The Blog

What I know about Christ

2011-08-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

What I know about Christ: He is a great friend. When I first met Christ, he was sitting on a mountain, teaching the thousands in the book of Matthew. I was in the crowd, not in the front row, but watching from a distance. Even while he was looking at the thousands of people around him, I could sense that he caught me in the crowd and was focusing on me. It was impossible to hide, I felt completely found. That day I went from a by-stander, to a follower. After that first encounter, I reminisce on what I think about Christ. Christ knows everything about me, my shortcomings and not so beautiful behavior, but yet loves me even still. Despite the fact that I'm a nobody compared the royalty and class he comes from, he still accepts me as a someone worth knowing and loving, for what purpose I don't know. A cynical mind would posit that he's trying to use me, but then I soon realize that he's God and he already has everything. So what purpose does he have in loving me? I cannot offer him any better service, for the angels already wait on his every need. I cannot offer him great wisdom or knowledge...he is a God of wisdom and knowledge. I cannot offer him love for he is already perfectly in love with His father. But still he chooses to invite me into his family, onto his side, because he delights in me. Knowing that I cannot really offer him anything in return for friendship, I am very joyful; it's an absolute privilege to be a friend of Christ. There is no reason for him to lie, he has no worldly ambition. His motives are pure: to love frivolously and to pour himself out like a drink onto the world. I aim to listen to him more, and to be near to him wherever he is, a follower all my life.

Important New Testament Greek Verses

2010-12-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

The tool is available at this http://dlc-writing.blogspot.com/p/important-new-testament-greek-verses.html

Toys Loved

2010-10-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

There was a boy that loved to play with dolls. He made sure that they were never scratched or damaged, and maintained their clothing and toy weapons and accessories with the highest care. When he played with them, each doll would become part of a grand and exciting adventure, because the boy just loved to play with his dolls. Each day after he was done playing, he would pick up his dolls one by one, and lay them inside a box, making sure not to overlap them on one another because each one was special to him. Even when the boy became older and stopped playing with his dolls, he didn't sell them away but he kept them in boxes and made sure they were properly stored. When he got married he even took his dolls with him to his new home, although to be expected his wife gave him a very strange look when he opened the box to show her.

Jesus is More than Enough

2010-04-06T21:55:00.001-07:00

(NIV) John 6:28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" 29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

I'm resting in the peace that Jesus has given me eternal life. Why me?

When Jesus said, "It is finished." on the cross, he meant it. He finished the work of sacrifice of all sins for all time, and then took his place at the right-hand of God.

We must maintain that it is only Jesus work that cleanses us from sin, nothing else. It's not Jesus and loving God, it's just Jesus. It's not Jesus and keeping the ten commandments, it's just Jesus. Jesus is more than enough for all our sins! We could never do enough.

All this was prophesied through Jeremiah:

The New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31-3431"The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. 33"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

To all unbelievers, this is written for you: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

You can be sure that once you believe in Jesus, your sins will never be remembered. Hallelujah!

God is Good

2010-03-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

It has been said that God is love, but where does it say that God is good? Some may say that God is good and evil, a mysterious contradiction, a cosmic balance of what seems right and what seems wrong. How could a good God create such a world like this earth? If you are having difficulty with this question, I would like to tell you my position on this extremely difficult question: is God good?

If you believe the world is only good, and there is nothing wrong with the different nations of the world, then you are living in a bubble, a non-reality. There is not much else to tell you. But if you admit that there are injustices in the world, and pain and suffering, then you're absolutely right, and probably very frustrated by what's going on. I've said all that to say the following, and I warn you it's a hard pill to swallow. God is going to set the whole world straight, but you won't see that happen until the end of the world. In the mean time, God expects us to accept his word that everything is going to be alright in the end. And he didn't leave us with nothing, but he has given us his Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is everything to a believer, like a well-of-cool water in a dry desert. In the end, the guilty will be brought to justice; the murderers, and molesters, and frauds, and liers will no longer be able to get away. I hope you choose to believe God, and accept his Son because with the Holy Spirit you'll be alright.

We do Need Him

2009-08-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

This website has an interesting user interface, and a life-changing message.

http://needhim.org/

Joyous Conversation

2009-07-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

"I've never been so happy before!" he says, lifting his arms in the air and walking across the room.

"Why?" she asks.

"Because I found my purpose in life." he replies.

"What's that?"

"To live and glorify the Lamb!"

She nods in agreement.

We need to facilitate moving people toward the line supernatural line of faith.

