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October 31, 2006

May I pray for you?

Probably one of the most overlooked but vital/powerful aspect of our Christian faith is prayer. It's so easy to get caught up in the mindset of "having to do something" that we forget that the foundation of our ministries is our vertical relationship with God. That is, spending time in worship and prayer. It's from this foundation that everything else should be built upon.

I had the privilege to serve as part of the prayer ministry team this past Sunday when Lawrence spoke. It was such a humbling and powerful experience to be able to pray for those who needed and/or wanted it... especially when it felt like God had given me insight into the pain and struggles of the person I was praying over. Without a single word from the person. I give all praise to God for giving me the exact words to pray and intercede with!

I knew that I had spoken truth when the recipients (and I) started crying...

Father in Heaven, I give you all praise for being an almighty and all-loving God! I pray for your wisdom and strength, and that you will daily refine my life and teach me to become your humble servant...
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I don't know if it's because of the cold, gloomy weather or something else like burnout, but I've been feeling so... weary lately. All I feel like doing is sleeping, listening to music, playing guitar (I just bought one and am teaching myself how to play! =)), or something mindless like playing Final Fantasy 12!

Maybe I should change this entry title to: "Can you please pray for me?" =)

Posted by stevelee at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2006

The Happiest Place on Earth?

I had the chance to take a day off work to head down to LA this past weekend for Sam's 25th Birthday Gala. It was great being able to completely relax and enjoy the company of old friends without any agenda in sunny LA! The gala itself was a really nice, fancy black and white formal affair, and I feel blessed to have shared in the event!

I just wish I had remembered to bring my camera gear. I felt naked without my camera! =(

During the dancing part of the evening, I quickly discovered that in my "old age" - in the absence of enough alcohol, haha - I no longer care much for dancing to hip-hop! I still can enjoy the music and head-bob to it... but I just feel... silly dancing to it now. =P I guess it just doesn't feel "fun" to me anymore. I had a blast when they played stuff to salsa, cha-cha, swing and electric slide to, though! I also really enjoyed when they played stuff from the 50s - like Elvis, and other stuff that was just plain silly and fun. I got my twist on, and hopefully did my parents proud! =P

The second higlight of the weekend had to be going to Disneyland! Having not gone to Disneyland in like 15 years, I'd been wanting to go back like crazy! It was a surreal experience walking around Disneyland - remembering certain memories from my past and comparing it to how it had been updated since. It was weird how the place still seemed so huge to me! Then again, I probably didn't grow too much taller since my last visit, haha...

I had a great time (once I got over the sticker shock of food prices within Disneyland)... and it was very touching to see the "magic" that Disneyland still has over little kids. And not so little kids such as ourselves. ;P It just warmed my heart to see little kids' faces light up excitedly as "Ariel" or some other Disney character passed by, as they pointed and waved with a huge smile. =)

As a final note: I now have a new personal challenge: to come up with a more creative pose for the Space Mountain picture at the end! The ideas are brewing... muahahaha! I can see why NFL wide receivers get a huge kick out of coming up with touchdown celebrations!

Posted by stevelee at 09:37 PM | Comments (1)

October 08, 2006

It's a Guy Thing

I had an awesome past 2 weekends! I won in all my fantasy football leagues, the A's advanced to the ALCS (I'm trying really hard to not get my hopes up... and to push all thoughts of A's winning it all out of my mind before I "jinx" things!) the Sharks are off to a great start, and I spent this past weekend in San Diego for Jonathan's bachelor party. =)

Hanging out with Jonathan's hometown friends was very refreshing - in many ways, it reminds me of hanging out with my own high school buddies... except for the fact that Jonathan and all his friends are Christian. The only reason I make this distinction is because hanging out with his friends made me think that this is how fellowship between Christian brothers should look like. We had our "manly men" activities, we talked about "manly men" topics, we goofed around a lot (especially at the bachelor's expense...haha), we were very "real" and honest with each other. No putting up pretenses or hiding behind "holy masks"; just lots of good, clean, fun times and conversations. This was a huge encouragement to me - knowing that I can have the same type of relationship that I have with my high school buddies in church... and vice-versa.

