I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED FOR KOREA!!! YAY, PRISCILLA AND JUNGABUNG!!! AHHHH!!!

Thought of the Day: KOREA!
Song of the Day: Toploader-Dancing In The Moonlight

this picture made me and enoch laugh so hard several several months ago. actually, i was doing most of the laughing, but enoch caught the giggles after seeing my high level of amusement. apparently, i had promised kenny that i would post it up but the darn thing just slipped my mind. thanks for the good time, aaron, and sorry to everyone that it's kinda blurry.

being the self-centered guy that i am, i feel like alotta people have been wondering what i've been up to these days. well, i got back from 3 different retreats, back to back stylez, so now i am preparing to prepare for my CSETs once again (that's right, "preparing to prepare!") and right off the bat, i will be going to Korea as soon as i do away with those obligations. that gives us about 3 weeks left. i just found out that two MORE people will be in Korea along with me, priscilla, and grace. the good news is that i'll kind of have some back-up friends in the motherland. the bad news is that they're all girls. haha...i'm only half-kidding. sometimes, i wish people could really see the different things i've been feeling these days. i have so many mixed emotions it's not even funny. hence, i'll just say that i'm excited and leave it at that. i'm ready to get out of here.

today's first productive day of studying: in n' out for lunch, huntington beach with yg boys, taco surf for dinner, smash brothers for 2 hours, and chatting online for over an hour (???!!!). looks pretty productive to me.

Thought of the Day: "So nice and pretty."
Song of the Day: Smashmouth-All Star

Job 42:2-3

2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

as my 9th grade boys would say: POWNAGE!

because you're all dying to know what i got on my CSETs (yeah right), i passed my first subtest but missed the passing score by 2 points for the second subtest. i can think of at least 10 different kinds of screams every time i think about it. my sinful nature keeps reminding me that i could have passed it if i had just answered one more question correctly. it's really hard to remember that God planned for me to retake the test again for a GOOD purpose. reading Job really helps though. if there was ever a man who had a justified complaint, it was Job. but even he was humbled before the Lord Almighty.

Job 1:21-22

21 and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart. ^[a]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

may the Lord teach me to be like Job as i study probability and statistics once again for the next three weeks.


earlier this week, i told my mom that i occasionally go out for drinks with some of my friends. she told totally flipped out. apparently, she views her eldest son as the most innocent little angel who doesn't know how to indulge in any sin. i'm actually terrified to ever tell her my life testimony! if she was this shocked about my social drinking, i think she'd die on the spot if i told her about my "real deals." but the funny thing about the whole thing is that she actually became really happy that she could finally have some alcohol with someone besides her best friend. "we'll have some whenever Simon isn't home." *she cracks up* my mom and i click very well because we have very similar temperaments. she's introverted. i'm introverted. she likes to keep herself busy. i like to keep myself busy. she doesn't like being around too many people. i don't like being around too many people. my mom is so godly. i'm even godlier. just kidding. everyday, the Lord reminds me of how blessed i am to have her. it's crazy to think that my mother's love for me is just a glimpse of God's love for us. what a perspective.

4 years ago from today, i blogged this...

boLbim33 (1:17:50 PM): excitinged about IRvine?
boLbim33 (1:18:06 PM): LA girls... they are different...
boLbim33 (1:18:12 PM): they are soooooo prettier
boLbim33 (1:18:15 PM): than Nor al
Pretzelboi96 (1:18:18 PM): haha

oh yeah, dykas came back today too!

Pretzelboi96 (9:56:30 PM): dude, wasn't korea awesome?!
AzN1283 (9:56:38 PM): man it was AWESOME
AzN1283 (9:56:39 PM): i love it
AzN1283 (9:56:45 PM): i hella didnt' want to come bak
Pretzelboi96 (9:56:55 PM): ah yeah!
AzN1283 (9:57:16 PM): man
AzN1283 (9:57:18 PM): i miss it
AzN1283 (9:57:21 PM): i miss the food
AzN1283 (9:57:22 PM): girls
AzN1283 (9:57:24 PM): everything


now isn't that something?


Dictionary.com has changed out their entire layout. very nice.

