Every Day is an Adventure

I like hiking with Jesus. He likes hiking with me. {a few weeks ago, i went on a spontaneous hike with a dear friend of mine--which turned into a night hike--and we ended up going 'round & 'round for hours as we talked and sang and prayed.} Jesus LOVES us doing our favorite hobbies with Him. It is worship.

I really like chill, "coffee-house" music. I think it's my favorite type. A singer with a guitar playing simple chords and  significant lyrics grabs my heart every time. {as I'm typing this, I'm listening to a British band called Zero 7 that I was introduced to this past week by one of my physicians I work for. It's super mellow, a melodious blend of cool modern sounds and smooth voices.}

Last night, I was saved from a near-death/severe car accident. Seriously. I was about to turn right on a busy intersection off of a highway  and was met by a huge truck, a van, and a sedan. Lots of beeping. I froze for a few seconds and watched in slow-mo as the truck came inches to colliding with me. WHOAA. Then, I snapped back to reality and gassed it. I'm sure I made a few drivers angry, but the best part was that the Spirit held me in such incredible peace. {it was really like I wasn't in my own body and there was warmth flowing down to my legs.}

After getting home, I went to check the mailbox and saw a white envelope with my name on the front in familiar handwriting. My brother (my younger one, whom I live with) wrote me a sweet card to encourage me and tell me what a blessing I am to him! I was floored and cried. {of course.}

The ER yesterday was a zoo, an absolute zoo! My physician and I saw 36 patients at the end of our shift, and the waiting room was still packed when I walked out at 9pm. Folks, do not make the ER doc your PCP--primary care physician. {i testify that working solid 11 hr shifts is evidence of how He is strong in our weaknesses.}

Today is my off day--hooray!--and will be dedicated to resting, reading, studying, haircutting, pizza-eating, and hopefully, urban hiking and praying healing over people. This morning was spent with Jesus in learning how to sacrificially be obedient in finances. {"I want to interact with you every day in the reality that I am your Source. Acknowledge Me as your Source. Test Me in this...I will constantly bring your financial need and expose your fear of money to you week after week, year after year, so that you will see that I am your Source, not your checkbook."}

Today is going to be a grand day! (:

PS. Jesus says this to you&me: "I want to embrace you in the dance of your heart." 

C. Spurgeon's Devotional for Today

"Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they  made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on." Mark 2:4

"Faith is full of  inventions. The house was full, a crowd was blocking the doorway, but faith found a way to get to the Lord and place the paralyzed man before Him. If we can't get sinners where Jesus is by ordinary methods we must use extraordinary ones. It seems, according to Luke 5:19, that roof tiles had to be removed, which would make dust and cause a measure of danger to those below, but when the situation is very urgent, we must not mind running some risks and shocking some proprieties. Jesus was there to heal and, therefore, come what may, faith risked all so that her poor paralyzed charge might have his sins forgiven. O that we had more daring faith among us! Can't we, dear reader, seek it this morning for ourselves and for our fellow workers. Won't we today try to perform some gallant act for the love of souls and the glory of the Lord?
The world is constantly inventing; genius serves all the purposes of human desire: can't faith also invent and, by some new means, reach the outcasts who lie perishing around us? It was the presence of Jesus which excited victorious courage in the four bearers of the paralyzed man: isn't the Lord among us now? Have we  seen His face for ourselves this morning? Have we felt His healing power in our own souls? If so, then through door, through window, or through roof, let's breaking through all impediments, work to bring poor souls to Jesus. All means are good and acceptable when faith and love are truly set on winning souls. If hunger for bread can break through stone walls, surely hunger for souls is not be hindered in its efforts. O Lord, make us quick to suggest methods of reaching your poor sin-sick ones, and bold to carry them out despite the risks."  Charles Spurgeon, Morning & Evening

This is what I pray for us, dear beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, I challenge you to step out of your box of comfort, your box of what is appropriate and acceptable, your box of do's and don'ts, and walk out in faith and love. Today, may you be led by the Spirit to do what is unconventional. Today, may you be bold to pray over others, to pray for healings, to call on the Spirit to show up in a miraculous way, for Him to  soften the hardened hearts. Don't be afraid of rejection or mockery because Jesus is in you. Mull on that, let that empower you and fill you with joy and peace! Believe the Gospel, talk the Gospel, live out the Gospel! May your life be an example of one who has been radically pursued and transformed, and now has full faith to see that same change in others.

