Today i am thankful for... (Jan 7)

Jan 7: Mark Fertig's birthday
Jan 8: Soo's birthday

Today i am thankful for Mark
1. My friendship with Mark, good conversation
2. God brought Mark to Himself in college,
3. and then brought him to East Asia to impact others
4. Mark's faith
5. That Ohio state was not very good at football this year (sorry Mark)

The things i am thankful for Jan 6

Soo's birthday is just a couple days away... i am thankful for her... (i thank God for her everyday)

Today i am thankful for...

1. God brought Soo into my life. She is His perfect provision for me
2. I am God's perfect provision for her. OF all the people in the universe, He chose me to be an instrument in her life. Thanks for the priviledge and blessing to serve & lead my wife
3. God's sovereignty over our marriage
4. All the relationships that didn't work, all the girls who rejected me... so i could marry Soo
5. That God created marriage and designed marriage

12 for 2012

Last year i made a list of 11 things of 11 for 2011... and didn't do too bad... so, here goes

12 For 2012

12 things I’m looking forward to in 2012

1.     the birth of our son

2.     Halle talking

3.     sitting in panera or starbucks or B&N, reading a book, journaling, talking with friends

4.     Following up Freshmen contacts

5.     Christmas Conference… and to a lesser degree Fall Retreat

6.     Seeing our parents enjoy their grandchildren

7.     One on one hang-outs with old friends + Getting phone calls from friends and not having to talk at midnight or 10am

8.     Having a car: n more buses or waiting for taxis

9.     watching football, espn, pti

10. Leading a Men’s Bible study & doing ministry in english

11. No more classes in the morning

12. Eating Good Food

12 Goals

1.     Pray for 100 countries (and maybe another 100 people group)

2.     Write 12 notes to Soo, Halle and the new baby

3.     Outline 12 books of the Bible

4.     Write at least one blog entry a week

5.     Write out 500 things I am thankful for ( real goal is 1,000)(real goal is to write 3 things I am thankful for each day)

6.     Memorize 12 verses(passages)

7.     Take Soo on 12 unique dates (different than a meal or a movie)… (of course plan for a date every week)

8.     Share the Gospel with 12 people

9.     Get to point I am playing basketball (or some other sport) weekly

10. Get to point of doing hamstring & back stretches 3/wk

11. Learn a few (12) Korean phrases or words

12. Buy a house

12 themes for 2012

1.     Eternal Perspective

2.     Wisdom

3.     Attentive to God, attentive to needs of others

4.     Transition

5.     Passion

6.     Fun

7.     Hope

8.     Friendship

9.     Humility & Grace

10. Keep myself in the love of God

11. Service/servanthood & Generosity/Giving

12. Growing… Love Jesus… Full of Faith

12 ways I want to grow in God’s Word

1.     Proverbs:
I should have done this long ago, living in Asia. I should take advantage of wisdom here, and figure out ways to share Gospel using the book. I want to ask people questions, consider Confuscious & other philosophers
Big Goal: read thru the book 12 times… more realistic: 5… Soft Goal: 3 times

2.     Colossians + Tullian Talks
Long interested… I want to study & meditate and listen to Tullian’s talk series on Colossians (24 talks) Jesus+ Nothing=Everything

3.     Study the life of Josiah
2 weeks? Look online and stuff

4.     Study life of Samuel

5.     Micah
Soo loved the book + these 3 are potential names

6.     Study on the END TIMES (Revelation, Daniel, etc… but more topical)
if 2012 is the end… or if people are thinking about it, I want to be more informed and be able to share the Gospel… + I want to have more of an eternal perspective & live with a greater sense of urgency

