Letters from the journey

What are we after?

2012-01-07T13:17:00.001-06:00

After reading and contemplating about the book "Irresistible Revolution" and starting to read "Simply Christian", I took some time and wrote down the following poem (or better, just words because it doesn't really follow any poetic rules), so here to some new poetry after a long absence of words.

What are we after?
What are we longing for?
The comfort of the present world has blinded us again.
Just like the wars that used to numb us.
We have become wholly distracted by the things we use to comfort us,
yet it all leads to emptiness,
it all loops back to brokenness,
because we cannot make ourselves hold.

We groan for help from our inner being,
we express our cries in the form of lyrics,
we take on causes of social justice,
but for what?
for these acts to awaken us from ourselves?

Another world is possible,
we hear its whispers,
yet we are unmoved,
will we wait until the end,
or will we act with urgency?
will we act with radical love that Jesus had shown us?
will we live with radical abandonment away from this world?

Maybe it's not all material after all,
we are soul beings,
and we belong to another world,
that is coming soon.

And that what i'm after.

Hello again, from Fort Worth

2011-02-23T20:17:00.000-06:00

Howdy again from Cowtown,
I guess I haven't written in a long long time. For more frequent updates maybe my Twitter feed might be a better place. Anyways, I've gone through a couple of changes in life lately, I went from entering into a serious relationship (and moving for it), to a period of engagement, and now I'm married to the love of my life.
I guess time does really flies, but I am really glad to be in the season of life that I'm in right now. I know there are different seasons of lives, and they are good (yes trust me).

Just a quick recap that the wedding was a lot of fun, both the ceremony and the reception went very well. The dancing was fun too !! The honeymoon was a very relaxing time, we get to hit up the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and saw some Mayan ruins along with some beautiful beaches. We actually get to go where (one of the beaches) they filmed one of the Corona commercials near Cozumel, that was a nice beach.

Anyways, since the honeymoon, life is still fun :) We're trying to adjust our lives to the slower pace of the "normal" life, but again, who defines that ... hehe ... we're still having fun, enjoying each other.

I think one thing that I really enjoyed doing with my wife is praying together, especially for the current events and/or other countries. I remember being on our honeymoon and watching the news during our down time, and both of us praying together for Egypt, that was pretty powerful !!!

Anyways, so far it's been good :)

Until next post ... (check my twitter for more freq and shorter updates ...)

Daniel.

hello fort worth

2010-08-21T23:48:00.001-05:00

This is my first post from Fort Worth located in North Texas (part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex). After spending about 8 years in Aggieland (College Station,TX) where I've made some really awesome friends and had invested (and be invested in) by an awesome group of people and community (both Fellowship Church and Connect Homegroup), I've decided to move up to Fort Worth.

I'm excited about the new things that I'll get to learn and experience in (both with the urban community and the church). I'm also very excited to be in the same city with my girlfriend (Ashley), long distance relationship is definitely a rough adventure, it was a good adventure though, but I'm really glad that now we're in a "short" distance relationship ;).

Anyways, there are much thoughts to be gathered and noted about my past 8 years in College Station, from the lessons that I've learned from college ministry, to the mistakes (and successes) that I've seen both in life and in ministry (and in work/college). Hopefully, I'll get done process with that and be able to share some on here.

Well, here's the first post from Cowtown (Ft Worth,TX), hopefully with more to come.

~Daniel

In the face of progress ...

2009-11-29T17:24:00.000-06:00

i wrote this a couple of months ago ... saw it in my journal today ... and decided to post it :)

In the face of progress,
stands the orthodoxy of my faith,
that has stood against the evils of this world,
when evil is masked by progress,
our generation caved in because of modernity,
our hearts become more callous,
in the face of progress,
we will challenge the status quo,
we will challenge the change,
if it the change is towards a convenient, heartless generation.
In the face of progress,
I will fight,
not because i'm less modern, or less educated,
but because of the word of God,
because of the evils that is masked by progress,
let God's truth set us free from these lies masked in progress,
let God's love set us free from the fear of not progressing,
let us return to this faith,
ancient yet relevant,
in the face of progress,
let our faith be the measure of this progress, of this challenge,
if progress means a godless society,
then i rather have none of it,
not because i'm scared,
it's because we'll be missing the point,
and the One who matters most.

Gen-Xers in Asia

2009-09-11T22:22:00.002-05:00

As i was thinking about this, i was listening to several older songs by Jay Chou on my Zune ... songs like this

i know i'm in the middle of nowhere (in the middle of texas ... ),
definitely not in the midst of the culture of east asian gen-xers,
how they think,
how they act,
what they buy,
what kind of philosophy they subscribe to,
but i feel an urge to pray for them,
for this generation who might be lost in the battle of culture, academic, materialism and lust,
from the rocking music of underground music to the angst from Jay's song,
what do they want?
what do we want?

i pray for souls that will be awaken for the kingdom of God.

South America on deck ....

2009-03-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

This post has been sitting in my edit mode folder for a couple of weeks now ... it's not finally done

I've been thinking about South America lately, you know Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, countries that we don't really talk about unless it's something related to soccer/football events such as World Cup or Copa America or their football stars such a Kaka and Messi. Also, other things aside from football comes to mind, specifically the politics and the green economy of Brazil. Time magazine had an article up a couple days ago regarding how Brazil might not be affected by the economic down turn at all see this article , also about their left-leaning governments , also from Time.

on the other hand ....

Hillsong United has been rocking out in South America
(i've seen a few of them from the I heart Revolution DVD,
and i was practically ballin' at the end of it .... )

here's just a clip of "From the Inside Out" in Spanish ...

Just an observation on the crowd, they had been very enthusiastic, i'm not trying to make any generalization statements about the continents just from the video itself, but it seems like the younger generation in South America (maybe just like the rising generation in Europe, see Red Moon Rising) is rising and hoping for truth, and tend to be edgier on the outside, but regardless need the hope and love in Christ. I don't have much statistics for South America, here's one from Wikipedia on Brazil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestantism_in_Brazil), and another article from Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSN3023920920070503?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0).

