A Story from The New Testament World

Yes...the end of the semester is so near. We're all so tired. However, it's oddly feeling alright since we're all in this together and we're looking forward to Christmas. =)

Just wanted to plug a great book I've read for one my classes. It's by far the most enjoyable of any that I've read all semester. It's an easy and relatively short read as well. I posted on it a little while ago on a friend's web site.

The Lost Letters of Pergamum - check it out if you're looking for a good read during your holiday travels.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow, there have been so many ups and downs to look back on this year. Although I'm packing a lot of books, papers, etc. for schoolwork as I head down to New Jersey this Thanksgiving, I can't help but be very glad and thankful for all that God has brought me through this year. My work decisions, family challenges, academic problems, friendship struggles, financial outlook, spiritual dryness and loneliness are all in His hands. I've been able to see problems redeemed and transformed into healing/reconciling relationships, peace in God's ultimate vision for my life, amazing support from my Christian family all around the world and tough learning on how to grow diligently in His ways - slowly but surely...I'm really thankful for God's hand in my little life.

I'm sure there will be times when it may be harder for me to be thankful for my lot in life. By God's grace in Jesus Christ, I hope I can see beyond circumstances and continue to run the race with passion and joy. Below is a passage I wanted to share. (It's also partially because I'm writing a paper on I Peter during this break.) Also, an encouraging Boundless blog entry.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." -I Peter 1:3-9 [NASB]

Not that we are saved by works, but just some verses to chew on if you haven't looked at them in depth before...

Enjoy the holiday! Count your blessings. =)

Technology for homework

In the midst of a crazy amount of work, my clenched-jaw, almost obligatory thankfulness has shifted to an attitude of more joyful and glad gratitude. God's so faithful to show me His path of grace...

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:18-19

This is kind of a nerdy post, but it's not very technical. It probably doesn't introduce anything new to those of you who are even slightly technically inclined. So here goes....

Right now, I am so thankful for Internet Explorer, Firefox (because yes, IE 7 has been crashing on me >_<), Bible Gateway and Oremus.org (NRSV). Oh, an aside - I would recommend using eBible.com, a relatively new site, only if you have time and are patient since it tends to load quite slowly. However, the commentary and outlining are great there!

My current New Testament Lit. class involves the completion of many worksheets analyzing concepts and passages from the Bible. It would be rather painful to have a physical spread of 20 different verses side-by-side, in 5 different translations, with key words/concepts highlighted, all on my desk for me to analyze. I don't even have access to a desk large enough to hold a spread of that size.

There are great capabilities for searching through numerous versions of the Bible right from your browser in the newest versions of IE & Firefox both have . The tabs in both browsers allow for ease in switching between versions to find specific passages. The word-finding function in both browsers (Ctrl + F), conveniently highlights and saves quite a bit of time. Bible Gateway also has a nice column format (vs. the standard rows) for looking at multiple verses side-by-side. Here's a screen shot of some of the craziness.

Alright, my study break's over. I just wanted to share some tips in case some of you are interested in studying multiple Bible verses side-by-side and even comparing your own version to other translations, perhaps more accurate/literal translations. =)

Back to it...

Flat Stanley

A dear little friend of mine asked me to help him with a school project last week since one of the criteria for the a person he needed to ask was he/she not be a a WA state resident. Well, Flat Stanley arrived on Friday, at the end of the hardest week I've had so far here at King's. It was fun to take a break from what's going on here to work and "hang out" with Flat Stanley. After getting him properly dressed in NYC attire and accessorized with the essentials (Metro card & iPod), he was ready to accompany me to Union Square for grocery shopping on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
We did quite a bit of walking since Union Square is about 20 blocks from where I am at Herlad Square and we had other errands to run. There was also an increased number of tourists to navigate around on this Veteran's Day long weekend.

I think he had a good time while we were out. He enjoyed seeing the sights on the pleasantly sunny an warm day.

