The Saints marching in ....

(from BBC)

this is just an illustration ... obviously i'm not talking about a football team,

but i want to march with the Saints,

just like what Sara had describe in her song ... 

it's easy to talk about changing the world over a cup of coffee,

it's easy to say we want to make a difference in this world,

it's easy to say, but it's not easy to live it out .... 

but - that's not the point - 

through Christ, and only through Christ who gives us strength,

through Christ we had overcome the sin, and death,

to give us the ability to live for Him,

and make a differences in this world and next !

On-wards Christian Saints !

whoop.

Daniel

Check this out ...

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
 

I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharaohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary at the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sisters standing by the dying mans side

I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down that door

I see the man of sorrow and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
- Sara Groves - When the Saints (free Discovery Download on iTunes for the week)

- see full lyrics on Sara's website

Verses

Proverbs 29
v7 The righteous care about justice for the poor,but the wicked have no such concern.
v20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
v22 An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

woah.

Mat Kearney

away from ....

Away from the party,
away from the music,
away from the crowd,
it's where i found You,
You are right here,
You never left,
except to look for me.

This world and its desires,
try to lure me away from you,
but Your love and truth pulls me in,
no matter what Kanye says,
i'm only stronger in You,
no matter what 50 says,
there's no club compare to Your dwellings,
i want to be grateful like LeCrae,
like the Rejects who hopes for light over darkness
this will end tonight,
my reliance on myself and my feelings,
whether it's moving along with the crowd,
or dreaming with a broken heart,
they all have to go because i'm new in You,
and there's hope and freedom in You,
and You stretch out your arms and pull me back,
and You've paved the way,
You are the way.

Awakening

i need an awakening,
to the reality around me,
to the wounds around me.

i need an awakening,
to the people around me,
to the struggles in me.

i need an awakening,
from the mundaneness of life,
from the selfishness of my own flesh.

i need an awakening,
to the fullness of Your kingdom,
to the glory of Your throne.

i need an awakening,
to the forgiveness of Your grace,
to the mercy of Your love.

i need an awakening,
to wake up from this slumber,
to wake up from this misery.

i need an awakening,
to live for Christ,
to live to the fullest as it should.

i need an awakening,
because i'm alive,
i'm alive!



(from www.relevantmagazine.com)

Stucked

the weather started to cool down today,
somewhere in the middle of Texas,
where the haziness transform a country town into an eclectic square,
i'm stuck in the land of have vs have-not,
i want to be content at life,
giving thanks every opportunity i get,
but i found myself frustrated - mad at circumstances of life,
wondering why it wasn't like couple ideals that i thought of,
maybe the mellow-ness had gotten to me,
maybe i just need to snap out of the funk ...

knowing who i am in Christ,
knowing who i should be,
and knowing that someone actually cares ...

sometimes i just feel helpless,
with the situations i faced,
though they are not mountains,
they are more like hills,
but still they required faith,
to overcome ...

here comes the season of fall,
where leaves will turn red,
and hearts filled with warmth,
anticipating the works of His hand,
i should get up,
and walk on.

Facebook clone in Chinese ?

here's an interesting site that i ran across today ...
Facebook clone in Chinese ?

http://www.xiaonei.com/


The URL "Xiao Nei" literally means within campus, or within the school - which was how Facebook was started as - a network for people within a campus and now being extended to regions and work places ... and the design looks similar too -

or maybe this is a Facebook product (i don't think so ... ) ?

here's a screen shot :



and here's a screen shot from Facebook



what are your thoughts ?

tech.

