like Father, like Son

On Christmas Eve, I attended a night service at a church I've been visiting on and off.

It just so happened they were doing baptisms and boy were there plenty of folks getting dunked. Joking aside, I'm glad so many folks were turning their lives over to Him.

One baptism stuck out in particular. The pastor who was dunking folks was the youth pastor of this congregation and among the ones to be baptized was his son. Let me let that sink in.

He would be baptizing his own son.

I wonder how proud that father was to baptize his own son. How joyful he felt to know that his son has accepted Him as Christ. Like always, my mind got to turning.

Fathers generally want to be grow closer to their children. This father did just that when his son was baptized by his hands. I'm reminded that Our Father wanted to be closer to us and He did just that when He came in as a newborn.

Merry Christmas!

not one less

The older I get, the more I realize there are some things I still CANNOT get over.

Regrets from the past. Mole hill problems that have become mountain range problems. Minor infractions from other folks that have been allowed to fester. The list goes ON.

John 16:33- “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Every now and then, I am reminded of this verse. I'm glad He did and still does, because the petty individual that I call myself still continues to fight the world, myself included. We all know that both of these are losing battles.

Let me indulge you in another "a-ha moment" of mine: He meant that particular verse for EVERYBODY. Duh, right? To be honest, this realization came to me as I was deciding a title for this post.

Not one less.

Not one less who claim Him as Christ will know of His victory.

He promises that we'll be troubled, but He also promises that He has conquered it. For EVERYONE.

Hallelujah!

something old, something new

It's been almost a week ago, but I'm still talking' about it.

Last Sunday was the union of the now Mr. and Mrs. Y.

This wedding was SOOO good for TOO many reasons. For starters, THIS cake and the multitudes of cupcakes with it...

For place cards, P and A put out individual Lego men holding banners with the names and table numbers in binary coding. Another reason why I love and respect CS majors.

It was THE party to be at. This wedding was by far the largest CCF reunion I've ever been to. If I counted correctly, about 10 years worth of folks were in attendance. If cocktail hour schmoozing was an Olympic sport, hand me my gold. Familiar faces galore. I seriously could not sit still the whole reception, I was table hopping so much.

The food was seriously THAT good. No more on that, I'd go on forever. A candy bar and a silly photo booth shoot were wonderful parting gifts. Definitely had my share of those.

Through and through, one of the best weekends I have had in a long time. I can't help but thank Him for allowing me to know so many wonderful people. Reunited with so many people that I was TOO happy to see and yet TOO unhappy to part with. Now that I think back, it was also a gathering of many people who love Him! It WAS a CCF reunion, if I hadn't stressed that enough earlier.

I wonder if I just caught a glimpse of Heaven.

Congratulations, P and A!!!

my left shoe

Last Sunday as I was rushing to church (late, again?!) I realized too late that my left shoe was missing its insole.

Throughout service and Sunday School, I felt this unevenness. As I sat. As I stood. As I walked. It just didn't feel right.

When I finally got home, I put the missing insole back in and my feet finally felt complete.

Then it hit me.

Seems stupid, right? Something as trivial as a missing insole inspiring some religious epiphany? It sure did. I was reminded of this verse...

Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

As of lately, I've fallen behind in reading His Word. Just seemed a bit off everyday that I wasn't in it. I need to get back. Back to the Basics...

Time to hit the Books.

a whistleblower's angst

Luke 6:42.

When you point a finger, 3 fingers point back at you.

Knowing the above mentioned things full well, I still need to address what I witnessed yesterday. It REQUIRES to be called out.

One of my students nonchalantly proclaimed he was going as a prisoner for Halloween. OK? No big deal?

This student leaves to go home only to come back and show off his costume.

Orange prison jumpsuit.

Prior to my looking at him sideways, the mention of the word "prisoner" brought to my mind a haggard lookin' fella whose diet consisted of bread and water. Or the black and white stripes that Larry, Curly, and Moe flaunted when they slapped each other around. Just not THAT. Darn my archaic naivety.

