Goals

In line with my aim to invest my time wisely and be a faithful steward, it would be useful to once again set goals and to dream God's dreams.  That should be more effective than just living daily and just seeing what happens.  I've always wanted to go back to school, since I love learning.  And, I've thought of going to BIOLA, since I think it will help me be more effective in leading Bible Studies.  Previously, I thought of applying for a Masters in Bible Exposition.   However, given my situation, I actually think a Certificate in Biblical Studies would be very suitable; and looking at the curriculum, I could probably fit in some of the Greek and Hebrew classes which I mainly wanted to take as electives.  As I contemplate and pray about this more and more, I can see it fulfilling much of what I'm looking for.   It will also be very beneficial to me in several ways; and would be a worthy goal to pursue, keeping the eternal perspective in mind.  So, I'm hopeful that this is one goal that I will pursue and will reach sometime in the future.

Hurtful Words

Last night, I went to serve in our monthly class outreach, and one person said some things that I felt were hurtful and a little insulting.   I don't even know if that person even knew the negative impact of his words. I've been processing it since then, and have been telling myself to just "get over it".  I have prayed about it to gain perspective; and I stand by what I was criticized about and don't feel that any changes are needed.

This just reminded me that leaders do need to have "thick skin"; because criticism is inevitable.  We cannot allow the Enemy to defeat us through the discouragement and hurt that can come with words.  It's also a reminder to watch what I say.   I need to be an encourager and motivator.   And, I have always valued good communication.  May I deal with criticism with grace - to stand up for what is right and to be able to filter out whatever is not constructive.  Scripture gives many examples of those who faced their opposition.

Also, I keep wondering why the words would affect me so much; and I thought of what I read about in the book Quiet.   Introverts are more sensitive to what we see and hear, so it affects us more deeply.  That's why I need to work harder to "get over it".  

Luke 17

In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus warned His disciples to not cause others to stumble in sin; taught them to always forgive; encouraged them that even a small faith was enough as long as it was in the almighty God; and reminded them not to seek thanks or rewards for doing their duty to obey God's commands.

Verses 1-2 always remind me to be careful to handle accurately the Word of Truth, especially when teaching.  And, it is encouraging to be remember that even if our faith is small, our God is big; and that is enough for Him to accomplish His work through us.   I also want to emphasize the message that when the Holy Spirit indwells us and we are regenerated into our new nature, it should be just part of who we are to seek to be like Him, which includes repentance and obedience.

When Jesus healed the ten lepers, it was only as they were going to show themselves to the priests that they were actually healed, thus demonstrating their obedience to His command and belief that He could heal (for priests were the ones in Lev 14 who could declared a cured man cleansed).  However, only one, the Samaritan or foreigner, returned to give thanks and glory to God when healed.  And as a result of his faith, he received full healing, physical as well as spiritual.

This reminds me to trust God and obey Him, even if the situation appears that it would need a miracle.  And to remember to give thanks and glory to Him when He does do it.

In Christ's teaching on the kingdom of God, He said that it is already in our midst, stated that there will be times when we will be longing for it to be here already, and warned that there will be false predictions of His return.   However, He said that when He does Return again, all will know; but first, He had come to suffer on the CROSS and die in order to provide a way to salvation.   As in the references to days of Noah and Lot, when Christ Returns, many will be more concerned about things of this world and not be ready.   However, judgement will come, and He reminded them "Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it".

Help Me Find It

When I first heard this song on the radio, I felt like the lyrics expressed perfectly how I sometimes feel.   There are times I may have even prayed those exact words.

