Christians are like Atheists... sometimes

I recently read a blog of an atheist. It reads:

"To claim there is a God who can cure cancer, but doesn’t, raises the huge question, “Why?” The fact the Christian cannot answer this very basic fact about God demonstrates why I reiterate any claim about God is unenforceable, because God is unobservable and unverifiable.

If you don’t know enough about your God-concept to explain why such a God wouldn’t cure cancer in a five-year-old, don’t tell me how it writes books, or provides you a parking space, or gave your child the winning shot in the J.V. basketball game."

I think the author of this comment has a confused understanding of God, as does the Christian who thinks that God will always give us that parking spot or help my favorite team win. God doesn't exist so that we can get what we want... in fact, we exist so that God will get what he wants, in particular, glory and praise.

It might sound quite lame- a God who creates us to be worshipped? What kind of God is that? But the truth is, truth isn't determined by its lame-factor (how lame it is or isn't). I think it's lame that if i fall off a 400 foot cliff, my bones will quite likely fracture, or perhaps even explode and shatter all over the place. I may even die. As lame as it is that I have to suffer from falling off cliff, it doesn't take away from the truth that gravity exists, and rocks at the bottom of a cliff are usually hard. (By the way, I've come to experience that giving all to glorify God isn't lame at all. It's actually quite satisfying when I'm living according to my intended design).

I pray this would make sense to you someday: From a biblical perspective, Praying to God isn't about getting what we want. Prayer is about wanting what we get.

God is Sovereign. God's will is the goal of every believer, to align our desires with his, rather than trying to allign his desires with ours.

We need to start living according to God's words, and stop trying to get Him to live according to ours.

P.S. Stay tuned for Baby update! Gender revelation in a few weeks!

Christians Smoking Weed

So my friend Mike asked for some interesting advice: Why is smoking weed wrong for a Christian?

I'm interested in what you would say. Is it even wrong for Christians to smoke marijuana?

Can't Tell Time

Thank you everyone for your emails and messages regarding our pregnancy! Many of you have asked me, "Were you guys planning to have a baby?!"

Yes and no. Yes we wanted a baby. No, not now. But I guess I realized something- I can't tell time. Not God's time at least.

Many of the Bread of Life youth have been memorizing Scripture as a response to the retreat we just had. So I recently memorized Proverbs 16:9.

"In his heart a man plan's his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

Just looking at my relationship with Monica, I've had all my plans in line, my course mapped out. But geez, my clock does NOT seem to be in sync with God's clock, and my steps are NOT His steps! Here's how I've come to realize that God runs on a different schedule than mine.

- I wanted to date Monica immediately, He had us pray for 2 years.
- I wanted to date for 2 years and then get married, He had us go 5 years.
- I wanted to be married for 2 years and then have a baby, he had us go 5 MONTHS!

I GIVE UP. It seems like my 2's are his 5's, his 5's are my 2's. My years are his months, my months are his years!

I remember having memorized Isaiah 55:8-9 in the past:

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

I think the Word of God got it right. WORD.

D.I.P., Ian Ullstrom

Dance In Praise, Ian.

When I was working a few years back, I tried to share Jesus with this coworker I had. Man, Ian, I seriously tried to share with her everything I could- my personal testimony, biblical evidence, what Jesus could do for you. EVERYTHING. Nothing moved her.

But she said something to me that I never forgot. Ian, check this out. She goes, "There is one thing I admire about you Christians. I noticed that when loved ones die, you guys are happy! You guys have this peace and comfort when your loved one dies. I wish I could have that."

When we found out a month ago that your sickness was terminal, I remember, I was driving, and Monica read me the email from her phone. I just started weeping there in the car as I was driving. Monica sat there as I drove and sobbed.

There's nothing good in death, Ian. Nothing at all. There's nothing to rejoice in. Death was the scheme of Satan. Death is the power of evil one. There's nothing to be happy about.

But it's because of the resurrection that we can get up and DANCE! It's because He is Risen that I know you are alive! It's because of the resurrection that we can say "Praise the Lord!" And it's because He is Risen that you don't have to just "rest in peace", but that you can rise up and D.ance I.n P.raise! It actually made me smile when we got the email two weeks ago that you had passed on to be with the King!

