2014 was a crazy crazy year!!
It started with my installation at SLPC EM as interim pastor. Which was a huge deal to me because I never felt called to pastor but for this season I really sensed God calling me to do this to learn something. That something was a million different things but in keeping with the theme of new year I"ll list the 12 things I learned and the different things that happened in each month
So January 2014, I was installed at English Ministry Pastor for SLPC Taipei Taiwan. It was a fun and exciting change that I was eager to jump into.
February 2014, I started to plan and was looking for my wedding dress. I found it at the end of February.
March 2014, I planned an outdoor Easter Service where it rained. Not the best memory
April 2014, My fiance came to visit all the way from Norway. We had a wonderful time and took fabulous engagement pictures.
May 2014, My church went on a retreat and I was crazy in the amount of planning that went into it.
June 2014, I started to tie up loose ends and started to see people I was reaching growing in their faith and seeds begin sprouted.
July 2014, I closed my time at EM after a crazy summer camp and I moved to Norway to prepare for the wedding. My dad also had quite a health scare and it made me nervous to leave him.
August 2014, I got married to a wonderful, caring, kind God fearing man.
Sept 2014, I moved to Oxford England to join my husband in his studies at Oxford University
Oct 2014, I lost my identity and was completely lost in what I was doing in Oxford. What was God doing in my life.
Nov 2014, Jonas' parents came to visit and I started to find my feet again in Oxford
Dec 2014, I spent Christmas in Norway and grew closer to my in laws.
A crazy year as you can see. And that was only the tip of the iceberg that was 2014. Hoping and praying for big things in 2015.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Feeling Hungry...
Yesterday night Jonas said to me, "I'm starving!" Honestly I was too but then I had to stop and think about what we were really saying. The actual definition of this word means to suffer severely or die from hunger.
Yes we were really hungry, we hadn't eat in 24 hours and had just finished our first fast together as a couple. There were a few reasons why we were fasting but thats not the point of this post.
Was I really starving? No, not even close, I hadn't had a meal for a day and I was already feeling faint. That's sad. I couldn't' help but think about all the people in the world who haven't even seen food in days and what their state of mind must be like. Throughout this process I kept thinking about something one of my new friends here said. She is this wonderful woman who loves the Lord and truly lives out Christ. I look up to her and I'm so thankful that she is in my life.
Anyway on Thursday we both attend a bible group for spouses at Wycliffe hall and as a group we are going through Deuteronomy. The passage that we were focused on chapter 8 and specifically this verse, "And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
There is so much I could say about this simple verse but the one I want to focus on is that, "man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
There are many different interpretations that have come from this passage, some of these include; We as Christians need to live by God's word, we need our spiritual food." To actually lives more than just eating food. God humbles us and reminds us of his providence in our lives.
But yesterday my friend said, "Sometimes I think that we fill our lives with food when we are hungry because it's what we think we need but our deepest hunger is from our soul."
In other words, when we are hungry maybe it isn't that we are physically hungry but spiritually hungry. How many of us fill our lives with food, love food and think about food most of the day?
I asked myself this questions and through fasting yesterday and going through the motions on Thursday I came to the conclusion that food is a huge part of my life. I don't even really think about my spiritual hunger, But maybe my spiritual hunger is actually calling out to me instead of my physical hunger. Don't get me wrong I spend time in prayer, worship and reading the word on a daily basis but maybe when I'm hungry its not my stomach calling out to me. This verse is saying that we must live by God's word and that is our deepest hunger. When I read though this and see that God gave them manna which they did not know maybe its this type of food that fills us so much that we don't feel physically hungry.
Yesterday during the fast I found myself with so much time on my hands. I mean I love food and cooking and I think so much about what I'm going to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner that yesterday I had so much time on my hands that I didn't know what to do with it. It's not like I've never fasted before but before when I would fast I had a whole day of work and errands that preoccupied my mind, hands, and stomach. This was the first time that I just had a day of rest.
Perhaps you don't agree and maybe you already know this and somehow I think I knew this too but it was different hearing it from someone else.
In Taiwan and in the East specially more than the west I believe, food is a huge part of the culture. People love to eat and spend so much time eating in the East. I mean one of the most polite and caring things you can say to someone in Taiwan when you greet them is, "Have you eaten yet?"
In Taiwan I realized that we fill our lives with so much food that we are unable to hear our soul calling out to be fed by the one True God.
Everyone knows this verse and lives by it when they are fasting to hold on to God's word but what about when we aren't fasting. It isn't always about fasting and remember God's provision and how he fills our life but about listening carefully to our deepest desire which is Christ. We must really listen to our bodies and soul to really be fed the correct way rather than just reaching for the stick of celery again to see if that will satisfy our hunger.
Maybe its not my stomach that needs satisfying but my soul.
Some food for thought...literally.
Yes we were really hungry, we hadn't eat in 24 hours and had just finished our first fast together as a couple. There were a few reasons why we were fasting but thats not the point of this post.
Was I really starving? No, not even close, I hadn't had a meal for a day and I was already feeling faint. That's sad. I couldn't' help but think about all the people in the world who haven't even seen food in days and what their state of mind must be like. Throughout this process I kept thinking about something one of my new friends here said. She is this wonderful woman who loves the Lord and truly lives out Christ. I look up to her and I'm so thankful that she is in my life.
Anyway on Thursday we both attend a bible group for spouses at Wycliffe hall and as a group we are going through Deuteronomy. The passage that we were focused on chapter 8 and specifically this verse, "And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
There is so much I could say about this simple verse but the one I want to focus on is that, "man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
There are many different interpretations that have come from this passage, some of these include; We as Christians need to live by God's word, we need our spiritual food." To actually lives more than just eating food. God humbles us and reminds us of his providence in our lives.
But yesterday my friend said, "Sometimes I think that we fill our lives with food when we are hungry because it's what we think we need but our deepest hunger is from our soul."
In other words, when we are hungry maybe it isn't that we are physically hungry but spiritually hungry. How many of us fill our lives with food, love food and think about food most of the day?
I asked myself this questions and through fasting yesterday and going through the motions on Thursday I came to the conclusion that food is a huge part of my life. I don't even really think about my spiritual hunger, But maybe my spiritual hunger is actually calling out to me instead of my physical hunger. Don't get me wrong I spend time in prayer, worship and reading the word on a daily basis but maybe when I'm hungry its not my stomach calling out to me. This verse is saying that we must live by God's word and that is our deepest hunger. When I read though this and see that God gave them manna which they did not know maybe its this type of food that fills us so much that we don't feel physically hungry.
Yesterday during the fast I found myself with so much time on my hands. I mean I love food and cooking and I think so much about what I'm going to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner that yesterday I had so much time on my hands that I didn't know what to do with it. It's not like I've never fasted before but before when I would fast I had a whole day of work and errands that preoccupied my mind, hands, and stomach. This was the first time that I just had a day of rest.
Perhaps you don't agree and maybe you already know this and somehow I think I knew this too but it was different hearing it from someone else.
In Taiwan and in the East specially more than the west I believe, food is a huge part of the culture. People love to eat and spend so much time eating in the East. I mean one of the most polite and caring things you can say to someone in Taiwan when you greet them is, "Have you eaten yet?"
In Taiwan I realized that we fill our lives with so much food that we are unable to hear our soul calling out to be fed by the one True God.
Everyone knows this verse and lives by it when they are fasting to hold on to God's word but what about when we aren't fasting. It isn't always about fasting and remember God's provision and how he fills our life but about listening carefully to our deepest desire which is Christ. We must really listen to our bodies and soul to really be fed the correct way rather than just reaching for the stick of celery again to see if that will satisfy our hunger.
Maybe its not my stomach that needs satisfying but my soul.
Some food for thought...literally.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Prison MInistry
Jonas has a clear calling in his life and that is to minister to prisoners. He is thriving here in Oxford in ways I have never seen. He loves it here and one of the things that he loves to do is going to the prison for prison ministry. I have joined him twice and I really enjoy it. The guys there are incredible guys. They have changed their lives. You should hear their stories. The places they were before and the places they are now really puts into practice the idea of being born again.
I mean when I was "born again" I felt alive and struggling to shed my old skin but shouldn't it already be gone? At the prison these guys really see the effects of their sin and want change in their life. Some of the men there have questions and don't really know if Christ is the way but are willing to listen. They have so many good questions and some that I have hard time hearing.
This one guy said, "I have a hard time believing all of this but I know there has to be truth out there. What is the truth? How do I get it?"
The truth is, we've talked to him and he's been in prison a few times now and still doesn't get it. But you can see the desperation in his heart. He really wants to know God but I can see that he is scared and disappointed. There is something so broken about him that I can see more the grace of God on all people bad and worse.
Jonas always says to me that people in prison get sin more than people in the outside world. They sinned and got caught and they get it. Sharing with them that everyone is a sinner is easy for them to understand but I think grace is hard for them to accept. Their lives are really being changed by the gospel and its such a beautiful thing to see.
I don't ever want to forget the grace that God continues to give me in my broken life.
I am not skilled to understand what God has willed what God has planned. But I know that Jesus died for me and only through him can I be redeemed.