So, I looked for the song and here are the lyrics to "Help Me Find It" by Sidewalk Prophets:

I don’t know where to go from here
It all used to seem so clear
I’m finding I can’t do this on my own
I don’t know where to go from here
As long as I know that You are near
I’m done fighting
I’m finally letting go
I will trust in You
You’ve never failed before
I will trust in You
[Chorus:]
If there’s a road I should walk
Help me find it
If I need to be still
Give me peace for the moment
Whatever Your will
Whatever Your will
Can you help me find it
Can you help me find it
I’m giving You fear and You give faith
I giving you doubt
You give me grace
For every step I’ve never been alone
Even when it hurts, You’ll have Your way
Even in the valley I will say
With every breath
You’ve never let me go
I will wait for You
You’ve never failed before
I will wait for You
[Chorus]
I lift my empty hands (come fill me up again)
Have Your way my King (I give my all to You)
I lift my eyes again (Was blind but now I see)
‘Cause You are all I need
[Chorus]

Work in Progress

God is definitely at work in my life.   I can almost feel the chisel as it chips away at me, forming me into what He wants me to be.

It's a combination of responsibilities and lessons that God has brought to my attention which is pointing me in the direction I am to go.  Primarily, I've been tasked with Estate Planning; and all the research, considerations, and decisions that have gone into that have permeated much of my life.  On top of that, God has been teaching me about:

•  The value of time and the proper investment of it - the verses He has continually reminded me of are Eph 5:15-16 "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil."
•  What I read, watch, and think about - the verse He has continually reminded me of is Phil 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
•  Stewardship - From the studies of the parables in Luke, it is clear that I need to be a Faithful Steward of all that God has place in my care.  So, my goal is to organize and to put everything in order.  Along those same lines is to store my treasure in heaven, and to use what He has place in my care here in earth with the eternal perspective in mind.
• Compassion for the Lost - Also from the studies in Luke, it is clear that there is great rejoicing when a sinner repents and that the heart of God is to seek and save those who are lost.   As I seek to be more like my heavenly Father, I desire to have his heart of compassion and to be more purposeful in reaching out to others.

 My desire is that I will become more and more like Christ, that I will be a faithful servant, and that I will live my life for God.  The verses that I have just memorized are:  “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? " (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
 

Spiritual Leadership

"Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders is a really good book on Leadership.   It is not only Scriptural but also practical.  It was encouraging to learn that things that I have been facing as a leader are not unique to me; but are just part of being in leadership.

Some quotes from the book that really stood out for me are:

• "True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you." 
• "Leadership is influence, the ability of one person to influence others to follow his or her lead." 
• "Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and the character which inspires confidence" (Bernard Montgomery)
• "There are only three kinds of people - those who are immovable, those who are movable, and those who move them!" (Li Hung Chang)
• "Yet spiritual leadership transcends the power of personality and all other natural gifts."
• "We can lead others only as far along the road as we ourselves have traveled." 
• "Through books we hold communion with the greatest spiritual leaders of the ages."

The following are some of the things that I have learned from the book:

•  Leaders need to be authoritative, spiritual, and sacificial
• Spiritual leaders aren't elected or appointed - God makes them
• 1 Corinth 2:1,4 show that we don't need persuasive words if we have demonstration of the Spirit's power
• We can learn a lot about leadership through our own mistakes, just as Peter did
• How we choose to use our "leisure" time aside from set time of work, eating, sleeping, etc affects our life as leaders.  We need to use time strategically
• Reading refills our "well of inspiration" and our character is reflected in the books that we read
• We are to lead with zeal and always seek to improve
• The costs of leadership include loneliness, sacrifice & scars, criticism, and rejection
• The responsibilities of leadership include service, discipline, guidance, and initiative
• We should expect tests; but, they are meant to let us succeed and show progress; so we can face the impossible with confidence in the LORD and grow from our failures
• Delegating, mentoring, and having good examples are important

Reading this book has really been beneficial to me, and has affirmed that God has called me to spiritual leadership.  I even had a chance to share this with the pastor who gave the book to us at one of the Leadership meetings.

As I've been thinking about leadership lately, it occurred to me that the character I most associate with in the Bible  might be Moses.  He was humble and often felt insecure and inadequate to lead.  Yet, he was able to lead the Israelites for 40 years through the wilderness, was entrusted with God's Law, and is included in the Hebrews 11 "Hall of Faith".

