Loving people is really a difficult thing to do. That's why knowing God loves me means so much.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Death Valley
I was reading National Geographic's November 2007 issue which had a feature of Death Valley. It had these amazing photos of the valley and had a section that talked about one of the extraordinary things you can find at Death Valley - sailing stones.
Apparently, these "sailing stones" were large rocks (or stones, haha) that are found in a really flat part in Death Valley called the "Racetrack". But it is hard to watch this phenomenon. It is rare to be able to catch them moving. Some of the stones have been marked, in a similar way that animals can be tracked. Their locations are tracked at that point in time (when the stones are first marked) and then after a period of time, the stones are found to be in a different location from where they were marked, leaving a track behind them.
I think it's really cool. I want to go see this one day. Maybe just the tracks.
You can read about and see pictures of Death Valley here: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/national-parks/death-valley-national-park/
You can watch a video that shows the rocks and their trails, and an explanation of what happens here: http://youtu.be/u1hoiHvOeGc
Apparently, these "sailing stones" were large rocks (or stones, haha) that are found in a really flat part in Death Valley called the "Racetrack". But it is hard to watch this phenomenon. It is rare to be able to catch them moving. Some of the stones have been marked, in a similar way that animals can be tracked. Their locations are tracked at that point in time (when the stones are first marked) and then after a period of time, the stones are found to be in a different location from where they were marked, leaving a track behind them.
I think it's really cool. I want to go see this one day. Maybe just the tracks.
You can read about and see pictures of Death Valley here: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/national-parks/death-valley-national-park/
You can watch a video that shows the rocks and their trails, and an explanation of what happens here: http://youtu.be/u1hoiHvOeGc
I Want to Go on an Adventure
One day.
Hopefully someday not too far off into the future.
I want to travel.
I want to go for a long drive with a friend. Maybe rent an RV so we can stop anywhere.
Maybe ride a motorcycle or an ATV again. That was fun.
Go mountain biking.
Build an igloo and spend a night inside.
Hunting.
Snorkeling. Deep sea diving. Swimming with whales and other seafood (aka sea creatures).
Surfing.
Climb a mountain.
Explore a tropical forest.
Drink from a cactus in the desert.
I just want to spend time being active.
Seeing different parts of the world.
Tasting authentic foods.
Being one with nature.
Be amazed and thrilled.
Hopefully someday not too far off into the future.
I want to travel.
I want to go for a long drive with a friend. Maybe rent an RV so we can stop anywhere.
Maybe ride a motorcycle or an ATV again. That was fun.
Go mountain biking.
Build an igloo and spend a night inside.
Hunting.
Snorkeling. Deep sea diving. Swimming with whales and other seafood (aka sea creatures).
Surfing.
Climb a mountain.
Explore a tropical forest.
Drink from a cactus in the desert.
I just want to spend time being active.
Seeing different parts of the world.
Tasting authentic foods.
Being one with nature.
Be amazed and thrilled.
I don't understand why people think it's okay to cough in your face...
that's gotta be a violation of one of the following:
- personal space
- common courtesy
- being sanitary
oh my goodness. please. I know I'm pretty germaphobic... but this is just rude, invasive, and gross.
- personal space
- common courtesy
- being sanitary
oh my goodness. please. I know I'm pretty germaphobic... but this is just rude, invasive, and gross.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter Thoughts
It has been two weeks since my last post. I have not been able to keep up the discipline as I had hoped... and had not been able to post everyday until Easter Monday... =(
On Good Friday, I went to my church's Chinese service. I usually go to the English one, but my parents took me to the Chinese one because they didn't want to wake up so early just for me to go.. and I don't have a car so I couldn't drive myself. We all decided to just go to the Chinese service, which was later. Although the sermon and worship songs were in Chinese, God didn't fail to leave a message in my heart. I still understood most of what the pastor was preaching about, but after a lot of self-reflection, I learned a few things.
