First Study in the Books!

So tonight Eric and I had our first study! It was awesome! We had about 10 guys show up, even with a couple that were sick or couldn't make it.

These guys are one step ahead of where I was at that point in my beginning to life here at UCSB. They're getting involved or at least checking out a community that is centered around Jesus. What's even better, is there is a good few of people from their dorm that also share the same interest, so they are striking up Godly relationships with other men. I sure wish I had that my first quarter here.

It is totally different being on the other side of the spectrum getting to plan the study. I'm stoked to learn more about God's character and love for us in this new perspective.

Tonight we talked about how to walk assured in our relationship with God; that he loves us unconditionally and we are saved by grace.

We used two passages: Luke 15:11-31 and 1 John 11-15.

The passage in Luke concerns Jesus teaching through the parable of the lost son. In the parable, the younger of two sons asked for the inheritance of his father to go out and party. He was living the life til he ran out of money, and then realized he was living in a lie. He went back to his father, who ran out to him in open arms and welcomed him back as his son. The father than had a huge party in the honor of his son, and gave him a nice robe and a ring. The older son, the more faithful of the two, viewed this situation with contempt and was jealous of his brother's reception. The older son pointed out his faithfulness was deserving of more than his undeserving brother. The father responds that all his possessions are his (the older son's) but his other son was lost and now found--which merits celebration.

I loved using this parable because of its applicable nature to us as human beings. Often times, we're looking for own way and for an immediate reward (parallel to the younger son wanting the inheritance before his father's death) to satisfy our own desires. I've been fueled by my own self-absorbed nature and going for what I want. Then all of a sudden in a whirlwind, I realize that I've fallen from walking with God, and then I am compelled to admit my sin and ask forgiveness. Funny thing is, I have the propensity to think that God knows that I was living in sin, when in fact he not only knows it, but he was right there next to me hoping that I would turn to him instead. Like the prodigal son, I've been lost, but thanks to his unconditional love, I am found :) Being saved by grace means so much more than being saved by works. Thank goodness for that!

The second part of the parable I can also relate to (sadly). Often times I'm all on board like, 'yeah let's preach the good news to our friends' but under closer examination, I don't really want them to share in my inheritance. I mean, I've been a Christ-follower for as long as I remember, why should someone who just now started their walk with Christ gain the same benefits as me? This is my fleshly nature talking, and it is difficult to combat against. I'm humbled to know that my judgment means absolutely nothing from an eternal perspective. I'm also reminded that I cannot cast any stones because I myself have sinned many times.

In 1 John 5:11-15, we read that Jesus Christ is life and if we have him, we have life. However, John mentions that if we do not have Christ, we do not have life. In verse 13, John says he writes so that we may "know that [we] have eternal life." The cool thing about this verse is that it is so unambiguous. It is clear: we can be assured of eternal life. The passage doesn't say that "maybe" we have eternal life, or we "could" have eternal life... it says we "know" we have it as long as we accept the Son.

These two passages next to each other in the same study definitely did a lot of good things in my heart, it was a comfortable reminder that His love for me is never ending, and that I can know I'm saved and that I am assured of eternal life.

Cool stuff, I'm excited for this opportunity to grow in my faith this year. It's gonna be a challenge once the reality of classes hit in, but God is bigger than all that :)

A Landmark Week

The freshmen have now been here for a week, and if this weekend was any indication, many of them are enjoying life here in Isla Vista. The past two nights have been especially rowdy here with the freshmen getting their feet wet in the self-absorbent culture here. I walked in the crowds last night for about 15 minutes, it was tough.

Real Life had a fun dance party that went until midnight, and by that point Isla Vista is in full swing with rockin parties and streets filled with inexperienced freshmen, seniors who have about seen it all, and out of towners looking for action.

As I was walking the streets of DP, I had a couple observations. First of which was that I don't look any different from the people that are out looking for a good time. Maybe to a trained observer it is apparent I'm not out to party or whatever, but just walking in the crowds of IV I look no different from everybody. There is no differentiation between myself and the people walking around me-- we're around the same age, probably go to the same school, and we all probably have goals we want to attain for this year.

