Praise the Lord for giving me strong vocal chords, lol.
All you have to do is click on the chart and its sections to listen to or download the recorded audio files. Practice, Practice, Practice!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Till the Day Comes!
It's very, very hot in Korea...especially in my grandmother's house. (No aircon^^;) My sister left to Saipan today. It was a very busy day getting her ready and sending her off, and I also had to go to my dentist (1 hour distance^^;) to get my second to the last check up. 나라호, the first rocket launch of Korea, was delayed once again and it seems like everyone in Korea (even the kids on the streets) are left disappointed. The ex-president of Korea, Dae-Jung Kim, passed away several days ago and that's all that they talk about on the news. That and the failure to launch the rocket.
I found a really nice, affordable store near my dentist that had all the things that I've been looking for, such as bathroom cleaning materials and small hand mirror. I also bought a really cheap pair of flat shoes that I can easily wear to work every day:) It was soooo hot coming home that I just wanted to stay on the cool, air-conditioned subway forever and ever^^;
After I ate some leftovers with my grandmother for dinner, I took a nice, late nap from 8PM ~ 11PM in the grace of our Father, and for the last couple housrs, I've been reading and writing and praising the Lord for His goodness to all His people all over the world. Our blogs are always so encouraging and refreshing to read; my missionary friend's confessions coming from Kenya, Africa seem so real and close to my heart. Today was a moderately busy day for me, but the gratitude that I have for my Savior grows bigger day by day:)
Two more days until I return back to Saipan!!!
I have many things to get done before I can board the 9AM flight to Saipan...and I'm super excited for the last couple of things that God has in store for me here in Korea:)
As I shared with Joseph and others, my short, yet long vacation in Korea was a time of true relaxation, rest, restoration and revival for my physical, emotional, and spiritual self. When I first got here and started to go to the dentist, I had so much pain in my mouth that there wasn't a day that I couldn't meditate on the passion of the Christ^^; The enemy attacked me in so many ways to bring me down, and although I did look like a war-torn veteran by the end of it all, the grace of our Father protected me and led me in His perfect plans. I had opportunities to visit family and friends all over Korea, and also had the chance to visit Caleb and Lena in Dae Jeon and the WMM center in An Heung. These were times where I truly experienced that nothing but the Gospel was the source of my true strength. The glory and power of the Gospel revealed through my honesty and death on the cross were true moments of joy and happiness.
My whole time in Korea was mostly dedicated to myself. Although I did have alone times with God on Saipan, coming to Korea was a moment to really look deep inside my weaknesses and strengths, and really focus on what it was that God called me to do.
First of all, He showed me all the laziness and weaknesses that I had within me in serving WSA & GCA for the last six months. I had absolutely no qualifications in serving Him, but only by grace, the same unreasonable grace that saved such a wretched person like me, was I able to do the little that I did for His glory. He then showed me the love and glory that He wanted to shine through me for His Kingdom....only if I followed whole-heartedly. Only with whole-hearted confession and absolute submission was God going to reveal His greatness through us in the rest of the program. It was hard to admit my weaknesses revealed in His presence, but knowing that God uses my weaknesses to reveal His greatness, I find the greatest joy and peace in my heart to serve the Lord through WSA & GCA. Amen. Hallelujah!
Secondly, I had many moments in which I could really focus on my calling. Attending the GNA graduation was a real challenge to me, as seeing the numerous witnesses of the Gospel that were completely dedicated in giving their lives to nothing but the glory of our Lord came as quite a shock to me. It didn't really matter if my sister was in the group; what really challenged me was the united passion that the GNA graduates shared for the Kingdom of our Father. I'm equally challenged and excited for the past and future GNA graduates as God will work mightly through their lives to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Thirdly, being with my sister after being separated for a long time was quite different for me. God showed me how shy and lazy I get about the Gospel to my family through this time. I'm still praying that I'll be able to be a witness of the Gospel to my family as much as I am to the rest of world, but it's really hard...^^; I don't quite understand why it's such a great challenge to me...and there's some anxiousness within me as I'll be faced with the same challenge on Saipan. I just pray that the Gospel will be able to gain victory over all of my weaknesses.
Everything revealed in the light of the Gospel, it feels like I have nothing left inside me. But because I know that the true mystery of the His salvation is revealed only through my emptiness, I am glad, I am happy to be able be a nothing in the presence of my everything, my Father, and my King.
Three weeks was a long time trying to manage all these things within my frail self, but finally, finally...I feel that I'm ready to go back home and serve my King whole-heartedly. To be completely free in the Spirit of our Father....this truly is the thing that I've been searching for all my life. And now that I've found it, I gladly give all my life to serve my Savior.
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!"
I'll see you soon, my fellow witnesses of the Gospel in Christ.
Till the Day comes, our march of faith will go on strong. Maranatha!
I found a really nice, affordable store near my dentist that had all the things that I've been looking for, such as bathroom cleaning materials and small hand mirror. I also bought a really cheap pair of flat shoes that I can easily wear to work every day:) It was soooo hot coming home that I just wanted to stay on the cool, air-conditioned subway forever and ever^^;
After I ate some leftovers with my grandmother for dinner, I took a nice, late nap from 8PM ~ 11PM in the grace of our Father, and for the last couple housrs, I've been reading and writing and praising the Lord for His goodness to all His people all over the world. Our blogs are always so encouraging and refreshing to read; my missionary friend's confessions coming from Kenya, Africa seem so real and close to my heart. Today was a moderately busy day for me, but the gratitude that I have for my Savior grows bigger day by day:)
Two more days until I return back to Saipan!!!
I have many things to get done before I can board the 9AM flight to Saipan...and I'm super excited for the last couple of things that God has in store for me here in Korea:)
As I shared with Joseph and others, my short, yet long vacation in Korea was a time of true relaxation, rest, restoration and revival for my physical, emotional, and spiritual self. When I first got here and started to go to the dentist, I had so much pain in my mouth that there wasn't a day that I couldn't meditate on the passion of the Christ^^; The enemy attacked me in so many ways to bring me down, and although I did look like a war-torn veteran by the end of it all, the grace of our Father protected me and led me in His perfect plans. I had opportunities to visit family and friends all over Korea, and also had the chance to visit Caleb and Lena in Dae Jeon and the WMM center in An Heung. These were times where I truly experienced that nothing but the Gospel was the source of my true strength. The glory and power of the Gospel revealed through my honesty and death on the cross were true moments of joy and happiness.
My whole time in Korea was mostly dedicated to myself. Although I did have alone times with God on Saipan, coming to Korea was a moment to really look deep inside my weaknesses and strengths, and really focus on what it was that God called me to do.
First of all, He showed me all the laziness and weaknesses that I had within me in serving WSA & GCA for the last six months. I had absolutely no qualifications in serving Him, but only by grace, the same unreasonable grace that saved such a wretched person like me, was I able to do the little that I did for His glory. He then showed me the love and glory that He wanted to shine through me for His Kingdom....only if I followed whole-heartedly. Only with whole-hearted confession and absolute submission was God going to reveal His greatness through us in the rest of the program. It was hard to admit my weaknesses revealed in His presence, but knowing that God uses my weaknesses to reveal His greatness, I find the greatest joy and peace in my heart to serve the Lord through WSA & GCA. Amen. Hallelujah!
Secondly, I had many moments in which I could really focus on my calling. Attending the GNA graduation was a real challenge to me, as seeing the numerous witnesses of the Gospel that were completely dedicated in giving their lives to nothing but the glory of our Lord came as quite a shock to me. It didn't really matter if my sister was in the group; what really challenged me was the united passion that the GNA graduates shared for the Kingdom of our Father. I'm equally challenged and excited for the past and future GNA graduates as God will work mightly through their lives to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Thirdly, being with my sister after being separated for a long time was quite different for me. God showed me how shy and lazy I get about the Gospel to my family through this time. I'm still praying that I'll be able to be a witness of the Gospel to my family as much as I am to the rest of world, but it's really hard...^^; I don't quite understand why it's such a great challenge to me...and there's some anxiousness within me as I'll be faced with the same challenge on Saipan. I just pray that the Gospel will be able to gain victory over all of my weaknesses.
Everything revealed in the light of the Gospel, it feels like I have nothing left inside me. But because I know that the true mystery of the His salvation is revealed only through my emptiness, I am glad, I am happy to be able be a nothing in the presence of my everything, my Father, and my King.
Three weeks was a long time trying to manage all these things within my frail self, but finally, finally...I feel that I'm ready to go back home and serve my King whole-heartedly. To be completely free in the Spirit of our Father....this truly is the thing that I've been searching for all my life. And now that I've found it, I gladly give all my life to serve my Savior.
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!"
I'll see you soon, my fellow witnesses of the Gospel in Christ.
Till the Day comes, our march of faith will go on strong. Maranatha!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
From: Korea
Hi everyone~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:D
This is Judy, reporting to you from Korea!!:)
First of all, I miss every single one of you soooooooooooo much.
Everywhere I go, I think about you.
In the subway, the bus, the streets, church, store, restaurant, even at my grandmother's house...I think about you:) (Shalom, especially being with my grandma that gave you a hard time at the Good News School, I couldn't stop thinking about you....lol) I miss you all so much!!
My first day in Korea was extremely tiring but fun.
On the plane, Mi Ae and I shared with each other the wonders of our Father then ate omelets together:) Right after we ate, I knocked out...and opened my eyes when we landed in Korea^^; Then we waited outside to meet Becky's parents, who came to see us after catching a ride on the first boat out of Shin-Do. While we were driving out onto the highway in the car with Becky's parents, guess who met us on the side of the road? Missionary Kim & Hwang!! Mi Ae and I were soooo surprised and soooo happy:) Missionary Kim was wearing a Saipan shirt, too;) Missionary Kim & Hwang were on their way to An-Heung so they had to leave soon, so just Becky's parents, Mi Ae and I had breakfast in Incheon.
Saying good-bye to Mi Ae was hard, but because the faith that I have in our God and all the marvelous things that God wants to work out through our lives, I wasn't too sad about saying good-bye to Mi Ae. In reality, I don't think I was that sad - I fell right asleep as I got on the bus to go to my grandma's house^^;;
The first day, I slept and slept^^; In between my naps, I had a really good time being with my grandma, but I fell asleep at about 3~4 hour intervals^^;; Then the next day, I followed my grandmother to her church - Jung Dong Methodist Church near Gwang-Hwa Moon in Seoul. It's an old, old traditional Methodist Church with many rich church members, so I didn't feel quite at home. My grandmother introduced me to all her friends, but wherever I went, I felt a dire need for the Gospel in the church, so I wasn't entirely happy. Yet I did get to meet several friendly faces - I even met the Jang-Ro-Neem who named me "Jesus' Happiness" when I was born:)
The weather in Korea is quite chilly for me. Everybody here says it's really, really hot, but to me, it gets quite chilly in the early mornings and night, so I think I'm getting a cold^^;; Monday and today were hospital days for me - as will be the next several days. I took out one of my wisdom tooth and started to work on the 8 cavities I have...^^;; Eight cavities!!! Can you believe it?? I was so shocked and embarrassed^^; I have a constant headache and pain in my mouth from all the things they're doing in my mouth, so I've been just resting with my family (uncle, aunt, and maternal grandmother) since Monday.
