Thankful Day 2

I am thankful for worship. 

One of my favorite things about being planted in New Life Church is the worship atmosphere. Each week we begin and finish service with songs of praise. What I always appreciate about the songs we sing is how they encourage the desperate, seek after the lost and celebrate the character of God. Tonight was no exception. 

I encourage you to search the song below and allow the lyrics to pour over you as you face the trials of this world. 

Strong God by Desperation Band 

Father to the fatherless
Defender of the weak
Freedom for the prisoner
We sing

This is God in His holy place
This is God clothed in love and strength

Sing out, lift your voice and cry out
Awesome is our strong God, mighty is our God

With us in the wilderness
Faithful to provide
Every breath and every step
We see

This is God in His holy place
This is God clothed in love and strength

Sing out, lift your voice and cry out
Awesome is our strong God, mighty is our God

Sing out, raise your hands and shout out
Awesome is our strong God, mighty is our God

There is no higher, no
There is no greater, no
There is none stronger than our God

Sing out, lift your voice and cry out
Awesome is our strong God, mighty is our God

Sing out, raise your hands and shout out
Awesome is our strong God, mighty is our God

Mighty is our God
Mighty is our God

Thankful Day 1

November 1st means red cups are back at Starbucks. This means Christmas is just around the corner. The happiest time of the year is upon us but before we deck the halls and put up the tree, I want to take the next 30 days to be intentionally thankful. 

Today I am thankful for friendship. I have been blessed by incredible friends throughout my life. Today I was able to spend time with an old friend. Our friendship has been through its fair share of ups and downs and through that our trust has grown, respect increased and understanding deepened. I am thankful for their wisdom, encouragement and ability to make me laugh. 

10' 12' 14': Living from the Victory

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

Thursday nights you will find me at Life Group. Tonight was no exception. The score was 3-2 somewhere in the 4th or 5th inning when I left my house. I knew we were still down by a run but also had to turn my attention to the group and surrender my focus to the potential pennant winning game. As we ended the night I glanced at my phone and read 

Breaking News: Giants reach 3rd World Series in 5 years, def. Cards, 6-3, on Travis Ishikawa 3-run HR in 9th.

I was ecstatic and disappointed. Knowing that I could share in the excitement but grieving that I didn't actually get to experience it on the edge of my seat play by play.  Believe me when I tell you my time was well spent at Life Group and I wouldn't have taken back my decision to not move Life Group to a Giants watching party, although I did consider it. As we wrapped up and headed home, I was walking up the stairs to my door reading text messages and Facebook status updates filled with excitement and celebration, I knew it must have been an incredible game. 

I walked in to the post game playing and said causally "I wish they would replay the game." My brilliant roommate grabbed the remote and began to rewind the game. She had been watching since the 8th. This meant I could relive Michael Morse hitting a homer to tie it up in the bottom of the 8th to see Jeremy Affeldt retire Oscar Taveras to escape a bases loaded top of the ninth. This is when the true magic happened. Panda singles, Belt gets walked and Ishikawa approaches the plate. Two pitches  in and the heat rests on the shoulders of Michael Wacha, 2-0. Swing and a hit, Ishikawa has just hit a home run to bring the score to 6-3, the Giants are going to the World Series. 

As I sat on the edge of my seat watching the game unfold knowing the outcome I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 15:57. Although I knew the final score I was still experiencing the play by play. This is how we should live our lives. We know that Victory is ours because of the cross 2,000 years ago. Watching the game knowing that victory was coming didn't take away from the excitement but removed the anxiety that would normally accompany a 3-3 score in the bottom of the ninth. The fact that the tomb was empty and Christ rose should remove the anxiety we experience in our lives. I understand that there will always be things out of our control that throw us a curveball but can I tell you that those experiences don't catch God off guard. God is in control and has a perfect plan for each of us. We get to live in the Victory, Romans 8:37 Paul says "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." Be encouraged, you may feel like it's the bottom of the ninth with two outs but God has one more at bat and He will reign Victorious in your life. Trust in Him and believe that together we Own the Pennant. 

#OrangeOctober #3in5 

We Can All Hit Grand Slams

If you're around me for very long you'll learn that I love sports. From playing to watching, movies to TV shows, I am usually in if it involves sports. I am especially fond of the inspirational speeches given right before the big game in movies. Before I get into my point I thought I would share a few of my favorites.

1. Friday Night Lights Perfect

2. Miracle Great Moments

3. Any Given Sunday Game of Inches

Tonight as most Bay Area sports fans know, the San Francisco Giants played in the wildcard playoff game against the Pittsburg Pirates. In the top of the fourth Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt and Hunter Pence stood on base as Brandon Crawford hits the first ever grand slam by a short stop in postseason play. It was beautiful. The atmosphere was set, a sea of fans in black t-shirts (Gold not Orange), three eager runners ready to get on their horses, and one pitcher praying that this would be the pitch to turn the tables his way. Crawford makes contact and it goes back, back, back to the first row of the outfield. A hitter's dream, just far enough that he can jog the 360 feet from home plate to be greeted again in minutes by teammates.  This started the momentum that carried the Giants through the rest of the game and into the playoffs.