All I could think of after that incident was, who was wrong? My list is as follows:

1) the person who designed the costume
2) the person who gave the OK on the costume
3) the person who allowed the costume to be sold in their store
4) the person who bought the costume

I could go on pointing fingers, but what use is it if nothing is done to fix the problem?

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” -Luke 23:34

Luke's account of Christ's words as He was dying.

I wonder if He looks at our broken world and still utter these very same words.

Our need for Him is very much needed. I'm glad He hasn't forsaken us.

Hebrews 13:5.

His green earth

Anything back to back has more of an effect on everything than anything. If that makes sense...

On the last day of September, I made a lone excursion to the beach. Cold? Far from it! Even though the first day of fall was roughly a week ago, in my mind fall starts in October. But, I digress...

It truly is mesmerizing to see ocean waves crashing into the sand and then gently pulling away. The feeling is intensified when this happens around your feet. So repetitive, yet soothing. I'm wanting beach front property right about now.

Since WL loves the beach so much, I called her so she could listen to this episode of waves meet sand. I seem to do this every time I go. I hope she isn't too jealous of the fact that I'm there and she's not.

The following day, BB called me to look out the window. I had heard of such things yet never witnessed one. A double rainbow. The picture above doesn't do the phenomenon any justice, but if you Google it or witness it for yourself, you'd understand. Couldn't keep my eyes off of it.

Can't help but marvel at such things. Can't help but mention one of numerous psalms singing of His glory.

Psalm 146:6.

because I can

Instead of tooting my own horn (Ironic, much? But, I digress...), I'm tooting other folks' horns.

I've just finished writing another recommendation. In the past two years or so, I've been writing them almost as much as I've been asking for them. It's weird/exciting/happy feeling to be "of age" to write them for others while very much needing them myself.

The familiar notion of crying old comes to mind, but for as long as I've been crying so, I'm embracing this notion more and more. Let me clarify.

A few years ago, I would have thought aging as dreadful. Now, I embrace it joyfully.

Yes, I realize I'm too young to speak about getting old. To that I say, pish posh. I've been doing so since high school and I know that I'm gonna keep doing it till kingdom come.

Speaking of kingdom, I'm reminded of this one verse...

Proverbs 16:31.

Praying that I get to that point. God willing.

we remember

10 years.

Most everyone has said that it's one of those things that define a generation.

A thing that everyone remembers exactly what they were doing the moment they found out.

A thing that has caused countless ink, tears, blood, and everything than can flow, to run wild.

We have. We do. We will.

Remember.

ex nihilo (sort of...)

I secretly (not so much anymore) enjoy driving in the loop of the interchange. That centripetal force thing going on doesn't cease to excite.

Situated in one of these countless loops, that I enjoy way too much, is a little brick church I pass on my way to work. I don't know the name of said building but I always mean to look it up every time I pass it. Just something along the way that occasionally catches my eye; I pay it no mind.

Today, however, it got my whole attention. On the loop around, I noticed the stained glass windows. Folks in Bedlam probably made more sense, but the figures in the windows seem to flash brightly for a moment.

Was He trying to say something to me?

This wasn't some Joan of Arc kinda thing. But, it does remind me that He is always speaking to us. Not by the conventional methods of communication, but through the almost seemingly random. Burning shrubbery, random weather disturbances, dreams, etc. etc.

What He is saying? I don't know. Is He speaking to us? Probably. Or am I just causing more bedlam?

p.s. It's called Calvary Baptist.

so...how's the weather? (ii)

34 hours.

It's incomparable to the 4 days of no power that Isabel put parts of VA through. Props to the Dominion Power for being on their game this year. Bet your bottom dollar, that we had Snap!'s The Power on repeat.

Unfortunately, as the days go by, more news of Irene's devastation on the East Coast just keeps coming in. Time and time again, folks have wondered in the aftermath of natural disasters, why has this happened?

I am not seasoned enough to give an adequate answer, but I do know this...Natural disasters give folks new perspectives on life.

