GCF retreat notes

Somewhere an atheist once said, "God demands us to love Him and his son." He couldn't accept that. But what if, hypothetically, there existed someone who cared for you dearly. He wanted to make sure you were always doing well at school, or with your job search. He wanted to get lunch and dinner with you. He calls regularly to make sure you are doing alright. He was always there for you when you were upset and down, and he was there to celebrate with you for all your moments of achievement. Maybe you start out suspicious of this person. "Is he a creeper?" "Does he want my kidney?" "Is he really lonely and needs a friend?" No, he already has many friends, all who think really highly of him, and all are cared by him equally and uniquely. Soon you start to realize that there really isn't anything he can possible want or gain from being your friend. You are the only one who benefits from the friendship. At this point, if someone like this truly exists, would you be his friend?

I have rejected Him once.

How can Susan, one of the chosen Daughters of Adam, a noble and beautiful queen loved by all her subjects, a person who has personally known the great Aslan, could return to the real world and forget everything she has seen and experience? No, its not like she forgot, she denied it all. How can she forget Narnia to chase after boys and careers?

I am like Susan. I have once denied it all.

"Why make something disposable like a building when you can make something that lasts forever? Like a greeting card." - 500 Days of Summer

We do not pursue things that actually matter (Luke 10:18-20, Matthew 6:19-24, Luke 12:16-21, 1 Samuel 16:7)

Teach me to seek you, and reveal Yourself to me as I seek;
For unless You instruct me I cannot seek You,
And unless you reveal Yourself I cannot find You.
Let me seek You in desiring You; Let me desire You in seeking You.
Let me find You in loving You; Let me love You in finding You. 

Urbana Devos!!!

12/27/12

Colossians 4:5-6

5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Today is the first day at Urbana, and its been an interesting first day. To narrow down the topic, I decided to go meet strangers after the first message, commuters who also do not have groups usually assigned by hotel. I actually believe that when this verse talks about outsiders, it means non-believers. But in this case outsiders would be people I’ve never met. I might be making a bible interpretation fuapau, but the situation is too ironic to let pass. I wonder if I can make the most of the opportunities to meet new people here at Urbana. I know with 18,000 people, and many pre-formed groups, it is hard to meet strangers and build a real relationship from them. I have come to believe that if I cannot really build a real friendship from meeting a person, it might be better to not meet them at all. But I might be very flawed in this thinking and this verse is revealing that fact. But all in all, this is a verse that I should keep in my heart, and hope that I can be full of grace (guessing the salt means knowledge and wisdom) and be able to answer everyone in a kind and relatable way. At least let me have ears to hear the stories that people bring to this conference.

1/8/12

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

This seems like a verse pulled out of an Urbana message. It isn’t but there are many verses in the Bible that say the exact same thing. Christ is life. And we are to die. Obviously by now this death isn’t a literal one, but a spiritual one. We are to die to ourselves and give up authority and control of our life to God, and that is how we will gain. So what do we gain? Some may start off want to gain eternal life, to continue living our comfortable and simple lives. Others more mature realize that living without a purpose brings discontentment and even despair. We then begin to seek things much greater things than what the world can give. Things like...love. We all, Christians and nonbelievers, glimpse this in our everyday lives. We see a mother care her child. We see lovers embrace and share tender moments together. We see friendships and family bonds bring happiness and joy of all degrees in people’s lives. Yet all of this is us trying to mimic the love that God pours down onto all of us from the heavens above. As we taste his abundant love, we really do realize that everything we have, every speck and splotch, in summation cannot even hold a candle to God’s love and provision. So what is the logical thing to do? Cast it all aside and take upon new titles of inheritance, and experience true joy. That is what being a Christian is. It almost sounds kind of selfish...we are always trying to find the best for ourselves.

There are days when my life is completely shaken to the core, whether by God or by an external event (September 8, 2008 and March 21, 2010 are such days). Yesterday was possibly one of those days. God, though I wish with all my heart to give you control, please let the church survive the upcoming storm.

