The Light in Darkness.

"Darkness, in fact, is not the opposite of light; it is the absence of light. A blind man does not see the color black; he simply does not see. The radiant presence of the Saviour, therefore, not only shines bright but also brings the dead to life."

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone." --Isaiah 9:2

Excerpt from the Village Church's Advent Guide 2012--GET IT

Noteworthy.

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading.--Oswald Chambers

Noteworthy.

"If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there's no road at all."--David Livingstone

Noteworthy.

Just finished reading "Give Me This Mountain"an autobiography by Dr. Helen Roseveare. Such an honest portrait of not only the life and heart of a missionary, but of a Christian. So encouraging.

They lost everything just as we had. 'We are now as we were when you first came to Congo fifty years ago...All the church monies have been taken; all the chairs, tables, etc., destroyed. But we have one piece of wealth left--our salvation. How we thank and praise God that He sent you to us to give us the only true wealth, that no man can take from us, that cannot be destroyed, the truth as it is in Scripture, our lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!'

If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.

Now to read the second book, "He Gave us this Valley"!

 

Post Uganda (2/2)

To try and fit what we did in Uganda and what I learned there to a mere blog post seems nearly impossible. Though our trip there was short, our days there were long and even in my own journaling of what we did during our time there pages have been filled with stories about people we met, like Susan Blessing who though she is HIV positive has amazing faith and trust in a good and merciful Savior, foods we ate—I really do miss posho and beans!, funny stories about the missionary kids and their obsession with the topic of kissing, and many, many accounts of how God is working in Uganda and using the Hurleys there.

Tiffany already covered the gist of how we spent our time there. We did a little construction on a new house for a widow in the village where the Hurleys live, spent the night in Luwala village, helped at a huge youth conference, hung out with the Hurleys and helped do some house chores, helped put on a pretty big VBS, went on a Safari (got stuck in the mud!), and finished off with a little more construction on the new elementary school set to open in February.

Before, during and after this trip to Uganda I have seen so clearly God’s faithfulness and sovereignty. Everything was and is in God’s hands and in His perfect plan. It was seen in classes in college taken, reading Ann Judson’s biography, Desiring God posting a blog about Katie Davis, my dad letting me buy the “Dispatches from the Front” DVD series from Frontline Missions, CCAC reading “Radical” by David Platt together, and many other events. His faithfulness was seen in how people gave to us so generously financially and showered us with prayers and encouragement. Even in how both Tiffany and I ended up going on this STM could have only been because of Him. During the trip He was faithful to sustain us physically—no one got sick or injured save a few scrapes and bruises! Despite the intense schedule, especially at the youth conference (think Mt. Hermon on steroids), we were able to participate and serve well and with good attitudes!

God is still faithfully using this trip to allow opportunities to share the gospel with others as I tell them about why I went to Uganda, to deepen my affection for Him and the Word, and He has planted in my heart a love for the Hurleys and the Ugandans.

I read this passage during a crazy thunder and lightning storm we experienced prior to the game drive of the safari. I think it adequately sums up all that this STM has been.

Praise the Lord!I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,    in the company of the upright, in the congregation.² Great are the works of the Lord,    studied by all who delight in them.³ Full of splendor and majesty is his work,    and his righteousness endures forever.⁴ He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;    the Lord is gracious and merciful.⁵ He provides food for those who fear him;    he remembers his covenant forever.⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works,    in giving them the inheritance of the nations.⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just;    all his precepts are trustworthy;⁸ they are established forever and ever,    to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.⁹ He sent redemption to his people;    he has commanded his covenant forever.    Holy and awesome is his name!¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;    all those who practice it have a good understanding.    His praise endures forever!--Psalm 111

Thank you all for "striving side by side for the faith of the gospel" with us! 

Post-Uganda! (1/2)

Guest Post: Tiffany Leung

Hello all thank you for your patience :) 

Where to begin....