As I watched Crawford round third base and join his teammates in celebration I was reminded that our lives are filled with opportunities for grand slams. Now we may not be in front of 40,000 people playing a sport we train for eight months out of the year, however we do play for a team and are equipped to bring home a victory.  God has called each of us to play a role in the victory He set out before us. The difference between the victory we saw on ESPN tonight and the one I am talking about is we have no control over the overcome, in fact Romans 8 tells us the outcome is already decided, "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

Looking back people won't remember who was on base when Crawford hit the grand slam that put his name in the record books next to Buster Posey (2012), Will Clark (1989) and Chuck Hiller (1962) as fellow Giants players to hit grand slams in a postseason game. I hope to live my life so that when people look back on it they won't remember my name but rather the God who I gave my life to. While living in a world driven by Facebook likes, Instagram <3, and Retweets, I urge us all to remember that our victory comes from this fact: He loved us first.

Each player has a role to play in making a grand slam happen, all had to face the pitcher, get on base and remain safe while allowing the player after them to continue the trend. In our world there are opportunities with our smiles, a conversation with a stranger, remembering to text your friend when they told you they were going through a tough time. Together we can build communities that hit grand slams by being there for people and showing them the love that Jesus came to demonstrate. In John 13:34-35 Jesus says "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

I hope this is how we approach the opportunities in our lives to hit grand slams. Let's do our part, play our role and encourage the next person to do the same. All with the same goal in mind: Make Jesus Famous. There are grand slams happening all the time, and recognizing your role only helps to bring all the runners home.


Here's to an #OrangeOctober

Why I Went Into The Water

Sunday September 28th marks a day I will never forget. At 11:30am I took off my flip flops and stepped into a tank a water and professed my faith to Jesus in front of family, friends, and hundreds of strangers. I want to take a few moments and explain how I found myself soaking wet, tears running down my face, with my heart filled with Joy.

I was raised in an Episcopalian church, often known as "Catholic Light." Growing up I was drawn into the youth ministry of the local Presbyterian church. Here I experience a lot of firsts. My first small group, my first winter retreat, my first summer camp. When I was 12 years old I accepted Jesus into my heart and confessed Him as my Savior. I am so grateful for my parents and my youth leaders for always guiding me towards Jesus.

Fast forward ten years and my 22 year old self walked into an apartment in Walnut Creek that I later would realize changed everything. I was invited to join a bible study of women ranging from college students, recent grads, and young professionals. We had three things in common. 1. We were all in transition. 2. We all knew the leader Becki Parr. 3. We all longed to know more of who Jesus is. It was on those three commonalities that we began to build one of the most sacred small groups I have been privilege to be a part of. It was there in that living room that I would learn about New Life Church and attend for my first time.

Over the next three years I would learn about water baptisms. To be honest the first time I heard about them I remember being very confused since I was baptized as an infant. God would change my heart from confusion to elation over the next three years. As I learned more about the character of God and who He created me to be, I knew I wanted to be baptized.

There were two main reasons I desired to be baptized. The first was to fulfill the scriptures. Jesus was baptized and commands us to be baptized, Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." As a symbolic representation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 6:4 "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  The second was a recommitment to God's call on my life. Through my baptism I was able to physically bury the old and be reborn with New Life in Christ.

My baptism represented my decision to center my life around Jesus and spreading His light to the world. So at 25 years old standing in a tank of water with my pastors arms around me and my family and friends arms stretched out I answered one of the most profound questions "Is this decision to be baptized my profession of faith in Jesus Christ?" My answer "Yes!" And so I am baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes things aren't on the back burner

A few months ago I began to contemplate the idea of sponsoring a child. My grandparents have sponsored children in Africa for years and I felt that it would be a tangible way to help change someone's life. Like many I struggled with the idea of sending money overseas when there are people in need in my own neighborhood. This struggle and other life changes allowed me to put the idea on the back burner until things "calmed down" and I could reevaluate what I wanted to do. One thing I know for sure about God is that He doesn't have a back burner and He certainly doesn't leave things on ours if they are important to Him.

About a month ago I decided to go to the 8:30am church service so that I could have more time in my day to study for an exam for work (which I passed!). As I walked into church there was a huge banner that read "Child Sponsorship" I had to smile knowing that my plan to delay my decision was nearing the end and perhaps this was a subtle reminder to revisit my interest. After the service a man was welcomed on stage and began to introduce the organization he was with. My attention shifted when he said he was from San Francisco, CA. Practically my backyard, especially when you compare it to organizations overseas. He was a part of SF City Academy a program designed to reach at risk youth in the tenderloin of San Francisco. As he finished explaining the program he encouraged people to get involved and sponsor a child so they could be enrolled for the upcoming school year. Sponsorship includes their education costs, after school care and food. I left the auditorium and felt encouraged that I could return home and really make a decision on which organization to sponsor a child with. As I said hello to a few friends in the lobby I felt called to visit one of two tables set up for the organization to at least get some more information about the program. I debated whether to stay inside or wonder outside to a less crowded table. As I navigated to the outside table I had no idea how instrumental all of my decisions that morning leading up to this moment had been.

