What is right for me, Lord?

After selecting the right college or university, the next thing was selecting the right major. Some students might not have any problem in deciding what major or degree to pursue, others however took some time to pick a major. This happened to our elder daughter Hannah two years ago. Initially she decided to be a CPA but changed her mind later after few dental visits. She said she finally found out what she wants to do. After committing herself to do dentistry, she miraculously felt at peace, she said.

This time Ariel was in the same situation. Choosing a right major in college was too overwhelming for her. She had many sleepless nights. Each time when she confronted with the question of which major to declare, she would not know what to decide on.

Ariel enjoys drawing and is the most artistic member in the family. She likes designing and at the same time she excels in physics and calculus. Her dream is to become an architect but after much prayer and talks with a number of persons about her future career in architecture, she never received any positive affirmation. Many people suggested engineering instead.

I went over some research with Ariel and encouraged her to talk to few more people in the field of architecture and engineering and prayed fervently together with her seeking God’s divine guidance on this matter. Although, till now, we still don’t have a very clear answer from God as what exactly will be best for her, one thing we know for sure was architecture is not for her. We are thankful anyway for the American university system which permits freshman to enroll undeclared – without declaring a major.

Our second campus visit: University of California, Irvine

UC Irvine has a very large campus but one could hardly get lost during the tour. The university's buildings (undergraduate schools) were built in a circle around a park situated in the center of the campus. If you were lost, just go round the campus and you'd find your way out.

This is the Aldrich Park - the nucleus of the main campus surrounded by all the undergraduate buildings

Part of the view of one of the campus housings

We're very happy with the tour. Our tour guides were really cool, especially the one who led us to see the student housing. We spent nearly an entire afternoon there. I actually hoped that Ariel would satisfy with this university after all UC Irvine provides her with what she needs financially.

But Ariel being Ariel, she'd not simply settle for something which she wasn't really sure. She insisted that I should take her to visit another two universities in Northern California in her spring break before she made a decision. Honestly, I don't mind spending two or three days going up north with her, but the sad thing was I didn't have spring break. I guess spring break is only for schools run on semesters system. My seminary runs on quarters system. Weeks before the public schools had their spring break, we had already enjoyed ours. On the contrary, it was time for me to prepare for my mid-terms. So, how? Lord? She better prayed hard for herself and me.

"Spying" the promised land - our daughters' college

Unlike my daughters, I did not have the opportunity or privilege to tour a few universities before deciding which university would provide me with the best experience for the next four years of education and enlightenment.

In America, most people believe that choosing the right college is the first and most important step toward a good university education. So whenever possible, most concerned parents will no doubt jump at the opportunity of a campus visit. Some might even go out of their way to reschedule their busy appointments and business just so they can make it to the university’s open house tours.

Although reputation and prestige is one of the key factors of a student’s choice in selecting a college, it is not necessarily the decisive factor. Majors, degrees, locations, and campus size matter as well. Some say selecting a college is just like buying a car. If you are a true car lover and know about cars, you don’t just buy for the sake of brand name, you get what you really like.

While all these factors make sense to many of us, our daughters have another main concern before making their decision—whether they could receive financial help from the universities they applied to.

We truly thank God for His love and faithfulness in keeping His promises. Not only have both of our daughters been accepted into their choice of university, they were also awarded with scholarships and financial aids to cover their education needs.

Below are some pictures of the campuses that I visited with my daughters. Our first campus tour was to CSU Northridge: this is the first university which offered Ariel in-state tuition in early March.

 

 

To be honest, I actually like the campus and the people here. The campus and dorms are better than what I expected. People are friendly. Prospective students are warmly welcomed by both student-staff and advisors.

Is God reliable?

Going to college did not come easy for me. I worked for few years to save some money before I made that venture. Actually the amount of money I had with me then was not sufficient for college. I took the risk by faith trusting that my “new found” God would help me to get through it.