But as you all know, being with your non-Christian family is not relaxing at all. Please pray for my family here as my uncle and aunt do not believe in Jesus. It's so hard for me to share the Gospel with them, and I pray that God will give me a clear opportunity for me to share the Gospel that is so real and true to me. Korean TV gives me a headache, and people in Korea eat too much good food; I kinda miss my quiet life with God on Saipan:(
I still have to get a date scheduled to have my wisdom tooth on the bottom to be surgically removed. Please pray that they'll be able to schedule a date for me asap. It's summer vacation here in Korea and all the hospitals are very, very busy. But I'll be happy with whatever God has in store for me.
Korea seems like a place where nobody really needs God to survive. Everyone seems to be okay without God. I feel so awkward and out of place here, and I fear that I might become like some of the people here if I stay here for a long time. But the good thing is that I get to read lots of books and the Bible while going to places on the subway and the bus, so I'm super excited everyday:) I pray that I'll be able to keep my eyes fixed on the Kingdom of God and be an intercessor for all the lost souls in Korea during my short stay here.
I'm kinda tired during the day after taking all the medications for my pain, but I know that God will do even more amazing things through my stay here. My hope is in nothing and noone but the Lord all day long!
Here are some things that are coming up for me. Please pray when you get a chance:
- More things needed to be done in my mouth at the dentist (Wednesday 10:00 AM & Everyday until August 12th)
- Appointment to schedule my tooth operation at 서울대병원 (Wednesday 1:15 PM)
- Meeting friends (Charles, Jin Hee, and other friends from Saipan & the States)
- Going to Shin-Do, An-Heung (Jae Hee's ceremony), Dae Jun (to see Caleb & Lena)
- Going to visit several churches
I'll give you a call tonight on your internet phone - I hope it works!
I wish we could Skype, but I'm at my uncle's house and there's no webcam here:(
But we'll definitely talk to each other soon!
I miss you so much! Keep me updated via Blogger and the email!
I'll be praying for your time as Teacher-Aides in the classroom.
Our God provides for us at all times! Hallelujah!
This is Judy, reporting to you from Korea!!:)
First of all, I miss every single one of you soooooooooooo much.
Everywhere I go, I think about you.
In the subway, the bus, the streets, church, store, restaurant, even at my grandmother's house...I think about you:) (Shalom, especially being with my grandma that gave you a hard time at the Good News School, I couldn't stop thinking about you....lol) I miss you all so much!!
My first day in Korea was extremely tiring but fun.
On the plane, Mi Ae and I shared with each other the wonders of our Father then ate omelets together:) Right after we ate, I knocked out...and opened my eyes when we landed in Korea^^; Then we waited outside to meet Becky's parents, who came to see us after catching a ride on the first boat out of Shin-Do. While we were driving out onto the highway in the car with Becky's parents, guess who met us on the side of the road? Missionary Kim & Hwang!! Mi Ae and I were soooo surprised and soooo happy:) Missionary Kim was wearing a Saipan shirt, too;) Missionary Kim & Hwang were on their way to An-Heung so they had to leave soon, so just Becky's parents, Mi Ae and I had breakfast in Incheon.
Saying good-bye to Mi Ae was hard, but because the faith that I have in our God and all the marvelous things that God wants to work out through our lives, I wasn't too sad about saying good-bye to Mi Ae. In reality, I don't think I was that sad - I fell right asleep as I got on the bus to go to my grandma's house^^;;
The first day, I slept and slept^^; In between my naps, I had a really good time being with my grandma, but I fell asleep at about 3~4 hour intervals^^;; Then the next day, I followed my grandmother to her church - Jung Dong Methodist Church near Gwang-Hwa Moon in Seoul. It's an old, old traditional Methodist Church with many rich church members, so I didn't feel quite at home. My grandmother introduced me to all her friends, but wherever I went, I felt a dire need for the Gospel in the church, so I wasn't entirely happy. Yet I did get to meet several friendly faces - I even met the Jang-Ro-Neem who named me "Jesus' Happiness" when I was born:)
The weather in Korea is quite chilly for me. Everybody here says it's really, really hot, but to me, it gets quite chilly in the early mornings and night, so I think I'm getting a cold^^;; Monday and today were hospital days for me - as will be the next several days. I took out one of my wisdom tooth and started to work on the 8 cavities I have...^^;; Eight cavities!!! Can you believe it?? I was so shocked and embarrassed^^; I have a constant headache and pain in my mouth from all the things they're doing in my mouth, so I've been just resting with my family (uncle, aunt, and maternal grandmother) since Monday.
But as you all know, being with your non-Christian family is not relaxing at all. Please pray for my family here as my uncle and aunt do not believe in Jesus. It's so hard for me to share the Gospel with them, and I pray that God will give me a clear opportunity for me to share the Gospel that is so real and true to me. Korean TV gives me a headache, and people in Korea eat too much good food; I kinda miss my quiet life with God on Saipan:(
I still have to get a date scheduled to have my wisdom tooth on the bottom to be surgically removed. Please pray that they'll be able to schedule a date for me asap. It's summer vacation here in Korea and all the hospitals are very, very busy. But I'll be happy with whatever God has in store for me.
Korea seems like a place where nobody really needs God to survive. Everyone seems to be okay without God. I feel so awkward and out of place here, and I fear that I might become like some of the people here if I stay here for a long time. But the good thing is that I get to read lots of books and the Bible while going to places on the subway and the bus, so I'm super excited everyday:) I pray that I'll be able to keep my eyes fixed on the Kingdom of God and be an intercessor for all the lost souls in Korea during my short stay here.
I'm kinda tired during the day after taking all the medications for my pain, but I know that God will do even more amazing things through my stay here. My hope is in nothing and noone but the Lord all day long!
Here are some things that are coming up for me. Please pray when you get a chance:
- More things needed to be done in my mouth at the dentist (Wednesday 10:00 AM & Everyday until August 12th)
- Appointment to schedule my tooth operation at 서울대병원 (Wednesday 1:15 PM)
- Meeting friends (Charles, Jin Hee, and other friends from Saipan & the States)
- Going to Shin-Do, An-Heung (Jae Hee's ceremony), Dae Jun (to see Caleb & Lena)
- Going to visit several churches
I'll give you a call tonight on your internet phone - I hope it works!
I wish we could Skype, but I'm at my uncle's house and there's no webcam here:(
But we'll definitely talk to each other soon!
I miss you so much! Keep me updated via Blogger and the email!
I'll be praying for your time as Teacher-Aides in the classroom.
Our God provides for us at all times! Hallelujah!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Keep it up, everyone!
Hey there everybody~~
This is Judy, the best teacher in the world!! hehehehe...:) We all know that I'm ever-so-weak, so always keep me in your prayers^^; lol. I'm going to miss all of you soooooooooooo much! I'll try to enjoy the most of my time in Korea, but I'm not too sure how much rest I'll be able to get after the surgery:( Please pray.
I also want to visit the different WMM centers in Korea, so please pray for that as well:)
The meeting we had last night was awesome! It was truly amazing to witness all the wondrous things that God has worked in our lives for the last six months, aside from English. Let's continue to march on diligently this semester for the glory of the Lord!
I've emailed the detailed list of projects and activites that you'll focus on for the month of August to Joseph, so please follow Joseph's guidance, suggestions, and instructions in carrying out all activities. Don't forget: Weekly Blogs from the classroom experience, 2 Blogs (for Rota & GCA), Reflective Blogs for every activity you participate in and the log sheet of every activity you go to. If you're confused, don't worry; our trusty, handsome team leader Joseph will explain everything to you:)
Alright! So keep up the hard work! I'll definitely miss spending time with you, but I'm looking forward to corresponding with you through our blogs and email!
All our joys, tears, ups and downs - All for the Glory of the Lord!:D
Love you & God Bless!
This is Judy, the best teacher in the world!! hehehehe...:) We all know that I'm ever-so-weak, so always keep me in your prayers^^; lol. I'm going to miss all of you soooooooooooo much! I'll try to enjoy the most of my time in Korea, but I'm not too sure how much rest I'll be able to get after the surgery:( Please pray.
I also want to visit the different WMM centers in Korea, so please pray for that as well:)
The meeting we had last night was awesome! It was truly amazing to witness all the wondrous things that God has worked in our lives for the last six months, aside from English. Let's continue to march on diligently this semester for the glory of the Lord!
I've emailed the detailed list of projects and activites that you'll focus on for the month of August to Joseph, so please follow Joseph's guidance, suggestions, and instructions in carrying out all activities. Don't forget: Weekly Blogs from the classroom experience, 2 Blogs (for Rota & GCA), Reflective Blogs for every activity you participate in and the log sheet of every activity you go to. If you're confused, don't worry; our trusty, handsome team leader Joseph will explain everything to you:)
Alright! So keep up the hard work! I'll definitely miss spending time with you, but I'm looking forward to corresponding with you through our blogs and email!
All our joys, tears, ups and downs - All for the Glory of the Lord!:D
Love you & God Bless!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
My Gospel
(A song from my heart...)
I have nothing in my Jesus.
I am nothing in my Jesus.
I search for nothing in my Jesus.
I yearn for nothing in my Jesus.
Jesus is all I want.
Jesus is all I need.
Jesus is my all.
Jesus is my everything.
Praise the Lord, O my Soul!
Reading Shalom's 'My Gospel' in English was very challenging. I had written something similar in English to share with my friends, but I had never completely re-written my Gospel in English. But wow, Shalom! Praise the Lord! He has done wonderous things through your whole-hearted confession of love and faith! I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to share your Gospel in English with Pastor Tony and then to us through your blog, but God has done it all!! I love you and miss you so much!! (Eunice and Rebekah too^^)
I'd like to challenge everyone to write out their Gospel in English, as we have nothing else to boast (nope, not even our English can be our pride!) other than the Gospel which we have received through our Jesus Christ, Lord & Savior.
So everyone, here it is, Judy's Gospel, in English.
For the Glory of the Lord!
"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music." Psalms 57:7
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect...yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10
I was once a sinner lost and dead, but now I am free and alive in the love and grace of my good Lord, my Savior. He has found me and saved me - never to fear or to hate, never to cheat or be in despair. Praise the Lord for He is good! Truly God has done everything. Hallelujah! I give all the glory to the Lord!
I was born as the eldest into a family that long awaited the birth of their first child. Because of this, my early childhood days are filled with only good memories and joyful moments. It wasn't until we moved to Saipan when I was five, about a year after the birth of my sister, that I started to feel real pain and sadness within me.
Learning English was so hard. Whenever I returned to Korea to visit, my friends in Korea made fun of me for my dark skin. My friends on Saipan ignored me for my lack of fluency in English. My sister was ever so mean to me, and I couldn't do anything because of her weak health. Everywhere I went, I felt so small and powerless. I felt left out from the picture, only to be scolded at home for not being able to read in English and not being able to love my sister more.
My low self-esteem stayed ever so small under the strict rules of my parents and the heavy responsibility that lied on my tiny shoulders as the eldest daughter. I never felt pretty, smart, or sassy enough to satisfy anyone. Such feelings escalated to a point where I was considered a "loner" in seventh grade. Not having any friends greatly saddened me, and when the one opportunity for me to shine and make new friends came, I grasped it without any hesitation.
This is how and why I met my first boyfriend, and to him, I wanted to give my everything. The feelings I had for him felt so real that I didn't hesitate to give him even my body, and this is when lust took full control over my life.
