Discipline leads to freedom!

If anyone knows me, you know that I love to talk about food. I seriously think, breathe, eat, etc. about food. It's good when you do it to a healthy extent, but bad when food consumes your whole entire life. I had a little issue last year... but I got over it slowly and surely. But, still, I think always coming back to New York makes me freak out a little again because I'm always so constantly aware I guess. Idk, but I guess you could say I relapsed a little. 

However, God is SOOO good. He definitely opened my eyes again. I listened to this sermon on Gluttony by this woman who attends Mark Driscoll's church, and wow, it was so directed toward people like ME. Gluttony is a sin!! I was letting food become my idol along with appearance and stuff... Here's the link: Mars Hill Church | Christian Womanhood in a Feminist Culture | Gluttony

Definitely check out the sermon because it is powerful. After listening to this sermon, I decided to fast on Sunday and juice fast on Monday just to ask God to remove my own impurities and to trust in God for strength and nourishment. And God definitely answers. He not only made me realize my own sin, but He has healed me to be satisfied in Him and Him alone... and not the pleasure I get from food. And I'm pulling an all nighter tonight so I wasn't sure if I was going to continue to fast on Tuesday because I originally said I'd do it for three days, but I was tired and I knew I needed to eat. I knew God was healing my heart, but I wanted a clear sign from Him that it was okay to break fast, and even something like that, God answered because literally, the next chapter I read in Nehemiah for my qt, it was about the people gathering to hear the Book of the Law of Moses, and this is what I read: "Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength'"(v. 10). How crazy right?! I was just like, "Are you serious... God is SOO crazy." The joy of God is my strength!!! Praise God! 

Oh yeah- and food picture updates of course are a MUST-

This is a Fat Mojo, one of the many fat sandwiches sold at the famous grease trucks at Rutgers University! It consists of french fries, mozzarella sticks, and chicken tenders on a roll with honey mustard sauce. It's really fatty, but quite satisfying, probably because it hits all the munchy cravings. I wouldn't recommend eating a whole one, but eating half was just fine =)

Here is a picture of the amazing moist honey corn bread that Monica made, and you can see a glimpse of my mexican blend cheesy quesadillas. Honestly, the quesadillas are so weaksauce compared to Monica's cornbread!!! They were so moist and flavorful with every bite you took!

This is Grace's shrimp spread- it was soooo good. This was definitely the main entree on the night of our junior gathering. She diced up shrimp, mixed in 2 containers of cream cheese with chives, and added in rice vinegar, sesame oil, rock salt, and pepper. Then add in lemon juice and zest for a final touch. Bake it at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, and voila~! This spread is so good with toasted bread. Yum!! 

Boundaries

I was so enlightened by the book Boundaries but it's so hard to practice boundaries in real life. When I establish them, people get mad at me. How do I not care when I'm sensitive to how people respond to me? How do I establish my own boundaries as a person? 

Look to the One above

I've been eating out so much, but failing either to take pictures OR upload them onto my macbook. I WILL prevail though and make sure I update before I go off on the NYU KCCC retreat! 

Oh, and thank you Chaka for recommending these sermons! Pastor Mark Driscoll IS funny hahaha; I didn't believe you when you told me. Everyone listen and take heed~

Mars Hill Church | Proverbs | Women as Wives

Mars Hill Church | Proverbs | Men as Husbands

And also, Pastor Jacob's sermons from VisioDei are really good too- I'm on the "faith" series right now. 

Visio Dei Church - Sermon audio downloads

Meanwhile, for those who are dropping by, I have some prayer requests:

-for my small group girls- that God is preparing their hearts for this upcoming retreat, that their hearts will be open and ears will be attentive to His word, that they may recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit, that they will commit to Him and take their faith into action

-for myself- that I may not focus on the details but really remember why I do things and who I do it for, that I will continue to seek His word, that I don't get burnt out, that I will be productive with the time He gives me

Ying and Yang

It's like I know what not to do, but I still do it anyways. How can I really really just give everything up to God? 