Another epiphany I had while walking amongst the masses was that I'm making a choice not to engage in the same activities as some of the people walking around IV. I could easily go in a random house to drink myself to oblivion, go up to a good looking girl (and there definitely was a lot of them walking around last night) and just make out or more. Making the choice not to has defined me, and I hope to lead my freshmen and peers well.

It's nuts. But as I was walking, I was giving thanks to God for molding me into the person I am, and that he gave me the choice to accept the gift of his Son. God loves all of the people that were walking around last night, and I'm sure it breaks his heart that there are people who choose not to accept the sacrifice of Jesus and pursue their own interests over his.

So this past weekend was probably quite the experience for a host of freshmen, as this was their first taste of Isla Vista with virtually no boundaries or constraints telling them to stop. Their choices were driven by curiosity and the desire to be accepted by the masses. For some, this week has been markedly different, as they have made the choice to reject the mainstream IV culture and to join in bible studies across the campus as they strive to know more about what it means to follow Jesus.

I think the decision made by the second group takes a lot more courage, but that's just my opinion. Hopefully that's God's opinion too.

Another Sunset

I love living here. Initially, it is very, very tough leaving the comforts of home. But there is comfort in knowing my family is only a short drive away if I'm needed at home. When I am truly on my own with my own family, I want to live near the beach to see gorgeous sunsets day after day. If it was up to me, I'd bike every day to watch the sun go down and snap a few pictures.

Every sunset reminds me that a master craftsman willed it to happen that beautifully. What's crazy to me is that there are an infinite amount of sunsets everyday around the world... Walking a few paces one way or another will influence our perspective of a certain sunset. This is mind boggling, but its okay that I am unable to understand it, because I know He is sovereign and sitting on the throne.

Here's some pictures from yesterday's sunset. I actually missed the actual sun setting, but the aftermath is just as inspiring and beautiful.

Dawn Patrol

So yesterday morning was quite awesome. Clay (my roommate) and I went on a run at dawn. We got up a little before 6, and took off towards the sunrise. We went on a short run, so we got back home just as the sun was rising. It was the perfect way to kick off the new school year.

I only had two classes yesterday, History of Photography and Gender Comm. The photography class could be interesting, but the prof seems pretty dull and can't speak English too well. My gender comm class is going to be a bit of a challenge, there's only like 10 dudes in an 80-person class and we're going to be talking about the inequality in male-female communication. Almost could be a feminist study class with the ratio of men to women! Oh well, it should be fun nonetheless.

Last night we had the first Real Life meeting of the year and had around 400 people there!! It was very cool. Eric and I walked over to Santa Cruz to pick up our freshmen dudes. We had like 12 guys show up, so it was very exciting! I'm still so excited to see what God is going to do this year.

Here's some pictures of Clay's and mine dawn patrol run. Enjoy!

Last Day of Summer That Was

So the summer of 2009 is unofficially over. And what a summer it was!

I'm starting to wind down as the reality has finally struck me. I was biking around last night and completely forgot that I even had school tomorrow. Crazy how much a little busyness will disrupt one's day!

Today was another day that kept me on my toes. Eric and I hit the dorms again, only talked to a couple guys that were both not really on board with joining a study. Those conversations have been few and far in between thankfully. Eric and I make such a great team. I'm blessed to have an awesome co-leader such as him. We balance each other quite well... as God intended it when we were made coleaders I think :) We both are really easy going and down to earth, which is something of an attractive quality-- especially for freshmen that are looking for a place to belong. The picture to the right is a pic of him and I. He's the other good lookin dude with the glasses.

All these kids are wanting is acceptance for who they are. With a mutual love of Christ, they have that. We love them and accept them for who they are just as Christ does/did. Unfortunately, there's been a sad theme amongst many at UCSB that have gone for acceptance in the partying crowd. Hopefully God will rise up more people that could lead others in a false reality to a life of purpose in Christ.

