Burst of Joy

One of those burst of joy days :) Seeing God's grace in a new way -- He really doesn't forsake. His grace is there to help us in the difficult times. He's there for us. We simply need to ask Him. And remember to repent. Which consists of turning to a new direction! We may fail. We will fail. Yes. BUT that's not the end. AND He is ALWAYS there to help pick us up and walk alongside of us (or even carry us) in the way we're to go. There is hope. That's what I love about Christianity -- there's HOPE for the future! This isn't the end. 

On a different note, finals are DONE! Also, today was really fun -- my boyfriend and I did a "trust exercise" haha. He first led me while I closed my eyes and then vice versa. It's weird walking and not seeing. It's completely trusting that the other has everything under control and is looking out for your safety. And being honest about what path is the best! Juan reminded me that it's like walking with God -- we can't see the future or what's in front of us, we're scared, we don't want to move forward fearing that we'll get hurt or make the wrong step. But all along God sees. And God knows. And He's gently nudging us along, leading us, speaking softly to us regarding what we need to do and where we need to go. At the same time, it's relationship. Who of you would trust a stranger leading you blindly? No one I hope! The trust is based on the one leading. And that trust is built by getting to know them. If you learn that that person who is leading is loving, caring, gentle, smart, etc, you trust them (more easily at least). 

Christmas is coming. <3
God bless!!!

"In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul."

Shoulders - For King & Country
"My help comes from You.
You're right here pulling me through.
You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders. Your shoulders..." 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ0W94KdXMQ


"In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." -Psalm 138:3

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." -Colossians 3:2-3

Thoughts today...

Just because life gets difficult doesn't mean you stop living life. Sort of like driving a car --- you continually correct yourself along the way. 

Thoughts...

"Love people, eat In-N-Out, and evangelize!" Said sort of jokingly at Bible study. But literally, what is it like to live the Christian life? It's not easy. But that doesn't mean it's not simple. Love.

Christmas is coming!

What are you most excited for this Christmas season? I'm excited for the lights, the cups of hot cocoa, sitting by the fire, watching Christmas movies, spending time with loved ones, and wrapping up in warm blankets on the couch! And of course Christmas music! But what is this all about? Why do we even celebrate such a holiday? Christmas is the day acknowledging Jesus Christ's birth. Truly, there is no Christmas without Christ. And Christmas is when we received the best gift of all -- God Himself. Immanuel literally means God with us. So during this season, remember to be grateful, what you can be grateful for, and to whom you can express your gratitude. Jesus is the reason for the season. :) 

a new season

Gratitude

Gratitude is an attitude. So is complaining. You have the choice between the two and depending on what you choose can determine the type of day you have. What I heard this week: 

"Complaint is poverty." 

Also, complaining is contagious. It's very important to watch your attitude and be grateful. Very important. 

November update.

Been a long time since I've blogged. Still alive. :) Update: 

A few more weeks left of fall quarter. 

Excited for new courses. 

Nice dates with my boyfriend. 

Nice Thanksgiving vacation with my family in Lake Tahoe. 

Excited for Christmas! 

Learning a lot. 

Stuff I'm learning is being more appreciative of people. Yeah, no one is perfect. But we all need each other. It can be easy to become frustrated with people, have a short span of patience, etc etc. But it's harder living without them. 

Along with that... when you give people the time to talk, you learn a lot more about them and have a deeper understanding and appreciation of them. It can even teach you things about yourself as you examine your own life. 

I'm so grateful for the people in my life. And I'm excited to meet more people as time goes on! My coffee shop job has been a great way to meet more people. It has been a blessing. Now it's been just a little over a year since I've had that job! Grateful. 

I'm looking forward to the school year ending. Curious to see what path I take after graduation. I would like to teach piano and make a living off that. I love music. I also love my coffee job... ;) In God's hands. 

Other things I'm learning: 

Jesus takes your mess upon Himself so that your life can be made new. So that you can have a clean slate. So you can have freedom. 