Luke 16

Upon initial reading, the parable of the dishonest steward may be confusing.  Why would Jesus use a dishonest steward as an example, and why would the master commend the steward for only collecting partial debts?  Neither the steward nor his master were honest men, and the master was commending the steward for his shrewdness, and not necessarily his actions.

But, Jesus used this parable to show that "people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light."  We need to be aware that those in the world are likely able to deal with things of this world better than those of us who are of the kingdom; but, also, it is a reminder to be wise about our dealings with things of the kingdom.

Jesus also encouraged His disciples to be faithful stewards of God's resources with the eternal perspective in mind, whether they have little or much.  And He concluded with a final reminder that "No one can serve two masters....You cannot serve both God and money."   

To the Pharisees, He gave warning that while they may be able to put up a self-righteous exterior before men, God sees their detestable hearts.  While they have changed God's laws with their own interpretations, giving divorce as an example; Jesus assured them that every last detail of the Law and the Prophets will be fulfilled, even with the new covenant since the time of John the Baptist who prepared the way for Him, the Messiah.

This is a very practical passage, since it deals with earthly wealth and our hearts.   We can take heed both the teachings to the disciples and the warnings to the Pharisees, that we must be faithful stewards storing up our treasures in heaven; and that we must serve God only with all our hearts and obey His commands fully.
Overall, the passage deals with how earthly wealth relates to:

• Others - we need to use it for others with the eternal perspective in mind
• Ourselves - we need to be faithful with it, whether we have little or much
• God - we cannot serve both God and riches

Jesus then continued with a story about a Rich Man and Lazarus.   This is the only story where He used an actual name - Lazarus is a derivation of Eleazar, which means "God Helps".  This story showed that the Rich Man, during his lifetime, did not use his earthly wealth with compassion; and that Lazarus was not only poor, but also poor in spirit.   The story clearly showed that those who are at Abraham's side after death, like at the banquet mentioned in previous chapters, are those who have listened to God's Word (i.e. "Moses and the Prophets" = the Law and the Prophets = OT Scripture) and repented.

The story also challenges some of the perspectives the world may have about hell or Hades.  There is no "party" there, only torment.  There won't even be a drop of water to cool the tongue.   Friends won't be having fun together - there seems to be isolation and the rich man even wanted to warn his family away from there.  No one is able to just leave for "good behavior" or any other reason, and there is an impassible chasm between hell and the place of comfort for the righteous.

Movies

There were a few movies that I recently watched which were worthy of some note:

• Ring the Bell - This movie featured a musical star-studded cast of Christian artists:  Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Matthew West.  Although, only Casting Crowns sang in the movie.  It  was really neat what ringing the bell represented - a person making the decision to put their faith in Christ.  It was special to see the main character coming to the point in his life where he made the decision to ring the bell.  But, the character that made the biggest impression on me was Scooter, who chose to not pursue a professional baseball career which it was clear that he would've done well in, but instead chose to run a ranch started by his missionary parents to help troubled and orphaned youth.   He treasured the moments whenever any of the youths would "ring the bell".
• Beautiful Dreamer - This was a very touching movie with a beautiful love story.  I liked the Grandpa character, who was there to support the main characters throughout their lives.
• A Warrior's Heart - This is another one of those motivational sports-related movies.  Still, it's always good to see the positive change in a character through their growth.   The most touching scene in the movie was when the main character finally gets to the point where he is able to "talk" to his deceased father and show that he has become the player that his father wanted him to become.
• Lake Effects - The movie itself is just okay; but, I really liked the character in the movie who was the professor on sabbatical, had written the book bearing the title of the movie, and was working as lake patrol.  It was really heartfelt and touching when he professed his love for the main character.  I also like the portrayal of the love and support of small town America.
• A Mile in His Shoes - This movie was a pleasant surprise.  There was often clear reference to God, prayer, and Scripture.   At one point, the main character made a neat analogy using stars, that when the night is darkest, that's when the stars shine brightest.  And I love that so much wisdom came out of his mouth even though he was autistic.  He encouraged his coach when he said his son was looking down from heaven, he gave a great prayer before the final game, and he showed great courage and determination in finishing the game though faced with his attacker.