With that said, we had a bbq tonight, and it was freaking amazing. We had over 15 guys show up!! This is absolutely unbelievable and such a blessing from the Lord. I've been filled with joy these past few days and tonight was just amazing. My roommate Clay helped me clean up the house and manned the grill while I was able to acquaint myself with my study. I was just so thankful that everything is panning out more than I could have ever expected or hoped for. He is greater than I, and has provided for us big time!!

Well this has been a satisfying end to summer, we'll see how Fall Quarter shapes up. I have an inkling that its going to be nothing short of excitement :)

I'm gonna go get ready for bed, I've got class at 8:00 in the morning tomorrow! If you know me at all, you probably just laughed out loud because I cannot wake up for the life of me in the morning. However, I have made it a priority to make it to each class this quarter, gotta start off right!

Cheers!

Awesomeness of this Week

Here's a quick update of cool things that God is doing:

For the bible study:

We've got nearly 20 guys that have expressed interest!! Of those 20, about half seem like they are really on board. That's absolutely nuts!! Praise God! I've been glowing the past few days, just amazed how the Lord is moving. Like I said before, its sooo incredibly easy to be joyful now, I hope and pray that His spirit will continue to fill me up.

Tomorrow (Weds) we're going to celebrate the last day of summer with a good ol' fashioned BBQ. We're not completely sure how many guys to expect, but its going to be awesome nonetheless.

For my job:

I'm so thankful/blessed/humbled to have already gotten a job in such a difficult time. I had my first shoot tonight with our video services for UCTV. It was a lecture provided by Karen Armstrong, who apparently is pretty big on the lecture circuit. She has a new book called A Case For God that is pretty popular.

It was pretty cool to film the lecture, I was the wide shot angle, so I barely had to fuss with the focus or zoom. Instead, I got to focus on the interesting lecture! Her premise is that most religions carry a similar theme-- do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And she made the argument that if people did this day in and day out, we would not have the host of problems today.

She might be paid the big bucks to have an observation as astute as this, but it is painfully obvious once one looks at scripture. Jesus says the greatest command is to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we really did this every moment of every day, we would embody the fruits of the spirit as well, and jealousy, envy, greed, and selfishness would be vanquished. Unfortunately, our fallen human nature compels us to act in our own self-interest, even if it is at the expense of others. Ms. Armstrong also claimed that Christians need more compassion for others. This is true. My producer for the shoot, who was pretty open and said he did not believe in any kind of god, told me that religions should be more compassionate to others. I think if we were able to embody a stance of compassion, people would see the love of Christ through us.

Well these were some distant rumblings from within, hope you enjoyed it! Man I'm going on a tear on this blog, it feels good!

Moments to Take One's Breath Away

I'm outside on my balcony right now, one of my roommates and my co-leader for our bible study are playing worship music right next to me. Eric is jamming on the guitar, with Clay providing awesome harmonica playing. They're playing "Divine Romance" by Phil Wickham and I'm loving every minute of it.

There's a certain amount of autumn crispness in the air, and it makes for a truly beautiful night. I'm watching the moon set over the ocean right now; its not a bad place to be :)

I've totally been awestruck and blown away by the events of the past couple days. Eric and I are leading a missional team at one of the freshman dorms and it has been so incredibly awesome. We've been hitting the dorms for the past couple days having conversations with freshman men. It's gone so great. We've got about 11-12 guys that seem pretty stoked on the idea of being in a study, and we've still got more work to do! It's such an awesome blessing from God.

I'm just praying that Eric's and my eyes would be focused on the Lord for the whole of this year. I firmly believe that if we ask for his spirit to consume us on a daily basis, He will work through us and make the impossible, possible. Right now, morale is high, so its easy to give thanks to God and praise him for what he's doing. For now this is awesome, obviously we'll encounter many tests in the coming weeks with school, but I'm just praying that we'll rely on God and for his will to reign at Santa Cruz dorms, for Real Life, and for UCSB and Isla Vista.

