60 Seconds with Josh

Hello again. Welcome to another edition of 60 seconds with Josh. Yes, Josh has about 1/2 an hour before he has to run again. So this will be a quick update. First of all, yes, I am sick. But God heals... so pray for me! On Monday, I felt kind of sick... and my throat was totally crappy. And I had to lead Mustard Seed. But God, in his infinite grace, proved himself strong on my behalf. The verse his strength is perfect in your weakness really came to life for me. Anyway. This won't be a preachy blog. Because I don't have time to organize thoughts... suffice to say, that God showed up. And in power. We had a moment of stillness before God. And that led to an outpouring of joy. People were DANCING before God! How awesome is that? (For FGA people, that's nothing new... but here in the middle of the midwest..hmm..).

Macaroni Grill

Anyway, quick update time. Last Friday, went to Macaroni Grill in Burnsville. Had an awesome time with Erica, Sam, Steph and Emily. This was what we did on the table.. yeah, they have paper and crayons... for ADD people like me! :)

This is what I had. Yummmmmm...

This is what we did... Emily trying to defy gravity.

Steph trying...

And finally Sam. The conclusion? White people have long tongues. Erica and I, representative of the Asian population, were unable to touch our noses with our tongues... ahhaa

But more than the wackiness and awesome food... it was the company that made the dinner such an enjoyable and memorable one. Steph, Emily, Sam, me, Erica.

Substance

So the trip to Burnsville wasn't enough. Saturday. We went up to the cities to visit Christine (a senior who graduated last year) at her church - a new church called "Substance Church". It's a small, but growing church. Had a good time.

After church we went uptown... to Zeno's! Yum. I splurged. Had an Italian grinder panini, creme brulee and... cafe baileys (shhh... don't ask! :) This is the crew: me, Erica, Emily, Pam, Sam and Christine.

My yummy creme brulee... mmmm...

Sam (with his "normal" face) and Christine..

yeohjo and muileung

em and pam...  

Lifebytes

So that's about it. Just a couple more things.
- I'm leading worship at Rejoice! this Sunday. Please pray for me!! :) I'm really excited though.
- This Saturday, Exit 69 concert.
- I need my voice and health back!!
- Lots of finals projects and papers coming up. Phew.
- Going to Nashville, TN to visit with Pastor Charles and family!!!
- PARIS!!!!
- EMAIL ME!!! Love you all.

Make like time and fly

So many things have happened this past week. And I'm behind so many deadlines. But it's all good! I thought I should take a half hour or so and journal how amazing this past week or so has been to give glory to God and to keep YOU informed! Because I know you're DYING to find out what's up with Josh, right? (Yeah, that's why I get SO many emails from home... NOT!!)

Midwinter Ball

Midwinter ball was the weekend before last. Saturday of midterm break, Great Hall, Sayles and Sevy Tea Room are transformed into dance spaces with live bands including the Roseville Big Band... which is just heavenly!

Anyway, this year, midwinter ball was even more special than it already is because of the honor of taking a very special girl to the dance. So this was how the night unfolded:

7:00pm
David (big guy, football team captain, can pick me up like I'm a sack of potatoes... a very small sack of potatoes, strongest man on campus who could probably squash me to a pulp with his pinky) and I went to pick up our dates - Laura and Erica (respectively, of course) - who have been getting ready since 5:00! Girls. And of course, they're late coming downstairs. So there we are, me with a gerbera in hand... waiting... and waiting... watching some TV in the lounge... waiting... and finally they come down. And it's all worth the wait. Because she looks gorgeous!

We drove to El Tequila's (Mexican food) for dinner and had a great time. Great conversations. Great company. Great double date! :) When we were done, it was still early so we decided to go to Blue Mondays for coffee. Or chai in my case. It was just a great time spent with two awesome people and a super-awesome girl. Here are some snapshots from the coffee place...

Goofy boy and girl...

Then it was on to the ball where we would dance all night.. but not before doing the celebrity snapshots. Red carpet. That kind of thing. With everyone decked out in their finest (and at Carleton, it's a rare thing)... I couldn't miss this Kodak opportunity. So here's us with Chieko and Tyler...

... and with Erica's best galpal from home, Andrea and her boy Jeff...

... me and some awesome FISHie women (L-R) Pam, me, Emily and Chrissie...

... with Amenah, Rashika and Edaeni...

So we danced all night. We cha-chaed and fox-trotted and waltzed and rhumba-ed till my toes were going to fall off... and then the clock struck twelve. And I turned into a pumpkin. Haha. No... we didn't stay till 1 when it ended, because I had to get up early to play in church the next day. But that was midwinter ball.

When dinner is lunch and supper is dinner

Flo and Laurie invited us to their house for dinner. Which is really lunch. Once again, we were immensely blessed by their generosity and hospitality. They went all out to give us a fantabulous meal... look at the ham! uuuummmm.... *drool*

Flo and Laurie live in a beautiful log cabin... and they have big fat goldfish. This is me and Angie. I was explaining how cute goldfish poop is because it just sticks out and strings about...

Bowling for... Carleton

Then there was bowling. Yeah, midterm break MAH! Most of Mustard Seed (except some bad people who didn't show up) went to Jesse James Lanes for an intense game of bowling. Yeah. You know... musicians. :) This is Emily my workout buddy (we're both in Cote Fitness) bowling... she said she needed bumpers... but she bowled well. Strikes even!

Stephy Dodge!

