This past weekend I and a bunch of other people headed down to the southern region of California (also known as [cough] [hack] Los Angeles) for a friend's wedding. Exiting the plane in LAX, I noticed that I began coughing as soon as we hit the outside air. I've never flown into LA before, so hitting the smog layer was... quite disturbing... I mean, San Jose isn't exactly doing the best job of maintaining air quality, but I certainly don't begin coughing when I walk outside here.

Of the to-be-married couple, I knew Reni from our years at Canaan's youth group (her dad used to pastor at Canaan). The couple (Maurice is the husband, good guy... good ballplayer) had one of the quicker courtships that I've heard... apparently they met last August at Maurice's church, began seeing each other after serving with one another on a missions trip to Mexico, then he proposed on Christmas. Four months! That probably has to take the cake as far as courtships of people I know personally. It's quite evident though when looking at them that they were meant for each other, so why wait?

Boy, there's a lot of planning that goes into a wedding. Since a bunch of us Canaan folks made it down to LA on the Thursday before the Saturday wedding, we helped out with some of the logistical aspects... seating chart... wedding favors... 'twas actually kind of stressful for at least a few of the folks. I had the honor of leading a few worship songs during the ceremony, which was not as nerve-wracking as I feared it'd be. It was kind of funny when JT lost his grip on one of his drumsticks to the intro of "Majesty"... I had to stifle a smirk turning around to sing... he picked it up and continued without a missing a beat. Oh, in the "what're the odds of that happening?" column, Reni asked some friends of hers to help out on the team, and one of them (bassist) turned out to be Francis, an old high school classmate of mine. Walking into the rehearsal I thought that the guy looked familiar but couldn't quite place it, then he came up to me and remembered my name. I'm usually not too bad with names, so I was pretty embarrassed... it's never a good scene when someone else knows your name but you don't remember theirs.

For the first time in my life, at the reception, I was seated at the singles table. I hope that this doesn't become a trend. I'm only 24! It's kind of weird sitting down at your table, looking around at the people sitting there, not recognizing most of the faces, and knowing that each person was specifically chosen to sit at that table by the bride and/or groom... maybe for other people they look forward to that environment, but it felt rather awkward and forced to me. Maybe I'm just overly conservative. Anyhow, I spent the evening setting up JT with opportunities to tell stories.

Afterwards, Reni and Maurice went off, and the rest of us hung out... played some ball... on Sunday went to Drew Hyun's church in LA... pretty cool to see a predominantly Korean church all decked out in red getting ready for the World Cup match... they made a good run this year. Even if I was kind of annoyed at that guy's "goal celebration" by mimicking speedskating.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20020626/ts_nm/court_pledge_dc_4

Sadness. This country was founded on Christian principles, and particularly since 9/11 it seemed that with the whole wave of patriotic fervor and "God Bless America" stickers that Americans were beginning to remember their roots - the founding fathers of this country fought for freedom and justice, yes, but for many of them, one of the motivating factors was their belief in a God who believes in freedom and justice.

I guess we now need to consider the Declaration of Independence an unconstitutional document because it has the phrase "endowed by their Creator" (if I remember correctly).

Sigh.

NBA draft yesterday. I predict that of the Warriors' picks (Mike Dunleavy Jr, Jiri Welsch, and Steve Logan), Dunleavy and Welsch will become the Backstreet Boys of Golden State. They'll probably be heavily marketed to bring the ladies of the Bay Area out to Warriors games, kind of like how JT Snow and Shawn Estes used to play the same role for the Giants (each time Snow would bat, lots of teenage girls would scream). Here's a pic:

http://forums.warriorsworld.net/main/msgs/234158.phtml

Showed the link to Danny tonight and he wants me to take a similar picture of him, Cal, and JLau holding up their Mookie, Starks, and Caffey now-defunct Warriors jerseys. That'll be fun.

God's doing so many different things in this world.

He's working through Wycliffe to translate the Bible into the language of remote people groups like the Wounaan tribe of Panama... establishing churches in China despite intense persecution... feeding and caring for AIDS orphans suffering in Africa through organizations like World Vision... rehabbing and transforming the lives of drug addicts in Harlem... even changing the hearts of suburban Taiwanese kids to give them a desire to wait on Him.

And that's just a little, teeny tiny slice of God's enormously magnificent plan.

Where do I fit in?