I'm praying for more joy from the Lord, so that when barriers arise, He will fill me up. Hope each and every one of you reading this is doing amazingly well!

Resting in the Mystery

Welcome to the newly-revamped Resting in the Mystery!

I've been having fun for the past hour or so tinkering with this blog, and have made it more of my own space.

The picture was taken here in Isla Vista back in January. The sun had slipped beyond the clouds and created just an amazing tone in the sky as it was setting. This sunset, along with every other, reminds me of what an amazing God we have that loves us fiercely and unconditionally.

I've been tossing around a few different blog titles, but none of them (coupled with the picture) seemed to encapsulate what I want my blogging experience to be about... Resting in the Mystery of my relationship with the creator of the universe; who has no good reason to care about what somebody like me has to say, but does so anyway and loves me for who I am. What's even more profound is that he walked this earth to live as I do, and bore the brunt of my sin because of his unabating love.

What a mysterious love, eh?

One of my favorite Christian artists, Francesca Battistelli, has a song titled "Unpredictable" and some of the lyrics are so compelling and they provided inspiration for the title of this blog:

'You said the foolish would shame the wise
to put my faith in what's beyond my eyes
and to believe you, I have to come as a child
So help me rest in the mystery, of what I can't understand'

So for those of you who regularly follow this blog or for someone who just happened to stumble upon the page, this post commences a new direction in resting in the mystery of His unending love for each and every one of us.

Something else cool?

I just noticed that last blog was only my 22 this year, but the funny thing is that it is the most I've blogged ever in a year!

If I keep up my prolific blogging though it could get close to 60 for this year, and maybe over 100 for next year! We'll see.

Random tidbit, but thanks to my bizarre obsession with numbers and dates I would notice something like that.

Oh fyi, today is National Talk Like a Pirate Day! Arr shiver me timbers!

Some Cool Stuff Going On

I've been up in SB for less than a week, and God is certainly stirring something up within me. The reality that I am going to be a missional team leader is setting in, and I cannot be more excited for this awesome responsibility and opportunity to spread the Good News at UCSB.

Starting tomorrow (Sunday) my co-leader Eric (my good friend and fellow third-year) and I are going to be hitting the dorms and talking with newly-moved-in freshmen guys. I'm so excited for this to take shape.

Last night I went to a church in Carpenteria called Reality. I've been to this church only a few times. Most of my friends go to this church week in and week out and absolutely love it. I went to their college group, called Adorn. It was rockin last night! Worship was absolutely amazing, and I feel that is one of the best ways I can connect with God. The message concerned passages in Romans 8 (v.12-17) and Galatians 5 (v. 22).

The message was about how to live out our identity in Christ. The college pastor identified 4 things the change in the life of a Christ-follower:
1. We think differently on a fundamental level
2. Our life is no longer determined by fleshly deeds and as such, we kill sin
3. We live like Jesus lived as our life is determined by the spirit (such as the fruits of the spirit are apparent in our life. As fleshly humans, we can never achieve perfection in all areas of the fruits of the spirit, but we can look at the progress we made over time).
4. Living out our life as a living sacrifice and willing to suffer like Christ suffered for us

This past week has really enabled me to look at this whole bible study-leading thing in a new light. I'm bringing light to darkness. 1 John says that when we walk with God we are walking in light, and Jesus says in the gospels that we are a light to the world. As such, we should not cover our light, but let it shine in freedom. To be self-critical, I have had many moments of covering my light in either embarrassment or shame because I have viewed the things of this world as more powerful than my supposed weak light. How foolish have I been! But there's a chance for redemption, and it starts this week. Through the strength of the Lord I'm amped to start-- this should be awesome!

Hopefully my recent blogging escapade isn't just a trend, but something that will be more consistent. We'll see!

Cheers.

My New Room!

