Went to LA last weekend for Mary's cousin's wedding. Right before we went to a famous cafe called Izzy's and we were sat right next to David Hasselhoff. I wanted to take a picture with him but Mary kept insisting that I not bother him. Then a little while later Tim Conway get sat right next us. Tim Conway was most famous for being on the Mary Tyler Moore show. But you might remember him as Dorf on Golf.
David came over and said hi to Tim's party and I had to capture the moment on camera.
The trip to LA was pretty chill, we had some awesome food. I actually had the best pastrami sandwich I have ever ate at Izzy's. We also ate some dok bosam twice.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Inspiring
http://so-yun.livejournal.com/165468.html
Crap I was pretty moved. I need to watch this everyday.
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13.
Crap I was pretty moved. I need to watch this everyday.
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Does God Punish Us?
Jeremiah 6:16-21 16
This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.' 17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But you said, 'We will not listen.' 18 Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them. 19 Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law. 20 What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me. 21Therefore this is what the LORD says: I will put obstacles before this people. Fathers and sons alike will stumble over them; neighbors and friends will perish.
This was today’s QT. It’s interesting to me because we were having a discussion about this at Bible Study. The question being, does God punish us? Or does God cause people to get cancer because they sin? Does God cause people’s children to die because they disobey him?
My answer to all of these questions would be a strong NO! This is not the God that I know and believe. I’m not saying that we can all form our own version of God, because we can’t. God is a particular God and he is a certain way in very much the same way we are. But as people we can draw closer to God and get to know him better by reading the Bible, praying, and just experiencing him in our lives. But he never changes, he is still the same God.
So then why does it seem that the Old Testament God was so vindictive and the New Testament God was so forgiving? Though it may seem like that on the surface, as you read through the Old Testament, you still see that God was and is a God of mercy. He does not take pleasure in hurting his children. He always warns them and gives them so many ways out. Only when they don’t listen do they bring destruction upon themselves.
What we do know about God is that he HATES sin. When people sinned in the Old Testament, there had to be an atonement for their sin, and that is why they made sacrifices while asking for God’s forgiveness. He wanted them to see the grotesqueness of their sin through the shedding of blood. That’s where Jesus comes in. I think that God realized that we couldn’t do it on our own and so he gave us a way out. Jesus was the final atonement and last sacrifice that had to be made for our sin. I found this online and I think it explains it well.
As Christians, we will never be punished for sin. That was done once for all. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Because of the sacrifice of Christ, God sees only the righteousness of Christ when He looks at us. Our sin has been nailed to the cross with Jesus, and we will never be punished for it. The sin that remains in our lives, however, does sometimes require God’s discipline. If we continue to act in sinful ways and we do not repent and turn from that sin, God brings His divine discipline to bear upon us. If He did not, He would not be a loving and concerned Father. Just as we discipline our own children for their welfare, so does our heavenly Father lovingly correct His children for their benefit. Hebrews 12:7-13 tells us, "As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.
Discipline presents us with the opportunity to learn and to conform ourselves to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2). Discipline is a good thing!We need to remember that sin is a constant in our lives while we are yet on this earth (Romans 3:10, 23). And as such, we not only have to deal with God's discipline for our disobedience, but we also have to deal with the natural consequences resulting from sin. If a believer steals something, God will forgive him and cleanse him from the sin of theft, restoring fellowship between Himself and the repentant thief. However, the societal consequences of theft can be severe, resulting in fines or even jail time. These are natural consequences of sin and must be endured. But God works even through those to increase our faith and glorify Himself.
I’m a strong believer in the consequences of sin, because I have experienced them personally. An easy example of this would be smoking cigarettes. I do think smoking is a sin because your body is a temple and if you defile it, you are sinning. Anyways I don’t want to debate about whether or not smoking is a sinful. What I’m saying is that when you smoke you hurt your body, and some people hurt it enough to where they get cancer. So did God punish you for smoking and give you cancer? NO! You did it to yourself! Your decision to smoke has a natural consequence, you get sick. As with many other decisions in life, some are good and some are bad. When you make bad decisions, you have to live with the consequences of that decision.