(i know these sources are from MSM ... let me know if you have more info to supplement that!)

anyways ... that's just something has been on my heart lately ... to pray for South America!

so, next time when you watch Copa America, or heard of the latest news on Messi, pray for their countries, pray for truth about Jesus Christ to be preached, for the church to reach out, and for healing and reconciliation !

peace out .. =P

til next time,

Daniel

Finally settled ? Let's move on.

2009-03-08T17:32:00.003-05:00

Somewhere between the last post, and this one ...

i've made a decision to stay in College Station, instead of moving to the Metroplex ...

i know the decision doesn't sounds like me ... with the lights of the metroplex, sports teams, coffee shops, inner-city challenge, possibly 20's something ministries, relevant-minded / missional churches .. etc ... calling ... in the midst of that .. to decide to stay in a suburban college town ..

i'm not sure my reasonings completely make sense, maybe it's just a feeling, a gut feeling. Part of me wanted to leave for a while now, for reasons stated above, but somewhere ... between decisions there's a heart change. I think, as for anything, reasons might not be clear cut, it's like murky waters sometimes.

anyways ...

though it might not look like a new start, as in moving to a new city and start everything over ...

it's a new start ... though it might not look like new on the outside. i admit there are still many thoughts that i need to sort through ... from careers, ministries, to relationships.

It all goes back to the new year resolution that i made ... freedom in Christ in my workplace, freedom in Christ in ministry/faith communities, freedom in Christ in my relationships ... i guess much of that has to do with Matt 11:28 ... with rest in Christ, and going to Him !

after making up my mind, i've decided to delve more into this local community - and found groups of people that are trying to do the same thing. i hope again to engage this community for Christ, it might not look like seattle or portland, but ... again ... every city has its challenges and needs ... so after googling for sometime ... here are some local resources that i've found and maybe i'll blogged about them ...

Brazos Valley Happenings ...

http://www.lifeinthebrazos.com/

Village Cafe / Art 979 Gallery ...

http://brazosvillagecafe.com/

Brazos Valley Farmers' Marker ...

http://www.brazosvalleyfarmersmarket.com/

to somewhat wrap it up, i know that God is not done with me, well He is not done with any of us.

i think this might just be the environment that He wants to grow me in for a few more years ...

til the next post ... peace out.

Daniel.

meanwhile ... check out Jon Foreman's new band/project ...

I've been here before ...

2009-02-26T10:41:00.001-06:00

Dec 2004 ....

decisions are hard,
outcomes are not always easy,
regrets are always there,
but there's also courage,
opportunities,
winners and losers,
there's also the middle-way that serves as the compromise,
but that's not always there,
and the guy that follows his heart instead of his brain
or the other way around,
ahh,
now here my chance to make the choice,
would i stay or go,
get it or
let go.

i am at the crossroad,
forward or backward or stay where i am,
i don't know which step to take,
i waited here for You to come,
to come and take me away,
and if i fall and stumble,
i'll fall and stumble back into Your arms.
Up to the mountains or down to the valley,
i'll wait and i'll walk with You,
and if i slip and fall,
i'll slipped back into Your arms.

--
guess i'm back to where i was ...
--

Choices.

2009-02-26T10:30:00.002-06:00

as i am writing this (in my fav. coffee shop),
a deadline for decision is fast approaching,
just with thoughts of whether i should stay or leave,
a friend told me that i'm in a spacious space,
with much freedom in God.

sometimes, it seemed like the decision is between the glitz of city life,
and the simplicity of a college town,
sometimes, it seemed like the decision is between life long friendships
and the adventures of making new friends.

so ... stay tune.

Daniel.

this should be shared ....

2009-01-12T22:51:00.001-06:00

(Love is here by Tenth Avenue North)
come to the waters, you who thirst and you’ll thirst no more.
come to the father, you who work and you’ll work no more.
and all you who labor in vain and to the broken and shamed:

Updates from the land of my heart ....

2009-01-12T21:58:00.003-06:00

i guess the title sounds a bit cheesy, but oh well .... here's a long long list of updates for a long long while ...

first up, my job situation, for all my concerned friends ...
since the last posts (about interviews and such), i am still waiting for a job,
i have started working as a substitute in the mean time and experience life in a different way.
Through this process God has though me much about humility, patience, waiting on Him, and trusting Him (even when dealing with self-esteem).
I admit that the process is frustrating because pride usually gets in the way, but i'm learning to let it go. So, please continue to pray for my job situation, that i'll land in a work place that i can usher in God's kingdom =)

meanwhile ....
i've started my job (temporarily ...) as a substitute teacher for the local school districts and i've so far subbed for classes such as 4th grade math, life skills and high school algebra ... with more classes such as intermediate art coming up in the horizon. Through my subbing experience, i've gained new insights into life, on how beautiful it is and much much more respect for my friends that are teaching (or becoming teachers :-P or working with kids ...).

on the other hand,
i've also been thinking quite a bit about prayers after re-reading parts of Red Moon Rising and the 24/7 prayer movement. One idea that came up is combining prayers and sports. Basically, speaking as a sport fan, we (i) are very passionate about our teams, and that in many countries and cities these teams actually controls the mood or even economy of the country/cities. Many of us (including myself) learns about another city or country through their sports teams (for example, i've never been to England but i know much about Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham through their soccer team), likewise with other places in Europe and South America. So, one idea is to come out (or collaborate with others online) to create a prayer guides for cities and countries by the way of their sports teams ....
here's an example :
Manchester, UK which houses both Manchester United and Manchester City Football team, where MU is one of the popular team is the world, is one of the secondary metro in the UK after London. The spiritual condition in Manchester is ..... [fill in the blank] and the prayer need is ..... [fill in the blank].

anyways, those posts hopefully should be coming soon and if you would like to contribute on a city/sport teams (and any sports would work) .... that'll be great :-)

and ....

