The Gift of Pain

If you were going through pain, would you ask God to take it away?

We were talking about leprosy in my “Life of Christ” class that I’m taking at Talbot. We were talking about what it looks like, and how many lepers these days have fingers, hands, arms, and feet looking like they’re being eaten away at. I’ve heard before that leprosy was believed to be an infectous disease where the body deteriorates and eats away at itself, causing lepers to look the way they do.



I also heard an explanation that the body really isn’t eating away itself at all… modern leprosy involves damage to the nerves and the lost sense of touch. And the reason why the body looks as if it’s being eaten away at is simply because there’s no pain acting as warning signals to harm and danger. Naturally, the parts of the body are being burned, rubbed away at, cut off, and damaged because nothing is telling the body that it’s in harms way. Nothing is telling the body to turn away or flee.

I always thought this was a cute urban legend, but was pleasantly surprised when my professor was able to have this validated by a veteran pain specialist at UCLA Medical Center. This doctor confirmed that it is very positively the case among modern day lepers!

If you were experiencing pain in your life, would you ask God to take it away?
To pray for a leper and ask for his healing is to ask God to give the leper the gift of pain. To pray for a leper is to ask God to restore unto him a sensitivity to harm and danger.

If you were going through pain, would you ask God to take it away?

Would you pray for leprosy?

Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

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.

Kairo Lovebound Merchandise on Sale!

We still have some LoveBound merchandise avaialable

T-shirts: 1 for $15, 2 for $25 (Black LoveBound T avaialble. Men and Women's styles)
CD: $10
Lanyards: $3

Hit me up if you're interested. These make EXCELLENT gift ideas. Do it!

Meet the Crew!

Hey Church! Here's a video introduction to this years Taiwan Trip. Check it out...



If you can pray for us, remember PUMA:

P-raise coming from lips of Taiwanese people
U-nity for our team, and for the Church in Taiwan
M-issions Mindedness, a strong sense of consciousness for the spread of the Gospel
A-ctive Growth, among the Church and among our new believing friends!

If you can help support us financially, please make checks out to "OMF International", and the name of the team member you'd like to support in the memo (or you can write "Dashe Team").

Send to:
OMF International- Serve Asia Program
10 W. Dry Creek Circle
Littleton, CO 80120 USA

Let's give 'em Jesus.

Kairo Taiwan Team '08

So this is our team for this year. Please pray for us! We will be heading out for Kaohsiung, Taiwan on June 30th until Aug 7th. The Lord has allowed us to continue building our relationship with Chia Cheng Church in Kaohsiung. We will be hosting an English camp called JOME (Jesus <3's ME), hoping to share the gospel with the kids who come. We also hope to share Christ with the local university students who will be helping us teach English.

Please join us in prayer! You can pray for:
1. God to provide the rest of our financial support. We are still short of raising our funds.
2. For 70 kids to register for JOME. So far 3 have signed up :)
3. For Team unity and peace... that we would not let Satan divide!
4. For deeper MERCY and COMPASSION for the lost.

Hopefully I'll be able to keep y'all updated through this blog while we're in Taiwan. Praise the Lord for you support!

In the Pic from Top Left to Right: Joe Kam, Julian Kwon, Mike Lertchivikul, Greg Mah,
Cindy Sham, Emily Yang, Debra Chang, Jamie Wen, Christine Lam (not pictured, we'll get one up though.)

Spiritual-eyes: Seeing God in Court

So I was on the phone trying to set up a court date to fight off $270 worth of STUPID traffic tickets. We were up surfing at San Onofre, and this officer gives me TWO tickets at once:
1. "Failing to Signal". Failing to SIGNAL! Is that even a law? I seriously thought signaling was just courtesy.
2. Going 35mph on a 25mph street. But come on, who actually drives 25mph? That's unrealistic. Everyone does 35.

And so as I'm waiting for the teleprompt to get me to a live person to schedule a date where I can go and fight my case, I'm thinking of what I can say to the Judge that will get me off the hook. Then I come across some unfortunate realizations.

I broke the law. Bottom line. Whether I was going 35 or 135, the law is 25, and I transgressed. And in the "failing to signal" case, can't I just tell the judge I didn't know? Plead with him to let me go since no one ever told me that failing to signal is against the law? I asked my lawyer friend if this would fly, and he said to me, "Greg, ignorance is inexusable. Whether you know it or not, the law is there, and the law stands."

