Remember

If it wasn't for Hakeem Olajuwon, I would probably never have the pride that I have in the city of Houston. Not only that, but I would of probably never found the love for the game of basketball. So this is a shoutout to Hakeem for being that big of an influence in my life. Isn't it amazing how celebrities can have that big of an influence on us? What if I grew up in Canada? Would I actually enjoy hockey? Or if I grew up in Connecticut, would I be a figure skater now? Guess we'll never know.

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Relinquished

What does freedom mean to you? To the founding fathers of America, it was something worth fighting and dying for. Many of us who are fortunate to be born and/or grow up in the states take the American freedom for granted. For me, it's hard to imagine what it looks like to fight for something like freedom. What does oppression look like? How does it feel to live in fear of your government? How would I live my life differently? You always hear of stories in foreign countries where new believers in those countries find so much joy when they come to know Christ. It seems to be an everlasting joy -- a taste of freedom. For many of us who came to know Christ in America, we also experience that kind of joy but for me, there have been times where I lose sight of what God has done for me, and next thing I know, I get sucked back into the world. Do we really know the price Jesus paid for our freedom? If we profess to know, what's stopping us from living for Him each and every day of our lives?

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Reacquainted

It's refreshing to see old faces again. I think there's a part of our inner being that longs to belong and be part of something. The world tells us to belong to a lot of things: you are what you do, you are Generation Y, you are class of '03, '07, you are what you want to be, etc. But nothing quite gratifies the soul than when you know you belong to the family of God. What comes to mind when you think of family of God? Security, safety, love, joy, peace, and so on. But I'll also add that the sorrows, sufferings, brokenness, and heartaches really defines what being in the family of God is all about. After all, the second greatest commandment after to love God with all our heart is to love our neighbors as ourselves. If this was in fact easy to do, I doubt Jesus would of called us to obey such a great commandment. Bearing with one another, living in love and patience, and considering others better than ourselves are what characterizes the uniqueness and sacredness of the family of God. And we can hope to live in this way because we know that God will not forsake those who belong to Him.

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Reunions

It's been a while since I've had some good fellowship with people. Being with a group of believers again and hearing about the way God's been moving in their life is always encouraging. I think there's a unique joy that we experience when we have opportunities to interact with other believers especially those we haven't seen in a while. Looking back on missions circle, God's definitely shaped each of us in this past year or so and to see that God is still doing His work in us is exciting to see. One of the things that I'll miss most about having college small groups is that not only do we have time to interact in small groups but we'll also get to see each other outside of small group. There are always opportunities to meet people and to get to know them better besides through small groups. However, people's time becomes a lot more valuable when they have to work 40+ hours a week. But part of the responsibility of being in the real world is adjusting, and so adjust I must!

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Refueling

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is what drives us in our walk. This is where I think the beauty of scripture comes out. In order for us to live a life that brings God glory, we have to be filled by God, and it's the overflow of what's in us that allows us to live a life pleasing to God. How many times have we felt like we've been running on empty? Our feeble mind can lead us to think maybe if I start going to church again, maybe if I go on a missions trip, or maybe if I read this Christian book I'll be able to feel God again in my life. Though often times, those things can give us a spurt in our spiritual lives but compared to the well of life found through the Holy Spirit and scripture, those things are just mere cups, maybe bottles of life at best. The source of life where we need to visit frequently in our walks is found only in Christ Himself. How do we know we are being filled by God? Two words: peace and joy.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13

Refuel through God and His Word today.

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Biblical Wisdom

Sometimes it's hard for us to discern what is Godly wisdom and what is worldly wisdom. The reason being is that we don't see Godly wisdom exercised much in our society these days. Take divorce for example. The idea of divorce has become so widespread that some statistics say that Christians are more likely to divorce than non-Christians. Many of us can become confused when much of the world lives in one way but the Bible tells us to live so differently. But that's where the difference lies. The Bible instructs us to live according to Godly wisdom, and many times, it does counter perhaps what the majority of people around us think. Psalm 111:10 says
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise."
If we seek after biblical wisdom, we must approach God with the posture that He is in control of our lives. The fear that we have for God isn't that we're afraid of him, but it's a reverential fear that leads us to respect, worship, honor, and obey God because we recognize that indeed, God is God!

You might say, "Well, I do view God in that way, but why do sometimes I just don't feel like I have the wisdom that's talked about in scripture?"

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. -James 1:5

Examine your heart. Is there anything that you need to repent before God? A repentant heart is what allows God to give us His wisdom. It is the channel that God uses to speak wisdom into our lives. We realize that it's hard and painful sometimes to look back on our past mistakes and bring them before God because we think it would be shameful for God to see that side of us. But that's where Satan lies to us. God doesn't see us that way because of the work of the cross. If we can begin to grasp just the wisdom that's found in the work of the cross, God will give generously to us and reveal to us even greater things.

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Finding The One

You've heard the term before. Much of the young adults of our generation hold steadfast to this belief. If you happened to be living in the cave for the last 20 or so years, then let me quickly explain to you this school of thought. It's the belief that God has designed for us that one person that is meant to be our spouse. As we approach our dating life, we can either pursue after our "one" until we find that one or be absolutely sure that our first relationship is with our one. I've always struggled with this thought because what if our "one" lived a thousand miles away from us. I mean, do we find our "one" in our circle of friends, do we just sit tight until God brings that one into our lives, or do we journey to some random place like Costa Rica to find that one? Or maybe this "finding the one" isn't really that biblical at all?

What is our mindset when we go into a relationship? What questions do you ask yourself? "Do they treat me right?" "Will they meet my needs?" "How do I know if I've found the one?" What's common in these questions? What can you do for me. In an article I read recently, it discusses how modern dating is essentially a selfish endeavor. Many of us have been caught up in finding the one when the question we should be asking is "how can I be the one for him/her?" The point is this. When we search for our one, we've already laid the foundation for selfishness. If selfishness is not what drives a biblical marriage, it should not be what drives a biblical relationship. "Do Nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Phil. 2:3). Rather than looking for that person to fit your list of characteristics that comprise your perfect spouse, you turn to scripture to see what defines a Godly man/woman. If you look hard enough, you'll see that our God calls us to love one another sacrificially. Loving sacrificially is what will secure the commitment in our relationships, not the fleeting feelings of finding our one.

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Meditation

Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purpose and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.

Its purpose is to clear one's mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let his truth make its full and proper impact on one's mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace.

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