What Does God Look Like?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? I know I've thought through it before many times, trying to wrap my mind around God's nature and characteristics. Check out this quick video -- it does a nice job of explaining why Jesus can point us to the answers we're looking for.

Finding Joy Through Perseverance

Everyday when I wake up, I think of support raising.

During the day, my mind often drifts to support raising.

At night right before I close my eyes, the last thought is usually support raising.

And I'm not sure that's what God intended support raising to be. Take a look after the jump.

A Good Day

Today was a good day. It had nothing to do with the weather - in fact it's been drizzling all afternoon, a huge contrast from the string of sunny days Boston's been receiving lately (hard to come by). My good day had nothing to do with anything physical either, like feeling pumped after a hard workout or having a good hair day (even harder to come by).

Today was good because God showed me he has the perfect timing. This morning, I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It turned out to be a friend John whom I served with last summer in Wildwood, NJ. He lives in Indiana so we rarely get a chance to talk. We caught up with one another and swapped stories of our summer. It was a blessing to hear about his growth, a sign that he's still bearing fruit in his life.

Then in the afternoon, my roommate Matt called me. We're both raising support this summer for our upcoming internship with Crusade. We spent most of the time sharing about the challenges of support raising, and the lessons God has been teaching us. It was also a time to reflect on the past month and think of ways to push through the rest of the summer. I'm thankful that God is challenging me to place my faith in Him and trusting that He will provide all my finances. I'm even more thankful that I'm going through this with a close brother. Having this opportunity to share and pray with Matt put my heart back in place.

To me, these are the days I treasure and hold on to. Those moments when I feel dry or unmotivated, God sends the exact person to check up on me. And then through sharing and confessing to one another, God does the refreshing and my soul feels revitalized again. Is this what God intended community to be? I believe that this is evidence God has given us community to share and celebrate His name together. God gives us situations to go through so that we can lean on one another. When the going gets rough, we pray for God to give us His strength to push through. When we feel like more than conquerors, we celebrate and praise God for His victories. Thank God for these good days!

Links! Links! Links!

It has been one crazy semester so far! It's always cool to witness God transforming hearts and changing lives, through seeing it with my own eyes or hearing someone share about it. It's also humbling to know that even in my last semester of college, that I still continue to be weak and I realize more and more how much I need God in my life.

My college church, Amherst Koinonia Church, has grown through some major heart surgery over the past few semesters. Three semesters ago, everything was looking rough. Our pastor had just decided to leave, relationships were not mended, and members were not walking with the Lord. There was just no sense of community. But thankfully God decided it was time for open heart surgery. It wasn't comfortable at all; as a matter of fact it took a lot of uncomfortable situations to make it happen. In small groups, brothers began being more real to each other and more vulnerable. God tore those walls down and we started talking about real issues in our everyday lives. Then the next step was to reach out to the communities around us. That brought us closer together because we were taking steps of faith together, initiating spiritual conversations and developing relationships with people. And there was a lot of confrontation and reconciliation that had to be done along the way. Because of our upbringing and culture, that was completely uncharted territory. But we worked our way through it together, and God has finally mended those hearts.

It's a great depiction of community and it's interesting how my home church is covering the topic of Biblical community right now in our college Sunday School. Coincidence? No way jose. Crazy thing was, I remember this series back in my Freshman year 4 years ago. And it totally rocked my world. Sharing and letting others into my life? Wow, God has such a perfect plan.

This semester, we're gonna grow deeper and deeper in our relationship. This weekend is a very special weekend. The East Coast Asian-American Student Union is hosting their annual conference at Umass Amherst. And I don't think it's a coincidence AT ALL that it's being hosted here. God is presenting a grand opportunity for us. And we're gonna step up to the plate this weekend. There will be over 1000 Asian American students on campus, and we're going to step out in faith again to spark some spiritual conversations. We had a few last night and we're continuing to do some today also. If you could pray for us, that would be great! We're learning to go more and more out of our comfort zones. We need God's strength and humility!

Till next time!

Writing from Wildwood

Hello all!

Yesterday marks the second week I've been at Wildwood, NJ. It's been a long and enjoyable two weeks so far. I'm getting to know my project-mates better and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable being around new people and in a new environment.

Praises - I found a summer job on the boardwalk! I'm working at a booth that's owned by one of the locals here. I'm very thankful for the job because it gives me the opportunity to spend time and develop friendships with my 2 co-workers, Nikki and Ahmed. I've only had 4 shifts so far but we've gotten into a few good conversations already. Please pray for my friendships with Nikki and Ahmed and that God will guide us in our conversations. I'm sure you'll be hearing lots more about them in the coming weeks!

In other news, I know that my beloved Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals right now. To all my Boston friends, please take lots of pictures of the parade for me.... mwuahahah =P

625!

Hi friends,

We got back safely and I have lots to share about my spring break in Florida. So expect a big update soon! Get it...?

Here's a big stat for you -
Last week, 625 people came to accept Christ into their hearts!
625 new brothers and sisters that we'll spend eternity with.
625 people that were probably not expecting something life changing to happen over spring break.
625 hearts that God has been moving and working.
625 people finally home.

What else can you do but smile, and celebrate?

"In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." - Luke 15:10

Truth.

Excitement!

Oh we're about an hour away from starting our journey down to Panama City Beach! We'll first drive down to Virginia (about a 10 hour drive) and stay at a motel for the night. Then we'll get up bright and early in the morning and finish out the rest of the trip to Florida (another good 10 hours).

I'm not sure if I'll have internet access there but I will be bringing my laptop just in case. I'll try and do a quick update if I get a chance to. I'll also be bringing my camera so I hope I'll capture some good moments to post.

Please pray for us! I'm not looking forward to the long car ride but I'm eager for the time we'll spend with each other. I know it will be a good opportunity for the team to bond before arriving. Long car rides also mean a higher likelihood in getting on each other's nerves. Please pray that we'll focus on Christ and instead of beating each other up, we'll love each other as brothers and sisters. Lastly, please pray for the team's hearts as we mentally and physically prepare ourselves for a long week. I'm excited for what God has in store for us so off we go!