10.24.07 - timing

god has a way of reminding me that he's in control. the past few weeks have been a whirlwind and a rollercoaster of a ride... with no sign of things letting up anytime soon. guadalajara was nice. i was a little weary of going, mainly because of the timing of it all... but everything worked out accordingly, and i was able to enjoy my time there.

looking back at the past few weeks, i can see where god orchestrated certain events, people, places, and things in my life. it's actually quite amazing how god works. i can see where certain things happen to create opportunities, while others serve as speed bumps.

as someone who loves to "drive", i hate speed bumps. i don't like having other things dictate the way i drive. but, i do understand the need for them. god places speed bumps in our lives for many reasons. sometimes it's to let us know that we're going too fast. sometimes it's to let us know we're getting ahead of his plans for us. sometimes it's to make us more aware of our surroundings. despite being able to see certain goals/destinations in my life, i need speed bumps to help me get there according to god's timing, not my own. is it wrong to want to get somewhere in a hurry? no... but we need to be reminded, it's not just about the destinations... the journey is just as (and in some cases, more) important.

it's been quite a journey! thank you for being a part of it.

ヘ(^_^ヘ) (ノ^_^)ノ

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savior king
marty sampson & mia fields (hillsong)

let now the weak say i have strength
by the spirit of power that raised christ from the dead
and now the poor stand and confess
that my portion is him and I'm more than blessed

let now our hearts burn with a flame
a fire consuming all for your son's holy name
and with the heavens we declare
you are our king

we love you lord, we worship you
you are our god, you alone are good

let now your church shine as the bride
that you saw in your heart as you offered up your life
let now the lost be welcomed home
by the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

you asked your son to carry this
the heavy cross our weight of sin

i love you lord, i worship you
hope which was lost, now stands renewed

i give my life to honor this
the love of christ, the savior king

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talk to me |

10.17.07 - bueno!

hola from guadalajara, mexico. everything is bueno... bueno indeed!

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it is you
darlene zschech (hillsong)

lamp unto my feet
light unto my path
it is you
jesus, it is you

this treasure that i hold
more than finest gold
it is you
jesus, it is you

with all my heart
with all my soul
i live to worship you
and praise forevermore
praise forevermore
lord everyday
i need you more
on wings of heaven i will soar
with you

you take my broken ness
and call me to yourself
there you stand
heal me in your hand

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talk to me |

10.11.07 - cleared my head

the 3-day weekend couldn't have come at a better time. saturday, at worship practice, we decided that we would try and coordinate our outfits for sunday. so the vocalists agreed to wear aloha shirts. great... but one problem, all my aloha shirts are sitting in a box somewhere in california. i had been meaning to pick up an aloha shirt for some time now, so i figured, now would be a good of a time as any. so after worship practice, i set out on my mission... to find an aloha shirt.

first i headed to ikebukuro, since it's on my way back from practice. spent some time wanderring around the sunshine city shopping mall. interesting thing about japan... when the seasons change, so do the fashions. this isn't an irregular thing... but, when the fashion trends change, all the stores stop carrying past season's fashions. it's like they get sent off somewhere and disappear. so, since aloha shirts are a typical "summer" thing, they've all of the sudden are nowhere to be found. everywhere i asked, the shop workers said something to tune of, "we had them a month ago, but now that it's fall, we don't carry them." i was stumped, but i though to myself... things just got a little more interesting.

never one to back down from a challenge, my next destination was harajuku. it was already 6:30, and i had to hurry before the shops start closing. at first i was thinking, maybe i can find one at a used/old clothing store, since harajuku has a bunch of those... but then it hit me. on my numerous visits to the nike 1love store, i recall seeing some sort of hawaiian themed store across the street. i figured, this was as good a lead as any, so i made my way over there. there it was, aloha lovers! a tiny little shop, in a totally obscure place, but thanks to my obsession for kicks, i found it. and just before they closed too. of course, it's a tiny shop, so i wasn't guaranteed to find a shirt i liked, but i had a good feeling about it. i walked in and made a b-line for the aloha shirts. they had a small selection, but immediately, one caught my eye... and just my size too! call it divine intervention if you'd like. so 10min later, i walked out a happy shopper... mission accomplished!

sunday, i had dinner with a few friends after church. apparently, everyone is amused by the way i describe things... especially things food related. they agreed that i would make an excellent food commentator. hahaha. after dinner, i headed over to the akutsu household. monday was taiiku no hi, so new hope tokyo had an undokai. so sunday night was spent working on preperations. we all ended up crashing at the akutsu house. we all woke up at 5am mon morning to eat breakfast and get ready. we had been praying that it wouldn't rain, even though it was in the forecast. and despite a few raiindrops here and there, it cleared up, and the undokai was on! ptl! at 9, everyone made their way over to the park...

but i went home.

with everything that had been going on the past few weeks, and with all the emotions i had been dealing with (see last post), i really needed a "day off". don't get me wrong, i love my friends, i love new hope events, and i really wanted to go to the undokai... but it was important for me to spend a day away from them. i had been getting stressed out about a bunch of different things, so i wanted to relax and spend some time seeking and listening for god's voice. what better way than to grab my camera and head down to yokohama after a short nap.

over the past 2 years, yokohama has become somewhat a refuge for me. the atmosphere of the bay reminds me of home, and i find that i can spend hours just sitting still in the parks. my nap was a little longer than i had anticipated, but i got down to yokohama late in the afternoon. decided to go up to the top of landmark tower and sit at the cafe to wait for the sunset. beautiful! afterwards, i made my way over to my usual spots in the park. as i've shared before, i really feel like god speaks to me through images and photos. after i snapped this photo, i really felt a spirit of comfort. i felt like god was speaking to me about the uncertainties in my future. it's like, i can see a bright light in the distance that's partially hidden. and of course i'm drawn to it. but i felt like god was reminding me not to overlook the things right in front of me. to not get ahead of myself. to not take for granted the things that are in clear view. boy, did i need that reminder. so with a cleared head, i wanderred around a little more, before heading back and calling it a night.

it was a good day.

even though this is a short work week for me, if feels like it's moving along very sluggishly... guhhh. next week, i'll be travelling to guadalajara, mexico on a business trip. mexican food, ready or not, here i come!

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one thing
darlene zschech (hillsong)

one thing i desire
one thing i seek
to gaze upon Your beauty
your majesty

god of my salvation
lifter of my head
teach me how to live o lord
your righteousness

so i pray to you
so i pray to you

lord your name
is higher than the heavens
lord your name
is higher than all created things
higher than hope
higher than dreams
the name of the lord

in the days of trouble
you cover me
in the secret place of refuge
lord i will sing

i will seek Your face
call upon your name jesus
all i want is you jesus

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talk to me |

10.03.07 - mixed emotions

joy, frustration, hunger, satisfaction, happiness, loneliness, graditude, peace, insecurity, fear, disappointment, amazement, fulfillment, jealousy, comfort, anxiety, delight, anticipation, confusion, hope, question . . . just a typical week? not quite.

lord, you know my heart . . . allow my desires to be in line with yours.

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holy heart
charlie hall

oh my heart longs to be purified
oh my heart longs to be refined

a holy heart is what i long for, what i cry for, what i need
a heart that loves you, a heart that hears you, fears you
and sees you as you are

search my heart, o god and see in me
all offenses, god, that there may be
(cry it out now)

refined in your love, refined by your blood
and the pure in heart will see you, will see you
(we're cryin' out now)

to gaze (look) upon you
purifies me
so purify me, purify me...

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talk to me |