Psalm 145 v. 3-7

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

There has been a chain of events and great timing that has led up to this trip that I am in awe by. Tracy and I are so grateful of the amount of prayer and financial support that came to us. It has been surreal coming back and reflecting upon the events that took place in Uganda. Who would of thought that I would have the opportunity to drink tea and have breakfast with Ugandans in a  village, be involved with over 400 students at a conference, help build a house for a widower and her family, laying the foundation for a school, helping with a VBS which consisted of over 300 children! 

I am most thankful and praise God for are the hearts of the people who have the burning desire and unquenchable thirst in wanting to know who God is and what the Bible is all about. It is a huge encouragement for me to see how joyful and hospitable people are without having much to give. It has been AMAZING to see the relationships being formed and how God is using the Hurleys (missionary family) in mighty ways to further His Kingdom. 

What I took away the most were redemptive stories of people and their faith and stories about faithful service from the Hurleys. A story that has encouraged me is the attitude of a 24 year old woman who recently loss her baby 2 months ago, her husband 2 years ago and does not have any contact with her Muslim family. After hearing all that she has been through she replies by affirming that God is in control over all thing, even though it has been difficult. 

Please continue to pray for the people of Uganda and perseverance for the Hurleys. The vision that they are working towards is to provide education, community outreach, and to strengthen the church leaders. It is so evident how this family loves God with all their hearts, souls, and minds in order for it to overflow towards the Ugandans!

Love,

Tiffany

At Home and Abroad--Revelation 5:9

Tiffany and I are home! Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We'll be updating soon; I promise!

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation...--Revelation 5:9

Final Update Number 2!

Like Tiffany already mentioned, our departure to Uganda is finally here! I am so excited and anxious to leave! The nervousness about the long travel time and the fear of germs seem to have subsided for now, but I'm not sure if that is because I am getting too tired to worry or if it is because I am too worried about other things (like making sure I packed everything and making sure my bags are not overweight!).

When Tiff and I first decided to go on this trip I told her that I was praying that it would be a hard trip. I wanted these 14 days to be as real as possible and I was praying that I would not come away with a romanticized view of missions in Uganda. This was also around the time Invisible Children's Kony campaign was becoming popular. For some reason the thought of encountering the LRA didn't scare or bother me, but I was praying that I would not get sick. Infectious diseases freak me out. So it was disconcerting that news of an ebola outbreak would come right before we departed.

Despite one of our team members wisely confirming with the CDC, the embassy, and a travel doctor that it was safe to travel to Uganda, I still felt fearful and worried. Over the past weekend Psalm 62 came to mind, a verse that I have found much comfort in over the years during life's trying times.

"For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory, my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour our your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah." --Psalm 62: 5-8

My Rock. My Salvation. My Fortress. This is our God! Not only is my salvation secure in Him, He is big enough to care for my needs. More than that He DOES care for me and listens to my prayers. I still so not want to get ebola (or any other diseases!) but I know that God is still God regardless of my health and He is still good regardless of my health. He is trustworthy and faithful and gracious.

Thank you all for your love and support! Your notes and emails and chats while passing by have been so encouraging and an awesome reminder of God's gracious faithfulness to us. More than anything now we covet your faithful sender prayers.

Please continue to prayer for me:
-that this trip would be hard so that I can get a real view of ministry abroad and that God would use the difficulties to stretch and grow me
-that my heart would continue to be rocked by the gospel and God's grace toward me, a sinner
-that my fear of germs would not hinder or distract form loving people with Christ-like love
-that I would be able to adjust quickly to the time difference and be rested to do Kingdom work
-that the people would see Jesus in me and be encouraged to love Him more

O praise Him! Hallelujah! My Delight and my Reward! Everlasting, never failing, my Redeemer, my God!
See you soon!
Tracy 

"Our Uganda trip has arrived!"

Guest post: Tiffany Leung

Hello friends!

Our Uganda trip has arrived! I cannot believe how quickly time has gone by and am a little nervous, however super excited about what God has planned for me in Uganda. Thank you all again for your prayers and support.