First Steps in Deeper Faith

It is time for a much-needed update! If it makes anyone feel better, I thought about many new posts multiple times in my head these past two months; but as many of my good motives go, it didn't quite get translated into action... Haha.
Where to start? Hmm. My parents and baby bro are back home, so the apt feels more empty just with my other brother and I; I have now been working as an ER scribe for a little over a month (and SO much could be said for my experiences thus far); my first fall not in school is not quite as strange as I thought it would be; I am learning to navigate around Dallas so much better and to rejoice in times of traffic, detours, and running late; and I just bought my own auto insurance, paid for my water, cable/internet, electricity bills, and replaced my car battery, all for the first time, on my own, last month. For the first time last weekend, I woke up late for work--which is an hour away--due to my alarm not going off, realized my phone was not working, called my doctor with my brother's phone, went down to the parking lot to discover my car battery was dead, woke up my kind neighbors who jump started my car, and sped to work, finally getting there 45 min late, almost 2 hours late. Oh dear. That afternoon after work, I had to ask 3 people on 3 different occasions to help my poor battery, then went to 2 different places to buy a new car battery, and made it just in time to my Indonesian church to teach the 3rd & 4th graders.
I have so many stories like above that illustrate the ups and downs of this post-college journey, some of which are hilarious, and some others that ended in weeping. For these past two weeks, especially, the Lord is being very good to show me parts of my heart that He is now renewing and restoring. I am in a blessed state of brokenness, which is very necessary right now. He has shown me that there are roots that He needs to pull completely out, such as the Root of the Fear of Man and the Root of Self Sufficiency/Being in Control. Countless times these past two months, He keeps bringing to me the illustration of a tree to me (hence, why I changed this blog's layout) and has given me numerous Bible verses, a card, pictures, sermons, and people prophetically praying over me. He desires for me to be like a tree planted by the streams of living water which bears fruit in times of drought and has roots that extend deep into the soil so that I am anchored, weathered, and thriving. I remember falling in love with the Lord's creation this time last fall when I took Botany class, and I love how the Lord is relating all these technical concepts of creation that I learned in my textbook and in class last year, into my own spirituality in an even more significant manner this year.
As various people ask how I'm doing so far, I respond by saying that the deepest lesson that I'm learning is that His promises are absolutely real and my faith is deepening as a result. Why? The accumulation of knowledge of who I know God to be and how He provides is being tangibly translated into reality, day by day, by day. Head facts are becoming heart truths. The Spirit is bringing my mind, soul, and body into alignment in Himself.  With my college community gone, my parents gone, and in a new season of life, it is not that there is no one that I may lean or, but I am realizing that I cannot put my full hope on a single person(s). It is the Lord who delivers, saves, protects, provides, guides, and satisfies me! Yes, He does bring people into my life to use as various vessels to comfort, encourage, and provide for me, but at the end of the day, it is Him and Him alone who is my sole Rescuer and Redeemer. I am learning that He is enough.

Here's a portion from my diary: "What a week it has been. The Lord is so good to make me realized that I am NOT in control and that i do not have to bear the burden alone. He is taking my burdens away from me--almost wrestling me to do so because of my first-born instincts and innate "I can do this" attitude--and showing areas in my heart where I have not fully trusted Him or surrendered. I am learning--slowly but surely--to trust and hope in Him alone.  I spent Monday night sobbing at His feet in a few hours of doubt and despair about rent money--it was a beautiful, blessed state of brokenness. He is disciplining my heart. He is deepening and strengthening my roots. He is allowing storms to come so that I may be rocked but so that I may ultimately stand firm. He is pulling out deadly weeds around my base that have slight holds  in my heart because He desires me to be free--absolutely free and assured of who I am in Him. He wants me to bear fruit in this time of "drought"--I am still in a "wilderness" of sorts, though with the Spirit, so that Abba may continue His pruning and pulling work in me. The rivers of life are in abundant supply for me to drink my fill and forever satiate my thirst--there is constant fullness and wholeness in Him. Abba is training me to stand strong and believe strong; the Spirit tests me because He knows that I may pass well--only with His help. I lean not on my own understanding. My times are in His hands. My Abba yearns for me to love Him more. He calls out to me, "you [are] whom I love!" (from Song of Songs 1:7)--and yearns for me to shout it back to Him. He is teaching me the essential attitude of humility--"do not be wise in your own eyes" (Prov. 3:7)--in every facet of life. He wants me to constantly ask Him for counsel in every way, not trying to do anything upon reliance of my own understanding or strength."

Every sentence of that paragraph is a summation that comes from one to many experiences that would be too long to explain here, but all I can say is that I am learning! I am growing! I am being held in my Father's arms, and learning at His feet.
He is becoming more real and real to me every day. Thank You, Jesus.

Just to let y'all know, one of my upcoming posts will be about my recent-by-5-months trip to Guatemala! yes, you will FINALLY get to read about it, if you haven't heard the full story. This will be part of my overcoming-fear-of-people root, hooray!

I would love to "hear" from you, whoever reads this rambling blog.. ;)