God has also put on my heart this past week to pray for the situation in Gaza/Israel,
please pray that peace will come through Jesus Christ in the Middle East,
and that reconciliation will happen through Christ as well.

that's about that for now ... and i got a new layout too !

be blessed in Christ.

peace out.

economy crisis ? how about a cold reboot of the economy?

2008-11-21T09:01:00.001-06:00

one of my friend suggested this video clip to me ... maybe you'll be it interesting too ....

hmm ... new world order ? some reflections can do much good ...

2008-11-05T09:02:00.002-06:00

so ... not much drama on this election cycle ... no hanging chads ... etc ... but still a hard fought election ... now we have President-elect Obama ... here are some good thoughts/articles to read on

http://www.undividedsingles.com/2008/11/reflection-on-last-nights-election/ -
by Michael Stalker(some rather interesting thoughts on who you voted for and now what to do ... )
http://redbluerichpoor.com/blog/?p=206 - so you think the election is a landslide? think again ... read the exit poll and try to get a better picture ...
http://theologica.blogspot.com/ - Justin Taylor is having some guest bloggers blogging on this issue, should be interesting to approach Obama's victory from a Biblical point of view ..

here you go ... as far as my own opinion?
i gotta think / reflect upon it.

so ... new world order? well ... nothing is new under the sun anyways, so .. not really.

peace out.
-Daniel.

Waking up in a different city every couple of days ...

2008-10-28T09:38:00.004-05:00

i just got back a week of traveling to various cities for job interviews and such ... it was definitely an interesting trip, eye opening and tiring =) ... as i looked back waking up at a different city every couple of days was definitely interesting ... one day i was in the Town square of Sugarland south of Houston, then back to College Station, then flying out to Portland,OR and then out in a corn maze outside of Cornelius,OR was definitely fun =)

Several things that stood out to me this last week ...

Keep my head straight -> remembering that glorifying God and advancing His kingdom at the forefront of my thought, whether it is meeting people at various places or looking for a job/career, it should be about His Kingdom, and yes advancing it through love and the grace of God through Christ !! (and building His church !)
See from His point of view -> i was driving to downtown portland for a dinner on friday night, the song "Give me your eyes" by Brandon Heath was played just about 3 times (almost consecutively) on three different radio stations (oddly enough ...). The gist of the song is about seeing people from God's point of view, and how many times we've missed people's hurt or joy or life because we only see the outside and missed what's going on inside their life/heart ....
God is doing miracles in our generation -> even though i wasn't at my church's student retreat this weekend, but my homegroup was ... and i heard about one of the student from my homegroup was healed on the spot at the retreat twice after broken her shoulder (or something like that ...) -> it's amazing to hear and see what God is doing and continue to answer prayers !!

and ...
well if you are interested ... i'm discovering some good music too
Brandon Heath -> What If We -> London ; Give me your eyes.
i guess a lot of people have heard of him ... but i'm just discovering some good stuff that he got.

The Ting Tings -> Great DJ / We started Nothing -> Great DJ ; Shut Up and Let me go
hmm ... interesting band ... i was introduced to the Ting Tings through iTunes, they have some fun techno ... rock .... funk ? music ... great to get yourselves jumping up and down....

also .... Tokyo Police Club (reviewed by Relevant Magazine ...) , The Wombats (Dance to joy division is brilliant !! ... and i guess they're from Liverpool ...), that's about it for now =) )

well -> til next time ... maybe i will post some pictures ...

love y'all.
Daniel.

I guess it's about time for an update ...

2008-10-02T17:38:00.004-05:00

signs and directions ?

i guess it's about time for an update...

so i've been writing quite a bit last couple of days hoping to wrap up my Master's thesis soon ...

and i do defend next week =) that should be exciting !

other than that ... i've been keeping tabs on what's going on with the news ... and i promise to write a post on government from the point of view of Psalms from the Bible ... i think there are lots of concepts from the scripture that we overlooked these days even when it comes to wise governing of the people ... i think many times we've use free-market economy as an excuse of not so wise governing .. anyways ... that's just some thoughts on that ...

umm .. besides that i've also interview with a couple of companies for a job after grad school - i think that's probably one of the tough decision that i'll have to make and going through right now. Though i know that God will provide ... and i firmly believe that ... the problem i think i'm going through is am i willing to do anything God asked me to ~

well ... hopefully things will be clearer soon.

here are just some pics of the past month :-P .. enjoy!

(top row was from the A&M vs. Miami Football game !)

(2nd row was from Mark and Macie's Wedding !)

Daniel.

--------------------

9/11 and Hurricane Ike ... and some updates on life ...

2008-09-14T15:06:00.002-05:00

9/11 Memorial at Texas A&M's Campus ....

so ... 9/11 was a couple of days ago ... and it was followed up by Hurricane Ike this year ...
here are just some observations :

life is fragile
trees can always get in your way ... (j/k)
material things do not last
worldly sorrows lead to death, but godly sorrows lead to repentance and life
serve not only when you are called upon, but when you are compelled by the love of Christ.
no greater love than this, a man that lays down his life for his brother ....
no greater love than this, that Christ laid down His life for the sinners (us !) and made us right with God the Father.

so ...
please keep on praying for the evacuees (of Hurricane Ike) and the reconstruction of Houston and Galveston area ... and that the body of Christ will be His hands and feet in reaching out to others ...

other updates:

i've officially started my thesis for my master's ... but sometimes progressing is HARD for some reason, please pray for motivation and innovative ways to solve problems !!
i've officially started to look for jobs ! ... Texas A&M's career fair is this coming week ... i hope to talk to interesting companies with interesting jobs ... and that God will guide me in this process ...
i'm officially on the transitioning out of leadership of my college homegroup ... this had been an interesting one - just to have the wisdom of what to do and what to let go ... maybe i'll write about this when i'm done =P
and .... my homegroup has BEEN AMAZING this year !

and ...

i guess that's all for now ... on some updates with my life and thoughts on what's going on ...

love y'all.

Daniel

College Ministry kick-off and life ...