In the midst of the 34 hours of being "unplugged", I've been reminded and have had to relearn to appreciate a lot more of the things we have taken for granted. Yes, we in the First World have it easy. Water running INSTANTANEOUSLY from a tap; internet downloading video, music, etc. etc. faster than we can sneeze;  flips, switches, buttons, and screens we manipulate by A FINGER to manipulate a plethora of electronics...I think you get the picture. We have so much stuff that once we lose control of ONE thing, we go to pieces.

I cannot help but think of His words from the Sermon on the Mount.

No, dear reader, I am not trivializing the loss of life in the midst of tragedy. Rather, I am asking us to remember where our treasures lie.

Matthew 6:19-21.

so...how's the weather?

Oscar Wilde once said, "Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

He's right, but he was notoriously SCANDALOUS and me...not so much. So, I'm gonna indulge my uncultured-ness and save my imagination for other tings. (Yeah, you read that right.)

Smoke from the swamp fires.

Earthquakes.

Incoming hurricane.

Folks are flippin' out in the 757 over Irene, amongst other things. The pandemonium is understandable; folks saw Isabel and folks saw Floyd. Both of them were just bulls in a china store. Straight up thugged everybody and wrecked everything. Isabel stole our power. Floyd stole our water. Both of them are gone, yet they linger in our memories.

VA just seems to be plagued with natural disasters and people are losing their cool. Claiming it's the sign of the times. I understand the basis for this, but for real though...another deluge? He done did that with Noah and his crew. Does the rainbow not mean anything to these folks? (Genesis 9.)

Forgive the cynicism. I know, you gotta be prepared for the worst. Not saying you shouldn't prepare, just not clean out a WHOLE section of the store or be obsessively checking the Weather Channel.

You heard the report, calm it down, prepare accordingly, and get out of Dodge. If you're staying in Dodge, well just have your arsenal ready cuz it's not gonna be easy. Lastly, it should be firstly, let's not forget to seek His wisdom out.

Yes, we should be wary of the birth pangs as mentioned in Matthew 24, BUT we also need to keep in mind the other stuff Christ mentioned in the same discourse too. Keep reading His word and keep an eye out. He'll see us through it. Just gotta trust and obey.

delusions of grandeur...not

Sometime in the past, the younger more optimistic version of myself had that fire in the belly that drove me to dream and to conquer the world. But now...

The fire is still going, but I think I need some gasoline. I'm realizing the more seasoned I get; the more jaded I get. I hate the fact that I've become the stereotypical jaded post-college graduate. AND, the fact that I'm even writing about this jaded state of mind just adds to the snafu. Irony was/is never far from my side.

On top of the aforementioned conflict, the "ideals" of being antisocial, being apolitical, and being a-everything has crept into my demeanor. Apathy just can't wait to be king.

BUT, as mentioned earlier the fire hasn't died. I know that apathy begets slothfulness, and slothfulness begets decline. Steady, but surely there will be decline.

Someone once told me that if you're not moving forward, you're moving backward. I liked to think I'm stuck. Kidding aside, I know this is an uphill battle that I cannot let myself lose. But how do I keep moving if I can't even see the proverbial light at the end of this proverbial tunnel?

The poem "Footprints."

Somehow, some way, we all need to stand on our own two feet and keep walking. But we must NEVER forget...Footprints.

sweet home (fill in the blank)

Country roads, take me home. To the place, I BELONG...

During one of our breaks today, one of my co-workers and I talked about places we've traveled to. We soon were in concurrence; travel is one of the highs of life, even better when it's cheap and there's something about home that we love and cannot run from.

Preaching to the choir, I know. BUT, for the longest time I've been wrestling with the issue of where to make "home". Every place I've lived, I've liked to some degree. BUT, in the end I've found some flaw that I cannot bring myself to live with.

The sayings are true, home is where you make it. Maybe I just need to stop being so daggone picky. Apply that 80/20 rule in relationships towards living space, perhaps?

Mahalia Jackson's last verse of "A City Called Heaven" comes to mind. Maybe this is why I've been wrestling with the idea for so long. He calls us to find it. Matthew 13.

food affair (ii)

Tapas.

Seeing it from a Chinese P.O.V., its comparable to that of 點心. Always better when shared with others, but equally good solo.

