night thoughts

hi hums :0

Unfortunately I don't happen to know if you are, but I'm really into getting (and I guess writing) emails and letters haha. So here's one. You don't have to reply of course. :0
I'm listening to a song about being with someone in the moonlight and it eases into a line about falling through the sky to find it. I don't know what "it" is exactly. But tonight I was walking home with two sisters (our new accountability group!) and one of them (Jessica) pointed upwards to Orion's Belt. Stars have always seemed so arbitrary to me, but isn't it amazing that they're in fact so orderly from our perspective? As children when we learned about planetary motion and the contributions of the great astronomers, they showed us all these constellations and I thought these were so forced or labeled for convenience' sake. What's so special about three stars that look like they stay near each other over time?
I still don't fully understand. But there's something beautiful about that constancy. Suddenly a dark blue sky scattered with stars includes pattern and reliability. Maybe God splattered them around like a bunch of confetti (in which case He is the greatest of trolls) but there's so much to it. How far away they are, how warm they are (but not as large and warm as you), and how tiny we are (but not you).
Back to "falling through." Have you ever looked into the flicker of a candle flame or a bonfire? Falling can be a calm experience, definitely on the peaceful side of the dichotomy between falling through the gaze up towards a night sky and the violent falling of a roller coaster cart. I think the former is my favorite way of enjoying things. Really focusing on it and letting all else fade away, knowing there's no immediate reason to leave or redirect my attention. It's a timelessness that transcends worry or fear or misunderstanding. It brings courage, steadfastness, and contentment.
I want to tell you that in this place of focus and peace, when God tells us that we're coheirs with Christ, children of the King of kings, there's a strong feeling and knowing of our royalty, neither prideful nor unwanted. We are free in life and conquerers of anything that tries to defeat us because we are on His side and He is at our side.

I hope you are sleeping well.

Love always,
Kejing

from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

"I'm not sure that I've got the exact point you are trying to make," said the Ghost.
"I am not trying to make any point," said the Spirit. "I am telling you to repent and believe."

"You cannot love a fellow-creature fully till you love God."

"... I know it has a grand sound to say ye'll accept no salvation which leaves even one creature in the dark outside. But watch that sophistry or ye'll make a Dog in a Manger the tyrant of the universe." 

"... but we will not call blue yellow to please those who insist on still having jaundice, nor make a midden of the world's garden for the sake of some who cannot abide the smell of roses."

"And yet all loneliness, angers, hatreds, envies and itchings that it contains, if rolled into one single experience and put into the scale against the least moment of the joy that is felt by the least in Heaven, would have no weight that could be registered at all. Bad cannot succeed even in being bad as truly as good is good. If all Hell's miseries together entered the consciousness of yon wee yellow bird on the bough there, they would be swallowed up without trace, as if one drop of ink had been dropped into that Great Ocean to which your terrestrial Pacific itself is only a molecule."
"I see," said I at last. "She couldn't fit into Hell."

He nodded. "There's not room for her," he said. "Hell could not open its mouth wide enough." 

Between Places

The moment between moving is often one of a special type of clarity. During each of these transitions, whether with family moving to new continents or alone across states, the feelings are similar.  It's when my mind lives in both places. I can look back and think about its lessons and experiences, and look forward to the awaiting stories. It's not ennui. But it's rather a more positive feeling, pausing between rushes of time. It hints at hope and some quiet excitement. It's wakes me up a bit.
And then I pack my bags and leave for the new place, settling into the new and leaving much of the old. (Of course this implies some psychological confusion while moving in and out of Ithaca amongst different places.)

This makes me wonder how fantastic it will be to finally go home, though hopefully not for many decades.


Listening: Like Incense/Sometimes by Step - Hillsong Live

2013.04.13

The moments that have us question our existence, purpose, motivation, our entire path… are sometimes chaotic, subtle, quiet storms. In their midst, we hold devotedly to the thin string of truth that we know. For Christians, that string is Jesus.

Jesus has been on my mind more than usual this week. I pledged to spend an hour with Him each day. It's been an inevitable failure at times, but since Sunday, I have definitely settled down, stopped other activities, and spoken to Him.

One part of speaking to Him is the action of giving Him my thoughts, worries, burdens. To release all of these to Him, to relieve oneself of them, is of course never-ending. But I find that writing these thoughts down can really help. I can put them somewhere tangible and would lie to myself if I were really going to read them again. But if a small part of me wants to remember and not let go, I can be free to think about something new, and be assured that the memory is available if I want it.

So I seek to read and write, as a sort of release but also as a form of communicative practice. You might joke that the kids in my college don't know how to read or write but there's truth in that. Many of us actually avoid the courses that will expect essays and real hefty reading.

There is one image that has been replaying every few days: A friend and I were turning the corner onto Dryden, just passing Dunbar's. A few groups of drunk people were also walking nearby at varying speeds. A few girls were walking in front of us, and a few guys were a bit slower. To my left and slightly front, a guy suddenly lurched forward, almost tripping over his own feet. His body had just bent forward as we passed, and I glanced at him briefly. In that moment, the momentum swung his necklace forward. It was a silver cross.