I mean when I was "born again" I felt alive and struggling to shed my old skin but shouldn't it already be gone? At the prison these guys really see the effects of their sin and want change in their life. Some of the men there have questions and don't really know if Christ is the way but are willing to listen. They have so many good questions and some that I have hard time hearing.
This one guy said, "I have a hard time believing all of this but I know there has to be truth out there. What is the truth? How do I get it?"
The truth is, we've talked to him and he's been in prison a few times now and still doesn't get it. But you can see the desperation in his heart. He really wants to know God but I can see that he is scared and disappointed. There is something so broken about him that I can see more the grace of God on all people bad and worse.
Jonas always says to me that people in prison get sin more than people in the outside world. They sinned and got caught and they get it. Sharing with them that everyone is a sinner is easy for them to understand but I think grace is hard for them to accept. Their lives are really being changed by the gospel and its such a beautiful thing to see.
I don't ever want to forget the grace that God continues to give me in my broken life.
I am not skilled to understand what God has willed what God has planned. But I know that Jesus died for me and only through him can I be redeemed.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Generational Sin
In Deut 5, Moses tells the Israelites that the covenant is with them (the current generation) and not with their ancestors when it was made with all of Israel.
I was thinking through this and wondering why he said that and I realised it because he wants to draw some distinctions from the past sin and the future.
The old generation sinned a great deal, they sinned so much that Moses was forbidden to go into the promise land because God was mad at Moses for their sin. And the old generation wasn't allowed in with the exception of one family but all the children were allowed in.
Moses is emphasising that the younger generation doesn't have to be like the older generation. They can start something new and be obedient to God's law as long as they remember all that God has done for them.
And then I started thinking of generational sin in my family. My dad's family is not Christian but my mom's side has been Christian for about 4 generation in Taiwan.
In my own family I can see how my parent's sin has affected me and how that has been passed down to me in a way.
For example my parents use to be manipulative. They played good cop bad cop, they gave us gifts and money expecting a lot in return and now even when they give me a gift I bend over backward to show them my appreciation.
But the main point is their manipulation. I realised that I am manipulative as well now. I'm very good at getting people to do things that I want them to do and I learned that from my parents. I can see how their influence in my life has caused me to do the same and I want to break away from that. But the other thing I realised is how much I lie. Growing up we got in trouble for lying and for telling the truth but most times telling a lie was safer than telling the truth. Even though the truth is suppose to set you free and my dad often said that telling the truth is better, somehow we were punished more for telling the truth then telling a lie so I instinctually started just lying. All my siblings are the same and I can see that I do this with my husband now too.
I've talked to him about it and shared with him my struggles and we pray about this but it's strange to think that even though my parents raised us to think differently and to always tell the truth, somehow their actions to telling the truth pushed me to become a impulsive liar. It's been a hard cycle to break but I know that God has called me to be honest and truthful in all things.
I don't know what the sins of my past to affect my relationships, family and life now. I am thankful that Christ has set us free from that and to walk into the newness of life. Praise God for that.
What sins do you struggle with because of your family?
I was thinking through this and wondering why he said that and I realised it because he wants to draw some distinctions from the past sin and the future.
The old generation sinned a great deal, they sinned so much that Moses was forbidden to go into the promise land because God was mad at Moses for their sin. And the old generation wasn't allowed in with the exception of one family but all the children were allowed in.
Moses is emphasising that the younger generation doesn't have to be like the older generation. They can start something new and be obedient to God's law as long as they remember all that God has done for them.
And then I started thinking of generational sin in my family. My dad's family is not Christian but my mom's side has been Christian for about 4 generation in Taiwan.
In my own family I can see how my parent's sin has affected me and how that has been passed down to me in a way.
For example my parents use to be manipulative. They played good cop bad cop, they gave us gifts and money expecting a lot in return and now even when they give me a gift I bend over backward to show them my appreciation.
But the main point is their manipulation. I realised that I am manipulative as well now. I'm very good at getting people to do things that I want them to do and I learned that from my parents. I can see how their influence in my life has caused me to do the same and I want to break away from that. But the other thing I realised is how much I lie. Growing up we got in trouble for lying and for telling the truth but most times telling a lie was safer than telling the truth. Even though the truth is suppose to set you free and my dad often said that telling the truth is better, somehow we were punished more for telling the truth then telling a lie so I instinctually started just lying. All my siblings are the same and I can see that I do this with my husband now too.
I've talked to him about it and shared with him my struggles and we pray about this but it's strange to think that even though my parents raised us to think differently and to always tell the truth, somehow their actions to telling the truth pushed me to become a impulsive liar. It's been a hard cycle to break but I know that God has called me to be honest and truthful in all things.
I don't know what the sins of my past to affect my relationships, family and life now. I am thankful that Christ has set us free from that and to walk into the newness of life. Praise God for that.
What sins do you struggle with because of your family?
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Evangelism VS Discipleship
On Friday night I went to a dinner party and met some pretty interesting people. The thing about Jonas' OCCA program is that most of the people in the program are interested in Apologetics/Evangelism while most of the people in just the Wycliffe program are interested in becoming priest for the church of England or something to that degree. On Friday I was sharing with people what my cousins' church in LA, Core Church LA has been doing and how "successful" they have been doing. Core Church LA is about three years old and has close to 1000 members. I shared that the Pastor there is very active in the community and encouraging the members of the church to invite friends to church. They are active in evangelism. I have been impressed with this church because I know that their heart is in the right place and not on the number and yet my audience was not impressed.
They were skeptical and asked many questions. What about follow up? What about ministry? Why must we always focus on the numbers?
My answer to the last question is this; the numbers do matter because sometimes it shows the faithfulness of the church. Yes, there are churches in the world that are great in numbers but they may not be biblical or faithful but in some cases it shows the faithfulness of the church. Even when we look in scripture we see numbers flying around. He added to their numbers daily, feeding the 5000, and he added thousands. I am sure that in every church that was planted during Acts the leadership knew how many members they had. They had to know for they lived in community with each other.
I don't want to just focus on the numbers but I was surprised by how unimpressed they were. Why weren't they excited about the growth of this church? Could they not see that the church loved God and was growing and that was something to be celebrated? It is if we as faithful bible believing Christians have become skeptical to churches that are huge and mega. I myself am one of them. I believe in simple church, I believe that the numbers don't matter but I don't want to forget to celebrate with those churches who are reaching the unreached and opening their doors to the lost.
The discussion quickly becomes about Evangelism VS Discipleship.
In many churches the two are separate and people either identify themselves as more of a evangelist or one who disciples. And I had to stop and think, "Why?" Why are they separate, did Jesus not live out both. Was he not proclaiming the gospel but also discipling. Evangelism and discipleship go together and yet we find that in the church they do not. In most churches one is stronger than the other or in most churches Evangelism is left to those outside the church, missionaries or mission organization. My question is, "Why do church members have to find a mission organization to be sent out?" Why isn't the church doing the sending? Did mission organization come to be because of the lack of sending in the church?
When I was pastoring I better understand the answers to these questions. There is a lot of discipling to do in a church. And there is a lot of busy work. Adding Evangelism and outreach to that quota almost seems impossible but it is necessary. The biblical truth is that we are all called to evangelism and discipleship. If we love God, then we should love the lost and the lost should be shared the good news so they can be discipled and go and share the good news as well.
We must stop separating these two callings and realize that they are the same calling. I believe that some are better equipped and may have better gifting in one or the other but that does not mean that you don't participate in the other. If you go to church and simply sit and listen to the sermon filling a seat than you are not participating in the work of the Kingdom of God. Church is not just a place that you go to get some good advice or encouragement but it is a state of being as well. A group of believers and a believer is someone that professes that God is Lord and saviour. When you profess these things and call yourself a believer, you are not merely at church but your state of "being' is changed. In Romans 10 it says, because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
They were skeptical and asked many questions. What about follow up? What about ministry? Why must we always focus on the numbers?
My answer to the last question is this; the numbers do matter because sometimes it shows the faithfulness of the church. Yes, there are churches in the world that are great in numbers but they may not be biblical or faithful but in some cases it shows the faithfulness of the church. Even when we look in scripture we see numbers flying around. He added to their numbers daily, feeding the 5000, and he added thousands. I am sure that in every church that was planted during Acts the leadership knew how many members they had. They had to know for they lived in community with each other.
I don't want to just focus on the numbers but I was surprised by how unimpressed they were. Why weren't they excited about the growth of this church? Could they not see that the church loved God and was growing and that was something to be celebrated? It is if we as faithful bible believing Christians have become skeptical to churches that are huge and mega. I myself am one of them. I believe in simple church, I believe that the numbers don't matter but I don't want to forget to celebrate with those churches who are reaching the unreached and opening their doors to the lost.
The discussion quickly becomes about Evangelism VS Discipleship.
In many churches the two are separate and people either identify themselves as more of a evangelist or one who disciples. And I had to stop and think, "Why?" Why are they separate, did Jesus not live out both. Was he not proclaiming the gospel but also discipling. Evangelism and discipleship go together and yet we find that in the church they do not. In most churches one is stronger than the other or in most churches Evangelism is left to those outside the church, missionaries or mission organization. My question is, "Why do church members have to find a mission organization to be sent out?" Why isn't the church doing the sending? Did mission organization come to be because of the lack of sending in the church?