Arugula Salad with Avocados, Sea Salt, and Lime. Chicken Vindaloo. Fried Dumplings with Peanut Sauce. Eggplant Fries with Hot Sauce and Powdered Sugar. "One Dollar Chicken Dinner". Kobe Beef.

KM, our dear friend D, and me enjoyed this RIDONK meal yesterday. I'm drooling thinking about it. Props to the genius(es) who came up with such ridiculous but delicious ideas.

This recent food affair has brought to mind another writing venture that I've been wrestling with for some time...Food blog, coming soon? Keep y'all posted on it.

we've only just begun...

Every time I hear that line being sung, I'm reminded of that alarm clock from 1408 (good movie, by the way). Who knew you could be creeped out by the Carpenters...smh.

On much less creepier things, my dear cousin was married yesterday. Congrats to the happily newly wed couple!

Since I was part of the bridal party, wedding photos were MANDATORY. Never have I seen so many flashing lights in a day. Nor, did I mind. Hehehe.

It was a nice little shindig with a B-E-A-U-tiful buffet. I'm gonna stop now while I'm ahead.

The toasts were the best part of the evening. One of the more memorable speeches was the one given by the groom's dad. He spoke on Christ's taking on of His bride. Can I get an Amen? Dance party and wedding games ensued.

As the night drew to a close, the DJ ended the dance party with the aforementioned Carpenters' song. How fitting. How true. Everything short of 1408.

Congrats again to them married folks. I hope they're enjoying their week long vacay. Yeah, I said it.

land, sea, and air

This one is for SR. I hope he doesn't mind.

On catching up with one of my former students, SR and I talked about his trip to the Holy Land.

As most of my dear readers know, Religious Studies was hustle/major part 2, so we had PLENTY to talk about.

Seeing and experiencing Israel first hand and retelling the sights he witnessed overwhelmed me with a series of fits of goosebumps. To see, smell, breathe, walk, etc. etc. the very same places Biblical folks have lived. I've got goosebumps even as I reflect and write this sentence.

As the exchange progressed, he mentioned some worries he had been wrestling with about the upcoming semester, on a boat in the SEA of GALILEE?!? When in the midst of deep contemplation, a flock of birds flew by him. SR recounted that he was reminded of the birds mentioned in Matthew 6. More goosebumps.

I dare not summarize SR's trip, for fear of cheapening the experience, but I will say this...

The birds were a beautiful reminder of His omnipresence. To think, that He would use His creations to speak to us. To remind us of His power. His might. His glory. Land, sea, and air.

the eleventh hour

TOO MANY things happen at this time.

From my days as a student, I remember countless papers being written at this time. A lot of times it was procrastination. BUT, more times than the former excuse, it was because I just couldn't think of anything to write. I've conceded to the fact that I'm a terrible writer. Folks say practice makes perfect, hence more reasons for me to blog. Although, I don't conform to "regular" writing formats. Oh, well.

From my on and off work experience in the food industry, this hour sucks. Not gonna attempt to recount any stories. There are COUNTLESS. I think the front and back of the house staff of any food establishment can commiserate with me on this.

In more recent years, I've come to realize this is the time that really counts. This is the time when all that was supposedly naught comes booming into fruition. This is the time when something finally gives way. This is the time when all else has failed miserably, that ONE thing pulls us through.

Much like that final hour when He breathed His last. When all thought that His death was in vain, it was than that victory was achieved.

I'm not saying to procrastinate. Far from it, dear reader! I'm just saying be optimistic about the eleventh hour because...the end is near.

ad infinitum

I just got slapped again.

The tired joke/lament of aging keeps coming up in my conversations.

Another set of my dear Gov School students are going/have gone to college orientation.

Folks I love and miss from the Grape are getting married within the year.

Couples I knew before they were an item are married and are pregnant (the collective, "We're pregnant!", mind you).

Life keeps moving along, and it seems that I'm a witness to the much-too-fast-of-a-pace-for-my-going for the folks around me. Don't get me wrong, I'm ok with my pace for now, it just seems that ERRRBODY's on rush hour mode.

