The Son of Man

I am not a fan of surreal artists' works because maybe...I think that whole surrealism to me is bull craps. But, I cannot deny that Rene Magritte is one of my favorites. Unlike Dali or Picasso, he still respects the truthfulness of our real lives. He is amazing at depicting subjects as they appear in everyday life with cute or surprising embellishment or interpretation. Magritte painted it as a self-portrait. The painting consists of a man in a suit and a bowler hat standing in front of a small wall, beyond which is the sea and a cloudy sky. The name "Son of Man" (the painting above) is believed to have derived from the Abrahamic creation story. The modern businessman is the son of Adam, and the apple represents temptation (with which one is still faced in the modern world).

Power from People

With our new series "Wise Living" I have been realizing once again that how wonderful the book of proverbs is. I remember I used to read one chapter every single day...seriously every single day. But now, I guess I am so lazy to that. One of the practical suggestions that Pastor Seth made last week was "spending time in reflection."

Actually I have been journaling pretty consistently in this summer. Just jotting down my feelings and lessons everyday really has been helping me to motivate myself more to be better and consistent in all the things that I do. So today, I just sat down and put on some good music, reading over my past stories and feelings that I have been writing. One thing caught me so powerfully was I have been writing so much stuff about people or myself around people - my parents, small group, church people, frontline... I came to realize that I really appreciate their presence in my life and I really love being around with people, listening to their stories and sharing our goals, problems and everyday stories....

Recently, as I have been going through lots of thought about my calling, future, major, and other things....I have been really convicted to know that my passion is people. I really gain power when I am actively interacting with people I value.

I really believe that God has been putting some genuine desire for me to be sensitive and concern for other people's needs. Also, I would want to ensure that people's lives and hearts are going well.

It has been so easy to go through a spiritual lull as many things are slowing down in the summer.

but, once when I meet the people and feel their passion and energy, I think I become a different person.

I am going home on Aug 12. I cannot wait to go home honestly...seriously. Maybe I am getting sick of this city little bit (hahaha)...but I am really praying that I will still be faithful and passionate with people, sg, ministry teams until the date I am leaving. Staying here for the entire summer may not have been the best idea but I don't think God put me here for no reason.

One positive thing for sure is that I will have a different mindset when I start new school year.

Family

Couple days with my family was pretty sweet. I had so much to catch up with my parents and brother and we spent much time just eating, talking and shopping together. Also we did our daily family quiet time + service too, which I have been missing a lot. Another thing is, it was sooo great to be somewhere new. It is not that I was getting sick of Ann Arbor, but visiting Evanston was so refreshing. The graduation was great and the weather was truly amazing. Our family was just so thankful that God has been blessing our family with so much happiness and love. We have been able to learn what it means to live a Christ-centered life and enjoy its uniqueness.

Couple things to end...
1) Seeing my brother with master's degree - I am going work harder on my academics haha (gained a lot of motivation)
2) I did not get to meet hmcc family but I prayed for them to survive and learn a lot from intensive training!