My Spiritual Suitcase

Arrivals,  Returning Home, The Sense of Familiarity and Comfort.  Something about the airport is just amazing. Going to pick up my uncle and his family, I don't know why it fascinates me so much. Something about getting in a plane, taking off, or touching down in a place called home. Home sweet home.  To be honest, heading to China in a few days, I'm not excited at all. Honestly speaking, I'm probably most excited for getting on a plane, but after today, what I'm looking most forward to is arriving. Back home. The feeling after a trip, gathering your luggage, coming out to the ones you love, back in a familiar and comfortable atmosphere. I can't wait.  At the same time, this "home" we're coming back to is our temporary home, as Carrie Underwood sings it. This earth we live on is just a place we're "renting out" or "currently residing in". Returning to this home that our Father has prepared for us even more exciting

i absolutely love being inspired and moved, provoked to think during my day, and exactly that happened tonight. stranded at church, i was sitting with a couple of friends, just there, waiting. I tried calling home, i tried calling mom, no one picked up, and then my phone died, so being there with nothing to do, i literally just sat there. one of my friends, man i don't understand how he had any motivation or energy to do all this, he went from playing the drums, to playing the piano, but what was the most significant was playing with a volleyball. after a long and tiring day, after playing with water balloons, playing ultimate frisbee, he played with this volleyball for a good extra 40 mins. non-stop. As i was siting and observing, he went from trying to shoot it from mid-court, to keeping it up, but he never stopped. so many times he shot, and missed, shot and missed. Even earlier, he was trying to throw a frisbee into a basketball net. After several and countless tries, it

301st post! what a milestone! I guess its appropriate to talk about goals with such a milestone type of post. My parents gave me a graduation card today, and i found this verse in it, and something about it just stuck out to me. 14  I press on  toward the goal to win the prize  for which God has called  me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14  pressing on towards the goal. each of us were made with a purpose in life, we were brought to this earth to fulfill our role that Christ has granted us. we also have a prize we're running for. This goal we're running towards is heaven. As believers, our spot in heaven has been secured, but as well run through the obstacles of life, we're running, aiming to please and glorify God in everything we do. no matter how tough it may get, no matter how low life my feel or be at times, will you keep running that race for God? our goals should not consist of fame or fortune, any worldly things, but only of eternal, lastin

doing a series on the book of Joshua at youth service and I'm really finding it rather interesting! i read a bit of chapter 7/8 and although its from the old testament, it really shows how important God's instruction is. For instance, Jericho, he clearly stated not to take anything from the ruins (Joshua 6:18-19). But because Achan did, there were consequences, he was exposed, his sin brought into the light and he and his family were stoned to death. also, things were very brutal. in chapter 8, they bring down the city of Ai, and after they ambushed it and won, they hung the king and left him there for the day, brought him to the city gates at sunset and put up a pile of rocks. interestingly, i noticed that both times, it said "which remains to this day". I think it really shows how powerful and lasting it is. Although now with the new covenant it isn't that strict, where if we confess our sins we are forgiven with the blood of Christ, but it really rein

i did it! today was that day. i graduated. Although throughout most of the night, it didn't fully hit me, and it still kinda hasn't, but thats it. Tomorrow I'm walking into that school for the last time, and i really don't realize that this chapter of my life is writing its final words. But throughout the night, walking and clapping for all the graduates, i felt proud. Proud of all of us, that we made it, we've finished this chapter and we're moving on. The valedictorian made her speech at the end of the night, and something really stuck out to me that seemed applicable. She talked about a story about a king that wanted a universal phrase that can be used in every situation, but he didn't believe such a statement existed. But a servant did, went to a goldsmith and engraved this statement on a right for the king. It read, "this moment shall pass.' this four word phrase is so powerful and is so applicable to life as well as our spiritual wa

quite a late post... So I had my final AGAPE program two days ago at the Golden Duck Awards, a way to celebrate the past year, how God has worked in the fellowship in others, and just as graduation for the grade 12s. After attending four years of this event, it was finally me that was graduating and i must say it still hasn't fully hit me yet that its done and over. the people i've met. the things i've done. the lessons i've learnt, the growth in my faith are more valuable to me than anything. thinking back and reflecting again, there are a few things i've learnt. step out. the past four years i've really been enclosed with my grade, my "group of friends" and it wasn't only until the past year i've really stepped out and met the other grades, the other people. And wow, i wish i would've done that earlier. God grants us people in our lives for a reason, he places them there. He may not necessarily push them into your lives, but they&#

