fröhlich geburtstag jesus oh-gott!

Usually every year we have our big fancy dinner, and open all of our gifts on Christmas Eve (German tradition). This year we spiced it up a bit and played Minute to Win It mini-games. We had about five different ones set up, and I happened to win 2 of the 5 and won 20 dollars! My family is a tad bit on the competitive side, so this was quite exciting for me.

 

One of the games we played was called "Face the Gingerbread Man" where basically you just try and get the cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands. Let's just say this wasn't my strongest area of competition..

 Another game we played was called "Johnny Applestack". Pretty self explanatory-- we just had to stack five apples on top of each other in under a minute. It seems a lot easier than it actually is... My immediate family struggled a bit with this one, but I ended up winning anyways so it's all good ;)

 Toooo typical.

So yes, indeed, it was a good Christmas. Praise the Lord :)

Bright smiles on a cloudy day

Christmas pixxxx.

you're welcome relatives.

 Fil made me.

let's just say my mother is clueless..

       

cool Asians.

Teenie Weenie Gets Tipsy

       Today my dearest sister, Justine, turned 21. She wasn't actually tipsy, but happened to make the greatest entrance to her birthday dinner tonight at Shalhoob's Steakhouse. My family and some other friends were awaiting her appearance at approximately 7pm. She had gone to "Happy Hour" with some friends at 5, and finally around 7:10pm decided to show up. The first thing she does is wave and then completely just slips and falls on the floor. (I was unaware that she had slipped on water; I just thought she was tipsy from Happy Hour, haha.) I pretty much couldn't ask for a greater sister. I love her to death and for all of eternity (Praise God). 

 Birthday Boi.

 Birthday Guurl.

 A toy car with a key...hmm?

.

 The excitement builds..

 Justine's new ride.

The Christmas Joy Found in Colorado

          So I was just looking at some of the pictures on my sister's computer and happen to come across some of our Christmas photos from last year in Parker, Colorado. It made me smile about how much joy I find within my family even though sometimes I absolutely cannot stand them. Here's a little peaky peak:

 We'd like to say he's normal...

 Cousins :)

 Mitchell tries on Daddy's boots.

 Blissful brother.

 Our little bartender.

 Santa Claus decides to stop by.

Wormy McWorm says hello.

Beauti.

You could say I love my family.

Father Turns 52 & Our Annual Small Group Xmas Party Lives On

 Old Geezer.

Luff.

Standard.

This Whole Idea of Joy

          The third Sunday of Advent a couple days ago was Joy. I've never really been struck by the big picture of the joy that God brings to me because I just think of joy as substantial happiness or satisfaction, and quite frankly I never feel complete satisfaction within myself.        
          On Sunday, I started off the day by going to Reality (in Carpinteria) at 7:45am for my first time. I was unsure of what to expect, but all I had heard were positive things about it. By the end, I was covered in tears and complete and utter conviction. I had never experienced any church body like this before--almost every single person in that room was either bowing down, raising their hands, or lost fully within the goodness of the Holy Spirit. Let's just say God felt very present, and I had never experienced such contentment before. Even though I was crying and repenting because of the weight of sin that I was feeling upon me, I felt pretty flippin' good. I felt forgiven and completely fulfilled with the Advent of Joy that was in me. After this, I attended Community Covenant Church and this quote stuck with me: "Christ is risen. He is truly risen...May that message find an echo in your heart and mine as well because the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the source, the reason, the basis for the inarticulate joy of our Christian lives."-Brennan Manning. After I heard this, I was completely grievous but at the same time full of clarity. "For God so loved the world that He gave up His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). Wow. God gave up His only Son for me? The question is: "Why?!" Well, simply so that we could experience this inarticulate joy that He brings to us each and every single day. Doesn't it just blow you away that we can find this everlasting joy in living as God's children? We may not realize it at first, but God brings joy to us throughout everything--our brokenness, our hopelessness, our restlessness; you name it. We need to be fully aware of joy and wake up to it more often and know & trust God with whatever we think may be blocking that substancial happiness. "There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning." When we suffer, we experience more of Jesus; the more pain you have, the more joy you will recieve. So I'm going to stop babbling now and leave it at that. Hope you're all having blessed weeks! Break is almost here, praise God!!