2008-08-30T14:08:00.005-05:00

howdy - and welcome back to college life.
the first week of fall semester is always a rush (especially if you are involved in a student ministry ...)

i've meant to blog about this a couple weeks ago, except, ya know, as stated above the start of the Fall semester is usually the busiest for the college ministry ...
but ... it's rather exciting to meet new faces and form new friendships ...
and hopefully this is a fruitful year for all the different campus churches and ministries .. by His grace !

Snap shots of Siggraph and Volume Graphics Symposium

2008-08-23T13:42:00.004-05:00

... so ... i also attended/presented at Volume Graphics 2008, as well as visited Siggraph 2008 for a day .. here are the snap shots from VG and Siggraph ...

Snap shots of L.A

2008-08-23T13:34:00.003-05:00

Dodger stadium ... yep ... i got to see Manny (as well as the Phillies and other Dodgers like Park who lasted less than an inning played !)

this was somewhere on Hollywood Blvd ...

this is the famous Staples Center ...

Another shot of Dodger stadium

Downtown L.A ... actually reminded me of main street Asia (aka main street Taipei or K.L)

3 Cities , 2 timezones and whatever's on the way ..

2008-08-08T16:48:00.003-05:00

so i'm bounded for Los Angeles for IEEE/EG Volume Graphics Conference on Sunday and Monday ... then a day of touring/sight seeing/resting on Tuesday which is going to be awesome =)

i'll try to blog from L.A and post some pics up =)

i'll try to catch Manny at the Dodgers game ... maybe he'll hit a homerun =P

peace out.

Daniel.

random shots of life ...

2008-08-06T13:26:00.004-05:00

so ... i got a new camera ... and ... i love taking random shots of life !!

this is just plain funny ... Sugar Free Lemon Cake (but not for weight control ....)

There's this "rough neck" statue in front of the petroleum engineering building ,
and someone had put a ring of flower around him ....

interesting signs ...

Vanilla Ice is coming to Aggieland ... just a decade late .... :-P

Code the Scriptures ...

2008-07-22T20:01:00.002-05:00

if the scriptures are in the language of C++ or Java, it might look like this
(ok - i was doodling while reading the Scripture today, and found this to be interesting ...)

here's the verse :
1 John 1:
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

in code form ...

if(!claimSin())
{
this.deceived = true;
this.truth = null
}
else
{
if(confessSin())
{
GodEx(); // as in mutex
this.sin = null;
this.deceived = false;
this.truth = God.truth;
GodEx();
}
else
{
// nothing changes ....
}
}

enjoy !

Daniel

News, Life , Ramblings

2008-07-20T00:37:00.002-05:00

There's been a lot going on in my head and heart, some are related to the news around me (or related to me -> such as the political fuzziness in Malaysia ...) , or just plainly events that happened around me. Even though these events are surrounding me, hopefully i'm not indifferent (like Shawn of the dead ...) , and hopefully they'll awaken me to the reality of this world, and the need of Christ and His Gospel to be more boldly preached!

Let's start with the news -> it has been a turmoil in Malaysia recently, maybe that's an exaggeration but with the General Election swinging to the side of the Opposition Front, new charges against the main opposition leader (Anwar Ibrahim) sounded "shady", let's hope justice will prevail and being worked out in Malaysia. It's interesting that Anwar Ibrahim sounded a lot like Barak Obama in the U.S with the message of Hope and Change for a better future! Co-incidence ? Probably so ....

Likewise with the General Election in the U.S, it's looking like a miss-match, but hey - who knows? And even Al Gore is jumping into the mix by casting the vision by setting goals for a more energy efficient America in 10 years, maybe that's a good goal to set ... or ... maybe we should just let the supply/demand duke it out, and eventually be energy efficient anyways ...

On a more personal level, i've been to the emergency room twice in the last two weeks, there were not trips for my own self but i've taken two different friends to the E.R for various reasons. It's interesting to be in the E.R, one of the time i saw a family weeping over what seemed a bad situation, and other times i've seem family awaiting for good news and such ... it had been interesting to be there ... i've even seen people got flown into the E.R through the helicopter ... interesting huh ?

and then ....

my roomate and i had been talking about our future plans, i got to admit that i haven't really dream for a while, or i've been scared to dream recently. The intention of trying to please important people in my life had really gotten to me, many times i've felt "stucked". So, i was asked to dream this week , dream of what would be in 3,5,10 years, and i hesitated. I know i don't want to be selfish in dreaming anything self-centered ... thus it has caused me to not dream at all ... i guess that's not a right approach when facing the future. We (my roomated and i) eventually talked, and came up with solution of facing the future, and triumph over it through Christ and God's leading and planning instead of my own .... :-P that's a relief and hopefully i'll have some answers soon.

well ... this has been a long post .... i've changed the layout of the blog again ... enjoy.

btw -> Houston Dynamo defeated D.C United in SuperLiga match today ... Go Orange !!

good night, good bye.

God bless.

it's about time for an update .....

2008-07-03T19:00:00.002-05:00

so ... i guess it's about time for another post ...
well, life's been kind of busy the last 3 weeks, with research/work shifting into higher gears at work, but i'll say it's good, it's just when things are stressed and i'm tired ... slips up happened more frequently for my spiritual life (which extends to attitudes, perspectives, etc) .... one thing i do learn though it's to take time to rest, take time to reflect even though it seemed like there's no time to do so, so i'll be doing that now !

Another thing is to be discipline at what i do, i remember last couple of summers when i was interning in the industry, there's a set of expectations on when to be at my cubicle and such. i know grad school and research are more fluid because ideas might come in the middle of night ... or a solution might jumped out at you when drinking a cup of latte at Starbucks, but i've determined to stick to a schedule, and make the most out of it !

Other than that, life's been good =). The church community (aka my homegroup) is doing great, there were several more visitors visted my group last couple of weeks. It's funny to think where my group was several semesters back, and how we were struggling with the numbers of people who have, now even in the summer we seemed to be thriving through God's grace.