Junior high was a dark time filled with friction between me and my parents, but nothing really mattered to me as long as I had my friends and boyfriends to love me. High school came, and the life I shared with my friends were filled with profanity, sexual immorality, drukenness, addiction to drugs, satan worship, hatred, and suicidal thoughts. I had no physical limits set with my boyfriends, and abortion was a choice I would have easily made. God's amazing grace protected me from committing the horrible sin of murder, but that didn't stop me from flaunting and exposing my body to every kind of lust and immoral acts of this world. I cheated, I was cheated on, I lied, I was lied to, I abused and I was abused. There was never peace in my family, friends or even within myself. In this brokenness of my soul, I went off to college in the States, seeking to fill my hunger for more love.
All this time I was perfectly hidden under the mask of a dedicated Christian girl, being loved and respected by those around me in church. Yet my filthy soul was revealed whenever I was alone, as I spent hours and days watching pornography online, smoking, drinking, cursing, and wanting more and more things of the world.
Then came a moment in my life when I felt the dire need to pray for all the unevangelized tribes in China. I hadn't realized it then, but now that I reflect upon this, that was the first calling I received from God to carry His heart into the world. From then on, God miraculously lifted me out of the mire to know Him and seek Him more. Other than that it was simply the amazing grace of our Father, I cannot explain the reason why I complied to the Lord guiding me back to Saipan and on mission trips to the Philippines and Mongolia.
Yet I still suffered from my pride, love of self, and never ending lust even from deep within the church. Just before I was about to fall apart, God opened wide the gates of Heaven, poured out even more grace upon my life and invited me to face the Gospel at the cross of Jesus. At first, I was too scared to let the truth about myself be revealed to the world. I felt as if everything would crumble and that I would die. But my death at the cross of Jesus is exactly what God had required of me, and I responded to the amazing love of my Father with the complete death of myself on the cross.
"I, Joo Hee Kim, have died on the cross with Jesus Christ two thousand years ago, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Amen!
The walk of faith that I'm able to march on as a freed child of God is truly the happiest moment of my life. I am now able to freely love as God has purposed for me from before Creation. I am no longer a deceiving imposter to my family. I am no longer the love-hungry, power-thirsty Joo Hee to my friends. I am no longer the lustful prostitute of this world.
As I was called to take the love of God to the ends of the earth, I now live the life worthy of the fullness of Christ, the life worthy of the glorious calling to be a faithful servant of the Lord until the day comes. Yes I fall and stumble at times, but everytime I am in distress, I look to my Lord as David once did. Though sometimes the pain is so bad that I feel like all my bones are being crushed (Psalms 51:8), I lift up my eyes with faith and I see the glorious Lord awaiting me with open arms, calling me and guiding me to be his holy bride.
The times are dark - ears will be shut, eyes will be blinded, souls will be condemned. Yet I will be still and know that You are God, putting all my hope in You, seeking for your love every moment, as a deer pants for water... May your love and truth always protect me, O God my Savior, my Refuge, my Strength! My heart leaps for joy to be in your presence, to dwell in your calling. Grant me clean hands and a pure heart to serve you until the end, oh Father, for it truly is better to be in your courts for a day than to be a thousands elsewhere. How beautiful your dwelling place is, oh Father!
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." Psalms 32:1-2
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God." Psalms 146:5
Hallelujah!
The Lord has done it all!
Now the sole purpose and reason that I live is only to prepare the way for the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ. I give all the praise and worship to our Father for saving my soul, making me whole, and giving me His Salvation so rich and so free! Father, here am I, send me!
We will soon witness the glorious return of our Lord!
Maranatha!
I have nothing in my Jesus.
I am nothing in my Jesus.
I search for nothing in my Jesus.
I yearn for nothing in my Jesus.
Jesus is all I want.
Jesus is all I need.
Jesus is my all.
Jesus is my everything.
Praise the Lord, O my Soul!
Reading Shalom's 'My Gospel' in English was very challenging. I had written something similar in English to share with my friends, but I had never completely re-written my Gospel in English. But wow, Shalom! Praise the Lord! He has done wonderous things through your whole-hearted confession of love and faith! I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to share your Gospel in English with Pastor Tony and then to us through your blog, but God has done it all!! I love you and miss you so much!! (Eunice and Rebekah too^^)
I'd like to challenge everyone to write out their Gospel in English, as we have nothing else to boast (nope, not even our English can be our pride!) other than the Gospel which we have received through our Jesus Christ, Lord & Savior.
So everyone, here it is, Judy's Gospel, in English.
For the Glory of the Lord!
"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music." Psalms 57:7
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect...yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10
I was once a sinner lost and dead, but now I am free and alive in the love and grace of my good Lord, my Savior. He has found me and saved me - never to fear or to hate, never to cheat or be in despair. Praise the Lord for He is good! Truly God has done everything. Hallelujah! I give all the glory to the Lord!
I was born as the eldest into a family that long awaited the birth of their first child. Because of this, my early childhood days are filled with only good memories and joyful moments. It wasn't until we moved to Saipan when I was five, about a year after the birth of my sister, that I started to feel real pain and sadness within me.
Learning English was so hard. Whenever I returned to Korea to visit, my friends in Korea made fun of me for my dark skin. My friends on Saipan ignored me for my lack of fluency in English. My sister was ever so mean to me, and I couldn't do anything because of her weak health. Everywhere I went, I felt so small and powerless. I felt left out from the picture, only to be scolded at home for not being able to read in English and not being able to love my sister more.
My low self-esteem stayed ever so small under the strict rules of my parents and the heavy responsibility that lied on my tiny shoulders as the eldest daughter. I never felt pretty, smart, or sassy enough to satisfy anyone. Such feelings escalated to a point where I was considered a "loner" in seventh grade. Not having any friends greatly saddened me, and when the one opportunity for me to shine and make new friends came, I grasped it without any hesitation.
This is how and why I met my first boyfriend, and to him, I wanted to give my everything. The feelings I had for him felt so real that I didn't hesitate to give him even my body, and this is when lust took full control over my life.
Junior high was a dark time filled with friction between me and my parents, but nothing really mattered to me as long as I had my friends and boyfriends to love me. High school came, and the life I shared with my friends were filled with profanity, sexual immorality, drukenness, addiction to drugs, satan worship, hatred, and suicidal thoughts. I had no physical limits set with my boyfriends, and abortion was a choice I would have easily made. God's amazing grace protected me from committing the horrible sin of murder, but that didn't stop me from flaunting and exposing my body to every kind of lust and immoral acts of this world. I cheated, I was cheated on, I lied, I was lied to, I abused and I was abused. There was never peace in my family, friends or even within myself. In this brokenness of my soul, I went off to college in the States, seeking to fill my hunger for more love.
All this time I was perfectly hidden under the mask of a dedicated Christian girl, being loved and respected by those around me in church. Yet my filthy soul was revealed whenever I was alone, as I spent hours and days watching pornography online, smoking, drinking, cursing, and wanting more and more things of the world.
Then came a moment in my life when I felt the dire need to pray for all the unevangelized tribes in China. I hadn't realized it then, but now that I reflect upon this, that was the first calling I received from God to carry His heart into the world. From then on, God miraculously lifted me out of the mire to know Him and seek Him more. Other than that it was simply the amazing grace of our Father, I cannot explain the reason why I complied to the Lord guiding me back to Saipan and on mission trips to the Philippines and Mongolia.
Yet I still suffered from my pride, love of self, and never ending lust even from deep within the church. Just before I was about to fall apart, God opened wide the gates of Heaven, poured out even more grace upon my life and invited me to face the Gospel at the cross of Jesus. At first, I was too scared to let the truth about myself be revealed to the world. I felt as if everything would crumble and that I would die. But my death at the cross of Jesus is exactly what God had required of me, and I responded to the amazing love of my Father with the complete death of myself on the cross.
"I, Joo Hee Kim, have died on the cross with Jesus Christ two thousand years ago, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Amen!
The walk of faith that I'm able to march on as a freed child of God is truly the happiest moment of my life. I am now able to freely love as God has purposed for me from before Creation. I am no longer a deceiving imposter to my family. I am no longer the love-hungry, power-thirsty Joo Hee to my friends. I am no longer the lustful prostitute of this world.
As I was called to take the love of God to the ends of the earth, I now live the life worthy of the fullness of Christ, the life worthy of the glorious calling to be a faithful servant of the Lord until the day comes. Yes I fall and stumble at times, but everytime I am in distress, I look to my Lord as David once did. Though sometimes the pain is so bad that I feel like all my bones are being crushed (Psalms 51:8), I lift up my eyes with faith and I see the glorious Lord awaiting me with open arms, calling me and guiding me to be his holy bride.
The times are dark - ears will be shut, eyes will be blinded, souls will be condemned. Yet I will be still and know that You are God, putting all my hope in You, seeking for your love every moment, as a deer pants for water... May your love and truth always protect me, O God my Savior, my Refuge, my Strength! My heart leaps for joy to be in your presence, to dwell in your calling. Grant me clean hands and a pure heart to serve you until the end, oh Father, for it truly is better to be in your courts for a day than to be a thousands elsewhere. How beautiful your dwelling place is, oh Father!
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." Psalms 32:1-2
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God." Psalms 146:5
Hallelujah!
The Lord has done it all!
Now the sole purpose and reason that I live is only to prepare the way for the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ. I give all the praise and worship to our Father for saving my soul, making me whole, and giving me His Salvation so rich and so free! Father, here am I, send me!
We will soon witness the glorious return of our Lord!
Maranatha!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Skype & MSN
I just sent everyone an email today - please check it:)
I've been pretty much "offline" for a while with Skype & MSN, but I figured it'd be another great way for us to communicate with each other (in English, of course!). Just in case, I'll list my Skype and MSN ids on here as well:
Skype: jueykim
MSN: jooheekim@hotmail.com
I know we'll all have a GREAT weekend with Missionary Kim and the Gospel Revival; I just hope we get to squeeze in at least some studying in over the weekend^^; Love you all so much! The Lord has done, is doing, and will do truly amazing things through us!
To the Ends of the Earth with the Gospel!
I've been pretty much "offline" for a while with Skype & MSN, but I figured it'd be another great way for us to communicate with each other (in English, of course!). Just in case, I'll list my Skype and MSN ids on here as well:
Skype: jueykim
MSN: jooheekim@hotmail.com
I know we'll all have a GREAT weekend with Missionary Kim and the Gospel Revival; I just hope we get to squeeze in at least some studying in over the weekend^^; Love you all so much! The Lord has done, is doing, and will do truly amazing things through us!
To the Ends of the Earth with the Gospel!
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Gospel
Do you know the pure joy of simply awaiting for the true revival of the Gospel?
.................................................................................................... I do:)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Mommy & Daddy
When Joseph asked me during lunch today if I missed my parents, I said "No," without giving it a second thought. Yet as I opened an email filled with words of love & encouragement, and smiling pictures of my parents, I couldn't help but to shed a few tears at the thought of how much I miss my best friends in Christ, partners of the Gospel, faithful intercessors, my lovers, my teachers...my parents.
Hurry back home, Mommy & Daddy!
