Things happening in Taipei

I want to let you guys know somethings really cool happen while I was in Taipei Taiwan. I found a small 9 marks church near the National Taiwan University(NTU). I was able to meet people that love God's word and the gospel. I also met a few students from the University of Berkeley, who are on short-term missions. They are really a nice bunch of people. From the first day they didn't hesitate to get to know me and ask for my testimony. In return I got to hear most of theirs as well. It is always good to hear how God have save other people from different walks of life.

I have also been with them on a few trips to evangelize on the Campus of NTU. They are going around talking different student befriending those who want to be friends, and sharing the gospel to whoever that are willing to listen. I also been to one of their English Camps. It is where they help student practice their English speaking skills. they also included a Gospel presentation at the end as well.

Some of the fruits that I saw while I was there were a student showed interesting to start a bible study after hear the Gospel, 4 student from NTU came out to church, holding one on one or two on one meeting with some working people and also seeing one person changing from no interest to asking questions in the span of half to a year.

they are still there please pray from them. They are cool people. Some of their names are Paul, Ed, Julie, Julia, Rebecca, Natalie, Sarah, Dan, Keith, Jessica. Also pray for the Pastor of the church, his name is Matt and his wife Sanny (about to have a baby). Please pray for their church, they are a small and developing church, they have a home church to supporting them, pray that they will be steadfast in there proclamation of the gospel, and not be discourage.

I'll post some pictures when I can get it up.

Deception

"We tend to love lies, to be self-deluded, to be the strongest believers of our own empty arguments."- Paul Tripp

He was talking about some of the effect of the fall and I often see this within me. How I to lie to my self that everything is ok or that sin over there is not so bad, or just this once won't hurt, or if i disobey it won't harm anyone.

I am afraid to face myself because its scary and dark. It is hard to look at. when I begin to think I can't help to be overwhelmed so I lie to make it easier, so that I can "handle it".

But what is this? I think that I am the one to solve the problem forgetting that there is the ever presence of the AWESOME HELPER that reminds me of ever true reality of my justification and sanctification. Still in light of the true reality of my sin.

I still need to learn how to live with these two truth. Without uphold both of them i will crash and burn.

so yea

A Praying LIfe by Paul Miller

This Book is really good!! people who have not read it, YOU should read it.

A few Quotes that really resonated with me.

"When we stop being ourselves with God, we are no longer in real converastion with God"

"Sometime we try so hard to be good that we aren't real. The result is functional deism, where we are separated from God. The real you doesn't encounter the real God."

"Jesus is real about his fellings, but they don't control him, nor does he try to control God with them. he doesn't use his ability to communicate with his Father as a means of doing his own will."

"Our dislike of asking is rooted in our desire for independence."

"This is what it means to abide --- to include him in every aspect of our lives."

"At the center of selfwill is me, carving a world in my image. At the center of prayer is God, carving me in his Son's image."

"The great struggle of my life is not trying to discern God's will; it is trying to discern and then disown my own."

This is soo ever true. I always have the Word to guild me. It is often time I don't want to give in so try to find some different way. Asking do I have to obey, do I have to wait, do I have to struggle.

"God takes everyone he loves through a desert. It is his cure for our wondering hearts, restlessly searching for a new Eden."

honestly there are too many that to type out so I'll stop here. I might post them later.

The biggest that i really learn are a few things.
1) I don't pray becuase I don't beileve it works. Becuase I think I got it figure out. I think I got it under control. Remembering that I am weak, I don't even have enough power to change my heart.
2) That God wants what is real, my real problem, my real concerns, my real complaints, my real thought, my real struggles, my real joy, my real thankfulness, my real self.
3) That God use suffering and the unknow to make me apart of his story. Teaching me, guilding me, and cureing me.
4) That there is not story better than the Gosple stroy and God has chose to wave me in to his story.

So Yea

From Instruments

"This grace justifies, providing complete forgiveness and unwavering acceptance with God. This grace adopts, welcoming us into his family wit all the rights and privileges of true sons and daughters. This grace enables, empowering me to think, say, and do things I could not do in my own strength. This grace transform, radically changing every aspect of my life."
-Paul Tripp

From a Praying Life

"Remember the point of Christianity isn't to learn a lot of truths so you don't need God anymore. We don't learn God in The abstract. We are drawn into his life."
-Paul Miller

Remind me of plodding visionary

What would being the background look like? Is pretending I don't exist. But I think it is more that we live out the script the God has intended for us. What does that even look like? It means that I mean I follow whatever is given to me aka the word!! How can we living by the script with out reading it? That also mean that my script is not other people's lives but reading and living according to the living word!!!

AHH there are soo many subtle things in the song that is just so rich and that address soo much heart motives and God's character. From pride to humility, Being a master self to servant of God, self sufficiency to God's sovereignty, failure and victory. depravity and Gospel, servant-hood and kingship!!

to be honest I am being convicted just listening to this song. Reminded how much my functional life is self propulsion and not relying on Gospel engine for propagation.

Questions that rises that I need to time find out is how would this inform my real like.. what does is look like? What does it mean to be in the background?

Human Height, Human Plight

When I consider all your work, the trim
Consumption fusion makes of hydrogen
In constellations without number, then
Reflect on orbits scattered at your whim,
Each mathematically sure and prim,
Or think of suns and moons not seen by men,
Of space in light-years raised to powers of ten,
Then what is man, that you remember him?
And not just man, but every hair upon
His head, each sitting down, each rising up,
Each turning-point and how it's lost or won,
Each tear, each boisterous laugh, each bitter cup.
That I a dot of cosmic dust, should be
Both known and loved by you transfixes me

- D.A. Carson