I decided to buy and read Le Petit Prince today, after reading about it on 40daysofdating.com. Seems like a small book with many words of wisdom.

Thoughts about it to come soon!

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At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. - Luke 10:21

The Prince has found his Rose,

so extravagant and pure.

But the Rose was too proud,

to admit her desire to be understood,

admired and loved.

With heavy heart the Prince asked for leave,

To travel to the edges of the World,

to touch all with his laughter and smile.

There he learned what True Love is,

one that speaks of Friendship and Sacrifice,

for only his Rose will he waste time for,

for only his Rose he will be responsible for,

and only his Rose he has tamed.

The Prince seeks what is unique to him,

with his Heart he has found all answers.

"What moves me so deeply, about this little prince who is sleeping here, is his loyalty to a flower--the image of a rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp, even when he is asleep." - The Fox

http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Ohio-couple-married-65-years-die-11-hours-apart-4760785.php?cmpid=rrhoustontx

How 5 centimeters per second should have ended.

Dyu's wedding speech

(directed to general audience)

Joke: Today I am here to give my best man's speech, but I still in shock that he is getting married so I didn't have anything prepared. Bye.

Actually, today my job is to try to embarrass the bride and groom, though I know it won't be hard to embarrass Tiffany because if I say anything manly about Daniel, or anything at all about him, she will blush and possibly run away from the table.

I am also giving my blessings to the newlyweds and wish them courage and luck in their coming journey together.

So, how did I meet Daniel Yu? As the story goes, according to Daniel Yu because I don't have any memory of this, but one random day at GKCCCC the 10 year old me went up to this awkward kid and just decided out of the blue "you are going to be my friend, " and BAM the most unassuming friendship of two awkward kids was born.

The iconic image of us two would be trying to compete with each other in endless hours of smash at each other's houses for sleepovers, with the occasional break where Auntie Sandy would drag us to the local hotel pool to swim laps. Later on, when Daniel Yu moved away to Indiana and later Yorkville, we would start encouraging each other spiritually, challenging each other to view the gospel both from a biblical viewpoint and also from a logical viewpoint. This continued through college, as we watched each other grow spiritually, step by step as we continued to learn how to be men after God's own heart. I'm not going to lie, there has been many times where I survived only through Daniel's encouragement, or at times, his harshness. Thank you Daniel for being there for me.

So to start embarrassing Daniel. One of the more unique things about Daniel, among others, is his lack of a wardrobe turnover rate. Just three days ago he was wearing a shirt from a conference we went to in high school, whereas I would probably only be seen wearing that shirt if I run out of work out shirts. He also still wears a sweater that he owned since middle school. If you see him wearing one that is grey and missing most of its letters, that's the one. During the same conference, he wore the same blue polo marketing Pfizer's Revolution drug (do not ask me what it was for, just use your imagination) for a week straight, and then he switched it out for another exactly the same shirt to use for camp the next week. As you can see, to anyone who saw him those weeks, it looks like he wore the same shirt for two weeks straight, if one week wasn't bad enough. It was good to see yesterday at least that this...habit...has started to change, due to the influence of a feminine touch. Good job Tiffany. Please make him get rid of that sweater, or at least don't let it into your new house. (You can show it to your kids later and pretend its daddy's favorite sweater).

He also wanted to become the first professional hobo. Anyone here who has known Daniel Yu from when he was a kid knows that this was pretty serious. I once asked Tiffany what she thought about that, and she told me, "I shattered those dreams quite soundly."

Back in the day, we would all joke that Daniel Yu would be the first to get married, only because the possibilities of that happening are, you know, a million and one because he never seemed interested in girls, only in becoming a bum. To this day most of us are still...a little in shock. Still, there was once a time where there was a boy who would worry non-stop if the girl he likes even thought of him as a precious and close friend. On the day he was going to be honest with his feelings, he Skyped me saying things like "what if she doesn't think of me any different from the other guys she knows | what if she doesn't like me." He was crying and just an emotional wreak. I remember picking up the phone and calling him, and I told him to take a shower, put on some new clothes, and that from what he told me about their friendship, she most definitely thinks of him as a good friend. And that day the boy became a man. Though later in the day the girl told him "no," something in her heart was changed, and she observed the boy and saw that he was responsible, he was sincere, and his heart was pure. We know the rest.