I miss you & love you so much:)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Walking in God's Love
Yesterday was a B-I-G day for me. I've been waiting to share about the Lord's calling in John 21:15-18, so while I was very nervous to share my calling with the church yesterday, I was also extremely happy in the Lord. Last night, I slept like a baby in my Father's arms:)
When I woke up this morning, I was still a little bit tired. Mondays are always pretty tough on me as I spend the weekends in a whirlwind. But I didn't want to let my physical weakness tie me down, so I said to the Lord, "Speak to me, oh Father, for here I am to listen and bow down humbly in Your presence."
Then the Lord spoke to me through today's devotions: And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2John 1: 5-6)
To walk in His love...walking in His love. I let this sink in my heart for a while, and I prayed quietly to my God, "Father, all I seek is to walk in Your love. No matter what happens in my life, oh God, I will stay strong. I will stay focused. As I walk in obedience to Your commands no matter what, and You hold me steadfast in Your love. Lord, all I seek is to walk in Your love! By faith, I walk in Your love!"
Most of my day was okay. Everyone at WSA today was sorta worn out from taking the long test, but I was happy we could have class altogether on Modays. Phonics was fun (Keep it up, Ji Hoon!!), and the presentations just keep getting better and better (Great work, Eunice and Rebekah!). I took care of all my dad's errands fairly smoothly, and most of the provisions for Rota has been taken care of. The lady helping me at the Attorney General's office, Becky, is simply wonderful. Shopping with Rebekah went okay, and I even had time to squeeze in a nap time before I got busy with doing my work. Judy's Flower Shop is running smoothly without my parents or me (since I was sleeping, hehe).
Then at 7:19 PM, the time to test my faith, my walk in love of God came.
My dear friend and partner in Christ Jin Hee called me. She usually doesn't call me during the weekdays and especially at night, but Jin Hee called. I picked up the phone wondering why she had called, and Jin Hee first said "Unnieeeee....(sister, in Korean)" in a weak yet cute voice. In my head, I'm still thinking, "Hmm I guess she forgot to tell me something yesterday." Then came the test.
"Unnie, sorry I didn't tell you earlier...but I'm going to Korea. Tonight."
"What?! Are you that sick!?"
"Yes and no. My parents have been wanting me to come back to Korea soon and I've been thinking about it. Since I haven't been feeling well recently, my mom told me it'd be best if I came home now and return back to Saipan in about a month to get the rest of my things."
".........so you're not going to live here anymore?"
"Umm...no....sorry I didn't tell you earlier!"
Oh, my..........
I knew Jin Hee was never the predictable girl, but what?! How am I supposed to live without my only sidekick at church? How am I supposed to take care of our college youth without my trusted Jin Hee?! Why didn't I sense this the whole time I gave her rides back to her house almost every day?! Who is going to be on my side in times of trouble?! Oh man, Lord.......how am I going to live...........T.T..............
Then Jin Hee went on to tell me about her plans of moving to Japan next week to learn the language and culture. She's always told me about her calling to become a missionary in Japan, but why so soon? Why now? We have so much work to do at church! on Saipan! Who's going to be doing prayer walks at NMC?! Oh man, Lord...........
As I write this, my heart is still in the process of being shattered into a million pieces. Charles is leaving soon. Paul is leaving too. My parents are just waiting for God's OK sign to dedicate themselves as full time missionaries; I highly doubt Jae Hee is ever going to come back. God, are You seriously going to take every single person in my life away from me and leave me deserted on Saipan all by myself? Oh my.........
Devastation.
I need to go pray.
When I woke up this morning, I was still a little bit tired. Mondays are always pretty tough on me as I spend the weekends in a whirlwind. But I didn't want to let my physical weakness tie me down, so I said to the Lord, "Speak to me, oh Father, for here I am to listen and bow down humbly in Your presence."
Then the Lord spoke to me through today's devotions: And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2John 1: 5-6)
To walk in His love...walking in His love. I let this sink in my heart for a while, and I prayed quietly to my God, "Father, all I seek is to walk in Your love. No matter what happens in my life, oh God, I will stay strong. I will stay focused. As I walk in obedience to Your commands no matter what, and You hold me steadfast in Your love. Lord, all I seek is to walk in Your love! By faith, I walk in Your love!"
Most of my day was okay. Everyone at WSA today was sorta worn out from taking the long test, but I was happy we could have class altogether on Modays. Phonics was fun (Keep it up, Ji Hoon!!), and the presentations just keep getting better and better (Great work, Eunice and Rebekah!). I took care of all my dad's errands fairly smoothly, and most of the provisions for Rota has been taken care of. The lady helping me at the Attorney General's office, Becky, is simply wonderful. Shopping with Rebekah went okay, and I even had time to squeeze in a nap time before I got busy with doing my work. Judy's Flower Shop is running smoothly without my parents or me (since I was sleeping, hehe).
Then at 7:19 PM, the time to test my faith, my walk in love of God came.
My dear friend and partner in Christ Jin Hee called me. She usually doesn't call me during the weekdays and especially at night, but Jin Hee called. I picked up the phone wondering why she had called, and Jin Hee first said "Unnieeeee....(sister, in Korean)" in a weak yet cute voice. In my head, I'm still thinking, "Hmm I guess she forgot to tell me something yesterday." Then came the test.
"Unnie, sorry I didn't tell you earlier...but I'm going to Korea. Tonight."
"What?! Are you that sick!?"
"Yes and no. My parents have been wanting me to come back to Korea soon and I've been thinking about it. Since I haven't been feeling well recently, my mom told me it'd be best if I came home now and return back to Saipan in about a month to get the rest of my things."
".........so you're not going to live here anymore?"
"Umm...no....sorry I didn't tell you earlier!"
Oh, my..........
I knew Jin Hee was never the predictable girl, but what?! How am I supposed to live without my only sidekick at church? How am I supposed to take care of our college youth without my trusted Jin Hee?! Why didn't I sense this the whole time I gave her rides back to her house almost every day?! Who is going to be on my side in times of trouble?! Oh man, Lord.......how am I going to live...........T.T..............
Then Jin Hee went on to tell me about her plans of moving to Japan next week to learn the language and culture. She's always told me about her calling to become a missionary in Japan, but why so soon? Why now? We have so much work to do at church! on Saipan! Who's going to be doing prayer walks at NMC?! Oh man, Lord...........
As I write this, my heart is still in the process of being shattered into a million pieces. Charles is leaving soon. Paul is leaving too. My parents are just waiting for God's OK sign to dedicate themselves as full time missionaries; I highly doubt Jae Hee is ever going to come back. God, are You seriously going to take every single person in my life away from me and leave me deserted on Saipan all by myself? Oh my.........
Devastation.
I need to go pray.
(To be continued...)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
We are God's Children!
Good morning, everyone!:D
I knocked out (knocked out = fell fast asleep) on my bed last night right after our prayer, so here I am just finishing up our church's service program and thinking about all of you at 6 in the morning:)
(Oh yeah, by the way, Ji Hoon, congratulations! It's finally your time to witness the glory of the Gospel this Friday^^;)
I just read several of your blogs about the day we spent at the beach. I haven't been to the beach in a while, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for me as well:) As I shared with Joy several nights ago, I had so much fun simply celebrating the moments we are able to spend together in this glorious time, glorious place of God that I totally forgot how old we are! I quietly thought to myself as I was driving to church that night, "Wow...I had so much fun at the beach...!!! Thank You, Lord. But wait, how old are we?? How old is Mi Ae? How old is Joseph?? How old am I???"
LOL.
As I thought back at the childish, goofy fun and sheer joy that we shared that day at the beach, I first felt silly. The old Joo Hee would've thought it is so lame to go hang out at the beach with a bunch of Christian people(sorry^^;), but now, these "boring" Christian people have become my best friends, best companions, best partners in this march of faith. Age is definitely not a matter of division for us. It's rather quite fun to completely forget how old our physical bodies are to be able to simply, blissfully enjoy God and His creation as young children. (I really couldn't see any difference in expressions between us and 5-year-old Hyun Bin^^;;)
All my life, I had set goals for each 10-year phase of my life. When I was a teen, I wanted to go to a good college. In my 20s, I wanted to have a fancy career and get married. In my 30s, I wanted to gain lots of money and fame through whatever I'd be doing. In my 40s, I to wanted to spend good times with my family, travelling all over the world...and etc.
Oh and I never, ever wanted to mingle with people older than me, or even younger than me. Well, to be honest, I didn't even like people my age; I was never satisfied with anyone, really.
But now in this life that I live with Jesus, in this march of daily faith, I no longer have hopes and dreams of my physical life. Age really isn't anything but a whole bunch of numbers that tell me how much closer I am in meeting my Father. I'm finally able to breathe freely in the loving grace of our God, never having to worry about any unnecessary things in life any more. All the days and nights I spent worrying, thinking, and planning about my meaningless physical life, I can now use in serving my Lord whole-heartedly and enjoying every second of it rejoicing with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
If we had met in the world, we would have been separated, divided, and unable to love and laugh as freely and whole-heartedly, but now, the single force that brings us completely together, Jesus Christ, gives us the true peace and joy in our lives. The true reason to celebrate! The true reason to live!
Hallelujah!
Let's continue to be glad and rejoice to be like a child in the presence of our Father. Let's simply enjoy being able to live, laugh, and learn in the daily grace of our Savior. "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15)
Lord, thank You for emptying out our lives and our spirits. Thank You for freeing us from the strongholds of life. Your saving grace, your everlasting love, your eternal glory...Father, I will simply rejoice and be glad in You, oh God. Guide us, nurture us, lead us, humble us, and teach us as we are poor in spirit for You, oh Lord. It is You that we yearn; it is You we worship with all our lives. We love You, and we thank You. Take us, and let Your glory shine in all the ends of the earth!
Maranatha!
I knocked out (knocked out = fell fast asleep) on my bed last night right after our prayer, so here I am just finishing up our church's service program and thinking about all of you at 6 in the morning:)
(Oh yeah, by the way, Ji Hoon, congratulations! It's finally your time to witness the glory of the Gospel this Friday^^;)
I just read several of your blogs about the day we spent at the beach. I haven't been to the beach in a while, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for me as well:) As I shared with Joy several nights ago, I had so much fun simply celebrating the moments we are able to spend together in this glorious time, glorious place of God that I totally forgot how old we are! I quietly thought to myself as I was driving to church that night, "Wow...I had so much fun at the beach...!!! Thank You, Lord. But wait, how old are we?? How old is Mi Ae? How old is Joseph?? How old am I???"
LOL.
As I thought back at the childish, goofy fun and sheer joy that we shared that day at the beach, I first felt silly. The old Joo Hee would've thought it is so lame to go hang out at the beach with a bunch of Christian people(sorry^^;), but now, these "boring" Christian people have become my best friends, best companions, best partners in this march of faith. Age is definitely not a matter of division for us. It's rather quite fun to completely forget how old our physical bodies are to be able to simply, blissfully enjoy God and His creation as young children. (I really couldn't see any difference in expressions between us and 5-year-old Hyun Bin^^;;)
All my life, I had set goals for each 10-year phase of my life. When I was a teen, I wanted to go to a good college. In my 20s, I wanted to have a fancy career and get married. In my 30s, I wanted to gain lots of money and fame through whatever I'd be doing. In my 40s, I to wanted to spend good times with my family, travelling all over the world...and etc.