Micah and me

Feel the love... David, Pam, Steph, Patty, Micah, SooMie and me

Tong tong chiang

Then there were Chinese New Year festivities. Thank God for the chance to have steamboat. Man, i miss being home so much! Especially since I didn't get ANY cards this year! Except Fran's e-card. Even that... hmmph. hhehe. Anyway. Look at the food. Yum!

We had all the angmohs over for CNY dinner because all the Chinese PPK. :) And there was another dinner on Friday but I couldn't go because of ICCA... more on that later. But this is Steph and Cheryl. And yes, we, Tyler and me, taught them to use chopsticks. And they ate cuttlefish too! Then ... tom yam! mmmm...

International Championship of Collegiate A cappella

Then this weekend, I went down to Decatur, Illinois to participate in the ICCA with Exit 69. It was a big first step for us. Anxious at first. Much prayer. God came through. As always. He's faithful. Had a great time! And no one was drunk. Ha!! :) This is me and Sophia.

And this is Exit 69 at Millikin University, Decatur, IL. We didn't advance... but oh well. Stiff competition!

House bonding

When I came home, my housemates clapped their hands. I felt so loved! hehe. Anyway, at 11pm I decided we should make a BIG SNOW FISH in the yard since the snow was big, fat and wet and sticky. This is me and Chrissie making Nemo... I mean Jonah. We named the fish Jonah.

Steph making a big snowball... avalanche!!!!

Tada!! Meet Jonah. Our big snow fish. Unfortunately... today it was really warm. So now Jonah is a pile of leaves. Let's just call it abstract art.

V-Day

Then there was Valentine's day. I won't go into details because this is a public forum. Although I do go into details very often... don't I? Okay. it's late. But suffice to say it was one of the best days ever! Thanks, Erica. You ARE the most awesome girlfriend a guy could ask for. So this is us and erica's roommate, Jessie and her boy Paul at Paul's apartment... where Jessie and Erica slaved the afternoon away to prepare a yummy V-day dinner for us.

And of course, the boys had to reciprocate... to thank the girls. Someone say SPA FOOT MASSAGE!

And then the best part of the night... Mustard Seed. Where Erica and I got to worship the One that we both loved more than each other... JESUS. It was a powerful time of worship focusing on ... what else? LOVE! Laura and Erica in deep contemplative conversation.. haha!

Steph, me and Soom...

Sam... being Sam :)

And my awesome group of friends and brothers and sisters in Christ... Mustard Seed! YEAH. That's it for now... hope you enjoyed the pictures! Write to me... love you all. 

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

So it's Chinese New Year. And this is the second time I will NOT be celebrating it at home. And this year I won't even get to celebrate it over the weekend like how I did last year because I am going to go to Decatur, Illinois. Decatur! Of all places. For an a cappella competition. ICCA. That's exciting. But aiyah.

Gong xi fa cai anyway. Think of me when you sink your teeth into the jiu hu char. Or the gu bak koay teow. Or the kiam chai ark th'ng or the tu tor th'ng. Or the yummy new year cookies. :(

Psalm 1

BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest]where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

I remember analyzing this passage with my cell group back home once upon a time. Re-reading this in the Amplified, I was struck again by how easily it is to walk down the road to destruction.

Blessed is the man who walks (and lives) not in the counsel of the ungodly...

Mr. Godly meets Mr. Ungodly and starts walking with him... chatting about the events of the day... nothing harmful right? They're just walking together...
It always starts with walking with someone. Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? (Amos 3:3) Too often I see people who give up God's "best" and settle for "good". Tommy Tenney says that "good" is often the worst enemy of "best". How true. At this age, and I'm sure for the years ahead, my peers will be embarking on new relationships - some sooner than others.

But the fear or being alone is a very real one. And this is what makes people cop out and settle for the present, and not place their hope and trust in what God has in store for them. Too many people settle for what is there and don't pursue what God has in store for them. How can a believer and an unbeliever walk together, be yoked together - if one is headed towards destruction, and the other towards Christ? How can one walk in disobedience towards Christ and yet say he loves Him?

nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk

... then they stop for a while. Hang around. They're just chillin'. Mr. Godly sees things that Mr. Ungodly is doing, but doesn't call him on it. No, don't mess with the status quo. Close one eye. Turn the other way. Everyone else is doing it.
Standing submissively. Inactively. In the face of sinners. How often do we as Christians feel embarassed to speak up against sin? To expose sin for the dirty despicable thing that it is? Political correctness has infiltrated the word of God. People are hesitant to declare truth because they are afraid of offending people. But the Word of God has been offending the sinful long before we were born. The pharisees didn't like Jesus. Neither did the Sadduccees. And all the other ees. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18).

nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather

.. Finally they are "friends". Mr. Ungodly invites Mr. Godly into his home. Just to have dinner. Fellowship together. Nothing wrong, right? Wrong.
I'm waiting for God to tell me otherwise. I feel like I'm being called to bring person X to Christ. I'm praying about it. About my non-believer girlfriend / boyfriend. Waiting for God to tell me otherwise??? Praying about it??? What??? How much clearer do you need to hear from God than from the very Word that proceeds from the mouth of God? Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 2 Cor. 6:14.

His grace is sufficient for you. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. If you are reading this and this has struck a chord in your heart. Then you know what to do.

Soy Bean Milk

This is momentous enough that it warrants a mini-blog.

Today, I made my very first batch of soy bean milk. Ever. In my life! It was an amazing experience! I needed a strainer, but not having one (or cheese cloth, whatever that is), I was forced to be resourceful. Felt like MacGyver!