17-Jul:  Touchback - This was a really moving story.  I expected it to be one of those motivational sports-related movies; but, it also went deeper than that.   The main character was faced with finding out what is really important in life.  All the scenes with the mother were so touching, especially when the college coach said that she would be proud of her son if she watched a game; and she said "I already am".  The movie shows the importance of doing our best, doing what is right, and having heart; and most of all, that having people we love and care for is a big part of what makes life special.

18-Jul:  Dreamer - This was an excellent movie, and even more so, being inspired by a true story.  It was wonderful how the dreams of the young girl with the horse were able to bring the whole family together and heal the brokenness, even in spite of all the adversity they faced along the way.  The actors all did a great job of telling the story beautifully, especially Dakota Fanning.

19-Jul:  Unconditional - We watched this for our small group movie night, and one of the people in my group said that this may have been the best movie she has ever seen.   I might not place it at the very top; but it is definitely close.   It was well made, inspirational, touching, and acting was convincing.   This movie makes me think about how I can make an impact in the lives of others and help others.

25-Jul:  A Greater Yes - The acting and cinematography were average; but, the movie was based on an inspirational true story.   It was touching and of course, had many tear-filled moments as we watch the main character fight cancer and eventually lose the battle against cancer.  Yet, it was motivational to see the lives that she touched and the changes she inspired;
Stand Strong - The DVD cover doesn't seem to reflect so well what the movie is really about.  When I first saw it, I immediately thought of some tough physical battle the person had to fight and stand strong in.  But, after watching the movie, it is really about a family's struggles and growth as they had to deal with and climb back up after hitting financial rock bottom.  The movie itself is just a little above average, but it has a good message about stewardship and keeping the eternal perspective.

26-Jul:  God's Country - This movie is somewhat typical of the genre.  It has a nice story, above average acting, okay filming.   It was interesting to see Gib Gerard act, after finding out who his parents are.

12-Aug:  Home Run - The film quality was fine, and so was the acting.  I like the overall story; and the clear message that faith in God is what was needed to truly overcome sins and addictions.  And it was nice to see the positive change in the main character as the movie progressed from beginning to end.  However, the story seemed a little "slow" and didn't hold my complete attention.   But still, it was a generally good movie.

Thai Food

With my recent experiences with Thai Noodles, I may be moving towards switching from my usual favorite of Pad Thai possibly to Pad Kee Mao.   I've always loved Pad Thai; but, I've recently had a couple that were just too sweet and "heavy".   Pad See Ew and Pad Kee Mao are both made with the thicker rice noodles; but, Pad Kee Mao with the extra peppers for spice and the thai basil really has a nice flavor.

Either way, I have been inspired to start trying to cook Thai noodles.   I have tried Pad Thai in the past with some limited success; and will try to do so again this week, since I did buy the ingredients already.   But, I just might try to make Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew also in the future.  I would love to be able to replicate the unique flavors I remember from my experiences in some of the best Thai restaurants that I have tried.

17-Jul:  I came across a recipe that shows a Thai Sauce that can be made using lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, and Asian hot sauce.   I haven't tried it yet; but, it seems like it would make interesting flavors.   There's another recipe that mixed thick soy with fish sauce and oyster sauce, which may be interesting.   Also, I intend to experiment with Thai basil and maybe some sweet chili peppers in my cooking.