Oh and I never, ever wanted to mingle with people older than me, or even younger than me. Well, to be honest, I didn't even like people my age; I was never satisfied with anyone, really.
But now in this life that I live with Jesus, in this march of daily faith, I no longer have hopes and dreams of my physical life. Age really isn't anything but a whole bunch of numbers that tell me how much closer I am in meeting my Father. I'm finally able to breathe freely in the loving grace of our God, never having to worry about any unnecessary things in life any more. All the days and nights I spent worrying, thinking, and planning about my meaningless physical life, I can now use in serving my Lord whole-heartedly and enjoying every second of it rejoicing with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
If we had met in the world, we would have been separated, divided, and unable to love and laugh as freely and whole-heartedly, but now, the single force that brings us completely together, Jesus Christ, gives us the true peace and joy in our lives. The true reason to celebrate! The true reason to live!
Hallelujah!
Let's continue to be glad and rejoice to be like a child in the presence of our Father. Let's simply enjoy being able to live, laugh, and learn in the daily grace of our Savior. "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15)
Lord, thank You for emptying out our lives and our spirits. Thank You for freeing us from the strongholds of life. Your saving grace, your everlasting love, your eternal glory...Father, I will simply rejoice and be glad in You, oh God. Guide us, nurture us, lead us, humble us, and teach us as we are poor in spirit for You, oh Lord. It is You that we yearn; it is You we worship with all our lives. We love You, and we thank You. Take us, and let Your glory shine in all the ends of the earth!
Maranatha!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
For the Glory of the Lord!
I went to pray at church tonight with a pretty heavy heart. Pastor Kwon is in Korea, facing problems that we've been praying for a while now. I started my prayers by thanking the Lord for the cross, for His resurrection and the eternal life that He has given us. My heart filled with confusion, all I could do was to simply confess my love towards my Father.
Then the Lord guided me to read through John chapter 20, in which He meets a saddened, worried Mary by His empty tomb. Thinking that Jesus was the gardener, Mary asks in grief if he is the man that took away the body of Jesus. Jesus simply replies, "Mary." (John 20:16) Jesus knew the woman so well that all that He had to do was call her by her name. It seemed as if He was telling her, "Mary, I know your name. I know your every thought. I know you love me."
In the latter part of verse 16, Mary almost dies of a heart attack at seeing the Lord, and probably ran towards Him with open arms. In verse 17, Jesus says this, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " This verse always sort of threw me off track - wait, then does this mean that Jesus isn't happy to see Mary?
Jesus, knowing me as well as He knew Mary, spoke softly in my heart, "Joo Hee, why would I never want any of my children to come running towards me with open arms?" "Hmmm...Good point, Lord." Then I imagined myself being in Mary's shoes. If I had just witnessed the death of my beloved Lord and have not been able to completely understand the true meaning of the cross, I would have been at his tomb day and night crying and crying at the physical death of my Lord. And to find that His tomb was empty one sad morning, I would have been so angry and confused at the same time. "Is someone playing a joke? Who could've possible taken the body of the Lord?" If someone had come up to the crying me and asked what was wrong, I would've asked the same question that Mary asked, "Where is He??!" ...But to find out that the very person standing behind me was the resurrected(!!!)Lord himself!!!! Without a second thought I would've gone straight towards Him, wanting to see Him closer, wanting to touch Him, hold Him. If the Lord knows me well enough to call me by my name to show that He knows every single one of my thoughts and feelings, then why would He stop me, his beloved maiden servant had been grieving so long for his loss? The focus is in this last part of verse 17 - "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
Instead of greeting the bodily form of Jesus, instead of fulfilling my humanly desires of wanting to see, touch, hold, and be with the physical form of Jesus, the Lord tells me to look to the Father. It's not the physical resurrection that Jesus wanted Mary and his disciples to see. It was the glory of our God, the God of glory who claimed victory over all the death and sin of the this world that Jesus wanted us to see! Yes, I am here in body, but look to the HEAVENS! Look to the victorious, glorious Kingdom of God to which I will return soon!
Then the Spirit led me to read through many of the Lord's teachings before the cross in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Every single one of the words that the Lord spoke pointed to one thing - the glory of the Kingdom of God, the glory of our God. Jesus fiercely rebukes those that are deceitful and full of greed for the world, and kindly encourages His feeble yet loving disciples to have faith no matter what. He despises those that are haughty, but heals those humble with faith. He says that it is by faith alone that we will be able to know, see, and enter the Kingdom of God. To know the Lord for His glorious calling here on earth, to see the Lord for His glorious being, to be ready to greet the Lord for His glorious return - to be able to live by faith, for the Glory of the Lord!
Even in his last earthly prayer, the Lord prays, "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." (John 17:20-24)
Wow, how awesome is our God!
I then thought about our WSA program. My dad shared with me today how none of this would have been possible without the blind faith that we have in our good Lord. I felt quite embarrased to think about how weak and unprepared I was (and still am) for this calling of God, but wow, with faith! Look where He has brought us today! And look to where He will take us at the end of the six months!
I think we should spend more time in worshipping our Father. I'm sure most, if not all, of us live a life of worship, but in this march of faith in conquering English, every moment we are simply captivated in the glory and grace of our Father. Eunice, Mi Ae and I experienced this while ordering our textbooks online two days ago, and we also saw it in our visa process, GCA, housing, food, and everything else in our WSA program! When God called such sinners and weak humans like us to be completely united with Him in His glory, how can we not sing of His greatness every moment of our lives?! How can we not proclaim the Kingdom, the glory of our Father?!
Wow, Lord, wow.
You truly are an amazing, amazing God.
I love You so, so much, waaaaaaaaaay beyond words.
I will sing of your love and glory forever.
I will march on the daily walk of faith only with hopes for your glorious return.
For the Glory of our Lord!
Then the Lord guided me to read through John chapter 20, in which He meets a saddened, worried Mary by His empty tomb. Thinking that Jesus was the gardener, Mary asks in grief if he is the man that took away the body of Jesus. Jesus simply replies, "Mary." (John 20:16) Jesus knew the woman so well that all that He had to do was call her by her name. It seemed as if He was telling her, "Mary, I know your name. I know your every thought. I know you love me."
In the latter part of verse 16, Mary almost dies of a heart attack at seeing the Lord, and probably ran towards Him with open arms. In verse 17, Jesus says this, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " This verse always sort of threw me off track - wait, then does this mean that Jesus isn't happy to see Mary?
Jesus, knowing me as well as He knew Mary, spoke softly in my heart, "Joo Hee, why would I never want any of my children to come running towards me with open arms?" "Hmmm...Good point, Lord." Then I imagined myself being in Mary's shoes. If I had just witnessed the death of my beloved Lord and have not been able to completely understand the true meaning of the cross, I would have been at his tomb day and night crying and crying at the physical death of my Lord. And to find that His tomb was empty one sad morning, I would have been so angry and confused at the same time. "Is someone playing a joke? Who could've possible taken the body of the Lord?" If someone had come up to the crying me and asked what was wrong, I would've asked the same question that Mary asked, "Where is He??!" ...But to find out that the very person standing behind me was the resurrected(!!!)Lord himself!!!! Without a second thought I would've gone straight towards Him, wanting to see Him closer, wanting to touch Him, hold Him. If the Lord knows me well enough to call me by my name to show that He knows every single one of my thoughts and feelings, then why would He stop me, his beloved maiden servant had been grieving so long for his loss? The focus is in this last part of verse 17 - "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
Instead of greeting the bodily form of Jesus, instead of fulfilling my humanly desires of wanting to see, touch, hold, and be with the physical form of Jesus, the Lord tells me to look to the Father. It's not the physical resurrection that Jesus wanted Mary and his disciples to see. It was the glory of our God, the God of glory who claimed victory over all the death and sin of the this world that Jesus wanted us to see! Yes, I am here in body, but look to the HEAVENS! Look to the victorious, glorious Kingdom of God to which I will return soon!
Then the Spirit led me to read through many of the Lord's teachings before the cross in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Every single one of the words that the Lord spoke pointed to one thing - the glory of the Kingdom of God, the glory of our God. Jesus fiercely rebukes those that are deceitful and full of greed for the world, and kindly encourages His feeble yet loving disciples to have faith no matter what. He despises those that are haughty, but heals those humble with faith. He says that it is by faith alone that we will be able to know, see, and enter the Kingdom of God. To know the Lord for His glorious calling here on earth, to see the Lord for His glorious being, to be ready to greet the Lord for His glorious return - to be able to live by faith, for the Glory of the Lord!
Even in his last earthly prayer, the Lord prays, "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." (John 17:20-24)
Wow, how awesome is our God!
I then thought about our WSA program. My dad shared with me today how none of this would have been possible without the blind faith that we have in our good Lord. I felt quite embarrased to think about how weak and unprepared I was (and still am) for this calling of God, but wow, with faith! Look where He has brought us today! And look to where He will take us at the end of the six months!
I think we should spend more time in worshipping our Father. I'm sure most, if not all, of us live a life of worship, but in this march of faith in conquering English, every moment we are simply captivated in the glory and grace of our Father. Eunice, Mi Ae and I experienced this while ordering our textbooks online two days ago, and we also saw it in our visa process, GCA, housing, food, and everything else in our WSA program! When God called such sinners and weak humans like us to be completely united with Him in His glory, how can we not sing of His greatness every moment of our lives?! How can we not proclaim the Kingdom, the glory of our Father?!
Wow, Lord, wow.
You truly are an amazing, amazing God.
I love You so, so much, waaaaaaaaaay beyond words.
I will sing of your love and glory forever.
I will march on the daily walk of faith only with hopes for your glorious return.
For the Glory of our Lord!
Monday, April 13, 2009
How Great is Our God!
Our God is great. Our God is awesome.
Simply put, all that I ever want to do is sing out "HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!" to all nations:D Amen, YES, Lord! Truly indeed, You are GREAT!!
Last week was our College Youth Retreat.
God has done it again!
First, He invited us to eternal salvation through the cross, and now, He gives us the hope and power to live out our lives as true worshippers and followers of the Lamb. To the ends of the earth with the Gospel!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
We were blind, but now we see.
We were held captive in darkness, but now we are set free in the light!
The movie Black tore my heart apart, as I painfully watched the 8 year Michelle living an aimless life filled with anger, fear, despair, and darkness. I had never thought of it this way before, but the movie allowed me to visualize for the first time the sadness that I had once lived with in my life without Jesus. I earnestly searched for answers, love, and attention, but the more and more I relied on the world to fill my soul, my soul grew darker and more hollow inside. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I knew of Jesus; in fact, I called myself a Christian. But the reality was that I had no idea that I was living in darkness, deaf and blind to God's voice of love calling out to me.
When I first heard the voice of God speaking out to me in a tiny whisper, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me," I truly thought my heart would melt away. My knees grew weak. I felt so powerless. But because I knew that this was the voice that I had been searching for all my life, because I knew that this was the answer that I had been earnestly seeking for, I immediately got up to my feet and replied, "Yes, Father, my Lover, my Savior, Here I am."
From then on, it's been love, love and more love between me and my Father:) God's great love brought me out of my sorrows and completely drenched me in the joy and peace of His Kingdom. And today, as I take on my life step by step, faith by faith, He captivates me with His glory. The hope that I carry in my heart for His glorious return grows greater and greater each day.
Amen! Praise the Lord, for He is good!!