When I was pastoring I better understand the answers to these questions. There is a lot of discipling to do in a church. And there is a lot of busy work. Adding Evangelism and outreach to that quota almost seems impossible but it is necessary. The biblical truth is that we are all called to evangelism and discipleship. If we love God, then we should love the lost and the lost should be shared the good news so they can be discipled and go and share the good news as well.
We must stop separating these two callings and realize that they are the same calling. I believe that some are better equipped and may have better gifting in one or the other but that does not mean that you don't participate in the other. If you go to church and simply sit and listen to the sermon filling a seat than you are not participating in the work of the Kingdom of God. Church is not just a place that you go to get some good advice or encouragement but it is a state of being as well. A group of believers and a believer is someone that professes that God is Lord and saviour. When you profess these things and call yourself a believer, you are not merely at church but your state of "being' is changed. In Romans 10 it says, because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
We must share the good news. Jesus called the believers to do this. The disciples were not simply in his presence. They believed he was and is the Son of God, messiah and redeemer and He called them to go and tell the world this good news of what they believe.
We must go and teach. Evangelize and disciple. It isn't one vs the other but one in the other.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Manual Labor
Growing up, I didn't participate a lot in any manual labor. I was more of an academic or at least my parents wanted me to be more academic. I wasn't actually more academic. I want to play and run but I had to sit and study. I don't think it worked out well for all parties but in the end I do appreciate all that my parents have given and sacrificed for my siblings and me.
Getting back to the point. Manual labor was something that I did every blue moon. When the branches from the trees needed to cleared or when the dishwasher needed to be emptied but it wasn't a common occurrence.
Now as an adult there is something about manual labor that I find some refreshing. Something about using the body that God created for me, us to do something. It makes me feel alive.
While in Norway, I participated in manual labor a lot. Jonas' family has a lot of land and his dad is always working so I asked him if he needed help. I ended up nailing things into a wooden play house, painting, and moving firewood from one location to another. It may not seem like much but it helped me get out of my comfort zone.
Since I grew up in the city I really didn't like anything rustic. I hated the feeling of dirt or dust on my skin. I hate bugs and I don't like messing up my attire.
Well while I was hammering nails or painting the house, there were spiders running around and dirt everywhere. When we were moving firewood there were so many bugs I think I screamed more than I have my entire life. And these are small spiders, but big spiders. Jonas and his father would laugh at me every time I ran away and screamed. The bugs didn't seem to faze them. They would pile wood in their arms and simply walk with the wood against the body.
I would take two pieces, two in each hand and carry it as far away from my body as possible.
It took a few hours for us to finish but at the end of it, I actually didn't care about the spiders anymore. I didn't care about the dust and dirt. It was just a part of the process and that part I had accepted. The bugs were probably more scared than I was and the dirt from the wood was also something God created.
I felt alive. I felt like my body was more than just a walking brain. Moving this firewood meant that we would be warm all winter. I really appreciate manual labor because it reminds me of grassroots living. A way of life that doesn't mean going to amazon and buying logs of firewood but it means going and chopping the wood, bringing it home and burning it ourselves We were created for so much more than just clicking and buying.
God is a worker. Jesus was a carpenter. He used his arms, hands and brain to create. We are his creation and he has given us arms, hands and brain to make this place a better place. To create a world that loves Him for his creation and his gifts that he has given us. We must use our hands and feet to create. Let us labor in the vineyard.
Getting back to the point. Manual labor was something that I did every blue moon. When the branches from the trees needed to cleared or when the dishwasher needed to be emptied but it wasn't a common occurrence.
Now as an adult there is something about manual labor that I find some refreshing. Something about using the body that God created for me, us to do something. It makes me feel alive.
While in Norway, I participated in manual labor a lot. Jonas' family has a lot of land and his dad is always working so I asked him if he needed help. I ended up nailing things into a wooden play house, painting, and moving firewood from one location to another. It may not seem like much but it helped me get out of my comfort zone.
Since I grew up in the city I really didn't like anything rustic. I hated the feeling of dirt or dust on my skin. I hate bugs and I don't like messing up my attire.
Well while I was hammering nails or painting the house, there were spiders running around and dirt everywhere. When we were moving firewood there were so many bugs I think I screamed more than I have my entire life. And these are small spiders, but big spiders. Jonas and his father would laugh at me every time I ran away and screamed. The bugs didn't seem to faze them. They would pile wood in their arms and simply walk with the wood against the body.
I would take two pieces, two in each hand and carry it as far away from my body as possible.
It took a few hours for us to finish but at the end of it, I actually didn't care about the spiders anymore. I didn't care about the dust and dirt. It was just a part of the process and that part I had accepted. The bugs were probably more scared than I was and the dirt from the wood was also something God created.
I felt alive. I felt like my body was more than just a walking brain. Moving this firewood meant that we would be warm all winter. I really appreciate manual labor because it reminds me of grassroots living. A way of life that doesn't mean going to amazon and buying logs of firewood but it means going and chopping the wood, bringing it home and burning it ourselves We were created for so much more than just clicking and buying.
God is a worker. Jesus was a carpenter. He used his arms, hands and brain to create. We are his creation and he has given us arms, hands and brain to make this place a better place. To create a world that loves Him for his creation and his gifts that he has given us. We must use our hands and feet to create. Let us labor in the vineyard.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Losing my Identity - wait who am I?
"I'm just his wife." I heard the words come out of my mouth before I could stop them. I was standing in the middle of the Wycliffe Hall bursar's office with four administrators surrounding me and those words came out of my mouth.
Kerstin, the office admin had asked me for my name. She said she needed all students names and I thought to myself, I am not a student, I am a student's wife.
Everyone laughed and one of the gentlemen simply said, "Surely you are more than his wife."
Since moving to Norway, I've slowly been losing my sense of self. Not to brag or anything but Jonas is pretty big deal where he lives. He preaches in many churches, people come to visit him, he works at a medical facility and has travelled all over the world teaching the Word. Who am I in Norway? Jonas' wife. I find myself caught between being polite and nodding along to wishing that I could speak Norwegian. (sometimes, other times its fun to have no idea whats going on)
Norway was this fantasy world for me. My days were filled with cooking amazing food, cleaning, walking the dog, sleeping, lounging about and leisurely making trips into town. I really enjoyed it for a while. But on the other side of that, the people I talked to the most were Jonas' family. I love Jonas' family but when you live with your husband's parents, there are only so many times you can talk about the weather. I want to be clear. Jonas' family is amazing. I love his parents and I really enjoy talking to them and spending time with them but I couldn't help but long for a friend outside of that circle. Someone I could hang out with and grow in relationship with.
In Norway no one knew who I was. It wasn't that people didn't care who I was, it was more that Jonas was in the spotlight. He was the one preaching so naturally people wanted to get to know him.
So who was I, his wife.
Since leaving home for college, I made friend quickly and everyone started to know who I was. Taiwanese- American violist, chef, tech geek, Christian extraordinaire. I was crazy and weird as many called me. I was Pattie Lee.
Then I moved to Portland and I was Monique's little sister but I quickly made friends again and everyone knew who I was. In Portland I was Pattie Lee - Seminarian, Apple Specialist, Social Justice activist, Taiwanese- American Christian. I was still crazy and weird. I was me.
Then I moved to Taiwan. That was extremely difficult and I prayed and prayed for someone to help me and guide me. I met Kate Britles. God appointed wonderful women of God that had the same heart I had and taught me so much about sharing the gospel in Taiwan. I went to EM SLPC and met Christians around my age that identified with being Taiwanese and not Chinese. These people understood my upbringing and what it meant to have Taiwanese parents. These people laughed with me and taught me Chinese and Taiwanese. They showed me that God loves Taiwan and the Taiwanese are God's people. In Taiwan I was Pattie Lee - Missionary/Evangelist, English Teacher, worship leader, minister, lover of the lost, Christian. And still crazy and weird.
The past 28 years have been about me. The Pattie show. My identity could be summed up in five words. Taiwanese-American, Christ follower, crazy, weird and tech-geek.
But now, its not about me. Its about a unit. Jonas and me. But technically right now, its about Jonas.
Jonas will be studying at Wycliffe hall, Oxford University and so he is the focus of where we go. People at the university know who he is. They didn't even know my name. People ask him how he is doing and if he needs help. I simply cook our meals, smile and nod.
Somedays I just want to yell at the top of my lungs, "But I am important, I am accomplished, I am more than just a housewife." Somedays I want people to ask me what I've done with my life and I want to hand them a complete resume to show them just how much God has done in my life.
In Oxford, I am Jonas' wife; polite, quiet and a good cook. That's it. That doesn't sound like me.
It's been a struggle and yesterday as I was pondering these things I thought about Christ. What about Jesus? While in heaven, He was king. He was God. He had a kingdom of angels singing His praises. And He left. He left to die for the world. The world that God created and the world that rejected Him. While He was on earth, He told people who He was in few words and demonstrated His divine nature but people didn't care. They didn't believe Him. They mocked Him, ridiculed Him, and plotted against Him. His own people didn't know who he was. A king without a crown. A king that rode a donkey and had a tax collector for a friend/disciple. A king without his throne.
His identity was lost. But Jesus didn't throw a fit and demand recognition and praise. He knew exactly who He was and where His kingdom was. He knew why He was on earth and He climbed that mountain. He was there to serve and heal the sick. He was crucified for our sake. He was there to restore. In the end He was placed in His rightful place at the right hand of God.