7.     Study Galatians
more and more entrigued by this book

8.     Study Sermon on the Mount

9.     Read Judges as a story, maybe write it out

10. Read Philippians several times, rememorize stuff

11. Look at I or II Peter – just because I need to get something other than Paul

12. Consider some stuff from I Corinthians or Titus or I John

12 books I own I want to read/finish

       1.     Marriage-builder

       2.     Starting your marriage off right

       3.     The Good News we almost forgot

       4.     Divine Conspiracy

       5.     eat, pray, love

       6.     Managing God’s money

       7.     Now, you’re speaking my language

       8.     God’s Big Picture

       9.     Rescuing Ambition

      10. The Deep things of God

      11. What Wives wish their husbands knew about sex

      12. The Gospel is for Christians or Bonhoffer? Or Redeeming Love?

12 books I’ve yet to buy I want to read

       1.     It All goes Back in the Box

       2.     Grace-based Parenting

       3.     Generous Justice

       4.     Thirsting for God

       5.     Ancient Word, Changing worlds

       6.     The Love Dare

       7.     Note to Self

       8.     Disciple

       9.     A Million miles in a thousand years

      10. The Naked Gospel or As far as the curse is found

      11. Faith is not a feeling or A long Obedience in the same direction

      12. FNL or Hunger Games or Harry Potter

12 movies I want to see

       1.     The Dark Knight Rises

       2.     Thor

       3.     30 minutes or less
             Aziz Anzari & Jesse Eisenberg: need I say more
       4.     Infernal Affairs

             I need to watch this before I leave Asia

       5.     Mummy 3
             another we own here and is about Asia

       6.     Moneyball
             baseball, Brad Pitt and the guy who did the Social Network- what else could I ask for?

       7.     Taxi Driver… or Airplane
             Classics, and we own it here

       8.     Terminator: Salvation

       9.     United 93

     10. Godfather movies

Best movies ever right?

     11. Rio

     12. The wrestler or Ali

* The Hobbit

12 people I want to invest in

1.     Marc

2.     Sean

3.     Brack

4.     Ken

5.     Varkey

6.     Corey

7.     B

8.     Kevin

9.     Jack

10. Halle

11. My son

12. Soo

12 people I haven’t seen/talked to in a while to try to connect with one time

1.     Matt H

2.     Paul Mann

3.     Will story

4.     erik Mellquist

5.     Jon Leazenby

6.     Tim VanFossen

7.     Brandon Sammut

8.     Adam Anderson

9.     Trepod

10. Berg

11. A Smyly

12. dario

12 things to try to make

1.     PB fudge

2.     Chocolate fudge

3.     Bacon wrapped crackers

4.     Chocolate chip & bacon cookies

5.     Buffalo dip

6.     Pho for Soo

7.     A Turkish dish

8.     Twice-baked potatoes

9.     Kao tudou pian

10. Tudou jiding

11. Orange chicken

12. Ziran yang rou

12 words/phrases I want to describe me in 2012

1.     Growing

2.     Full of Faith

3.     Faithful

4.     Loving

5.     Humble

6.     Servant

7.     Caring/Compassionate

8.     Good friend

9.     Hard-working

10. Joyful

11. Patient & forgiving

12. passionate

12 things I’m not looking forward to

1.     Having to decide what to keep and what to leave

2.     Packing

3.     Trying to make some big decisions such as where to live and car to buy

4.     Traveling across the world with a one year old & pregnant wife

5.     Trying to sell things

6.     Saying goodbye to friends

7.     MPD

8.     All the logistical things we’ll need to figure out concerning taxes and insurance, etc

9.     Sticker shock

10. Not having a baomu

11. Sleepless nights

12. Trying to figure out how to spend time when students aren’t around

The things i am thankful for Jan 5

We bought our tickets home today.
i guess a little prayer helps...

Thank God for frequent fler miles... we're getting one flight for free... and by getting a credit card & a long flight, should have enough for 2 roundtrip tickets...

man am i sleepy right now...  i fell asleep in the taxi this evening - woke up and had no idea where i was...

Today, i am thankful for...
1. Frequent Flier miles
2. naps
3. sleep

The things i am thankful for Jan 4

woke up early today... pretty tired now... but

Today i am thankful for...

1. team dinners
2. good food: have had some good stuff recently
3. God created moms
   thinking of my mom... and my wife as a mom
4. The care & sacrifice of moms (especially my mom, and Soo as a mom)
5. That God cares for us, cares for me

God cares about every detail. There is nothing that goes by Him. There is nothing too small to Him. He cares about everything. No feeling is insignificant. i can count on the Lord.