being thankful and grateful is so important. for the people in your lives, teachers, friends, mentors, or coaches, for the experiences and opportunities that have taught you valuable lessons, for the blessings we have, the food on the table, the roof we live under. again thinking back having actually completed high school now, i think we all really need to take some time to step back, out of reality and our busy lives to think, reflect, and thank those people, those things that have molded us into who we are today. I personally feel like the world has lost its ability to appreciate. Its so rarely done, that i frequently is looked over, yet we as humans need/want that acknowledgement in our lives. For others to take notice in what we do for them. As much as we would like that acknowledgement, that doesn't mean we should go about flaunting every move we make. But when you do see someone do something for you, take the time to thank them. God has blessed us with so much, an

every scene is a chase scene. whether it be on stage, on tv, or in our daily lives, we are chasing something, a goal, a dream, some sort of result. To chase this "thing", there are steps we need to take. Some steps are the right steps, some steps are the wrong steps. Mistakes are bound to be made, lessons are meant to be learned, and experiences to have. Its a process, its a journey, and it progresses. It gets better. Looking back again, I watched our SNA again this year, because i got distracted from studying. Anyways, I was watching it and to be truthfully honest, at first, i really was critical and it was even if i dare say discouraging, because it was my work that was on stage that i wasn't satisfied with. But as the fifty minute drama came to life, and went on, i realized and saw it grow before my eyes, as the audience became more invested, as the storylines were built, it grew and blossomed. Like these chase scenes, we were chasing this final product. And f

yes, i just said that annoying abbreviation.  I will never use it again. But it's been going about so much, its got me thinking. YOLO. "You Only Live Once", made famous by Drake, but originally by The Strokes, its blown up as  an excuse, something for people to do things, take risks, and be spontaneous, whether they be stupid, regretful, in-the-moment actions, or as some sort of positive motivation.. if people do do that. We say it all the time. (here are some i found on twitter) Watching a movie instead of studying for exams. YOLO. Just texted myself a good morning text. YOLO. Going to bed at 6am. YOLO. The list goes on and on, from inappropriate actions to just plain stupid ideas.  But after thinking about it, I think that parts of this YOLO convention are applicable. You Only Live Once. Its most definitely true, we live once. We have been given this one chance to live, to fulfill and live out our purpose, but instead of YOLOing for things that don't m

The past day or two, i came across this bible verse that really stuck out to me, but today it really came into play. I think its my new life verse. I feel comforted, i feel assured, and I'm filled with joy when i read it. 16  But I will sing  of your strength,       in the morning  I will sing of your love;  for you are my fortress,       my refuge in times of trouble. 17  You are my strength, I sing praise to you;      you, God, are my fortress,      my God on whom I can rely. Psalm 59:16 First off, praising God all day, everyday. I will SING of your strength. I absolutely love singing, and expressing myself with my voice. I believe God gave me this gift because he knew i would have a passion for it. Each day, we should be "singing" or praising God for his strength, for his love for us. In times of trouble, during life's great storms, God is the rock that grounds us, he is so much greater, so much stronger, he is our refuge in times of weakness. Whe

  i've got to say that i've always longed for this. the ability to pour my heart out during worship give it all up to God but time after time, it hasn't happened. Today, i got to go to the father's day dinner at church, and at the end they did a bit of worship. I couldn't sing along because it was in chinese... but as i listened and looked around, i was really moved. I was surprised to be learning about true worship in a crowd of three hundred asian adults, singing, and praising. First things first, listening to a crowd of people sing in unison is so moving to me. I don't know what it is but its just so powerful, that everyone is singing at the same time, you can feel the warmth and the worship surrounding you. Looking around, since i couldn't sing along, i noticed this one person who was worshipping, and i could tell it was true worship. During the set, they asked people to wave their hands in the air, and you can easily tell who was doing it, a

i actually cannot believe that tomorrow is my final "normal" day of not only grade 12, but of high school, in my life. ever. yes. i did have to make it that dramatic. and thinking back of whats been of the past year, or even the past four years, all the things i've done, the things i've accomplished, the things i've dealt and struggled with. there's definitely been progress. Astonished. Scrolling through Facebook, i came across the SNA 2011 page where we posted announcements and all, and i was watching the behind the scenes video, and i was shocked. I just realized how big of an event that was. Over 1000+ people attend, over 100+ people help out with drama, music, sets, costumes, av, its a massive project, most likely the biggest thing i've ever headed/directed in my life. Watching the video, i kept thinking, how in the world did pull this off? How in the world did this come to be, from bouncing an idea, to this massive night. There's no way that