Jesus' identity may have been lost on those around Him, but it was never lost on Him. So maybe in Oxford people won't really know who I am but I know who I am in Christ.
I'm Pattie Lee, Servant of God, Lover of Christ, Taiwanese-American and still crazy and weird.
Kerstin, the office admin had asked me for my name. She said she needed all students names and I thought to myself, I am not a student, I am a student's wife.
Everyone laughed and one of the gentlemen simply said, "Surely you are more than his wife."
Since moving to Norway, I've slowly been losing my sense of self. Not to brag or anything but Jonas is pretty big deal where he lives. He preaches in many churches, people come to visit him, he works at a medical facility and has travelled all over the world teaching the Word. Who am I in Norway? Jonas' wife. I find myself caught between being polite and nodding along to wishing that I could speak Norwegian. (sometimes, other times its fun to have no idea whats going on)
Norway was this fantasy world for me. My days were filled with cooking amazing food, cleaning, walking the dog, sleeping, lounging about and leisurely making trips into town. I really enjoyed it for a while. But on the other side of that, the people I talked to the most were Jonas' family. I love Jonas' family but when you live with your husband's parents, there are only so many times you can talk about the weather. I want to be clear. Jonas' family is amazing. I love his parents and I really enjoy talking to them and spending time with them but I couldn't help but long for a friend outside of that circle. Someone I could hang out with and grow in relationship with.
In Norway no one knew who I was. It wasn't that people didn't care who I was, it was more that Jonas was in the spotlight. He was the one preaching so naturally people wanted to get to know him.
So who was I, his wife.
Since leaving home for college, I made friend quickly and everyone started to know who I was. Taiwanese- American violist, chef, tech geek, Christian extraordinaire. I was crazy and weird as many called me. I was Pattie Lee.
Then I moved to Portland and I was Monique's little sister but I quickly made friends again and everyone knew who I was. In Portland I was Pattie Lee - Seminarian, Apple Specialist, Social Justice activist, Taiwanese- American Christian. I was still crazy and weird. I was me.
Then I moved to Taiwan. That was extremely difficult and I prayed and prayed for someone to help me and guide me. I met Kate Britles. God appointed wonderful women of God that had the same heart I had and taught me so much about sharing the gospel in Taiwan. I went to EM SLPC and met Christians around my age that identified with being Taiwanese and not Chinese. These people understood my upbringing and what it meant to have Taiwanese parents. These people laughed with me and taught me Chinese and Taiwanese. They showed me that God loves Taiwan and the Taiwanese are God's people. In Taiwan I was Pattie Lee - Missionary/Evangelist, English Teacher, worship leader, minister, lover of the lost, Christian. And still crazy and weird.
The past 28 years have been about me. The Pattie show. My identity could be summed up in five words. Taiwanese-American, Christ follower, crazy, weird and tech-geek.
But now, its not about me. Its about a unit. Jonas and me. But technically right now, its about Jonas.
Jonas will be studying at Wycliffe hall, Oxford University and so he is the focus of where we go. People at the university know who he is. They didn't even know my name. People ask him how he is doing and if he needs help. I simply cook our meals, smile and nod.
Somedays I just want to yell at the top of my lungs, "But I am important, I am accomplished, I am more than just a housewife." Somedays I want people to ask me what I've done with my life and I want to hand them a complete resume to show them just how much God has done in my life.
In Oxford, I am Jonas' wife; polite, quiet and a good cook. That's it. That doesn't sound like me.
It's been a struggle and yesterday as I was pondering these things I thought about Christ. What about Jesus? While in heaven, He was king. He was God. He had a kingdom of angels singing His praises. And He left. He left to die for the world. The world that God created and the world that rejected Him. While He was on earth, He told people who He was in few words and demonstrated His divine nature but people didn't care. They didn't believe Him. They mocked Him, ridiculed Him, and plotted against Him. His own people didn't know who he was. A king without a crown. A king that rode a donkey and had a tax collector for a friend/disciple. A king without his throne.
His identity was lost. But Jesus didn't throw a fit and demand recognition and praise. He knew exactly who He was and where His kingdom was. He knew why He was on earth and He climbed that mountain. He was there to serve and heal the sick. He was crucified for our sake. He was there to restore. In the end He was placed in His rightful place at the right hand of God.
Jesus' identity may have been lost on those around Him, but it was never lost on Him. So maybe in Oxford people won't really know who I am but I know who I am in Christ.
I'm Pattie Lee, Servant of God, Lover of Christ, Taiwanese-American and still crazy and weird.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Traveling around London as a newly married couple
Jonas and I have been married for almost two months. Our two month anniversary is October 2nd. Perhaps it doesn't seem like a big deal but it is to us. We spent the greater part of our relationship apart. The longest we spent together in the same city was probably 6 months. But we didn't always see each other everyday and we both had very busy lives.
Now that we have moved to Oxford, we spend every minute of every hour of every day together. We don't argue as much as I thought we would but we do get a little annoyed by each other. For example Jonas bites his nails which drives me crazy. But I tend to clean and clean all the time. We have been in Oxford for exactly one week and I've swept the floor five days out of the seven. I've also picked things off the floor and wiped down all the counters after every single meal. I've vacuumed twice and organised the refrigerator twice. As you can see we both have our faults.
The thing we've come to realise is how different each of us communicates. It really is like we are speaking two completely different languages.
For example yesterday in London I was feeling a little bummed because we didn't get a chance to try out a food cart called "Roast to go" in London. They were open on Saturday but not on Sunday. Jonas and I had plans on Saturday and he really wanted to go to the British Library and Museum fearing that we wouldn't have enough time on Sunday since we were heading back on Sunday.
After moping around for a few hours after church on Sunday I shared with Jonas why I just wasn't in the best mood.
He felt badly about it and said I could find a restaurant now and we would go eat anything I wanted. It was a bit difficult because I didn't have access to internet but I tried my best to find a good place to eat. In the end we chose a Lebanese restaurant and Jonas commented on the high price of the restaurant. (I actually choose the one of the cheaper options in London) But once he said that I got really upset. He didn't understand. For Jonas he felt that we were getting the food I wanted and there was no reason for me to be upset.
I explained to him that I was already upset that I didn't get to go to the restaurant I wanted but now the place I chose was too expensive. We could have easily gone to the museum and library on Sunday and gone to the restaurant on Saturday but all he wanted to do was go to museum and library on Saturday even after I told him that the restaurant would only be open on Saturday.
He still didn't understand. He said I was being unreasonable and to him, food is food, he doesn't care if its good and as long as we got to eat now what difference did that make. We basically talked in circles because he couldn't understand where I was coming from and I felt like he wasn't even listening to me.
After our terrible lunch experience (the food was good, our conversation was not) we got on the bus back to Oxford and I was left wondering, "What a complete waste of conversation." Of course I wanted Jonas to see what the big deal was but what was there to complain about. We were in London and having a great time. There are many people suffering without food and all I wanted was to have my pick of the best food. To Jonas he wanted the best books and a tour of the best museum in the world and there are people in the world who would give anything to read a book or be given an opportunity to learn how to read.
I can't help but be reminded of what Jesus talks about when he shares about the least of these. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:31-46 Matthes 25:31-46.
I want to remember how Christ has called us to live. This scripture is not simply about treating the least of these well but also putting our desires down to remember the least of these. It is a two way street. Self forgetfulness and inviting those who have less into our lives to act as a reminder to be thankful for all we have.
It was a great trip. Here is a video if you wish to take a glimpse into our weekend.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10101409864187967&set=vb.30608405&type=2&theater
Now that we have moved to Oxford, we spend every minute of every hour of every day together. We don't argue as much as I thought we would but we do get a little annoyed by each other. For example Jonas bites his nails which drives me crazy. But I tend to clean and clean all the time. We have been in Oxford for exactly one week and I've swept the floor five days out of the seven. I've also picked things off the floor and wiped down all the counters after every single meal. I've vacuumed twice and organised the refrigerator twice. As you can see we both have our faults.
The thing we've come to realise is how different each of us communicates. It really is like we are speaking two completely different languages.
For example yesterday in London I was feeling a little bummed because we didn't get a chance to try out a food cart called "Roast to go" in London. They were open on Saturday but not on Sunday. Jonas and I had plans on Saturday and he really wanted to go to the British Library and Museum fearing that we wouldn't have enough time on Sunday since we were heading back on Sunday.
After moping around for a few hours after church on Sunday I shared with Jonas why I just wasn't in the best mood.
He felt badly about it and said I could find a restaurant now and we would go eat anything I wanted. It was a bit difficult because I didn't have access to internet but I tried my best to find a good place to eat. In the end we chose a Lebanese restaurant and Jonas commented on the high price of the restaurant. (I actually choose the one of the cheaper options in London) But once he said that I got really upset. He didn't understand. For Jonas he felt that we were getting the food I wanted and there was no reason for me to be upset.
I explained to him that I was already upset that I didn't get to go to the restaurant I wanted but now the place I chose was too expensive. We could have easily gone to the museum and library on Sunday and gone to the restaurant on Saturday but all he wanted to do was go to museum and library on Saturday even after I told him that the restaurant would only be open on Saturday.