Maybe my going with the flow is too slow? Whatever the case, I pray that my timing coincides with His perfect timing. His Will be done, not mine. Like how He's been doing it, ad infinitum.

love vs. l'œuf

WIMBLEDON.

For the past 3 years, I haven't been able to follow Wimbledon because of the greatness that is Gov School. Now that I'm in temporary retirement from it, I've been following it like crazy.

So this year, Sharapova has risen through the Wimbledon ranks again. I love a comeback. I remember her title match against Serena back in '04. Oooh, was that game something to watch! But since then I've not heard much of her Wimbledon-wise. But, to bring it back to the present, her match against Kvitova was CRAZY. 4 deuces?!? I was frustrated and tired for the both of them. Congrats to Kvitova for winning this year.

It seems that whatever spectator sport that I follow closely at the moment has that "I-need-to-play-that-right-NOW" effect on me.

Now I'm desperately looking for my racket.

US Open is just a month away!

Addendum: Djokovic won the Men's title. I'm telling you, these folks from the former Soviet Bloc...

food affair

Fried Oreos.

Oyster Po Boys.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt.

Raspberry Italian Soda.

The fooding of today was b-e-a-u-tiful. Still thinking about how it's gonna kill me in the middle of the night. But definitely worth it. KM knows.

from the mouth of babes

I'm a bit embarrassed this happened. I fell asleep after one of my RIDONK food battles.

After waking from the itis, I noticed my baby cousin standing over me excitedly telling me repeatedly:

Appy Earthday!

For the life of me, I could not figure out what this little girl was trying to tell me.

Then I remembered.

Happy Birthday.

It was her birthday.

Happy Bday RW. Such a cutie pie.

where to lean

Bill Withers' Lean on Me.

As of lately, I've been reading through 1-2 Chronicles, again. To be quite honest, it's an on-again off-again boring read for me. There's too many names butchered in my pronunciation and numbers thrown around.

Then IT hit me again.

One of the passages mentions King David facing incoming death from thousands of people from different lands. Terrifying, to say the least. He was faced with multitudes of folks whose only mission was to wipe him out. YET, he knew Who to lean on. Every victory was due to Him and King David's faith in leaning on Him.

Just lean on Him and you'll be good?

For a long time, I thought that's all I needed to do. It still is all that we need to do, but I've learned it is a certainty that it WILL BE HARD. It can get discouraging to lean on Him and still not see anything happen. It's led me to believe that this frustration is due to the want of instant gratification, but I'm realizing more and more He doesn't work like that for us.

Working it out in His own time, so that we when we're finished with the so-called "struggle" will then can we appreciate getting There, whatever/wherever There may be.

Psalm 22. Hebrews 13:5b.

He hasn't forgotten us.

tears shed in church

Every time I see folks crying in church, I'm always reminded of Elvis' rendition of Crying in the Chapel.

I've noticed preachers crying in the middle of their sermons more frequently in the past couple of years. Whenever I see this, it always gets to me. I cannot help but empathize, resulting in my own 眼圈紅了.

I'm not quite sure how to eloquently end this post, so...Mournful tears. Joyful tears. Cry for those who know Him not and those that just did.

Psalm 30:5b.

rendevous with Madam C. Belle

It's been almost a year since I've seen this sight of beauty.

I love and hate it, which means I really do love it.

I believe I speak for a lot of Wahoos in saying that, Cville and UVA are synonymous and folks cannot think of one without thinking of the other.

In fulfilling a promise to the Norcom Crew & Co. and in honor of them rockin' the honor of Honors, I returned to UVA.

With no shame, dear reader, I tell you these things. This past year, I've literally dreamt of dear ol'UVA. I dreamt of walking around Grounds again. Wanting to be lost in another random part of Cville again. Yearning to see this place that was home for a very trying, yet rewarding 4 years.

It thrills and pains me to remember that today has been a year that I too have worn the honors of Honor.

Seeing and hearing familiar voices, sights, former haunts, and changes brought a plethora of thoughts and emotions.

