Find Rest

Finding rest and peace seems to be a constant theme in my life. What I mean is, I find that I sometimes get myself worked up over many things when all I needed was rest and peace for my soul. I recently finished my fourth fall semester at the Mount before exams get written, and I know that exams, much like paper writing, can be very stressful. I also know that with the Christmas season upon us now, people are also going to be stressed over what to get their loved ones for the holiday. So, in a world full of stress and pain, how do we find rest and peace? Enter Jesus, the son of God. I know this is rather cliché, but Jesus' words in Matthew 11 come about in my head.

To Cast My Cares

I recently gave a presentation for my animal physiology class. It wasn't a very good one, and it certainly was not among my greatest achievements, so after class, I had felt rather anxious about the whole thing. When I was talking about this with one of my fellow biology students, she reminded me about it wasn't anything to sneeze at and that I may have done better than what I thought I did. And you know what? She was right. More and more, I am starting to really learn and recognize that thigs happen for a reason and there's always something that I can learn from my mistakes (like learning to make more room for finishing homework). I think this is why God told us not to be so worrisome all the time and let anxiety and corrupted emotions get in the way.

Kingdom WHAT?!?

Rejoice for the Kingdom is here!

Kingdom WHAT?!?

         That was the theme for this fall's Inter-Varsity Nova Scotia Retreat. What is the Kingdom of God? Who is the King/Father and part do we play? The past weekend involved three sessions of Bible study in a manuscript-styled fashion where we took a look at the context, the contents and the connections, the three major C's that staff worker Shu Yin Wong was teaching us as we looked through the parable of the prodigal son as well as when Jesus went to the Samaritan town of Sychar. So what did I get out of all of this?

Islands and Vines

I am made to be in a community.

Just think about that for a moment - you and I - we - are made to be relational. It's amazing that God had instilled in us from the beginning that notion of belonging somewhere or with someone that only He can completely fill and fix. After all, He is the embodiment of the perfect relationship - the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because I believe that Jesus died and rose again for my sins, and have accepted Him into my life, I am in a relationship with Him; this also means that I am a part of a community bigger than myself.

Fear and Provisions

Wow, it's been three months since I had written here. The time sure does fly. I guess I should explain a little about what's been going on...

I started a new job in the city about a month ago at Costco, and I am one among a few students working at the front end (what we call the cash register area). It's not too bad of a job, though dealing with customers sometimes can be stressful and annoying, and I also have to be careful about forklifts coming by whenever I have to work a night shift. It's at least some work experience that I can add to my CV.

Though I appear to be doing fine at my job, I sometimes can't help but worry and fear about possibly being fired; I'm on probation, so you're only given a limited amount of time before you can be more solidified in the company - in my case, that's three months. However, thinking through the past months about this fear of not having a job reminded me of a lesson that I had helped teach to some kids at a Vacation Bible School session at church this past week of God being our provider and how He provides our needs.

Birthday Update - 2014

Today, I thought I'd update about what's been going on over the past month or so.

I recently finished my third year of university, which is a bit of a relief when you think about things like exams and term projects. Now that I'm done with all of those, I can focus on finding a job for the summer and preparing for my fourth year. Unlike most of my friends who started out in the same year as me, I decided to push graduation aside to 2016 and take lower course loads for the next two years.

Today is also my birthday, and I mostly spent it so far by having walked my sister's dog for nearly 50 minutes and going out for supper with the family. I also decided to take a silly selfie (just 'cause I can...why not?) To those of my friends and family who have given me birthday greetings, whether it was done in person, over the phone or online, thank you; it's been a blessing to hear from you.

Moses, Peter & Setbacks

         Lately this semester, my small group and I have been on a study through the book of Exodus and looking closely at Moses’ story and his relationship with God. We looked into how he came to be someone whom God decided to use to present His glory to the world. It was quite interesting as to the kinds of questions we've had so far.

Who's My Valentine?

Ah, Valentine's Day, a day filled with love, romance, chocolate, cards...

But WAIT! WHO'S GOING TO BE MY DATE? This is something that many of us ask ourselves, and for most guys, this often includes trying to have sex. But what if there's more to love?

Lord, I Need You - A Song of Intimacy

There's something about music that draws me more toward God and exemplifies how he makes me stronger in my faith despite how weak I am without him. To me, music is very much therapeutic as well as expressive; it's often how I feel the Holy Spirit move in me. I also find that music has this way of opening me up more to love and prayer. More often, a set of inspired lyrics just hit me at the core, and I just know it. It’s naturally for me to be singing along when I know that deep down, that is what I feel.

Stirrings in My Heart - January 2014

I find that more and more, I still struggle with this whole concept of love. It’s not that I don’t know what love is, but I find it much more difficult to experience it sometimes in a physical sense. While I know that my parents and sisters would tell me that they love me, I find that I see and experience the love from my parents more easily and readily than I do the latter. Why exactly do I struggle with this? What is it with love that I have a hard time experiencing (feeling) it around me? It’s not like God is not with me, right? Then again, maybe I have forgotten to allow him to fully take over my heart. It’s been in pain before, and I feel confused about quite a few things: how can God love and accept me for being such a wreck? Why is it that I was born with Autism, and how will this be relatable with other people? It’s not easy to live through life where you’re around people who hurt you at times and often don’t forgive you. Oh, how there is such darkness in this dying world.