ATLANTA, GEORGIA

I will be trekking my way out to Atlanta, Georgia Sunday night. I am so FREAKIN' EXCITED! Elaine, Sylvia, Jarrod and I will be attending a conference at Northlands Church in Norcross, GA. God is going to do some amazing things there. We can all sense it. Can't wait! :) Post more later. I just needed an outlet for my excitement!

P.S. Why does it seem like there's an overflowing of work right before you leave for vacation? It's all a conspiracy!!!!

PERSPECTIVE

I've been meaning to write this post two weeks ago. I was on my way back from San Jose to Orange County. A young man sat next to me and struck up a conversation because he was curious to what I was reading: Mudhouse Sabbath. We chit chatted from the time he sat down till we got our luggage. We had a good conversation, but the part that got me was when I found out a little bit about his life. You see, he's 27, married with 3 kids, working full time at the Apple store, full time seminary student, children's pastor at church and takes turn to watch the kids when his wife goes in for work as a nurse. At the end of his list, he caught me off guard by saying that he LOVES his life and he wouldn't change anything. After hearing that, I started laughing. He asked me why I was laughing and told him that I just took a month off to take a break from life because I couldn't handle my very, very, very simple life and my one job. We both started laughing and he told me not to feel bad. Different people handle life differently. I think he was being nice but probably thinking "Wow, this girl is crazy!"

From that conversation, I just told myself: P-E-R-S-P-E-C-T-I-V-E!!!!! :)

CALL + RESPONSE

I watched the trailer last night and my heart just broke. I know I cannot possibly help every cause or every one that is hurting, but I need to become aware and take steps as much as I can. So, here's my part...I'm passing along the information. Hopefully you will be able to go to a showing of it near your home. For those living in Orange County, we will be going next Thursday, 10/16 for the 7:30pm showing in Irvine. Please come join us if you can. Pass the word along.

Check out the link by clicking here: Call + Response

IT CANNOT RAIN TOMORROW!

Because I will be here:


Eating this:


And I don't want it to RAIN!!!!!!

Today is a VERY SPECIAL day.

It's Kimmie's 30th BIRTHDAY!!!!!! YAY!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you tons!!!!!!!!!

PROPHETIC FORTUNES.

I'm beginning to think that God speaks to me through fortune cookies. At the beginning of year I had a fortune that said: "You are going to travel somewhere far away." And I did! For a whole month! It was glorious!

Lately, I've been feeling that I'm supposed to take another break. So, last night I opened up a couple of fortunes. Some were bad, but two were really great. Here's what each one said:

1. Remember three months from this date. Good things are in store for you.
2. Need some adventure and enjoyment? Take a vacation.

So...I think God is trying to tell me that in 3 months I will be taking a vacation. :) We shall see! I'm telling you...prophetic fortunes are the way to go. :)

GLUTEN FREE SHOPPING...

Cost a lot of money. Glad that it's only me and is super happy that Whole Foods is right down the street from work and love the fact that they are EXTREMELY organized. You can spot gluten free products fairly easily and the workers there are EXTREMELY nice. I love it!!!

I had my first taste of gluten free bread tonight. I was craving a sandwich. Not too shabby. The key is...low expectations also I have a high tolerance and adaptation to weird/strange tasting foods. So...that comes in quite handy. :) For that alone, I am truly grateful. :)

SELF INFLICTED MISERY.

So...I've decided that I wanted to try different eating habits. So, this week, I'm going Gluten Free. It's really hard because almost everything that I want to eat contains some form of Gluten. It's driving me nuts! I don't know why I do this to myself. It's not like I'm doing it because I actually have health issues. I'm doing it because I'm curious. Of course I can quit anytime, but I can't and won't do that because it means I'm weak. Aughhhhhhhhhhh....why do I inflict misery upon myself? :)

After this...I'm going vegan. My body is going to hate me!

Phelps Phan

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this commercial! I don't know why, but it makes me laugh everytime I watch it. :) Enjoy!!!

My Life In A Few Words

Thanks Ange for introducing me to WORDLE!

These words are extracted from my blog. It's fun. You should try it too!!!!

A Letter...

Dear boys in cars,

Here are a few things your mother did not teach you and things that you should know:

1. I am not a piece of meat.
2. Do not honk at me.
3. Do not stare at me.
4. Do not whistle or make noise at me.
5. If you are trying to get a reaction out of me by doing #1-4, like I'm going to suddenly notice you and think that you're treating me like a prize possession and then jump into your car and live happily ever after...well...you're wrong. Please go find yourself a prostitute.