Satan contiues to distract me and tries so hard to cover up my eyes and ears once again, but as my Lord is my strength and my Redeemer, I will not fall, I will not surrender! I will never turn my eyes from the Lord, ever again. The old has gone, the new has come! For the Lord's glorious day, until the Lord's glorious day, I will not stop. For the glory of the Lord!!!:D
Simply put, all that I ever want to do is sing out "HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!" to all nations:D Amen, YES, Lord! Truly indeed, You are GREAT!!
Last week was our College Youth Retreat.
God has done it again!
First, He invited us to eternal salvation through the cross, and now, He gives us the hope and power to live out our lives as true worshippers and followers of the Lamb. To the ends of the earth with the Gospel!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
We were blind, but now we see.
We were held captive in darkness, but now we are set free in the light!
The movie Black tore my heart apart, as I painfully watched the 8 year Michelle living an aimless life filled with anger, fear, despair, and darkness. I had never thought of it this way before, but the movie allowed me to visualize for the first time the sadness that I had once lived with in my life without Jesus. I earnestly searched for answers, love, and attention, but the more and more I relied on the world to fill my soul, my soul grew darker and more hollow inside. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I knew of Jesus; in fact, I called myself a Christian. But the reality was that I had no idea that I was living in darkness, deaf and blind to God's voice of love calling out to me.
When I first heard the voice of God speaking out to me in a tiny whisper, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me," I truly thought my heart would melt away. My knees grew weak. I felt so powerless. But because I knew that this was the voice that I had been searching for all my life, because I knew that this was the answer that I had been earnestly seeking for, I immediately got up to my feet and replied, "Yes, Father, my Lover, my Savior, Here I am."
From then on, it's been love, love and more love between me and my Father:) God's great love brought me out of my sorrows and completely drenched me in the joy and peace of His Kingdom. And today, as I take on my life step by step, faith by faith, He captivates me with His glory. The hope that I carry in my heart for His glorious return grows greater and greater each day.
Amen! Praise the Lord, for He is good!!
Satan contiues to distract me and tries so hard to cover up my eyes and ears once again, but as my Lord is my strength and my Redeemer, I will not fall, I will not surrender! I will never turn my eyes from the Lord, ever again. The old has gone, the new has come! For the Lord's glorious day, until the Lord's glorious day, I will not stop. For the glory of the Lord!!!:D
Monday, April 6, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
Wow - I'm so impressed at everyone's hard work in writing their reflections for Slumdog Millionaire! I wasn't going to write a reflection myself since it was the third time for me to watch the movie, but since everyone did such an excellent job, I'll write a real quick one in response;)
I hesitated a while to show you this movie. I know that I was super excited when I found the file on Mark's computer at school, but when I came home, I thought to myself, "Hmm, this movie really has no point. Is it worth all my missionary students' time? What can we possibly get out of this?" On Friday, as I lifted up my heart to the Lord once again through prayer, He gave me the final okay signal, so I went ahead and showed this movie - I'm so glad everyone was able to experience God through the movie:)
Well, here's my story of how I got to watch the movie and my personal reflection.
I watched this movie with a good friend of mine. He is currently in Japan serving as a YWAM missionary, and when we went to see the movie about three weeks ago, he was visiting Saipan for a short while. We hadn't seen each other for about two years, so I really didn't know what to do with him. I had heard of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" from here and there, so I figured it would be okay to watch a movie with my friend.
We really didn't what to expect. I was kind of disappointed at the movie poster - it seemed too tacky for a famous movie. Yet once the movie started, there wasn't a moment that we could take our eyes off the screen! From the childhood days of Jamal and Salim to when Jamal meets Latika again, wow, the movie seriously took my breath away. My friend is a very talented musician and I like music, so the soundtrack of the movie totally blew our minds as well. I was always curious of what India would be like, and all the color, the people, the sounds completely fascinated me.
The first time I watched the movie, I really didn't know what to think. I was just so shocked at everything about India, since I really didn't know anything about the place. Although, I agree with most of you about the ending - I didn't like how pointless and meaningless it was. When I came home, I laid on my bed trying to connect different thoughts and ideas, trying to figure out if I really loved this movie or didn't like it. A lot of things flew past my mind.
I remembered visiting Smoky Mountain in the Philippines, a dump just like the one that the kids were living on the movie. I was scared of the smell and the scene and everything about the dump, but once I started to talk to the children there, I felt so happy to be able to hold their hands and share the Gospel. I also remembered the time when I was in Peru. There were so many children beggars on the streets that a whole pack would follow you even to get the leftover drink in your hand. This was an extremely shocking experience for me, but soon, I fell in love with these children as well.
Yes, the movie was a little too Hollywood for us to completely love it, but I think this movie served as a great eye-opener for all of us.
Personally, I was able to look back at myself once again as a Christian. "Joo Hee, do you love your fellow brothers and sisters of all the nations?" "No matter what kind of sins they've committed, no matter how dirty or how worthless they may be, are you ready to share the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ?"
My heart was so broken at some of the more violent, cruel scenes, but before I got all warped in my emotions, the Lord asked me, "Can you love them as I love you when you were still a sinner? Can you die for every single person in the movie, as I died for you and every single person of all times while you were still sinners?"
All the nations are suffering from pain, sadness and sin worse than we can ever imagine. They may look okay and rather happy on the outside like Salim, Jamal and Latika, but the pain that they hold inside their souls are probably unimaginably sensitive, dark, and deep. As I promised the Lord that I will not fear the works of Satan no matter how devastating it is (as I was sin itself at once), I didn't cower into my emotions at the glance of reality that I was able to experience through this movie.
Instead, I pray with even a greater heart and a greater hope for the Lord's coming; the Day in which all the sufferings of the world will end and the ends of the earth will be able to see the glory of our living Father. So that the lost, neglected children of the world just like Jamal, Salim, and Latika aren't left to die eternally without knowing the Lord, I make my confession once again, Father, that I will gladly give all my life, even to my death, to take the Gospel of your living Word to the ends of the earth.
(Borrowing the words of Joseph)
In the salvation we've gained through Jesus Christ, let's have hope in that we'll be Heaven's eternal millionaires with all the children and people of all nations!
Father, send me!
Maranatha!
I hesitated a while to show you this movie. I know that I was super excited when I found the file on Mark's computer at school, but when I came home, I thought to myself, "Hmm, this movie really has no point. Is it worth all my missionary students' time? What can we possibly get out of this?" On Friday, as I lifted up my heart to the Lord once again through prayer, He gave me the final okay signal, so I went ahead and showed this movie - I'm so glad everyone was able to experience God through the movie:)
Well, here's my story of how I got to watch the movie and my personal reflection.
I watched this movie with a good friend of mine. He is currently in Japan serving as a YWAM missionary, and when we went to see the movie about three weeks ago, he was visiting Saipan for a short while. We hadn't seen each other for about two years, so I really didn't know what to do with him. I had heard of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" from here and there, so I figured it would be okay to watch a movie with my friend.
We really didn't what to expect. I was kind of disappointed at the movie poster - it seemed too tacky for a famous movie. Yet once the movie started, there wasn't a moment that we could take our eyes off the screen! From the childhood days of Jamal and Salim to when Jamal meets Latika again, wow, the movie seriously took my breath away. My friend is a very talented musician and I like music, so the soundtrack of the movie totally blew our minds as well. I was always curious of what India would be like, and all the color, the people, the sounds completely fascinated me.
The first time I watched the movie, I really didn't know what to think. I was just so shocked at everything about India, since I really didn't know anything about the place. Although, I agree with most of you about the ending - I didn't like how pointless and meaningless it was. When I came home, I laid on my bed trying to connect different thoughts and ideas, trying to figure out if I really loved this movie or didn't like it. A lot of things flew past my mind.
I remembered visiting Smoky Mountain in the Philippines, a dump just like the one that the kids were living on the movie. I was scared of the smell and the scene and everything about the dump, but once I started to talk to the children there, I felt so happy to be able to hold their hands and share the Gospel. I also remembered the time when I was in Peru. There were so many children beggars on the streets that a whole pack would follow you even to get the leftover drink in your hand. This was an extremely shocking experience for me, but soon, I fell in love with these children as well.
Yes, the movie was a little too Hollywood for us to completely love it, but I think this movie served as a great eye-opener for all of us.
Personally, I was able to look back at myself once again as a Christian. "Joo Hee, do you love your fellow brothers and sisters of all the nations?" "No matter what kind of sins they've committed, no matter how dirty or how worthless they may be, are you ready to share the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ?"
My heart was so broken at some of the more violent, cruel scenes, but before I got all warped in my emotions, the Lord asked me, "Can you love them as I love you when you were still a sinner? Can you die for every single person in the movie, as I died for you and every single person of all times while you were still sinners?"
All the nations are suffering from pain, sadness and sin worse than we can ever imagine. They may look okay and rather happy on the outside like Salim, Jamal and Latika, but the pain that they hold inside their souls are probably unimaginably sensitive, dark, and deep. As I promised the Lord that I will not fear the works of Satan no matter how devastating it is (as I was sin itself at once), I didn't cower into my emotions at the glance of reality that I was able to experience through this movie.
Instead, I pray with even a greater heart and a greater hope for the Lord's coming; the Day in which all the sufferings of the world will end and the ends of the earth will be able to see the glory of our living Father. So that the lost, neglected children of the world just like Jamal, Salim, and Latika aren't left to die eternally without knowing the Lord, I make my confession once again, Father, that I will gladly give all my life, even to my death, to take the Gospel of your living Word to the ends of the earth.
(Borrowing the words of Joseph)
In the salvation we've gained through Jesus Christ, let's have hope in that we'll be Heaven's eternal millionaires with all the children and people of all nations!
Father, send me!
Maranatha!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Remembering the Passion of the Christ
Like any other busy, busy Saturday, I'm so tired and still so busy by the end of the day, but the Lord pours out on me a big heart to want to blog tonight. (As you've probably noticed, that's why my replies on your blogs are super, super long^^;;)
Today was a day where my heart was entirely set on praying for the College Youth Retreat that will be held next week Thursday and Friday. We decided to have the retreat on these two days only because next week is the college's spring break. I had no idea that it was "Passion Week," the week in which we remember the passion of the Christ - remembering all the blood and water that the Lord shed for my sins on the cross.
Our pastor recommended that the whole church will fast on the last day (Friday) of Passion Week, but I thought, "Hmm...it's the end of our retreat. We need to eat lunch together!" Yet as I was replying to some of your blogs, God spoke to my heart and said, "Joo Hee, everything's really about the cross and the resurrection. Actually, everything's only about the cross and the resurrection. Don't you ever forget that, my lovely daughter."
For so long I've wasted away Passion Week and Easter doing nothing and looking forward to nothing in special. I really didn't care. When I was in the States, I remember that I didn't even go to church on one Easter, wanting to sleep in the whole morning. But now that I know that truly my life is nothing without the cross and the resurrection, now that I know that my life is the death and life of Jesus Christ, I humbly sit and listen to my Father speak to me, "Joo Hee, remember the cross. Remember the resurrection. Remember the Day."
"...but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)
Amen, Lord. The one thing that our College Youth truly needed was not a fancy program, oh Father. The only thing that we've been wanting and looking for is to know You more, to love You more...Father, I lift up my hands to You. It's You I seek, it's You I yearn. Come, Spirit, come! Pour out your Spirit upon us so that we may see! Father, remember our prayers...hear us, oh Father. Father, guide us to the ends of the earth. Lord, send us! We will go!
