run

a couple days ago i ran right around 7 miles in 47:39.  good times

encouraging

i’ve been thinking lately that there is little to nothing i could possibly write that would be more important than scripture. thats why yesterday i posted a passage of scripture, and today i’m posting another passage. i hope you find confidence and encouragement in this passage. i hope you can find hope in god’s mercy and grace. this is probably one of the most exciting passages of scripture i’ve ever read because i can almost hear paul saying, “i’m the worst sinner. you may have done some pretty sinful things, but i’ve done some unthinkable stuff.” don’t we all feel that way about our sin?  yet there’s mercy and grace for us all, praise god!

even though i was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, i was shown mercy because i acted in ignorance and unbelief. the grace of our lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in christ jesus. here is a trustworthy saying that desereves full acceptance: christ jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom i am the worst. but for that very reason i was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, christ jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. now to the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only god, be honor and glory for ever and ever. amen.

I timothy 1:13-17

what it’s all about

therefore, if anyone is in christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! all this is from god, who reconciled us to himself through christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that god was reconciling the world to himself in christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. we are therefore christ’s ambassadors, as though god were making his appeal through us. we implore you on christ’s behalf: be reconciled to god. god made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of god.

II corinthians 5:17-21

confession

i didn’t feed anyone last week.  i had to confess that.  i woke up saturday morning only thinking about finding someone to feed.  i didn’t.  i had to own up to that.  i have no excuses other than laziness.  i’m going to try and be more intentional and actively purposeful this week.

car driving

last night i think i began to fully recognize just how sweet being a valet is.  beside the fact that its the easiest money i’ve ever made, it has taught me many important lessons and offered many great opportunities that i may never have had otherwise.

things i’ve learned:
1) the job has taught me about humility.  there’s nothing more embarrassing that standing in front of a hotel in knee high socks, knickers, a short fat tie, and a derby hat.  there is something about being dressed that goofy that humbles a person.  people make comments and laugh at our outfits.  it’s definitely not the ideal outfit when pretty girls are at the hotel either, haha.

2) the job has taught me about service (this ties in with humility).  service is completely about the person that is being served.  at times i have found myself wanting to provide good service with the hopes of making a good tip (terrible i know).  however, providing good service should have nothing to do with me at all.  speaking to a guest with great respect, having a cheerful attitude, and truly wanting to make their experience better is what makes service at the hotel great.  none of that should be done with the intentions of making a better tip.

3) the job has taught me that everyone should be treated equally (this kind of ties in with service as well).  the hotel i work at is a bit pricey.  we have millionaires stay at the hotel, but we also have people who saved for 5+ years to come to disneyland stay at our hotel.  we see cars ranging from a beat up honda to a quarter of a million dollar ferrari.  everyone, though, deserves the same service.  its easy to want to give service to the wealthy.  for once again your odds of being tipped are greater.  however, i’ve learned that a persons appreciation for good service far outweighs $5 without appreciation.  the people who saved for years to be at the hotel i work at are excited just to be there.  often the wealthy come in like it’s just another day at another expensive hotel.  i love seeing people get excited!  it makes it easier to serve.  so maybe i need to focus more on my attitude in wanting to serve the wealthy for the right motives.

4) the job has taught me how what it means to work on a team.  honestly, this is one lesson i thought i would’ve never learned from working as a valet.  however, between all of the different personalities there are and the level of dependence we have on each other, one couldn’t help but learn to function as a team.  it is often stressful and frustrating working with so many mixed personalities.   i’ve grown a lot in my patience toward people here, and i’ve grown a lot in trying to stay positive.  when you’re working with people you’d never choose to spend an hour with day in and day out you have to learn to have a civil and positive relationship with them.  it’s been frustrating but a growing experience.  having positive relationships creates a synergy thats important for any team.

i could list some more lessons i’ve learned, but this blog is already getting long.  so i’ll just get to the opportunities it has provided me.

i won’t list anything here.  i’ll simply write about one opportunity its given me in many forms: influence.  i’m one of the few, few….ok i’m one of two christians at my job (the other is a bellman).  i’ve been given a great opportunity to have positive influence on my co-workers and managers.  i have people question me about church and my faith.  i have people share with me their beliefs (some seem real odd to me…and i’m sure mine seem real odd to them).  however, i can say that i have had positive influence at that place.  whether through conversation or action i see GODS WORK in my life on display to my co-workers.  i must emphasize that it is GOD on display, not myself.  this blog has turned out to be longer than i intended already so i’ll cut it short here.  i must say though, it’ll be a bitter sweet thing when i leave that workplace.  although i often loathe going to work there, it has truly been a place to learn from and an opportunity to be light in darkness.  i hope to never lose contact with the world that is not “churched.”  i hope to constantly have influence on the lives of those that are not saved, that are not followers of jesus.