Thank you.

Grace

LOST

Nope...not about the show. Sorry friends!

I've lost 2 rings. Both of these rings have VERY significant value to me. I’m sad. I don’t know where they are and could possibly be. I need them to appear magically before my eyes. So…can you please pray that I will find them soon or they will find me soon?! Thanks.

Please Insert Foot In Mouth

Yup...experienced one of those moments last night. The worst is when you do try to retract what you've said or done...it just end up sounding pathetic, desparate and cheezy. At that point, you have one foot in mouth while standing on the other leg digging your very deep hole. Yup...hopefully you've learned something valuable from this post: Feet taste gross and digging a hole that you can't climb out from is a very, very, very, very bad thing!!!

4:20/4:23

So, during my week of fasting from the WWW, 4 days in a row I would wake up exactly at 4:20 or 4:23. It was the weirdest thing. I figured that it was God trying to tell me something but wasn't quite sure what it was. So, the first time it happened, I thought it was a verse, so immediately I thought of Isaiah 4:20. To my luck, Isaiah 4:20 does not exist. :) So, I thought of 4:2. It reads:

"In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivor in Israel."

It was a great verse and every time I find a great verse that has to do with trees or branches, I email it to Elaine. So, I did. She thanked me for the verse. But in my heart it still wasn't quite THAT verse God wanted me to read.

I told Elaine about me waking up at those times and she encouraged me to go to Biblegateway.com and go through every 4:20-23 in the Bible. I went through the first 5 books in the Old Testament, but nothing stood out. I was determined to look through about 5 books a day just to find the perfect verse!

Then yesterday morning, my co-worker had a doctor's appointment in the morning and she was feeling very anxious about it. So I told her the day before that I wanted to pray with her. So, I was going through the different verses on healing and came across Proverbs 4:20-23. It reads:

"My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

I was pretty amazed, but it still wasn't the ONE.

Then this morning, I had the urge to read about the Israelites crossing the Jordan River. I started reading it but I had such a great urge to read v. 20-23 and v. 24 just to see what it says.

"And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, 'In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground. For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried up before us untl we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that ou might always fear the Lord your God."

This was what I was looking for!!!! See, on Thursday night, Elaine and I had our weekly prayer/soaking time. God gave me a word to share with her and it was this story. Except at that time I could not remember the reference for the life of me! She knew what I was talking about, but couldn't recall the reference either. So, ever since then it's been on my heart to find it...and I did this morning!!! I'm so excited that I'm now blogging about it. :)

God speaks to us in many different ways. It can be simply waking you up at a certain time each day to actually speaking to you in an audible voice. But however you "hear" from Him, if something happens three times or more, take into consideration that He's trying to get your attention and that you need to take action on it.

I woke up Jan. 1, 2008 with Him telling me that this is going to be a great year. A year full of adventures and new things. AND believe me it has been...a very joyous one and I'm still experiencing all the things He's showering me with. I love it!!! Changes are ahead. I no longer fear it like I usually would. I am quite excited and can't wait!!!!

FASTING...

I will be fasting from the World Wide Web starting tomorrow, Tuesday, 7/15 for a week. So...if you need to get a hold of me, please call or text me!

Thank you!!!!

**I know...not like I update my blog...a week will be a piece of cake right?!**

Harsh Reality

Two weeks ago, I got a dose of reality from God. It was a harsh one. But I did ask Him to show me through my devotions what I needed to see and hear. You see, that week was a very tough week and I just wanted to know the problem and fix it. So, one morning I had it with feeling like crap, so I asked God to reveal to me something...anything....In my mind I was hoping for some kind of cool revelation or encouragement. But He didn't do that. Instead, He pointed out what I needed to work on.

I read II Samuel 6. Here are the verses that really stood out to me:

V.5: David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

V.16: As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

V.20-23: When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the kind of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel - I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

When I first read this chapter I was like "Oh cool. God is encouraging me to dance and worship Him!" Then reality hit me. Actually it was a "slap across the face" reality. God was actually pointing out to me that I am Michal.