So I got a face towel and used that as my sieve. It was a messy ordeal - all that blended soy beans. Then, had to heat up the milk. And there was a strong smell. I remembered reading somewhere that if you throw in some orange peel it takes away the smell. So I had a clementine. And threw in the peel. And it worked!

Anyway. Tomorrow I'll drink my first cup. Oh yeah, I also used maple syrup! haha. Because it said I needed palm sugar. And I don't know what that is. And no one here knows what it is. So I'm assuming you can't get it here. So... maple syrup! haha. But it tastes so good.

Anyway. Not very milestone-ish? It is! My mom would be proud.

Losing control

Last night was rough.

I felt like my life was completely spinning out of control. It's been something that has been gaining momentum. I know that God has been teaching me about time and priorities this term. I knew that from the onset. But I just felt like I was failing. And flailing.

Try as I might, I could not seem to organize my life in a way that reflected where my heart's priorities lay. I spend copious amounts of time on school work, and am not seeing fruit. In fact, I think I've been working / reading more than I ever have in my Carleton career and I feel as if I'm doing as badly as I ever have here. I have wanted to spend an hour a day with God. Not because it's a formula, not because God can't work otherwise. But for the simple fact that if I can't give God one hour of my day, then what does that say about my priorities? What does that say about where I'm investing my time?

So following a late night conversation with bestestbud, I got real with God. Francis told me before we stopped chatting to "cast your cares on the Lord". So I did. And He responded instantly. INSTANTLY. With one way of reorganizing my time that would free up something like half my afternoons. Talk about an instant answer to prayer.

Today was a turning point, too. A five minute walk became a fifteen minute walk as I talked to God. And He dropped this question into my heart:

Are you going to let your circumstances affect your joy, or your joy affect your circumstances?
It was both humbling and exciting at the same time. There it was. Not a "giddy optimism". But a steadfast knowledge in knowing that the Creator of the Heavens and the earth cared for me. Who am I that You are mindful of me? And still you know me. You know the inner turmoil of this tiny speck of dust.

Tonight Mustard Seed was a blast. It was my first time leading Mustard Seed "proper" - meaning at the Cave - this whole term. But it wasn't because of that that I was excited. It wasn't because we had had great practices, or a new drummer, or that a whole bunch of St Olaf people were there. I was excited because I knew who I was in God. I knew that I had a joy that was not affected by my circumstances. A joy that the world cannot take away and that the world cannot understand.

So, I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to make it through the rest of this term. It's 5th week. I'm about halfway there. It's going to be challenging. And exciting. And I want to be able to truly say that I count it all joy when I fall into various trials because the testing of my faith produces patience. "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

I don't know what the next five weeks hold. But I do know that God has reached down from eternity and repositioned me so that I am looking at His face and not my own problems.

See, maybe to lose my life is to gain it. And if I'm going to be losing control, who better to lose it to than Jesus?

Hamsters, Fallen Angels and everything in between

If you have ever owned a pet hamster, or seen one in those little tiny cages, you'll know what I mean when I say that I feel like I'm running on the wheel and I can't get off. It's not that I don't want to, but it's almost as if you're driving really fast on the freeway and you keep missing your exits. Okay, so those two analogies don't particularly mesh, but you get what I'm saying, right?

So this is why I am blogging now. At 3:30am. Thursday morning. To get off the wheel, if only for a while, to pause and reflect, and to recalibrate my life with His will!

"He sings for the Lord"

So many awesome things have been happening lately (it's not like I'm being overwhelmed with bad things...), and one of them has been the Rejoice! Benefit Concert last Monday. It was held at the spanking new facilities of the Northfield Middle School. I was blown away with the auditorium - the lighting, the acoustical design... here's a picture:

This was where the singers stood:

The piano I WOULD have played... except it was tuned slightly lower than everyone else. And that would have messed with perfect pitch. Not that I have it. Anyway, all's well that ends well - it would have ended up feeling to "Don Moen-ish". And that's not good. :)

So, instead it was back to the trusty S-90. Yes, that's me. That obscure form in the foreground.

There was even an M-3!! The baby brother of the B-3! (It's an organ...)

And here are my loyal fans who came to support me :) Chieko, Jon and Erica. Oh wait... where did the other one go?

There he is.

The night was amazing. It was just totally music and worship... and prayer... and giving... and most importantly: GOD. It was thrilling to be a part of a "big project" again... I miss that about FGAC at home. So this was definitely a treat. I was blessed to be able to sing "Who Am I" - Casting Crowns, "Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)" - Chris Rice and "Rescue" by the Desperation Band (my favorite!!). This is a picture taken during a prayer time for healing. Powerful huh?

Someone hit the PAUSE button!

Yeah, so other than that. Life's been going on fast-forward. Just as an example, tomorrow's schedule looks like this:
10:10-11:55 Cognitive Science
12:00-1:00 Lunch with Micah
1:15-2:20 Cote Fitness (ooh! so many good stories about this. But we'll save it for another day... but it definitely involves me discovering the sensation of wearing a bra!)
3:00-3:30 Voice make-up lesson
5:00-6:00 Meet Gary
6:00-7:00 Dinner at Hvass's - microwave coming!
7:00-8:00 Mustard Seed practice
8:00- Heave a sigh of relief, and start reading 50 pages of French, and Cross Cultural Studies.