2009-07-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

One of the most profound and helpful concepts for Christians on evangelism.

Just Walk Across The Room by Bill Hybels

"I believe many people begin their spiritual quest at a negative ten and that my role is facilitate their movement to a negative eight" ... "[Sometimes] you might have the priviledge of taking someone who is teetering right on the edge all the way to a positive one, right across the supernatual line of faith. The thrill of it all exists in the fact that as we walk into a spiritual exchange, you and I have no idea what role the Spirit has ordained for us to play...."

Germany Vacation

2009-06-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

Lina, Christian, and I visited Lina's sister in Germany last week. We had a great time hanging with them. Lina's sister was an excellent tour guide and took us all over Bavaria. We drove right to the border of Germany and Austria near Switzerland and visited Neuschwanstein castle. It was beautiful country.

Funny

2009-04-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

I just thought someone might think this is funny

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

Albert Einstein on God

2009-04-01T08:49:00.001-07:00

Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just, and omnibeneficent personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every human action, every human thought, and every human feeling and aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty Being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?

Before I post in response to Einstein, would anyone like to comment on this?

Very Cool

2009-03-31T17:27:00.001-07:00

Saturday Outreach

2009-03-28T14:56:00.001-07:00

Lina and I went with a group of people from http://www.discoverlifechurch.tv and invited people to church for Easter. In all honesty, in the beginning, there wasn't much response from people we met. Most people took the invitation and went on with their business, and that continued on for an hour or so. But God moved in an awesome way towards the end of our trip, and three people dedicated their life to the Lord! Isn't that awesome!? As a result, three people's lives have been completely changed.

The bible says that, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Cor 5:17

Hallelujah!!

Exercizing and the Brain

2009-03-24T20:30:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I use the Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board to exercize. The Wii Fit offers Yoga and Strength training, with 15 different exercizes for each type of workout. The training focuses on almost every part of the body, including the abs, hips, legs, arms, and back. I prefer doing the yoga workout exercizes because I enjoy the clear thinking I experience after each workout. Deep breathing is a big part of every yoga exercize, it helps relieve muscle stress and provides oxygen to the brain.

From what I've read, the brain is divided into two halves, the left and right brain, as they are commonly referred to. Experiments have been done to find out what distinguishes the left brain from the right brain, and what scientists have found is that the left brain is responsible for logical, analytical, thinking and also likes numbers and words. The right brain is responsible for associating patterns, images, free association of thoughts, and intuition. People tend to be either left brain dominant or right. And for some reason, the left brain control the right side of our body, and the right brain controls the left side of our body. There is also a pathway that connects the two halves of the brain so that they can communicate with one another.

When we exercize, we normally have to use both sides of our body. That means both sides of our brain are being used simultaneously to control our movement, the left side moving the right limbs and the right side moving the left limbs. There is a total stimulation of the mind when we exercize our body in that both sides are trying to accomplish the same goal and are undergoing equal stimulation. I would guess that regular exercize would help balance the dominance of both halves of the brain, so that a person would not tend to be either left or right brain dominant. Why would someone want to be both? Being a balanced right and left brain thinker will help solve more problems creatively, and will help finish your creative projects with more objectiveness and focus. Every great artist is also a great scientist, and vice versa.

Learning Korean

2009-03-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

My new years resolution for 08 was to study korean everyday for at least an hour. In actuality I only studied korean about once a month! My new years resolution for 09 was still to study korean everyday. I've been much more determined this year and have studied about once a week. This year I've been keeping a journal of what I'm learning in korean and also I'm using a lot more resources, and trying to speak Korean as much as possible whenever I have a chance.

Facing your fears is at the core of learning a language. It's about making yourself vulnerable to complete strangers, and at times being completely humiliated and embarassed and uncomfortable all combined with the exhiliarting rush of communicating in a completely different language to completely foreign people. Of course, some people will laugh at you, and will try not to crack up just listening to you, but don't let their laughing be a deterent from your goal. Keep focused on the people you want to reach once you reach your goal! Also, it's best to be able to laugh at yourself, become a person who is open and friendly and who desires to learn and who can brush off insult and mockery!!

Just to remind everyone, my wife's family is from Korea, and mostly korean-speaking. My mother's family is also korean and korean-speaking. I would really like to learn how to speak Korean much better and so I'm using the method of repetition and study, every resource I can find, and every opportunity to speak it with native-speakers.