question…

is god enough for you?  like, is he really more than enough for you?  do you truly believe that he is?

i wonder how much different my life would look if i could honestly answer yes to that question at every moment during my day.

love to run

i started my run sometime around 11:40 pm this evening.  super late to run, i know.  i ran my 6 1/2 mile route in 43:42.  i’m going to up my mileage sometime this week.  i learned something this evening while i ran.  i find intimacy with god through running.  tonight was one of the most beautiful/intense/serene/ intimate moments i’ve had with god for a while.  i find peace in running with god.  my mind has been working overtime in confusing me lately ha.  tonight’s run was like a filter to get rid of some unnecessary thoughts.  it helped clear the “blurriness” (is that a word? whatever, i put it in quotes so it doesn’t matter haha).  great run tonight.

so much so little

i recently was talking with a friend and made a statement that sounded something like “i’m at this point in my life where i’m still free to do anything.  i have no family, responsibilities, or anything else holding me back.”

as i begin to dwell on this idea that god has given me this gift of freedom i become overwhelmed with what to do with it all.  there are so so so so so so so many freaking things i want/can do.  i’ve thought about pusuing a masters degree.  i’ve thought about coaching soccer.  i’ve thought about just working as a valet and feeding hungry people.  i’ve thought about finding a janitorial job in a high school to be around students more often.  i’ve thought about going to india to serve.  i’ve thought about running the long beach marathon as a fundraiser for a local organization.  i just have so much i want to do and it seems like i have so little time to do it all in. 

i believe thinking about so much keeps me from doing anything one thing well.  i need to start discerning what it is god is calling me to do, and finding tangible ways to do it.  so here are some tangible things that i’m doing right now or am committing myself to right now. 

1) we often teach students that they should pursue and be active in things they’re passionate about and to use those passions to serve god.  well i’m passionate about football (what americans call soccer).  i love the game.  so i e-mailed a bunch of high school coaches today regarding ways to get invovled with coaching high school teams.  i have a meeting with one of them this week.

2) i feel a constant call on my life, almost daily, to feed the hungry.  so before saturday ends i’m going to go meet a stranger (probably a homeless person) and feed them.  i want to try and to this at least once a week.  all too often i believe we think feeding the hungry is for organizations.  i think i personally should be feeding the hungry.  i wonder what long beach would look like if every attender of parkcrest fed one person, one meal a week.  please ask me about it.  it’ll be an accountability for me.

3) i’m going to do a small job search for janitorial jobs at local high schools, nothing super serious but just to see what’s out there.  there’s a janitor at the elementary school where my mom works who has been working there for over 20 years.  i’ve been to the school and watched high schooler after high schooler come and talk to him for 20 plus minutes a day because he impacted their life.  they had a special appreciation day for him and hundreds of people celebrated him because of the impact he has on the faculty and students at the school.

4) i’m going to find an organization that i could serve in india sometime in the next couple of years.  i want to go for a month or so and do whatever they need me to do.  i want to bathe people.  i want to feed people.  i want to pray with and for people.  if anyone knows an organization or person/people i could contact let me know please.

5) i’m going to find an organization to raise money for by running the long beach marathon.  anyone have any good ideas?  numbers?  e-mails?

there are five things i’m committing myself to do in the next few weeks.

reading

i always enjoy reading when i’m doing it.  i always enjoy reading when i’m done with it.  i enjoy learning.  i enjoy acquiring knowledge.  i enjoy gaining perspective.  why’s it so difficult to start an activity i enjoy so much?  weird.  i’m going to go read now.  this blog was just an attempt to avoid reading haha. 

makes me think though, don’t we all do or don’t do things we know we shouldn’t or should do?  logically in our heads we know we should or shouldn’t be involved with certain behaviors.  crazy how it’s so difficult to follow what we know is right sometimes.

no title will get it across better…just read it

“i believe there’s not unity because most christians don’t wake up in the morning thinking to themselves that god actually has something for them to do that day. instead, most christians wake up and think to themselves,

‘i have some things i would like to do today. and i’m going to pray that god helps me. ‘

and so suddenly god becomes the means rather than the end. in fact that’s why a lot of people come to church. they think,

‘i would love to have a happy family, and i think church would help me do that and god would help me get there.’

or

‘i would like my friend to be healthy so i will go to church and maybe god will help that person get better.’

so suddenly god is no longer the end. we don’t think,

‘oh wow we get to have god.’

instead it’s ‘no wait. i can have this family and god will help me achieve to get this family.’ “

-francis chan