my family 

enjoying family

I had this week off. I guess it is like a vacation, but we haven't gone any places other than shopping here and there and eating out. This week has been great so far, spending time with family. We went bowling on Monday, Ellie and Isaiah really enjoyed it. On Tuesday, we went down to New Jersey and shopped at IKEA, ate at Korean restaurant, and went Korean grocery store. Today, my wife and I decide to make calendar for gifts to our family members so we looked at family pictures taken past couple years. It was a joy and laughter to look at those pictures. Thank God for the family.

Now I am thinking, "why is it so hard to take some time and enjoy family and life?" ministry, class, laziness.... It should a part of discipline to enjoy some other things than work and ministry.

Ellie and Isaiah

 

at Billy Graham's Crusade in NY 2005

my family at the top of Bear Mt.

A few important lessons I have learned...

Yesterday I had a servant student leader meeting. we had a time of reflection. One of the reflection tools was this. list some things you have learned from the Bible.

I reflected and wrote down these...

Perseverance (resilient life): Apostle Paul often describes Christian life as ruing a race with goal. This race (journey towrad God) is a not like a splinter, rather like a marathon. It is a hard race. it requires steadiness, endurance and perseverance. There are up hills and down hills, straight path and curves. The same is in ministry and journey toward God. I choose to be resilient in those challenging moments, especially when life and ministry get tough.

Love is choice, and hate is also a choice: given the fact that not everyone is lovable, I encounter people I have hard time loving. Especailly in ministry, I get to meet someone gives me heatache, frustration, and hurt. love is a choice and hate is a choice. I will choose to love as much as I can.

Proactive: Paul said in Philippians, "don't let yourself be intimidated by anything." This is a spirit of proactiveness. I also learned this from "Seven Habits of Higly Effective People" by Steven Covey. We have a freedom of choice in any situations. We choose to respond any situations and circumstances, positively or negatively. This power of positive choice in response to any accurance is called responsibility or proactivity. Responsibity is also a conbined words response - ability. Let me quote some words of Eleanor Roosebelt and Gandy from the book, " no one can hurt you without your consent." "They cannot take away our self respect if we do not give it to them. Do not let yourself to be intimidated by anything! Choose to repond positively!

I realize that I go through this emotional up and down every fall season. Looking back, in the fall I tend to reflect on things and go to this somewhat depression mode. Lord, I need to be with you and find some wisdom to minimize the outcome of emotional struggle.
Plus, it has been so crazy my work load in the summer and now taking another class besides ministries. I really need to find some rest in the Lord. Lord help me!