Thought of the Day: Sardines.
Song of the Day: Chris Tomlin-Awesome Is The Lord Most High

i would have to say that the theme for my summer has been Sempre Reformata or "always reforming." my thoughts on liturgy are becoming more and more refined as they go through fire and forming. i have become more missions/Gospel-minded, a stronger advocate for partaking in Communion (AT LEAST every month), and now, a struggling Sabbatarian. i'm telling you, it's that blasted Heidelberg Catechism, but ultimately God's Word that has challenged me in so many areas of my life.

after going over the 4th Commandment last week and actually teaching it to my students today, i became disgustingly aware of how far i am from keeping this commandment completely. well, allow me to give you an example of a typical Sunday:

wake up at 7:40.
get to church by 9:05.
staff meeting, em and yg service/Bible study til 1:15.
eat lunch at church.
chill somewhere until 5.
attend evening service until 6.
play basketball til 8.
come home, wash up, and eat dinner.
watch a dvd with Simon.
go to bed around 12.

now, i think the "average" christian would say that there's nothing wrong with my Sundays. i spend the majority of my day at church. heck, i even go to evening service so i get extra holy points, right? some time spent in hanging out with friends (for the sake of fellowship of course!) and conclude the day with some quality time with the family. is there anything wrong here?

i have come to realize that the Sabbath was given for us to rest in Christ. it is not a day of physical rest; rather, it is a day of spiritual rest.

Hebrews 4:9-10-There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

Exodus 20:11-For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Deuteronomy 5:15-Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

if you look at the last two passages, they give us a summary of WHAT we are to do on the Sabbath: we are to remember that God is our Creator and Savior! that is why we sing songs of praise, preach the Gospel, study His Word, and pray every Sunday whenever we are at church. but what happens as soon as we leave the church building? we turn on our secular music, go out to eat, run a few errands, and watch a movie with our friends. hmmm, the last time i checked, it was pretty dang hard to remember God as my Creator and Savior in the context of those activities. in fact, those things look very similar to my weekdays! are we really setting aside the whole Sabbath day to the Lord? do our days at church retreat look holier than our Sundays?

a particular issue i've been struggling with is the issue of spending money on Sundays. isn't it okay for us to go out and get some VIP and enjoy our fellowship? can't i take my small group out for some innocent boba? to be honest, i really don't know anymore. i mean, spending money is causing others to work, right? on top of that, we are indirectly preventing them from worshipping God as well. and clearly, Exodus 20:10 tells us that "you shall not do any work..." on the Sabbath day. spending money is like we're putting into effect a double standard: i'm not working b/c we're not supposed to work, but it's alright if you work b/c you're going to work anyways. is this the unspoken mentality that many of us have? i don't know about you guys but i have developed a conscience that tells me that even spending money is advocating work on the Sabbath.

this has become a huge problem for me because 99% of the christians that i know do not practice this. i am left all alone at church to eat alone while everyone goes out to celebrate someone's birthday at some restaurant. i am left feeling stumbled and discouraged by so many in the church. i can hear everyone's heart whisper that i am being too strict, unrealistic, conservative, and legalistic.

i don't know. am i really being Phil the Pharisee? has my interpretation of Scripture gone too far? or am i a rare minority that is seeking to be faithful and obedient to the 4th Commandment? i'm hoping for the latter, but i really don't know. but even with all of that aside, i realized how terribly i fail to keep the Sabbath holy. i usually use the latter parts of my Sunday playing ball and watching movies. for sure, i am not getting any spiritual rest from these activites. God commanded spiritual rest. i am replacing spiritual rest with worldly rest. therefore, i am breaking God's commandment. i am so sinful. even if my activites were "spiritual," there's obviously the issue of my heart as well. i can't believe how sinful i am. but friends, whether or not you agree with anything that i have said thus far, we can all share in thanks that we have a God who sent His Son to obey EVERY commandment perfectly so that we too could be declared righteous. Christ makes the impossible a possibility and reality for us. church, do not see your Sundays as burdensome and restricting. rather, see them as liberating and refreshing as we receive spiritual blessings in worshipping God through remembering the Sabbath.

i have my third retreat tomorrow-yg retreat. ironically enough, the theme is Rest in Christ. please pray for the speaker, James Kim, the awesome counselor, Phil Chung, and the sinful yg students including John Ro.

Thought of the Day: Sabbies.
Song of the Day: Choral Postlude-All Creatures Of Our God And King

i never do this TAG crap, but Chang's xanga entry was just too funny for me. besides, this one's kinda more interesting. i'm not much of a reader but i actually have gone over a few good books in college. and you know what, i actually enjoyed reading most of them...

(1) One book that changed your life (other than the Bible):


i've raved about it once before. i'll rave about it again. God used this book to grow in me a passion for theology and God's Word. it was MUCH better the second time i read it this past year with Joecal. it's amazing how much your reading comprehension can improve in college. the ideal book for Apologetics 101.

"I hope that one far more capable than I will be introduced to the defense of Christianity by these lessons and will then go further in the years to come and teach us all how we might better take Every Thought Captive."
-R.L.P.