I'm always a bit reluctant leaving her, but I know she'll still be there. She's had my back, you better know I got her's.

Shoutouts to the 2011 graduates!

bleeding h[ear]t[s]

Van Gogh was right to do what he did.

I don't care anymore. I've kept silent for too long.

Music nowadays SUCKS. TOO many times it's a combination of poor writing, inappropriate lyrics, and/or terrible melody. I truly believe this is why these chirren be actin' the way they do. It's because of this noise folks dare call music is shaping and molding them so.

Every genre that has lyrics is affected by this phenomenon. It's insane.

It's led me to wonder, what's going on in a songwriter's bleeding heart that compels them to make "music" causing my bleeding ears?

My solution: Sing about Him even LOUDER. By that I mean, put speakers to the windows and blast hymns until somebody tells you to quiet it down. Drive around town with the radio blaring His songs so pedestrians, loiterers, and animals alike can hear. More eloquently put, go tell it on a mountain.

To mend these bleeding hearts. To stop these bleeding ears.

mam(m)a mia!

Kanye West's Hey Mama and Jay Chou's 聽媽媽的話 come to mind when celebrating that day of tu madre.

With all due respect, we love and cherish the woman and the women who've stepped in and acted as mama. BUT, sometimes that woman be trippin'. Yeah, I said it. I'll tell her myself.

But in light of a sermon I just heard, I want to give voice to the ones who haven't been as fortunate. To the ones that've been hurt by this woman. To the ones that resent this woman. To the ones that can't bring themselves to forgive this woman...

Let go and let God. She may not have done you right in your lifetime, BUT please do her right in her lifetime. For her. For you.

Dear reader, she might not have taken care of you the way you would have like her to, but know full well that He's got your back.

Forgive her. HE forgave us.

let no man tear asunder...

Confession: I got up at 5am to see the Royal Wedding.

Ever since I could remember, I've always been fascinated by royalty of every kind. The grandeur, the luxury, the ridonkolousness of everything these folks had a hold on, held me spellbound.

When I was much younger, I remember absorbing book after book about palaces, castles, monuments, etc. etc. that were built because of such people. I've drawn and built so many models of royal residences that the very number of them all would match that of the number of those in Europe.

I've dreamt of cooking and eating the meals of the Sun King. (keyword is dreamt, not trying to have a heart attack...)

Obsession would be an understatement. So, naturally, me waking at 5am was child's play.

The wedding speaks for itself. Millions of pictures and commentators have said plenty, so I needn't rave on it.

But, I will rave about one wedding. Christ and His bride. Forgive the cliché, but this match was definitely made in heaven.

Revelation 19:6-8.

This Bride is beautiful only because the Bridegroom made her so.

beautfiulwonderfulmarvelous

It's that time again where ERRRBODY comes out the woodwork.

Cars fill up the parking lot. Standing room only a lot of times. Multiple and sometimes extended meeting times occur.

Frustrating, to say the least.

All petty stuff aside, it's definitely worth it.

Resurrection. A simple concept with revolutionary effects. Who'd thought that 2000+ years later, one man's death could cause this much commotion every year?

Luke 15.

One is ALL the difference.

lessons from the Concrete Mistress

I'm claiming credit for the above name just coined, first.

Don't get me wrong. I heart New York. It never disappoints when I go. But as of lately, the mistress of THIS particular concrete jungle has been quite harsh.

I never cease learning from my encounters with her. But particularly, I want to focus on this little nugget of info from Mme Concrete. Hopefully, this ain't already in textbooks. If it is, I apologize for not crediting you, dear reader, properly for it. But if it isn't...I'm claiming it first too.

I've realized folks learn facts/gossip in one of two ways. A: in one long stream of info. Getting the whole picture, if you will. B: in fragments, having to piece them together along the way to get the whole picture. Like puzzle pieces. I want to focus on this "Puzzle Piece Learning."

Certainly each type of learning has its merits, but it's the "PPL" that confounds me the most. A lot of times we get pieces and just don't know where to place them. Sometimes we jam it in a place, thinking it'll fit in -only to find it doesn't match later on. Sometimes we just store it away, hoping and sometimes not knowing when it'll make sense. Hopefully it doesn't have to become a Slumdog Millionaire type of deal.