I wish I knew where this guy was right now, so I could walk out of the house, jog through the tap tap of rain sprinkles, desperately tell him that no matter what he's done or what he will do, God is absolutely in love with him (and then leave). Or maybe he knows this already, far better than I do.

But isn't it easy to forget? No matter the rush of thoughts that we experience daily, or the blankness from exhaustion as we stride slowly and homewards, how can this love be as real to us as a burning memory?

Sometimes when I do a problem set, I use concepts that require derivations. I can't always recall the derivations and keep them at the forefront of my mind as I use the concepts. Sometimes this really bothers me because I want my mind to grasp everything at once. Analogously, the truth of Jesus's resurrection and the atonement of our sins has repeatedly been proven and confirmed through God's Spirit, yet I can't at all remember, recall or know all the reasons why this is so. I need to trust that the derivation is correct, that it's of course transforming but the result is an immovable, unchanging good news... the same yesterday, today and forever.

This semester's good fun, highly abridged

• talking to a new brother in Christ about how radically He is changing our lives
• speaking to parents on the phone
• Obama quoting 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 as he spoke to Newtown
• starting a weekly prayer meeting at work
• hearing about prayer for revival on campus
• the civil engineering firm
• surveying such majestic beauty in DC
• God inventing ice skating, Bon Chon, and mochi ice cream and letting us have at it all in one evening
• Tufts Med School accepting a brother so quickly
• really good Mexican food
• meeting a middle school student who was ridiculously frightened at starting school in America, spending five evenings a week with him, watching him learn, and leaving knowing that he is going to be absolutely fine next semester
• looking forward to running and tennis all of winter break, playing in the sun
• hearing from an old friend's little sister that my brother got a 1st place math trophy
• going to a sermon entirely about God's love
• watching Lost in Translation
• visiting school for a weekend
• talking on the phone about God and civil engineering for quite a long time
• marveling at Boston's night skyline from the top of a high school roof, for work (though it was so cold)
• spending much of a day emailing friends, telling them how precious and loved they are
• when a Korean mom made us breakfast for a few days
• a supervisor who firmly believes in self-sacrifice
• smiling at strangers or telling them when the bus is going to come or that it has just arrived around the corner so they can sprint over (hopefully) in time
• listening to hipster worship music at church
• really comfortable Clarks heels
• listening to Francis Chan's sermon, The Biggest Lie In Your Life, and this before going to sleep
• having a cell phone that can check email and take pictures and everything
• Google making a maps app
• the T
• finding that our alumni really are everywhere and eager to help
• experiencing a power outage at P&G/Gillette (which wasn't exactly fun but I did wonder what the robots that drive themselves would do if they had to stop)
• feeling so small in Boston's beautiful business district
• trying out the cutest, most economical little sushi shop
• a Yale a capella concert in which they bashed Harvard
• visiting the Museum of Fine Arts
• spending Fall Break basically just eating food with friends, so much that we only went to important landmarks in order to find more food
• getting to thank God in all of these moments and falling deeper in love with Him every day

Prayer Request

In my entire life, I have seen a total of I think two Korean drama movie things. I think they were movies, not dramas. From what I know, they are typically (I think) ridiculously emotional and rather unrealistic. But they really seem to get people's attention... given how many people enjoy them regularly, which may or may not be a bad thing.
The one on my mind is a rather popular one. I don't remember what it is called, but this guy meets a girl who later gets Alzheimer's and starts to forget him. This gets pretty sad because when she realizes that she is losing her memory, she becomes desperate. She writes hundreds of reminder notes around the house. She holds onto him and cries because she doesn't know when she will remember him again. The thing she wants, above everything else, is to keep remembering and loving him.
Unfortunately, I am experiencing a situation like this.
In the time I have met and gotten to know Jesus more, I have never experienced such a bad attack of what I am calling, a spiritual Alzheimer's.
It's been so clear that Jesus is truly God. Every time I ask Him to reveal Himself, He has practically and/or literally been right in front of my face. Over and over again, every time I lose faith, He shows me so clearly that He IS real, that He is not too good to be true, that He died for every single person who ever lived and who ever is to live. I know I'm not crazy because there is an enormous cloud of witnesses who also have stories about Him.
But I keep forgetting and then living as though I don't know this at all. Every now and then, I remember again and desperately try to hold onto the truth. Then I forget again.
In the moments that I do remember, I try to do everything I can to hold on, to remember, to not let go of Him. I write to Him, I talk to Him, listen to Him, promise to Him, cry to Him, fall in love with Him, and share His love. I talk to other people about Him, I listen to other people talk about Him. I worship Him.
Right now, I think I'm about to forget again, and I don't know when I will remember again. I'm so scared.

Please pray for me.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)

Note to self: I am in love with You

But hey, I'm slipping away, here.

Don't forget that God revealed Himself (Deuteronomy 4:29), and looking back, that ALL of these moments are biblical.