22-Jul:  Rather than making Thai Noodles, I thought I'd experiment with Thai cooking without the noodles.   Following are some of the dishes I made:

• Fava Bean - Heated the beans, added a mixture of garlic, lemon juice, salt, and parsley, and added diced tomatoes at the end.   The other optional ingredients like green onion, olive oil, and add'l parsley were not needed
• Kale Chips - Oven roasted kale with olive oil; and then added very little salt after the kale was crisp and done.  This tastes good mainly when it is still hot and crispy.  And, it would be good with some sort of protein dish served over it (like fish or tofu).
• Thai Kale - Stir fried green onion, garlic, blanched kale, mint, basil and tajin (a lime and chili pepper spic), fish sauce, and brown sugar.  This was quite good.
• Italian Mushroom - pan fried onion, garlic, mushroom, parsley, salt,. pepper, and red wine.  This turned out well.
• Thai Bell Peppers - stir fried green onion, garlic bell peppers, mint basil, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, hot and sweet chili sauce, and tajin.   The tajin spice was good for this dish; and the bell peppers worked with this heavier sauce
• Thai Cucumbers - stir fried sliced Persian cucumbers with basil, mint, lemon juice, sweet & hot chili suace, tajin, brown sugar, and fish sauce.   This may have been the best dish from all these experimental dishes
• Radish Greens - I used to just throw these away and only kept the radishes; but, learned last week that these can been cooked.  So, I stir fried them with onion, garlic, a little basil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mediterranean spice.   It tasted pretty good and the cinnamon and nutmeg helped to counteract the bitter taste of the radish greens.
• Curly Mustard Greens - stir fried with olive oil, onion, garlic, fish sauce, basil, and mint.   This dish seemed better with just simple ingredients in order to allow the natural mustard green flavor to be tasted.
• Burghul Pilaf - Bought a box of this pre-made and just boiled it.   The flavors weren't so good, and definitely missed the taste of fresh ingredients.   I probably wouldn't buy this again.

Overall, it was fun to experiment.   I'm not sure whether the Thai chili peppers would have made the extra difference, since most of the dishes seemed to be "missing something".   I liked the smell of the mint and basil when cooking; and the brown sugar was really good in balancing some of the other flavors.   I still need to practice more before; and I do intend to try, try again.

Buddy Greene and Jeff Taylor

It was truly enjoyable to hear Buddy Greene and Jeff Taylor in concert last night.  There were times of great gospel hymn singing which brings to mind that atmosphere of a Gaither gathering.  They both had a good sense humor, bouncing wits off one another. 

It was touching when Buddy sang "When I Die" for one of the people in my class in honor of her husband she recently lost.  I really enjoyed when they both sang "Brother of Mine", in a way that it was like a conversation between them.   And, of course, I loved when they sang "Mary Did You Know". 

It was also so fun when they played some classical pieces, joking that the composers like Bach and Mozart also wrote for harmonica and accordian.  And it was especially funny when the pastor came back with a joke that when Mozart's grave in Austria was opened, he was seen erasing his pieces because he was "do-composing".

I think this is a glimpse of how joyful it will be in heaven when all the saints are singing praises and worshipping our Lord God Almighty.   Amen!

Proverbs 31 Counterpart

I've tried to model my life after the Proverbs 31 woman; and there have been many times that I wished there was as counterpart passage that described the excellent husband.   But, as I thought about it, there are many passages that actually do give guidelines for characteristics of a godly man.  In fact, Proverbs was really written as guidelines for the young man.

However, what came to me today was that really good counterpart passages would be those in Timothy and Titus that describe the characteristics of an elder.   After having served on the elder selection committee, I realize that the characteristics that we look for in an elder should be the ones I look for in a husband.  The person who would be my future mate would be one that would be qualified to serve as an elder.  He would be respectable, above reproach, able to teach, just, devout, etc.

In thinking about the qualities of a leader, they are applicable:  spiritual, sacrificial, and authoritative.  This actually helped assure me that I need to continue to wait, for I have not yet met him.

Fourth of July '13

It was a really nice Fourth of July Holiday and Weekend, especially with the break from work. 

Spent the 4th with my family, and my "grill master" brother did the BBQ'ing.   The food was all really good, and there was LOTS of it - pork roast, pork ribs, beef ribs, corn, squash, sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers, and fish.   There was even baked ribs and beef stew; and some salads and fruit.

Rested the next day and took the day off of work; although, I find that I should use my idle time more wisely in the future.   Rest is good, but only if I really gain renewal.   I think of when Jesus rested, He spent time with the Father in solitude and prayer.