Spending time with these guys also reminded me of how seriously most of the people at my church take themselves. ;P To each their own, of course... but there's no way some of the practical jokes we played on each would fly! We have a master plan to try and change that though... muahahaha...

I think the highlight of the bachelor's party - besides totally punking the guest of honor, haha - was playing tackle football! Man, I LOVE tackle football (sorry, I think flag football is completely lame)... and as out-of-shape as I was (and despite being the smallest and oldest guy there), I made my presence felt and earned the respect of the guys! ;) I bowled over some people, forced a fumble, shut down my guy while playing corner, and was a pass-rushing/blitzing monster! I even contributed on offense too, with some tough runs... I fought hard for first downs and yardage!

Too bad that only lasted the first "half" (I think we played for like 4 hours?), haha. I was totally out of gas and hurting bad... and pretty much had to rest every other play after that... so sad! =P It was hilarious to note how everyone's demeanor changed once we decided to put something on the line - losers would buy winners Jamba Juice. From there on out, it was all serious and focused... no more trash-talking, no more joking... all for a stupid $4 drink, haha. =P

One thing that always seems to surprise people is how super-competitive I get. I HATE losing. Everyone usually knows me as a goofy, happy-go-lucky, trash-talking guy... but you know that I'm taking it (the game/competition/whatever) for real if I'm NOT talking trash. =) I guess the trash-talking and joking around is more for my sake - to keep things loose and prevent myself from going into "competition mode." ;)

Anyway... lots of fun! =) The sad thing is realizing how old and out-of-shape I am! The next day - almost all of us, actually - were shuffling and hobbling around because we were too sore! We must have looked like a sad bunch, haha. I couldn't even get out of bed properly - I had to roll to my side, and gingerly push myself up to get out of my sleeping bag!

I bruised a rib trying to tackle one of the guys - this pretty big, burly dude who used to play linebacker... stupid me for trying to take him straight-up instead of wrapping up his legs or something. Man, that brought back memories of one of my first days playing high school football (yes, I realize I'm starting to sound like Al Bundy! ;P)... I tried to tackle the fullback straight-up - he was running full steam, and dragged me for a few yards before the others took him down. That was pretty embarrassing, haha. At least this time it was relatively quick and painless - he just broke my tackle completely. ;P
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I also had the chance to go shooting at a range. It was my first time firing a weapon... and I have to admit, I was a little intimidated when I first heard/saw a gun being fired - a 45 mm semi-automatic. I don't know how cops and such can fire these bad boys without going deaf! It turned out to be pretty fun though... we tested several different 9mm, 22mm, and 45mm weapons, and it was interesting to note the differences between each.

I definitely have a greater sense of respect/fear for firearms though. As cool as it was to fire guns, and admire all the cool-looking weapons in the shop, the experience confirmed that I would never want to own a real gun. =)
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Seeing the news about North Korea's possible nuclear weapon test tonight seemed like a sobering reminder from God about remaining steadfast in my preparations... anad being broken by the darkness that grips NK.

Posted by stevelee at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2006

Seasons

I love this time of year - we have baseball playoffs (the OAKLAND A'S just went up 2-0 against the Twins!!!), football, and hockey (Go Sharks)! Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner, which always seem to bring a "magical" quality with them.

I'm currently going through a busy season in life - work, young adult fellowship leadership, teaching a global missions class to the youth, the list goes on. There were rough times when I felt completely drained and exhausted, but I praise God for really sustaining me throughout and giving me these opportunities to serve! It is and has been such a huge blessing to see people growing in their faith - to rejoice with them in their victories and cry with them in their struggles. Every time I wonder if I took on more than I can handle, God reminds me that He is glorified in my weakness... meaning that even though I am weak and tired, God can provide for all my needs!

I feel that God's calling me into a season of rest and renewal. Honestly, I know it'll be tough for me to let go of all the ministries, especially when I still see so much need and hurt around me - so much more work left to do. But I realize that's where I need to surrender these things (including my pride... I know it's God that makes things happen, not anything I say or do) to the Lord - He has a plan more perfect than any of us can imagine! For myself, I need to rest and focus on my personal relationship with Him... and prepare for serving overseas next year.

But after that, who knows? Perhaps pastoring? =)

Posted by stevelee at 12:47 PM | Comments (2)