I learned that Jesus made the perfect example when He died on the cross for us, and for what He believed in. Jesus believed that He was the Son of God, and that as long as people believed in God, they would be saved. That was why He was crucified on the cross. Some of the people (Jewish leaders, or pharisees) who heard and saw Jesus preaching to the citizens and performing miracles and healing on the Sabbath (day of rest) didn't like what they saw, and wanted to kill Jesus because of His boldness and because He was telling everyone that He was the Son of God. They didn't like Him, and how He was telling the truth. (John 19:7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”)
From a missional perspective, I see that Jesus had the worst possible death. He was persecuted in the most gruesome way possible. He went through that to save us from our sins and because He was not ashamed of who He was or afraid to proclaim it. Jesus set the ultimate example. Why should I be afraid to let others know that I am a believer in Christ? Why should I be afraid to talk about what He has done for me and for everyone around me? What can be worse than what happened to Jesus? God isn't asking me to be persecuted for no reason. God wants me to stand up for what I believe in, and stay standing until the day Jesus comes back. In Matthew 24:9-14 it says,
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
By not being afraid to be persecuted because of the truth, and by not turning away from God, I will be saved when the time comes. There were so many times where Jesus could have denied himself, or "taken back" what He said to get out of being crucified. Jesus could have lived His life quietly, letting people do what they do, and just blending in. But God had given Him a purpose for being on Earth, and Jesus obeyed. Jesus spread the gospel, taught people how to live, how to love, and stuck to what He believed in. He didn't let other people push Him around, or force Him to deny the truth. Jesus always did what He knew what right, and He always followed God's commands, even to the point of death.
I feel like this year, I saw a new side to the Easter story. I didn't just see the forgiveness, the grace, and the salvation. I also saw a hero, a missionary, and the ideal role model. I feel that God is calling me to be a bold believer. To not be afraid to let others know about the gospel, the salvation story. To not be afraid to speak the truth to others, and to hear the truth out of love. I don't know if my words are conveying exactly how I'm feeling, but my hope is that it is getting through. I am in so much awe and full of new found respect for Jesus Christ. Wow. His story also gives me hope and strength. If Jesus suffered the worst, then what I will suffer is nothing compared to Him. Suffering is not always a bad thing. Suffering for what you believe in and stand up for deserves a whole new level of respect.
John tells an interesting part of the gospel, you can read the Salvation Story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2018&version=NIV
It starts when Jesus is praying and the soldiers come to arrest him.
On Good Friday, I went to my church's Chinese service. I usually go to the English one, but my parents took me to the Chinese one because they didn't want to wake up so early just for me to go.. and I don't have a car so I couldn't drive myself. We all decided to just go to the Chinese service, which was later. Although the sermon and worship songs were in Chinese, God didn't fail to leave a message in my heart. I still understood most of what the pastor was preaching about, but after a lot of self-reflection, I learned a few things.
I learned that Jesus made the perfect example when He died on the cross for us, and for what He believed in. Jesus believed that He was the Son of God, and that as long as people believed in God, they would be saved. That was why He was crucified on the cross. Some of the people (Jewish leaders, or pharisees) who heard and saw Jesus preaching to the citizens and performing miracles and healing on the Sabbath (day of rest) didn't like what they saw, and wanted to kill Jesus because of His boldness and because He was telling everyone that He was the Son of God. They didn't like Him, and how He was telling the truth. (John 19:7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”)
From a missional perspective, I see that Jesus had the worst possible death. He was persecuted in the most gruesome way possible. He went through that to save us from our sins and because He was not ashamed of who He was or afraid to proclaim it. Jesus set the ultimate example. Why should I be afraid to let others know that I am a believer in Christ? Why should I be afraid to talk about what He has done for me and for everyone around me? What can be worse than what happened to Jesus? God isn't asking me to be persecuted for no reason. God wants me to stand up for what I believe in, and stay standing until the day Jesus comes back. In Matthew 24:9-14 it says,
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
By not being afraid to be persecuted because of the truth, and by not turning away from God, I will be saved when the time comes. There were so many times where Jesus could have denied himself, or "taken back" what He said to get out of being crucified. Jesus could have lived His life quietly, letting people do what they do, and just blending in. But God had given Him a purpose for being on Earth, and Jesus obeyed. Jesus spread the gospel, taught people how to live, how to love, and stuck to what He believed in. He didn't let other people push Him around, or force Him to deny the truth. Jesus always did what He knew what right, and He always followed God's commands, even to the point of death.
I feel like this year, I saw a new side to the Easter story. I didn't just see the forgiveness, the grace, and the salvation. I also saw a hero, a missionary, and the ideal role model. I feel that God is calling me to be a bold believer. To not be afraid to let others know about the gospel, the salvation story. To not be afraid to speak the truth to others, and to hear the truth out of love. I don't know if my words are conveying exactly how I'm feeling, but my hope is that it is getting through. I am in so much awe and full of new found respect for Jesus Christ. Wow. His story also gives me hope and strength. If Jesus suffered the worst, then what I will suffer is nothing compared to Him. Suffering is not always a bad thing. Suffering for what you believe in and stand up for deserves a whole new level of respect.
John tells an interesting part of the gospel, you can read the Salvation Story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2018&version=NIV
It starts when Jesus is praying and the soldiers come to arrest him.
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