Yeah. That's just ONE day in the life of me. Imagine five days in a row. And imagine that you have a French midterm that you don't know diddly-squat about on Monday. An interview paper, a Cog Sci midterm, oral presentations, etc... okay. Reminder to self. Purpose of this entry was to step OFF the wheel. :)

Just being this overwhelmed drives me to God. I remember all the sermons about building margin into my life. So Saturday, my PDA says: "No Appointments!" What a blessing. Except I probably have to play my tennis match then. But that's okay. That wll be fun.

Seriously though, putting things in perspective...

But I am definitely thankful to be here at this time. Sunday, there will be a leaders meeting... and I know in my spirit, that it is TIME. God is going to start something that will set many wheels and cogs in motion here at Carleton. I pray that we will be willing to pay the price. We all want the fire, but where's the fuel on the altar? Romans 12.

Been very encouraged by an awesome brother in Christ - Sam - too. For the first time in a long time, fellowshipping with him, I felt like I was back in Penang... I was excited about what God has been revealing to Sam. You know, there's nothing more exciting than to talk about, and to experience first-hand what God is doing... his marvelous deeds!

And there's Erica. Who is a constant encouragement and friend. What a terrific listener. And seeing her seek after God's heart and pursue His will for her life and how she is growing into the leader that God has called her to be... blesses me so much!

And there are crazy Cub-Foods runs with Steph and Alex (who goes about in a hoody... and it was pretty cold today! He'll die of frostbite haha). And explorations to the nether regions of Northfield... no really, Quarterback Club is so close by... and yummy. And there are God-opportuned conversations with Ben the voice teacher about ministry opportunities.. in Tanzania no less. And Mustard Seed... I'm leading for the first time this term. And my bed. Oh my bed. It's almost 4! Oh my gosh. Time to go to sleep. Good night, all. Good night, God. He who does not slumber nor sleep. Wow. I should be like that. Think of the time I would not be wasting! Ha. No... time to go to sleep. But not before saying... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! ... and DAD (belated though... don't worry, I called home! - LOVE YOU!)

A la prochaine

I leave you with a picture of my good buddy Steph... Tyler and I sabotaged her. Lured her out of the house on the pretext of taking a picture of Tyler and me... and knocked her into the snow, after which she started flapping her arms and legs like the madwoman she is... to make a beautiful snow angel. So we have snow angels surrounding FISH house. It's great. Except because they're all lying there, it looks like a cemetery of fallen angels.. ha. Morbid. What a wonderful way to end my entry! :) From hamsters to fallen angels. That will be my title. 

Schizophrenic Salmagundi: The Story of Week 3

Salmagundi

Pronunciation: "sal-m&-'g&n-dE
Function: noun
Etymology: French salmigondis
1 : a salad plate of chopped meats, anchovies, eggs, and vegetables arranged in rows for contrast and dressed with a salad dressing
2 : a heterogeneous mixture

My week has been a salmagundi. A mishmash of happenings both trivial and momentous. A heterogenous mixture of milestone-worthy events.

Picking up from last week's blog (yeah, ya know, school work sucks... I've been reading way too much :( no time to blog). But check this out: Christian Unity Week

So here we go. My salmagundical week (yep, you heard that word here first) in a nutshell. It's 2:22am. Nutshell's all you're gonna get. :) And I'm going to go schizophrenic on you...

Things I'm thankful for this week:

• For God's faithfulness through a crazy week. Pulled my first all-nighter (almost). On a stupid French paper. I'm struggling with understanding French at the moment. It's a French literature class, and add to the fact that we have to read 50+ pages of French per night, and that we need to understand it, analyze, and discuss in class. And add that to the fact that my two other classes are reading intensive. One is great! The other is as dry as salted fish. Prayer Point Please pray for increased wisdom and multiplied time!
  
  
• For fruit in relationships with people. I've been so blessed getting to know different people here at Carleton. Many of which I've mentioned already in previous entries. But specifically now, brothers in the Lord, who hold me accountable, pray for me, and who spur me on in my walk with Him. Thanks to AP buddy, Micah, and Sam who have been huge blessings as brothers in Christ to me this past week... in prayer... in challenging me in my walk... and in sharing with my joy... What joy? read on.
  
  
• For being blessed with Erica. She is just the most awesome girl. And I've been so edified and encouraged just by being with her. Thanks for Friday night sledding, and for Saturday afternoon skiing. For salty conversations. For FRAPPUCINOS! *lol* For holding me accountable, for your prayers, for the little notes, scones, noodles :). For anthropomorphizing the love of God to me. Big word -woot!
  
  
• For awesome housemates. Yes, I do live with six women. But they are great women of God. Women of character. Although one doesn't like to do her dishes. But for God-centered conversations that have built me up in my walk with God. And for their grace towards me when I leave the toilet seat up.
  
  
• For emails from Deborah Tan that remind me that our walk with God isn't just about me and God, but that He's called us to a greater purpose, to be the salt and light of the earth. It's kind of weird how sometimes being at Carleton, in the "Carleton Bubble", it's easy to forget about the world. When I'm back home, and living in the "real world", so to speak, it's easy to see how urgent the need is to be bold about our faith, and to not be ashamed of the Gospel. But when you're stuck in the Minnesotan tundra, and your life revolves around school, reading, activities, reading, friends, reading... and more reading... priorities get a little bit skewed.
  
  So that has been my prayer recently (and please pray with me on these too) - for:
  
  TIME: that I would be a faithful steward of the time that God has given me, and that I would have His priorities at heart.
  
