

This video with Matt Chandler is a very good reminder and also helpful:

Basically, he sums up everything that I've typed up in this blog.

"Should Women Pursue Men?"

Remember God's love. His love in that he sent his only Son to die on a cross for our sins. To suffer in our place. To feel the wrath that we so very much deserve. Christ has paid for my soul. I need to cling to my salvation, trust in Him completely and continue to preach the gospel to myself and look to the cross daily. This is the reality.

I hope this blog has been helpful to you. Look to Christ, always.

I know I use this Bible verse a lot, but it holds a lot of meaning.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Currently listening to "Rock of Salvation" by Paul Stephens

August: There is a Fountain

I cannot fully express my gratitude for what Christ has done for me. He has redeemed my unworthy, wretched soul and has called me his own. He chose me (Romans 9), someone who beforehand despised and hated him and was completely deserving of his eternal, just and righteous wrath(Romans 3).

I wrote a letter to a friend, who is beginning college, and it was about guarding your heart. As of recent I've been struggling with this. How ironic, right? I'll blog about this later. Anyways, I told her that if ever she were to struggle with this, to pray earnestly and look to the cross.

I feel that this song is a great reminder of what Christ has done for us. (Click HERE to listen to the song)

There is a Fountain

There is a fountain filled with blood

drawn from Emmanuel's veins;

and sinners plunge beneath that flood

lose all their guilty stains.

Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood

shall never lose its power

till all the ransom church of god

be saved, to sin no more.

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue

lies silent in the grave,

then in a nobler, sweeter song,

I'll sing thy power to save.

This is the gospel:

Ephesians 2:1-5

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved...

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit...

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Be encouraged, live out for Christ. What more could we possibly want? What precious gift could possibly outweigh the richness of God's mercy and grace? Apart from Christ is death and damnation, but in Christ, we are alive. He is everything or he is nothing.

And So It Begins... Again

Part Deux

After a five and a half hours of singing at the top of her lungs, Hannah arrived at a familiar destination. As she slung her backpack over her should, she began to approach the house. Previously receiving a text about how to get into the house, she checks under the doormat to see if there really was a key waiting for her. Sure enough, it was. "And so it begins," she said.

Well, I'm back at school sure enough and I definitely can't say that it was easy leaving home. In fact, I believe it was harder. I have mentioned to my friends already that whenever I thought about leaving for school, I had already become homesick. Just so much has gone on this past summer and I feel like there wasn't enough of it. I feel as if summer was a rug beneath my feet that was yanked out from underneath me. Kind of crazy. Alas, I need education to get a job and pay for the rest of my life the countless bills I'll be receiving. Unless... you know... there's some kind soul out there... that would.. you know... pay for the rest of my life. :) please and thank you.

Anyway, with this new school year starting, I've got a couple goals in mind that I hope you, the readers, would keep me accountable. 

1. I hope to keep up a regular schedule to read my Bible.

This is such a struggle for me. I find that I spend a ridiculous amount of time on social media websites as opposed to read the Bible, and it shouldn't be that way. Pray for me that I can be immersed in God's word daily.

2. To stay disciplined in my studies.

This semester, I'm taking two online classes and we all know that there are so many distractions on the computer and what not, especially on the internet. Classes in general this semester are going to be interesting. Pray for me that I can have self control and remain on the task that is given to me. 

3. To stay focused on Christ.

Amidst all this education, extra-curriculars come into play and once I get overwhelmed the whole, "I have to fix this" mentality takes over me. Also, there are so many distractions all around me that take my gaze off Christ. Thankfully, God has put wonderful people in my life to keep me accountable and remind me of why I really live, and who I live for. Pray for me that I live for Christ fervently every second I have.

4. Gospel Opportunities.

Pray that these opportunities would be presented to me, that I would take advantage of them and not take them lightly. Pray that I would be strong in my faith and not in anyway timid. Pray that the Lord would give me wisdom and discernment in my words when I share the Gospel.

Thank you for all your love and support and just seeing me through my years of college, and my life in general. :) Love you all so so much.

Refreshed and Revived

so i've been working on this huge project of mine all summer long. in fact, it started during spring break when i decided to paint my room and redecorate it. there's so many fun ideas running through my head, but i can't seem to come up with the funds to make it happen. however, there are ways around it. luckily for me, i took a ceramics class and i made some pretty fun stuff for my now room decor. beforehand, i honestly didn't know what to do with it all, but with a few friends who took a liking to my work, they found a home. yes, there are things that i would like to have, but can't afford. when life gives you melons, you may have dyslexia, however when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. so...

want a new bookshelf?

click the photo for a more detailed picture

this contraption cost me $11.00 with each wine crate being $3.50 each.

the most expensive thing on this shelf, unfortunately, cost more than the bookshelf, which is the dried flowers in the mason jar. that project ended up being about $13.00.

click the photo for a more detailed picture

i also purchased these wooden shelves that fit in the corners of your walls. 

click the photo for a more detailed picture

installing these shelves was not fun. though, i must say i am very happy with the end result. ironically, these corner shelves ended up costing more than my bookshelf. i believe $29 total, give or take (i never said that this was a money saving project).

click the photo for a more detailed picture

so now this oh-so-very bland corner is now looking like the best part of my room and i'm very proud of it. but what about my bland walls? i've already started on it and that's another blog post i suppose seeing that it's not complete. however, i suppose a sneak peek never hurt anyone right?

click the photo for a more detailed picture

i guess this'll have to be a project for the next summer... it's a shame that i've done all this work only to leave for college. oh college...

July: Be Thou My Vision

It's that time of the month already? I guess I should probably blog, huh? Yes. Okay.

So, my family and I went to Chicago for my dearest cousin's wedding. 

 We, as a family have walked over 30 miles all over downtown Chicago due to lack of knowledge of how to use the public transportation system... more adventures there... getting lost on a bus was one of them.

We did all the touristy things... What can I say? We're asian...
One of which was that we went to Millenium Park.
Could someone please hand me a hose of windex and a lifetime supply of towels?

It was thee cutest little wedding ever! It was no more than 200 people. Thank the Lord that the Chicago humidity didn't get to us. 

But best of all, it was sort of like a mini family reunion :) I haven't seen my cousin since I was 4 or 5 and now she's married to one of the most charming young men I've ever met. I'll be praying for them on a daily basis. Congrats Chad and Alicia :)




Anyway, through all this, I've thought about what song I would like to walk down the aisle to, if the Lord has it in his will for me to get married, and I've got just the song.

Be Thou My Vision (listen here)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. 

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, 

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; 

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; 

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine Inheritance, now and always: 

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, 

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,

May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun! 

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, 

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Although, according to man, this day should be about the bride and the groom coming together as one, the real significance of marriage is that it is the symbolic representation of Jesus Christ and his church coming together. Marriage is not solely about two people making a covenant to stay with each other for better or for worse, but to put God on display for all the world to see. To live as one unit, striving to glorify our Creator and our Savior. To be a living testament of the gospel. That is why I think this song is appropriate for when I do walk down the aisle. I guess you can kind of say that it's setting the tone for the new chapter: to keep Christ the center of our lives, first and foremost. For it is without Jesus' grace that we fail to do things, however hard we try.


My prayer is this: that I may continue to live with Christ as the center of my life, single or married. May I continue to live a life that is glorifying to Him.

Chad and Alicia, I'm going to pray that this be your focus throughout your marriage. :)

I love you, both.

1 Corinthians 10:31 
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.