One thing though, on my teaching last night, i talked about the comfort from God. One of the hope we should have is that we have a mediator (in Jesus Christ) who understands what we are going through because He himself had gone through a lot (betrayal, even death on the cross). Sometimes i found myself having the distant view of Christ as He's my saviour in the distant but in truth He's here and now with us, He see what is going on in our lives and He advocates for us before the Father ... anyways ... for the whole teaching (which is based out of a teaching by John Piper ....
see (my teaching notes)-> http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddm7b2x2_245cnzcgsgm
see (Pipers's teaching)
-> http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/437_the_sovereignty_of_god_and_comfort/
-> http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/2001/1516_How_Shall_We_Minister_to_People_After_the_World_Trade_Tower_Terrorism_of_September_11_2001/

anyways ..
by the way, i'm bounded to Los Angeles sometime in August to attend a symposium, this will be the first time i'm going to present at a symposium, i'm so excited ... well ... i'm excited about going to L.A and maybe catching a Dodgers or Angels game as well ...

well - have a Happy Happy 4th of July !

peace out.

Daniel.

Soak it up ...

2008-06-20T07:14:00.004-05:00

Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Colossians 2:8
See to it that NO ONE takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

let the madness begins ...

2008-06-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

Community .. or something like it ....

2008-06-15T19:21:00.002-05:00

couple of years ago, i read Don Miller's Blue Like Jazz ... and he wrote about community and living with other Christians in forming a Christian community ... an old but refreshing concept because in America we've tend to be individualistic and attend "meetings" as we go ... and then leave our "communities" behind ...

last couple of days, or weeks ... getting into a community is actually pretty awesome =)
the cure for loneliness is NOT romance ... Don Miller pointed that out ... so does many other dating books ... the cure for loneliness is community, because we are made for community !! (what a refreshing, yet ancient idea that we've seemed to forget !) ..

anyways,
my summer season had been going well ... =P
had been trying to get in the routine of doing good research - that has been frustrating because i felt like i'm stucked because i do not know the area or materials very well ... the other thing is the lack of motivation ... and yes ... i know i should be more diligent ...

by the way, i was so excited when my first authored paper is accepted to a symposium in August !!! - that means i'm bounded for the West Coast in the middle of August =)

on the other hand, i've gotten opportunities to form new friendships - getting to know new friends or old friends better ... that's always good ...

hopefully by the end of this summer, i would look back and think i haven't wasted it ...

i love this summer season.

don't wake me up when september ends ... hehe ...

rejoice . praise . live for Him !

peace out.

Freedom.

2008-06-11T10:51:00.003-05:00

i wrote this couple months ago on an airplane flying back from Taiwan ... just thought i would share this on my blog =)

Daniel.
---------------------------------
Between the shores is where i am,
stuck between the time of present, past and future,
the culture of east and west,
the beauty of Your creation.

Thank You for opening my eyes,
to see the wonders of Your works,
to see that You're still actively working in this world,
in You the world is flat because Your gospel is flat.

Your love is without boundaries,
without partial ratings and such,
a boy in Texas is as much in need of Your grace as a girl in Moscow, so is the village in East Timor to the streets of Taipei.

Your mercy is new,
Your grace is fresh,
and the heralds yell out,
"Repent for the kingdom of God is near!".
Even the beat of Motown screams for freedom,
not anymore from the slavery of man but from the slavery of sin.

As we march with Your beats,
and only Yours,
only Your gospel, Lord Jesus,
can rescue us.

Salvation is here!

Evangelical Manifesto ...

2008-05-19T21:32:00.001-05:00

http://www.evangelicalmanifesto.com/

... hmm ... it's interesting ...
i think it's good for someone to publicly clarify the meaning of evangelicals !
so ... go ahead a read it ... sign it .... and maybe let me know what u think .. =)

i'll post my thoughts ... some other time ...

Plead for mercy and get to work.

2008-05-13T12:28:00.003-05:00

i'm not sure what to think or write - i don't wanna write something stupid or wrong.
but this is sure - keep up with the news and you are going to think disasters -

just in the last few days - disasters after disasters are happening around the world ...
- read about the earthquakes in China ~
(to put it in perspectives ... the capacity of Toyota Center in Houston (for Houston Rockets) can
hold up to 18,300 people - that's slightly more than the death toll ..... ) http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/347454/1/.html

- read about the cyclone and its aftermath in Myanmar ~
(to put it in perspectives ... the population of Bryan-College Station Metro is about 120,000 - 160,000, that's the slightly more than the death toll so far in Myanmar .... )
see previous post and
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080513/ts_afp/myanmarweathercyclone;_ylt=AhvoWsg83p9A6MuXfm6kn72s0NUE

- read about the tornadoes in Central United States ~
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tornado13-2008may13,0,4637126.story?track=rss
and plead for God's mercy.
and get to work and spread His word.
and pray and ask God what you and i can help ...
then act.

no questions ask.

the start of another season ....

2008-05-10T17:56:00.001-05:00

yep - spring semester is officially over - i think.

praise God for an awesome spring semester - if you know me - and my homegroup (aka christian community that i belong to ... ) and church - it has been an awesome semester that saw lots of people joined the group and grown spiritually ... and it's good as well for my grad studies - i've enjoyed my graduate studies more this year - and it has been awesome =)

.... now onto this summer ...

i will be situated in College Station,TX - whoop - once again ! continuing my work as an RA and gearing up for my thesis ... at times i was thinking about friends that are going on mission trips and how fortunate they are ... but ... i gotta constantly reminding myself that my mission field is here - and in academia - lots of prayers are needed !!

... here's a couple of verses that i've came across today ... i hope it makes an impact in my life !
Acts 4 : 12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:29
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

....
i just bought a new book (it's actually a couple of years old ...) - "The End of Poverty by Jeff. Sachs) - an interesting book indeed -

and

if you haven't been noticing the news for a while ...
consider these headlines ...
- Humanitarian Crisis in Myanmar - please read, pray and act !