By the way, here is a link to a fun Korean Dictionary I found http://www.indiana.edu/~koreanrs/kordic.html, enjoy!

Hungry?

2009-01-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

I gained 8lbs on a Christmas cruise!! I weighed myself on the Wii Fit before and after. I woke up every morning on the cruise, went up to the cafeteria, and would fill my plate with eggs, and cereal, and fruit, and biscuits and gravy, and a little coffee and juice, and also some sausage and bacon, maybe some corn hash, and a bowl of muesli. Afterwards I found that finding a nice seat somewhere was better than walking around. I didn't really notice I was gaining weight.

Then I came back home, and I just couldn't keep up the pace. I was reading a blog about Proverbs 30:7-9, and I realized that I always eat to get full!! I had never really paid attention to this passage before but I realized that it directly applies to any activity whatsoever that we as humans do in order to get "full".

Two things I asked of You,Do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep deception and lies far from me,Give me neither poverty nor riches;Feed me with the food that is my portion, 9 That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?”Or that I not be in want and steal,And profane the name of my God.

So I learned that
1) I had some wrong thinking that I was supposed to eat to get full
2) If I just push the plate away before the last couple bites I don't feel like I'm starving
3) We are meant to feel hungry all the time, it keeps us dependent on God and keeps us seeking Him
4) Pastors, and writers, and speakers are used by God to bring to our attention important life changing messages in God's Word

Living in the Past

2008-11-03T18:42:00.001-08:00

The other day Lina and I were watching videos of Christian, my son.

Christian is about 5 months old, and we try to take as much video of him while he’s so cute and cudley. Sometimes it seems like we video tape him more than we play with him, which is why video tapes are so ironic. We record video to preserve memories, but can't experience them. What a dilemma!

So anyways as we were watching the TV, Christian kept crying on the floor.

"It's ok Christian, it's ok."

I pick him up. He keeps crying, and I keep trying to quiet him,

"Shh Christian, let's watch the TV."

I put him back on the floor and sit back in the couch. I look up at the TV and on the screen Christian is on the floor playing by himself. I look down and Christian is doing the same thing on the floor. I should have video taped Christian playing on the floor in front of the TV watching himself playing on the floor in front of the TV. That would be a classic.

Quest for Perfection

2008-11-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

I'm reading Experiencing His Presence by Tommy Tenney (God Chasers), and on page 85 "Hungry babies just aren't intimidated by the people around them. They put their total focus and energy on their hunger and the source of their satisfaction. At the height of their hunger, they make no room for distractions of any kind. In contrast, many Christian's do their best to demonstrate their independence and self-sufficiency in public worship gatherings. They would never think of going forward in a public invitation of prayer (ouch!). Such a transparent admission of need is unacceptable because it would reveal politically incorrect cracks in their carefully cultivated facade of Christian perfection. In their determined effort not to attract any attention to their need, they've also managed to totally lose God's interest and attention! " He goes on to mention Bartimaeus, who "cried out to Jesus with all the power his lungs could muster" Mark 10:46-52, The woman suffering from an incurable and chronic blood hemorrahage, the persistent mother from Canaan desperate to win deliverance for her daughter, the demoniac possessed by a legion of demons, the desperate friends of the paralyzed man (Matthew 15:22-28). If these responses were acceptable to Jesus Christ, why would they be unacceptable in churches today? What would you do if you knew you had to capture the attention of God in some way? Bartimaeus couldn't even see the One he was chasing. He was incapable of effectively pursuing Jesus in a physical way, yet the blind beggar became the God Catcher that day. How did he do it? ...What did Bartimaeus do to arrest the momentum of the Messiah? Examine the words he sent from his heart to the ears of God. He said, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He worshiped! With all the passion, hunger, and desperation in his being, the son of Timaeus arrested the attention of the Son of God. Radical praise brings radical presence!

From Sunday Nov 2nd 2008

Christian

2008-10-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

Christian is growing up fast. He can already push himself up on all fours, and is grabbing everything he can see around him. He's very attracted to bright colors, especially the color red. He laughs so much, he's got such a easy-going and care free demeanor. I guess that goes for all babies, although before Christian I've had almost no experience with babies.

Halloween Party

2008-10-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

The pumpkins were all very good, and at my table it was VERY competitive. I wish I had more pictures of the party, because everyone wore costumes and it was really funny trying to guess what everyone was. On my costume I had a picture of the 12 apostles, a picture of Monk, and a picture of the vatican....can you guess what movie that spells out? The name for these type of picture puzzles are called rebus puzzles, the most famous example would probably be I ♥ NY.