That's the question I've been wrestling with over the last couple of weeks, particularly at the Canaan retreat a couple of Saturdays back, where I wanted to spend time with the youth as they were learning about spiritual disciplines and experiencing God firsthand, but also was curious to hear firsthand the experiences of a missionary couple from Wycliffe who had lived a good portion of their life living with a tribal people. On top of that, after my experience in NYC, I made the commitment that at some point I would continue working with and spending time with the (monetarily) poor on a regular basis - don't know exactly how (food bank, tutoring programs (high school? computers?)) or where (East Palo Alto? SF? San Jose?). On top of that, I've been coming across people - family members, friends - that I'd like to spend more time with. On top of that, God's continuing to challenge me as a worship leader at Canaan, looking after the spiritual well-being of my team, and also helping to organize a men's group. Then after that I'm thinking of grad school and taking the GRE, and spending time with parents is something I'm considering more of a priority.

Sometimes it feels overwhelming to me... particularly over the last few weeks, I've been realizing and understanding more and more how precious each breath that I take is, and that each moment I have here is a gift of grace... and because of that I feel like I want to make the most of my time, immerse myself into God's plan for the world as much as possible, and allow the Holy Spirit to influence people through me. I've noticed in Scripture that all the disciples/prophets etc. had particular target groups of people that God wanted them to be with... and I don't think God's revealed that to me yet.

Something encouraging from this matter... I've found that in times of decision-making and wrestling over direction in my life, God has often directed me not by opening doors, but by challenging me to try every door that there is, and then shutting the ones that he doesn't want me to go through. To pursue every opportunity sincerely and prayerfully, and He'd let me know whether to continue or not. On the one hand this is probably a good thing for me because it means I don't have an excuse to sit on my butt and wait, on the other hand it means that right now I have a lot of commitments - ministry-wise and people-wise... each of which I enjoy, love and am challenged by, but it does it make it hard sometimes.

Just gonna keep prayin'.

Current Scripture I'm meditating on:

'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."' - 2 Cor 12:9

Lots been going on. Will write more later.

Went to Monta Vista's graduation yesterday to commemorate Rich's transition from high school to college. Blast from the past... saw old teachers that I used to have like Mr. DiBono (AP US History, who I TA'ed for)... even the names are the same.

High school seems like such a long time ago. It's even somewhat difficult to conceive who I was back then.

Congrats Rich on making it through HS!

Whitewater rafting adventures!

To see Danny's account of the same events (we were in the same boat) check out his webpage: http://www.geocities.com/dannyo107

Friday night began with a Prayer and Praise night at my church. Great night of worship and lifting up our voices and hearts to God... had the chance to pray for our missionaries, and also for our neighborhood. I walked with the senior boys through the apartment complex next door to our sanctuary and just prayed for the people in each unit - was very cool.

Afterwards made the drive up to Richmond and stayed up till midnight with Danny and Cal watching the World Cup... if you ever watch the WC on the Spanish channel... you'll notice that whenever someone scores a goal... a spaceship in the shape of a manta ray swoops in at the scoreboard in the upper left corner of the screen and shoots the scoreboard to add a digit to the score. It's quite amusing and I wasn't sure what I had seen until I confirmed it with the other two... heheh. We finally forced ourselves to sleep at midnight because...

... we had to wake up at 3:30 in order to make the drive out to Sacramento so that we could begin rafting just after sunrise. There haven't been too many times where I've watched the sun rise as part of my day, occasionally I've seen the sun rise before going to bed...

My buddy Danny did a pretty good job on his recap (see the URL above, click on "The Messy Column") so I'll just fill in on details...

- after finally getting to the river (van rides always seem longer when you're drifting in and out of consciousness), we got suited up with vests and helmets, and split into groups of 6 per boat (with one guide per). I was on a boat with Danny, the bachelor'o'the'day Andy, his bro Pete, and two of their buddies. Our guide's name was Max... big beefy guy, formerly from the army, with a fondness for lame jokes and keeping up the charade that this was his first time out on the river.

- the techniques of rafting weren't as difficult as I'd thought they were going to be because the guide did the hard work of guiding us around rocks, shallow sections, getting us unstuck, etc... basically we were just propulsion. Forward, backward, right turn, left turn... as long as we paddled in unison we were cool.