- Volcanoes eruption in South America
- Elections in America ... Obama is inching closer to be the Dem's candidate
- Elections in Zimbabwe ... (runoff elections)
- Tensions in Lebanon (it has ended i think as of a couples hrs ago .... )

... that's all for now ....

This is home

2008-05-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

new video from Narnia and Switchfoot - great song too !

Words that impact are not mere words ....

2008-04-30T10:44:00.000-05:00

i am kinda sick and tired for so many times that we've read the Scripture, or had studied the scripture like a scholarly document without it really impacting our lives ...

i read some verses today that stood out to me ... which much grace which i really needs today ...
i'm gonna share'em ...

1 John 2 : 1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for^[a] the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2 : 12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

1 John 2 :13 b I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2: 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

... think about it =) ..

Daniel

Learning how to die - Jon Foreman

2008-04-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

New song by Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot):

I'm gonna miss you
I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
She says I love you
I'm gonna miss you and your song

I said Please,
Don't talk about the end
Don't talk about how
Every living thing goes away

She said Friend,
All along I thought I was learning how to take
How to bend, not how to break
How to live, not how to cry
But really I've been learning how to die

I've been learning how to die

Hey everyone
I've got nowhere to go
The grave is lazy
He takes our bodies slow

And I said Please
Dont talk about the end
Don't talk about how
Every living thing goes away

I said Friend
All along I thought I was learning how to take
How to bend, not how to break
How to live, not how to cry
But really I've been learning how to die

I've been learning how
to die
die
die
I've been learning how to die
I've been learning how to die

- Jon Foreman

Vision

2008-04-27T09:15:00.001-05:00

i posted this about 2 years ago ... then i came back to it ....

From - Red Moon Rising ... what is your vision?

They are free
yet they are slaves
of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision?
The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.
It makes children laugh and adults angry.
It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars.
It scorns the good and strains for the best.
It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive,every private conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps,their Satan games.
…And this vision will be.
It will come to pass;
it will come easily;it will come soon.
How do I know?
Because this is the longing of creation itself,
the groaning of the Spirit,the very dream of God.
—Pete Greig, excerpted from The Vision

Thoughts on being 24

2008-04-21T23:04:00.006-05:00

here's a bit of a delay update on my thoughts of being 24 ... (in bullet forms) - it had been kinda crazy last couple of days that i didn't really have time to think about this ... here are some reflections for the past years :

praise God for my homegroup (aka Church/Christ centered community) - it had definitely been a awesome year
praise God for my graduate studies at Texas A&M - at times it had been hard (and it's still is) but i've learned to enjoy it more and more =)
praise God for an awesome family ! (cross-continent and pacific ocean!)
praise God for opportunities to serve in my local community !
praise God for providing for my needs
praise God for awesome roommates
praise God for awesome friends (you know who you are !)

i guess there are some stuff that i would like to accomplish before i turned 25 (woah!)
here's some of it (maybe all of it)

see my friends come to know Christ (this is specific .... )
donate blood
get the Dimension of the Faith certificate from Gordon-Conwell Seminary
finish graduate school !
publish a paper in academia
go to a Switchfoot or Jon Foreman concert!

that's all for now i guess .... :-P

here are some pics from my party in case you are wondering ....

yep - gathering around the karaoke machine!

jon, me and bill.

the awesome cake (from my sis esther) and i ...

i got this gift from my sis ... and it's awesome !

White as snow.

2008-04-07T08:56:00.002-05:00

I ran across this song several months ago when Jon Foreman of Switchfoot decided to release 4 EPs (Spring,Fall,Winter and Summer) - i think this track is in the Winter EP.

White As Snow
Have mercy on me, oh God
According to Your unfailing love
According to Your great compassion
Blot out my transgressions

Create in me a clean heart, oh God
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation

The sacrifices of our God are a broken and a contrite heart
Against You and You alond have I sinned

Would You create in me a clean heart, oh God
Restore in me the joy of my salvation

Wash me white as snow
And I will be made whole
Wash me white as snow
And I will be made whole

.....

and this morning as i read Psalms 51 ...
i realize Jon was singing that Psalm - heart felt and real !

Ps 51 (From Biblegateway.com, NIV)

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ^[a] ;
you teach ^[b] me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are ^[c] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

---

O Lord - create in us a clean heart, and restore to us the joy of your salvation.

peace.

Heroes

2008-03-22T14:06:00.004-05:00

We spoke of heroes like they never exists,
We spoke of heroes as ones driven not by love but by hate or revenge,
In our society heroes are full of justice,
yet lack of mercy,
i'm no critic of heroes,
i'm still looking for one frankly,
in this generation that is waiting for their hero to come rescue them,
or be the hero themselves.

the hero that i know is different,
quite different indeed,
a hero driven by love, not hate,
a hero that is full of justice,
yet full of mercy,
justice is not just served on the streets,
but within a person, in his/her heart,
i found Him, not in any comics, fantasies or movies,
He's in the ancient scriptures,
He's not some fiction that we made up,
He's the hero because He died so we can lived,
He's the hero because when justice is served, he suffered so we can live,
He's Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
the only hero fits to save this world,
and yes,
the only hero fits to save you and i,
and yes,
even though He appeared in an ancient account,
yet he's timeless,
and He's alive today as much as 2000 years ago,
just seek and look,
and you'll find Him.
trust me.

happy easter.