Worship Experience

2008-10-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Christian was very interested in Donna's performance in sign-language. He loves movement and color. I wonder what he's thinking about. They called me Curious George when I was younger because I used to ask a lot of questions and I was interested in everything. I think we have another Curious G. with Christian.

Softball

2008-09-16T19:17:00.001-07:00

Tonight at our game was Tommy & Sarah Adams, John Noon and Pastor Gant (retired), and Kim Fike and Lina Daniel, Chris and his brother Matthew, and Kara Melacronos. I could hear them all cheering from the field the whole time and they didn't boo us! We went 0-2 tonight, wow that was shocking. But even when the morale in dugout was low when we lost the second game, I could hear the positive people on our team whispering graceful words out loud, staying strong till the next game. Those kind of people are the best, because they're always looking forward and they're motivating you to play your best. Even if we don't win another game this season, we just have so much fun playing out there, there's a lot of fun going on, even when we lose. Ok on three...1-2...JESUS!!

Softball Game

2008-08-12T20:39:00.001-07:00

I love our whole team. Struggled in the first couple innings versus Southeastern Engineering, first game, 11-15. We played aggressively the second game, winning 17-5 against 1st Pentacostal. Great bunch of guys on that team, the real deal. I actually liked seeing Bob O. coming out to cheer us on, made me pumped up even more to play well. We are definitely getting much better, by the end of this season we will be ready for the tournament. YEA!!

Christian at 2 Weeks

2008-08-06T09:31:00.001-07:00

softball

2008-08-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

So our Church played softball last night--and my legs feel crazy. We lost the first game 9-10, but we won the second! I felt like I played like junk last night, but Mike F. said he felt the same way. We all go really hard on ourselves when we make mistakes, but thankfully no one on my team thinks less or worse of anyone because of their mistakes. We're all trying to get better, having said that, I can't wait to go to practice to work on some weak points. Like holding on to the bat after the swing. Mike F. says this is a common beginner mistake, thanks Mike for being honest. I feel like a newbie. Also, I can't seem to follow the coaches directions instead of my own instincts, which is a problem. Barry says that a good coach will know your speed better than you do. If Jesus knows my abilities better than I do, shouldn't I listen to Him when he tells me to do something? The whole game was a blast, can't wait for the next game.

Prayer

2008-07-31T05:36:00.000-07:00

During prayer last night I was changed. I suddenly realized that I needed God desperately. You see, before I met him that day in the summer of 2004 face-to-face that I was completely on the floor feeling pathetic. Since he picked me up off the ground, cleaned me up, and put a ring on my finger, I've begun to swell with pride and accomplishment, but the truth is that without God I'm still somewhere between being on the floor and on my knees, at His feet. Everything I have God has built up under me, but He's still the same, and at my core I know that my rightful place is still at his feet in worship.

Meaning of the Huge Rainbow in the Sky

2008-03-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

When I drove to work there was a huge rainbow in the middle of the sky, or in the heavens, the kind that stretches all the way from the ground and then arcs to the ground again. From top to bottom, ROYGBIV. It was absolutely beautiful, and when I look at the rainbow it's a reminder of The Great Flood that once wiped mankind off the earth, except for Noah and his family. As I pulled into the parking lot of my work, there were many people walking from their cars to the building, and some of them were walking away from the rainbow, but they were still turning their necks around to look at the rainbow. Incredibly, I got to walk directly into the rainbow. It was like the rainbow was a huge portal that I was walking into.

"I set My bow in the cloud, and it shallbe for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth." Exodus 9:13

It was absolutely awesome to behold that giant object in the sky as I was walking under, and usually I think of it without the biblical reference in my mind, and I think about how it's a giant prism effect of nature. That's the view I was taught in schools, nothing at all to do with God's covenant to the earth, or His promise.

"And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be

cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a

flood to destroy the earth." Exodus 9:11

I think what gets me the most about the whole experience of seeing this huge rainbow is that its so crazy amazingly obvious to the everyone who sees the rainbow that there's this huge thing in the sky. It's so colorful, and unnatural to see such a thing in the sky. God calls it His "bow". I think we should rename it from rainbow to God's bow! The heavens declare the glory of the Lord! I feel like I have to shout it. How can you not smile as you go into work after seeing that kind of thing in the sky! Remember God through your day. Think about how the heavens are declaring the Glory of the Lord. My final point being, shouldn't we too?