On Saturday, I did yardwork and cleared out the side walkway where weeds were hanging over into the neighbor's side.  God granted me the strength to finish; and even protected me from too much sun until it was done.   He reminded me that He is with me, even when I feel so alone at times like that.

Sunday was a blessing.  Went to worship and had a break from teaching.   Had our ABC get-together, and went to Pasadena.  Ate at Bua Na Thai in Arcade Lane Plaza on Colorado.  They supposedly had $5 Sunday noodle specials; but, it turned out that they charged extra for shrimp and the Pad Thai was not so good (too sweet and not so fresh).  Next time, it might be better to try Nine&Nine Thai which was just a block away; and supposedly more authentic based on the reviews.  The Pacific Asia Museum was not very large; but, it was a pleasant couple of hours.  Unfortunately, there were a lot of Eastern religion artifacts for Hinduism, Buddhism, and ancestor worship; though not surprising.  The layout of the museum was easy to follow; basically rooms surrounding a central courtyard.  The building used to be a home.  My favorite part was the courtyard garden, and it was a beautiful day.  Afterwards, we stopped by the largest Whole Foods market I've ever been to.  It was two stories with a tri-level underground parking garage.  Inside, there was also a food court area, and we had gelato and sorbets for dessert.  Overall, it was a pleasant day of fellowship and fun.  I thank God for friendships.

Busy Weekend

It's been another one of those BUSY weekends!  But, I praise God that it has all actually kept my focus on HIM.

Saturday was FishFest.   It was a great line-up this year.  Just some of my thoughts:

• Audio Adrenaline - With the change of group members, their sound has definitely changed.  I did enjoy one of their newer songs, Kings & Queens, which they had written about orphans and children.
• Laura Story - She was the one who best created an atmosphere of worship.   She shared how she learned quickly as a worship leader that there are times when she would be expected to lead others in praise when she herself wasn't feeling much like praising herself, especially at the time when her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  When she sung "Blessings", written during that time of her life, she brought me to tears.
• Third Day - It's amazing how many great songs they've sung over the years.  The lyrics are powerful and Mac Powell is very gifted.  He shared the story told to him by parents whose son decided not to end his life after hearing one Third Day song on the radio, and is now involved in missions helping others through what he was going through himself.   Music can truly have an impact!
• Casting Crowns - They have always been one of my favorite groups.  Mark Hall said that many of their songs were written based on Bible Studies he had with his youth group, since he is a youth pastor.  As they sang some of the songs, I was clearly able to see some of the Scriptures that my class has been studying in the Gospel of Luke included in their songs.  I really liked hearing them sing "Come to the Well", the title song from that album.   Based on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, it is a reminder that whenever we are thirsty, we can always go back to "get a drink" of the Living Water and quench our thirst.  They ended their set with a song with essentially all that we believe in.   They were great!   What a blessing!

For lunch, I had taken my friend out for her Birthday at Thai Cafe.   It was actually really good - the Pad Thai tasted like it had fresh ingredients and was cooked well; and the restaurant was nice.   It may have been a little pricier, but this falls into the category of you get what you pay for.   We tried to go to Taiko, which was near by; but, like the reviews said, they were extremely busy, and there was a long wait.

Though I didn't get to sleep until after 1am, I did still need to get up early to run the projector.  I'm glad all went well.   In class, one of my "critics" returned.  Though we had some lively conversations in class, I think it went fairly well overall.  I just lift it all to God.

Afterwards, we had our church annual meeting.  As usual, it was a blessing to hear of all that God has done in our church; and some of the plans for the upcoming year.   The selection committee activities kept me a little busier than usual though, and I missed more of the meeting than I would've liked.  But, this is my last year; and I'm just glad that all went well.

It really was quite a busy weekend.   This week, all my areas of service had activities going on - Class, COA, AV, and Selection Committee.   No wonder I'm sort of "wiped out"!    Good thing this is a short week, with the July 4th holiday :-)