He still didn't understand. He said I was being unreasonable and to him, food is food, he doesn't care if its good and as long as we got to eat now what difference did that make. We basically talked in circles because he couldn't understand where I was coming from and I felt like he wasn't even listening to me.
After our terrible lunch experience (the food was good, our conversation was not) we got on the bus back to Oxford and I was left wondering, "What a complete waste of conversation." Of course I wanted Jonas to see what the big deal was but what was there to complain about. We were in London and having a great time. There are many people suffering without food and all I wanted was to have my pick of the best food. To Jonas he wanted the best books and a tour of the best museum in the world and there are people in the world who would give anything to read a book or be given an opportunity to learn how to read.
I can't help but be reminded of what Jesus talks about when he shares about the least of these. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:31-46 Matthes 25:31-46.
I want to remember how Christ has called us to live. This scripture is not simply about treating the least of these well but also putting our desires down to remember the least of these. It is a two way street. Self forgetfulness and inviting those who have less into our lives to act as a reminder to be thankful for all we have.
It was a great trip. Here is a video if you wish to take a glimpse into our weekend.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10101409864187967&set=vb.30608405&type=2&theater
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Is this real life?
Here is a quick rundown of the crazy-ness that has been my life for the best few months.
July 14- was my last day in Taiwan as a missionary/pastor though I will continue to be a missionary wherever I go.
August 2- I married the most wonderful God-fearing, smart Norwegian man I have ever met.
August 11- I went to the states to see my new baby nephew Gabriel and miss him so much.
September 21 - Jonas and I moved to Oxford, England UK. Jonas will be studying at Wycliffe Hall Oxford University.
Today I wrote in my blog. The best month I have had an amazing time cooking and being a domestic goddess in Norway. It was a great time to relax and take it easy. Thankful for that time but excited to see what God will do next!
July 14- was my last day in Taiwan as a missionary/pastor though I will continue to be a missionary wherever I go.
August 2- I married the most wonderful God-fearing, smart Norwegian man I have ever met.
August 11- I went to the states to see my new baby nephew Gabriel and miss him so much.
September 21 - Jonas and I moved to Oxford, England UK. Jonas will be studying at Wycliffe Hall Oxford University.
Today I wrote in my blog. The best month I have had an amazing time cooking and being a domestic goddess in Norway. It was a great time to relax and take it easy. Thankful for that time but excited to see what God will do next!
Friday, January 10, 2014
Couch Potato Social Justice
I remember when "Kony 2012" came out. My Facebook "feed" was blowing up with messages and postings of "Kony 2012." Everyone was jumping on the bandwagon. I had friends buying wrist bracelets.
For those that don't know or don't remember "Kony 2012" was a video created and marketed by the organization Invisible Children. Taken from their website verbatim this is what Invisible Children is all about.
From: invisiblechildren.com (Free feel to visit the website and learn more about the work they are doing)
For those that don't know or don't remember "Kony 2012" was a video created and marketed by the organization Invisible Children. Taken from their website verbatim this is what Invisible Children is all about.
From: invisiblechildren.com (Free feel to visit the website and learn more about the work they are doing)
STORY
Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army have been abducting, killing, and displacing civilians in East and central Africa since 1987. We first encountered these atrocities in northern Uganda in 2003 when we met a boy named Jacob who feared for his life and a woman named Jolly who had a vision for a better future. Together, we promised Jacob that we would do whatever we could to stop Joseph Kony and the LRA. Invisible Children was founded in 2004 to fulfill that promise.
MODEL
Invisible Children focuses exclusively on the LRA conflict through an integrated four-part model that addresses the problem in its entirety: immediate needs and long-term effects.
I heard about Invisible Children probably around 2006. I believe they are doing great work. I support their work.When Kony 2012 came out everyone I knew was talking about it. It was all over the news and people were pumped about this new campaign. I was happy that people were pumped by it but disappointed by what I saw.
Couch Potato Social Justice or as my Professor calls its, "trickle down social justice."
Its a way for people to think they are making a difference by clicking a button and buying a wrist bracelet. It is a way for young adults such as myself to feel important and necessary in the fight against social injustice by watching a five-minute video and check their "good deed" off for the year.
I remember what I said to my fiance when Kony 2012 went viral. I said to him, "In six months, no one will remember, no one will be talking about this and they won't catch Joseph Kony because this isn't the way to do it."
Now I don't know how to catch Joseph Kony but I know its not going to be through a video asking people to help join the cause by sharing this video on their choice of social media.
Its 2014. Have you caught him? Are people still talking about Kony 2012? No. Unfortunately no. But from this video maybe a few people joined in the actual effort, left their jobs and starting working for invisible children. From this video more children were rescued and maybe awareness was heighten for a brief second.
My problem with couch potato social justice is that it allows people to dabble in the fight against social injustice while continuing to indulge their lives in the very things that cause social injustice. We say we want to fight for better wages and yet you continue to eat/shop/spend in places where people aren't getting a fair wage. You say you want to help the poor and needy but you walk past the homeless man and you don't even dare to invite this man for a bite to eat to get to know him, hear his story and find out the best way to help him. You say you want to stop human trafficking yet you eat chocolate that was harvested by victims of human trafficking on the ivory coast.
What is your couch potato social justice doing other than making you look like a "good person." In the end its about you. Whats socially just about that?
I am far from the shining example of someone walking the path of social justice but I know this much....
The answer to social injustice: Love Jesus, love yourself, love your neighbor.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
I love my life!
I LOVE MY LIFE. I hope you don't think that I'm rubbing it in your face but lately I have been filled with so much joy in my life that I can barely stand it. Now you have to understand a few things about me. Some that you won't like and some where you might feel sorry for me.
I grew up in Bakersfield, CA and my mom stayed at home to take of the kids while my dad worked. My dad is a doctor. Yes he made lots of money and yes we never really worried so much about money. Although I will argue that my dad worried about money often and constantly taught us to save our money. One of his favorite phrases, "A penny is money too." My parents never showed off their wealth and to be honest, up until I left for college I thought that we always had money problems. The way my parents argued and the way they constantly told us we didn't have money, we couldn't afford that new toy and don't waste anything.
I actually remember this one time when I was probably six or seven years old and my dad sat us all down to talk about our monthly allowance. He went through math equations, graphs, and statistics to show us how much tax we had to pay on our monthly allowance. My sister and I ended up getting about $2.50 a month after taxes. I remember staring at my dad, extremely confused and afraid of math.
I always went to church and my parents were pretty good about getting us to youth groups and bible studies. While we didn't have much of a life outside of constant studying, tutors, and music classes we did have a church life.
My parents believed in discipline. But the kind where you take a stick and beat the kid for bringing home a report card with a B on it. So to say the least, I was always afraid of my parents. We were always hit at home and even my older siblings would compare punishment with my twin and me. Apparently they got the worse type of spanking/beating/hitting/whipping whatever you want to call it but I never believed them because how much worse could it be? I'm not angry at my parents for this. As a child I was sad and had an unhealthy comprehension of love but now that I am older I know that my parents only did what their parents did. How many people are ready to be parents when the time comes? No one can know for sure the best way to raise a kid and I can't fault my parents for their mistakes.
With that being said I always believed in God. God was safe and loving. He was never angry at me for my bad grades and loved me even was I did something bad, as long as I confessed it to him. God was very real to me and his love was very real to me. But I still didn't understand love. I know God's love. But human love was corrupt in a way. When I arrived at college, love was even more corrupt. I did things I am not proud of...things have happened to me that should never happen to anyone. And I made decisions that I have to live with for the rest of my life. I would never ever wish them on anyone. I chose the crappy way, the bad way, the coward's way out. These things ruined my life for a good part of four years. I went to counseling to work it out and I became closer to people who helped me through it by displaying God's love. It was a terrible dark hole so believe me when I say I know what its like to be on the other side. Joy didn't exist. Love was corrupted. And my values, ideals, and morals were even more tainted. I think my biggest down fall and stumbling block was my incorrect view of love. I completely destroyed the true definition of love and replaced it with something superficial and terrible.
The reason why I can say I love my life now is because the "love" that caused so many problems for me in the past (because it wasn't biblical love), now only creates joy and life (because its biblical). Since I started living in Taiwan and serving God I understand more and more what Jesus was talking about when he asked Peter if he loved Jesus. I understand more what John 3:16 is about. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. It hasn't always been easy but walking around, sharing the gospel, and loving God's people brings me so much joy. I don't even get paid to do it and it brings me more joy than any job I've ever had. And I have had some amazing jobs. Working for International Justice Mission is pretty high on the list. Knowing that I get to wake up every morning to pray and sing songs of worship to God as I prepare to do His work brings a smile to my face. There isn't a day that's gone by where I don't think to myself, "Man, I love my life." I also don't want you to think that all I do is walk around and talk to people. I do teach to make an income. I am a tent maker if you will. My first job is to spread the gospel, to be in mission but a girls gotta eat.
It's the best life ever, when we walk the path that God has prepared for us. Nothing but love. God's love.