Aunty Jenny unfortunately was sick and became really sick after our outing this weekend. However, she was careful to keep him far away from her germs, so he should be good to go. Back he goes to Seattle on Monday morning!

More home improvements

Since moving in, our apartment has seen many improvements from the drab state it was originally in. One of our desires as a household was to accumulate more art for our walls so our unusually spacious common area wouldn't look so bare and cold. This is our latest addition from the past week. One of my roommates snagged this from American Eagle Outfitters since they were changing for the season...a 5ft x 8ft picture.

It actually seems quite becoming and at home on our wall. It's a nice change from the demeaning and sexualized ads we're bombarded with on the streets and even in our hallway when we walk out the door.

My own corner has also seen more additions to make it more homey and comfortable. Now we just need to find more furniture to hold our books. =)

5 more weeks to pull up my grades and attempt to finish the semester better than I started. =| I anticipated having some trouble getting back into school. A full semester load has hit me harder than I realized. =( God is gracious, His mercies are new every morning. I will get to start anew next semester as well. I'll be glad for the winter break in b/w semesters to reorganize and strategize my game plan better for next semester.

On a more exciting travel note - I'll be back in Seattle for about 10 days in January! Hooray for frequent flyer mileage redemption!

Poverty

Shootings, senseless deaths, cancer in my peers, miscarriages, pervasive idolatry in our society, broken relationships and scandals. These and other symbols of brokenness have been a recurring theme in my life lately. I've been feeling this heaviness as I'm trying to bring before God my struggles, many that became more evident to me after my move here.

In Matthew 5:3, Jesus said,"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Several years ago, it was revealed to me what being poor in spirit really meant. It's not the poverty I grew up with in my family, nor is it the socio-economic poverty many Westerners would immediately think about in our own well-to-do societies. It's not even the tragic and heart wrenching crimes committed by humans to one another. Those horrible acts and the resulting consequences are merely symptoms of our deep-seeded brokenness, of our desperate need for a Savior. We're all innately depraved in our spirits - we need something much more than what this world has to offer; so muc more than any happiness we can muster up by working/playing hard enough. I'd like to refer to a brother in the Lord with some great insight on our depraved state, lest any of us be quick to judge. - I am...we all are - rotten to the core.

May we come to realize this, seek redemption in Christ and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to show other poor people the way to Life.

I gave in...

*Sigh*, I finally did it - I joined Facebook. After months of holding out in resistance, I've finally given in. =| My roomies and fellow students were successful in convincing me. I'm not sure I'll like it, but at least now I can keep track of who's who, and look people up when I forget their names. =S It will help me with remembering people since I've been forgetting a lot...I feel kind of bad because I used to be so much better at remembering people. =(

So the "speeding-dating" wound up turning into a progressive dinner that was pretty fun. We just wound up going from apartment to apartment and got to know each other through intros and chatting. =)

Visitors

Yes! I'm continually blessed by getting to see so many of my friends come into NYC and take the time out to see me. I absolutely love getting to eat yummy food and chat with people about life and have many a good laugh while we're at it. Within a week's time, I get to see an old friend from NJ, my prayer partner and her sister, and both of my most recent old roommates from Seattle! I feel super spoiled in getting to have so many visitors. I'm also grateful for roommates who are gracious about the many girl visitors I have who sleep over at our place.

RE: "Fun posts" - thanks to all who have given me feedback on my blogging. I appreciate your input and encouragement. =) I guess "fun" isn't my goal at this point. I'd rather have a more well-rounded blog w/ more topics covered. Perhaps I should take the time to organize and look into tagging my posts. So much runs through my head throughout the day and I'd love to just share some more of those at some point.

Alright, so the ladies of House of Queen Elizabeth I have been invited by the men of House of C.S. Lewis to a speed-dating activity. At first notification, I didn't even plan to go. However, it doesn't sound to be as sketchy as I may have thought at first. It's sounding more like a progressive dinner. Hopefully it'll be fun. I should interact more socially with my fellow students.