- in rafting you actually sit on the outside tube of the boat and brace yourself with your legs against the inner lining and the pylons bracing the bottom of the boat. I think I may have braced myself too hard because even though I didn't fall out involuntarily once, I realized later in the day that I had rubbed off a fair amount of my leg hair.

- our trip down the middle fork of the American river consisted of class 3 and 4 rapids. Class 3 are pretty fast, but not as many obstacles... you'll definitely get wet but you probably won't die. Class 4 on the other hand... rapids are fast, lots of obstacles, and lots of outcroppings just ripe for you to bash your head into if you don't slow the boat effectively, hence helmets. Danny mentions one class 4 where we actually slammed into the wall, and all of us in the back had to duck in order not to get a good knock on the noggin.

- in one more mild rapid, we were given the option to climb out of the raft and swim through it... I did and immediately regretted it because I belatedly realized I was wearing contacts. So I did my darndest to swim, keep my head above water, keep my eyes slitted so my contacts wouldn't fall out and yet I could still see...

- at another rapid, known as "Parallel Parking" because it involves following a route down sideways and then immediately turning and slowing down to avoid the far wall, we didn't backpaddle fast enough and found ourselves caught up against the side of the canyon. In order to get off this wall, everyone in the raft climbs to the high side so that the bottom side has enough buoyancy to begin floating again. Unfortunately, when we flopped back into the water we lost 3 of our rafters... and we had a few more rapids to go through. So myself and the other remaining rafters were paddling like mad to prevent from being pushed farther downstream while we looked on, scared for the guys who had fallen out and were going over rapids with just life vests on... fortunately none of them got banged up... and yeah, it was kind of dangerous... but looking back, it was more fun when we had drama like people falling out that we needed to rescue and the like... heh.

- all in all, rafting was a lot of fun. Some of the parts where you're coasting on smooth water, you have to keep yourself occupied with water wars against other boats (our guide's military training came in handy for ship-to-ship combat maneuvers), or otherwise just converse with boat mates. Pretty chill day, along with the exhiliration of speed and riding out the river... because the river is a lot stronger than you are.

We finished the day at Fuddruckers where I had an ostrich burger. It tastes pretty darn good, and it's a lot healthier than red meat. I think In'N'Out should start selling ostrich burgers. I got home at midnight and collapsed into bed after a 20.5 hour day.

On the way to work this morning I was listening to K-Love, and I heard something prett weird/interesting - John Tesh singing "Open the Eyes of my Heart". Apparently it's on his new CD. Sounded pretty conventional. With the amount of bashing that the guy's music gets, I always try to remember he composed the NBA on NBC theme, which leaves him with at least some coolness. Plus, by most accounts seems like he's a believer, and in the entertainment industry, that's always rare.

Verses of the day

Psalm 139:14 - I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

24 things I'm thankful for (not really in any order):

24) 8766 mornings to wake up to... even if I didn't wake up to all of them. Afternoons are good too. In case you were wondering, the extra 6 mornings account for leap years :-).

23) The intensity of good, clean athletic competition.

22) Teva sandals. I've had my pair for two years and they're still rock-solid.

21) My car. Sure, the Volvo wagon may make me look old, but everyone who I've helped move knows how useful it is... true story... I show up at work for my 2nd or 3rd day in March 2001, some of my coworkers are at the door and see me drive in... as I walk to the front door, one says, "Is that your wife's car?"

20) Ultimately frivolous, but very entertaining novels by guys like Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Stephen Coonts, and the Star Wars series (Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston in particular).

19) The backboard behind the basketball hoop that lets me bank in 15-foot jump shots.

18) The combination of broiled fish (particularly salmon, mackerel, or bass) and rice. One of my favorite tastes.

17) The open working environment at my office - in my section of engineering, everyone basically has two desks to themselves - no cubicle walls. As a result you spend your days in close proximity to the people you work with, which in my mind makes for more effective work, as well as the chance to talk about significant things with other people. Today I chatted with my coworker about how to discipline his kids (he has a 6-year old and a 3-year old).

16) Email and instant messaging. They've helped me keep in touch with people I otherwise would have completely forgotten about after high school and after college.

15) The World Wide Web. Information - ranging from sports scores and opinions, to current events, to bulletin boards with differing opinions and conversations, to archives of books, and so on so forth - has never been so convenient and at our fingertips than now. How did we ever live without broadband?