What are you fighting for / living for?

just an odd question that floated around my mind today -
what am i living for / fighting for?

i mean really and seriously - not cliche-ish - but really from the bottom of our hearts (my heart)
are we seeking stability?
are we seeking peace?
but at what cost of others?

are we living for the dream?
are we living for the kingdom that is far beyond this world?
but are we really living it - or just another mantra that we put on like our baseball cap like something to rally upon or a team to cheer on.

what are you living for?
what are you fighting for?

what am i asking for.

my ideal morning

i was thinking about this today ... what will be my ideal morning ?
it'll be a good morning of coffee alongside with a passage of scripture with journal and a newspaper (pref. USA Today ... or any city paper in my case Alburquerque Journal will work) -
even better - if it's at a coffee shop or on the subway.

have a good one.

daniel

Dances

Standing still in the moving crowd,
where lights reflected from the disco ball,
blinked and dazed the dance floor,
i ponder life as it goes by,
maybe this is the last dance,
maybe it's the only dance,
there's the girl with the gown,
and the guy with the fancy tie,
dancing the night away.
i stopped and i walked,
back to the dance floor,
ready to dance the night away again,
like living with art,
or breathing with rhythm,
dancing the night away

Polls Open

it's nice that Blogger gets that new polling feature ...
and now i'm putting it to use ...

let me know what you think after you vote :-)

Polar bear

big turtle!

the cranes ...

Alright ... rescuing my princess !

here comes the dragon !!

Port of Albuquerque
or
The Aquarium ....

jelly fish .... glow in the dark

Day out ....

sting rays !

How to save a life.

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
- The Fray (thefray.net)

i just bought this The Fray's CD couple days ago,
thinking about this song,
and thinking about wounded friends,
even myself (wounded meaning wounded in life),
and how we needed to be heal,
we needed to be heal spiritually,
be heal from heart breaks,
be heal from our own mistakes and such.

maybe i've failed to listen and someone had fallen -
maybe i've now learn how to save a life,
to listen,
from the heart,
listen to the cries of one's soul,
i think i know how to save a life.

this might be how ...
2 Cor 5:
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
(NIV from ebible.com)

Everlasting?

here's a good quote to think on ...

fear not death, but an un-lived life or another quote that is equally compelling, every man dies, but not everyman truly lives.

those two quotes are really thought provoking ...

so is this one,

Jesus said : The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10 , NIV from ebible.com)

see the connection?

peace out.

Eagle nest lake, NM

night sky ...

mountains in northen nm
(i think this one is baldy)

we were really there :o)
at the Palisades ....

Palisades in the Cimarron Canyon where Jon and I camped out =)

it's amazing isn't it !?

then how much more amazing is the maker of it ?

at the St. James hotel in Cimarron,NM
(while visiting Jonathan :-) )

i live in one of these "adobe" style homes =)

Pictures from NM

View of Sandia mountains from the upstairs deck of the house i'm living in =)

Poverty,Sin and absolutes in the world ....

Derek Webb wrote a song years ago called "Rich young ruler"
paraphrase what Jesus said in the Gospel books about the rich young ruler and ask him to give up everything to the poor ...

yesterday i got a chance to serve at the community center down at SE ABQ with some people from churches in the area - we went out and served the people by giving them food, clothings, health check-up, hair cuts and such. The gospel was being shared as well, and we see kids and adults come to know Christ, the seed of gospel was being planted as well ...

couple thoughts really struck me hard yesterday ....
first it's that poverty doesn't discriminate,
meaning poverty doesn't say if you are certain race than you'll be fine,
or if you are single or married,
or put in anything that you would see on a EOE statement like race, gender, nationality, and in these days sexual orientation , veteran status and such ...
poverty doesn't discriminate -
i saw many people last night - i heard that was over 800 -
kids, adults, lining up for food and clothing -
there were all kinds of people - Asian, white, African American, Hispanics, immigrants, local folks, guys with caps, babies in stroller - they were all in need of help -
and the people who helped out - were across the spectrum as well - all kind of races - and some of them has just barely enough - but they were helping out - giving their time to tend their neighbors who are more in need than they are -

there's another thing in this world that doesn't discriminate -
that's sin and its consequences -
sin that doesn't discriminate because a person is the prime minister or president,
it doesn't discriminate because a person is poor or invented operating systems,
it doesn't and its punishment is universal as well - death to anyone with sin - but unlike poverty it's very absolute - it's black and white -

couple verses that hit me really last couple weeks can be found in John 16:8-11 ...
where it lays out 3 truths ...
1) regard to sin , b/c men do not believe in Christ
2) regard to righteousness, Christ is going to the Father
3) regard to judgment, prince of this world (devil) stands condemn ...