And He has taken care of me.
And He will take care of me... i can rest easy.

The things i am thankful for on Jan 3

Today was my mom's birthday... didn't get to see her... and since she is in India, and i don't know where, we weren't able to talk either...  but mom i love you! And i am thankful for you.

Today i am thankful for...
1. My mom!
2. The Lord brought my parents together (arranged marriage)
3. The Lord enabled my parents to come to know Him in India
4. The Lord enabled my parents to go to America...
5. That i grew up in America
6. My parents culture & faith & personalities influenced me
7. My parents pointed me to Christ and prayed for me
8. My mom loved & loves me so much, cares so much for me
9. My mom's joy & laughter (And that influenced me too).
10. That my mom played games with me (and my friends) as a kid
11. Opportunity to meet new people
12. Good Steak.


Today is usually a day off, but i heard it was the last day before exams, so i went to campus to meet some students... which was good. i enjoyed my time on campus.
Kinda weird knowing i'll be leaving soon, but felt the need to take these steps of faith and see what would happen.

One student i was very blessed for all the things i have been able to do & experience.

i am blessed... but maybe not why he said.

i am blessed to know God. i am blessed to be saved. i am blessed by God.
And my family is such a great blesssing.
Not because they help me to go places and paid for my schooling and all that... but because they follow the Lord & how they love me...

Mom you were always there for me as a kid.
My friends talk about your lemonade and your doughnuts... and we will always remember you playing parcheesi and charades - esp the time you acted out popeye and got spice in your eye...
You care for us deeply - maybe too much- but we know it is because you love us.
You love God, desire eagerly to grow and know God.
i am thankful for you!

i am also greatly blessed to have a wonderful wife... we were able to go on a lil date tonight... played some ping-pong (Soo played despite being 20 weeks pregnant) and got some wonderful steak... it was amazing.

Parts of today were hard... my back hurt a bit... getting a little anxious about the future... some conflicts... but overall, a good day.
Thank You God!

The things i am thankful for on Jan 2

Yesterday I posted a blog about things I was thankful for… that kinda went with the idea of a new year…

But really what I am thankful for are the important things

Today i am thankful for...

1.     Jesus

Last week I saw ppl tweet: The Reward for Following Jesus is Jesus. How True. I am thankful to know Jesus. I am thankful Jesus is my friend. And I am thankful for the love of Jesus and the reward of Jesus. He is my King. And He is my treasure

2.     The gift of Salavation

Apart from Jesus Himself, Jesus does give Salvation… and this is a great gift indeed. It give security and freedom and hope.

3.     My wife, Soo

Sure, there may be times when marriage is difficult… and tiring. And Soo is sinful person like the rest of us, like me. But she loves me and I love her. She is my best friend. The person who will always be in my life. And the person who will have the best opportunity to show me the Gospel by giving me continual grace and loving me despite my unworthiness. And I get the great priviledge to love her and take care of her and show her the Gospel. I love it!

4.     Halle (and the new baby too)

I love watching my daughter grow. I delight in hearing laugh and seeing her smile. I get a wonderful privilege of being with her every day and first thing in the morning. She lets me hold her… and even wants me to sometimes…

5.     I get to know God better thru being a Dad… and what a blessing & honor & stewardship and responsibility to be the one who gets to reveal the character of God the Father to her – only I get that….

6.     Friends & family

Truly I could go into this more, but I am so blessed

7.     Your Wonderful Word which instruct me in righteousness and wisdom

There is a lot to be thankful for concerning Your Word, but today after reading Proverbs, I am thankful for how Your Word instructs me, and leads me in righteousness and wisdom

8.     Waffles!

9.     And the waffle-maker & other things You have blessed us with (that we now need to sell).

10. That Soo is 20 weeks pregnant already! It is hard to believe… last year at 20 weeks it felt like it had been 40, this time it feels like it has been 10 (though don’t know if Soo would quite agree).

Thank You God