Today was a day where my heart was entirely set on praying for the College Youth Retreat that will be held next week Thursday and Friday. We decided to have the retreat on these two days only because next week is the college's spring break. I had no idea that it was "Passion Week," the week in which we remember the passion of the Christ - remembering all the blood and water that the Lord shed for my sins on the cross.
Our pastor recommended that the whole church will fast on the last day (Friday) of Passion Week, but I thought, "Hmm...it's the end of our retreat. We need to eat lunch together!" Yet as I was replying to some of your blogs, God spoke to my heart and said, "Joo Hee, everything's really about the cross and the resurrection. Actually, everything's only about the cross and the resurrection. Don't you ever forget that, my lovely daughter."
For so long I've wasted away Passion Week and Easter doing nothing and looking forward to nothing in special. I really didn't care. When I was in the States, I remember that I didn't even go to church on one Easter, wanting to sleep in the whole morning. But now that I know that truly my life is nothing without the cross and the resurrection, now that I know that my life is the death and life of Jesus Christ, I humbly sit and listen to my Father speak to me, "Joo Hee, remember the cross. Remember the resurrection. Remember the Day."
"...but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)
Amen, Lord. The one thing that our College Youth truly needed was not a fancy program, oh Father. The only thing that we've been wanting and looking for is to know You more, to love You more...Father, I lift up my hands to You. It's You I seek, it's You I yearn. Come, Spirit, come! Pour out your Spirit upon us so that we may see! Father, remember our prayers...hear us, oh Father. Father, guide us to the ends of the earth. Lord, send us! We will go!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Busy, Lazy, Crazy(?!)
Rhyming Adjectives
Do you remember when I explained "rhymes" to you in class?
Rhymes, or rhyming words, are words that sound the same at the end.
I like to rhyme.
Rhyming, especially rhyming adjectives, makes things more attractive, fun, and interactive.
I often uses rhymes to emphasize my thoughts and feelings.
In the three adjectives that I used as my title today, "Busy, Lazy, Crazy," can you tell the rhyme?
If so, what else do you see that is in common?
Well for me, I see myself.
Me.
The busy, lazy, crazy Judy.
Busy
I've always been busy my whole life.
I'm sure everyone is busy to some extent, but I've always been too busy to be able to focus on one thing. I'd have so many things to do at once that I couldn't give my 100% to anything! This often frustrated me, and I would easily get depressed at my failures. I have to say, when I was first given the opportunity to serve WSA, I was scared. I knew how "busy" I was all the time - I would have the heart to give it my 100%, but I also knew I would be too "busy" to be able to put in all my effort. Everytime I fall into such thoughts, I cry out, "Oh Father, what am I to do!!??!!" ...then it leads straight to my next adjective of the day: lazy.
Lazy
Like I mentioned above, I always sought for God's guidance in times of trouble, confusion, and frustration (somewhat). I wanted answers immediately, but I never bothered to listen too closely, for I knew what God truly wanted out of me - to persevere, to obey, to have all my hopes in Him, to be wise, to be faithful, to be quiet, to be just like Jesus. Jesus never tried to sleep off or eat away his stress. In fact, Jesus was never stressed at all! All Jesus ever did while doing the works of God here on earth was to simply obey. Obeying is all that Jesus ever did. Jesus never complained "But Father!! This is what I want!!! Father! I can't do this now!! I'm too tired. I'm too down. The weather is bad!!" Instead, Jesus sought after the will of the Father in the early morning when everyone else was asleep, seeking for the Lord's guidance, strength and wisdom. Obeying isn't as easy at first. But once you get the hang of asking, listening, and obeying to God's warm, compassionate voice that speaks ever-so-gently into your heart, the reign of the Spirit will reign over your innate laziness.
Crazy
I know that recently a Korean pop star sang this song called "Crazy." She sang, "I am craaaaaaaaaazy~~ I am craaaaaaaaaaaaaazy~~" Personally I thought that this was a song from the devil, driving every soul in Korea to fall head over heels over this under-dressed woman under a spell. Anyways, the "crazy" that I use here is used in a lot more meaningful way than in the singer's song.
I really love my friends at NMC. I'm very thankful of my friends. We went through so much together - so much tears, so much laughter. Nothing seemed to be able to part me from my friends, but because I chose to take the narrow path of the cross, we started to go different directions in life. We're all teachers, and we all teach with a very special heart. But knowing the busy, lazy Joo Hee (or Judy) who changed into today's happy, joyful, stress-free, peaceful, bubbly child of God, they say that I'm "crazy." (If they don't say it to me in person, I'm sure they think it.) Especially when they find out more and more about the secrets of the Gospel that I live for in place of all the riches of the world, they say that I'm really crazy. Going to church regularly on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights? Oh yeah, I'm definitely crazy.
Call me crazy, call me wacko.
What else can I say? I'm so in love with my Savior!
I used to be so busy and so, so lazy to be able to do anything whole-heartedly in my life, but now that I'm completely drenched in the grace of my Father, I am so at peace, so free, so happy! Hallelujah!
Judy
Everyday Satan comes pouring at me with all fears of my past busy, lazy, weak life, and everyday I remind myself to open my eyes, ears, and heart only my Savior. He who is my Strength and my Redeemer! The Alpha and Omega! No longer am I too busy or too lazy to follow the Lord's will. I may seem crazy to some, but all that matters is that I am a faithful servant to our Lord.
Thank You, Jesus, for saving my soul!
Thank You, Jesus, for making me whole!!
Thank You, Jesus, for giving to me Your grace and your eternal salvation!
All that I live for now is Your Kingdom.
Hallelujah to our King, for "the old had gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17)
Amen!
Thank You, Father...Thank You.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
Do you remember when I explained "rhymes" to you in class?
Rhymes, or rhyming words, are words that sound the same at the end.
I like to rhyme.
Rhyming, especially rhyming adjectives, makes things more attractive, fun, and interactive.
I often uses rhymes to emphasize my thoughts and feelings.
In the three adjectives that I used as my title today, "Busy, Lazy, Crazy," can you tell the rhyme?
If so, what else do you see that is in common?
Well for me, I see myself.
Me.
The busy, lazy, crazy Judy.
Busy
I've always been busy my whole life.
I'm sure everyone is busy to some extent, but I've always been too busy to be able to focus on one thing. I'd have so many things to do at once that I couldn't give my 100% to anything! This often frustrated me, and I would easily get depressed at my failures. I have to say, when I was first given the opportunity to serve WSA, I was scared. I knew how "busy" I was all the time - I would have the heart to give it my 100%, but I also knew I would be too "busy" to be able to put in all my effort. Everytime I fall into such thoughts, I cry out, "Oh Father, what am I to do!!??!!" ...then it leads straight to my next adjective of the day: lazy.
Lazy
Like I mentioned above, I always sought for God's guidance in times of trouble, confusion, and frustration (somewhat). I wanted answers immediately, but I never bothered to listen too closely, for I knew what God truly wanted out of me - to persevere, to obey, to have all my hopes in Him, to be wise, to be faithful, to be quiet, to be just like Jesus. Jesus never tried to sleep off or eat away his stress. In fact, Jesus was never stressed at all! All Jesus ever did while doing the works of God here on earth was to simply obey. Obeying is all that Jesus ever did. Jesus never complained "But Father!! This is what I want!!! Father! I can't do this now!! I'm too tired. I'm too down. The weather is bad!!" Instead, Jesus sought after the will of the Father in the early morning when everyone else was asleep, seeking for the Lord's guidance, strength and wisdom. Obeying isn't as easy at first. But once you get the hang of asking, listening, and obeying to God's warm, compassionate voice that speaks ever-so-gently into your heart, the reign of the Spirit will reign over your innate laziness.
Crazy
I know that recently a Korean pop star sang this song called "Crazy." She sang, "I am craaaaaaaaaazy~~ I am craaaaaaaaaaaaaazy~~" Personally I thought that this was a song from the devil, driving every soul in Korea to fall head over heels over this under-dressed woman under a spell. Anyways, the "crazy" that I use here is used in a lot more meaningful way than in the singer's song.
I really love my friends at NMC. I'm very thankful of my friends. We went through so much together - so much tears, so much laughter. Nothing seemed to be able to part me from my friends, but because I chose to take the narrow path of the cross, we started to go different directions in life. We're all teachers, and we all teach with a very special heart. But knowing the busy, lazy Joo Hee (or Judy) who changed into today's happy, joyful, stress-free, peaceful, bubbly child of God, they say that I'm "crazy." (If they don't say it to me in person, I'm sure they think it.) Especially when they find out more and more about the secrets of the Gospel that I live for in place of all the riches of the world, they say that I'm really crazy. Going to church regularly on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights? Oh yeah, I'm definitely crazy.
Call me crazy, call me wacko.
What else can I say? I'm so in love with my Savior!
I used to be so busy and so, so lazy to be able to do anything whole-heartedly in my life, but now that I'm completely drenched in the grace of my Father, I am so at peace, so free, so happy! Hallelujah!
Judy
Everyday Satan comes pouring at me with all fears of my past busy, lazy, weak life, and everyday I remind myself to open my eyes, ears, and heart only my Savior. He who is my Strength and my Redeemer! The Alpha and Omega! No longer am I too busy or too lazy to follow the Lord's will. I may seem crazy to some, but all that matters is that I am a faithful servant to our Lord.
Thank You, Jesus, for saving my soul!
Thank You, Jesus, for making me whole!!
Thank You, Jesus, for giving to me Your grace and your eternal salvation!
All that I live for now is Your Kingdom.
Hallelujah to our King, for "the old had gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17)
Amen!
Thank You, Father...Thank You.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
In Loving Memory of...
I've been meaning to post up a memorial blog entry for my dear friend Ku. I feel bad that already three days have passed since the second year anniversary of the day that Ku was called into our Father's Kingdom, but finally I found the time to reminisce on the great love that Ku shared with us:)
Well, everyone, I'd like to introduce you to my brother, my loving friend, a man of God - Jung Hwan Ku (May 7, 1982 ~ March 23, 2007).
(So Young Yang, my missionary friend in Kenya, me & Ku)
Jung Hwan, or "Ku" as everyone called him, was a true son of God that had a heart filled with worship. Everyday he wanted to know the Lord more and more, and there wasn't a moment that he remained silent at the abundant love and grace of our Father.
He would write the silliest, yet most sincere praise songs to express the genuine love that he had for his Savior. For example, in his praise song titled "Amen," Ku confesses his pure love for God like a child, a bashful bride:
"and I've finally found my lost first love with Jesus~~ with Jesus~~ (molla molla molla molla)"
I always thought that Ku was "too much" to handle. When he first came to me with his praise "Amen," I told that it was too weird to sing in church. Ku would then quietly smile and go to the piano to sing his heart out to the Lord on his own. When the Lord took Ku from us, I was devasted at first, but soon I was able to realize that the Lord truly was glad to hear the endless praise and confessions of love that Ku gave to Him whole heartedly. It scared me to think of how painful it would've been for Ku when he drowned at sea, but God opened my eyes and helped me to imagine Ku entering the glorious Kingdom of God, greeted by the Lord Himself.