This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.' 17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But you said, 'We will not listen.' 18 Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them. 19 Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law. 20 What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me. 21Therefore this is what the LORD says: I will put obstacles before this people. Fathers and sons alike will stumble over them; neighbors and friends will perish.
This was today’s QT. It’s interesting to me because we were having a discussion about this at Bible Study. The question being, does God punish us? Or does God cause people to get cancer because they sin? Does God cause people’s children to die because they disobey him?
My answer to all of these questions would be a strong NO! This is not the God that I know and believe. I’m not saying that we can all form our own version of God, because we can’t. God is a particular God and he is a certain way in very much the same way we are. But as people we can draw closer to God and get to know him better by reading the Bible, praying, and just experiencing him in our lives. But he never changes, he is still the same God.
So then why does it seem that the Old Testament God was so vindictive and the New Testament God was so forgiving? Though it may seem like that on the surface, as you read through the Old Testament, you still see that God was and is a God of mercy. He does not take pleasure in hurting his children. He always warns them and gives them so many ways out. Only when they don’t listen do they bring destruction upon themselves.
What we do know about God is that he HATES sin. When people sinned in the Old Testament, there had to be an atonement for their sin, and that is why they made sacrifices while asking for God’s forgiveness. He wanted them to see the grotesqueness of their sin through the shedding of blood. That’s where Jesus comes in. I think that God realized that we couldn’t do it on our own and so he gave us a way out. Jesus was the final atonement and last sacrifice that had to be made for our sin. I found this online and I think it explains it well.
As Christians, we will never be punished for sin. That was done once for all. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Because of the sacrifice of Christ, God sees only the righteousness of Christ when He looks at us. Our sin has been nailed to the cross with Jesus, and we will never be punished for it. The sin that remains in our lives, however, does sometimes require God’s discipline. If we continue to act in sinful ways and we do not repent and turn from that sin, God brings His divine discipline to bear upon us. If He did not, He would not be a loving and concerned Father. Just as we discipline our own children for their welfare, so does our heavenly Father lovingly correct His children for their benefit. Hebrews 12:7-13 tells us, "As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.
Discipline presents us with the opportunity to learn and to conform ourselves to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2). Discipline is a good thing!We need to remember that sin is a constant in our lives while we are yet on this earth (Romans 3:10, 23). And as such, we not only have to deal with God's discipline for our disobedience, but we also have to deal with the natural consequences resulting from sin. If a believer steals something, God will forgive him and cleanse him from the sin of theft, restoring fellowship between Himself and the repentant thief. However, the societal consequences of theft can be severe, resulting in fines or even jail time. These are natural consequences of sin and must be endured. But God works even through those to increase our faith and glorify Himself.
I’m a strong believer in the consequences of sin, because I have experienced them personally. An easy example of this would be smoking cigarettes. I do think smoking is a sin because your body is a temple and if you defile it, you are sinning. Anyways I don’t want to debate about whether or not smoking is a sinful. What I’m saying is that when you smoke you hurt your body, and some people hurt it enough to where they get cancer. So did God punish you for smoking and give you cancer? NO! You did it to yourself! Your decision to smoke has a natural consequence, you get sick. As with many other decisions in life, some are good and some are bad. When you make bad decisions, you have to live with the consequences of that decision.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
New Car
I finally sold my car! I have been trying for about a year now. (I sound like an expectant mother)
The new dilemma is what kind of car to get. So I've been doing a lot of research, and my top 3 cars all got shot down by the boss. So I printed out a bunch of different cars in our price range from Autotrader that I didn't hate (Honda Accord, Civic, Camry), to see if there were any that she liked. We decided on the Acura TL 2002-2003. Originally I wanted to get a Subaru WRX wagon, and I still think it’s a good car for us. But the more I think about the Acura TL, I think it is also a good car for us. Of course I want to get the type S which has more horsepower and Mary of course thought that would be ridiculous considering the gas prices. It’s a constant battle.
Marriage is all about compromise. But I think Pastor Joe described it best when he called it a war. I sometimes feel like I am in a constant battle. Mary and I are way different, though we do have a lot of similarities that round us out. I do have to admit she is much more responsible and practical than I am. Purchasing a car is the perfect example. We kind of disagree on what is important.