I grew up in Bakersfield, CA and my mom stayed at home to take of the kids while my dad worked. My dad is a doctor. Yes he made lots of money and yes we never really worried so much about money. Although I will argue that my dad worried about money often and constantly taught us to save our money. One of his favorite phrases, "A penny is money too." My parents never showed off their wealth and to be honest, up until I left for college I thought that we always had money problems. The way my parents argued and the way they constantly told us we didn't have money, we couldn't afford that new toy and don't waste anything.
I actually remember this one time when I was probably six or seven years old and my dad sat us all down to talk about our monthly allowance. He went through math equations, graphs, and statistics to show us how much tax we had to pay on our monthly allowance. My sister and I ended up getting about $2.50 a month after taxes. I remember staring at my dad, extremely confused and afraid of math.
I always went to church and my parents were pretty good about getting us to youth groups and bible studies. While we didn't have much of a life outside of constant studying, tutors, and music classes we did have a church life.
My parents believed in discipline. But the kind where you take a stick and beat the kid for bringing home a report card with a B on it. So to say the least, I was always afraid of my parents. We were always hit at home and even my older siblings would compare punishment with my twin and me. Apparently they got the worse type of spanking/beating/hitting/whipping whatever you want to call it but I never believed them because how much worse could it be? I'm not angry at my parents for this. As a child I was sad and had an unhealthy comprehension of love but now that I am older I know that my parents only did what their parents did. How many people are ready to be parents when the time comes? No one can know for sure the best way to raise a kid and I can't fault my parents for their mistakes.
With that being said I always believed in God. God was safe and loving. He was never angry at me for my bad grades and loved me even was I did something bad, as long as I confessed it to him. God was very real to me and his love was very real to me. But I still didn't understand love. I know God's love. But human love was corrupt in a way. When I arrived at college, love was even more corrupt. I did things I am not proud of...things have happened to me that should never happen to anyone. And I made decisions that I have to live with for the rest of my life. I would never ever wish them on anyone. I chose the crappy way, the bad way, the coward's way out. These things ruined my life for a good part of four years. I went to counseling to work it out and I became closer to people who helped me through it by displaying God's love. It was a terrible dark hole so believe me when I say I know what its like to be on the other side. Joy didn't exist. Love was corrupted. And my values, ideals, and morals were even more tainted. I think my biggest down fall and stumbling block was my incorrect view of love. I completely destroyed the true definition of love and replaced it with something superficial and terrible.
The reason why I can say I love my life now is because the "love" that caused so many problems for me in the past (because it wasn't biblical love), now only creates joy and life (because its biblical). Since I started living in Taiwan and serving God I understand more and more what Jesus was talking about when he asked Peter if he loved Jesus. I understand more what John 3:16 is about. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. It hasn't always been easy but walking around, sharing the gospel, and loving God's people brings me so much joy. I don't even get paid to do it and it brings me more joy than any job I've ever had. And I have had some amazing jobs. Working for International Justice Mission is pretty high on the list. Knowing that I get to wake up every morning to pray and sing songs of worship to God as I prepare to do His work brings a smile to my face. There isn't a day that's gone by where I don't think to myself, "Man, I love my life." I also don't want you to think that all I do is walk around and talk to people. I do teach to make an income. I am a tent maker if you will. My first job is to spread the gospel, to be in mission but a girls gotta eat.
It's the best life ever, when we walk the path that God has prepared for us. Nothing but love. God's love.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Her name is Whitney
I have been working at a Taiwanese at-risk youth center for almost two years now. I love working with these kids not because I think that I am changing their lives but because all of them don't act as if their lives are terrible. They don't play the pity card.
I teach these kids English and they work hard. Well most of them do. Some of them have given up on learning the language and attend the class because all their friends are in the class. I have gotten to know each of them and if you only just met them in school you would think they were just regular kids.
They are regular kids. They listen to hip-hop, they dance, the scream, they trash-talk, they love their friendships and they love McDonalds. But some of them shoulder more responsibility than some 30 year olds I know. Some have had to deal with things far beyond their emotional capacity and yet they manage. I love these kids and as some have come and gone and new kids have showed up seemingly out of the blue, I dread the day that will be my last with many of them.
There is one new girl. Her name is Whitney. She looks no bigger than a six year old but she is actually eight. She carries this enormous backpack and has a cell phone for emergencies. She is new to my English class and to the center. She is shy and quiet, but smart and quick. Her English ability is better than half of my class and yet she constantly demeans herself and lacks any self-confidence.
Since we started the new semester two weeks ago, I have been walking her half-way home. I enjoy this time with her. I get to know her outside of the classroom and I also get to make sure she gets home safe, at least part of the way.
I found out she has a little sister that is five years old that stays at home. When I asked her who watches her little sister, she didn't have an answer. She doesn't know what kind of work her parents do and she never knows when they come home or leave the house. She goes to school by herself, goes to the youth center when its open after school, and then takes the public bus to as close as home as possible and walks the rest of the way.
The center closes at 8 pm and after a 10 minute bus ride, she has to walk about 15 minutes to get home. I walk with her about 5 minutes of the way but the rest of the way she is on her own. I can't help but feel a tightness in my throat whenever we go our separate ways. I offer to go with her but she refuses.
She is a responsible, smart, disciplined young girl. With no sense of a clear upbringing I cant help but wonder where this sense of responsibility comes from. Perhaps it comes from the lack of responsibility at home or the necessity to care for her little sister when she is home.
Whatever the reasons I admire her. I hope that I can be the best teacher for her because she along with all the other kids I work with, are the best kids I know.
Please lift them up in your prayers when you remember.
I teach these kids English and they work hard. Well most of them do. Some of them have given up on learning the language and attend the class because all their friends are in the class. I have gotten to know each of them and if you only just met them in school you would think they were just regular kids.
They are regular kids. They listen to hip-hop, they dance, the scream, they trash-talk, they love their friendships and they love McDonalds. But some of them shoulder more responsibility than some 30 year olds I know. Some have had to deal with things far beyond their emotional capacity and yet they manage. I love these kids and as some have come and gone and new kids have showed up seemingly out of the blue, I dread the day that will be my last with many of them.
There is one new girl. Her name is Whitney. She looks no bigger than a six year old but she is actually eight. She carries this enormous backpack and has a cell phone for emergencies. She is new to my English class and to the center. She is shy and quiet, but smart and quick. Her English ability is better than half of my class and yet she constantly demeans herself and lacks any self-confidence.
Since we started the new semester two weeks ago, I have been walking her half-way home. I enjoy this time with her. I get to know her outside of the classroom and I also get to make sure she gets home safe, at least part of the way.
I found out she has a little sister that is five years old that stays at home. When I asked her who watches her little sister, she didn't have an answer. She doesn't know what kind of work her parents do and she never knows when they come home or leave the house. She goes to school by herself, goes to the youth center when its open after school, and then takes the public bus to as close as home as possible and walks the rest of the way.
The center closes at 8 pm and after a 10 minute bus ride, she has to walk about 15 minutes to get home. I walk with her about 5 minutes of the way but the rest of the way she is on her own. I can't help but feel a tightness in my throat whenever we go our separate ways. I offer to go with her but she refuses.
She is a responsible, smart, disciplined young girl. With no sense of a clear upbringing I cant help but wonder where this sense of responsibility comes from. Perhaps it comes from the lack of responsibility at home or the necessity to care for her little sister when she is home.
Whatever the reasons I admire her. I hope that I can be the best teacher for her because she along with all the other kids I work with, are the best kids I know.
Please lift them up in your prayers when you remember.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
My first prophecy
As some of you know I was in Norway for three weeks in September. I went there for two reasons. I needed some time off and I needed to see my fiancé Jonas Stava. Jonas left for Norway back in May and I hadn't seen him in almost four months.
While my time in Norway was relaxing and fun, I also had the chance to share and meet with people who wanted to hear about my ministry. I shared in a few different small groups and bible groups as well as two different churches. I also got to know Jonas' family more. I had a wonderful time bonding with his sister and her kids as well as his parents. They are wonderful God-fearing people that I admire so much. I enjoyed my time in Norway and I look forward to going back.
One specific thing I want to share is a prophecy that someone I'd never met before shared with me. Towards the ladder end of my trip Jonas and I went to meet his former spiritual mentor. This man is partially responsible for leading Jonas back to Christ. We went to pick him up but he wasn't ready to leave yet. Jonas' spiritual mentor's name is Olga. Olga was meeting with an old teacher of his that had a really bad fall. She was in need of prayer and healing. They mainly spoke in Norwegian so I quietly sat on the couch and played with my phone, editing pictures and updating my calendar. I could understand maybe 20% of what they were saying but other than that I was lost. After about an hour of conversation Jonas said that we could leave.
As we got up to leave the old lady looked at me and said in clear English, "Wait, I think I have something for you." I didn't know what to say. It was sudden and unexpected and loud. (she was a fairly small woman) I just stood there afraid to do anything for fear that I would disrupt the message she was receiving from God.
She prayed briefly to herself and opened her eyes saying, "Don't look behind you, don't look in the past. Look ahead. Look forward. God is with you and he will protect you." She paused again, then started to say, "You're life will be difficult. You will be on a winding path with many turns and curves. You're path will not be straight and wide. It will be narrow and sometimes dangerous but don't be afraid. You will reach your goal." Then she said, "I will be with you as you walk down the path I will send my angels concerning you. Do not be afraid."
