i missed friday night bible study tonight b/c my student invited me over for dinner. jin is his name. 31 years old, married to harriet, 31 years old as well. this is the second time i've had dinner with them. the first time, harriet made us spaghetti. tonight, she made us this tasty fried rice. i really like harriet. she's very gentle and kind with her words. i'm almost afraid that anything i say to her will hurt her since she's so innocent. i really like this couple b/c they're so much older than me but i can still see so much of their youth.

i feel like fobs are crazy polite with their guests. i ALWAYS get to drink hot chocolate, juice, or tea whenever i tutor my students. they're just so nice! but what makes me sad is that not a single one of my students go to church. Christ is not their Lord and Savior so i can't help but feel really different from them. all of their kind words and generous actions are not pleasing to the Lord. they merely reflect God's image through their "good" deeds but their motives are all selfish and sinful.

today at dinner...

me: do you usually pray before you eat your meals?
jin: oh! no, not yet.
me: oh, is it ok if i pray by myself then?

oh the stench of awkwardness! but i hope that even these small deeds would somehow be a witness to them. i mean actions do speak louder than words right? jin and harriet do go out to church. but i think they only go b/c the person that helped them move into this country was the pastor. jin tells me that it's still difficult to really trust God.

right now, i'm reading a book by Greg Bahnsen called "Always Ready." i got it as a gift my senior year in high school from chang and i didn't start reading it til this week. haha...better late than never right? anyways, Bahnsen says, "One does not first satisfy his intellect with certain autonomous proofs that God exists and has a particular nature, and then after gaining this understanding place his faith in the Lord. Rather, reverence and faith precede one's understanding or knowledge of God and all that He has made." and with these brilliant words, we, educated christians, know that man is dead in his sin and does not have the ability to even desire God. only God can work in people like Jin and Harriet. only God can make the times that i spend with them meaningful and effective to make the Gospel more real in their lives. and that is why only God deserves all the glory.

Thought of the Day: Two words: FINANCIAL AID.
Song of the Day: New Full Metal Alchemist Opening