I broke the law. The only way i can go free is if somehow the judge finds it in himself to have mercy on me. To have pity on me and show some compassion. But if he doesn't, he has every right to make me pay the penalty. I'm guilty. It's a hard reality.

But what's $270? It's a WHOLE lot I tell you! But the truth is, it's not the end of the world. I'll get over it. More serious than $270 is the fact that we all stand as sinners, every one of us. We're guilty of breaking God's law, the standard that He's set. Our penalty is eternal conscious torment while we are physically and spiritually separated from God.

Whether we've broke God's law just once, or once a day for everyday of our life, the fact is, we broke it. We're guilty. And we can't plead ignorance, because whether or not we know what God's Law says, whether or not we've ever read His word, the Law stands. And we've transgressed.

The ONLY way that we can go free is if somehow the Great Judge finds it in himself to have mercy on us. To have pity on us and show us compassion. Bit if He doesn't, He has every right to make us pay the penalty.

But here's the FANTASTIC news. He has found it in Himself to be merciful. He does have pity on us. He has shown us compassion. The Judge Himself, Jesus Christ the Son of God, steps down from His position, pays the penalty for our guilt and serves the sentence. Christ did this for us when He died for us, bearing the weight of our sin and the wrath of His Father. But He was made alive and exalted back to His rightful place as Judge and King. And He says that if we would believe that He paid for our crime, that the penalty has been paid, we will be freed. Let go. Forgiven.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Paul, Romans 3:23-24

What stumbles you?

I'll be preaching this Sunday at Kairo on stumbling blocks in the Church. The Church in Corinth struggled with eating meat designated for pagan worship. Some Christians were cool with it, some were stumbled by it.

I was wondering what things Christians do that stumble you, cause you to sin, or compromise your faith? All input is much warmly welcomed, whether you are a Christian or not...I'd appreciate your $0.02. Email me at gregmah@gmail.com. Thanks!

OMG, your boy is FAMOUS!!!

Earlier I posted a video clip of Lyricks and Manifest, two gifted Christian rappers. I randomly stumbled over a video of ME at a live concert that they put on at The Well, a ministry in Gardena. If you look closely in the video at 1:18, you can see yo' boy athletically snatch the T-shirt that Manifest throws out to the crowd, wrestling off four other young girls desperate for a piece of Manifest. Just to help you out, I'm the black figure in the lower right hand of the video, and the four young girls that I pwn are the other black figures among the black figures. Enjoy. And God Bless.

Love goes round

Last night I was able to speak at UCR's AACF. SUPER blessed. God was doing some pretty sweet things.

One thing that blessed me was a sister I met afterward. Before the message, we prayed that God would speak to anyone who was in need of the message of forgiveness. I spoke on Matthew 18, the parable of the unmerciful servant. After the sermon, a sister came up to me and shared what was going on her life. She had JUST (hours earlier) arrived from the Midwest in the midst of tests and deadlines for her doctorate program. Even still, she just had to spontaneously get away, partly because of an overwhelming situation where six people were affected by a wrong she had committed. So she flew out to CA.

When she came up to me, she started off by saying "Now I know exactly why God had me come out here". It was a message of forgiveness she needed to hear. God was reminding her of the riches of God's mercy and forgiveness through Christ on the cross.

I noticed something in the message yesterday that I didn't explicitly say, but it's so clear. When God's love and forgiveness comes down to us, it causes us to love and forgive others. When we love by forgiving others, love and praise goes back up to God. Now THAT's a beautiful cycle.

Obsessession...

I think I'm obsessed..

I just came back from lunch. You know it's crossed over to obsession when you're thinking about surf and accidentally scoop your rice into your coffee mug. No joke. All day I dream about surf. When I close my eyes, it's sick, all I see are waves. I know, lame. When I'm at work, all I can think about his hitting the waves. When I wake up, I check the surf report. When I get to work, I check the surf report. When I get home, check the report. This is seriously getting out of hand... but seriously though, when I think about surfing, I get all warm and fuzzy inside. It's definitely crossed over into obsession.

I was thinking last night, I wonder if anyone feels like this about Jesus. How come I've never felt this warm and fuzzy thing for my Lord? I started praying, that if this kind of obsession for God was what he desired of me, that he'd fill me with that passion. That my energy for surf would be greater for the Lord. That I would yearn for Him, and that the thought of helping the lost find Jesus would be my eager desire.

I know, this all sounds cheesy. But seriously, that Christ would be my Magnificent Obsession...