  "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" - Psalm 90:12. And "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:15-16
  
  I know I'm only not even halfway through my 2nd year here, but at the leadership meeting last Sunday, I was reminded that God has placed me here for a purpose. And I want to prepare myself for that, and to have my priorities in check. It wasn't in this context, but Deborah in one of her emails wrote this statement:
  
  Plan to leave, prepare to stay
  
  This is an excerpt from the email:
  ...It means ordering our lives around the fact that any minute now, if God were to ask us to leave our job, our home, our country, etc., we would be ready... Our choices in work, marriage, etc. would be strategically planned around the fact that we belong to God and He has something for us to do. It means being faithful now and being prayerful about the opportunities that arise in work and in church and in the community, because they could be God-given opportunities.
  
  Wow! I just re-read that excerpt as I was editing it for length, and even right now, I know that time is short, and that God is looking for people who would chase after Him, after His purposes. I am reminded that: Where your heart is, there your treasure lies. I guess being in a land that is so incredibly abundant in luxuries and the comforts of life (interestingly, on the phone with my dad today, he spoke at church on "Living a well lived life OR living the good life?"), it's so easy to get sucked into the materialism, the chase for "the American dream", that I think contrary to what people think, COMFORT is the biggest snare the enemy is going to use to snag Christians. I mean, why leave the comforts of our beautiful, well-heated suburban home and go into a disease-ridden third world country to preach the good news? Good heavens, no. We don't live in Paul's time.
  
  Wow... I'm going off on a tangent. But bottomline: TIME. Is short. Belongs to God. God, help me honor you with my time.
  
  
• For YOU. For taking the time to read my random ramblings. And for your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!
  
  
• Some things that you could keep in prayer:
  - Time (refer to the above) and priorities. Honoring God in those two.
  - Musical Benefit Concert tomorrow at Northfield Middle School. I will be singing three songs and playing with the band. It's a benefit for three families at Rejoice! (my home church away from home) who have been hit by cancer. Help defray the cost. Open to ALL. 7:00pm, Monday. Come! Come!
  - School work. You know, if I didn't have to struggle so much with my work, I know I can be more effective in other areas of my life that are more important! Haha. Or maybe I'm meant to push through this struggle?
  - Mustard Seed. I guess after last term, I've kind of taken my foot off the gas pedal, so to speak. Just been going with the flow. But that's the worst thing to do, no? Not coming, not going. I guess pray for renewed enthusiasm, and for a renewed vision, and for renewed relationship as I work on leading the band with the other leader, Eric. It's a different dynamic now because this will be the first time we're working together.
  

Well. If you've made it to here, thank you for reading. If you've skimmed, you missed the part about winning $1 million. So go back to the top and start again. Kidding. Praying for you all. Agape. Good night.

p.s. Sorry no pics this time. Cold weather = short battery life span.

Unite in the Light (as promised!)

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head... It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore."
Psalm 133

What a week this has been - Christian Unity Week. What a testimony of God's faithfulness, of His plans and purposes coming to pass, and a foretaste of greater things to come at Carleton.

Pre-CUW: 48 hour prayer chain

I guess to say that prayer was the most crucial part of Unity Week would be an understatement. It was simply amazing to see how God was orchestrating things, how he was telling me one thing, and confirming it with other people, and how He had given Ben Faroe the vision of initiating a 48-hour prayer chain to kick off Unity Week.

Beginning 5pm on Friday, people signed up for time slots to pray for Unity Week, the campus, and anything else the Holy Spirit would impress upon them. So from 5pm Friday up until 5pm Sunday (coinciding with the start of the MS-Selah Chapel Service... more on that in a bit) we were in our little room in Upper Sayles... our "upper room" so to speak.

Yours truly was no exception. See, there's this crazy friend of mine, Sam Papai, who decided to sign the both of us up for a 4am-6am shift on Saturday morning. I protested, of course, but was quickly placated by a promise of one of Sam's home-cooked breakfasts.

So it was on the Saturday before Unity Week began that this sleepyhead woke up at 3:45am and dragged himself in freezing weather three blocks to Sayles. To pray. And so it was that Sam wasn't there! I spent a great 45 minutes alone with God, strumming on the guitar, worshipping Him, meditating on His Word, and even expressing His presence through art (there was a sketch pad and crayons and color pencils...) before deciding to call and wake Mr Papai up. He came. And we spent a powerful hour after that in prayer. I was really blessed by Sam's heart and desire to see God move on campus, and it was a blessing to intercede together with another brother in Christ.

And then, of course, there was the wonderful breakfast that followed. Yes, 6:30am. The sun wasn't up, but we were... frying bacon (me), making an oh-so-delicious salad, omelette and apple cinnamon toast (Sam)... and enjoying our breakfast as day began to break. This is Sam: Sam he is.

Bacon, eggs, toast and a wonderful salad concoction.

Day01, Sunday: Mustard Seed-Selah Chapel Service

We kicked off Christian Unity Week with an amazing Chapel Service. Together with the worship band at St. Olaf, Selah (what better way to show an example of unity than coming together with our "rival" school -- although there really isn't a rivalry, when we're indubitably better heh heh), we started off the week with a powerful time of worship in His presence, reminding ourselves of the Ultimate Sacrifice through communion, being reminded that God has called us to "Unite in the Light", His Son, by Will Craig in his message, and joining our hearts to intercede for our campuses and for God's Spirit to move in a mighty way. This is the band: (L-R) Moi, Chrissie, Leslie, Kyle (Ole), Emily, Byron, Tim (Ole), Catherine (Ole), Aaron (hidden Ole), Eric and Andrew (Ole). What awesome people of God... it was an honor to serve together with them!