Feeling quite disgusted with myself... binged on so much random food- dried squid, celery and peanut butter, tortillas and Trader Joe's spicy, smoky peach salsa, and for a final touch... a vanilla buttercream red velvet cupcake. I mean it's not that bad, but I think the state I enter is bad. I hate binging. I hate it when I do this. 

Food is a curse and a blessing. 

Why do I let it turn into a curse for me? 

Curiosity killed the cat

I really wish I wasn't impatient. 

"Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth... I will be glad and rejoince in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul, You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place" (Psalms 31: 3-5, 7-8). 

I think Hebrews 12:1-13 is exactly the thing I needed to read. It's all about discipline baby. 

Oyyy, I'm leading morning prayer tomorrow, and I am so lacking in Spirit right now. 

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On another note, Monica and I were coming out of the subway today and saw cockroaches running along the side of the stairs. And if that wasn't bad enough, a mouse ran past us right after. Naturally, we freaked out lol. 

Oh, and I will give a shout-out to Sam Ahn for being such a great friend, despite my tardiness and flakiness. I'm glad that we finally met up hahaha. 

Oh yeah, and I would also like to say that I recently got an email from Mr. Albus Dumbledore himself, inviting me to go to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... Alright, who's pulling a prank on me? Who knew about my Harry Potter days.... -_-;;

Artichoke on pizza? Say what?

I didn't have my camera with me so I had to take it with my camera phone. 

Behold! I introduce to you the best pizza in the world (as of now), spinach-artichoke pizza!!! Perfectly covered with creamy alfredo sauce, the spinach and artichoke complement perfectly with the melted, oven-cooked mozzarella, and every bite was a bite into the warm and soft, yet crunchy exterior pizza bread. 

Definitely check out Artichoke Basilles Pizza on E.14th St. between 2nd and 1st Ave!! I give this place two thumbs up =) 

Can't help but be a total foodie!

Oh man. I have soooo much to update with my adventures as a foodie! Where to start...

Last Friday, I got to check out this burger joint called "brgr" before Geth, and I have to admit, their burgers are pretty sick. I mean, I don't think I'd be the best food critic or anything because I pretty much like everything I eat, but brgr's burgers are pretty superb. The meat is juicy and moist, so when you take a bite into the burger, the burger juice oozes out just enough to give off that sensation of pure bliss. Combined with the special "brgr" sauce, brgr's burger is delicioso!

Come on, how good does that look? Do you not drool with delight?! I got sweet potato fries with my burger, and they were pretty darn good. I wished they were a bit more potato-ey, but besides that factor, the sweet potato fries were crisp and sweet. 

One thing that you got to buy at brgr is the milkshake though. Words cannot describe how good it is. I tried both Dave's and Joe's milkshakes (they got strawberry and blueberry pomegranate respectively), and I was blown away. At first sip, I was like "Oh whatever, it just tastes normal." But then, within one second, I tasted the... I don't know, it's been too long so I forgot the details, but I just know that it was oh-so-good! 

Saturday night was a stay-at-home-and-chill-day for my roommates and me. Monica, Grace, and I ventured out into the rain to go grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. And then later back at the apartment, we had ourselves a plum juice and cheese party! Brie cheese on water crackers is the best. Chic, yet so simple. The French sure know how to dine classy~

How pretty is that! Are you jealous yet? =)

let Your will be mine

We all struggle. It's inevitable because we are born with sin while God is perfect. Sin is bad, but to us, it seems so good. It's like the vanilla buttercream frosting on a cake. It's good while we eat it, but once we start indulging in it, we reap the after-effects of stomachaches or weight gain. 