But I don't think it's just me and her. I believe that all husbands and wives will inevitably have the car disagreement sometime in their life. For men, their car is not just a vehicle to get you from point A to point B and haul groceries, it’s more important than that. I don’t want to say that it is a direct extension of their manhood, because that's silly, but it is definitely more than just a vehicle. It is an expression of who they are.
Ever since we were kids, we played with cars. All throughout our childhood and into our early teens every boy dreamt about owning a nice sports car. That’s why you see so many old men driving around in expensive sports cars, because we never truly grow out of it. There are two things that can make a man stop dead in his tracks and make his jaw drop, a hot woman, and a nice sports car. Well for me, maybe a hot, nice steak too.
Girls never played with cars, they didn’t spend their early years dreaming about cars, reading car magazines, building model cars, going to car shows, watching Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, etc. They will never understand men’s passion with cars. Of course getting a type S because it has more horsepower is ridiculous, that’s the whole point!
The new dilemma is what kind of car to get. So I've been doing a lot of research, and my top 3 cars all got shot down by the boss. So I printed out a bunch of different cars in our price range from Autotrader that I didn't hate (Honda Accord, Civic, Camry), to see if there were any that she liked. We decided on the Acura TL 2002-2003. Originally I wanted to get a Subaru WRX wagon, and I still think it’s a good car for us. But the more I think about the Acura TL, I think it is also a good car for us. Of course I want to get the type S which has more horsepower and Mary of course thought that would be ridiculous considering the gas prices. It’s a constant battle.
Marriage is all about compromise. But I think Pastor Joe described it best when he called it a war. I sometimes feel like I am in a constant battle. Mary and I are way different, though we do have a lot of similarities that round us out. I do have to admit she is much more responsible and practical than I am. Purchasing a car is the perfect example. We kind of disagree on what is important.
But I don't think it's just me and her. I believe that all husbands and wives will inevitably have the car disagreement sometime in their life. For men, their car is not just a vehicle to get you from point A to point B and haul groceries, it’s more important than that. I don’t want to say that it is a direct extension of their manhood, because that's silly, but it is definitely more than just a vehicle. It is an expression of who they are.
Ever since we were kids, we played with cars. All throughout our childhood and into our early teens every boy dreamt about owning a nice sports car. That’s why you see so many old men driving around in expensive sports cars, because we never truly grow out of it. There are two things that can make a man stop dead in his tracks and make his jaw drop, a hot woman, and a nice sports car. Well for me, maybe a hot, nice steak too.
Girls never played with cars, they didn’t spend their early years dreaming about cars, reading car magazines, building model cars, going to car shows, watching Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, etc. They will never understand men’s passion with cars. Of course getting a type S because it has more horsepower is ridiculous, that’s the whole point!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Co-Workers B-day
Here's some pics from my co-worker's birthday party we went to recently. The shadow over my face is for your benefit. The background is the San Pablo Dam.
Mary looks really pretty in this pic. =) My co-worker's son is only 2 months younger than Christian. I really can't believe that he is only in the 25th percentile in height because he is so much larger than any other babies that we meet.
Mary and I are debating, and it really is a debate on whether or not to have another kid. I really want another son, daughter okay. I just think it will be much harder to raise one child than two. When you have only one you have to be that child's playmate, but when you have two they can play with each other and leave the parent's alone. Plus I think having only one child is kinda sad.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Going Green
I’m going GREEN folks! WHAT!? That’s right you heard it right. You may think that Jin Choi is the last to go green. I think recycling cans is extra work and attracts ants. Recycling paper? Forget about it. Taking public transportation? Yeah right. But listen people, we need to step up and help save Mother Earth. The solution? A 4 day work week!
Studies have shown that a four day work week would mean 20 percent fewer trips to and from work, reducing gasoline consumption by an estimated 65 million gallons per day, not to mention lower greenhouse gas emissions, happier and more well-rested employees and cost savings elsewhere (i.e., less energy to cool/heat and light offices, reduced need for work-time child-care, etc.). I have also read some studies that show a 4 day work week increases productivity.
I mean it’s a win, win situation. This is not a new idea folks. It’s been around for a long time since the oil crunch in the 70’s. But how long people, will we continue to abuse our earth. We need to step up and make our voices heard. 4 day work week!!!