I am really not phased by this harsh reality. Actually, I felt the burden lifted off of my shoulder when I found the problem and its root. You know the frustration of trying to pinpoint why you're so bothered but you can't quite figure it out? Yeah...all that went away. I needed God to use this story to tell me the harsh reality of myself.

Being back has been hard. I have learned to un-love a place that I've called home for the last 12 years. I am embarking on a new journey with my career. I had to overcome my shyness in confronting and step out in boldness. I have to learn that God has not left me behind in possessing certain anointing and gifts. I'm gaining confidence in who God has created me to be. I'm realizing that each one of us has a story and we are not to look to others and compare. I am learning that pleasing men is not what I strive for.

I don't want to be a Michal. I want to be a David. I just want to be in God's presence and to soak in Him ALL the time.

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

When God calls you to do something, you do it. It doesn't matter what everyone else is thinking or what you think for that matter. You obey Him and do it. I'm discovering that the more I do this, the more He gives me. For so long, I have been pleasing men rather than Him. So many times, I feel Him telling me to do something, I put it aside because I don't want to upset anyone or disappoint them. But no more.

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

Sometimes, He'll give me random and crazy thoughts. I still need to follow through with it. No more of hiding out and no more letting insecurities keep me from what He's called me to do. Nothing matters more to Him than loving and obeying Him with what He's given me to do. Everything else...

DOESN'T MATTER.

I love how God has just been using others to speak into my life. People who are close to me and people that I don't even know. God has been using them, strategically and in a timely fashion, to speak and confirm truth to me. It's been so awesome!!! I love it!

So...all this to say...the next step in my life is just beginning. I am so stoked. I know that I've been through one big adventure this year already, but another one is about to break from its shell really soon. I'm scared, but all I want to do is to do what He's called me to do and to please Him through my life. That's all.

I WANT TO ATTEND THIS...

I get random mail at work, especially for different types of workshops. Here's one that just cracked me up. I want to attend it just so I can experience some of awesomeness.

So question about this brochure...Are they saying that it's unacceptable to be happy, to stand around the water cooler and to be depressed? Hmmmmmmm.....

Let me know if you would like to attend this too! We can get a group discount! :)

TRIP LESSON #3: FREEDOM!!!!

April 30th, the day before my first day of my mini-sabbatical, I found a letter. I opened the letter and read the whole thing. I felt discouraged. I felt defeated. I thought to myself "What the heck am I doing? Why am I going on this trip for?" I felt like crap and I felt worthless. I felt so undeserving of something great. I cried.

After reading it, I quickly regained my composure and emailed my friend, Elaine, for prayer and to let her know what I just stumbled across. You see, that week, I was facing spiritual attacks. Earlier in the week, I had a meltdown. I couldn't stop crying and I felt so depressed and sad. I had my dear friend, Sarah Jackson, pray for me over Google Chat. It quickly subsided after her prayers. (Thanks friend!) Then, the stupid letter came.

Satan is constantly on the prowl especially when he knows that you are trying to accomplish something good. It's simple as that. He hates it and doesn't want you to succeed and receive all the goodness God want you to have. He knew that this trip, God would be building me up for the Kingdom and that did not settle with him. So, he decided to bring on my insecurities to make me feel devalued.

God told me that He wanted me to go on an adventure. So, I listened and planned the trip. Everything fell into place very quickly. Things were going smoothly till the month before the trip. I haven't booked any of my hotel stays. I lost heart and desires to get online and reserve. When I finally did have the desires to look, I was overwhelmed with all the choices. I knew that I needed to get the ball rolling. So, Elaine came over one night and pretty much made the decisions of where to stay for me. It was great! One hurdle down, lots more to go....

Then came all the doubts and questions. I started to fear that I've made a big mistake. What if I didn't gain anything from the trip? What would people think of me? The high expectations that I put on myself started to overwhelm me and it was so much to think about that I started wondering if I've made a wise choice or not. I was going back and forth in my mind. I was excited one minute and disappointed the other 59 minutes. It was crazy. Elaine kept praying for me and I did as well. I struggled in getting excited for it. I was scared in all aspect: what God was going to tell me, what others expected for this trip, etc...

This trip made me realized that satan is constantly pumping falsehood into us and we need to be ready to fight against that battle. I mean, I've always knew it, but it was so obvious this time around. I am so glad for friends like Elaine and Sarah who I can go to for prayer in times like these. I've never been good at asking for people to pray for me, but there's a sense of freedom that overcame me when I asked. I was allow to be myself...the worst of me. To be able to admit that I was struggling was HUGE for me. It was the first step to let satan know that he has no right to have a hold of me. It told him that I will not allow him to come in my way. It also set me free from his stronghold of me.