Nature (Nehemiah 9:6)

The angel's touch (Daniel 10:10)

A friend's word of knowledge about a great fear (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Being dressed and prepared as His bride (Revelation 19:6-10)

Jesus's confirmation about Heaven (John 17:3)

Being transformed into royalty (Romans 8:15-17)

Crying for the lost (Romans 9:1-3)

Angels battling and wrestling demons on the beach (2 Kings 6:16)

God's tangible presence during worship, prayer (James 4:8)

I am so weak, so forgetful; God is good.

Listening now: A Little Longer - Brian & Jenn Johnson 

I cried out to God and He answered.

This morning, I made some more progress in Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret (written by Howard and Geraldine Taylor, revised by Gwen Hanna) and came across this quote on page 84:

In great spiritual agony, I wandered out on the sands alone. And there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for this service. I told him that all the responsibility as to the issues and consequences must rest with him; that as his servant it was mine to obey and to follow him, his to direct, care for and guide me and those who might labor with me. Need I say that at once peace flowed into my burdened heart?

Hudson Taylor vocalizes this moment too well.
At this point in the story, he's currently doing some translation work in China, but desires aide for more missions work. For a while, he cannot see the power that will provide people who will come and stay. But as he contemplates the million a month who are dying without God, he prays. And then, the Spirit gives him peace.

I completely attest to the fact that the Holy Spirit does bring peace in this way. (Haha though my experience is not as intense as Taylor's because he was in China and praying for thousands, while I was in the comfort of Ithaca.)
Recently, I was praying for some younger friends who have been looking for Him. (I'll be vague here to maintain a level of privacy.) One of these friends asked me about going to a Christian event. As he became increasingly uncertain, I felt increasing agony. The Spirit said, "Ah man. My boy has just slipped out of my hands." But He didn't stop there because God is so powerful, and so patient. Because immediately afterwards, He said, "Don't worry. I'll take care of this and he'll come to me."
But I wasn't fully convinced, and God was still sad that my friend did not know Him. As I prayed more, I felt an increasing sadness, and cried... a cry that did not come from my heart, but from the Spirit. The power of this cry was enormous, far greater than I could understand or think to call my own. My soul yelled to Jesus, "Reveal Yourself to him!!! Let this child's journey glorify You! I will do anything, or nothing, whatever you ask. If I am to do nothing, I ask that the other Christians in his life would encourage him to walk after you. If it takes years, I know you are just writing this beautiful story in a way I cannot see. But God, please, please, please... let him know You."
As I washed away my tears and stepped away from the sink... so quickly, before I had noticed a change, the Spirit brought complete peace. This absence of worry was not numbness, but was healthy contentment. So I knew: God is in control. 
My soul rested.

On another note, today marks the second time I've emailed back and forth with a stranger and by the third or so email they call me Kevin... which is actually my little brother's name! Happy birthday again, little one.

What have I lost?

I'm saying this now because I feel like I've lost a lot recently.

... a friend.
... the mind battle against a particularly difficult test.
... the luxury of thinking fewer and simpler thoughts
... and turn off recurring ones.
... the freedom of reading for hours each summer day.
... time.
... a memento of my grandmother.
... interest in watching the telly.
... quite a few opportunities to create art.
... memories.
... files that I downloaded from Blackboard which have somehow disappeared from the folders in which I saved them.
... the sort of need to get married. (Haha. I don't think my spiritual mother approves of my jokes about celibacy... But really, it wouldn't be so bad!)
... joy in things of this world that surpass the joy experienced with Jesus
... the ability to stop eating all this White Rabbit creamy candy.
... trust.
... respect.
... security.
... homes. So many homes.
... the pride and privilege of having a Chinese citizenship.
... the fear of losing things.

Two points.
1. By losing these things, beautiful things have happened. With some bittersweet, some madly difficult, but a lot of beautiful.
2. I'm learning that things were never mine to own in the first place. Truly, I have the same before and now, in Him.
This is freeing.

Listening now: Lead Me To The Cross - Hillsong Live, Samson - Regina Spektor, Beginners Theme Suite - Beginners Soundtrack

To my childhood friend

Hi A. H.!

I don't know if you remember me anymore but that's okay, haha; we haven't talked for years!!

I wanted to say hello to you today because you are really important to me!
I remember when you were in 4th grade, I first met you. You were the first friend I had who said she was Christian, and you taught me how to pray in Jesus's name. That was the first time I ever thought about Christianity. You and your mom even invited my mom and I to church one day. At Sunday school, the teacher asked noticed that I was new and said, "Do you believe in Jesus?" and I said "Yes," not really understanding what was going on. Then we read some of Revelations, which was pretty intense. Then, at lunch we had rice, bai chai and some sort of meat. You were scared because apparently there was a bat in the next room.

After fourth grade I didn't think much of Jesus until a couple of years ago.
But about a year ago, I started having love encounters with God. Since then my perspective has radically changed. Now I'm getting to know the Jesus who we innocently discussed about a decade ago. Everything about Him is so beautiful. His infinite love, patience, His angels, his Spirit...

So, I pray that He becomes even more important in our lives, soon and always.

Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day!

Love always,
Kejing