Half way through the prophecy I was already extremely emotional. No one had ever shared an actual prophecy with me before. Some people have said to me, "Pattie, you will do amazing things one day." "Pattie, I know God has something big for you." I never know if I believe it. I just want to live for God. But I have never experienced anything like this.
I haven't shared this with many people but before I left for Norway I was seriously thinking and praying about my relationship with Jonas. (If Jonas was the right person for me.) I had my parents' voice in the back of my head and my love for Taiwan in the front. Jonas is still in school and it looks like God's plan for him is to be in school for some time. I don't believe Jonas will stay in Norway but I believe God will lead him to many different places and countries, giving him different experiences and cultures. In other words, it would take a few years before we head back to Taiwan. I was doubtful that we would go back to Taiwan and the fear of not coming back to Taiwan scared me. A few people were praying for me and giving me words of encouragement but nothing really stuck in my brain. All I did hear was, "Just stay with Jonas, trust in me." But then that voice would be drown out by my parent's voice and my own fears/desires.
In Norway, Jonas and I talked and prayed. His parents and I talked and prayed. I thought and prayed. I think I always knew that Jonas was the person God had for me but so many factors that I hadn't anticipated pointed away from him. Until I met this lady.
There is no doubt in my mind that what she shared with me was directly from God using her as a loud speaker in my life. What she said aligned with everything I was struggling with and praying about. My goal is to be in Taiwan and my path to get there won't be easy or straight. My paren's are in the back of my mind as I look in the past instead of the future. I never thought I would come face to face with a prophecy about my life. Simple but to the point. Just enough for me to understand and submit to God's will.
After she shared so abruptly with me, a sense of peace, love and joy washed over me. I wasn't afraid anymore and all the things that I knew God was telling me made sense.
I may never see her again but Ruth, if you ever read this; Thank you.
And thanks be to God.
While my time in Norway was relaxing and fun, I also had the chance to share and meet with people who wanted to hear about my ministry. I shared in a few different small groups and bible groups as well as two different churches. I also got to know Jonas' family more. I had a wonderful time bonding with his sister and her kids as well as his parents. They are wonderful God-fearing people that I admire so much. I enjoyed my time in Norway and I look forward to going back.
One specific thing I want to share is a prophecy that someone I'd never met before shared with me. Towards the ladder end of my trip Jonas and I went to meet his former spiritual mentor. This man is partially responsible for leading Jonas back to Christ. We went to pick him up but he wasn't ready to leave yet. Jonas' spiritual mentor's name is Olga. Olga was meeting with an old teacher of his that had a really bad fall. She was in need of prayer and healing. They mainly spoke in Norwegian so I quietly sat on the couch and played with my phone, editing pictures and updating my calendar. I could understand maybe 20% of what they were saying but other than that I was lost. After about an hour of conversation Jonas said that we could leave.
As we got up to leave the old lady looked at me and said in clear English, "Wait, I think I have something for you." I didn't know what to say. It was sudden and unexpected and loud. (she was a fairly small woman) I just stood there afraid to do anything for fear that I would disrupt the message she was receiving from God.
She prayed briefly to herself and opened her eyes saying, "Don't look behind you, don't look in the past. Look ahead. Look forward. God is with you and he will protect you." She paused again, then started to say, "You're life will be difficult. You will be on a winding path with many turns and curves. You're path will not be straight and wide. It will be narrow and sometimes dangerous but don't be afraid. You will reach your goal." Then she said, "I will be with you as you walk down the path I will send my angels concerning you. Do not be afraid."
Half way through the prophecy I was already extremely emotional. No one had ever shared an actual prophecy with me before. Some people have said to me, "Pattie, you will do amazing things one day." "Pattie, I know God has something big for you." I never know if I believe it. I just want to live for God. But I have never experienced anything like this.
I haven't shared this with many people but before I left for Norway I was seriously thinking and praying about my relationship with Jonas. (If Jonas was the right person for me.) I had my parents' voice in the back of my head and my love for Taiwan in the front. Jonas is still in school and it looks like God's plan for him is to be in school for some time. I don't believe Jonas will stay in Norway but I believe God will lead him to many different places and countries, giving him different experiences and cultures. In other words, it would take a few years before we head back to Taiwan. I was doubtful that we would go back to Taiwan and the fear of not coming back to Taiwan scared me. A few people were praying for me and giving me words of encouragement but nothing really stuck in my brain. All I did hear was, "Just stay with Jonas, trust in me." But then that voice would be drown out by my parent's voice and my own fears/desires.
In Norway, Jonas and I talked and prayed. His parents and I talked and prayed. I thought and prayed. I think I always knew that Jonas was the person God had for me but so many factors that I hadn't anticipated pointed away from him. Until I met this lady.
There is no doubt in my mind that what she shared with me was directly from God using her as a loud speaker in my life. What she said aligned with everything I was struggling with and praying about. My goal is to be in Taiwan and my path to get there won't be easy or straight. My paren's are in the back of my mind as I look in the past instead of the future. I never thought I would come face to face with a prophecy about my life. Simple but to the point. Just enough for me to understand and submit to God's will.
After she shared so abruptly with me, a sense of peace, love and joy washed over me. I wasn't afraid anymore and all the things that I knew God was telling me made sense.
I may never see her again but Ruth, if you ever read this; Thank you.
And thanks be to God.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Overhaul
Wow, I haven't updated my blog in so many years. Its been a crazy few years and I am happy to report that everything is great. I moved to Taiwan to serve the Lord and not only am I amazed by his faithfulness every single day, I also get to see His great work and glory in the lives of people that don't know him. I am excited to share that my blog will be updated regularly about the details of what God is doing in Taiwan. I am excited to get to blogging again and share with my few readers that I am doing and invite them to pray for me and for Taiwan.
This blog is going to be overhauled and we start fresh. Thanks for sticking around and thanks for reading.
This blog is going to be overhauled and we start fresh. Thanks for sticking around and thanks for reading.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Nutritional Yeast Tofu
Hey all,
I made nutritional yeast tofu tonight. Got the idea from one of the popular vegan restaurants here in Portland called, Sweet Here After. Very good...you should check it out.
First of all if you know what nutritional yeast is at all, you would know that it is heavenly. I love it. I use it on popcorn, seasoning...it has a great flavor.
So this tofu was soaked in chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Then I squeezed out some liquid and breaded it with nutritional yeast.
Depending on how much you want to make..
1 cup of flour to -1/4 cup of Nutritional yeast...but agin this is your meal so feel free to use as much yeast as you want, but make sure you have enough flour to fry it.
If you feel adventurous feel free to add some water to this..just a bit and cake it on the tofu..then you can bake it. Thats really up to you though.
Then you just fry it in a skillet with vegetable cooking oil. Nothing to fancy because it takes away from the flavor.
Enjoy!
I made nutritional yeast tofu tonight. Got the idea from one of the popular vegan restaurants here in Portland called, Sweet Here After. Very good...you should check it out.
First of all if you know what nutritional yeast is at all, you would know that it is heavenly. I love it. I use it on popcorn, seasoning...it has a great flavor.
So this tofu was soaked in chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Then I squeezed out some liquid and breaded it with nutritional yeast.
Depending on how much you want to make..
1 cup of flour to -1/4 cup of Nutritional yeast...but agin this is your meal so feel free to use as much yeast as you want, but make sure you have enough flour to fry it.
If you feel adventurous feel free to add some water to this..just a bit and cake it on the tofu..then you can bake it. Thats really up to you though.
Then you just fry it in a skillet with vegetable cooking oil. Nothing to fancy because it takes away from the flavor.
Enjoy!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Life after seminary
So I've been done with school for a few months now and its october. (As most of you know) Whats strange is that as much as I love seminary and school, I don't really miss it. However I do feel like I am getting stupider by not being in school. I don't feel like I am learning much. My life basically consists of working, eating, sleeping, and socializing.
I can understand why people don't feel the need for God...because quite honestly if I wasn't a christian I don't know how much I would ask the question, "What's the meaning of life?" THere really isn't any time to stop and think about it. But what I have noticed is my lack of God. I have to actively pursue God and actively mentally, emotionally, spiritually be aware of my walk with God. That is strange. In seminary it was great, I loved it. I had this great network and we talked about theology, life with God, Christianity...basically all things Jesus. Now that I am done with that...I don't have it anymore and I miss it. I realize how many things have fallen off..I don't journal as consistently, I don't read as consistently and I don't spend time with God as consistently. It really is a discipline..its not even a habit. Its a cognitive decision for me to wake up every morning and spend time with God. Its hard. Its hard but necessary. I know it is. I know what my day is like when I don't do it and I know what my day is like when I do do it.
I'm in a transition stage right now and I guess I'll have to figure out what my life will look like once I get to Taiwan. I hope that I hear from all of you and expect some time of prayer later soon.
I can understand why people don't feel the need for God...because quite honestly if I wasn't a christian I don't know how much I would ask the question, "What's the meaning of life?" THere really isn't any time to stop and think about it. But what I have noticed is my lack of God. I have to actively pursue God and actively mentally, emotionally, spiritually be aware of my walk with God. That is strange. In seminary it was great, I loved it. I had this great network and we talked about theology, life with God, Christianity...basically all things Jesus. Now that I am done with that...I don't have it anymore and I miss it. I realize how many things have fallen off..I don't journal as consistently, I don't read as consistently and I don't spend time with God as consistently. It really is a discipline..its not even a habit. Its a cognitive decision for me to wake up every morning and spend time with God. Its hard. Its hard but necessary. I know it is. I know what my day is like when I don't do it and I know what my day is like when I do do it.