So today I officially consider myself moved in, as I put up a bunch of pictures around my formerly-bare room. My half of the room has a sense of character to it now, and it consists of things that I value most in my life: my family (as there are countless pictures of them), soccer (i always have to have one soccer artifact wherever i go), and being creative (I have a collage on one wall, and an organization of pictures on another wall).

When I have friends over to visit my room they will catch of glimpse of what keeps me going. Now if only I could maintain a sense of cleanliness in my room... that's going to be a considerable challenge for sure!

Here's some pictures of my living space:

1st Sunset

So after a pretty lazy day consisting of me sleeping in and then taking a nap in the early afternoon, I decided to be proactive and go on a run. This was my first run in quite some time. I"m almost embarrassed to admit that my last run took place in Santa Barbara, in the middle of June! I never had the time or energy to run in the summer, as I was getting a daily 8-hour workout at the beach club.

I left my house a little after 6:00 and brought my camera along to snap some photos of the picturesque surroundings just miles from my front door. Each time I run, I try to throw a few changes so I'm not running the same path every time. At the Coal Point Reserve, which is on the outskirts of IV, there are a host of trails that lead like veins to the artery of the Pacific.

Today, my customary trail change-up almost got me into a bit of trouble,as I ended up in a restricted area! I was too stubborn to turn around, so I snaked in between a gap of barbed wire on both sides and trailblazed through shrubs and bushes. My arms and legs got scratched up a bit, but I made it without getting pierced by rusty barbed wire! I ended up on top of a petroleum pipeline, and ran alongside it to the ocean just in time for the sunset. Here's some pictures below. Enjoy!

Changes

This past Sunday I made the bittersweet transition to life in Santa Barbara. Summer was awesome: I got to be with my family everyday and do awesome things with them, I had a well-paying job, and I was able to rekindle important relationships with people from high school. It was tough leaving this year, as I made the trip by myself for the first time. Two years ago, my family and I came up a day early to Santa Barbara and stayed at a hotel before I made the move to the dorms. Last year, my dad drove up with me to help me get settled in to my new house. This year was markedly different, as I made the trip by myself. In one instant I had to say goodbye to my entire family. That was one of the hardest moments I've experienced leaving them and it would be a lie to say that I didn't shed a tear or two.

But as I said, it was a bittersweet experience. I'm so thankful for my family, because I know without their relentless support and guidance, I would not be the man I am today. That much is certain. Thankfully San Diego isn't too far away, and I am able to make treks down there when I choose.

Things are much different here in my house, we have two new roommates that I do not know very well. Over time though, things will be a sort of new normal as we all get adjusted with each other. My two best friends are out of the house; as one is now a residential assistant, and the other felt it was best to no longer live here. Both of them are fairly close by, so I'm thankful for that.

This year is going to be quite interesting and there are a number of things to look forward to. I'm almost done with my communication major, and I'm stepping up for my political science classes that I'm really looking forward to. In addition, I'm really stoked to be leading a bible study, this coming week I'm heading into the dorms to talk to students about Jesus. It's going to be challenging and a huge test, but I'm lookin forward to it and hopefully I'll be up for the task. And finally, I already got a job! I'm going to be working for Video Services here on campus as a cameraman! I'm super excited about this cool opportunity. I'm going to get to edit stuff as well. With any luck, I'll get to be on the other side of the camera and launch a broadcasting career! I'm just praying for God's will in all of this stuff, and that I'm at where he wants me to be.

Should be a different, but equally awesome year!

Observations from Work

For the past 12 weeks, I have been engaged in the arduous task of manual labor at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Its been a mostly love-hate struggle for the majority of the summer. A combination of annoying sea gulls, pampered and rude members, and sometimes hazardous conditions (i.e. extreme heat with little protection from it) has compelled me to strongly dislike my job. However, I enjoy putting a positive spin on things and the job is quite rewarding-- get to watch God's canvas over and over again with gorgeous sunsets (even saw the green flash a few times this summer!) and I made some good friendships with a group of guys really needing Jesus.