Day02, Monday: Mustard Seed Karaoke Night

Oh my gosh, I never knew we could have so much fun singing karaoke! :) We were the "live band" complete with backing vocalists (available on requests) and we made a list of songs that people could request to sing... and they would come up and sing the song... which ultimately ended up in worship times, because everyone would join in and sing too. Alex and Steph did an awesome job as emcees for the night! And oh yes, once again, a testimony to God's grace... I had really wanted it to be as authentic an experience as possible so we tried to get a computer monitor so that people could just sing off of it. Of course, logistical-technological problems... but God came through for us! yeah! And yes, I now have the Official MS Chapel Service and Karaoke Night mix. It's hilarious! I love it. Thanks, Will.

Day03, Tuesday: CBSF

Carleton Bible Study Fellowship... I didn't go. Had Exit rehearsal.

Day04, Wednesday: Sola Scriptura

We had over 35 people attend the bible study in that not-too-large lounge in Upper Sayles! It was amazing to see so many new faces and yet-to-be-believers there. We continued our series on the fruit of the Spirit and we talked about joy and what it meant to have true joy. Powerful time. And great fellowship!

Day04, Thursday: FCA.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I'm not an athlete. So I didn't go. Haha. Kidding. It's open to anyone, but I had rehearsal yet again.

Day05, Friday: Coffee House

This was an AMAZING event. Gary and Deb Hvass graciously let us use their home again for this event... and we had easily 50 people that night... filling their house from wall to wall almost! It was just incredibly wonderful to fellowship with people, and we even had Praise Out! perform a dance-drama complete with African drums! And then Priyanka, who is from India, shared a really, really powerful testimony. She had been involved in a car accident, and she had actually DIED but God had revived her!! What a miraculous testimony of His power!

And then of course, there was the superlatively delicious coffee compliments of Sam who brought his espresso machine and gave us all caffeine highs. I had an Irish creme coffee, chai tea and a raspberry-mocha. Oh my gosh! That definitely kept me up that night, which was fine, because Erica and I stayed up writing thank you cards to all the wonderful people who had blessed us as a community during the week... especially our family at Rejoice! who lent us their projector and super-cool screen in our time of need. Pat even came and helped us set up / take down the screen! So anyway, here's Josh and the coffee master. Don't let his hat fool you. He's not an alcoholic. Or is he?

Another picture taken at the Coffee House at the Hvass's. Taken just before we left... so a whole bunch of people had left. It was SO MUCH FUN! This is (top-bottom, L-R): Tyler M, moi, Becky, Micah (A.P.), Ben, Erica, Chrissie, Emily and Cully.

Another great pic: (L-R) Tyler, Steph, Soo Mie and Jason.

Day06, Saturday: Community Service Project and DODGEBALL!

And finally today. We had gone out in sub-zero weather (read: -30 degrees celsius) to hang posters on peoples' doors to tell them that we would be coming around today to collect cans and other non-perishable items for the Northfield Foodshelf. And so today at noon, two carloads of people set off in two different directions on our quest to bring food to the needy. It was a lot of fun... and very cold. We also made a stop at Arbor Street and visited Pat (worship leader at Rejoice!) in his new home... what a blessing!

In the afternoon I went to my first basketball game (other than Caleb's that is). My AP, Micah, was playing... and Carleton was playing St. Olaf. Home game! Woot. We won... I think it was 76-50 or something like that. We played well. I cheered hard. And we had a sign that said "We -heart- Micah"

And later at night... was Dodgeball!! Oh wow... it was GREAT FUN! I had a blast... I was kind of clueless at first, but it was sweet after that. If you've seen the movie, you know how to play it! FUN!!!

Okay, one more event to go. Tomorrow. Breakfast at FISH House. Sam is the guest chef. Will be awesome. But now, I need to go to bed. Thank you for reading!! :) This is a picture of West Gym.

And this is my accountability partner, Micah - number 35. Go Knights! Good night. 

This is not the post I promised but...

Hey all. No, this isn't the update I promised... that will come. But I thought this would be a noteworthy update... so you can keep me in your prayers. For warmth! Ah.

Conditions as of 12:18 PM CST January 13th, 2005
Temperature with Windchill: *drumroll* -28.7 degrees celsius.

I'm freezing my butt off. Literally. I was walking to class this morning and it felt like my face froze.

---

And this just in: from the desk of the Director of International Programs:
Dear All,
Today and the next couple of days we will have 30+ below zero temps
with windchill factor. Probably the coldest in a few years. Please
dress warmly, frostbite is a REAL possibility with this weather.
Hat, Scarf, Mittens, long underwear and warm socks, boots and
outerwear!
Stay warm!


Oh Minnesota. Thou uninhabitable tundra.

An hour a day keeps the doctor away

Spending time with God is life and health to my bones! It's amazing how easily we crowd out our day with so many things that God gets left out of the mix! And it's frightening how easily it happens... and how blind we are to see that we NEED God. Desperately. Totally. Every moment, every day.

Working out my resolution of spending an hour with God a day, today I spent time with Him reading a Tommy Tenney devotional my parents got for me for Christmas and meditating on Proverbs 3. And my soul is blessed, my spirit is lifted. God is good and He is worthy of praise!