His Glory. We were made to worship, in some cases, its money, or other idols, but in our case, it is God who we worship. We are to glorify God with everything we do, say, think. We should be living as representatives of Christ. But i think many times, we forget that we should be doing it at all times. But how? How are we to glorify him when doing homework, when showering, when brushing my teeth and when sleeping? I think that its not that we have to be praying while we walk down the halls and sing praises while doing homework, but i think just having God in mind. Constantly reflecting on him, his greatness and his love for us. For instance, walking to school, i sometimes say a prayer thanking Him, taking in his creation, realizing its another day to live and glorify his name. I believe that as long as we are living according to his word and his will, he will be glorified. No two faced, double personalities, living a life of love for others. Doing it all for God's glory.

I was watching an Oprah interview with Carrie Underwood, and she posed this question, this strong, deep, thought-provoking question. Especially with celebrities who have different personas, personalities, and sometimes hide who they are, how would you answer "Who Are You Really?". I was very impressed and happy to hear when she wasn't ashamed about her faith, seeing that even though she was surrounded by the media and the world, she still held strong to her faith. Who are you really? We need to realize that we are children of God first. We are Christian first, before we are anything/anyone else. Many times, we put other roles in front of whats most important. Whether it may be boyfriend, girlfriend, CEO, teacher, celebrity, dancer, parent, or student. God comes first, he has blessed and has given us these opportunities, and we can easily forget about where we come from, who we really are when we're so focused on the things of this world. So ask yourself, who ar

Today during our sermon, we talked about Joshua and his courageous living, and some of the points really stuck to me. They're great simple reminders for when we're frustrated, lost, or unsure. We got to sing God is Able as our response song, it was totally relevant and it was perfect, the lyrics were so simple and powerful. "God is with us He will go before He will never leave us He will never fail us" This God is always be our side. He doesn't leave or forsake us, and we need to remember that, whenever we're weak, look to him. He is stronger and he is powerful. Do you know how able our God is? verse of the day: Joshua 3:5 5  Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,  for tomorrow the  Lord  will do amazing things  among you.”

I had to opportunity to lead, direct and create another video project with a few friends, and it was lots of fun, whether it was working with adults, kids, teens, i love being able to work with people, meet new people, learn new techniques and try new things. It was very brief and we weren't taking things super seriously or professionally either, usually finishing scenes in two to four takes, but for this one scene, we got up to nine takes. Because our actress couldn't get the right line in. But thats filming right? When something isn't right, something needs to be fixed, we need to re-film the scene because whats caught on tape, stays on tape. For instance, if they weren't wearing the right costume, you cannot edit a hoodie onto a person. But its okay, we have more film to take, and we can afford new takes with different perspectives. Similar to our walk with God, he is constantly giving us new takes, whenever we stumble or mess up, but he's patiently there

We had our grad tea today last period where we got the information on commencement, and basically the last day we step foot into what will be called "school" for the past four years. It never really hit me, but it finally has. Im graduating. This is the end. We've worked hard for four whole years, and its our turn to walk across the stage, receiving the diploma, knowing we've completed another stage of life.  Reflecting back on the past four years of high school, i really start to think about what i've done. Have I impacted anyone? We got our yearbooks today, and we were busy signing everyone's book till the day ended, and i remember reading a brief one that said "you're the nicest person at RGSS!". Is that how people see me? As nice? But this nice, is it general nice? or is it God's love nice? Have i been walking through the green hallways radiating his love and his life? People know that I'm Christian because i wear a cross on my n

no matter what your race, gender or age, no matter where you live or school, you are a Child of God. confession time. In the past, i don't know what it was, but i was never the most fond of people with autism. I don't know what it was, but something intimidated me about that, i didn't know how to deal with it, and i knew it was wrong, but i felt like it was something i had to get over with time. and i did. the past month of so, our drama class had to opportunity had the chance to work with the autistic class at school, helping them set up and put on a play for their parents. It was through this experience that i truly got to see and understand them. I realized that they're actually hilarious, and adorable, watching their behaviour and learning more about them. About how they react to everything, whereas we can block out certain things, that their minds work slower than ours, while being more intelligent than we expect. For instance, one of them really enjoys le