14) Young and old people. In college I basically interacted with peers all the time, now that I'm back at home I get to spend time with both groups, particularly at church through the youth group. They're really cool. As for the latter group, I don't know too many really old people, but recently each day I've been driving to work I see an old Indian couple waiting for the bus on the side of the road that for some reason brings a smile to my face.

13) Listening to music. A quote I heard a long time ago: "Aside from silence, music is the only way to express the inexpressible."

12) The waterfalls, hiking trails, biking trails, creeks, rivers, trees, rock formations that make up the Yosemite Valley. Still one of my favorite places on Earth.

11) Smoothies.

10) Journals. Didn't really know what I was doing when I started writing in that little notebook 6 years ago, but boy am I glad I started up that habit.

9) Corporate worship through song. Still one of the best ways to inspire my soul to be happy in God.

8) Wrestling over tough passages of Scripture with fellow believers who come from different backgrounds and have different understandings.

7) Asian American Christian Fellowship at Cal, specifically, the class of 2000. Without getting my first taste of fellowship, I may have not followed through on the commitment I made to God before going to college.

6) Rich Mullins reminding us to weep with longing for our real home, not the one of this world; and to remember that when I leave this world, "When I look back on the stars, they'll be like a candlelight in Central Park - and it won't break my heart to say goodbye."

5) Friends who somehow always pop up to encourage me when I need it the most, and friends who aren't afraid to wound me when I need it.

4) New York City. My summer there in 2000 has impacted me profoundly. Read my previous blog (scroll down) for a bit more insight, but suffice to say that I now know a little bit about what it means not to look at someone with worldly eyes.

3) The simple joy of having: a room, a Bible, a pen and journal, a songbook, a guitar, and a voice, all at the same time.

2) Parents, Frank and Elisa, who have genuinely modeled sacrificial love and guidance to me, and a brother who I've been able to watch grow up bit by bit.

And finally,
1) Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.

In my devotional time yesterday morning, I came across a couple of Scriptures I wanted to share out of 2 Corinthians 5:

v. 13: If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

I read that and I'm seeing the slogan: "Crazy for God's sake." :-)

v. 16a: So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.

For me I think this is one thing that God has been slowly teaching me over the past 2 years. When I have a meditative moment, I consider how incredibly complex I am as a human being - physiologically speaking, there are zillions of chemical reactions happening in perfect harmony to keep my body functioning in okay condition, mentally, I have my own thoughts, dreams, good and bad and painful memories, and so on so forth. When I then allow my eyes to see beyond myself, I realize that there are 6 billion other people in the world who are just as complex and wonderfully made by our Creator as I am. THAT is mind-blowing. It's really difficult, but really rewarding, to look at people not from a worldly point of view, but from God's point of view - to see each person not for what they do (coworker, janitor, bus driver, CEO) but instead that they are wonderfully and carefully made by God and God wants them back.

So as a challenge... the next time you find yourself unoccupied (waiting in line at the supermarket, waiting at a stop light, filling up on gas, riding the bus/BART, etc.), instead of just letting your mind go blank and veg, take a good look at the people around you... just see how special they are. Then try and just spend a few seconds praying for that person... it's really awesome.

I feel old.

Thoughts on the NBA...

- Congrats to the Lakers. Good series against the Kings... as a basketball fan I'd say that the quality of competition in this series showed that this country will sit up and take notice when some compelling basketball is being played. No matter how much I think I resent the Lakers and think that it'd be nice to see someone else win for a change, the glory days of the NBA was when there was a high level of competition, and basketball became part of the public consciousness. I'm all for that as a basketball fan. Sure, it'll mean I need to deal with more bandwagoners, but that's not so bad. I can just stay on my smug "I'm a real fan" throne. Speaking of which..

- I think I have a certain NBA arrogance in the sense that I hold myself to a higher "level" of fandom... i.e., I consider myself a "real fan" because I've supported my teams (Warriors and Spurs) in both good times and bad (in the former case, REALLY bad). If I'm talking basketball with, say, a Laker fan, I need to remind myself not to feel superior to them as a fan just because they've only become interested in the game b/c of Kobe, Shaq, and Phil. Even if I think Shaq is bad for the game, I certainly think that the sport's better off if people are interested in it.

- Gonna nominally root for the Nets in the Finals, just to see someone other than the Lakers win (and Phil Jackson's arrogance really bugs me - he never loses, it's always the refs or some other thing), and gotta root for Kidd - Cal solidarity, you know.