Forgiveness

A Boundless article on a recent tragedy really convicted me to reflect on what Jesus did on the cross...

We talk about forgiveness a lot as Christians, but how are we really doing? This makes me think about whether I've truly moved on in my relationship with those who have hurt me, particularly with those in my family. By moving on I mean progressing in my relationships with them appropriately, not just moving on to others despite them.

Is forgiveness reflected in our reconciled and healthy relationships in our families and churches? Not exactly...at least not in my life, but that's why we look to the cross for transforming power and grace.

- Sorry, I'm still getting a hang of this whole blogging thing...I'll try to have more "fun" posts soon.

Chipping away

It's mid-terms week. I see around me a lot of tired and stressed out students. However, in the midst of the madness, I'm learning to be more diligent to steward this education. I really hope the rest of the semester and Spring semester will be better as I become more disciplined.

Our apartment's started some traditions for birthdays (we've now had 2 after this weekend). We have a crown (apropos since we're Elizabethans) and a cute pink pin for the birthday princess. Our Texan roommate's birthday and other events brought around tons of flowers (yay, we're happy!) and cake to our apartment this weekend. It's been a festive and sweet week. Here's a goofy pic we took... yummy - cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery.

It is so amazing how our Father answers our prayers and in His own timing, fulfills the desires of our heart. =) I've gotten to have some good chats this week with some female students here this week as I've been spending a lot more time on campus. While I'm really not tight with anyone here yet, I'm encouraged to see God honor my desire to seek His best here. There are some pretty amazing women at this institution.

I'll try post more later on my professors, but I've been blown away by wonderful they are. Honestly, God is really doing something amazing here with His hand-picked professors! Just another reminder of how much I have to steward and invest well during my time here at TKC and beyond.

On another note: I think I'm going to be seriously schooled on southern culture and country music before I leave here. I'm guilty of having some inaccurate stereotypes of people from the Midwest and the South. Oh, as far as I can tell, Southern men ARE chivalrous; it's nice to be treated so thoughtfully and well even when they don't know some of us. Not that I haven't been around brothers who treat me well before, but I don't recall it ever being as immediate as this.

Anyhow, back to the books for midterms and homework.

The Ultimate Gift

To supplement our school-wide Intereggnum focus on Difficulty and campus-wide required reading of The Pilgrim's Progress, we were all invited to a private screening of The Ultimate Gift for our college today. Interregnum is an annual time (I think it is covered in some of our curriculum throughout both semesters) taken out to focus on a specific theme for spiritual and intellectual enrichment, in addition to our normal academics at The King's College. We had no classes today, just an exam this morning on the reading. The reason why we had this opportunity to see the movie was one of the students; his uncle is one of the executive producers of the film. It was a treat to see a free movie at a nice theater in Times Square. =D

I'm not exactly a movie buff as most people know, but I thought it was a pretty good movie. The really wonderful part of the movie was the lessons it taught from the book written by Jim Stovall. The 12 gifts touched on included family, friends, problems, laughter, gratitude, and giving amongst other ones. Beyond being just another feel-good movie, this movie is inspiring and challenges one to consider his/her own "pilgrimage" so to speak. We also had a very informative and engaging Q&A session after the movie viewing. The producer got to talking about how now is actually a great time to be a Christian in the arts...

I'm excited to be in a place with so many exciting opportunities to see how the Lord is moving to reach people. I also love being around people who are actively looking to make a difference for Christ in very real and tangible ways. Getting to meet some incredible successful people who desire to help King's students realize God's dream has also been affirming and very inspiring. =)

Side note from this weekend: outside of being immersed in tedious financial accounting homework and a trip deep into Brooklyn to see my grandparents, my roommates and I got to see a Korean-American celebration parade go right by our place. It was pretty cool to see and hear it from up high, outside our bedroom window (but I was afraid of falling as we leaned out and my glasses were hanging from my nose...). We live on 34th, where 6th (Avenue of the Americas) and Broadway cross each other. The parade caused some traffic blockage on top of the typical Saturday midday flow. Here are two pictures that show the parade cruising along down Broadway, and right past Koreatown (yes, I live 2 blocks from K-town).