I heard that your memorial was AMAZING! Carmen sent us news today that almost every single person who shared that day talked about how you NEVER blamed God and never focused on your suffering, but you just looked forward to Jesus. That made me so proud of you. For a teenager, you had a better handle on Life than many mature Christians I know. You make me smile bro.

Go on Brother, let me see you Tootsie Roll. Now D.I.P, baby, D.I.P.!

Name that Baby!

Alright, so Monica is now in her 2nd trimester. Still early, but we figure we start getting some ideas. We're having a hard time figuring that one name we both like.

People are always asking, what are you going to name your baby?! Then naturally, everyone's got their own suggestion. We've been given some meaningful names, from "Elijah" to "Maleia", to some outrageous ones, from "Nebuchadnezzar" to "Enduro Shark".

Here's your chance. Leave me your suggestions (one boy and one girl name), and any, if any, meaning behind it. If we end up using your suggestion, we'll let you be the first to baby-sit. Pizza's on us.

Reflections on 30

So I turned 30 this year. I figured I spend some time reflecting on my first 30 years, and so I wrote down the first memory that came to mind for each year I lived. Here are reflections of my first 30 years:

1. Born in San Francisco Chinatown, Kaiser Permanente. Taken to our home in Daily City, CA (don't remember much of this)
2. Moved to South Torrance.
3. Had reoccurring dreams of a T-Rex that would chase me around the house, and I would have to jump over a pit in the middle of my hallway to survive.
4. Fell in love with a brunette named Amanda. I would repeatedly draw her the same picture of a hill, a four-door car, and a rainbow.
5. Asked Keiko to marry me. She said she would if I would marry her.
6. Started my 5-year career at Hickory Elementary School.
7. My second grade teaher, Mrs. Cousin, pulled my hair and called me a “fat” liar. Traumatized.
8. Had a fat crush on Ms. Yamamoto. Made her a clay cup that said “#1 Teacher”, but the handle broke off, and I couldn't give it to her.
9. Was baptized at South Bay Chinese Alliance Church. Gave my best friend, Jose Morales, my 1972 Reggie Jackson baseball card for Valentines day, because it meant so much to me, and he meant so much to me. Now I can't even find him on Facebook.
10. Won 2nd place in my entire Cub Scout troop for the annual school-wide derby car race. My dad spent DAYS building the car.
11. Realized how fat I was, so tried to lose it by riding the exercise bike we had at home for at least ½ hour.
12. Stepped on a power sander and sanded off the flesh of my second toe.
13. Cut my own hair for the first time ever. Just under 4 hours.
14. Moved to a new school, West High. Prayed fervently that God would cause all the girls to like me. No joke.
15. Made it to frosh/soph tennis for West High. 0-11 record.
16. Truck broke down while driving to PV, got out to check under the hood, and my truck started rolling down Hawthorne Blvd. because I forgot to put on the brakes. It rolled down hill until it was stopped by a van coming up Hawthorne.
17. Got my first pager ever. 4 years late. Bravo LX. Mods: burgundy case, red back light, badtz maru and dragon ball stickers. 4364, 8684!
18. Top 5 Homecoming Court. Greatest high school accomplishment.
19. UCI Anteater.
20. Joined Crossroads Campus Ministries.
21. First cell phone ever. 4 years late.
Started Praying about the possibility of a future with Monica on July 11, 2001.
22. Graduated UCI with a B.A. in International Studies. Preached for the first time ever for the youth group at church. Preached outside for the first time at the Long Beach Rescue Mission.
23. Started the Masters of Divinity program at Talbot School of Theology.
24. Started to date Monica officially on September 4.
25. Started AlphaOmega Learning Company with Mike Yim and Jeff Wu.
26. Started developing a women’s designer jeans company. J-Star. Rustic Jeans.
27. First retreat ever. FCBC Hikoi Fellowship. First mission trip to Taiwan with OMF.
28. Proposed.
29. Married my beautiful wife, Monica.
30. Baby daddy.



Conclusion after 30 years: God is GOOD.