Don't live in the "what if's" or "what if I had..." Living this way leaves no room for growth. It's just an open invitation to fear, doubt, discouragement. Learn from your mistakes. Be encouraged that there is hope to change, transform, renew, revitalize. AND that's the beauty of Christ -- He makes things NEW that were as good as DEAD! There is hope past the grave. 

"The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy." -Psalm 145:8

We are His delight!

Truly, we are His delight! I find this crazy to believe. This is what I've been reading lately--that we are His delight. I think it's crazy because how can a people so lost, so perverted, so rebellious/sinful/selfish be HIS delight? It's all because of who He is--LOVE. (1 John 4:8) and because of what He's done is us! (1 John 4:10). It's because of Jesus. It's not because of us or what we've done. It's because He loved us and saved us! 

He wants fellowship with us. And He cares so much to the point of paying the full price. There's no halfsies. He desires that we come to Him and confess. Come to Him and admit. Come to Him and ask for His Lordship in our life. Come to Him and worship Him. 


His forgiveness is the basis for our fellowship with Him. It's His faithfulness to us, not our faithfulness to Him. Do you see the difference? Don't get me wrong, we must go to Him and confess. Relationships are two-way. BUT, that's not the basis. He is the basis. His forgiveness. His faithfulness. His Love. He is the foundation. It's all because of Him that we can have this beautiful relationship! It's all because of grace. 

me and my beautiful mamma

Here for Him

When you're going through tough times, remember why you're here. And remember who's with you. 

"LORD, You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us." -Isaiah 26:12

"Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength." -Isaiah 26:4

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." -Isaiah 26:3 

"O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth." -Isaiah 25:1 

"For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast from the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." -Isaiah 25:4

"He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken." -Isaiah 25:8 

And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." -Isaiah 25:9 

This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 

God is the LORD, and He has given us light... - Psalm 118:27 

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. -Psalm 118:17-18 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. -1 Peter 5:6-7

Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. -2 Thessalonians 3:5 

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. -2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Refinement.

More about refinement... Take joy in it! It's a sign you're His kid. He refines those He loves. He chastises His children. Just like a father wants the best for his kids, He wants the best for you. He's not going to leave you in the mess you're in. He wants to intervene and fix things. He wants to shape you and form you into the person He created you to be. He has good plans for you. Don't shy away from the work He's doing in your life. Walk in the light. Ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Spend time with other believers. Find encouragement. Pray always. Don't forget what He's already done in your life. Don't forget who He is. Allow Him to work. And yield to Him. It's all about love. It's all about relationship. And it's all about bringing Him glory. 

"For whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights." -Proverbs 3:12

"If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?" -Hebrews 12:7 

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." -Hebrews 12:11

"For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." -Lamentations 3:31-33

"For the turning away of fools will destroy them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil." -Proverbs 1:32-33

"The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity." -Proverbs 10:29 

"The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall." -Proverbs 10:8

"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." -Proverbs 12:1 

"He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded." -Proverbs 13:13

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death." -Proverbs 14:27 

"The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility." -Proverbs 15:33

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." -Galatians 5:16 

Missing my Twinny

His promises are sure

Hi guys. :) So... I started the new quarter at UCI! It's been good, busy, and a little hectic. Learning lots of lessons already. Had to drop a couple classes...

BUT, it's all been good. I'm taking Arabic, Italian, and a gender studies class. Arabic is a challenge. I'm so not used to the letters and even some of the pronunciations. It's hard. But luckily I have connections, some people willing to help me out. I like taking the course because it exposes me to a new culture. I get to learn a new language, which is so awesome! I also learned this week that your brain starts "deteriorating" at 20 years old. Yikes! Gotta keep learning new things. I'm really hoping to learn more and more languages! I sort of found my niche. It's super exciting when you start understanding other languages. My Italian class is fun! The instructor is a hoot. She is very enthusiastic and creates a very interactive classroom. You can tell she has a big heart and wants her students to enjoy every aspect of Italian. My gender studies class is interesting. So many people. So many differing opinions. So many controversial subjects brought up. I think this class will challenge me, too, which is good. It will force me to solidify and even put my own beliefs up to the test. I'm excited to learn more about how others think and even discover more about what I think and the subject in general. I've never really been drawn to gender studies courses. Nonetheless I'm excited to what I'll be learning. 