Upon arrival one of the volunteers was helping someone sign up for a child sponsorship so I waited patiently. When it was time to help me she began answering my questions about sponsoring a child; where does the money go, how do the children get selected for the program, etc. It was then that another volunteer handed me a flyer for one of the children who needed a sponsor. Evelyn Rosas, kindergarten, date of birth 5/12/07. My eyes filled with tears. About six weeks ago while searching online through a larger organization I was having trouble deciding how to select a child to sponsor and I told myself that I would find a child that had my birthday so we could share it and celebrate together regardless of how far away we were. There was no way that volunteer could have know what she had done by handing me Evelyn's flyer. Every doubt I had about rushing into sponsoring a child vanished. I knew that this was exactly what God wanted me to be doing and I was overwhelmed with joy. As I explained my story and the secret prayer I had made to find a child with the same birthday as me and that Evelyn had been born on my 18th birthday, the volunteers came to understand my excitement. I signed the paperwork as fast as I could and a few minutes later I was sponsoring a beautiful little girl who was about to change my life more than she could know. The program is designed so that sponsors can be as involved as they would like. We are able to visit the school and meet the children we are sponsoring, and we can also write letters and send pictures. I have to be patient as she is only six years old and writing letters is probably not a skill she has learned yet. I look forward to the relationship we will build over the years and hope to meet her one day. For now, I will delight in knowing that she gets to start kindergarten in a few weeks and will pray that she enjoys school and we get to meet soon.

"The trouble is you think you have time" - Buddha

Growing up I loved Diet Soda, Diet Pepsi to be more specific. I was only allowed to have it on special occasions and days when my grandparents came to visit called for Diet Pepsi. I would be excited all day knowing that later that day I would get to see two people who loved me more than I loved Diet Pepsi! I was lucky as a kid to grow up near my family. My other grandmother still lives in the same town as my parents, my grandparents lived in Santa Clara which seemed farther away as a child riding in a car, than the 45-60 minutes driving as an adult. Our dining room table was in a front room in the house with a giant window that I was tall enough to stand in front of and wait for their car to arrive. I felt like I would stand there for hours waiting for my grandparents to arrive. One time in particular my mom reminded me of the common phrase "a watched pot never boils." She would make me do something else and eventually the dog would bark and I knew the moment had arrived and my grandparents were here!! I would run out the front door, usually barefoot, to give them both hugs, ask how the drive was and walk with them back inside.

My grandparents were married 61 years, exactly. A year ago this Sunday my grandmother passed away after having a stroke and further complications. A year ago I wasn't able to speak at her funeral. I couldn't find the strength to stand in front of a packed church full of friends and family members who loved and adored my grandmother to speak about the woman who had such a tremendous influence on my life.

My grandmother was full of compassion for others. She was constantly doing things for other people. As one of five grandchildren, I was continuously reaping the benefits. I know people say their grandmother's cooking was the best, or their grandmother's recipes were incomparable; but my grandmother made the best cookies. She was famous for her chocolate chip cookies. These were not your ordinary chocolate chip cookies. She would add several ingredients that would make her signature cookie! She would mail each grandchild a bag of cookies a few times a semester when we were away in college, I think she knew we'd have plenty of friends around while we had cookies in our room. I was fortunate enough to go to college in my home town and was able to go and spend the weekend with my grandparents. One Saturday afternoon we got out the cookie sheets and cooked until we ran out of supplies. I continue to make her cookies and think of the afternoons we would fill the kitchen with cookies and how my grandfather would wait with great expectation knowing there would be fresh cookies when he got home from playing tennis.

I think one of the things I am most grateful to my grandmother for is the way she raised my dad. Given that Father's Day is also on Sunday I will take a moment to praise a man who I love with all my heart. Thank you for teaching my dad the value of a dollar, he has passed this along to my siblings and me and begrudgingly I have been saving since 16!  Thank you for teaching my dad how to love his family well. My dad coached every little league, soccer, and basketball team; if he happened to not be coaching he was certainly the loudest parent cheering in the stands. He always told us how much he loved us and was proud of us. After every heart break or disappointment he reminds me that he is always there for me and that I will accomplish everything I set my mind towards. I truly feel as if I am the luckiest girl in the world for having him as my dad.

I'm not sure which is harder: remembering all of the wonderful times together or thinking about all the moments I won't have my grandmother around for. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had twenty-three amazing years with my grandmother. She cared and loved me as if she was my own mother, but there was always something special about our time together. I don't know from first hand experience but I could imagine that the role of being a grandmother is similar to being a fairy godmother. Seeing my grandmothers growing up I was always excited knowing that I was going to be loved well and encouraged to chase my dreams. My grandmother always made it point to tell me how much she loved me and I can still hear her voice at the end of our conversations, I would say it first, "I love you Grandma" and she would say it back, "Love you." I'll never forget the way she said it, it wasn't in response to me saying it first, rather she said it as a fact. A fact that she would love me forever and always.

I hope as those moments come to pass without her by my side that I would continue to feel her love and be reminded of how proud she would be. My grandmother was kind and gave without expecting anything in return. I want to continue to live to serve others like my grandmother did.

I love you Grandma.