In "Let the Nations Be Glad" Piper stated that "when missions moves forward by prayer, it magnifies the power of God. When it moves by human management, it magnifies man." I often find myself not seeing prayer as important. While it is good to be prepared, having a prayerful attitude is more important because there are so many things that I have no control over. Trusting God and being utterly dependent on Him has been a lesson. Remembering that He is sovereign over ALL things including the current ebola outbreak, the possibility of contracting malaria, and even having contact with a jiggers infestation. My worries often reflect how small of a view I have of God.

Please continue to pray:
-that I would trust in the plans God has in store for me and not worry so much about the possible diseases that I might contract
-that in everything I do, whether in word or deed that God would be glorified/magnified through it all
-for softened hearts of the Ugandans and to build relationships that last

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:18

"Kingdom Matters"

Catching up on some of the seminars I didn't attend. Clear and convicting.
Paige Benton Brown--Kingdom Matters

When we have given God all we have and are, we have simply given him his own.--William Plumer

Noteworthy.

"Wimpy theology makes wimpy women. Wimpy theology simply does not give a woman a God that is big enough, strong enough, wise enough, and good enough to handle the realities of life in a way that magnifies the infinite worth of Jesus Christ."--John Piper

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever.

Guest Post: Tiffany Leung

Tiff, my beautifull STM partner!

A Psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations! --Psalm 100
 
The reason why I enjoy the book of Psalms is that it perfectly portrays what a person is feeling--whether it maybe a time of utter despair, or of an overabundance of joy and thanksgiving... Continue reading here.

Generosity.

So encouraged by people's willingness to give and support summer missions!

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slain and your blood ransomed for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" Revelation 5:9

Noteworthy.

"Our faithful presence where on earth should provide a glimpse of what the life of heaven is like. We are to be a fragrance of the new world that is coming and warning of the accompanying judgement. The church is the society where the kingdom of Jesus Christ is manifested and extended." --Trevin Wax, Counterfeit Gospels

Workin' on a Tan

Rookie School is over and I am so sore and dark!

Is it summer time yet???

Noteworthy.

"Difficulties heaped upon difficulties can never rise to the level of the promise of God."--Charles Bridges

Sometimes I wish I was a man...

then I could hear these sermons legitimately in real life.

Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin.--William Booth

Noteworthy.

"The Spirit's continuing subjective work in me consists of his constant, daily driving me back to Christ's completed objective work for me. --Tullian Tchividjian, Jesus+Nothing=Everything

Mail Time!

Getting prayer letters ready to mail out (hopefully) by the end of this week. Definitely need to hire someone to address envelopes for me if I get married...

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple -Psalm 27:4

Easter!

 Hallelujah, hallelujah

The King of Love is on His throne

Hallelujah, hallelujah

His grace will lead us safely home

Dating Advice from Paps

"Would you let someone on drugs makes decisions for your life? NO. Don't date in high school."

Uganda Update!

AY-YO!!! We had our first team meeting this past Sunday! You can read about it HERE.

I also finished my prayer letter which I will be sending out soon! Compiling a mailing list is tedious work and I am definitely not an excel whiz. Let me know if you'd like to be added to this list!

Also got 3 HUGE bags of recycle donated to me! Christmas came early! Thanks, J.Soh!!!

Recycling!

I thought I was only going to get $3! Only about $2987.57 to go! I've been recycling to help get me to Uganda in August. You can read about sending, recycling, change collecting, missions, and prayer HERE. (Yes, I did just link to my own blog...) Here's a picture of the change I've found.

Things for Uganda are starting to fall into place now. I now know which dates we will be there (August 9-21), the other people on the team (by name/email anyway), and generally what we'll be doing. More information to come after April 1st (our first team meeting!!!)!

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes it boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!--Psalm 34:1-3

No Social Gospel.

You Are.

O Great God, Blessed Redeemer, Merciful Savior You are

O Great God, King of creation, Hope of the nations You are

You are gracious in saving

You are perfect in loving

You are one day returning

You are

Grace Upon Grace.