2008-03-15T13:57:00.003-05:00

hmm... Spring Break ; Mid-semester update

2008-03-15T13:44:00.002-05:00

not sure if anyone is still reading this ...
but whatever - ah .. mid-semester already .. and Spring break has pretty much came and gone.
it was indeed a good spring break, spent the earlier part of it up in the DFW area hanging out with some friends - well i picked up playing piano/keys again ... i played with my sis, Ian and few other people up in Irving for my friend Michelle and Waldo's church ... really indeed enjoy playing keys and worshippin' the Lord :o) - maybe i should do that more ...

and i got to read 2 books as well ... yay ! - a book comparing the life and views of Freud and C.S Lewis - very interesting indeed ... just to see how Lewis's life changes after he encountered Jesus Christ as his saviour and knowing his Creator - and it's also sad to see Freud struggling to find answers to the questions he had :-( - but one thing for sure - Lewis's life is a good testimony of how God changes lives as well as touches lives ! I also get to read through the book on Back To Jerusalem's vision - the vision of Churches in China to bring the Gospel back to the Middle East going through the last frontier of middle asia ! It's amazing to see all the believers that surrender their lives to Christ - ranging from Lewis to the people in Back to Jerusalem movement - i want my life to be touched as well !

i think one thing though ... i was reminded that the best combat against apathy , is the Gospel of Jesus Christ =) Social Activism without Christ will eventually leads to apathy ... as well as many other things ..

ahh yes ... there was a big shake up in Malaysian govt last week (ok ... i am Malaysian) and that was interesting ! Hopefully the Opposition Front in Malaysia can bring some change !

anyways - Spring Break is (almost) over - back to real life !

:-p

and yes i do enjoying taking a walk in the park during early evening - it's really relaxing and refreshing.

God bless.

life

2008-03-06T20:52:00.003-06:00

Is this the New Year or just another night?
Is this the new fear or just another fright?
Is this the new tear or just another desperation?

Is this the finger or just another fist?
Is this the kingdom or just a hit n' miss?
A misdirection, most in all this desperation

Is this what they call freedom?
Is this what you call pain?
Is this what they call discontented fame?

It'll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

-- the blues.
Switchfoot.

how i felt ....

2008-03-06T20:36:00.001-06:00

Ps 40.

12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

1 John 2

14I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

Spring Outlook

2008-01-27T23:05:00.000-06:00

i guess i haven't really written for a while, life's been pretty good - praise God !
i spend my Christmas/Winter break with my family in Taiwan, it was good. It was amazing to see the things that God is doing in Taiwan - and - the fervency of the believers that - it's really encouraging - i think there's much for us (US believers) to learn from them - i saw miracles - heard stories on miracles - and just the wonderful workings of God in that country - where the gospel is desperately needed ...

and ... again i've started my Spring semester back in Aggieland -
life's pretty good - i'm trying to get into a routine - i guess - of being discipline to work, and study and rest, then ponder about life and reflect on God's word as much as i can ...
i've been into designing user interfaces lately - both with my research and work - it's frustrating sometimes because it's not as easy as it seemed when there are multiple objects and attributes on the screen - but i do have fun playing with multiple programming languages ranging from c# to c++ to javascript .... yes .... javascript .... i should have something fun soon.

and ... my bible study group / homegroup had been awesome - it's amazing when God draws people to Himself.

and ... got a new pair of Starbury Street Shoes .... yeah go figure because Stephon Marbury is not that great of a NBA player right now ....

that's all for now .... i'll post some pics and possible some poetry.... hopefully ... soon.

peace.

The Saints marching in ....

2007-11-01T22:35:00.000-05:00

(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 ...

2007-11-01T22:23:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-17T14:33:00.001-05:00

away from ....

2007-09-27T23:26:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-22T23:44:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-11T12:28:00.000-05:00

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 ?

2007-08-03T13:13:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-08-02T23:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-21T11:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-14T20:22:00.003-05:00

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 :-)

2007-07-07T20:27:00.000-05:00

Polar bear

2007-07-07T20:26:00.001-05:00

big turtle!

2007-07-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

the cranes ...

2007-07-07T20:03:00.001-05:00

Alright ... rescuing my princess !

here comes the dragon !!

2007-07-07T20:03:00.000-05:00

Port of Albuquerque
or
The Aquarium ....

2007-07-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

jelly fish .... glow in the dark

Day out ....

2007-07-07T19:59:00.000-05:00

sting rays !

2007-07-07T19:58:00.001-05:00

How to save a life.

2007-07-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-07-07T10:49:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-07-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

Eagle nest lake, NM

2007-07-02T22:24:00.000-05:00

night sky ...

2007-07-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-02T21:16:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

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 ?

2007-07-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-02T21:12:00.001-05:00

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

Pictures from NM

2007-07-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

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

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

2007-06-24T22:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-09T00:04:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-24T00:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

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'

2007-03-31T16:02:00.001-05:00

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...

2007-03-30T22:37:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

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

sunshine and wind

2007-03-19T22:37:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-18T17:15:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-02T11:48:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-05T08:31:00.000-06:00

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

View of God

2006-12-01T10:02:00.000-06:00

We only realize the power of the moral law when it comes with an "if." God never coerces us. In one mood we wish He would make us do the thing, and in another mood we wish He would leave us alone. Whenever God's will is in the ascendant[1], all compulsion is gone. When we choose deliberately to obey Him, then He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all His almighty power. - Oswald Chambers - Utmost for His Highest.

[1] = superior; predominant

4 years and 3 months later

2006-12-01T09:34:00.000-06:00

It's cold outside,
After the first major freeze,
life is back to normal,
4 years and 3 months later,
arriving at the door of adulthood.
College had taught me much,
with 3 papers and presentations to go,
i have one foot in the real world.

Life events had brought me around the world,
to see the lives of other people,
which are equally beautiful,
equally important and precious.

I've seen my worldview changed,
thoughts changed,
ideas changed,
to see the world not from a temporal view,
but with an eternal view.

I've seen and feel heart breaks,
as well as love,
friendship,
as well as kindness.

Sometime i wish my day can be filled with music,
where Coldplay and Mat Kearney can cross path,
where KJ and Kanye can douce out,
where songs can speak for everything ..

Life is beautiful,
more beautiful that it was,
i love to smile,
i love a cup of hot coffee in deep winter,
i love starbucks in Texas,
makes me feel i am back in the Northwest,
i love driving down the country road with my window down,
i love life ...

I'm thankful -
for God's grace in my life,
for countless of hours in labs that taught me the meaning of procastination and its results,
for research that opened my eyes to the wonders of God's creation,
for friends who share joy and tears with me,
for songs that fuzzle up my heart ....

