The Season of Lent

Sorry to all my faithful readers out there for not blogging in a while! All 4 of you! =)

I know this is really, really late but I want to talk about the season of Lent. I'm not a theologian or anything of that sort so I'm going to try my best to inform not only all people reading this blog but also myself. I'm really doing this for myself because I believe it is important to have knowledge about Christian tradition and history which is something that I lack in. A LOT!

If you grew up in the church all your life, then you know this particular season to be a time when you "give up" something in your life for a period of time. Back in my youth group days, I gave up internet, fast food, certain types of food, and the list goes on and on. I've been told over and over again that we should "give up" something but never fully understood why and the importance behind it; if any. So that leads me to ask many questions...

First off, what is Lent?

Simply put, Lent is the 40 days that lead up to Easter (excluding Sundays). During these 40 days, all believers reflect and meditate on the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is when churches heavily emphasize the importance of prayer, fasting, and repentance. Basically, it's a time where we get back on track with our relationship with God in whatever way you feel convicted. If you feel the need to pray more, then pray more. If you feel the need to read Scripture more, then read more. You get the point right? This is obviously not out of habit or duty, but it should come from a joyful heart that yearns and thirsts for an intimate relationship with our Father.  

When does lent begin and end and why is it 40 days?

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and leads up to the day before Easter Sunday.  Throughout the Bible, there are many significant numbers that are mentioned multiple times and this is one of them. Moses spent 40 days on a mountain praying to God, the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert, and Elijiah traveled to Horeb in 40 days. The 40 days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness praying, fasting, and getting tempted by satan. This is why many people "give up" types of food or even straight up fast for forty days to imitate what Jesus did.  

Is there any importance or significance to Lent or is it merely another "Christian" thing to do?

I believe there are many aspects why Lent should be of importance to all Bible believing and Christ following people. Of course, my reason may be different from yours and I would love to hear different aspects why Lent should be important and the things that we learn in this season. I also understand the argument that Lent is just another "Christian" thing to do on the list and that we don't need this season to reflect on the Death and Resurrection of Christ. I totally agree that we don't need Lent to repent of our sin and our need for forgiveness; that should be a daily part of our Christian walk. But knowing myself, I need this season of Lent to serve as a healthy reminder to myself to remember the Cross. I need to remind myself of the pain and sacrifice that Christ had to endure for my sin. Why do we have Veteran's Day or Black History Month or President's Day? We don't necessarily need those days; that's what textbooks are for. But honestly, if those days didn't exist on the calendar, then would we even remember the importance of those days? I don't even know when Veteran's Day or President's Day is. Oops.

So does that mean I have to fast?

That is totally up to you. If you feel convicted to "give up" something for God, then go ahead. If it will help you remember the Cross and the cost that had to be paid for your salvation, starve all you want. Well not literally, but you know what I mean. The point is, don't just "give up" something because you were told to do so in youth group or Sunday School. I think it's ironic how all the stories in the Bible that reference 40 all have something in common. You know what that is?

Utter Dependence. On God. 

Jesus Christ depended on God for strength and wisdom when getting tempted by satan for 40 days. The Israelites depended on God for 40 years in the desert for food and water. Elijiah depended on God for food and water when he traveled to Horeb for 40 days. Moses depended on God for food and water for 40 days on Mount Sinai. Get the gist? Yes, all the scenarios had to do with the lack of food and water which God provided, but what's the bigger picture? 

Dependency. 

Agape Night 2009

This post may be a little late but better now than never, right?

For my last Agape Night ever, I wanted to do something fun and entertaining so I decided to re-create the "Evolution of Dance" with a little style of my own. This video is pretty famous with about 115,000,000 hits so far. Hopefully I did it some justice and you like the video. There's also a surprise guest that appears in it. Watch and you'll see!

In the mind of a sushi chef

It's already been a week since I started this blog and here I am trying to figure out what to write. This blogging stuff is pretty weird for me because I'm not used to sharing my thoughts over the internet for the whole world to see. Some random person across the world could be reading the mindless ramblings from my head. I feel bad for them.