These days, I've been struggling to discern my own desires from God's. I think that's one of the hardest things to figure out. I want to follow my own thoughts and ways so badly, but I'm pretty darn sure they're not going to end up the way I think they will. I mean, I can't tell the future, so how can I try to control and plan out what to do? I can't! But, I struggle because I still try to; I can't seem to give up control on certain areas in my life. I trust in God, I really do, but sometimes, my actions don't reflect that. Yield to God and His plan, Hyemyung! He knows the past, present, and future; He knows what's best for me, how things will turn out. 

It's so easy to follow my own desires though. I make choices that are not necessarily beneficial to my own spiritual life. I want something, I want to pursue, but now is definitely not the right time. Give me patience Lord! Let me be patient with Your timing and have the strength to follow Your will. Seek in God first, and everything will naturally unfold according to His plan. 

I was reading Psalms 19 today, and this is my prayer:

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple... They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (v. 7, 10-14). 

the 3 stages of worship

Wow, I have so much to write, but it's already so late, and I have to wake up early!! I'll just give a little preview about the entry to come... Thank you God for bringing me back again and again to that final stage of worship =)

According to John Piper in Desiring God, there are three stages of worship:

Starting from the final stage, he writes that "we feel an unencumbered joy in the manifold perfection of God" in which "we are satisfied with the excellency of God, and we overflow with the joy of His fellowship" (96). This is when you feel like bursting into praise songs and constantly want to praise His name because all your worship comes genuinely and instantaneously from the heart.

The second stage is where we "taste" but "do not feel fullness, but rather longing and desire." We know that God is good, and we still "recall the goodness of the Lord-- but it seems far off" (96). During this stage though, we should not be discouraged and instead have hope that God will bring us back to the final stage again. 

The first stage is the lowest stage of worship. Piper writes that this is "where all genuine worship starts, and where it often returns for a dark season... [it] is the barrenness of soul that scarcely feels any longing, and yet is still granted the grace of repentant sorrow for having so little love" (96). Maybe we do not feel anything in our hearts, but as long as we continue to seek God because we are sinful beings, then He will fill us with fervent joy once again. 

Reading these words was so encouraging to me because often I find myself becoming complacent or falling into a routine and forgetting why I praise God or do certain things. When we find that we don't have that same passion as we first did, it's okay. Instead of despairing and thinking God's not there, we need faith to trust that God will fill us up with fervor once again =)

How great is our God! 

Blueberries, raspberries, raisins, granola, o my!

These days, I have been only seeking to eat yogurt parfait. Something about the crunchy texture and sweet flavor of the granola with the smooth, cool texture of the yogurt makes me ooze with delight. What a perfect combo to totally satisfy your sweet tooth and need for crunch factor. I love it, I love it, I love it.

What I love even more about yogurt parfait is that there are so many ways to dress up such a simple food. You can just have granola with yogurt, but add in some fresh strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and you just created yourself a masterpiece. It's simple, chic, and totally healthy for you. 

Just look at that delicious yogurt parfait- filled with fresh, bright red strawberries, crunchy granola, and strawberry yogurt, nothing (besides Jesus lol) can bring me better joy than this. Do I sound crazy to you? I probably do. I mean, I'm raving on and on about yogurt parfait lol. 

What's even more awesome is that this breakfast food is extremely healthy for you. You cover essentially three food groups by eating this: fruits (strawberries), dairy (yogurt), and carbs (granola). If there are nuts and/or raisins in your granola, that's an extra bonus- protein right there baby! So, don't go for the processed foods or grab an Egg McMuffin on the go at Mickey D's. Get yourself a yogurt parfait instead! 

You want to make one yourself? That's super easy peasy too! All you need are yogurt, granola, and fruit! I tend to lean towards Greek yogurt now; my roomie Monica recently introduced me to "FAGE" Greek yogurt, and I've been obsessed. The first time I tried it, I was like blech because the first taste was so sour, but once you get used to it, it's delicious and oh-so-creamy. Mix in honey with "FAGE" yogurt, and it's heavenly~ 

 +   = pure happiness =)

Anyways, take your yogurt, granola, and fruit and just assemble into layers. How easy is that!