<--north view

south view-->

The Power of Story

We had our campus-wide retreat this past weekend. Here's a random picture of a mushroom growing on a tree in upstate NY.

It was really nice to be in nature, far away from the concrete of midtown Manhattan, even though it doesn't compare to the lush beauty of Seattle. Our speaker's messages really made me think about Heaven and what we're doing here. I guess the more important takeaway is that what we're doing here is preparing us for our inheritance...

Being at a college where most all of the students are convicted about their calls to influential leadership in the world, places us in a very unique place to serve and sharpen one another as we learn and strive for greatness together. As I think about the amazing ways God has pulled me out of the pits of poverty, depression, dysfunction, and abuse to redeem what Satan meant for destruction, I am humbled and exceedingly grateful. I'm feeling overwhelmed at times right now because I didn't realize I'd have such a hard time moving back here to New York. I really miss the amazing community and family I had on the West Coast.

I'm encouraged as I am continually presented with the "big picture" purpose behind why I'm here through different people and situations I come across lately. It certainly helps with getting back into the swing of academics and used to other aspects of daily life in the city. Another important takeaway: Although we know God will use us to make huge impacts in strategic institutions (commerce, media, education, government, law, civil society, the arts and the church) we are not to place our hope in these institutions. Our hope as disciples of Christ, perhaps especially so as His servant leaders in the world, is in the Kingdom to Come; that which will not pass away. He's given us our stories here so that we may contribte to His Grand Story for eternity.

Blessed? Incredibly and abundantly. Does this involve great difficulty? Yes, and more than I know right now.

Five years since 09.11.2001

Today was the 5th anniversary of 9/11. The New York Times featured a pull-out section, in addition to many articles, to commemorate it. Although I was trying to get caught up on schoolwork, thoughts about how significant this day is were also on my mind. There was quite a bit going on around town to acknowledge the significance of this day, and I think many mixed feelings in the city today were being grappled with, especially in those who are still dealing with the death of a loved one. An overall solemn tone was indeed in NYC today in the midst of all the usual noisiness.

There were ads placed with the names of those who passed away, in the pull-out section of the Times. The name of one of the people caught my eye - Jennifer Y. Wong. I know that my parents and relatives are concerned about me living in midtown and going to school in the Empire State Building, but I am at peace with God being in complete control regardless of what happens in this world.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is a saving defense to His anointed. ~Psalm 28:7-8 [NASB]

I pray God might use me and will continue to move through The King's College to reach those hurting and lost in this city.

Settling in, school's started.

What a week it's been! A former Seattle NewGener's wedding was last weekend here in NYC (the lovely bride is from Brooklyn, like me) so there were friends here from Seattle, all over Cali, Boston, Honolulu and here in NYC. It was sooo much fun to have so many old friends here in town! It was also especially cool for me to show so many of my brothers and sister where I'm living now; it helped me feel more settled to have visitors. A few of us even got to visit Boston and spend some time w/ another NewGener who's settling in there.

God's timing is so perfect; I'm continually humbled and awed at how He lavishes His blessings on me! I've been able to have 9 bags/suitcases/items brought over here by gracious friends traveling here from Seattle. My guitar, rice cooker, clothes, shoes, and books were among the many things I was able to have brought over so I could save much-needed money for school. Here's a picture (sorry about the quality, it's from my phone) of how my non-bed, non-bathroom and non-closet corner of the apartment looks right now.

I've finally had a chance to organize and clean a bit this week. I'm trying to keep stuff out that reminds me of family, Seattle, and why the Lord's brought me here.