Some thoughts from the journal of Josh:

• Proverbs 3:27-28
  Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor "Go and come back and tomorrow I will give it" when you have it with you.
  v. 9
  Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase
  Just as God gave in generosity, my prayer is that God would teach me to be generous in all my ways - to God and to man - in my thoughts, words, material possessions. God, give me opportunities to demonstrate YOUR generosity to others today. Bring glory to your name!
  
• v. 3-4
  Let not MERCY and TRUTH forsake you... find FAVOR and HIGH ESTEEM in the sight of GOD and MAN
  The commentary in my Bible was really cool... talking about truth. What is truth? I remember Pilate asking that. Well it says here:
  "Truth is something upon which a person can confidently stake his life"
  Wow! Truth. What do I stake my life on? What is truth on this earth? Everything changes. Only one thing stays the same: the Word of God! All fades except His word. What am I staking my life on? The infallible word of God. Truth.
  'emet : certainty, stability, rightness, trustworthiness. "to be FIRM, PERMANENT and ESTABLISHED".
  God, make me firm, permanent and established. And help me to show Your mercy to others.
  
• An interesting sidenote. The Hebrew 'emet is spelled with the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet - thus, TRUTH upholds the first and last of God's creation and everything in between. Awesome, ain't it?
  
  My day is Yours.
  

Jetlagged

The snow is falling
Gently covering the earth
Morning quietly comes
:a haiku:

I'm back in Carleton. And I'm incredibly jetlagged. I'm not sure if I've ever been jetlagged like this. I went to bed at 11 last night, pretty exhausted, and woke up at 1:45am. Went back to bed and got up at about 7am. So, guess I'll be early getting ready for church today. Or not. We'll see.

New Year's Eve

I spent New Year's Eve in Singapore with Alex, a good friend of mine, and I'm ashamed to admit, a Singaporean. *grin* But he was ever the hospitable host. We ate and hung out with his friends a lot, and later at night, we went to his church for their WatchNight service.

That was quite an experience too. I'd never been to a Methodist church before, and initially the use of liturgy and all the stand-up-sit-down-stand-up-sit-down threw me off a little. But maybe it was the emotions that came with leaving home, or the uncertainty of stepping over the threshold into a new year, or perhaps the long flight ahead - whatever it was, it was amazing to see and feel God move through the liturgy. Through the "And also to you"s and the "Thanks be to God"s. I would be reciting line after line and then suddenly BOOM something would hit me, and I'd be moved to tears. Even with HYMNS! *gasp*

I also liked what the pastor said. I'm sure it's something they normally say. But it was such a good reminder. When they were going to collect the offering he said "Let us now give to God His tithes and our offerings".

All too often people conveniently forget to bring their tithes into the house of God. Yours truly included. And when the Bible says that when we do that we rob God, I'd never really thought about it till I heard that phrase. Tithes BELONG to God. No questions. It's like someone taking your webcam (yep, I just got mine) and not returning it to you. (Ok, not the best analogy. But it's 7:30 in the morning.)

So during the service, I felt in my heart to make a New Year's Resolution. Now, I'm not one to make resolutions for the New Year. The only other time I ever made a resolution, I didn't achieve it. I'm still not Brad Pitt. Ha. Kidding.

But this year, the prompting was strong.

An hour a day
What? One hour?! At Carleton? I don't have that kind of time...
Let us give to God HIS tithes...
Okay, so I tithe my time. That's 2.4 hours a day??
And you can't even tithe ONE hour?
Wow. Time is my most precious commodity at Carleton. And God does deserve the firstfruits and the best of it, doesn't He?

My New Year's resolution: To spend an hour a day with God doing different things - in the Word, worship, writing songs, meditating on Him. I'm telling different people to hold me accountable. But so can you! :)

Happy New Year... again

So when I arrived in Minneapolis, it was HAPPY NEW YEAR all over again because of the time change. I arrived. One of my bags arrived. The other did not. Yeah, yeah, I'm used to it now. But praise God, later that night, I received a phone call telling me that my bag will come some time today between 8-2.

So Erica and her sister, Jaynie, were there to pick me up. I came in on the same flight as Tyler, but us economy class people don't get to mingle with the snooty business class people who sit up there and smoke their cuban cigars. Hehe. Anyway, I went to the Leung house for lunch and had the privilege of meeting all the Leungs. Well, the one other Leung I hadn't met already, Erica's brother Justin.

It was a good time of fellowship and food. A true Penangnite's two favorite F's. Mrs Leung made pot stickers - kind of like gyoza / wantan - and we had noodles and pailla? or something like that - and fruitcake. :) Spent the afternoon there. And had a blast.

We left late in the afternoon. It had started to snow a bit. But praise God for a safe journey, salty conversations... even in my semi-aware state of jetlagness... and Carleton.

Back at Carleton

Celebrated Tyler's birthday. Back in my room. All is well.

Praise God for his protection. Psalm 91. Praise God for His grace that's sufficient for me and his steadfast mercies that are new every morning.

The sleepy world stirs
It looks so different now
A new year begins

It doesn't get easier...

or "Eve of New Year's Eve Ramblings"

No matter how many times I do it, it doesn't get easier. Leaving home that is. Some people say that I'm fortunate to be able to come home every so often. I know it really is a blessing. But sometimes the silver lining comes with a tiny cloud: see, it gets kind of confusing sometimes living in two different worlds.

On the one hand there is Northfield - and all the independence, new experiences, different people... friends... brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world, and growth as a young adult. And on the other hand is Penang - with all its familiarity (which does NOT breed contempt in this case) and charm, the comforts of being at home, the dependence :), and of course family and friends I've grown up with.