Some Delight for the Christmas Season

             Well as we all know it is Advent season, also known as Christmas season. Lately I've just been going back in forth between Sufjan Steven's old Christmas volumes (Songs For Christmas) and some of Relient K's Let It Snow album. I know--quite the mix, huh? Well as much as I love Relient K, Sufjan just straight up blows all else out of line. He is the perfect mix between pop and indie, yet somehow incorporates his Christmas albums into these categories perfectly. I don't know about you, but I really do not like all of the poppy Christmas music that is played on the radio throughout Advent season. This is why I enjoy Sufjan, and for that matter the Christmas season. Almost all of his tracks are from a Biblical view, and this is why I appreciate him greatly. He can play great music and integrate God in his lyrics; I mean what more could I ask for...? Here's what I've been listening to: 

1. All The King's Horns- Sufjan Stevens

2. I Celebrate The Day- Relient K

3. Sleigh Ride- Relient K

4. Boxing Day- Relient K

5. Come On! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!- Sufjan Stevens

6. The Friendly Beasts- Sufjan Stevens

7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- Relient K

8. O Come O Come Emmanuel- Sufjan Stevens

9. That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!- Sufjan Stevens

10. What Child is this Anyway?-Sufjan Stevens

What are you listening to?

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

My friend Fil showed me this song today and I just wanted to share it with the rest of you. It made me feel like I was actually worthy for the first time in awhile. And the best part is, is that God thinks that about me and you all the time. How amazing is that? I hardly ever hear that I am worthy from people, which somewhat brings me down. And I never realize that I don't even need to be upset about that because God loves me and thinks I am worthy. And you know what? That is more than good enough for me. "Know I love you and that I am God Almighty, believe and be satisfied."

Beautiful by MercyMe

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His!
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
  'Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His!
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes
You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful! You are treasured
You are sacred, you are His!



 Such clarity.

My Average Monday Afternoon

     Almost every Monday Amanda Underwood, Nate Fearer and I babysit about 8-10 kids at our church. It is surely overwhelming and gets out of hand every week no doubt about it. But this is why we love our job. We teach discipline yet get to bond with these crazy children for two straight hours. From having dance parties all the way to trying to get the kids off of Amanda (the babe magnet), we enjoy what we do even when things do get a little hectic... here's a little taste of the pure joy we get to deal with every Monday.

  Spencer & Kelsie

 Our little Benji

 Drama Queen Charlie

Modest is hottest. We learn from the greatest.

The One and Only Brooke Fraser

This past Thursday (December 2nd, 2010) I was offered to go to the Brooke Fraser concert down in Hollywood. I was unsure at first if I should spend $25 on someone I've hardly ever listened to before, but by the end I was astonished. It turns out Brooke was the leader singer of Hillsong (the former Hillsong United), and had left the band last summer to pursue her own, new type of music. I was completely satisfied and full of joy afterward. I finally understood why my friends were obsessed, because now I am, fortunately. Here's a little glimpse of the delightful yet hilarious Australian that blew me away. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLLTaJUuJwE

Rescue Mission-October 4th, 2010

So about two months ago I was chosen to speak at the Rescue Mission of Santa Barbara, and I happened to come across it this morning and thought it would be cool to share what I spoke on with all of you who weren't there. So here it is:

     I started going to church in seventh grade shortly after one of my close friends, Jake passed away. I was shocked to see that I could actually lose a loved one and that that was possible at such a young age... A short time after the incident, I had been hearing about church and how it was a good place to weep and cry out to this reliable God. (Read James 4:1-6). In this passage I was always the one asking with wrong motives and not receiving. I was constantly angry with God and couldn’t figure out why He would ever take away loved ones from my life. When I heard about all of this church stuff, I thought everything would just be perfect and I expected God to be my right-hand man. It wasn’t until last year(10th grade) that I really started to see my life transform and see what God’s salvation was really like…
    By this time, I wanted to know and trust God and live a righteous life. Before, I didn’t want to commit 100% because I had never felt His presence before. I felt like all the sin I had committed was too much for God to cope with, and that He wouldn’t accept me. I struggled with this for quite awhile, but a couple months ago I had a talk with my dear friend, Brian Osgood, about all of this. He told me not to change myself for anyone nor live by my own plans, but rather to live by God’s plan and let Him change me and experience his everlasting love. At first, this seemed too good to be true and I was unsure of this and if it could actually work. He told me to pray about it, and even though I wasn’t expecting much of an answer, I stepped out in faith and did it anyways. I simply just asked God to take control of my life and use me for His good. Eventually my prayers were answered and I became more willing to give my life up for Him.
    As time progressed, I slowly saw God working through me and helping me to be slow to anger and really to just trust His purpose for me… Even though I don’t know 100% why Jake died or why other hardships were occurring, I can now trust that they really do happen for a reason. (Read Philippians 4:11-13)… This verse really shows that you CAN do everything through Christ who strengthens you, even though at first you might find that impossible to believe. But if you want this amazing relationship with Jesus Christ, then I really want to encourage each and every one of you to pursue that and rely on Him because He will hear your requests and prove Himself to you… As I have testified myself to you today, God does love you and He wants you to come to Him no matter how "badly" you’ve sinned or wanted control of your life… Just get out of the way and let God come through, for when He says He loves you- He proves it.