Now I sing Ku's praises such as "Amen" and "When I think about the Lord" everytime I think of Ku, and now I can finally feel how much love Ku had shared with the Lord in the new life that he gained through his Savior.
I really do miss him.
and I can't wait to see Ku again in Heaven!
But the one thing that I really, really wish for is that I'll live a life of worship that is as dedicated and whole-hearted as Ku's life.
Once again, I come to the confession (borrowing the words of a hymnal),
Thank You Jesus, for saving my soul.
Thank You Jesus, for making me whole!
Thank You Jesus for giving to me - Thy great salvation so rich and free!
Well, everyone, I'd like to introduce you to my brother, my loving friend, a man of God - Jung Hwan Ku (May 7, 1982 ~ March 23, 2007).
(So Young Yang, my missionary friend in Kenya, me & Ku)
Jung Hwan, or "Ku" as everyone called him, was a true son of God that had a heart filled with worship. Everyday he wanted to know the Lord more and more, and there wasn't a moment that he remained silent at the abundant love and grace of our Father.
He would write the silliest, yet most sincere praise songs to express the genuine love that he had for his Savior. For example, in his praise song titled "Amen," Ku confesses his pure love for God like a child, a bashful bride:
"and I've finally found my lost first love with Jesus~~ with Jesus~~ (molla molla molla molla)"
I always thought that Ku was "too much" to handle. When he first came to me with his praise "Amen," I told that it was too weird to sing in church. Ku would then quietly smile and go to the piano to sing his heart out to the Lord on his own. When the Lord took Ku from us, I was devasted at first, but soon I was able to realize that the Lord truly was glad to hear the endless praise and confessions of love that Ku gave to Him whole heartedly. It scared me to think of how painful it would've been for Ku when he drowned at sea, but God opened my eyes and helped me to imagine Ku entering the glorious Kingdom of God, greeted by the Lord Himself.
Now I sing Ku's praises such as "Amen" and "When I think about the Lord" everytime I think of Ku, and now I can finally feel how much love Ku had shared with the Lord in the new life that he gained through his Savior.
I really do miss him.
and I can't wait to see Ku again in Heaven!
But the one thing that I really, really wish for is that I'll live a life of worship that is as dedicated and whole-hearted as Ku's life.
Once again, I come to the confession (borrowing the words of a hymnal),
Thank You Jesus, for saving my soul.
Thank You Jesus, for making me whole!
Thank You Jesus for giving to me - Thy great salvation so rich and free!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Do you know....L-O-V-E?
L O V E.
I remember watching in a movie once where the actress sang, "Love is all around me!" and I remember thinking, "Hmmm...I wonder what it'll feel like to literally have love completely surround me...Where can I find this kind of love?"
After endlessly searching, seeking, and waiting for this absolute love, I think I've finally found it. The love that I share with my fellow warriors of the Gospel, the love that I share most intimately with my Father, my Savior, my Lord....this definitely is the true love that I've been looking for so long.
I love Jesus more and more each day.
I'm so freeeeeeeeee in the love of my Savior!
I always thought I had a lot of love that I carried in my heart,
but I never even dreamed of experiencing this much love in my life.
I am happy. I am at peace. I am full of praises and joy!
Because the love that is in me is none other than the truth, the love of truth that Jesus shed for me on the cross, the love of truth that God poured out on me through His Son.
There are moments when my physical weaknesses and lack of time try to overcome my spirit, but every time I feel down, I concentrate on the grace and love of my Father, and in the most gentle and loving way, my Father brings me back to the scene of His cross, reminding me of the death of my old self and of the new eternal life that I gained with Him. This is when I fall to knees once again, confessing to the Lord that I am nothing, nothing with Him. And in this moment of emptiness, my Father quickly, almost instantly, fills me up with His Spirit, never failing to hold me tight. Joy indescribable, love uncontainable becomes my everything, the reason I live, the reason I sing.
Wow! How GREAT is our God!! Sing with me!! How GREAT is our God!! And all will sing how GREAT, how GREAT is our God!!!!
Father, Thank You so much for the cross.
Thank You for finding me in the midst of this darkness.
Thank You for loving me no matter what,
Thank You for holding me close whenever I'm weak.
Thank You, Lord, Thank You...
You truly are my Savior and my Redeemer,
my Strength, my Shield and my Shelter.
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll sing!
It's only You that I yearn for all the days of my life!
You are the love that I've been seeking for such a long time -
My one and only true love, my Jesus Christ, my Savior.
I remember watching in a movie once where the actress sang, "Love is all around me!" and I remember thinking, "Hmmm...I wonder what it'll feel like to literally have love completely surround me...Where can I find this kind of love?"
After endlessly searching, seeking, and waiting for this absolute love, I think I've finally found it. The love that I share with my fellow warriors of the Gospel, the love that I share most intimately with my Father, my Savior, my Lord....this definitely is the true love that I've been looking for so long.
I love Jesus more and more each day.
I'm so freeeeeeeeee in the love of my Savior!
I always thought I had a lot of love that I carried in my heart,
but I never even dreamed of experiencing this much love in my life.
I am happy. I am at peace. I am full of praises and joy!
Because the love that is in me is none other than the truth, the love of truth that Jesus shed for me on the cross, the love of truth that God poured out on me through His Son.
There are moments when my physical weaknesses and lack of time try to overcome my spirit, but every time I feel down, I concentrate on the grace and love of my Father, and in the most gentle and loving way, my Father brings me back to the scene of His cross, reminding me of the death of my old self and of the new eternal life that I gained with Him. This is when I fall to knees once again, confessing to the Lord that I am nothing, nothing with Him. And in this moment of emptiness, my Father quickly, almost instantly, fills me up with His Spirit, never failing to hold me tight. Joy indescribable, love uncontainable becomes my everything, the reason I live, the reason I sing.
Wow! How GREAT is our God!! Sing with me!! How GREAT is our God!! And all will sing how GREAT, how GREAT is our God!!!!
Father, Thank You so much for the cross.
Thank You for finding me in the midst of this darkness.
Thank You for loving me no matter what,
Thank You for holding me close whenever I'm weak.
Thank You, Lord, Thank You...
You truly are my Savior and my Redeemer,
my Strength, my Shield and my Shelter.
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll sing!
It's only You that I yearn for all the days of my life!
You are the love that I've been seeking for such a long time -
My one and only true love, my Jesus Christ, my Savior.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
NOTICE: Yes! Internet!!!! / My One Desire - To be like Jesus
Yes!! There's Internet:D
I'm so happy God gave all of us awesome internet connection once again in order to have us be able to express our thoughts and communicate with each other in English through the computer. To God be the Glory!
I just read everyone's blogs, and they're absolutely fabulous. I almost teared up reading some of your heartfelt confession to our Lord. Wow. He's just so great to be working in our lives unceasingly, unfailingly, and uncontrollably:D
______________________________________________________________________
As I shared with many of you today, God spoke to me strongly about being and living a life that is truly dead to self and only alive in Christ, with Christ. He had me reflect back at all the times that I was disobedient and dishonest to His Words, and even to the often times I acted on my thoughts and opinions.
What broke my heart the most was when God focused in on my heart that could not love everyone equally - I always had favorites, and simply, painfully put, the others I really didn't care much for. The African children on TV with bloated bellies and skinny limbs made me feel sorry for them, but I don't ever remember saying "Oh I love them..." To the people that annoy me (due to my short temper), I never wanted to or even thought of how I didn't show them love and compassion as I must as a child of God... To those that are weak and shunned by society, I really was too lazy to get to know any of them.
Favoritism, judgement, blunt rudeness and an evil heart of not being to love my neighbors as Jesus loved me to die for the me on the cross made me the worst, the smallest, the most deceitful sinner in the eyes of my Judge, my Father. I couldn't lift up my head today during Friday prayer because I was so ashamed and felt so sorry for all the evil corruption that dwelled in the my heart for such a long time.
Then I heard a faint voice cry out to me, "Joo Hee, what is it that you want?"
"Oh Father God, I'm sick and tired of living by my own will. Nothing of me is good; everything of me is evil, always seeking for my own glory. Lord, show me your ways, oh Father, so that I may see your face each day and only seek for the glory of the Kingdom of God now and forevermore...."
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And because the Lord has saved even the most wretched sinner like myself, I find new hope and new strength in serving the works of our Father for the Kingdom of God. All my hopes lie in the Spirit and the Father and the Kingdom of our Father, and I'm glad to be able to call you my brothers and sisters in faith. Let's keep praying for each other to improve our English and to commit ourselves unchangingly in serving the Kingdom of God.
Till the Day Comes!! Hallelujah!!
I'm so happy God gave all of us awesome internet connection once again in order to have us be able to express our thoughts and communicate with each other in English through the computer. To God be the Glory!
I just read everyone's blogs, and they're absolutely fabulous. I almost teared up reading some of your heartfelt confession to our Lord. Wow. He's just so great to be working in our lives unceasingly, unfailingly, and uncontrollably:D
______________________________________________________________________
As I shared with many of you today, God spoke to me strongly about being and living a life that is truly dead to self and only alive in Christ, with Christ. He had me reflect back at all the times that I was disobedient and dishonest to His Words, and even to the often times I acted on my thoughts and opinions.
What broke my heart the most was when God focused in on my heart that could not love everyone equally - I always had favorites, and simply, painfully put, the others I really didn't care much for. The African children on TV with bloated bellies and skinny limbs made me feel sorry for them, but I don't ever remember saying "Oh I love them..." To the people that annoy me (due to my short temper), I never wanted to or even thought of how I didn't show them love and compassion as I must as a child of God... To those that are weak and shunned by society, I really was too lazy to get to know any of them.
Favoritism, judgement, blunt rudeness and an evil heart of not being to love my neighbors as Jesus loved me to die for the me on the cross made me the worst, the smallest, the most deceitful sinner in the eyes of my Judge, my Father. I couldn't lift up my head today during Friday prayer because I was so ashamed and felt so sorry for all the evil corruption that dwelled in the my heart for such a long time.
Then I heard a faint voice cry out to me, "Joo Hee, what is it that you want?"
"Oh Father God, I'm sick and tired of living by my own will. Nothing of me is good; everything of me is evil, always seeking for my own glory. Lord, show me your ways, oh Father, so that I may see your face each day and only seek for the glory of the Kingdom of God now and forevermore...."
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And because the Lord has saved even the most wretched sinner like myself, I find new hope and new strength in serving the works of our Father for the Kingdom of God. All my hopes lie in the Spirit and the Father and the Kingdom of our Father, and I'm glad to be able to call you my brothers and sisters in faith. Let's keep praying for each other to improve our English and to commit ourselves unchangingly in serving the Kingdom of God.
Till the Day Comes!! Hallelujah!!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Notice: No Internet!!!
There is no internet at our house.
I think the power outage must've burnt something in the modem.
I'm going to take it to the phone company (IT&E) today,
and hopefully they'll be able to fix our problem! :(
In the meantime, please write out your blog entries on a notebook so you can transfer it once we have internet again.
Keep up the hard work!
I think the power outage must've burnt something in the modem.
I'm going to take it to the phone company (IT&E) today,
and hopefully they'll be able to fix our problem! :(
In the meantime, please write out your blog entries on a notebook so you can transfer it once we have internet again.
Keep up the hard work!
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