itsjoonbug

[itsjoonbug]

There have been countless many times where I question my own faith and hold on to the doubts, unbelief, and skepticism that goes against God and I wonder why I even hold on to faith. When I heard this guy speak I was reminded why I do.

[itsjoonbug]

I shouldn’t compare, but when I look at the faith and boldness of Ricardo Lockette, I realize that I lack so much... Thanks for being an encouragement and light Ricardo. You are a man who knows Christ and lets him shine through you.

[itsjoonbug]

Missin good ol Washington nature

[itsjoonbug]

Thank you Jon Bloom and John Piper for the good read. [Confession] Recently, I've been very doubtful of the goodness of of god and at times, even his existence and it's been urking the crap out of me... I used to beat myself over when I would struggle with my lack of faith in him, thinking that it was my fault and that I have to muster up some kind of human worldly power on my own to gain it back somehow, but I realize that along with all the sins He took on, Jesus died for even my unbelief and that I don't have to be doing this or that to impress anyone or Him. If you're doubting God, all that He is, and you're struggling to believe in Him, I want you to know that you are right where you need to be and that you're not alone in this. You don't have to blame yourself and beat yourself over not believing (Something I've done too many times). Jesus is right there with you running and fighting alongside and you don't have to fret or feel condemned that you're struggling in Faith, because Faith doesn't come from working hard or meeting some crazy expectation, but it comes from knowing Christ. He will meet you right where you are in the dead of night and help you to see the light of day and run towards it. Regardless of what we may feel, whether positive or negative, it doesn't change the fact that we are His children and coheirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17) and most importantly, that we are #redeemed from our losses and iniquities. So ironic as it may sound, I'm choosing to stand confidently in my lack of Faith, knowing that God's grace covers my unbelief and that He grants you and I the precious gift of Faith (Ephesians 2:8). I may feel like I don't have the Faith to believe, but at the sight of the cross, everything, including the feeling that I don't have Faith, fades away and He is there.

[itsjoonbug]

Hope

Hope is invisible to those that own great wealth. Hope is impossible for those who live comfortable and luxurious lives. Hope only exists where there is disparity, tragedy, and suffering. Hope exists in people who are weak. Hope belongs to those who are and have nothing and are desperate for a way out. Hope gives meaning and purpose. Hope provokes action. Hope gives life to what was lifeless before.

[itsjoonbug]

Lately, I’ve been digging Chris Pratt. I wanna be like him when I’m older

Honestly, Jurassic World could just be 2 hours of Chris Pratt doing this and I’d be down for it. 

[itsjoonbug]

Things That I Am Thankful For

A Roof Over My Head - In the past 4 or 5 months I dealt with some major housing and rent issues. I got evicted in December after living there for only 3 ½ months and when I moved into my new apartment, I found out that my new roommates that had been living there already, were behind on rent by over $11,000. I was on the verge of another eviction right after I had just gotten out of one… Long story short, we worked and prayed hard and we got out of the situation and we are now good and in good terms with the landlord.

My Computer - A couple months ago, my macbook was stolen and of all places that it got stolen, it happened at church… It was pretty rough. I had all my important documents, homework assignments, recordings, lyrics, and songs that I had worked on/been working on from over the past 2 ½ years (And it wasn’t backed up). I was looking into buying a new Mac, when out of nowhere my friends chipped in to buy me a brand new Macbook Pro. Thanks guys.

Friends - I’m thankful to have funny, goofy, loving, and awesome people in my life that I can do life with. I’ve been learning to love and appreciate my friends through thick and thin and have been reminded that God has put them in my life to make a huge difference. I mean after all, they got me a Macbook…

Family - Where do I even begin?? Mom and Dad, you guys are amazing. Working and toiling hard everyday (and harder than they should) to not only take care of me and Lynn and make sure we are okay, but to also pay for our college education and any other things that we need. And you guys were always guiding and loving us even through our immaturity and selfishness through the years. Thanks for that. Lynn, you never see it in yourself, but I have high hopes for you and the impact you can make in other people and places you go. You’re so smart and hard-working and all you ever do is beat yourself over how you’re not as good as this student, that person, or some cold statistic. I hope you can learn to stop comparing, because theres always going to be a bigger fish. You gotta find and run the path that is set for YOU and not one that someone else is running. Your path is going to be a way better one. I love and appreciate you, because you’ve never given up on me even when I was a terrible brother to you. I know you don’t express your love or appreciation to me much (except for crude jokes or sarcastic remarks) but I always remember the very crucial moments when I really needed someone and you were there for me and it really gives me an extra boost when I am reminded of those times. And I’m glad that you’re a real down-to-earth person and we are brutally honest and sometimes just plain brutal to each other. Thank for being who you are. I love my family.

Church Community - One of my main concerns my first year in Boston was finding and having a solid church community. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to find one in Cornerstone Church. I really love my church and I’ve met some really awesome people and made great relationships here. Although I’m only here for 4 to 5 years, I consider Cornerstone my family. Everyone has given and poured out so much to me and I’ve only been blessed. Special thanks and shoutouts to all the Pastors (Bill, Danny, Hojin, Dan) especially!

Pho - Kinda randomly came up in my mind just now, but I just really love pho… slurp slurp, sip sip

Jesus - I hate saying this one, because theres just TOO MANY things to say about the awesome Lord almighty… I guess to put it simply, Jesus was a humble man who came to serve and not be served. He loved and he loved in a way that was selfless. He boldly loved and fought for you and I to the point that he died on a cross in place of us for our own wrongdoings and transgressions. Although I fall so short of the way Jesus was, I try to follow, live, and love the way Jesus did. He’s my starting point in everything. Whenever I am reminded of God and what he does through Jesus I can’t help but to feel thankful. Thank you Jesus.