When I got home on April 30th, the first thing I did was to take the letter out and I lit it on fire. See pictures below as proof. :) I burned that piece of crap and I felt freedom!!!

I am not to look back to my past failures. I am not to use that as an excuse anymore. I am to look to how God has rescued me out of those pits and blessed me with greatness. I am to look ahead and pursue what He has set before me. I have hope. I have dreams. I need to pursue them.

Yes, insecurities still creeps up throughout the day. But I no longer allow that to overcome my being. I simply remind myself, which sometimes requires me to say it aloud, "I am beautiful. I am God's beautiful jewel. He has created me to be shown to the world and not hidden/tucked away." When I claim it and own it, I am free from those insecurities. It's great!

TRIP LESSON #2

I've been learning to recognize the different ways God speaks to me. For me, I believe that He speaks to me through my feelings and ocassionally, through a picture or a certain word. But most of the time, I believe He speaks to me by giving me a strong sense of certain things. I've figured all of this out while on my trip.

I guess whenever people say that they hear God, I'm expecting an actual audible voice. But that's not always the case. It just depends who you are, how you experience Him and that's how He "speaks" to you.

I love travelling by myself. I didn't have to worry about where to go, I can do anything I wanted. There were no set schedule and places to rush to. But one thing about travelling alone is the lack of communication. I've met some people, but most of the time, they don't speak any English. Anyway, the last day in Geneva, I was craving to have someone to talk to. It was the 7th day into my trip and I was just dying for a good conversation with someone!

As I walked out of the hotel and onto the busy street, I saw this girl standing in front of me at the stop light. I had a strong "sense" that she spoke English and she would be a good person to talk to. I thought about the possibility to talk to her, but it would just make me look like some strange, creepy girl. As we crossed the street, I had all these thoughts going through my head, like that it would be great if I could "accidentally" bump into her which will lead to having a conversation. All of a sudden, she stops at a ATM and I didn't have a reason to "accidentally" bump into her, so I just kept walking and walked to the nearest park to sit on the bench.

Ten minutes passed and I was still thinking about this girl. I was thinking to myself, "Ok, if she passes me, I'll smile and say hi!" I saw her, but she was 10 feet away and wasn't close enough for me to say "hi" in my normal tone of voice. I didn't want to yell either. That would really have scared her away. :) Then, I started thinking, "Ok, if she comes closer to the bench, I'll make my move." She started to walk toward where I was sitting and I was feeling excited and prepared myself. Then, all of sudden, she turned and walked the other way! I couldn't believe it. I was so close. Part of me said to go after her, but why would I do that? No way am I going after a stranger! I felt like I just lost a battle, but what could I do? I had to just set the feeling aside and move on. Then a strong "sense" came over me letting me know that I was going to meet her at L'Abri. I was like, "Yeah right. Out of all the people here, I'm going to meet her?! Whatever."

The day that I arrived at L'Abri, I met people left and right. By this point, I wasn't even thinking of her. Then she came into my room to introduce herself to me. That's when everything hit me. I asked her if she was in Geneva a few days back and if she stopped at an ATM machine. She said yes and I told her that when I saw her, I knew that I should have talked to her, but when the chance passed by, something told me that I was going to meet her at L'Abri. Turned out that she just arrived at Geneva that day and she was trying to get her bearings. She was also desparately in need of a conversation and told me that I should've went up to her!

(Bethany, my new found Australian friend, and me.)

From that point on, we were pretty much connected to the hips. She's there for the full 10 weeks and I miss her so much! We were an instant click and our friendship went to a level that usually would take months to get to! God brought us together for a reason and I'm glad He did.

From that experience, I've learned that God speaks loud and clear through my feelings/senses. I often disregard those things because I didn't think it had any value. But I've learned that on this trip that He "speaks" in many different ways (dreams, visions, words, etc...). Also, I've learned that we need to take the risk and just try it out. Throughout my trip, I've had a couple of instances where my senses/feelings just overwhelmed me to the point that I had to do something about it. I took the bold steps and the results were amazing. Now, I hold on to that and claim it. It's part of my intimate walk/relationship with God.

How does God speaks to you?

More to come later...