"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ESV)

Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is.

"Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is."

I read this somewhere on someone's facebook.. i don't rememeber where.
I was walking to the bank in the super windy night yesterday. When a HUGE wind almost blew me away, I said, "Wind, do you know how big my God is?"


and then the wind stopped.


I felt really dumb talking to Wind, but I think I made a new friend. :)

Betting on God

I'll be leaving for China in a week - and it finally hit me that it might be impossible to raise enough funds to cover my m-ssion trip. Yesterday, I was scared, worried, upset, and angry at myself for my circumstances that kept me from preparing ahead. But I know it's God when a certain peace falls over me, reminding me that God is faithful through all circumstances. As I was reading Jeremiah today, I took some time to consider the promises that were currently being fulfilled and the ones that have been recently fulfilled. I don't think I take enough time to reflect on my prayers and see how they were answered, but whenever I do, it really magnifies God's glory and his hand moving in my life.

In Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah buys a piece of land while he's in prison - and not just any land, but a place where the Babylonians were camping out - when it was the last thing people expected him to do. But to him, it was completely rational - God promised him that it will be of use in the future. Interesting enough, I feel that I'm at a similar point, but my mistake was that I relied too heavily on God carrying the promise out when I didn't do my part in "buying the land". So, I'm willing to place all my chips on him, because honestly, it's not even a gamble because God will never lose a bet or disregards a promise. I don't know what going to happen next, but one thing for sure - going to Chiina is another promise that is currently being fulfilled.

It's hard to love others.
But because God loves me, I love.

i saw a cute boy today while i was getting bruincafe. I'm sure we all had those moments when our hearts skipped when your eyes meet, and you quickly glance away, hoping that he didn't see you trying to catch a better glimpse of him. LOL i hate to admit it, but yes, he was pretty cute. HAHAHA

but that's not the reason for this post. This short encounter reminded me of how crushes start. I want my heart to flutter as i open up the bible to read God's love letter to me. I dont have to worry about him catching my eye because I know he loves me for who i am and I have NOTHING to hide. I don't have to worry about how i look, or what i say, or what my first impression comes off as. Instead, i just have to embrace him and accept his love with the return of my heart. Just as my heart skipped for that boy today, I want my heart to to seek God every second of my day, and not to fill my minds with worldy thoughts, but to fill it with prayers and God's blessings.

Dang, i really want to go back to how it all started, how i came to God and was filled with peace and love for the Lord who poured his love and grace over me. I want to love going to the word and feel the peace and joy overwhelming my heart all over again.

It's time to forget about the logistics of this life and focus on the important things...

College is, as Janice would say, "awkward nations." SERIOUSLYY.
Maybe it's because we never mastered the art of holding a natural conversation... or it can be because we just don't know how to approach people. But i think it's mainly because we try to find a similarity with people, and sometimes when we can't think of anything, we find RANDOM correlations.

I was walking to class and heard this today...
"Hi! nice to meet you. What phone do you have? (person takes out phone from pocket) OH... ohhh.. i thought we would have the same phone... okay bye!"

If UCLA had a class about the art of awkwardness and a way to overcome it, it would be filled in a couple seconds.

People's acceptance weighs a lot more to our self-confidence than we want to admit. I've realized that when I feel close and friendly with people, I feel more at ease with myself. But when I feel as an outcast, I try to keep to myself as much as possible and not make a fool of myself.

Words are powerful. From the servantteam leadership training, one thing i remember is that we know what our gifts and talents are from 1) our inner passion and interest and 2) peer's confirmation. People's response to the things we enjoy can either make or break us. But in the same way, criticism and side comments that are meant for jokes can be a confirmation to our insecurities. I know i'm pretty much stating the obvious, but i think a lot of the time we forget to be careful with our words. I seriously need to work on this and use myself to encourage and uplift others rather than dragging them down with me.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29