(2) One book you read more than once:


i read this book for clusters my first year with Old Phil Chung. i decided to do this book for this year's clusters because i remember it being very profound and encouraging. Old Phil would always tell us that he had read the book several times before but every time he would learn something new from each chapter that he never realized before. i concur with the old geezer.

"As long as Christ sits on the mediatorial throne, every day is a good day and all days are days of salvation."
-A.W. Tozer

(3) One book you'd want on a Desert Island:


we're going over the Heidelberg Catechism in youth group right now. i must say that more than any "Bible Study" i've done in my life, catechism has been the best. it's so structured, challenging, and of course, BIBLICAL! during the time we had been going over the Sacraments (Baptism and Lord's Supper) for several weeks, the EM service was going to partake in Communion on an upcoming Sunday. after going over the Lord's Supper for so long and to finally be able to apply what i had learned, Communion was never such a blessing and privelege to me. this book can appear to be dry because of its "catechism nature", but i assure you that i have never felt so refreshed during Bible Study through the Heidelberg Catechism. with that said...

"So the test of truth is the Bible, not the Catechism. We must always go from the Catechism to the Bible in order to make sure that it teaches the truth."
-G.I. Williamson

(4) Book that made you laugh:
Calvin and Hobbes is the best comic in comic book history. i think this is the only book that can make me laugh on a consistent basis. much kudos to Bill Watterson.

"Sheesh, who can fathom the feminine mind?"
-Calvin

(5) One book that made you cry (or feel really sad):

"Now I saw in my dream, that these two men went in at the Gate; and lo, as they entered they were transfigured..."
-John Bunyan

that short little excerpt is during the part when Christian and Hopeful finally arrive at the Celestial City after their long and difficult journey. you can totally feel the two pilgrims' joy because it is a joy that is promised to us as well. this book (besides the Bible) is probably the only book that has brought me to tears.

(6) One book that you wish had been written:

Chang told me he was working on some book on aplogetics? John Ro has been working on a Professor Herman Nootix book or something? doesn't Chang look like a Terrance and John Ro put together?

(7) One book that you wish had never been written:


we read this book for clusters my junior year. everyone was hating it. shame on Christopher Lee.

there's no need to quote anything from this book. besides, i sold it to In Christ bookstore as soon as i found out they bought just about anything.


this book came in pretty close.


then this book (haha Chang!).

8) One book you're currently reading:


this is current clusters book we are reading. i've always wanted to go over ethics and this book was recommended to me by Pastor David and the bookkeeper. i've only read a little but so far so biblical. i hope to have some more solidified views on contraversial issues after reading this book.

"The teachings of Scripture are the final court of appeal for ethics. Human reason, church tradition and the natural social sciences may aid moral reflection, but divine revelation, found in the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, constitutes the "bottom line" of the decision-making process."
-John Jefferson Davis

(9) One book you've been meaning to read:


i seriously cannot understand why i cannot get around to this book. it's been on my bookshelf for way too long. it's my brother's favorite book. it's dinko's favorite book. i'm always obligated to finish other books first. this will be next after Evangelical Ethics. i promise.

what a fun entry.

Thought of the Day: Visa.
Song of the Day: System Of A Down-Prison Song

"Arizona! Arizona! Here we COOOOOME!"

in other news, i played 1 on1 against a black guy today and beat him 2 out of 2 games. i know he was going easy on me but winning's WINNING! his name was Tony. i realized that i don't have too many friends who are down to play ball. everyone's always busy or lazy or straight up just suck. but with this realization, i further learned how much i enjoy the game. there's nothing better than playing a nice 3 on 3 with some of your buddies after a long day of studies or work. thank you God for basketball. enjoyment of any activity can only come from the Lord.

i recently started reading The Pilgrim's Progress (again) during my freetime. i already finished the first half about Christian, so now I am reading about Christiana and her children. it's humbling to read about their excitement and perseverance for the Gospel. how come my passion doesn't even compare to their passion? i read the Bible everyday. i pray every single day. i expose myself to "reminders", but i find myself living so contrary to what i believe. i have sins that i struggle with. how come i cannot bring myself to absolute repentance? it's interesting how even in our deepest spiritual pits, the H.S. is still sanctifying us more into Christ. i guess we just have to share in Paul's confidence that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until Christ returns (Phil 1:6). i pray every morning for Christ to return and ultimately establish his kingdom. would you join me in this prayer. i wanna hurry up and go home.

Thought of the Day: Depravity
Song of the Day: Muse-Invincible