so ...
it's as black and white as it seems -
the gospel does not discriminates as well -
it's open to everyone because Christ is going to the Father -
the righteousness is open to anyone who receives it -

thus -
i hope that we will take up the invitation of Christ - because He's going to the Father - and we can take on His righteousness - and that dealt with the problem of sin - as for the problem of poverty - we as the body of Christ should continue to reach out to our community wherever we are - because we know we will also have the poor with us - and we should go and serve and bless the nations and people - poverty doesn't discriminate - well - so should the body of Christ.

(note : again - remember to be in the world, but not of it ;-) )





~ daniel

Mountains and Balloons

Mountains and Hot Air Balloons , what are great combination.
Waking up to the mountains, shining sun and Hot Air Balloons are not a bad deal, it's great actually.
i've been waiting for this moment for a while now,
out of Texas,
to the mountains.

There's just something about the mountain ranges,
it just makes me feel so small,
and God so big,
because His creation are gigantic,
yet intricate.

Welcome to Albuquerque,
a city tucked between mountains and dormant volcanoes,
a melting pot of Hispanics, Native Americans, Caucasians and many other races,
charming look of the Adobe style house,
and the neon lights of Route 66.

It's here i come alive again,
it's You that brought me here,
it's You who knows how to make me alive,
and why i'm alive.

You are the reason,
and only reason.

God.

The setting sun,
and the shades of downtown,
The rising sun,
and the shades of mountains,
points to You and You alone,
God.

indeed.
--
Daniel

Neon lights, Route 66

about three weeks ago - i sat down and pretty much decided my plans for this summer - seemed like i would be spending my time in the heart of texas for much of it - possible rejuvenating and such - but an email and some phone calls changes my plan - i'm heading out west to New Mexico for an internship - sounds kinda exciting - not sure really how to come to terms with it - i know God's plan and timing is always the best - and just when i thought i had it all figure out - i was wrong again ...

so - since then it has still been a waiting scenario - i really had to learn to wait patiently when some of my paperwork gets through, sometimes it's frustrating - felt like the last couple of days i haven't really gotten anything done - maybe this is just the break that i was waiting for - but TVs and Internet gets boring sometimes -

i started and finished a book called "Red moon rising" , my sister bought it for me for my birthday - it's about the prayer movement that started in the late 90s in England and Europe - it's amazing to see God moving around the world - the news and miracles of healing are NOT just isolated news from China, India and Africa anymore - it's happening in Bristol, Ibiza, Germany - it's happening here in the West - that's SO amazing - i was so encouraged as i read the book - yet at the same time i pondered about my own faith - and how sometime it felt like i'm still slumbering and not waking up to the realities of life and the works of God - the authors put it nicely in the book - pray until you know how to pray - and i think that's true, so many times i do not know how to pray - i just pray without asking how to pray - or - praying about how to pray - maybe i should try that ...

anyways - my journey heading west starts soon - actually it starts now at where i'm at in the middle of Texas - hopefully this is a good one.

just on the side note - finally got to see a live Soccer match on TV today with AC Milan beating my favourite Liverpool FC - anyways - good job for both teams ...

and i'm starting on another book - this time "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis where my girlfriend gave it to me on my birthday ... should be an interesting one.

i shall blog more.
soon.

d-mac/aggietech

City lights

City lights,
endless fights,
how do we deal with the pride,
that seems to bring more than a blow,
to our lives, characters and dreams?
we tried to escape,
but we ended up in a trap,
we fight on to rest,
yet we ended up weary and dead.
Where is the hope in life that we so looking forward to,
where is the peace that we always longed?
somehow we've lost sight of Christ,
the One who brings peace and hope,
the One that knows how to live,
the One that knows our needs,
come let us return to Him,
under the neon signs,
turn off the music and let us reflect,
the meaning of life,
and why we rush from venues to venues,
and missed the sights along the way.