I was a young believer then. I had the faith to move mountains but I didn’t know how to ascertain God’s will. I believed with all my heart that if it’s the will of God to bless me to study overseas, then there would be nothing but success.

The problem I had at that time was how to know if it was indeed God’s will? I asked my colleague, who is a faithful Christian, this question and he simply told me if nobody objected my plan of going overseas to study, I should be quite sure it was a blessing from God. “God speaks through people,” he said.

I listened to my colleague and trusted in God without a doubt and there I was, after a few years of hardship and endurance, not only had I finished my degree with two majors faster than most students, but I was also blessed with two lovely daughters.

Now my daughters have grown up and they are ready to enter college this coming fall. All these years I thought I could be their provider so that they don’t have to go to college with the same experience I had before. I wanted to make their lives easier but God apparently had a different plan for us. It seems like God desires us to depend on Him rather than on our bank account.

I am a good financial planner and you don’t need to be a good mathematician either to calculate how much money is needed for two persons (excluding myself) to go to college. Whenever I thought about this matter, I was reluctant to comply with God’s will. I was not ready to give up my job. I told God to wait; I had responsibilities to fulfill. Look God, you don’t understand. I don’t mind going through the same experience like before, depending on you for provision, but who will take care of them?

I didn’t hear God said, “I will.” He just let me reasoned with Him and let me recalled all my past experiences with Him. I believed the Holy Spirit had guided me all along in my decision making process. He helped me to eventually see God’s purpose in my life—again I didn’t hear He said, “I will.” However, He led me to see God’s purpose. Since then, I knew I couldn’t continue with what I was doing anymore for God, my heavenly Father, wants me to walk in accordance with His will.

I don’t know right now what the future will hold for me but if God pursues you, you better don’t be like Jonah thinking that you can escape. God, as we see in the Bible, sometimes sends a pursuer to go after the one He calls till the person surrenders to Him. The pursuer can be in any form; it need not necessary be a big fish, sometimes it is that little whisper that will get your attention. It all depends on how long you want to play hide and seek with Him.

Scripture to ponder: Matthew 7:9-11
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Time to take inventory

For nearly nearly half a year, I had posted just one entry on my blog! “I must be too busy for the last six months,” I thought to myself. Was I? Well, as I reflected on my past journey for the first half of the year 2010, I don’t think that was entirely true.

Yes, I was very busied with my Hebrew in the winter quarter when I had an intensive class together with a NT theology, and a long side with these I had to be an intern and a community coordinator but still I was not super busy to the point that I didn’t have any time to jot something down.

I guessed what kept me from posting any entry in the blog was I spent too little time lately with God in reading His Word. I always believe that studying Scripture (with motive) for the sake of passing exams or teaching the Bible in the Sunday school out of duty will not help me draw closer to God at all. Yes, I might gain a little more knowledge about Him for what I had done, but that would not motivate me to share or talk about His work.

If I am not close with God, how can I share with others about Him?

I hope this summer I can spend a little more time in devotion before I get too tied up again with many other things in a new academic year. Amen.

It's total obedience

I can’t remember what causes me to think in the past that Jesus was very willing to die for us. Is it because of my understanding of him as our savior and thus he is destined to die for our sin? How selfish was my thought then and how shallow my understanding of God’s salvation.

Last week, when I was reading the passage where Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, I noticed that the narrative in the synoptic gospels was contrary to what I thought.

In Mark 14:33, Jesus was deeply distressed and troubled. He told his disciples Peter, James and John that his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. He prayed to the Father to take “this cup” from him. Apparently, Jesus’ will was not to die in the manner as he predicted. Instead, he asked the Father to spare him. He knew the Father is able to do everything. Nonetheless, one thing Jesus never wished for was to go against his Father’s will.

Jesus is sinless. Going against the Father would be sinning against God. Jesus is obedient to the Father even though it means death.