Info gathered through "PPL" seems the most challenging to deal with at that moment, but most rewarding when it comes to be of much use, at the most random times. It is then that when everything falls into place, everything makes sense.

It seems to me that A LOT of His lessons are the same way. Finding pieces that seemingly fit nowhere at present, to then find that it fits perfectly into His most perfect puzzle picture later on.

Hats off to this Teacher.

3

Albeit a day late, here it goes...

Here's to 3 years of random streams of consciousness. But due props to the One that inspires it all.

Let's see what this year brings.

birthday writing

I wonder every year how to celebrate these.

Personally, I find great joy in celebrating and surprising others on their joyous occasion.

I'm generally low-key when it comes to festivities, but a surprise every now and then is something I'm not opposed to. Haha. I guess what I'm trying to get at is...I cannot Thank those enough for the joy they've brought me on my day. Past and present. Here's to you all. (Pretend I have a champagne flute raised)

To add to that, all due props to Him for allowing me another year to celebrate all that He has blessed me with. Family, friends, food, etc. etc. Here's to Him.

the frustration of bracketology

I gripe about this every year.

My bracket is hanging on for dear life at this point. It always fares well Rounds 1 and 2, but afterward...Fuhgeddaboudit!

But, March Madness never disappoints. The upsets, the overtimes, and the Cinderella stories all make for good Tourny watching. This definitely makes up for the agony one goes through when another team bites the dust, bracket-wise. Plenty of that every year.

March Madness, a good way to start spring.

addendum: 7:06pm. 27th March 2011. my poor, poor bracket...

six degrees of starstruck

After some light reading (read: random stalking), I've stumbled upon some info that made my world a bit smaller.

Apparently, Martin Scorsese grew up a block away from where I used to live in New York. Saying my mind was blown would just be understated.

Next time I'm in the neighborhood, I wonder if I'll run into Marty.

supernatural dogs?

Dear Reader,

I've read that dogs can sense the presence of spirits/ghosts/poltergeists. If that is the case, can they sense the Holy Spirit???

So dear reader, a penny for your thoughts.

強迫觀念

Claude Monet once said,

"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment..."

With good reason too, the color in his art speaks for itself.

More recently, my own obsessions have been brought to mind. Nutella. New York. Needless writing. And numerous other things. So why the obsession in the first place?

In my opinion, obsession is love. In the fact that it is an overwhelming fixation of something on the mind. A compelling notion, so to speak.

Like many of my ruminations, these thoughts led me to this thought; what then is God's obsession?

It hit me one day in midst of a hymn. People. Countless books, chapters, and verses from His Book tell us again and again of His obsession with us.

Our creation by His hand. The Israelites being led through the desert by Him to the Promised Land. Prophets sent by Him to tell of our need for Him. Prophets telling us of His coming. His actual coming. His healing of our brokenness. His redemption of us. Paul and other folks' writings of His relationship with us.

Many have said that His Book is His love letter to us. Each time I read it, I believe it, more and more. He's always thinking of us. We should definitely always be thinking of Him.

Obsess over Him. His obsessiveness needs to be reciprocated.

紅山紅海?

Old habits die hard.

Another outing to Wally World to "win" some sundry toiletries. Woo.

When I came in, I was met with a sea of red, pink, and white. Another pre-V-Day sale, of course. Those colors against a background of that sterilizing fluorescent lighting was almost TOO much, yet so captivating. I wish I'd taken a picture of it all.

As I wandered through the aisles of oddly shaped Mylar and perfectly crafted polyester to the aisles of soap, I couldn't help but think about Moses.

God split the Red Sea so that Moses could lead His people into the Promised Land. How truly wonderful is His love for His people.

How beautiful is the One that moves mountains and waters because He loves us. Among other things.

John 3:16-17.

Happy Valentine's Day!

三代同堂

At most holiday/festivals/celebrations is this a likely occurrence.