-Shepherds' Conference! Praise the LORD for legitimate, Word based, gospel centered preaching!
-Texan friends came to visit for Shepherds'! Their continued friendship is such a wonderful picture of the faithfulness of God on this family.
-Boba Truck.
-Spending nearly 10hrs at the Aquatic Center in a swim suit. Come at me, Summertime!!!

Noteworthy.

"Thus let us endeavor to make the name of God glorious and renowned. If God seek our good, let us seek His glory. If he make all things to tend to our edification, let us make all things tend to His exaltation."--Thomas Watson

More Gross Science.

Tomorrow, my next experiment...Sorry, Lovey.

Controlled and Compelled.

Because the COC parking lot is a nightmare these days, I decided to run to the nearby Starbucks so that I could get my caffeine fix and return quickly and early to campus. I am convinced that Starbucks is the place where nearly all ministry happens. So naturally, I busted out my bible and journal. Who doesn't love "coffee and the Word!"?


I started reading 2 Corinthians 5 because I have been wondering and praying over the question, "Am I in love with the idea of ministry in Africa or the God who does and is doing His ministry there?" Is my motive the "fear of the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:11) and the "love of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:14)?


It's not like I have not read these verses before. They were not unfamiliar. But this time they were captivating. The whole epistle is full of gems and morsels for the soul! When reading the letter in the context of being "salt and light", being a "go-er or a faithful, active sender" you have to ask yourself, "Why not?! How could I not?! Why haven't I?!"

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us..." 

It's beautiful. The light has shone on our hearts to give the light. We have been reconciled and now given the ministry of reconciliation. 


Previously, when I studied this book I looked with a small, narrow lens so focused on perseverance through suffering (which is a huge theme). I missed things. I missed promises of God in the text. I missed the call to service even in spite of suffering. "All the promises of God find their Yes [in Christ]." We can be bold because "with unveiled face, [we behold] the glory of the Lord, being transformed from one degree of glory to another." We can rest in knowing that despite our struggle with sin and sanctification, "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." So, so, so many more gems to find encouragement, conviction, purpose, and Christ. Go read it.


I am not one of those feel-y, emotional, mystical, magical Christians. I don't particularly like when people use vivid illustrations or symbols to talk about their faiths or relationships with God. The "I felt the peace of God come to me during [some trial] and His warmth radiated through my body" stuff. Or the "Heaven meets earth like a wet sloppy kiss" junk. 


So when I say, "God met me at Starbucks today," I don't think it's a small thing. The Word of God is living and active and met me in that place--a Starbucks with a mind obsessed with missions. That was no serendipitous coincidence that I would read that portion of Scripture that morning. It was God revealing Himself to me in my workout clothes and running shoes in a crowded coffee place. Me, in my sinfulness, my blatant disobedience, and my filthy rags-righteousness. 


Creator God not only cares but He meets me, a creature, way down here.
Amazing love, How can it be?!

"Depraved Indifference"

"The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians.

The truth is that if only 8 percent of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left."--Katie Davis, "Kisses from Katie"

I first heard about Katie Davis a few months ago via the Desiring God blog. It seemed so fortuitous that just as I was trying to find a missions trip to Africa to go on she would show up on that blog. The book is pretty good (I downloaded it yesterday--hollah Nook!, and am halfway done!). It gives an unashamed view of the conditions in Uganda, both good and bad. Here's a crazy long interview of Katie Davis with David Platt (Radical is now on my reading list). 

All of this makes me wonder WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE!? Be it here or abroad, praying that I would do all for His glory.

Going to Uganda in August!

Noteworthy.

"Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives...Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul."--J.I. Packer, Knowing God 

"I hate psychology."--Bones

Noteworthy.

"But I have, at all times, felt a disposition to leave it with God, and trust in him to direct me... I am a creature of God, and he has an undoubted right to do with me, as seemeth good in his sight. I rejoice, that I am in his hands--that he is every where present, and can protect me in one place as well as another. He has my heart in his hands, and when I am called to face danger, to pass through scenes of terror and distress, he can inspire me with fortitude, and enable me to trust in him. Jesus is faithful; his promises are precious."--Ann Judson

Speaking of Dieting.