Death on the cross is a horrible death. Its punishment is to torture and shame the political prisoners to deter those who intended to rebel against Rome. It was instituted to bring shame, pain, and fear onto the traitors who failed their mission. Crucifixion in public crushed the rebel’s spirit of being the hero. It was a powerful symbol of death brought by Rome to defeat those who rebelled against the empire.

Jesus did not defend himself for all the charges brought again him but that did not mean he volunteered to die on the cross. Crucifixion was not what Jesus wanted and he actually prayed three times to have the cup removed from him.

Mark 14:39 says, “once more he went away and prayed the same thing.” What did Jesus pray? If you don’t think Jesus said the same thing as in v. 36 “Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (NIV), you can look up Matt 26:42. Although it is a bit different here, still he meant the same.

“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” In addition, Matthew stressed Jesus prayed the third time, saying the same thing in v. 44.

Have you ever prayed the same thing my friends? I did. Most of the time I pray to the Father to do my will but Jesus is just the opposite. He prayed that the Father’s will be done even though it meant death to him on the cross. It is about obedience isn’t it? Obedience comes out of submission rather than willingness. Jesus was never willing to die. If it is of willingness, I don’t think he would have prayed three times in one night. If Jesus were willing, he would have said, “Yes, Father. I will.” We know that Jesus didn’t say that. Instead, He left us a greater lesson to learn from him and that is – OBEDIENCE!

When God called me to leave everything back home, I was never willing. I know the Father’s will is always good for us. He never fails to keep his promise and neither will He ever hold back his blessings for his children, but I found it hard to let go of what I have. I struggled with God for a while until my pastor told me, “Brother, it is about obedience, about submission, about trust…”

Yes, it is not about whether I am willing to obey but whether am I obedient to Him. Amen.

Merry Christmas and have a blessed New Year!

Wishing you all have a wonderful time in the season.

Merry Christmas and may the peace of God be with you all and forevermore!!

Enjoy the Hawaiian Christmas song!

The coming of a King

I gave a talk at my daughter's school Christian club last Friday before the Thanksgiving holidays. Although this wasn't my first time speaking before a crowd, it was my first experience to speak before a group of American teenagers in High School.

I was pretty nervous about this engagement. The first reason was I didn't know any of the students in the Christian club except Ariel. I am the kind of person usually need to know my 'audience' well beforehand in order for me to feel comfortable what to talk about. Secondly, I don't belong to the category of gifted speaker who can talk on and on without looking at his note. The key for me to deliver a good message is hard work and lots of prayers. Someone recently told me about a fundamental truth: "If it is not a gift, then it is a discipline." This speaks a lot about me. So, even if it is just a twenty-minute of preaching, it takes me a great amount of time to prepare for it.

Initially, I'd thought of turning down the invitation to speak at Ariel's school for I am swamped with many course assignments. Currently, I am also doing my ministry internship at a local church. However, knowing that God had placed something in my heart to share with the kids, I felt a little guilty and disobedient if I just pushed it away out of convenient.

Besides, I had my biggest fear too in this case. The church that I am now doing my internship is a Chinese Baptist church, but the group of people I spoke to last week was virtually non-Asian. Ariel is one of a handful of Asian students in her present school and perhaps the only one in the club. I was pretty worried that the group of students might not accept me easily for I speak with a foreign accent. I am truly proud of Ariel that despite being one of the minorities in school, she still shines in her studies. I finally made it to the talk was mainly spurred by a Bible verse in 1 John 4:6 which reads whoever knows God listens to His people, so my concern actually was pointless. I should focus on what God can do with His message rather than what people can do with me. Amen.

I shared with the students a passage on Matthew 2:1-2, hopefully in the coming Christmas season they may choose to emulate the Magi in responding to the news about the coming of a King and not as Herod did. Often time it is easy for us to know Herod as a bad guy who ordered all babies to be killed in Judea for fear that the arrival of a new King would take away his throne. But what about us? How do we respond to the coming of a King? Aren't we also behaving like king Herod - rejecting Jesus to reign as King in our life?

Merry Christmas!!