What else is going on? Work. School-related things. Friends. Family. People. My boyfriend. Etc etc. Why mention it all? Well, in the midst of it, it can be fun! And exciting! And new! But, it can also be scary! And difficult! And challenging! It's not stable. One moment things are up. The next, things are down. You can't fix your happiness or even your life on these earthly things. Yes, there may be plenty of wonderful things that happen but there's so much more to focus on! AND, there's a God in Heaven who loves you and wants to do something amazing with your life! 

My boss told me: "plans are meant to be broken." I'm seeing that more and more as the quarter goes on. After dropping the two Spanish classes that I need to graduate I'm realizing it's not all about me and God's plans prevail over all. I feel set back. But, I believe it's part of His plan. And I know He will use this time for His purposes. Gotta have faith... And not be discouraged... 

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!" -Psalm 27:13-14 

Be perfect, not do perfect.

This sounds confusing at first. I was thinking God doesn't want you to be perfect but then I came across the verse Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” So what does this mean? This verse is talking about love. Loving as He loves. You can do perfect all the livelong day. Look at the pharisees. According to the law, they looked like they were doing just fine. But, according to grace and love and mercy, they were missing the mark. In the same way, He's more interested in you loving truly than in your offering of “perfect works.” Your works aren't what get you into heaven. He's interested in your heart. (Psalm 51:16-17). The only way you can be perfect is if you're washed in Jesus' blood, saved by grace, filled with the Holy Spirit. That is the only way. Jesus is the only way. Our righteousness comes from Him. And as we're filled with the Holy Spirit our hearts get changed and transformed to be more like His.

Love fulfills the Law:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 

cow sunset :)

Refinement?

Are you being refined? Do you even know what that means? When we talk about refinement we think about getting rid of all the impurities, making something pure. But did you ever think of the process? When gold is being refined it looks melted! It looks hot and liquid-y. It looks moldable. In the same way, while we're being refined by God, He's getting rid of all the impurities, all the stuff that should not be there. On top of that you become moldable by Him. He's making you more into the image of His Son. He is making your heart more like Jesus' heart. The refining process may not be fun or pleasurable at the moment but the outcome is far more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. It's Agape love -- loving expecting nothing in return. Even more, loving with the possibility of receiving negativity in return! It's laying down your life for someone, unconditionally. Jesus knew that He would go to the cross. Yet, He found it worth it knowing that people would be saved through it. The process is painful but the end result is beautiful. Have faith in letting Him refine you to be the person He created you to be. 

Some verses:
"Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." -Isaiah 53:10-12

Jesus suffered for us. He found it worth it because the end result was beautiful.

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." -John 15:13

Greater love has no one than JESUS! None other than GOD! 

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." -Matthew 5:43-48

This does not come naturally. Loving your enemies does not come naturally. You need God. You need refinement. 

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." -1 John 3:16 

We need to be refined to be like Jesus, to love as He loved. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." -John 3:16

"Real gold fears no fire." - a quote from the book Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. If you're one of His kids, if you believe in Him, you are GOLD!! You will not perish. You will enter His kingdom. And part of being His children means being refined! You will be more refined to be like Him! It hurts but ultimately you will not perish! Gold does not tarnish. Gold is anticorrosive. 

Juan and I visited a gold mine... very timely.

First post.