Grace-Motivated...Dieting?

Rather than seeing our bodies in the light of the world's absurd standards, we see them as gifts meant to give God glory and to serve others.

Eat Your Veggies--3 Ways to Grow Up Spiritually 

The preciousness of salvation begins to grow commonplace, church becomes a routine, Bible reading a chore, prayer incidental. Sermons they used to relish are now a bland plate of brussel sprouts. As the years grind on, they dutifully trudge through the motions of spirituality, but the light flickered out years ago. 

And a picture of my fat dog.

R You Ready?

I watched a lot of the last season of "The Biggest Loser" partly because I knew some of it was filmed at the Aquatic Center out here and also because it was on right before "Parenthood". Even as I am typing out this blog post, Kim is watching this new season of "The Biggest Loser". I love watching this show. There is something inspirational about watching these people accomplish their weight loss goals and to see how badly they want to live. They know that if they continue to live as they have been they will die. Obesity will kill them.

At the beginning of this year instead of making a list of New Year's resolutions like I normally do, I tried to think of a theme that I wanted to characterize this year. I thought about the past year, 2011, and what it was characterized by. While there were plenty of good things that happened, what stood out were the bad--those sins that keep coming up. Wasting time watching so much tv. Not using my brain. Ungratefulness. Discontentment. Pride. The list went on. Spiritual obesity was running rampant last year. What could I change to make 20.12 a new year where sin is fought and defeated and christlikeness is more attained?

Spiritual obesity much like regular, physical obesity, is unacceptable. Obesity will kill you. Spiritual obesity will kill you. So to get my spiritual booty into shape, enter the year of "R"s! Read. Remember. Write. 20.12. (I know, I know "write" isn't really an 'R'...sorry 'bout it!)

1.) Read.

"Books are essential to Christian growth. And, if there is one disappointment I has as I reflect on over three decades of Christian ministry, it is the declining appetite among Christians for good Christian literature. As a consequence, today's Christianity is less robust"--Derek Thomas

 I definitely have not been reading as much as I could or should. So I am trying to generate a reasonable list of books to read. 10 Christian books and then 2 classics. We'll see how this goes! If you have recommendations let me know!

"If you haven't been jarred when you're reading the Bible, you're not reading it." --John Piper

 Goodbye mindless, duty oriented Bible reading! It's easy to read, but it's more difficult to really think about what I'm reading. I can love God with my emotions, in my heart, and in my actions, but He also commands me to love Him with my mind. (Mark 12:30) Time for Bible study! One OT book and one NT! I've started Genesis and so far it is so good. And I've only just finished chapter 1 verse 1.


2.) Remember.

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" Psalm 34:8-9

 Part of the reason why I am so prone to ungratefulness and discontentment is because 1.) I don't find full satisfaction in Christ and 2.) because I am blinded to the blessings already in my life. I made this "Best of My Days" notepad like Ashley at Under the Sycamore. You can make your own HERE! (Her blog is so cute!)


3.) Write.
I have not been journaling like I used to. How will I remember what happened during my life when I am old and have Alzheimer's disease? What will my loved ones read to me to help me remember??? "The Notebook" aside and in all seriousness, journaling has been so crucial in helping me think and meditate on God and has provided some good times of introspection. Even godly dudes journal, LOOK.
So farewell, obesity. Hello, 20.12.

"for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise from the present life and also for the life to come." --1Timothy 4:8

Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

"Romans 7:18, 'For I know that nothing good dwells in me.' Nothing. Nothing good dwells in me... But here's the good news, we have a God who takes nothing and brings about something. And so the Creator God, who had nothing and spoke everything into being, looks at our wicked hearts that hold nothing righteous--speaks a word of creation over them and there is something there. There is righteousness--given to us by Christ. And we become for the first time capable of truly worshiping the Creator instead of the creation." --Jennifer Wilkin