[itsjoonbug]

Give him to me

This cat is named Fuzz. 

[itsjoonbug]

inconsider:

I lovehate nature

[itsjoonbug]

Untitled | by: { Pascal Boiteux }

[itsjoonbug]

Shiba Inu compilation 

[itsjoonbug]

The Story of St. Patrick

Random thing I learned about St. Patrick recently...

St. Patrick was a British Christian missionary in Ireland. When he was 16, he was captured by Irish pirates and was held captive for 6 years. In those 6 years, the Lord had mercy on him. He encountered God, prayed to him, and was convicted by God of his youth, ignorance, and past sins and was given the opportunity to be forgiven of his sins. Through all this he converted to Christianity. During the 6 years of captivity he worked as a shepherd and developed in his faith and his walk with God. When the 6 years passed, he was able to escape back to to his family in Britain. Later he eventually returned to Ireland with a heart to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the Irish. There he struggled to preach the good news, but he led thousands to be baptized, ordained priests to lead new Christian communities, and planted numerous churches. God used St. Patrick to lead many to Christ and convert them to Christianity. Now, this is just a very abridged overview/summary of the story of St. Patrick. There are a lot of other historical parts that I didn’t mention in this, because his story is so long, but again, this is just the general story of St. Patrick and who he is and why there is a holiday to celebrate him. A great story if you ask me... I just wonder why none of us were ever told about it. I never really knew why we celebrated this holiday and now that I know, I question a lot of the things we do on this day..... Hmmmm... Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Praise God! (Btw check out this article on St. Patrick http://www.wnd.com/2015/03/st-patrick-the-slave-that-saved-a-nation/)

[itsjoonbug]

Thankful

This is somewhat of a late post and I've been meaning to share it in the midst of all my busy-ness, but finally... here it is!

If you haven't been keeping up with me lately, a few weeks ago my MacBook was stolen at church. Honestly, it's been a rough last few months dealing with that and life in general and I've been fighting and praying to God to really get through everything. On Wednesday evening, February 4, I came home (with my friends suspiciously following behind me), walked into my room and saw a brand new MacBook pro on my desk..... I seriously still cannot believe that my friends and church-family here in Boston went through all the trouble to chip in together to help me out. ‪#‎thankyouGod‬ for providing me with a new mac and awesome friends. I really don't deserve this at all...

...But sorry! I'm not done yet! You know me. As you probably know, I always have a lot to say.

Through all these series of unfortunate events, I have been really reminded of God's goodness and grace. You'd probably think that since so much has been happening to me, I would've been in a state of hostility and anger towards God, but honestly, that was never the case. I'll admit, that I was definitely shocked and confused in all this and I questioned God, but oddly (and by oddly I mean it in a worldly perspective) I never cursed him. To get through and make sense of everything, I decided to pray to him, sit in silence, meditate, and really listen and hone in on what God had to say to me. This is what he said.

The Cross. Yes I know. We ALWAYS hear this message in church, but its because its SO crucial to our faith. It's the focal point and foundation to EVERYTHING (and honestly all Christians know that). I'll admit that I (and probably about 99% of us) become so used to and callused to the message of the cross and what Jesus does for us. We hear it so often and we, in our sin, get bored of it. We (Christians) all know it in our heads, but my question is, do we realize and actually understand it in our hearts?

In my quiet time with God, I realized that whenever something bad happens to us, Satan tries his all his efforts into ruining our lives by making us dwell on the negatives and never look past them and thats what he was trying to do with me. He keeps us living in our sinful mentality that things will only be bad and never get better. Through all that, Satan makes us forget about the cross and leads us to sin and eventually our downfall and death. I had to struggle in my prayers to see that God was beckoning me to seek and see him through all the trouble. To pull away from the things that were worrying me and giving me anxiety and to look beyond the hardships that were in front of me. Essentially, he wanted me to find peace and refuge in him and only him, because in the bigger picture, when we put our faith in him, his divine plans fall into place. We can't continue to live in the bad when it happens. When you really look at it, our problems may seem big in our eyes, but compared to God, they are so puny. God calls us to look past our hardships and seek him in our tough battles. After thinking through all this, I was, once again, reminded of the goodness of God and the tough times didn't hold such a burden in my heart, because Jesus took hold in my heart. And I'll even tell you that I wasn't nearly as joyful about seeing the new computer as I was to being reminded that I have Jesus and all that he gives to us. I am truly so thankful to have received this new Macbook from my amazing friends and church, but I am even more thankful that God has reminded me of Jesus and the cross and that they give me a new and life-giving perspective that triumphs all loss and pain.

Because through him, we have his love. Through God's love, we have Jesus and the power of what he does on the cross. He gives us life and peace and only through him do we receive those things. Jesus is all that matters through everything. He is our only hope.

There's this song by Brooke Fraser that resonated with everything that God was trying to tell me and I wanted to share. It's called, "None But Jesus"

Be blessed

None But Jesus

In the quiet, in the stillness I know that You are God In the secret of Your presence I know there I am restored When You call I won't refuse Each new day again I'll choose There is no one else for me None but Jesus Crucified to set me free Now I live to bring Him praise In the chaos, in confusion I know You're Sovereign still In the moment of my weakness You give me grace to do Your will When You call I won't delay This my song through all my days All my delight is in You Lord All of my hope, all of my strength All my delight is in You Lord Forevermore

[itsjoonbug]

show your loved one that you’re right (shark) for them

[itsjoonbug]

Jermaine Kearse makes one of the wildest catches in Super Bowl history.

[itsjoonbug]

Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers!

[itsjoonbug]

Haha Vernon Maxwell checking to see if the football was deflated lol This is why I Love the Seahawks they are cocky and funny and piss people off you gotta live a little right?!