Greetings from Pajaro Dunes, CA!

 View from the Condo

 4.5 Hours of Joy

 Courtesy of Justine Wieland

 What a beauteous day.

 Brudder

 Shhleepy Sister :)

 

Finally reunited.

Thanksgiving

Well. In approximately two days I get to see my lovely sister, Justine, as well as my brother, Shane (although I saw him a couple weeks ago). This is the longest I have ever been away from Justine and it's been hard, not gonna lie. I went from having her be so tangible in my life, to not really having that grip at all (besides Skype of course). She moved away about three months ago to San Francisco to intern through the Urban program at Westmont college. I know this may sound pathetic and you're bored already from reading, but these past couple of months have really made me a more grateful person. Before my sister moved away, I was taking her for granted. She only lived about fifteen or twenty minutes away so it really wasn't a big deal at all because it was like she was still at home since I would see her every Monday for small group, and Sunday for church. But now it's narrowed down to me relying on technology such as cell phones or computers to get through to her which overall just sucks. I miss her terribly. And I thank God for her that I actually have someone in my family to look up to that is a pure child of God and a sister that I will live with through Christ for all of eternity. I don't give her enough credit for the amazing person that she is, and I fail at encouraging her utterly which goes along with what I talked about in the previous post. We have to learn to really build others up, (not just those who live in Christ) because what good does that do? God commands us to love each other and encourage one another, especially in their walks with Jesus Christ. So be thankful for every person in your life that has encouraged you in your walk because God has placed them in your life for his reasoning, and we can't abuse those privileges because we're not sure how much longer we'll actually have them for. Take this week as Thanksgiving is coming up to really reflect on your life and how much God has blessed you with amazing friends, family, etc.  "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Worthiness

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is,through his body), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:19-25

Well for starters, today was a pretty great day. I woke up, went to church and studied this passage in Sunday School. I'm not sure why this hit me so hard today or how it exactly links together, but it really got me thinking that I am so unworthy, yet God is full of worthiness. A lot of us Christians tend to draw away from God, not near and that is so disappointing to me, yet I do it every day. So, why is this? To be honest, I'm not too sure. Most people say that during the midst of hardships, it is quite difficult to be content with God which I guess is somewhat understandable. But for me, I feel as if God places suffering in our lives for a reason (and no, it is not karma). Step back and think a little; if your life was perfect and absolutely nothing went wrong (there were no afflictions or predicaments) then what would that look like with your relationship with God? Worthless. I know this may be nothing new to your ears, but honestly God loves you so much and he would never mean to make your life miserable for no reason. There's a purpose for everything, especially with adversity. "I've discovered Christ in a deeper way through suffering than I ever did through blessing." -Britt Merrick. The reason I share this with you is because I look at suffering as somewhat a praise to God. He brings utter conviction upon me that I cannot handle at times, but later I could not rejoice more within Him. He is so worthy of our praises, and this whole idea of worthiness just sticks to me. The fact that I have sinned more than I could even imagine is devastating, but that is the beauty of God--His grace, his forgiveness. Revelation says "Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" Give your all to God, for he gave it all for you. Do good, and show God the worthiness he deserves! Encourage one another in their faith, and please know that you are forgiven. He who has promised is incredibly faithful, so just trust that. "Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever." -Jude 1:24