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February 21, 2006

World Christian Conference 2006

Praise God for another amazing conference! (pictures to come =))

Comapred to last year's conference - an overwhelming spiritual and emotional experience that took a long while for me to process - this year's conference gave me an equally powerful clarity in hearing God's call.

Inspired last year to step out in faith (spelled R-I-S-K), I served on a short-term trip in East Asia where it was against the law to share the gospel openly. Among the many things I learned and became convicted of God was: He is the source of all wisdom and strength.

Having had that taste of short-term missions and now wrestling with some convictions in my heart, I went to this WCC hoping God would reveal what my next steps should be... whether I should stay in my profession/career or do something completely different?

I'll gladly share my testimony if asked personally, but I will say that the way God spoke to me Saturday night was so specific and personal that even a natural skeptic like me would find impossible to deny. I think God pretty much took off the baby gloves here and gave me no more excuses - I would either serve Him faithfully, or renounce my faith.

Am I scared? Of course! Will I struggle in giving up my rights? Of course! But you know what? I will continue saying "Yes, Lord!" and taking these steps of faith.

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Last night, a homeless lady asked if we had any money for food. I told the guys I would catch up in a few minutes, and went to buy her a sandwich and drink. As I gave it to her, I excitedly thought to myself: "OK God, this is it! Praise Jesus, this is where I get to share you with her!"

As I looked into her eyes, eagerly waiting for the opening to share... she simply took the food without any words or expression, and began to eat. I then saw the signs of mental deterioration... I placed a hand on her arm and told her: "Jesus loves you; God bless!" as I turned away.

I noticed a small group of people had been watching, so I scanned the crowd thinking: "OK God, this must be it! Who will be that person of peace you desire me to share with?"

...So, I ended up being wrong about that, too. But you know what? I have no regrets, because I would rather say "Yes, Lord!" and be wrong than to be disobedient and ignore the tugging in my heart.

Posted by stevelee at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2006

Old School APhiO (kinda)!

By request of my buddy Ray, I've reposted some Alpha Phi Omega pics from a few years back. Not totally old school (like when we were active members back in 199X... *cough*), but from our days of serving on sectional/regional staff as somewhat young alumni! ;)

Ahhh, the memories of being younger and stupider! ;P

(Note: I just used Photoshop to generate Flash-based galleries, so you might need to install Flash if you haven't already... shame on you!)
Nationals 2002
Section 1 Spring Conference 2003
Ray's visit to SF
Region 10 Conference 2003

Hmm... I still can't believe all this happened just within 5 years ago! Almost seems like another life... memories which I forever will cherish with no regrets. =)

Posted by stevelee at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2006

Photo challenges

Nothing new, but I think forcing myself to participate in things like FM Forums' Weekly Challenge, FM Forums' Monthly Challenge, and the ever-popular Photo Friday will help mix things up... and the great thing about the FM challenges is the higher chance for feedback from pros! =)

Posted by stevelee at 06:59 PM | Comments (2)

February 13, 2006

Photography angst

I've been spending several hours the past few days browsing various photography galleries (ranging from cosplay photoshoots, sports, to weddings)... and it made me realize that my skills haven't improved this past year.

I can't describe what I feel that my pictures lack, because I don't even know myself. Maybe a sense of "soul" or emotion? I guess this self-evaluation got started when I read some message board thread on wedding photography advice... there was one comment that particularly struck me: "Anybody can hide behind a tree with a zoom lens panning the crowd to take a great candid shot."

The context of the comment was: professionals need to know how to pose their subjects quickly and effectively. Part of me feels that this doesn't apply to me as the whole point of the photojournalist style is to tell a story or capture a moment without disrupting the photographee(s).

Maybe I'm just rationalizing but no matter the case, the question then becomes: do my pictures tell a story? Or are they simply snapshots? Maybe I'm just getting bored of shooting the same style and content and need to mix things up... perhaps that means going out on random photo outings around the city or posting my pictures in a place like pbase.com, with lots of pro photographer traffic so my chance of getting constructive critiques increase?

...I can't believe I wrote a whole entry on this crap! Haha...
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On an entirely different note: I'm really looking forward to WCC this weekend! I'm seriously contemplating attending Urbana 2006 this year, too! I have never attended Urbana before, but after hearing so many awesome things about it from friends, this seems like a great time/opportunity!

Posted by stevelee at 02:21 AM | Comments (0)

February 11, 2006

Yellow Fever

A video that explains why white guys get the Asian girls! (link fixed; thanks Ray!)

"Maybe we can talk for a leetle while and then we can go get some 49 cent cheesebahgah at mcdonalds, BABY!" Hahaha...

Thanks for the video, Carol! =P

Posted by stevelee at 04:30 PM | Comments (1)

February 07, 2006

Random Praise

With increasing frequency, it seems that I can't turn without feeling that people want me to take on more leadership responsibility - both at work and church. I know that in an indirect sense, this is a reflection of the experience and giftings that God has blessed me with...

But I'm such a lazy bum! Well... in terms of leadership, I always preferred the positions where I could concentrate on my specific role (such as volunteer service coordinator, or one-on-one discipler) without having to worry about "running the whole show." Which is why during my Alpha Phi Omega tenure - both as an active member and alumnus - I always declined nominations for president or chair. I just saw these positions as more trouble (and time-consuming!) than it was worth!

I know that God placed me in this position (fellowship core) to teach me deeper faith and reliance on Him when I'm outside my comfort zone. After all, if I can't even serve Him faithfully and joyfully here, how can He use me in a distant, unreached area far removed from any comfort zone?

Truthfully, the experience has been a blessing so far; I praise God for my small group members and for my fellowship co-leaders. Yet, sometimes I long for simpler days where I just cheerfully served refreshments and talked with people during church cafe time! =)

It's so humbling and joyous knowing that I have a God who continues to bless and teach me so much, despite my sins and unfaithfulness!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

Posted by stevelee at 01:46 AM | Comments (0)