Who have we become?
We are not an optimization problem to be solved,
because each of us are unique,
and our potentials are different,
and yet we try to generalize everybody,
no i won't give in to this,
i choose to live my life in the light,
only in the light .... and delight in the light ...

ballin'

i don't know why basketball sneakers can be sold at such a high price,
a pair of Air Jordan or other equivalents from AI or Melo' can go in the range of hundreds,
maybe it's the feeling of having what the pros have,
maybe it's the feeling of living bigger than your life,
maybe it's the thrill of having a part of a super star,
maybe.

i got a pair of Starbury One,
it's not Melo', Kobe or AI's,
it's Marbury the guard from New York,
he dishes passes like Jason Kidd,
and scores points like AI,
though his sneakers are down in the range of teen's
wearing'em still give me the same feeling,
i don't know how to explain,
maybe it's just the star power,
maybe it's human pride,
maybe it's the fame,
at a low price,
maybe is his (Marbury's) movement,
to end the dominance of overly priced sneakers,
maybe it's to fulfill the dream of a young boy,
who wanted something that he cannot afford,
maybe,
i'm just shooting hoops by my apartment,
wearing my Starbury One -

maybe there's nothing significant to it.

life as usual.

hmm...

don't know why i feel this way today,
feels like getting lost in the crowd,
drowning out the noise around me,
and the chatters and conversations,
sitting in a corner,
drowning in music,
somehow there's pain,
somewhere in my life,
i know there's a solution other than this,
and i gotta get out of here.

Entropy and Aching
Where have we been aiming?
Everything is fading out, fading out
We are the faded, splitted, and sedated
Everything is fading out, fading out

A pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians
Watching for my sky to get torn apart
We are broken, we are bitter
We're the problem, we're the politicians
Watching for our sky to get torn apart
C'mon and break me
C'mon and break me

- Politicians Live from Austin , (Switchfoot)

2 Cor 12:9

My (God's) grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

sunshine and wind

it's a beautiful day full of Your grace,
it's sunshine with wind,
i felt the warmth of the sun,
and the real-ness of the wind,
the goodness and love of a Maker,
and His creativity that goes beyond ours,
to give life,
joy,
and everlasting peace.

tired

tired - and - somehow gloomy about life
about the decisions i have to make
and all the progress that i haven't made.

tired - and - somehow anxious about life
because of the all the pressures and events
and all the things that i cannot avoid

felt like all the responsibilities are catching up
with no where to go or hide
and no time to complete

i will run to You,
and You alone,
for You are my refuge

More than fine

everything caves in eventually ...... even apathy can get old after a little while .... [Switchfoot]
[listen to the live mp3 clip from Calgary]

i'm more than fine.
enough said, and well said.
i want more than just ok -
apathy - sighing - negatvity gets old -
why not live?
why not live to the fullest ? (John 10:10)
i'm more than fine -
despite what the rest of the world tell me.
despite what i think -
despite of my circumstances -
He's delighted in me. (Ps. 149)

more than fine.

goodness and mercy

seems like forever since i last posted something on this blog, or any kind of blog for that matter -
finally - here's some updates if you are interested =)

finally graduated from texas a&m university with my Comp. Engr Degree - it was definitely an awesome 4 and 1/2 years at a&m - all the good times working late in the lab or homeworks at Zachary - and not to mention all the friends that i've met just thru that - anyways -

and yet ....

i'm back again as a grad student -- hehe -- in the Computer Science department --
so far the experience had been challenging since most undergrad classes doesn't require
intensive readings (but massive - homeworks and projects , which were FUN) - the adjustment has continue to be challenging ...

on a personal note - finally asked a girl to go out with me ... hehe ... being in a relationship is definitely an awesome experience - not to take anything away from singleness - which is also amazing as well -

so - yep - that's just some updates bout my life -
God is amazing - He continues to provides as well (at times that i am least expecting ....) =)
what can we say to describe Him ?
impossible.

peace out.

Daniel