Hey guys. :) So, I decided to make another blog since I had a good experience with the first one, my blog abroad. In this blog I'll post about what I'm going through, life lessons, and just everything that's happening in this time of life. I just want to say, I miss my time in England. I learned a lot and met lots of nice people. I'm excited to be back doing the things that I've missed here and carrying on with my life in SoCal, getting ready for senior year. It is, however, getting stressful as I feel the pressures of real life -- finances, careers, relationships, commitments, responsibilities, etc. There's a lot I'm learning, and a lot to be learned. One thing I'm learning is that God answers prayers in a way you don't expect. For example, you pray for patience... you get trials and opportunities for you to develop patience; you pray for love... you get opportunities to love people (and love isn't easy! It's not a fairy tale!); you pray to learn something and you'll get the opportunities that can teach you what you need to learn. We don't always think this way. If you're like me you're a "cut to the chase" type of person. You want something now, you want to learn / develop something now, you want to know things now. But that isn't always the way it works, especially for a godly lifestyle. God wants us to be patient. He wants us to love. And love and patience is about long-suffering. It's about joy and hope and expectant waiting. And if you're one of His children, He wants you to be a person of character and integrity. He doesn't want you to compromise in your convictions. He wants you to follow Him along the narrow path, the difficult path, the path followed by few. It's not easy, but it's worth it. James says "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." Now I gotta admit, I don't fully understand what it means to be perfect and complete. C'mon, perfect and complete! We can find so many imperfections in ourselves and so many needs we want fulfilled. But what I do know is that if you have Heaven you have everything. If you have Jesus you have everything. And guess what? JESUS is perfect! GOD is perfect! (Mark 10:18, Matthew 5:48). He is Love! He is Perfect Love! (1 John 4:8). His love casts out fear. His love is real. His love is genuine, impartial, unconditional. His love has perspective. He is able to take JOY in loving because He sees the greater outcome. A lot of times we draw the line to loving someone as soon as that person becomes an inconvenience to us. But that's not love. Jesus saw the cross before Him with Joy because He had faith in the outcome (Hebrews 12:2). A lot of times we don't think about the cost, we don't want the cost. But Jesus counted the cost. It cost Him the cross. Now that's suffering. That's long-suffering. And He did it with a good attitude. He did it willingly, not grudgingly and grumpily. Back to the verse in James... count it all JOY when you fall into various trials. Joy?! That sounds crazy! But it's our flesh that doesn't like the struggle. If it's suffering according to His will, we should consider it joy in our spirits knowing that He will get the glory and we will be made more like Him and know Him more. So when you fall into these various trials, try having a different perspective. He could be using them to complete His work in you. He could even be using them to answer your prayers, maybe not the way you expected. 

Some practical lessons I'm learning: 
-when you have something you need to do or deal with, don't put it off. Deal with it now. 
If you wait on that (the sinful type of waiting, aka delaying or procrastinating) the problem could get worse or a problem could arise. For example, I was supposed to finish some forms to turn into the Financial Aid office. I didn't understand the forms so I thought to myself I'll come back to them. As soon as you know it, months go by and now I'm still not done with the forms, which has affected my financial aid. This problem could have been avoided if I had taken the time to find out how to do those forms and made the effort to ask people for help. 
-don't judge or be critical of a person and their struggles and imperfections. 
Truth is, we all struggle and are in need of grace. Have you heard the verse "why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye; and look, a plank is in your own eye"? (Matthew 7:3). We can be so critical of other people but in reality we're all sinners and in need of God's saving grace. Don't be a hypocrite. I challenge you (and me) to extend more grace to people. The only way you can do that is if you've received it. Grace may not be understood but once you've received it there's nothing like it. My parents could have been really upset at me for not being responsible about my financial aid. But instead they extended grace. My relationships could sour if we did not shed grace upon each other. A little grace goes a long way. Have you received God's grace today? 
-don't be lazy. 
You'll regret it. Don't live for the comfort of today but rather the celebration of tomorrow. It takes hard work, dedication, willpower, mind power, and even suffering! But in the end it's worth it. Don't neglect or put off what is important. Your flesh will tell you to ignore, forget, or put off that thing that demands your attention. But in the end you'll deeply regret it. Your flesh doesn't see the outcome or the benefit of persevering through the difficulties. But you have to believe you'll see the goodness of the Lord. (Psalm 27:13). He rewards the faithful and the diligent. You reap what you sow. Think about the future and the consequences to your actions (or inactions) and your choices. What are you doing with your life?