What have I been learning? A ton...my classes, especially my Introduction to New Testament Literature class, have almost all been chock full of information to absorb. Unfortunately, I feel like I only have the ability right now to take sips from the firehose flow of knowledge being presented. Campus-wide, we're also reading John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. This has been one of many books on my to-read list for the last few years, so I'm glad we're gong through it together. It's also an integral part of our theme of Difficulty for this year.

There's also a house system here that all students are a part of. TKC's house system has some elements of ones at Harvard and UPenn, and of other colleges' Greek system. The King's College currently has a unique house system of 9 houses named after prominent figures in history: C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Clara Barton, Margaret Thatcher, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Queen Elizabeth, I. I'm in the House of Queen Elizabeth, I; QEI for short. My 3 roommates and I, along w/ 29 other women are in this house. I think I'll write more on this later...

In meeting more students, having more conversations with people about the vision of King's, the student body, and the many things to be done here, I'm very excited for what's ahead here. The biggest challenges for me are getting into an academic pace/rhythm of studying, figuring out my commitments/relationships, and finding a home church. I'm learning as I'm looking for a church that I have a lot of heart issues to get over and give to the Lord. I'm seeing that I also need to stop being so legalistic about some of my preferences (communication styles, music styles, Bible translation, etc.; for the most part - non-critical issues), but to stand strong by my convictions.

There's a lot more, but I must get to the tons of reading I have to do. Good stuff...and I still need to figure what it means to "have fun" and enjoy being a student. I can already sense myself getting really uptight again as I'm picking up on the urban pace of life. I trust God will use whatever it takes to break through to me and get me to chill out and do well.

First 3 days...

Warning: this is a long post - After a whirlwind several days here in NYC, I'm finally sitting down to process just a few of the numerous thoughts flying through my head... I saw family from Boston and in Brooklyn for about 8 1/2 hours on Sunday, so that was a surprise and also pretty tiring. There is much to think about and pray for in my always-interesting family.

The move-in process was pretty smooth. God was so gracious in having my spiritual parents from Cherry Hill, NJ come and pick me and my big heavy suitcases up from JFK, takeme to Manhattan, and help me organize despite my very tired state after weeks of little sleep. He continues to provide SO faithfully...in all the ways I've needed. I look forward seeing how the Lord continues to prove Himself to be my loving Daddy and Provider.

It's really crazy here. I think I'd forgotten how that felt; to be back in a bustling East Coast city. Now that I'm back, the smells (some very yucky), sights, and sounds (and lots of them) are definitely reminding me of the great metropolis I am in. As expected, I miss the beautiful Seattle environment and the wonderful community I had on the Eastside of Lake Washington. It's really weird to be smaller than all of my roommates for the first time in my life, too. I know that seems odd to point out, but it's weird for me since I've only lived with one girl taller than me before... I guess I have something of a big Asian girl complex. Perhaps God is showing me something?

I find it ironic that H&M, Gap, Forever 21, American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, Aldo, Victoria's Secret, Ann Taylor Loft, the world's largest Macy's (diagonally across the street), and many other stores are just 1-3 minutes away from the front door of my apartment tower. It's ironic because I really don't like shopping...sometimes I'll even say I hate it. =\ Oh well, I need to go business suit-shopping anyway. =) At least I don't have to stray too far from where I live as I embark on the process to find the right one.

New Student Orientation for The King's College is this whole week. We started this week with sessions inside the CUNY Graduate Center a few minutes from the Empire State Building and where I live. King's is definitely a place the Lord has confirmed in my heart to be at and learn in this season. However, I'm struggling with how receptive I'm being to building relationships with the student body, though. I knew this would be a struggle to start with, but I guess it's become more apparent to me how hard this might be as I'm also missing the great friends, fulfilling ministry, great mentors, and supportive community God's provided for me since living in Seattle.