To end my speech, there are a few things I want to say to the groom and bride.

The next things I will say are things you two have shared and taught me, whether through talking to me over Skype or through your interactions with each other or with other people.

To Daniel:

Daniel, you need to affirm Tiffany. Knowing her passion to reach out to people in fellowship, she will sometimes forget to remember about take care of herself, so you need to be there to take care of her. You once told me that "a girl just wants to be understood, that a drop of sincerity and tiny bridges of trust are the way to a girl's heart." I want you to keep on understanding her. I want you to understand her heart, her dreams, and her passions for other people. There once was an artist turned philosopher called Sagmiester who said that was difficult to truly understand someone else's reality because everyone always thinks they are right. Today I am telling you, Tiffany is always right. Therefore understand her. Be the leader. Be the one who initiates and takes the risks.

I would also recommend that you beat Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That was something that Tiffany once sought for in her boyfriend, so before you two get any more serious you should probably beat that game.

To Tiffany:

Daniel Yu may not be the superman you see on TV or in other people's relationships, but we both know that he is a superman in his own right. He is someone who is able to go the distance to take care of those who are dear to him. His loyalty is something that I have taken advantage of more than once. Who else would go to Urbana with me, when I had many reasons to be scared of going back, just so he can be there to encourage me and have fellowship with me. No matter how many times you wondered if he is the One, he would always tell you that you are worth pursuing. Trust that Daniel Yu is "the man who seeks not only to protect and cherish but also to encourage your heart to grow in the only way that really matters: into the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." (and yes I quoted that from my Facebook wall).

Please also remind Daniel to take regular baths (not at regular intervals). Also, watch some episodes of One Piece with him. Its good stuff.

To both:

Having watching you two for the last two years, I know that despite what everyone else thinks, you two have been through some rough times with each other. But I saw that your friendship with each other is one of the strongest I've seen, and when you two couldn't lean on each other, you both relied on the strength of your heavenly Father to get through the struggles and tough times. I just want to remind both of you that having this common source of strength will help you two more than anything else in your marriage, and that this is the best gift a spouse can give to one another.

I just want to share one of my favorite verses to you two.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I wish you two the best of luck and thank you both for being a good friend to me. Please don't get eaten by a bear or mountain lion on your trip okay?

1. Boiling of Milk Using Flaming Oreos
2. Determination of the Number of Licks Required to Get to the Center of Tootsie Pop®
3. Powering New York City with Pikachus
4. Eyestrain in Students Due to Guitar Hero III Game Play
5. Testing the Popping Yield of Various Microwaveable Popcorn Brands
6. Ideal Lighting for Growing Moth Orchids in an Indoor Environment
7. Name Brand versus Store Brand Paper Towels in Absorption
8. Does Double Dipping Lead to Increased Bacteria on Food?

I found this in the undergraduate BME lab course handout at CMU. WHY WASN'T WASHU THIS COOL?

Sometimes I wish I was a less social person, and maybe cared a little less. Then leaving people behind would be less painful.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't so good at keeping in touch with people. Then realizing when someone doesn't want you in their life anymore wouldn't hurt so much.

My strength. My weakness.

What am I saying...how many more new people can I meet, how much more can I grow, how many more lives I can touch? I will always keep my family and friends in my heart!

BEWARE PITTSBURGH!

I realized that Midnight's life seriously revolves around food and taking baths. He usually gets a bath every 3-4 weeks, and so when its been a few weeks since his last bath, he knows and becomes more and more aloof and cold towards us (because he hates baths). Once the gets one though, he knows it won't be for another few weeks before he gets another one, so he becomes super happy and cordial to everyone. He also knows that after like...11pm there is no chance he will get a bath, he temporarily reverts back to his warm and fluffy self.