I'm in a transition stage right now and I guess I'll have to figure out what my life will look like once I get to Taiwan. I hope that I hear from all of you and expect some time of prayer later soon.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Ahead of the game
As some of you may or may not know I struggle with pride. Well, I struggle with a lot of things but pride is one of them. I also struggle with not being good enough. It's an interesting dichotomy. There are days when I think that I'm better than other people because I look at where I am in my life. Then there are days when I think that everyone is doing something amazing with their life and I'm just sitting around being useless. And then a friend once told me, "There is no need to be proud because of this. You are who you are because Jesus made you that way. He is the one worthy of all glory and honor." Then I stopped and thought about that for a while. Is my problem the fact that I think everything I am doing is because of my strength? What does it really mean when I give God the honor and glory for everything I am doing in my life? I don't even think I know what that means. I mean I know it in my head but at the end of the day i want to take credit for everything that is in my bank account, all the awards I've been given, the degrees I have. But when I think about it the way that my friend put it, it really is because of God. Everything I have is his and I don't need to feel proud of where I am because it wasn't me at all. It is only through God's grace that I got to where I am. The hardest thing is seeing what people are doing in their lives and how great they live their lives. I want to be like them and then I have to stop and think. I am where I am because God has lead me here. I want to continue to pray for His guidance because if I don't I'll be living for myself and thats the last thing I want to do. I know that sounds weird but when I live for myself I loose sight of what is important and what is really important to me is sharing the gospel with people. It's really easy to put that aside, make lots of money, and move up in the world, but that's not what God called me to do. So what I think it boils down to is the idea of being an "admirer of Christ" or being a disciple of christ. I think admirer's love God and they follow him up to a point, but once they are asked to lay their lives down, they stop. They can't do that. They want to live their lives and God is just a really good friend that supports them in everything they are doing. There is no need to see him as Lord or Savior because well, "Jesus and I are tight" People keep God in this box in the corner and take him out when its convenient or when they need a favor, but thats not what being a "Christ Follower" means. When you follow God and call him your God, you better mean it. You better mean it with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength. If you don't, I would encourage you to think about it. I would encourage you spend some time and talk to God. Following God is not fluffly in the sky stuff, its real life. We are talking about salvation and that should not be taken lightly I don't wish to be mean, I really don't, but more that I love you so much. I don't wish to put a damper on your life, but just think about it. Don't take it the wrong way, its just on my heart. Really stop and think....
a book a friend recommended...
Looks good. I'll probably read it.
a book a friend recommended...
Looks good. I'll probably read it.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Seminary
A while ago I promised that I would write about my time in seminary. As some of you know I loved seminary. It was the best two years of my life. It was also the hardest part of my life. When God lead me to Portland I had no idea what I was in for. I did not expect for God to change my life so much. I remember moving up here and moving in with my sister and brother in law. ( People that I loved as family but didn’t really know as individuals.) I remember my first day of class. Christian Theology with Dr. Paul Metzger. That class was the tipping point for seminary. It changed me. It literally changed me. I remember the first thing we talked about. Our human nature to run from God. All we do is run from God. We never run towards him, if we do it is because he has turned us around. I was confused. I believed that I had realized how much I needed God and turned around, asked him to rescue me and he did. In my reality that is true. In my past that is how it happened, however the truth of the matter is that God chased after me until I was tired of running from him. It was only in my all my brokenness that God was able to pick me up. I surrendered to him because I couldn’t do anything else. I didn’t make a cognitive decision to turn to him, but a helpless one. The decision wasn’t mine, it was his because I had no other choices. It was his because I was nothing else. It was God.
I wrestled with this for a while. Doesn’t the fact that I turned to God make my choice to follow him that much greater. But I never did make a choice. God was after my heart all the time, it was just a matter of time and I think that is more powerful in the great scheme of things. This is grace. Not works. If I had made that choice to allow God to save me, it doesn’t become salvation but self-serving. There is nothing that I can do to save myself. Only God can save me and the sooner I realize this the more I am able to surrender to him the life that is already his. I am not giving him something that he doesn’t already have; he is merely taking back what was his to begin with. It’s a strange thing to think about, don’t you think? There is truly nothing I can do to save myself. We keep thinking that when we ask God into our hearts, we are saved. What I’ve learned over and over again through sermons, people, scripture is that we can’t do anything to save ourselves. We deserve hell, but since God loved us so much he sent his son so that we wouldn’t end up there. It isn’t this contract, not at all. It isn’t want people think it is. It’s a relationships. It is something beautiful and perfectly orchestrated by God. Yes He has given us the “choice” to enter into relationship but honestly God knows all. But as humans, in all the wonderful humanity that God created us to be, he wants to love him freely and willingly. You might say, “whoa whoa, how does that work? That doesn’t make any sense.” And why should it. It’s a mystery. Its one of the great mysteries of life. God created us to feel, to love, to laugh, to have emotion and to be in communion with him. The more I wrestle with this the more I surrender to God. He gave us minds and hearts. He didn’t just give us one or the other but both so that we can love and ponder his wonder. And the thing is, He wants to hear from us. He wants us to share with him in our struggles and pain. It might seem strange but it is true. But then you might ask, what about all the suffering in the world. And I say, What about it? We did that. We caused that. As Christians I wish we would stop preaching all this love and goodness. Don’t get me wrong I think those things are important but sometimes, just sometimes, we need to get down to the nitty gritty and say, I messed up. We messed up. We as Christians messed it up. We strive to live our own lives and think that we can make it on our own but we can’t. I wish that when people talked about apologetics, that they would realize the first thing about apologetics is to apologize. Christians aren’t immune or above suffering. Most of the suffering in the world is caused by so called “Christians”. Not all but some, but even if we didn’t cause it, why aren’t we there to stop it and save those who are suffering. All these things are bound up in our fallen human nature and that is why we can’t save ourselves. We can’t even save each other. We can’t even see each other in all our brokenness. It is only when we come face to face with God and we realize that he has been chasing us all the time. Honestly I keep going round and round but it may never make sense. This is a whole predestination, free will, and choice debate. The bottom line is I live for Christ. Yes he knows all but that shouldn’t stop me from being in relationship with Him. For me, he has invited me to be in relationship with him and he wants to know me in everything part that I am. As a mere child of His, I think that’s pretty stinking awesome. I honestly believe that if keep debating about predestination vs free will, we will miss the relationship God has intended for us. Not only does it keep me humble but also it reminds me of his greatness. It reminds me of my weakness and my need to lean on him for everything. That first day I knew that my faith, my life, my God would never be the same. Seminary destroyed me. It chewed me up and spat me back out. I loved every second of it. (knowing myself all to well, I’ll probably keep thinking through the theology of free will vs predestination but I won’t bore it with you now)
So I know this was suppose to be about seminary, but it clearly wasn’t. The next post will dive more into that.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Sunshine
So it's been a really long time since I've updated. I will be updating more this summer since I really love writing and I miss it so much. A few updates!
I graduated! I am finished! I have a Masters in Pastoral Studies with an emphasis with Intercultural studies.
So many people have asked me what it is like to be finished. I never know how to respond because I don't believe that I am finished. I have started. I love school. I take that back I love seminary. It was hard to watch it end, but I don't mind the reading or learning and homework after homework. I learned so much. What is it like to be finished...it is fine. It's just fine. I am not relieved or ecstatic. But I am not finished. I have entered into another stage in my life and I look forward to the future. It never was hard for me to look forward. I like doing that more than looking back, but I guess I should spend some time reflecting on the past two years.
Another update! I am moving to Taiwan to be a missionary later this year. More about this.
Lastly...God is good. Be happy and eat well.
I graduated! I am finished! I have a Masters in Pastoral Studies with an emphasis with Intercultural studies.
So many people have asked me what it is like to be finished. I never know how to respond because I don't believe that I am finished. I have started. I love school. I take that back I love seminary. It was hard to watch it end, but I don't mind the reading or learning and homework after homework. I learned so much. What is it like to be finished...it is fine. It's just fine. I am not relieved or ecstatic. But I am not finished. I have entered into another stage in my life and I look forward to the future. It never was hard for me to look forward. I like doing that more than looking back, but I guess I should spend some time reflecting on the past two years.
Another update! I am moving to Taiwan to be a missionary later this year. More about this.
Lastly...God is good. Be happy and eat well.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Food and Pictures
Hello! It has been a while since I have posted anything. But today I wanted to share a few pictures that I have taken. I like food and I like pictures so these pictures are of food. Enjoy!
These were hot wings that I made in my own home and they aren't deep fried but baked! My own mixture of hot sauce. This was back in december.
This was the meal that we had for christmas dinner when my twin and brother were in town.
The wonderful waffle window. I pretty much love this place and this was my friend's waffle. The banana rama because he LOVES bananas!
This was Urban farrmer's at the Nines version of a potato skin. It was pretty freaking good actually.
Have fun. Eat well and Be happy
Have fun. Eat well and Be happy
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