Through the course of the summer I have stumbled upon a few funny epiphanies to keep me going:

1) After watching Planet Earth right before the summer, I am constantly reminded of the extraordinary lengths male birds will go to attract a mate. In a bizarre connection, I've felt the same way, except I'm looking for a tip and not a mate! Although a mate from the Beach Club could help me pay for college... that's a mildly entertaining idea. Anyway, I've got to present myself in a polished manner, be fake-friendly with the guest/member and pretend that whatever they have to say is the most intriguing thing I've ever heard. In addition, I am perpetually cleaning and organizing equipment in case another potential tipper comes along. Weird connection I know, maybe the heat got to me... you be the judge.

2) On occassion, I've felt like the guy from Pursuing Happyness: Will Smith's character. The guy has to carry his bone scanner thingy all through San Francisco because if he leaves it behind (which happens) it will probably be stolen (which definitely happens also). Much the same way, this stuff would happen at the Club all the time; if a guest asked for what we call a windboard table (basically two tables lying sideways with a board balanced on top) I would have to find all the equipment and carry it with me so nobody else would steal it. Of course, there were instances when I had to set it down to make things a little easier, and got equipment jacked, either by a coworker or greedy member.

3) This is a rather unfortunate observation-- Numerous times on a daily basis, I see people at there worst -either directly or indirectly. Indirectly is illustrated in people's wastefulness and laziness. For instance, a guest will come asking for towels, and I'll ask them how much they need. The largest request was 16, and only a handful of times was it for 1. People are so incredibly wasteful there, using way too many towels which ultimately affects a chain of people (I have to pick up the towels off the beach, which is then picked up by another person from my crew to take to housekeeping, who then works to the bone to ensure the towels are cleaned... this cycle wastes both water/energy and manpower). Wastefulness is also illustrated by food left on the beach, as people will leave half-eaten sandwiches or entire cocktails that are either picked off by the seagulls or us after the seagulls have demolished a bag.

Direct contact is also pretty disheartening, with people complaining about utterly trivial things. For example, people will request to have their table moved 30 ft. one way over another because they don't want to walk an extra ten yards from their room. On requests like this, it is difficult to refrain from laughing. Also, people will complain about being too close to another party and will then yell at us like its our fault. Furthermore, since our beach is considered private, people from the public La Jolla Shores are able to walk through the property, but they cannot stay. Members and guests alike can be especially unreasonable, and will freak if they see a "trespasser" stop to fix his or her diving equipment on one of our lounge chairs or a couple enjoying the sunset on our sand.

Yeah I know I'm complaining a bit here, but after a full summer of dealing with difficult people definitely takes its toll!! But there are some good lessons for me that I have learned. I've learned a strong work ethic might not always get you noticed right away, but after a while people will respect your dependability. Thats a trait I feel I possessed throughout the summer, I was even picked employee of the month! In addition, another valuable lesson learned is that money does not ensure happiness. These people that complain to me regularly are rolling in cash from their high-paying jobs or superb investments. Even though they have money I can only dream of, they are still unhappy and generally bitter. They treat us and others as less than human, which generally gets me pretty heated.

However, this summer provided an excellent test for me... to love others regardless of the circumstances. It's easy to have compassion for or like a guest that just tipped you $20. Its much harder to have the same feelings for someone that you feel wronged you viciously. In many respects, I failed to love others as fellow image-bearers of God, and for that I ask for His grace and forgiveness. I feel my witness this summer could have been much more effective had I embraced pesky guests/members, rather than sink to their level and treat them as less than human behind their back.

Well this was some interesting ramblings on my part, hopefully it makes sense cause I'm too lazy to edit it. Here's some thoughts for the future (hopefully)-- I've been tossing around some new ideas for my blog, which will most likely include a 2nd name change. In addition, I want to be more consistent on here. We'll see how it all plays out.

Til then, cheers!