Im most definitely sure God was talking to me during band practice today. We tried something new, we decided to go through each song and talk about what its truly saying, because most of the time (and I'm guilty of this too), we sing it because we sing it. Its half-hearted worship, we're just singing the song and we're don't truly understand and know what we're saying/singing. God deserves whole-hearted worship, and its only when we truly sing the lyrics is when we can pour out our heart and soul to him. 10 000 Reasons "whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes." "on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come, still my soul will sing your praise unending" Im in another down phase at the moment, crappy and dreading week, but tonight we were talking about it, and i was reminded that even though in times of disappointment, of failure, where life just seems like

i was lucky enough to attend Bayview SS's finale concert of the year tonight, and yes i went to right venue this time. Once again at the concert, i was reminded of how powerful music could be and how emotions can be expressed oh so very clearly through the notes, the melody, and the dynamics. One piece stood out to me. The grade 9 band did a piece about a train chase, involving the railway bells, the hooting, the steam, and while listening to it, it really came to life for me. For once i was moved, and i could feel the music. When the train got faster and faster, when there was the thrill and the suspense, i felt the music. You know its good, powerful music when you can feel it like that. Unlike anything i've experienced before. Feeling the raw power of musical expression. At the same time, you know that your relationship with Christ is strong when you can feel it, like the music. Similar to the previous, i myself still haven't felt that push, that power. His love, h

I think i've been struggling with this ever since i've become a Christian. I know the stories, i believe that Christ died on the cross, that he has forgiven my sins with his blood, but one thing i never fully wrapped my head around is his power, his love and exactly how majestic he is. Yes, he is the King of Kings he holds the universe in his hands he can strike me dead with a blink of an eye he made the earth, he can move mountains, he's a big, and awesome God. And although i say all that, i still haven't realized it. I think thats why i've been having such trouble with putting faith in God, because i don't understand how much more capable he is. I don't realize that when I'm praying, I'm talking to THE KING. THE CREATOR. I just cant take it in. Also, his death on the cross. Like i said, i do believe that he died for me, but because it happened so long again, i can't feel it. I always see people with this spark in them, this fire fo

12  He said:  “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.   13  So he called ten of his servants  and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ 14  “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ 15  “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16  “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ 17  “‘Well done, my good servant!’  his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ 18  “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ 19  “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’ 20  “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth.   21  I was a

there are things in the world that we as a society may care about too much, from what others think, to what we wear, but some things aren't worth caring about. I got to go pick out a new pair of glasses today before i head into university, and there were so many choices to pick from, thick frames, no frames, rectangular, round, hipster, etc... and as i was going through it, i was content, knowing that i didn't really care about what I had as glasses. I was already blessed enough with a) even having a choice, b) being blessed enough to have glasses, c) have healthcare and the money to purchase this. Materialism has definitely gotten bigger and bigger in our world today. Society says that to be cool, to be successful, we need to have all the latest gadgets, the branded clothes and the expensive cars, and as great as they are, they mean nothing. At the end of the day, thats isn't what matters. Thats why shopping, picking out new glasses, it isn't hard for me. I d

simple and sweet gestures small or big can turn one's upside down day, right side up. today was a pretty dull day, with the horrible weather, the wet and windy walk to school, the drag of friday and school when its June, and just being tired in general, what a drag. I wasn't the happiest either because of the negative thoughts racing through my mind, over thinking everything and everyone, but, things change. i've recently started to learn that there are sparks in this life that bring twists to life, some for the better, and some for the worst. Today, it was for the better. I was leaving the school, and right before i walked out the door, i hear my name being called, so i turn around to see one my best friends come running. I was surprised at first, what he needed me for, why he was calling my name, and when i asked it was simply "because i wanted to say goodbye". As simple and sweet as that, being known that i was thought of was enough for my day to twis