In my better-late-than-never-slow-recognizance-of-the-fact, I've seen it where it has been 4 generations together, one of which has been the case of my own family. Needless to say, privacy with this many people in the house can only be few and far between. AND, the old woman living in the shoe thought she had it bad?

With so many shared meals and maybe not enough living space, it is almost inevitable that ideas, thoughts, and the so called wisdom of the ages are exchanged. I can't help but wonder at times, why the discourse at all?

The Pentateuch has countless times mentioned somebody giving due props to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Israel. Certainly wisdom of the ages worth mentioning.

Yes, there will be sweat, blood, and tears included in the deluge of words with the folks we call family. But,幸福 comes, showing its pretty little head in the mire of it all. 通過祂的恩典 and A WHOLE LOT of prayer.

重新開始

Février est ici!

Full of good stuff, hands down.

Groundhog Day, 春節, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, etc. etc.

Black History Month!

And why is this month so freakin' cold?!? (I love it though.)

Yet another month to start over. Another month to do it again. Another month to set it right.

Yet, still remembering all is contingent on the fact that He gives me tomorrow; further, still remembering to fight today.

馬太福音6:34.

being a crybaby

發脾氣. Actin' up. Throwing a temper tantrum.

Anyone who has dealt with children of any age has encountered this at some point or another. For the "unfortunate" ones who have had to deal with the REALLY little youngins, I empathize.

Once again, I played caretaker (read: babysitter) for my dear cousin again. I secretly enjoy this, it's like people watching. Albeit, really little people and actual interaction.

Tempers had been brewing and a throw-down or two were in order. The inevitable happened, of course.

In the midst of the pandemonium and as I wiped away my crocodile tears, I received another insight. (This seems to be a recurring theme for me...)

There are some cries (read: bellyaches) you don't necessarily have to respond to. I'll qualify that, for fear of CPS coming down on me. I WANT THAT TOY! THIS IS MINE! I DON'T WANT TO EAT THAT! etc. etc. Ignoring such in hopes they realize that there is reason behind it all.

In the same way, although much more refined, we as "grown ups" have the very same gripes. Which led me to this...How many of our complaints does Our Father ignore in hopes that we wise up?

Obviously MUCH wiser than us, bar none. Psalm 139 repeatedly reminds me that He knows me, better than I do. All of us, for that matter.

Quit the bellyachin'. His reasoning is much better.

兩面三刀

Quite the description for someone two faced.

Polonius' famous last words to Laertes come to mind.

I think I've been guilty of NOT doing this TOO much lately. I used to pride myself in overcompensating too much truth to people I know to compensate the too little truth to people I don't know. Let that marinade for a little bit.

The question of balancing truth and privacy on one's shoulders is enough to make a professional tightrope walker quit their profession.

James was writing some hard truths in his letter. His written words cut into me like those of the 3 proverbial knives cutting into the person I just stabbed.

Maybe He's gardening again.

James 1:2-8, James 4:7-10, John 15:1-8.

It's time for some new fruit.

eating His words...with butter?

DISCLAIMER: I was not put up to this by ANY company.

I was in the bread aisle looking for such. So long as it isn't sawdust dry, I consider it game to eat.

Like any typical bread aisle of the Eastern seaboard and its neighboring states, I came across some Sunbeam bread. Yet the logo wasn't the usual Little Miss Sunbeam munching on a slice.

She was praying.

In words right beside her praying hands were: "Not By Bread Alone".

I know this isn't an unusual sight for the avid Sunbeam aficionados, but it caught me off guard.

Such a bold statement for the Israelites coming into the Promised Land. For the devil when Christ answered him after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness. For the land of plenty when millions still suffer from having not enough to eat.

In Greek, (λόγος) "logos" is used to describe Christ in the Gospel of John. In Spanish, "pan" means bread. In Greek, it means all.

Pan for pan? Logos for pan is the much better deal.

John 1:1 and Deuteronomy 8:3.

In the year of our Lord...

2011.

Seems antiquated to write or even say. I was never one to be politically correct.

Patiently waiting and expecting what He and I will accomplish this year.

Watch out.