Life is like a tectonic plate. Kind of like the one that moved and caused a 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. One moment everything is calm and normal, and the next, something changes and the after effects are monumental. A 1000km long faultline, a more than 1000km long journey to travel. Literally, the world changes.

But unlike the devastating effects of the recent earthquake, I think life does not necessarily have to result in a mud-covered Gurney Drive. Change. Change is good. Change is inevitable. I suppose it's what you make of it that really matters.

What am I going to make of the changes that are happening and are going to happen?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path

He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him

Walk by faith, not by sight

Even when the fig tree does not blossom... I will bless You Lord

For I know the plans You have for me... to give me a hope and a future

And, the "I Have Decided" of the 21st century (Imho):
Your Word is a light unto my path
Your love guides me through my darkest night
And even though sometimes Your ways I cannot understand
I'll never walk away because my future's in Your hands
I don't care what people will say, I'm running after You
It's You I'm following today, I'm running after You
I will run to You

Yes, it doesn't get easier. But it sure gets better.

Goodbye 2004. Hello 2005.

Jesus, my year is yours.

Breaking News

Dear all, just so you know, we're all fine. But please be in prayer. These are dreadful but exciting times we're living in. Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus.

Tidal waves death toll climbs to 15 in Malaysia

News Update by The Star Newsdesk

PENANG: At least 10 people have been confirmed drowned by three Penang hospitals as a result of tidal waves which hit the island from 10am Sunday.

According to the Fire and Rescue Department officials involved in rescue operations along the beaches near Batu Ferringhi, Mar Vista, Boon Siew Villa and Miami Beach, seven people have been reported drowned and eight others missing.

The Penang Hospital recorded three deaths, including a two-year-old girl, as of 4.05pm, while 31 people were seeking treatment at the hospital for injuries.

At the Balik Pulau Hospital, there were six fatalities and 21 injured while a check with the private hospitals found one died and 13 injured.

In Kota Kuala Muda, some 20km from Sungai Petani, at least five people have dead on Sunday as a result of tidal waves that hit the area.

According to Kampung Kuala Tepi Sungai village development and security committee chairman Mat Som Osman, 58, three 3m high tidal waves hit the area from around 1.30pm.

He said the tidal waves had affected an estimated 5,000 people from nine villages

Earthquake hits Indonesia, tremors in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok

News update by the Star's Susan Tam

PETALING JAYA: A massive earthquake hit the Aceh area Sunday and tremors were reported as far away as Malaysia, Singapore and Bangkok.

Residents of several highrise buildings in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia were evacuated at around 9am (0100gmt) Sunday due to tremors following a strong earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra.

Highrise apartment and hotel residents in Penang and the Klang Valley were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Residents of Danau Impian Condominium in Taman Desa, Jalan Klang Lama gathering on the ground floor while waiting for Fire and Rescue Department and City Hall to inspect the building structure following a minor tremor on Sunday.-STARpic

Tremors were also felt in Alor Star and Pangkor.

A Meteorological Services Department official confirmed the incident.

An online update on the website of the Meteorological Services Division of Singapore National Environment Agency said the tremor was also felt in the republic.

It said the earthquake measured 8.1 on the Richter Scale.

Its epicentre was located off the coast of western Sumatra at latitude 3.4 north and 9.5 east.

The AP meanwhile reported from Jakarta:

A massive earthquake on Sunday rocked the northwestern part of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, causing dozens of buildings to collapse and triggering large waves along the northern coast, witnesses and officials said.

Nine people were killed as a result of the quake on the island's northwestern province of Aceh, where most of the damage was reported, el-Shinta radio station quoted a witness as saying.

It was not possible to immediately confirm the report. Electricity and telephone networks in parts of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, were knocked out.

The quake was also felt in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia.

The U.S. Geological Survey's Web site recorded a magnitude 8.1 earthquake off the west coast of Northern Sumatra, 1,620 kilometers (1,000 miles) northwest of Jakarta.

It was centered 40 kilometers (25 miles) below the seabed, the Web site reported.

A local seismologist put the quake at 6.4.

The cause of the discrepancy between the two figures was not clear.

Residents in the towns of Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh in the northwestern province of Aceh reported large waves had hit coastal regions.

An Associated Press reporter in Lhokseumawe several houses had been damaged.

At least one had been swept away, he said.

In the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, dozens of shops and buildings collapsed, witnesses el-Shinta.

"The ground was shaking for a long time,'' Yayan Zamzani told the station.

"It must be the strongest earthquake in the last 15 years.''

Indonesia, a country of 17,000 islands, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the margins of tectonic plates that make up the so-called the "Ring of Fire'' around the Pacific Ocean basin.

Need

Why is it so easy to become self-dependent? Pride.
Why is it so easy to get distracted by things that don't matter and to lose sight of things that do? Priorities.
Why is it so easy to get sucked in to routine but so difficult to center it on God? Hmm.
Why is it so easy to read Angels & Demons from cover to cover but a chore to pore over the Word of Life? Idiocy. Sheesh.
Why is it so easy to play the part but not be the part? Hypocrisy.
Why is it hard to surrender every part of me to God? Fear.
Why is it hard to trust... no questions asked? Doubt.
Why does it feel so strange? Unfamiliarity.
Why has it been so long? Who ever said absence makes the heart grow fonder?
God where are you?

I need you. Be the center. Be my source.

I need your love
I need your grace
I need to learn to need you everyday
I need to soar more than before
I need to need you more