A lot of grand ideas were spoken about today as we heard from the faculty and the president of the college. I'm hanging on to the fact that know why I came here and have a good sense for what God wants to teach me during my time here about Biblical leadership to help change the world and about my personal relationship with Him. The "Freedom to Fail", Courage for God's Kingdom, Difficulty (major school-wide theme this year), Significance, Statesmanship, Proper Motivation to drive us, Integrity and our Potential were all topics touched on during the different sessions. These ideas along with the greater, very ambitious and revolutionary vision of this school all resonate with me, so I am very excited to be a part of it. I'm a bit anxious about the academic rigor of this school, but am expecting nothing less to prepare me for what's ahead after my time at King's. Two years feels like a long time to have been out of school before jumping back in with an academically elite student body, though...=

I guess this all boils down to me needing prayer, grace, openness, patience, humility, Scriptural wisdom and guidance - to lean on His love, purpose, and care for me during this critical time. I know I can do this; I'm meant to be a significant leader and God's given me many indicators of that already. Honestly though, I'm scared and feeling lonely as I've yet to get plugged in and truly connect with others (small group, mentors) here in NYC. It's only been a few days, but I think it's especially hard for me since so many amazing things happened during my 6 1/2 years (almost all of my Christian life so far) in Seattle. I was anticipating feeling all of this since I'd thought about how this adjustment period might be, but it's still hard as my character is being chipped away at and shaped - difficult as promised, right? God is good. =)

One more day in Seattle

Some flowers from this past weekend (sorry, the pic's sideways). Takeaway from the JAN [Jenny Appreciation Night] that my dear friends and family put on for me - I am blessed...overwhelmingly blessed by an incredibly gracious Lord & Savior.

This month has been a very busy and in some ways, contained some of the most challenging weeks of my life thus far. One thing that has been striking me is that while I've been through much more painful times before, I don't think I've handled it as well as I've been able to lately. Granted, while I have a tremendously long way to go, I can't help but want to post this short entry to give glory to God for how He's been busy at work in my life; to bless, strengthen, comfort, minister & love in and through my fallen and depraved state. Here's a very critical Bible passage to me as I'm transitioning into a new chapter of my life full of unknowns.

"See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it… "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." – Deuteronomy 30:15-16, 19-20 (NASB)

Amen, huh? I implore you all to choose blessing; choose life - God's way, not ours.

Woo-hoo, 2nd post...

Recent discovery: http://seattle.wifimug.org/. I know, I'm way behind the times. =P I'm sure there will be more spots when I get out to NYC...yay!

I'm liking my new laptop more, now that I've gotten more used to it. =) It's prettier now as of yesterday! It seems like a scam to me that people pay money for these skins; they're just big plastic stickers. =\ Mine was free as part of a promo they were doing when I bought it a few weeks ago.

On another note, 10 of us rollerbladed 23+ miles (well, Olwen and I rollerbladed a few miles further since we took a wrong fork at one point) on the Burke-Gilman & Sammamish River Trails which connects Redmond to Seattle around Lake Washington. I'll try to post another entry w/ pics later. It was fun...my legs are sore today, but it was a nice time to go out and enjoy God's creation as well as appreciate the fact He's given us able bodies and our youth to do this sort of thing. =)

I'm not sure when I'll get comfortable w/ posting more personal things, but I'd like to eventually share about the work God's doing in my life. Looking back in the last 6.5 years in Seattle, He's been so awesome and gracious in the midst of hard times and the many foolish mistakes I make. I hope to share some of that soon.

Another chance?

So, with the move to NYC very near (in just 20 days!!!), I'm giving this whole blog thing another try. Friends have been encouraging me to try blogging as a way to keep them updated. I wasn't so big on the whole Xanga (http://www.xanga.com/gnoWynneJ) thing, but Blogspot seems to offer a cleaner look, which I prefer. =)

We'll see how long this will last... I need motivation to make this something of a priority to do. It may not be very exciting since I don't have a digital camera to take pics of fun stuff to post, but maybe I'll get lonely in NY and decide to write more...who knows? It might be a good distraction if school gets too crazy.