So try to recycle if you can, use those blue bins at work for your papers if you want, BUT as a red blooded American you have to do your part in spreading the word of the 4 day work week to everyone you know. It really is your civic duty, and it helps the environment. That’s why I’m on board.
Studies have shown that a four day work week would mean 20 percent fewer trips to and from work, reducing gasoline consumption by an estimated 65 million gallons per day, not to mention lower greenhouse gas emissions, happier and more well-rested employees and cost savings elsewhere (i.e., less energy to cool/heat and light offices, reduced need for work-time child-care, etc.). I have also read some studies that show a 4 day work week increases productivity.
I mean it’s a win, win situation. This is not a new idea folks. It’s been around for a long time since the oil crunch in the 70’s. But how long people, will we continue to abuse our earth. We need to step up and make our voices heard. 4 day work week!!!
So try to recycle if you can, use those blue bins at work for your papers if you want, BUT as a red blooded American you have to do your part in spreading the word of the 4 day work week to everyone you know. It really is your civic duty, and it helps the environment. That’s why I’m on board.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Irrational Thoughts
A while back there was an article about a father in Houston who accidentally left his 8 month old daughter in the back of his car and went in to work for 8 hours. Apparently taking the baby to daycare was a change in the couple’s routine, and so the father forgot to drop the baby off and instead just went into work. After work he went to the daycare to pick up the baby and then noticed the baby in the backseat. The baby was rushed to the emergency room but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Okay so why in the hell would I tell such a morbid story? Because this true story has jacked me up for life. A couple weeks ago I started taking Christian to daycare in the morning and this was a major change from my daily routine. So for the first few days after work, as I enter my car I am startled by the car seat being in the backseat and all of a sudden I am paralyzed with this irrational fear that I left Christian in it. So every morning after I drop Christian off I reach my hand in the back and pat the car seat to make sure he’s not in it. I actually do this a couple times. I also make sure to check the backseat before I leave my work parking lot in the morning.
I wouldn’t say that I am a forgetful person but like this father when I stray from my normal routine I can easily miss things. It’s not like what he did couldn’t happen to any one of us. But how do you go on from something like that? How could he face his wife? I was having a conversation with my pastor about this and not sure who said it, but I would never want my wife to forgive me for this. I could never forgive myself, I would want to be reminded daily of what I did. Isn’t that so sad that I think like that? But I think it is hard for a lot of people to accept forgiveness for things. Basically it comes down to pride and maybe a little self loathing.
Anyways thanks to this real life event I can never be truly at peace dropping him off at daycare. The other day I actually wanted to go to my car and check to make sure he wasn’t there. But I kept telling myself, “No I dropped him off! You’re being irrational!” Sometimes I have to yell at the voice in my head…yes I am crazy. Muahahahahahah!
Okay so why in the hell would I tell such a morbid story? Because this true story has jacked me up for life. A couple weeks ago I started taking Christian to daycare in the morning and this was a major change from my daily routine. So for the first few days after work, as I enter my car I am startled by the car seat being in the backseat and all of a sudden I am paralyzed with this irrational fear that I left Christian in it. So every morning after I drop Christian off I reach my hand in the back and pat the car seat to make sure he’s not in it. I actually do this a couple times. I also make sure to check the backseat before I leave my work parking lot in the morning.
I wouldn’t say that I am a forgetful person but like this father when I stray from my normal routine I can easily miss things. It’s not like what he did couldn’t happen to any one of us. But how do you go on from something like that? How could he face his wife? I was having a conversation with my pastor about this and not sure who said it, but I would never want my wife to forgive me for this. I could never forgive myself, I would want to be reminded daily of what I did. Isn’t that so sad that I think like that? But I think it is hard for a lot of people to accept forgiveness for things. Basically it comes down to pride and maybe a little self loathing.
Anyways thanks to this real life event I can never be truly at peace dropping him off at daycare. The other day I actually wanted to go to my car and check to make sure he wasn’t there. But I kept telling myself, “No I dropped him off! You’re being irrational!” Sometimes I have to yell at the voice in my head…yes I am crazy. Muahahahahahah!
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