I recently started working at my school's dining common as a sushi chef and it's been pretty interesting so far and I learned a good amount from it. Here are some reasons why:

1. As an employee at the dining common, I have the opportunity to go into the kitchen where they make all the food for the students to eat. Let me tell you this, it's a whole new world back there! I would have never realized it if I didn't work there. It's actually pretty cool to be back in the kitchen. So for all you UMASS-ers, sucks for you! You will never experience the awesome-ness of being in the kitchen. Unless you work at the dining commons.

2. I'm pretty proud of myself at the fact that I can make sushi now. Laugh all you want but remember when there's a sushi making contest, I'd pwn since I have experience. Except when I'm facing against actual sushi chefs like the ones at Minado.

3. I have to wear a black bandana for work and whenever I put it on, I imagine myself getting ready to go into a samurai battle.

4. It's really interesting that students wait in a long line for the sushi that I make. Honestly, I can't make sushi really well. A lot of the times I have to re-roll the sushi because I put too much stuff in it; usually it's the avocado that gives me the biggest problems of all. So I tend to stay away from putting avocados in the sushi (even though it's supposed to be in it).

5. The dining commons waste SO much food. It's crazy to see that we throw away food so easily. Man, I remember going to Nicaragua for missions and every little grain of rice was so important to me because that was my meal! I couldn't afford to waste precious food like that. Yet, I'm comfortable with throwing away a burger that I took two bites out of from the cafeteria.

6. Making sushi is somewhat therapeutic in the first hour of work........ok maybe the first 30 minutes of work. Then the next 3 and a half hours is just dreadful and painful.

7. For some reason, I was reminded of myself when I make sushi. Let me explain this one. When I make sushi, I spread the rice over a piece of seaweed, then add the avocado, cucumbers, crab meat, and roll it up. Everything has to be in the right place with the right amount so that I can make a pretty good sushi roll. It takes so much time and dedication to make a single sushi roll! I've come to the conclusion that I'm like the sushi roll that I was creating. You and I are the living creation that God has made.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."-Psalm 139:13

He specfically created each one of us with different gifts, talents, and passions so that we in turn can bring him the glory through those things. Let me tell you, I enjoy the sushi I make for myself. Imagine how much greater it is for God to see his people turn and praise him for the work he has and is and will do in our lives.

P.S. I love Philadelphia and Spicy Tuna rolls. So if you ever have the urge to buy me sushi, you know what I want.

The beginning of the last

My first post on this blog. I'm exciting for this.

So it's been two days since I've got here at the oh-so-awesome Umass Amherst. Honestly, I'm happy to be back in the pioneer valley despite it being my last semester here. So much to do before I graduate. I want to take jumping pictures in front of the schools here. Umass-Smith College-Amherst College-Mount Holyoke College-Hampshire College. Who's with me? Let's do it!

I'm re-taking a general chemistry class and I'm not looking forward to it knowing that I failed the first time. But my teacher said something very profound in class the other day and made me think about Christianity.

He asked how many baseballs would fit into our classroom (note: this is a huge auditorium that fits 300). As I was working with random people trying to come up with some concrete number, I said "man, I really hope he tells us the answer." After some time, our teacher tells us that he doesn't have an answer. Now at this point, I'm disappointed because I did all my calculations and wanted to see how close I was to the right answer. But he didn't have a freaking answer! He then told us that there are many questions without answers in science.

Then it hit me.

I have many questions that I want to ask God. I want to know all the answers to life problems and struggles. Life would be so much easier and smoother if God just gave us the answers. I want to know what my future is gonna look like. I want to know who I'm gonna marry and how many kids I will have.

But then I realized life would be dull knowing all the answers. God would play no part in my life if I knew the answers to everything. God's sovereignty would cease to exist. Knowing everything takes away the fun, adventures, risks, and most importantly, the dependency on God.