Sunrise , Sonrise

2006-09-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

so i woke up this morning to the sound of my alarm clock,
i think today is going to be different,
i wanted to be more discipline in my life.
there are a lot of things to get done this couple of days,
will school in full swing and college ministry season starting,
ah -- welcome back to life.
though i am still waiting for news about my job as a peer teacher - which i really need it this semester - i guess eagerly i waited and waited and waited - and will continue to wait til the department calls me -
so, here i can again this semester - it's the last of my undergrad career - i wanted to make
it enjoyable yet interesting yet fruitful - i think all my classes has some kind of projects (and that's good) - and - i'll be working on a research subject with my AI prof - that would be really interesting !!

anyways - college ministry season - it's good - i think -
even though my group is kind of small, but i guess there's nothing
to be discouraged about - we've got a lot of people signed up saying they are
interested in checking us out - so i guess that's a plus ..

oh- i might go up to austin for a rally to end the genocide in Sudan - you should come too -
ya know - as Christians - and as humans - we should care about the welfare of others, even though they are like 10000s miles away - so - 1 pm on Saturday at the Capitol in Austion -

well - that's all i'm sayin.

peace out.
and um'
gig'em.

til then
daniel

Man on a mission

2006-08-24T15:22:00.000-05:00

i'm a man on a mission.
you'll know after you've talked to me.

get excited about the semester !

aggietech aka daniel

Back in the heart of Texas

2006-08-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

finally get to take a breather from my busy schedule of travelling from the last couple of weeks to work on some of my stuff (ie. homegroup action plans, comp sci research proposals and such) - it's great to be back in the heart of texas - and back in my favorite coffee shop (coffee station) - nothing beats a great coffee shop with great brews , sounds and decorations !! -
my summer was great - was kinda slow (and restful) until the last couple of weeks where i was travelling between 4-5 cities and 2 continents !

i am glad to be back in texas - culture shock !! yeah - after speaking mandarin for like 3 months, speaking english again is kinda weird - and trying to revert back to western minded kind of thinking with the eastern thought not far away - is kind of weird - but to be a east-westerner or west-easterner is important in this globalized world - to know the best of both cultures and take advantage of that fact will make a person - successful - i guess that's a business person would say.

anyways - i'm back !! still have a lot of stuff on my mind - especially again on intellectuals and Christianity -

well .... i'll write more on that later.

gig'em and peace out.

Daniel

Thinking about a lot of things (Part I)

2006-07-15T06:29:00.000-05:00

There are much to be written about what i am thinking recently, from the books i've read, or situation that i've been in, or countries that i've visited - i'll try to come to some sort of organization for what i am thinking - it involves - pretty much everything from religion to technology to politics , conflicts between countries, and then about us - humans - and myself - obviously.

To start it off, i've been in multiple cities in multiple countries in the last couple of months, from my "home town" in the US to my "home town" in East Asia, there are much to be said, and much to be ponder about.

First of are things that we had taken for granted in the United States, from the technologies to food or sports - for one thing, as a follower of Christ, we've taken our faith and blessings for granted. As i am currently visiting the island of Taiwan, where the population of Christian are probably 2 to 3% which comparably lower than countries like Singapore, South Korea, and the US - but there are fervency here - some that i don't see in the States - the Christians here pray for revival and claim cities and neighborhood for Christ, they pray for healings of people's heart, they pray for physical healings, they are praying for God's glory to be displayed, in their country. The Christians here pray with authority that i felt we sometimes lacked in the States, have we stopped believing ?? or have we just sunked into the mindset of a Technopoly (i will refer to this book later) - where science had become our certainly, and not God ?? Let's just ask ourselves this question, who is constant, God? or the knowledge of this world ?? and who would we trust ??

if you've kept up with East Asian news lately, we all can see the struggle in Taiwan's democracy, where this "baby democracy" is still trying to learn how to be truly democratic, and how integrity is important , and how freedom needed to be used - very interestingly - just in the last couple of weeks and months, i can see that prayers are being offered for the Presidents, for the Parliament and such, for a government with Integrity - i hope this government will be truly transparent and truly free - and i am glad to be part of its audience as i watch it unfold ... and be part of the process by praying for it =)

Here's the next question i am going to pose - is United States getting less free - or have we just taken for granted of what we've know - or what we've inherited from previous generations of spiritual heroes ?? Have we gone soft of what we knew as truth ? Have we let the media or public opinion shaped the truth ?? I read some truly saddening news today where a valedictorian's speech was cut short (or blank out) because she mentioned her thankfulness to Christ as her savior - What is wrong with that speech ? A person truthfully thank her savior for saving her - yet doesn't have her rights to speak about that on her graduation ? In a free America ? what kind of argument is that? Persecution in America ? you tell me about that ...

I guess situations like that are fairly common lately, with the label of separation of Church and State , our country had taken away the opinion of my generation - we know the truth too - and when we share it, please do NOT shut us off ! Christians can be prominent figure too, we can be valedictorian as well, prominent scientists - even successful businessman , and stop branding us as backwards people, because we are NOT, and we refused to be branded as that -

okay, maybe i've written too much about that issue - let me know what you are thinking as you read this - and there's much more to come as far as what i think on other issues - definitely including the mid east conflict ... ahh ...

til then,
peace out,
Daniel

2006-07-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

2006-07-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

2006-06-10T12:06:00.001-05:00

Football Madness - some 100 people gathered together to watch England vs Paraguay - England Won 1-0

2006-06-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

Music Fountain on Sentosa Island

2006-06-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

Merlion ! - Mermaid + Lion

2006-06-10T12:04:00.001-05:00

Capitol Hill ?? - Nope, Singapore Supreme Court

2006-06-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

Mall with a Chinese Design

2006-06-10T12:03:00.000-05:00

This is for you - Adri

2006-06-10T12:02:00.000-05:00

Singapore - where the east meets the west :-)

2006-06-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Singapore !